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Postprandial kinetics of genes expression of gastric (chitinase, pepsinogen) and intestinal (alkaline phosphatase, maltase) digestive enzymes and nutrient transporters (peptide transporter 1, sodium-glucose transporter 1), Brush Border Membrane (BBM) enzymes activity (alkaline phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase, maltase, saccharase) and blood biochemistry (triglycerides, cholesterol, protein, albumin, glucose, amino acids) through NMR spectroscopy, were investigated in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed a commercial aquafeed. For this purpose, fish were starved 72 h and digestive tract and blood were sampled before the meal and at 1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 h after feeding (T0, T1.5, T3, T6, T9, T12 and T24). The postprandial kinetic showed that the expression of the genes involved in digestion and nutrient transport, the activity of BBM enzymes, and the presence of metabolites in blood were stimulated in different ways by the presence of feed in the digestive tract. The expression of most genes peaked 3 h after meal except gastric pepsinogen and maltase in distal intestine that peaked at T9 and T12, respectively. The activity of BBM enzymes were stimulated differently based on the intestine tract. The plasma proteins level increased from T1.5 until T9, while the other blood parameters unvariated during the postprandial period. This study supplied useful information about the physiological effects a single meal as a potential tool for planning nutritional studies involving the digestive functions.

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The use of stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) as a rapid analytical tool to characterize and discriminate farmed fish on the basis of the feedstuffs included in the diet formulation is discussed. Two isoproteic (44.8%) and isolipidic (19.6%) extruded diets were formulated: a fish-meal-based diet (FM diet), containing fish meal as the sole protein source; a plant-protein-based diet (PP diet), where pea protein concentrate and wheat gluten meal replaced 80% of fish meal protein. The diets were fed to eight groups of rainbow trout (initial body weight: 106.6g) for 103 days in two daily meals under controlled rearing conditions. Growth performance (final body weight: 318.5 g; specific growth rate: 1.06%) and feed-to-gain ratio (0.79) were not affected by the dietary treatment. The differences in isotopic values of the two diets were clearly reflected in the different carbon and nitrogen isotopic values in rainbow trout fillets. The delta(13)C and delta(15)N values of muscle of farmed rainbow trout showed differences between farmed fish fed a fish-protein-based diet (-20.47 +/- 0.34 and 12.38 +/- 0.57 for delta(13)C and delta(15)N, respectively) and those fed a plant-protein-based diet (-23.96 +/- 0.38 and 7.15 +/- 0.51 for delta(13)C and delta(15)N, respectively). The results suggest that SIRA provides a robust and verifiable analytical tool to discriminate between fish fed on a plant or a fish protein diet.

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The role of dietary arginine in affecting nitrogen utilisation and excretion was studied in juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed for 72 days with diets differing in protein sources (plant protein-based (PM) and fish-meal-based (FM)). Fish growth performance and nitrogen utilisation revealed that dietary Arg surplus was beneficial only in PM diets. Dietary Arg level significantly affected postprandial plasma urea concentrations. Hepatic arginase activity increased (P<0.05) in response to dietary Arg surplus in fish fed plant protein diets; conversely ornithine transcarbamylase activity was very low and inversely related to arginine intake. No hepatic carbamoyl phosphate synthetase III activity was detected. Dietary arginine levels did not affect glutamate dehydrogenase activity. A strong linear relationship was found between liver arginase activity and daily urea-N excretion. Dietary Arg excess reduced the proportion of total ammonia nitrogen excreted and increased the contribution of urea-N over the total N excretion irrespective of dietary protein source. Plasma and excretion data combined with enzyme activities suggest that dietary Arg degradation via hepatic arginase is a major pathway for ureagenesis and that ornithine-urea cycle is not completely functional in juvenile sea bass liver.

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Besides being an indispensable amino acid for protein synthesis, arginine (Arg) is also involved in a number of other physiological functions. Available data on the quantitative requirement for Arg in different teleosts appear to show much variability. So far, there are very limited data on the maintenance requirements of indispensable amino acids (IAA) in fish. In the present study, we compared N and Arg requirements for maintenance and growth of four finfish species: rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), turbot (Psetta maxima), gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Groups of fish having an initial body weight close to 5-7 g were fed semi-purified diets containing graded levels of N (0 to 8 % DM) and Arg (0 to 3 % DM) over 4 to 6 weeks. For each species, N and Arg requirements for maintenance and for growth were calculated regressing daily N gain against daily N or Arg intakes. N requirement for maintenance was estimated to be 37.8, 127.3, 84.7 and 45.1 mg/kg metabolic body weight per d and 2.3, 2.2, 2.6 and 2.5 g for 1 g N accretion, in rainbow trout, turbot, gilthead seabream and European seabass respectively. The four species studied appear to have very low or no dietary Arg requirements for maintenance. Arg requirement for g N accretion was calculated to be 0.86 g in rainbow trout and between 1.04-1.11 g in the three marine species. Turbot required more N for maintenance than the other three species, possibly explaining its reputedly high overall dietary protein requirement. Data suggest a small but sufficient endogenous Arg synthesis to maintain whole body N balance and differences between freshwater and marine species as regards Arg requirement. It is worth verifying this tendency with other IAA.

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The symptomatology of Eating Disorders (ED) varies considerably and it is of interest to determine whether one can attribute this to different personality structures and hence establish the most effective treatment. The present study investigates the psychopathological characteristics of clinical ED subjects divided by diagnostic subtypes, age at onset and duration of disorder on admission. Three hundred and twenty-seven women were administered the EAT 40 and MMPI. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc multiple comparisons were performed on subsamples: no significant differences emerged with regard to age at onset and duration of ED, whereas the diagnostic subtypes obtained significantly different MMPI validity scale scores. These results can be referred to a common core of ED represented by cognitive organization and personal meaning.

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The contemporary presence of organomegaly, skin manifestations, polyneuropathy, endocrinopathy and monoclonal component characterises the POEMS syndrome, often associated with osteosclerotic myeloma and Castelman's disease and more frequent in the Japanese. Clinical manifestations seem to be related to the production of many interleukins, mainly IL-1, IL-6 and TNF. Several endocrinopathies have been described, the most frequent being diabetes. Only one previous case of hypoparathyroidism associated with the syndrome has been described in medical reviews. Polyneuropathy is often sensitivo-motory and skin disease accounts for Raynaud phenomenon, skin pigmentation, hypertricosis and others. We describe the case of a 74-year-old man who underwent clinical examination for weakness mainly in the legs. Clinical and instrumental data showed rhabdomyolysis due to hypoparathyroidism. The contemporary presence of a monoclonal band of light chains on proteic electrophoresis, organomegaly and distal leg neuropathy allowed us to make a diagnosis of POEMS syndrome.

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A multidisciplinary investigation was performed on 173 reporters (53 men and 20 women) of a newspaper. The microclimate and illumination conditions of the main seat, in which the use of VDT was beginning, were satisfactory, although not all the instruments were correctly adjusted. A very low percentage of reporters working in the main center was suffering from arterial hypertension indicating the presence of the "healthy worker effect". The values of plasma cortisol and arterial blood pressure of 10 reporters of the main seat, except two cases, changed normally during the evening hours. It is to point out that among the reporters there was significant correlation between spondylosis and astigmatism. The psychological investigation evidenced that the reporters were aggressive, eager of success and with constant attention. The EMG biofeedback demonstrated in the reporters with a more prolonged period of employment nervous tension and difficulty in relaxing. Particularly, in the reporters of the main center, the Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory was more altered than in those of the peripheral seats.

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