The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of isoflavones on climacteric-related symptoms and on the endometrium in postmenopausal women, in a prospective, open, randomized, clinical trial performed at the Menopause Clinic of our Department. Seventy postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to two treatment groups receiving 12 cycles of treatment with genistein (group A) or calcium (group B). In all patients ultrasonographic endometrial thickness and Kupperman Index (KI) were evaluated at baseline and after 6 and 12 cycles of treatment. At baseline no significant difference was detected in endometrial thickness and in KI between groups A and B. After 6 and 12 cycles of treatment, no significant difference was observed in endometrial thickness between or within groups. Endometrial thickness was lower than 5 mm in all cases before and during treatment except in two cases in group B and in one case in group A after 12 months. At 6 and 12 months, the KI was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in group A in comparison with baseline values and group B. We conclude that genistein administration reduces climacteric symptoms in postmenopausal women and does not increase endometrial thickness.

Wet-aging (WA) and dry-aging (DA) methods are usually used in the beef industry to satisfy the consumers’ tastes; however, these methods are not suitable for all anatomical cuts. In this study, WA and DA were applied to improve the quality of two cuts of Charolais beef (Longissimus dorsi and Semitendinosus). For 60 days (i.e., 2 days, 15 days, 30 days and 60 days of sampling), a physicochemical, rheological, and microbiological analysis were performed at WA (vacuum packed; temperature of 4 ± 1 °C) and at DA (air velocity of 0.5 m/s; temperature of 1 ± 1 °C; relative humidity of 78 ± 10%) conditions. The results showed that the aging method influenced the aging loss (higher in the DA), cooking loss (higher in the WA), malondialdehyde concentration (higher in the DA) and fatty acid profile (few changes). No differences in the drip loss and color were observed, which decreased after 30 days of aging. The WBSF and TPA test values changed with increasing an aging time showing that the aging improved the tenderness of meat regardless of the aging method. Moreover, the aging method does not influence the microbiological profile. In conclusion, both WA and DA enhanced the quality of the different beef cuts, suggesting that an optimal method-time and aging combination could be pursued to reach the consumers’ preferences.

This study aims to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance for European listed companies. The purpose of this study is to understand if and how the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak influenced the behavior of European companies in terms of best practices in ESG. In this paper, we consider the ESG score as a proxy of management practices. The ESG score was collected for all companies included in the STOXX 600 index (from the Refinitiv Eikon database) and analyzed using fixed and random effects. The sample is composed of 600 European listed companies and covers the period from 2018 to 2021. The results show that even in a health crisis with economic repercussions for the whole world, companies have continued to increase their commitment to ESG targets. The results are robust, also considering the different components of the ESG score (environment, social, governance) individually. This paper validates the significance for companies to improve their ESG performance even during unstable times. Our analysis has implications from several perspectives, adding supplementary information and considerations to the uncompleted debate examining the effects of external shocks on ESG performance.

The aim of this study was to quantify nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) utilisation and excretion in intensive dairy buffaloes. Italian Mediterranean buffaloes were divided into 4 groups (n=6/group) as follows: Groups M50, M125 and M225 at 50, 125 and 225 days of lactation, respectively, and Group NL which was non-lactating. Lactating buffaloes had greater (P<0.05) dry matter and organic matter intake than NL buffaloes. Buffaloes in Group M50 had a lower (P<0.05) crude protein (CP) apparent digestibility than buffaloes in Groups M125 and M225. Group NL had a higher (P<0.01) real CP digestibility than Group M50. Buffaloes in Groups M50 and NL had a negative N balance (-79 and -12 g, respectively) whilst buffaloes in Groups M125 and M225 had a positive N balance (26 and 16 g, respectively). Buffaloes in Group M50 had more (P<0.05) N in urine (204 g) than Group NL (87 g). Buffaloes in Group NL had less (P<0.01) P in both faeces (12.9 g) and urine (0.8 g) compared with the three groups of lactating buffaloes combined (25 g in faeces and 12 g in urine) and they also had greater (P<0.05) P digestibility (68%) than lactating buffaloes combined (43%). The present study has shown that buffaloes have a relatively high efficiency of N and P utilisation.

The aims of this study were to assess the efficacy of alphacypermethrin (ACYP) on pediculosis due to Haematopinus tuberculatus and to evaluate the influence of the treatment on productive and reproductive performance in buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) reared in an intensive system. The trial was performed on 56 pluriparous buffaloes at 86.8 ± 8.1 d in milk. The animals underwent individual louse count and were divided into 2 homogenous groups according to louse count, age, number of lactations, days in milk, live BW, BCS, pregnancy status, and milk yield. Group A (n = 28) was treated by a pour-on formulation of ACYP, and Group S (n = 28) was treated by pour-on saline solution. Individual louse counts were performed weekly on 10 buffaloes in each group. Feed intake was recorded daily and the total mixed ration, individual ingredients, and orts were analyzed to calculate DM ingestion. Individual milk yield was recorded daily and milk samples were analyzed at the beginning of the trial, after 4 wk, and at the end of the trial to assess milk composition. Individual BCS was also evaluated simultaneously. Finally, the animals underwent synchronization of ovulation starting 4 wk after treatment and the pregnancy rate and the calving-conception interval were evaluated. Data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test and ANOVA for repeated measures. The infestation was constant in Group S, whereas no lice were present in Group A throughout the study. Daily DMI was similar in the 2 groups (16.7 ± 0.4 vs. 16.3 ± 0.3 kg/d in Group A vs. Group S, respectively), although buffaloes in Group A showed higher (P < 0.05) BCS score at the end of the trial (7.39 ± 0.1 vs. 7.14 ± 0.1 in Group A vs. Group S, respectively). The average milk yield/buffalo was higher (P < 0.05) in Group A compared to Group S (10.58 ± 0.1 vs. 10.39 ± 0.1 kg in Group A vs. Group S, respectively) and this was mainly due to the higher milk production recorded in buffaloes at less than 75 d in milk (11.81 ± 0.1 vs. 11.45 ± 0.1 kg in Group A vs. Group S, respectively). Despite of a similar fertility rate (90.5 vs. 80.9% in Group A vs. Group S, respectively), a lower (P < 0.05) calving-conception interval was recorded in Group A compared to Group S (118 ± 16 vs. 177 ± 16 d in Group A vs. Group S, respectively). In addition to the pour-on treatment against pediculosis, productive and reproductive performance were also improved. This represents a significant improvement in dairy buffalo herd management.