University of Sassari

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Behavior

Behavioral Disturbances: An Innovative Approach to Monitor the Modulatory Effects of a Nutraceutical Diet

Alessandro Di Cerbo^*1, Sara Sechi^*2, Sergio Canello³, Gianandrea Guidetti³, Filippo Fiore², Raffaella Cocco²

¹School of Specialization in Clinical Biochemistry, “G. d’Annunzio” University, ²Department of Veterinary Medicine, Pathology and Veterinary Clinic Section, University of Sassari, ³Research and Development Department, Forza10 USA Corp.

We report a simple approach to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific diet in positively modulating the daily activity and clinical and behavioral symptoms of dogs with evident behavioral disturbances.

Biology

A Two-Step Strategy that Combines Epigenetic Modification and Biomechanical Cues to Generate Mammalian Pluripotent Cells

Georgia Pennarossa¹, Sergio Ledda², Sharon Arcuri¹, Fulvio Gandolfi³, Tiziana A. L. Brevini¹

¹Laboratory of Biomedical Embryology, Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety and Center for Stem Cell Research, Università degli Studi di Milano, ²Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, ³Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy and Center for Stem Cell Research, Università degli Studi di Milano

We here present a method that combines the use of chemical epigenetic erasing with mechanosensing-related cues to efficiently generate mammalian pluripotent cells, without the need of gene transfection or retroviral vectors. This strategy is, therefore, promising for translational medicine and represents a notable advancement in stem cell organoid technology.

Developmental Biology

Vitrification of In Vitro Matured Oocytes Collected from Adult and Prepubertal Ovaries in Sheep

Sara Succu¹, Elisa Serra¹, Sergio Gadau¹, Antonio Varcasia¹, Fiammetta Berlinguer¹

¹Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari

The protocol aims at providing a standard method for the vitrification of adult and juvenile sheep oocytes. It includes all the steps from the preparation of the in vitro maturation media to the post-warming culture. Oocytes are vitrified at the MII stage using Cryotop to ensure the minimum essential volume.