Estimation of taurindicine hybridization of American Zebu cattle in Brazil

Our objective was to estimate Bos primigenius taurus introgression in American Zebu cattle. One hundred and four American Zebu (Nellore) cattle were submitted to mtDNA, microsatellite and satellite analysis. Twenty-three alleles were detected in microsatellite analysis, averaging 4.6 +/- 1.82/locus. Variance component comparisons of microsatellite allele sizes allowed the construction of two clusters separating taurus and indicus. No significant variation was observed when indicus and taurus mtDNA were compared. Three possible genotypes of 1711b satellite DNA were identified. All European animals showed the same restriction pattern, suggesting a Zebu-specific restriction pattern. The frequencies of B. primigenius indicus-specific microsatellite alleles and 1711b satellite DNA restriction patterns lead to an estimate of 14% taurine contribution in purebred Nellore.

Different herbage allowances and milk yield in crossbred Holstein x Gir

The objective of this study was to evaluate different herbage allowances in stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfuensis), on the herbage disappearance rate (HDR) and milk yield in crossbred Holstein x Gir cows. Thirty animals were assigned to three different herbage allowances (HA), ranging from 10.0, 12.5 and 15.0% BW. There was effect of HA on the HDR ( P<0.001). Increasing the HA in one unit had effect on the HDR increasing by 140.0kg ha(-1) day(-1). There was effect of leaf: stem ratio on milk yield (P<0.05). The increasing in supplying herbage allowances did not resulted in increased milk yield because the management for herbage allowance and herbage growth.

Diferentes ofertas de forragem e a produção de leite em vacas mestiças Holandês x Gir

Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de diferentes ofertas de forragem em pastagem de estrela africana (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfuensis), sobre a taxa de desaparecimento de forragem (TDF) e a produção de leite de vacas mestiças Holandês x Gir. Trinta animais foram submetidos a três ofertas de forragem (OF) distintas, sendo 10,0 12,5 e 15,0% do peso corporal. Houve influência da OF sobre a TDF (P<0,001). Para cada unidade de acréscimo da OF, a TDF aumentou 140,0kg ha-1 dia-1. Houve efeito da relação folha:colmo sobre a produção de leite (P<0,05). O aumento da oferta não refletiu em incremento da produção de leite em função do manejo empregado para obtenção das ofertas e estádio de crescimento das plantas.

Female fertility in a Guzerat dairy subpopulation: Heterogeneity of variance components for calving intervals

The objectives of the present study were to determine if variance components of calving intervals varied with age at calving and if considering calving intervals as a longitudinal trait would be a useful approach for fertility analysis of Zebu dairy herds. With these purposes, calving records from females born from 1940 to 2006 in a Guzerat dairy subpopulation in Brazil were analyzed. The fixed effects of contemporary groups, formed by year and farm at birth or at calving, and the regressions of age at calving, equivalent inbreeding coefficient and day of the year on the studied traits were considered in the statistical models. In one approach, calving intervals (Cl) were analyzed as a single trait, by fitting a statistical model on which both animal and permanent environment effects were adjusted for the effect of age at calving by random regression. In a second approach, a four-trait analysis was conducted, including age at first calving (AFC) and three different female categories for the calving intervals: first calving females; young females (less than 80 months old, but not first calving); or mature females (80 months old or more). Finally, a two-trait analysis was performed, also including AFC and Cl, but calving intervals were regarded as a single trait in a repeatability model. Additionally, the ranking of sires was compared among approaches. Calving intervals decreased with age until females were about 80 months old, remaining nearly constant after that age. A quasi-linear increase of 11.5 days on the calving intervals was observed for each 10% increase in the female's equivalent inbreeding coefficient. The heritability of AFC was 0.37. For Cl. the genetic-phenotypic variance ratios ranged from 0.064 to 0.141, depending on the approach and on ages at calving. Differences among genetic variance components for calving intervals were observed along the animal's lifetime. Those differences confirmed the longitudinal aspect of that trait, indicating the importance of such consideration when accessing fertility of Zebu dairy females, especially in situations where the available information relies on their calving intervals. Spearman rank correlations among approaches ranged from 0.90 to 0.95, and changes observed in the ranking of sires suggested that the genetic progress of the population could be affected by the approach chosen for the analysis of calving intervals. (C) 2012 Elsevier ay. All rights reserved.

Assessment of tuberculosis treatment accessibility for patients co-infected or not with the human immunodeficiency virus

This study aimed to evaluate accessibility to treatment for people with TB co-infected or not with HIV. This cross-sectional study addressed issues regarding accessibility to treatment in a city in the interior of Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The instrument Primary Care Assessment Tool was utilized with 95 people. To evaluate access to treatment, Student's t test was used. The mean scores of variables were analyzed separately and compared between two groups (people with TB co-infected with HIV and people with TB not co-infected with HIV). Mean scores showed that HIV co-infected people presented greater difficulties in gaining access than those not co-infected. Professionals visited co-infected people more often when compared to those not co-infected; the co-infected people almost never accessed treatment for their disease in the Health Unit nearest their home. There is, therefore, the need for greater integration and communication between the programs for treatment of Tuberculosis and STD/AIDS.

Study of using marker assisted selection on a beef cattle breeding program by model comparison

A data set of a commercial Nellore beef cattle selection program was used to compare breeding models that assumed or not markers effects to estimate the breeding values, when a reduced number of animals have phenotypic, genotypic and pedigree information available. This herd complete data set was composed of 83,404 animals measured for weaning weight (WW), post-weaning gain (PWG), scrotal circumference (SC) and muscle score (MS), corresponding to 116,652 animals in the relationship matrix. Single trait analyses were performed by MTDFREML software to estimate fixed and random effects solutions using this complete data. The additive effects estimated were assumed as the reference breeding values for those animals. The individual observed phenotype of each trait was adjusted for fixed and random effects solutions, except for direct additive effects. The adjusted phenotype composed of the additive and residual parts of observed phenotype was used as dependent variable for models' comparison. Among all measured animals of this herd, only 3160 animals were genotyped for 106 SNP markers. Three models were compared in terms of changes on animals' rank, global fit and predictive ability. Model 1 included only polygenic effects, model 2 included only markers effects and model 3 included both polygenic and markers effects. Bayesian inference via Markov chain Monte Carlo methods performed by TM software was used to analyze the data for model comparison. Two different priors were adopted for markers effects in models 2 and 3, the first prior assumed was a uniform distribution (U) and, as a second prior, was assumed that markers effects were distributed as normal (N). Higher rank correlation coefficients were observed for models 3_U and 3_N, indicating a greater similarity of these models animals' rank and the rank based on the reference breeding values. Model 3_N presented a better global fit, as demonstrated by its low DIC. The best models in terms of predictive ability were models 1 and 3_N. Differences due prior assumed to markers effects in models 2 and 3 could be attributed to the better ability of normal prior in handle with collinear effects. The models 2_U and 2_N presented the worst performance, indicating that this small set of markers should not be used to genetically evaluate animals with no data, since its predictive ability is restricted. In conclusion, model 3_N presented a slight superiority when a reduce number of animals have phenotypic, genotypic and pedigree information. It could be attributed to the variation retained by markers and polygenic effects assumed together and the normal prior assumed to markers effects, that deals better with the collinearity between markers. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quality of life among Brazilian women living with HIV/AIDS

The purpose of the present study was to assess quality of life (QoL) in Brazilian women living with HIV/AIDS, according to the World Health Organization Quality of Life HIV-BREF (WHOQoL-HIV-BREF) domains. A quantitative-based, cross-sectional, analytical study was carried out in healthcare centers specialized in assisting people living with HIV/AIDS, located in a municipality of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. One hundred and six women of age 18 years or more, users of the public healthcare system, participated in the study. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were collected using a specific questionnaire. Quality of life related variables were collected by means of the WHOQoL-HIV-BREF instrument. As per the QoL domains, study results show that the Spirituality domain reached a standardized mean score of 65.7, followed by the Physical (64.7), Psychological (60.6), Social Relationships (59.5), Independence (58.6), and Environment (54.5) domains. Results of the multiple regression analysis indicate that the women's employment or retirement, income greater than the minimum wage, and higher educational level were associated with a higher standardized mean score of QoL. However, recent HIV/AIDS diagnosis and exposure to antiretroviral agents for a period shorter than two years were negatively associated with QoL. It is critical that public policies favor an all-embracing social inclusion of these women, thus promoting better social conditions. Counseling, clinical follow-up immediately after the infection diagnosis, and initiation of antiretroviral treatment are crucial moments in the lives of these individuals.

Aids and tuberculosis: coinfection from the perspective of the quality of life of patients

Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV coinfection adversely affects the lives of individuals in both the biological and psychosocial aspects. Aiming to describe the quality of life of individuals with HIV/TB coinfection, this descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Ribeirao Preto-SP. Participants were HIV-seropositive individuals with and without TB, using the WHOQOL HIV BREF. 115 individuals who were HIV-positive participated: 57 were coinfected and 58 were not; most were male heterosexuals, predominantly aged 40-49 years. Of those coinfected, most had lower education and income. In assessing the quality of life the coinfected individuals showed lower results in all areas, with significant differences in the Physical, Psychological, Level of Independence and Social Relations areas. TB and HIV / AIDS are stigmatized diseases, and overlap of the two may have severe consequences on the physical and psychosocial health of the individual.

HOPE IN HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN

The objective of this study was to assess the hope in the lives of HIV-positive women, using the Herth Hope Scale (HHS). Participants were 111 HIV-positive women who attended a referral outpatient clinic in Fortaleza-CE. From January to May 2009, interviews were held to collect biopsychosocial variables, and the HHS was applied. Data were analyzed using SPSS-8.0 and revealed an average hope index of 34.86, indicating that these women have little hope in life in view of their diagnosis of HIV. The scale item with the highest score was faith. This probably derives from the fact that Aids is incurable, transmissible and generates negative stigma, in addition to its relation with the idea of imminent death. In conclusion, measuring hope among HIV patients through the use of an instrument permits intervention assessment and planning, promoting assistance and motivation to live better and maintain a hopeful attitude.

Determination of trace elements in bovine semen samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and data mining techniques for identification of bovine class

The reproductive performance of cattle may be influenced by several factors, but mineral imbalances are crucial in terms of direct effects on reproduction. Several studies have shown that elements such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc are essential for reproduction and can prevent oxidative stress. However, toxic elements such as lead, nickel, and arsenic can have adverse effects on reproduction. In this paper, we applied a simple and fast method of multi-element analysis to bovine semen samples from Zebu and European classes used in reproduction programs and artificial insemination. Samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS) using aqueous medium calibration and the samples were diluted in a proportion of 1:50 in a solution containing 0.01% (vol/vol) Triton X-100 and 0.5% (vol/vol) nitric acid. Rhodium, iridium, and yttrium were used as the internal standards for ICP-MS analysis. To develop a reliable method of tracing the class of bovine semen, we used data mining techniques that make it possible to classify unknown samples after checking the differentiation of known-class samples. Based on the determination of 15 elements in 41 samples of bovine semen, 3 machine-learning tools for classification were applied to determine cattle class. Our results demonstrate the potential of support vector machine (SVM), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and random forest (RF) chemometric tools to identify cattle class. Moreover, the selection tools made it possible to reduce the number of chemical elements needed from 15 to just 8.

MUC1 gene polymorphism in three Nelore lines selected for growth and its association with growth and carcass traits

The objective of this study was to describe the VNTR polymorphism of the mucin 1 gene (MUC1) in three Nelore lines selected for yearling weight to determine whether allele and genotype frequencies of this polymorphism were affected by selection for growth. In addition, the effects of the polymorphism on growth and carcass traits were evaluated. Birth, weaning and yearling weights, rump height, Longissimus muscle area, backfat thickness, and rump fat thickness, were analyzed. A total of 295 Nelore heifers from the Beef Cattle Research Center, Instituto de Zootecnia de Sertozinho, were used, including 41 of the control line, 102 of the selection line and 152 of the traditional. The selection and traditional lines comprise animals selected for higher yearling weight, whereas control line animals are selected for yearling weight close to the average. Five alleles were identified, with allele 1 being the most frequent in the three lines, especially in the lines selected for higher means for yearling weight. Heterozygosity was significantly higher in the control line. Association analyses showed significant effects of allele 1 on birth weight and weaning weight while the allele 3 exert significant effects on yearling weight and back fat thickness. Despite these findings, application of this marker to marker-assisted selection requires more consistent results based on the genotyping of a larger number of animals in order to increase the accuracy of the statistical analyses.

Effects of discontinuous Percoll gradient centrifugation on the quality of bovine spermatozoa evaluated with computer-assisted semen analysis and fluorescent probes association

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of bovine frozen-thawed sperm cells after Percoll gradient centrifugation. Frozen semen doses were obtained from six bulls of different breeds, including three taurine and three Zebu animals. Four ejaculates per bull were evaluated before and after discontinuous Percoll gradient centrifugation. Sperm motility was assessed by computer-assisted semen analysis and the integrity of the plasma and acrosomal membranes, as well as mitochondrial function, were evaluated using a combination of fluorescent probes propidium iodide, fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated Pisum sativum agglutinin and 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolcarbocyanine iodide. The procedure of Percoll gradient centrifugation increased the percentage of total and progressive sperm motility, beat frequency, rectilinear motility, linearity and rapidly moving cells. In addition, the percentage of cells with intact plasma membrane and mitochondrial membrane potential was increased in post-centrifugation samples. However, the percentage of sperm cells with intact acrosomal membrane was markedly reduced. The method used selected the motile cells with intact plasma membrane and higher mitochondrial functionality in frozen-thawed bull semen, but processing, centrifugation and/or the Percoll medium caused damage to the acrosomal membrane.

Esperança em mulheres portadoras da infecção pelo HIV

Objetivou-se avaliar a esperança na vida de mulheres infectadas pelo HIV mediante uso da Escala de Esperança de Herth (EEH). Participaram 111 mulheres portadoras de HIV atendidas em ambulatório de referência em Fortaleza-CE. De janeiro a maio de 2009, foram conduzidas entrevistas que captaram variáveis biopsicossociais e aplicou-se a EEH. Os dados analisados pelo programa SPSS-8.0 revelaram índice médio de esperança de 34,86, apontando que as mulheres possuem moderada esperança na vida diante da vigência do HIV, cujo item da escala com maior pontuação relacionou-se à fé (3,57). Isto provavelmente decorre do fato de a AIDS não ter cura, ser transmissível e produzir estigma, estando ainda relacionada à ideia de morte iminente. Conclui-se que a medida da esperança entre portadores de HIV, mediante o uso de um instrumento, possibilita avaliar e planejar intervenções, promovendo ajuda e motivação para viverem melhor e manterem a esperança na vida.

Aids e tuberculose: a coinfecção vista pela perspectiva da qualidade de vida dos indivíduos

A coinfecção tuberculose (TB) e HIV afeta negativamente a vida dos indivíduos, tanto nos aspectos biológicos como nos psicossociais. Com o objetivo de descrever a qualidade de vida de indivíduos com coinfecção HIV/TB, foi realizado este estudo descritivo, de corte transversal, no município de Ribeirão Preto-SP. Foram entrevistados indivíduos soropositivos para o HIV, com e sem TB, por meio do instrumento WHOQOL-HIV bref. Participaram 115 indivíduos soropositivos para o HIV - 57 coinfectados e 58 não coinfectados; a maioria do sexo masculino, heterossexuais, faixa etária predominante de 40-49 anos, com os coinfectados apresentando baixas escolaridade e renda; na avaliação da qualidade de vida os coinfectados apresentaram resultados mais baixos em todos os domínios, com diferença importante no Físico, Psicológico, Nível de Independência e Relações Sociais. TB e HIV/aids são doenças estigmatizadas historicamente e a sobreposição das duas pode ter consequências graves na saúde física e psicossocial do indivíduo.

Avaliação do acesso ao tratamento de tuberculose por coinfectados ou não pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana

Este estudo objetivou avaliar o acesso ao tratamento das pessoas com tuberculose tanto coinfectadas ou não pelo Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana (HIV). Trata-se de estudo transversal - com utilização do instrumento Primary Care Assessment Tool aplicado a 95 pessoas - que abordou questões sobre o acesso ao tratamento em município do interior paulista. Para avaliação do acesso ao tratamento, utilizou-se o teste t de Student. Os escores médios das variáveis foram analisados individualmente e comparados entre os dois grupos (pessoas com TB e coinfectadas com HIV e pessoas com TB não coinfectadas pelo HIV). Os escores médios mostraram que as coinfectadas pelo HIV apresentaram maiores dificuldades na obtenção do acesso do que as não coinfectadas. Os profissionais visitavam mais vezes as coinfectadas quando comparadas às não coinfectadas; as coinfectadas quase nunca realizavam o tratamento da doença em posto de saúde perto de sua residência. Há, portanto, necessidade de maior integração e comunicação entre os Programas de Tuberculose e DST/aids.