Changes in ruminal fermentation and mineral serum level in animals kept in high temperature environments

In order to evaluate the effect of environmental temperature on ruminal fermentation and on mineral levels of growing ruminants, it was used 12 male calves (initial average weight 82.9 ± 7.7 kg, 100 days of age), were employed in a randomized block design (by weight) experiment, with repeated weight measurement and two environmental temperatures: thermoneutral (24ºC) and heat-stressed (33ºC), during 38 days. The animals exposed to 33ºC presented lower dry matter ingestion, lower T3 (triiodothyronine) serum level, higher ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) level in the rumen liquid, and higher rectal and body temperatures during all the experimental period when compared to the animals kept in thermoneutral environment (24ºC). The animals kept under heat stress environment (33ºC) presented higher calcium serum level, which was the highest on 31st day and the lowest on the 38th day of the experiment; phosphorus level was the lowest during all the experimental period; sodium level was lower on the 17th, 31st and 38th experimental days. Potassium and zinc levels were lower after 24 days; copper level was lower until the 24th day; magnesium level was higher until the 17th day, if compared to the ones from the animals kept in thermoneutral environment (24ºC). The heat-stressed animals presented higher levels of ammoniacal nitrogen in the ruminal liquid and a decrease in the phosphorus, sodium, potassium and zinc serum levels. These results show the necessity of changes on feed management to ruminants in temperatures over the thermal comfort limits so that performance loss is decreased.

Histological and radiological changes in cranial bone in the presence of bone wax

PURPOSE: To quantify the amount of bone formation in the calvarial region of Wistar rats after craniotomy using bone wax as a haemostatic agent. METHODS: Surgery to produce bilateral, symmetric, full-thickness cranial defects (area: 18 mm²) was performed in eight animals. The right side of the cranium remained open and the edges of the left side osseous defect was covered with bone wax. Calvaria were imaged immediately after surgery and 12 weeks postoperatively by computerized tomography. The areas of the bone defects were measured in three-dimensional images using Magics 13.0 (Materialise-Belgic, software CAD). RESULTS: The average amount of bone formation on the left and right side respectively was 4.85 mm² and 8.16 mm². Statistically significant differences between the amount of bone formation on the left and right sides were seen. CONCLUSIONS: Bone wax significantly diminishes the rate of bone formation in calvarial defects in a rat model.

Morphological changes in distant muscle fibers following thermal injury in Wistar rats

PURPOSE: Thermal injury causes catabolic processes as the body attempts to repair the damaged area. This study evaluated the effects of a scald injury on the morphology of muscle fibers belonging to a muscle distant from the lesion. METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats were divided into control (C) and scalded (S) groups. Group S was scalded over 45% of the body surface, standardized by body weight. Rats in both groups were euthanized at four, seven and 14 days following the injury. The middle portions of the medial gastrocnemius muscles were sectioned, stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Picrosirius, and submitted to histological analysis. RESULTS: Control group sections exhibited equidistantly distributed polygonal muscle fibers with peripheral nuclei, characteristic of normal muscle. The injured group sections did not consistently show these characteristics; many fibers in these sections exhibited a rounded contour, variable stain intensities, and greater interfiber distances. A substantially increased amount of connective tissue was also observed on the injured group sections. CONCLUSION: This experimental model found a morphological change in muscle distant from the site of thermal injury covering 45% of the body surface.

Time course of training-induced microcirculatory changes and of vegf expression in skeletal muscles of spontaneously hypertensive female rats

Exercise-induced vessel changes modulate arterial pressure (AP) in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is important for angiogenesis of skeletal muscle. The present study evaluated the time course of VEGF and angiogenesis after short- and long-term exercise training of female SHR and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, 8-9 weeks (200-250 g). Rats were allocated to daily training or remained sedentary for 3 days (N = 23) or 13 weeks (N = 23). After training, the carotid artery was catheterized for AP measurements. Locomotor (tibialis anterior and gracilis) and non-locomotor skeletal muscles (temporalis) were harvested and prepared for histologic and protein expression analyses. Training increased treadmill performance by all groups (SHR = 28%, WKY = 64%, 3 days) and (SHR = 141%, WKY = 122%, 13 weeks). SHR had higher values of AP than WKY (174 ± 4 vs 111 ± 2 mmHg) that were not altered by training. Three days of running increased VEGF expression (SHR = 28%, WKY = 36%) simultaneously with an increase in capillary-to-fiber ratio in gracilis muscle (SHR = 19%, WKY = 15%). In contrast, 13 weeks of training increased gracilis capillary-to-fiber ratio (SHR = 18%, WKY = 19%), without simultaneous changes in VEGF expression. Training did not change VEGF expression and capillarity of temporalis muscle. We conclude that training stimulates time- and tissue-dependent VEGF protein expression, independent of pressure levels. VEGF triggers angiogenesis in locomotor skeletal muscle shortly after the exercise starts, but is not involved in the maintenance of capillarity after long-term exercise in female rats.

Wettability, Shrinkage and Color Changes of Araucaria angustifolia After Heating Treatment

The effects of thermal treatment on the wettability and shrink resistance of Araucaria angustifolia (Parana pine) were studied from 20 to 200 °C. The contact angles of water droplets on untreated and heat-treated samples were measured by the sessile drop method in the grain of heartwood and sapwood cut in the radial, longitudinal, and tangential directions. A significant increase of the contact angles was verified for the samples from room temperature to 120 °C, in particular in the radial and tangential directions; at higher temperatures, the contact angles assumed almost constant values. From 120 to 200 °C, the sapwood of Araucaria angustifolia showed better dimensional stability and lower thermal resistance when compared to the heartwood. Variations of color were also studied by using the CIELab system, which showed to be capable of accurately distinguishing samples treated at different temperatures.

Changes in parents' and self-reports of behavioral problems in Brazilian adolescents after behavioral treatment with urine alarm for nocturnal enuresis

PURPOSE: Compare parents' reports of youth problems (PRYP) with adolescent problems self-reports (APSR) pre/post behavioral treatment of nocturnal enuresis (NE) based on the use of a urine alarm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adolescents (N = 19) with mono-symptomatic (primary or secondary) nocturnal enuresis group treatment for 40 weeks. Discharge criterion was established as 8 weeks with consecutive dry nights. PRYP and APSR were scored by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Youth Self-Report (YSR). RESULTS: Pre-treatment data: 1) Higher number of clinical cases based on parent report than on self-report for Internalizing Problems (IP) (13/19 vs. 4/19), Externalizing Problems (EP) (7/19 vs. 5/19) and Total Problem (TP) (11/19 vs. 5/19); 2) Mean PRYP scores for IP (60.8) and TP (61) were within the deviant range (T score ≥ 60); while mean PRYP scores for EP (57.4) and mean APSR scores (IP = 52.4, EP = 49.5, TP = 52.4) were within the normal range. Difference between PRYP' and APSR' scores was significant. Post treatment data: 1) Discharge for majority of the participants (16/19); 2) Reduction in the number of clinical cases on parental evaluation: 9/19 adolescents remained within clinical range for IP, 2/19 for EP, and 7/19 for TP. 3) All post-treatment mean scores were within the normal range; the difference between pre and post evaluation scores was significant for PRYP. CONCLUSIONS: The behavioral treatment based on the use of urine alarm is effective for adolescents with mono-symptomatic (primary and secondary) nocturnal enuresis. The study favors the hypothesis that enuresis is a cause, not a consequence, of other behavioral problems.

High-energy events and short-term changes in superficial beach sediments

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Changes in Glucose and Glutamine Lymphocyte Metabolisms Induced by Type I Interferon alpha

In lymphocytes (LY), the well-documented antiproliferative effects of IFN-alpha are associated with inhibition of protein synthesis, decreased amino acid incorporation, and cell cycle arrest. However, the effects of this cytokine on the metabolism of glucose and glutamine in these cells have not been well investigated. Thus, mesenteric and spleen LY of male Wistar rats were cultured in the presence or absence of IFN-alpha, and the changes on glucose and glutamine metabolisms were investigated. The reduced proliferation of mesenteric LY was accompanied by a reduction in glucose total consumption (35%), aerobic glucose metabolism (55%), maximal activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (49%), citrate synthase activity (34%), total glutamine consumption (30%), aerobic glutamine consumption (20.3%) and glutaminase activity (56%). In LY isolated from spleen, IFN alpha also reduced the proliferation and impaired metabolism. These data demonstrate that in LY, the antiproliferative effects of IFN alpha are associated with a reduction in glucose and glutamine metabolisms.

Morphometric and genetic changes in a population of Apis mellifera after 34 years of Africanization

Though the replacement of European bees by Africanized honey bees in tropical America has attracted considerable attention, little is known about the temporal changes in morphological and genetic characteristics in these bee populations. We examined the changes in the morphometric and genetic profiles of an Africanized honey bee population collected near where the original African swarms escaped, after 34 years of Africanization. Workers from colonies sampled in 1968 and in 2002 were morphometrically analyzed using relative warps analysis and an Automatic Bee Identification System (ABIS). All the colonies had their mitochondrial DNA identified. The subspecies that mixed to form the Africanized honey bees were used as a comparison for the morphometric analysis. The two morphometric approaches showed great similarity of Africanized bees with the African subspecies, Apis mellifera scutellata, corroborating with other markers. We also found the population of 1968 to have the pattern of wing venation to be more similar to A. m. scutellata than the current population. The mitochondrial DNA of European origin, which was very common in the 1968 population, was not found in the current population, indicating selective pressure replacing the European with the African genome in this tropical region. Both morphometric methodologies were very effective in discriminating the A. mellifera groups; the non-linear analysis of ABIS was the most successful in identifying the bees, with more than 94% correct classifications.

Radial variation of anatomical features, wood density and decay resistance in teak (Tectona grandis) from two qualities of growing sites and two climatic regions of Costa Rica

The objective of this study was to show the radial variation of some anatomic characteristics, wood density and natural durability of teak (Tectona grandis L.F.) growing in Costa Rica. Samples of trees 13 years old were obtained from two growing sites (high and low growing) of plantations established in a humid tropical climate (CHT) and dry tropical climate (CST). The variables measured of the fibers as well as for the rays were not affected by the climate or the type of growing site, except for the length of the fibers. The fibers of teak wood from the best growing site were significantly larger. Vessels were found with a greater frequency for the CST but mostly solitary in comparison with the CBT. Average density, maximum density and the variation within the ring presented a light higher magnitude for the CST. The quality of the growing site did not affect these variables. The resistance of fungus attack was similar in the area of heartwood near the pith compared to the heartwood near the sapwood for all the conditions evaluated. Nevertheless, it was observed in some trees a similar resistance of fungus attack for areas of sapwood compared to similar areas of heartwood.

Changes in integument structure during the imaginal molt of the honey bee

The changing pattern of developing cuticle and associated epidermis is described during the imaginal molt in the honey bee. Observations began immediately after the pupal molt, and included histological analyses of the integument during apolysis and the subsequent deposition and differentiation of the adult cuticle. Apolysis coincides with a marked increase in the thickness and reorganization of the epidermal layer, reflecting changes in cell structure. The epidermis remains thickened during the period of cuticle deposition, suggesting intense biosynthetic activity, but turns into a very thin layer during cuticle differentiation, clearly indicating that secretory activity for cuticle formation is terminating. The thoracic cuticle differentiates earlier and becomes thicker than the abdominal. The observed changes in integument structure provide insights that permit an improved physiological characterization for staging pupal and pharate adult development.

Time Changes with the Embodiment of Another's Body Posture

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the perception of presentation durations of pictures of different body postures was distorted as function of the embodied movement that originally produced these postures. Participants were presented with two pictures, one with a low-arousal body posture judged to require no movement and the other with a high-arousal body posture judged to require considerable movement. In a temporal bisection task with two ranges of standard durations (0.4/1.6 s and 2/8 s), the participants had to judge whether the presentation duration of each of the pictures was more similar to the short or to the long standard duration. The results showed that the duration was judged longer for the posture requiring more movement than for the posture requiring less movement. However the magnitude of this overestimation was relatively greater for the range of short durations than for that of longer durations. Further analyses suggest that this lengthening effect was mediated by an arousal effect of limited duration on the speed of the internal clock system.

First Description of a Cluster of Acute/Subacute Paracoccidioidomycosis Cases and Its Association with a Climatic Anomaly

Background: Identifying clusters of acute paracoccidioidomycosis cases could potentially help in identifying the environmental factors that influence the incidence of this mycosis. However, unlike other endemic mycoses, there are no published reports of clusters of paracoccidioidomycosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: A retrospective cluster detection test was applied to verify if an excess of acute form (AF) paracoccidioidomycosis cases in time and/or space occurred in Botucatu, an endemic area in Sao Paulo State. The scan-test SaTScan v7.0.3 was set to find clusters for the maximum temporal period of 1 year. The temporal test indicated a significant cluster in 1985 (P<0.005). This cluster comprised 10 cases, although 2.19 were expected for this year in this area. Age and clinical presentation of these cases were typical of AF paracccidioidomycosis. The space-time test confirmed the temporal cluster in 1985 and showed the localities where the risk was higher in that year. The cluster suggests that some particularities took place in the antecedent years in those localities. Analysis of climate variables showed that soil water storage was atypically high in 1982/83 (similar to 2.11/2.5 SD above mean), and the absolute air humidity in 1984, the year preceding the cluster, was much higher than normal (similar to 1.6 SD above mean), conditions that may have favored, respectively, antecedent fungal growth in the soil and conidia liberation in 1984, the probable year of exposure. These climatic anomalies in this area was due to the 1982/83 El Nino event, the strongest in the last 50 years. Conclusions/Significance: We describe the first cluster of AF paracoccidioidomycosis, which was potentially linked to a climatic anomaly caused by the 1982/83 El Nino Southern Oscillation. This finding is important because it may help to clarify the conditions that favor Paracoccidioides brasiliensis survival and growth in the environment and that enhance human exposure, thus allowing the development of preventive measures.

Minor and Unsystematic Cortical Topographic Changes of Attention Correlates between Modalities

In this study we analyzed the topography of induced cortical oscillations in 20 healthy individuals performing simple attention tasks. We were interested in qualitatively replicating our recent findings on the localization of attention-induced beta bands during a visual task [1], and verifying whether significant topographic changes would follow the change of attention to the auditory modality. We computed corrected latency averaging of each induced frequency bands, and modeled their generators by current density reconstruction with Lp-norm minimization. We quantified topographic similarity between conditions by an analysis of correlations, whereas the inter-modality significant differences in attention correlates were illustrated in each individual case. We replicated the qualitative result of highly idiosyncratic topography of attention-related activity to individuals, manifested both in the beta bands, and previously studied slow potential distributions [2]. Visual inspection of both scalp potentials and distribution of cortical currents showed minor changes in attention-related bands with respect to modality, as compared to the theta and delta bands, known to be major contributors to the sensory-related potentials. Quantitative results agreed with visual inspection, supporting to the conclusion that attention-related activity does not change much between modalities, and whatever individual changes do occur, they are not systematic in cortical localization across subjects. We discuss our results, combined with results from other studies that present individual data, with respect to the function of cortical association areas.

Changes in cardiac heparan sulfate proteoglycan expression and streptozotocin-induced diastolic dysfunction in rats

Background: Changes in the proteoglycans glypican and syndecan-4 have been reported in several pathological conditions, but little is known about their expression in the heart during diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate in vivo heart function changes and alterations in mRNA expression and protein levels of glypican-1 and syndecan-4 in cardiac and skeletal muscles during streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Methods: Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by STZ administration. The rats were assigned to one of the following groups: control (sham injection), after 24 hours, 10 days, or 30 days of STZ administration. Echocardiography was performed in the control and STZ 10-day groups. Western and Northern blots were used to quantify protein and mRNA levels in all groups. Immunohistochemistry was performed in the control and 30-day groups to correlate the observed mRNA changes to the protein expression. Results: In vivo cardiac functional analysis performed using echocardiography in the 10-day group showed diastolic dysfunction with alterations in the peak velocity of early (E) diastolic filling and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) indices. These functional alterations observed in the STZ 10-day group correlated with the concomitant increase in syndecan-4 and glypican-1 protein expression. Cardiac glypican-1 mRNA and skeletal syndecan-4 mRNA and protein levels increased in the STZ 30-day group. On the other hand, the amount of glypican in skeletal muscle was lower than that in the control group. The same results were obtained from immunohistochemistry analysis. Conclusion: Our data suggest that membrane proteoglycans participate in the sequence of events triggered by diabetes and inflicted on cardiac and skeletal muscles.