Melatonin reduces LH, 17 beta-estradiol and induces differential regulation of sex steroid receptors in reproductive tissues during rat ovulation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Variations in maternal care alter corticosterone and 17beta-estradiol levels, estrous cycle and folliculogenesis and stimulate the expression of estrogen receptors alpha and beta in the ovaries of UCh rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Influence of estradiol and triiodothyronine on breast cancer cell lines proliferation and expression of estrogen and thyroid hormone receptors

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Associação de tireopatias em uma população de pacientes com diabetes

OBJETIVO: Avaliar morfológica e funcionalmente a tireóide de pacientes com diabetes mellitus (DM) acompanhados ambulatorialmente no Hospital das Clínicas de Botucatu. MÉTODOS: No período de 1996 a 1998, a todo paciente com DM, exceto os com tireopatia prévia, era solicitada dosagem sérica de T4L, TSH, anti-TPO e TRAb e ultra-sonografia (US) da tireóide. Diagnosticou-se tireopatia quando havia dois ou mais parâmetros séricos ou a US alterados. Procedeu-se igualmente com pacientes ambulatoriais da mesma Instituição, sem DM e não-tireopatas prévios (controle). RESULTADOS: Os 256 pacientes com DM apresentaram maior freqüência de tireopatias que os 75 controles (51,6% vs. 38,7%; P<0,05). Entre os com tireopatias, ambos os grupos não diferiram quanto ao estado funcional da tireóide. Entre os pacientes com DM com e sem tireopatias, os primeiros apresentaram maior freqüência de mulheres, de DM tipo 2 e de história familiar de tireopatia. CONCLUSÕES: A elevada prevalência de tireopatias na população com DM conduz à recomendação de avaliação tireoidiana em todo paciente com DM.

Rooting of healthy and CVC-affected 'Valência' sweet orange stem cuttings, through the use of plant regulators

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Biorreguladores na brotação da videira ‘superior seedless’

Aiming to study the affect of commercial biorregulators Stimulate (R) e X-Cyte (R) over sprouting uniformity of Superior Seedless grape cultivar, pruned in May 22, 2006, a field trial was carried out at at Koshiyama farm, in Juazeiro municipality (Bahia State / Northeastern Brazil). The trial was carried out in randomized blocks with four replications and three useful plants per plot, six stakes per plant were evaluated. Forty-eight hours after yield prun, the stakes were sprayed with T1: Dormex (R) (5%); T2: Dormex (R) (5%) + Nitro Plus 9 (R); T3: Stimulate (R) (0,5%); T4: Stimulate (R) (0,5%) + Nitro Plus 9 (R); T5: Stimulate (R) (1,0%); T6: Stimulate (R) (1,0%) + Nitro Plus 9 (R); T7: X-Cyte (R) (0,25%); T8: X-Cyte (R) (0,25%) + Nitro Plus 9 (R); T9: X-Cyte (R) (0,5%); T10: X-Cyte (R) (0,5%) + Nitro Plus 9 (R); T11: X-Cyte (R) (0,25%) + Stimulate (R) (0,5%); T12: X-Cyte (R) (0,25%) + Stimulate (R) (0,5%) + Nitro Plus 9 (R), Nitro Plus 9 (R) used at a rate of 100 L ha(-1) via ferti-irrigation. Results show that Stimulate (R) and X-Cyte (R), when compared to the commercial product Dormex (R) commercially, did not show significant effects on the sprouts number after sproutings and proportion of grown stems; products that as an alternative the Dormex (R) in yield the grape 'Superior Seedless', at the studied conditions.

Normalização dos níveis séricos de ácido ascórbico por suplementação com suco de acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) ou farmacológica em idosos institucionalizados

INTRODUÇÃO: Este estudo investigou o tempo necessário de suplementação com vitamina C, para a normalização dos níveis séricos em idosos com deficiência dessa vitamina e comparar o efeito da vitamina natural do suco de acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) com o da vitamina na forma de fármaco. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 37 idosos institucionalizados do município de João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brasil, divididos em 3 grupos: Grupo I - controle, Grupo II - suplementação com o suco de acerola e Grupo III - suplementação com fármaco. A metodologia empregada consistiu na dosagem sérica de ácido ascórbico e na verificação do consumo alimentar por inquérito dietético. Constatou-se um aumento significativo (p<0,05) nas médias dos níveis séricos de ácido ascórbico, após 10 dias (1,27±0,41mg/dL), 20 (1,69±0,45mg/dL) e 30 dias (1,55±0,42mg/dL) de suplementação aos valores iniciais (0,38±0,28mg/dL). No 10º dia de suplementação, os idosos suplementados com suco de acerola apresentaram níveis significativamente mais elevados (1,41±0,43mg/dL) do que aqueles que foram suplementados com comprimidos (1,03±0,25mg/dL). CONCLUSÃO: Considerando-se que, no 20º dia, o efeito da suplementação foi satisfatório para a normalização dos níveis séricos daqueles indivíduos, esse tempo poderia ser utilizado para idosos em geral e, em especial, para aqueles que vivem em instituições destinadas a idosos carentes, sendo o suco de acerola um suplemento indicado por ser um produto natural e de fácil aquisição.

Timed artificial insemination in beef cattle using GnRH agonist, PGF2alpha and estradiol benzoate (EB)

The present work evaluated low-cost protocols for timed artificial insemination (TAI) in beef cattle. In Experiment 1, cycling nonlactating Nelore cows (Bos indicus, n=98) were assigned to the following groups: GnRH-PGF (GP) and GnRH-PGF-GnRH (GPG), whereas cycling (n=328, Experiment 2) or anestrus (n = 225, Experiment 3) lactating (L) cows were divided into 3 groups: GP-L, GPG-L and GnRH-PCF-Estradiol benzoate (GPE-L). In Experiment 4, lactating cows (n=201) were separated into 3 groups: GP-L, GPE-L and G 1/2PE-L. Animals from Experiment 1, 3 and 4 were treated (Day 0), at random stages of the estrous cycle, with 8 mug of buserelin acetate (GnRH agonist) intramuscularly (im), whereas in Experiment 2 half of the cows received 8 and the other half 12 mug of GnRH (im). Seven days later (D 7) all animals were treated with 25 mg of dinoprost trometamine (PGF2 alpha, im) except those cows from the G 1/2PE-L group which received only 1/2 dose of PGF2 alpha (12.5 mg) via intravulvo-submucosa (ivsm). Alter PGF2 alpha injection the animals from the control groups (GP and GP-L) were observed twice daily to detect estrus and Al was performed 12 h afterwards. The cows from the other groups received a second GnRH injection (D 8 in GPG-L and d9 in GPG groups) or one injection of estradiol benzoate (EB, 1.0 mg, D 8 in GPE-L group). All cows from GPG and GPG-L or GPE-L groups were AI 20 to 24 or 30 to 34 h, respectively, after the last hormonal injection. Pregnancy was determined by ultrasonography or rectal palpation 30 to 50 days after AI. In the control groups (GP and GP-L) percentage of animals detected in heat (44.5 to 70.3%) and pregnancy rate (20 to 42%) varied according to the number of animals with corpus luteum (CL) at the beginning of treatment. The administration of a second dose of GnRH either 24 (Experiment 2) or 48 h (Experiment 1) after PGF2 alpha resulted in 47.7 and 44.9% pregnancy rates, respectively, after TAI in cycling animals. However, in anestrus cows the GPG treatment induced a much lower pregnancy rate (14.9%) after TAI. The replacement of the second dose of GnRH by EB (GPE-L) resulted in a pregnancy rate (43.3%) comparable to that obtained after GnRH treatment (GPG-L, 47.7%, Experiment 2). Furthermore, the use of 1/2 dose of PGF2 alpha (12.5 mg ivms, Experiment 4) resulted in pregnancy rate (43.5%) similar to that observed with the full dose (im). Both protocols GPG and GPE were effective in synchronizing ovulation in cycling Nelore cows and allowed approximately a 45% pregnancy rate after TAI. Additionally, the GPE treatment is a promising alternative to the use of GPG in timed Al of beef cattle, due to the low cost of EB when compared to GnRH agonists. (C) 2001 by Elsevier B.V.

Synchronization of ovulation in crossbred dairy heifers using gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist, prostaglandin F2a and human chorionic gonadotrophin or estradiol benzoate

Girolando (Gir x Holstein) is a very common dairy breed in Brazil because it combines the rusticity of Gir (Bos indicus) with the high milk yield of Holstein (Bos taurus). The ovarian follicular dynamics and hormonal treatments for synchronization of ovulation and timed artificial insemination were studied in Girolando heifers. The injection of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist was followed 6 or 7 days (d) later by prostaglandin F2a (PGF2a). Twenty-four hours after PGF2a injection either human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, GPh-d6 and GPh-d7 groups) or estradiol benzoate (EB, GPE-d6 and GPE-d7 groups) was administered to synchronize ovulation and consequently allow timed artificial insemination (AI) 24 and 30 h after hCG and EB injection, respectively. Follicular dynamics in Girolando heifers was characterized by the predominance of three follicular waves (71.4%) with sizes of dominant follicles (10-13 mm) and corpus luteum (approximately 20 mm) similar to those for Bos indicus cattle. In the GnRH-PGF-hCG protocol, hCG administration induced earlier ovulation (67.4 h, P<0.01) compared to the control group (GnRH-PGF) and a better synchronization of ovulation, since most of it occurred within a period of 12 to 17 h. Pregnancy rate after timed AI was 42.8 (3/7, GPh-d6) to 50% (7/14, GPh-d7). In contrast, estradiol benzoate (GnRH-PGF-EB protocol) synchronized ovulation of only 5 of 11 heifers from the GPE-d7 group and of none (0/7) from the GPE-d6 group, which led to low pregnancy rates after timed AI (27.3 and 0%, respectively). However, since a small number of Girolando heifers was used to determine pregnancy rates in the present study, pregnancy rates should be confirmed with a larger number of animals.

Taxa de prenhez de vacas Nelore lactantes tratadas com progesterona associada à remoção temporária de bezerros ou aplicação de gonadotrofina coriônica eqüina

Avaliaram-se os efeitos da remoção temporária de bezerros (RTB) ou da aplicação de gonadotrofina coriônica eqüina (eCG) na taxa de prenhez (TP) de vacas Nelore lactantes tratadas com um dispositivo intravaginal liberador de progesterona (DILP). No experimento 1, 83 vacas Nelore e 102 mestiças (Nelore × Red Angus) foram distribuídas em três grupos. em dia aleatório do ciclo estral (D0), os animais do grupo 1 foram tratados com benzoato de estradiol (BE; 2,5 mg, IM, Estrogin®) e um DILP (1 g de progesterona, DIB®), removido no D9, quando também se administrou d-cloprostenol (150 µg, IM, Prolise®) e aproximadamente 12 horas após identificação do estro realizou-se a inseminação artificial. No grupo 2 (IATF), o tratamento foi semelhante ao aplicado no grupo 1, porém, administrou-se uma segunda dose de benzoato de estradiol (1 mg) no D10 e 30-36 horas mais tarde realizou-se a inseminação artificial em tempo fixo (IATF). No grupo 3 (IATF/RTB), os bezerros foram removidos a partir do D9 até a inseminação artificial com tempo fixo (IATF). As taxas de prenhez para as vacas Nelore e mestiças foram, respectivamente, de 7,69 e 41% (Controle); 23,52 e 59,57% (IATF); 69,44 e 55,81% (IATF/RTB). No experimento 2, 255 vacas Nelore lactantes foram distribuídas em três grupos. Os animais do grupo 4 (IATF) foram tratados com benzoato de estradiol (2 mg) e um DILP (1,9 g de progesterona, CIDR-B®) no D0 e no D8 sofreram remoção do DILP no D8 e administração de 25 mg de dinoprost (IM, Lutalyse®). No D9, foi aplicado benzoato de estradiol (1 mg) realizando-se a IATF 30-36 horas mais tarde. No grupo 5 (IATF/RTB), os bezerros foram removidos no D9 até a IATF. O grupo 6 (eCG) foi semelhante ao IATF, exceto pela aplicação de eCG no D9 (400 UI, IM, Novormon®). As taxas de prenhez foram de 50,57 (IATF), 53,57 (IATF/RTB) e 54,76% (eCG). A associação de RTB ao tratamento hormonal com DILP aumenta as taxas de prenhez, enquanto a adição de eCG ao tratamento não melhora as taxa de prenhez de vacas Nelore lactantes ciclando e em boa condição corporal.

Clinical, cytogenetic and toxicological studies in rural workers exposed to pesticides in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

Pesticidas podem causar mutações gênicas e aberrações cromossômicas em indivíduos expostos. Investigamos 24 trabalhadores expostos a pesticidas, nos quais foram executados exames clínicos e testes citogenéticos e toxicológicos. Dez indivíduos não expostos foram usados como controles. Dosagem toxicológica de cobre, zinco e manganês (metais encontrados em alguns pesticidas), dosagem de enzimas hepáticas (GOT, GPT, AP) e atividade de acetilcolinesterase foram executadas em 16 trabalhadores e oito controles. Nos trabalhadores expostos, os sintomas clínicos mais pertinentes foram digestão pobre, com sensação de plenitude após alimentação, olhos irritados, enxaqueca e fasciculações. O grupo exposto mostrou dosagem de manganês e atividade de acetilcolinesterase significativamente mais baixas, e nível significativamente mais alto de fosfatase alcalina. Estudos citogenéticos mostraram freqüências de aberrações cromossômicas significativamente mais altas no grupo exposto quando comparado ao grupo de controle. Embora usassem vestuário protetor contra névoa de pesticidas, o qual incluía calças de borracha, botas, luvas, máscara e chapéu, os resultados clínicos revelaram que os trabalhadores foram contaminados. Concluímos que estudos citogenéticos, toxicológicos, juntamente com exames clínicos, são importantes no controle da saúde do trabalhador, mesmo em condições de proteção.

The Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom) Natural Genetic Variation Rg1 and the DELLA Mutant Procera Control the Competence Necessary to Form Adventitious Roots and Shoots

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Biotechnology and fish culture

Biotechnology can currently be considered of importance in aquaculture. The increase in the production of aquatic organisms over the last two decades through the use of biotechnology indicates that in a few generations biotechnology may overtake conventional techniques, at least for the commercially more valuable species. In the last few years, genetics has contributed greatly to fish culture through the application of the more recent techniques developed in biotechnology and in genetic engineering. At present, the most commonly used methods in fish biotechnology are chromosome manipulation and hormonal treatments, which can be used to produce triploid, tetraploid, haploid, gynogenetic and androgenetic fish. These result in the production of individuals and lineages of sterile, monosex or highly endogamic fish. The use of such strategies in fish culture has as a practical objective the control of precocious sexual maturation in certain species; other uses are the production of larger specimens by control of the reproductive process and the attainment of monosex lines containing only those individuals of greater commercial value. The use of new technologies, such as those involved in gene transfer in many species, can result in modified individuals of great interest to aquaculturists and play important roles in specific programmes of fish production in the near future.

Functional and Morphological Reproductive Aspects in Male Rats Exposed to Di-n-Butyl Phthalate (DBP) in Utero and During Lactation

The potential adverse reproductive effects, with emphasis on the epididymis, of in utero and lactational exposure to 100 mg/kg/d di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) in adult male rat offspring were investigated. The fetal testis histopathology was also determined. The selected endpoints included reproductive organ weights, sperm motility and morphology, sperm epididymal transit time, sperm quantity in the testis and epididymis, hormonal status, fetal testis and epididymal histopathology and stereology, and androgen receptor (AR), aquaporin 9 (AQP9), and Ki-67 immunoreactivities. Pregnant females were divided into two groups: control (C) and treated (T). The treated females received DBP (100 mg/kg/d, by gavage) from gestation day (GD) 12 to postnatal day (PND) 21, while control dams received the vehicle. Some pregnant dams were killed by decapitation on GD20, and testes from male fetuses were collected for histopathogy. Male rats from other dams were killed at PND 90. Fetal testes from treated group showed Leydig-cell clusters, presence of multinucleated germinative cells, and increase of the interstitial component. Testosterone levels and reproductive organ weights were similar between the treated and control adult groups. DBP treatment did not markedly affect relative proportions of epithelial, stromal, or luminal compartments in the epididymis; sperm counts in the testis and epididymis; sperm transit time; or sperm morphology and motility in adult rats. The AR and AQP9 immunoreactivities and proliferation index were similar for the two groups. These results showed that fetal testes were affected by DBP as evidenced by testicular histopathologic alterations, but reproductive parameters and epididymal structure/function were not significantly altered in the adult animals exposed to 100 mg/kg DBP in utero and during lactation.

Harmful effects of carbamazepine on the postnatal development of the rat ventral prostate

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)