SEROLOGIC SURVEY FOR LEPTOSPIRA SPP. IN CAPTIVE NEOTROPICAL FELIDS IN FOZ do IGUACU, PARANA, BRAZIL

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

Spatial Distribution of Seropositive Dogs to Leptospira spp. and Evaluation of Leptospirosis Risk Factors Using a Decision Tree

Background: Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease associated with poor areas of urban settings of developing countries and early diagnosis and prompt treatment may prevent disease. Although rodents are reportedly considered the main reservoirs of leptospirosis, dogs may develop the disease, may become asymptomatic carriers and may be used as sentinels for disease epidemiology. The use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) combined with spatial analysis techniques allows the mapping of the disease and the identification and assessment of health risk factors. Besides the use of GIS and spatial analysis, the technique of data mining, decision tree, can provide a great potential to find a pattern in the behavior of the variables that determine the occurrence of leptospirosis. The objective of the present study was to apply Geographical Information Systems and data prospection (decision tree) to evaluate the risk factors for canine leptospirosis in an area of Curitiba, PR.Materials, Methods & Results: The present study was performed on the Vila Pantanal, a urban poor community in the city of Curitiba. A total of 287 dog blood samples were randomly obtained house-by-house in a two-day sampling on January 2010. In addition, a questionnaire was applied to owners at the time of sampling. Geographical coordinates related to each household of tested dog were obtained using a Global Positioning System (GPS) for mapping the spatial distribution of reagent and non-reagent dogs to leptospirosis. For the decision tree, risk factors included results of microagglutination test (MAT) from the serum of dogs, previous disease on the household, contact with rats or other dogs, dog breed, outdoors access, feeding, trash around house or backyard, open sewer proximity and flooding. A total of 189 samples (about 2/3 of overall samples) were randomly selected for the training file and consequent decision rules. The remained 98 samples were used for the testing file. The seroprevalence showed a pattern of spatial distribution that involved all the Pantanal area, without agglomeration of reagent animals. In relation to data mining, from 189 samples used in decision tree, a total of 165 (87.3%) animal samples were correctly classified, generating a Kappa index of 0.413. A total of 154 out of 159 (96.8%) samples were considered non-reagent and were correctly classified and only 5/159 (3.2%) were wrongly identified. on the other hand, only 11 (36.7%) reagent samples were correctly classified, with 19 (63.3%) samples failing diagnosis.Discussion: The spatial distribution that involved all the Pantanal area showed that all the animals in the area are at risk of contamination by Leptospira spp. Although most samples had been classified correctly by the decision tree, a degree of difficulty of separability related to seropositive animals was observed, with only 36.7% of the samples classified correctly. This can occur due to the fact of seronegative animals number is superior to the number of seropositive ones, taking the differences in the pattern of variable behavior. The data mining helped to evaluate the most important risk factors for leptospirosis in an urban poor community of Curitiba. The variables selected by decision tree reflected the important factors about the existence of the disease (default of sewer, presence of rats and rubbish and dogs with free access to street). The analyses showed the multifactorial character of the epidemiology of canine leptospirosis.

Imaging studies of the hindlimbs of pacas (Cuniculus paca) bred in captivity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Immunocytochemical characterization of the pregeniculate nucleus and distribution of retinal and neuropeptide Y terminals in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the Cebus monkey

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

Oxytocin promotes bone formation during the alveolar healing process in old acyclic female rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Ultrastructure of the urethra of the Mongolian gerbil

Objective: the urethra is the main port of entry of sexually transmitted pathogens. However, papers on the morphology of the urethra are scarce. The Mongolian gerbil is a rodent native of the Mongolia and China and has been utilized as a laboratory animal since the 1960s. This work describes the ultrastructure of the urethra of the Mongolian gerbil to provide data for future experimental studies. Methods: the urethra of ten adult male gerbils was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Results: the epithelium of the pelvic urethra possesses two cell types: I and II, without the formation of cellular layers, while the penile urethra possesses cellular layers: basal, intermediate and superficial. The urethra presents neurosecretory cells belonging to the amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation system. Conclusions: the urethral epithelium of the gerbil is a neurosecretory epithelium, part of the amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation system.

Diet-induced obesity causes metabolic, endocrine and cardiac alterations in spontaneously hypertensive rats

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

Antioxidative action of methanolic extract and buthanolic fraction of Vochysia tucanorum Mart. in the gastroprotection

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

Fenvalerate, A Pyrethroid Insecticide, Adversely Affects Sperm Production and Storage in Male Rats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Gastroprotective effect of Cissus sicyoides (Vitaceae): Involvement of microcirculation, endogenous sulfhydryls and nitric oxide

Aim of the study: Cissus sicyoides L. is a medicinal plant popularly known in Brazil against various diseases and the research interest in this plant is justifiable because of its potential medicinal value in stomachache and gastric ulcer.Materials and methods: The methanolic extract obtained from the leaves of Cissus sicyoides (Cc) was evaluated for the ability to protect the gastric mucosa against injuries caused by necrotizing agents (0.3 M HCl/60% EtOH, absolute ethanol, piroxicam and pylorus ligature) in rodents. We also evaluated microcirculation, antioxidant action and participation of NO (nitric oxide) and sulfhydryls (SH) groups in the Cc gastroprotective action.Results: Administration of Cc significantly reduced gastric lesions induced by different ulcerogenic agents in rodents. This extract administered by oral route significantly increased gastric volume without exerting antisecretory effect. The Cc effect involved an increase of the defense mechanism of the gastrointestinal mucosa such as NO and SH groups that prevent and attenuate the ulcer process. The Cc also has antioxidant property against oxidative stress but does not modify microcirculation response in gastric mucosa.Conclusions: These results confirmed the traditional use of Cissus sicyoides for the treatment of gastric ulcer. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cordia verbenacea and secretion of mast cells in different animal species

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Byrsonima intermedia A. Juss.: Gastric and duodenal anti-ulcer, antimicrobial and antidiarrheal effects in experimental rodent models

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

Byrsonima fagifolia: An integrative study to validate the gastroprotective, healing, antidiarrheal, antimicrobial and mutagenic action

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

The anti-ulcerogenic effects of Curatella americana L.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Should Anacardium humile St. Hil be used as an antiulcer agent? A scientific approach to the traditional knowledge

The crude methanolic extract (ME) obtained from the leaves of Anacardium humile was evaluated orally at doses of 250-500-1000 mg/kg on gastric lesion on ethanol and piroxicam induced gastric lesions in rodents. All the tested doses significantly inhibited gastric lesions by 56 to 100%. These results seems to support the traditional use of this species in the treatment of gastric diseases. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.