Variance component estimates applying random regression models for test-day milk yield in Caracu heifers (Bos taurus Artiodactyla, Bovidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The role of virulence factors in the outcome of staphylococcal peritonitis in CAPD patients

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

Urinary incontinence and vaginal squeeze pressure two years post-cesarean delivery in primiparous women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus

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

Influence of sire and sire breed (Gyr versus Holstein) on establishment of pregnancy and embryonic loss in lactating Holstein cows during summer heat stress

Heat stress has negative effects on pregnancy rates of lactating dairy cattle. There are genetic differences in tolerance to heat stress; Bos taurus indicus (B. t. indicus) cattle and embryos are more thermotolerant than Bos taurus taurus (B. t. taurus). In the present study, the effects of sire and sire breed on conception and embryonic/fetal loss rates of lactating Holstein cows during the Brazilian summer were determined. In Experiment 1, cows (n = 302) were AI after estrus detection or at a fixed-time with semen from one Gyr (B. t. indicus) or one Holstein sire (B. t. taurus). Pregnancy was diagnosed 80 days after AI. In Experiment 2, cows (n = 811) were AI with semen from three Gyr and two Holstein sires. Pregnancy was diagnosed at 30-40 and at 60-80 days after AI. Cows diagnosed pregnant at the first examination but non-pregnant at the second were considered as having lost their embryo or fetus. Data were analyzed by logistic regression. The model considered the effect of sire within breed, sire breed, days postpartum, period of lactation, and AI type (AI after estrus versus fixed-time). There was no effect of the AI type, days postpartum or milk production on conception or embryonic loss rates. The use of Gyr bulls increased pregnancy rate when compared to Holstein bulls [9.1% (60/657) versus 5.0% (23/456), respectively, P = 0.008; data from Experiments 1 and 2 combined]. Additionally, in Experiment 2, cows inseminated using semen from sire #4 (Gyr) had lower embryonic loss (10%) when compared with other B. t. indicus (35.3% and 40%) or B. t. taurus sires (18.2% and 38.5%, P = 0.03). In conclusion, the use of B. t. indicus sires may result in higher conception rates in lactating Holstein cows during summer heat stress. Moreover, sire can affect embryonic loss and selection of bulls according to this criterion may result in higher parturition rates in lactating Holstein cows. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of refuge on Dermestes ater (Coleoptera : Dermestidae) predation on Musca domestica (Diptera : Muscidae): Refuge for prey or the predator?

It is believed that habitat heterogeneity can change the extent of predator-prey interactions. Therefore, in this study we examined the effect of habitat heterogeneity (characterized here as an addition of refuge) on D. ater predation on M. domestica. Predation of D. ater on M. domestica larvae was carried out in experimental habitats with and without refuge, and examined at different prey densities. The number of prey eaten by beetles over 24 h of predator-prey interaction was recorded, and we investigated the strength of interaction between prey and predator in both experimental habitats by determining predator functional response. The mean number of prey eaten by beetles in the presence of refuge was significantly higher than in the absence of refuge. Females had greater weight gains than males. Logistic regression analyses revealed the type II functional response for both experimental habitats, even though data did not fit well into the random predator model. Results suggest that the addition of refuge in fact enhanced predation, as prey consumption increased in the presence of refuge. Predators kept in the presence of refuge also consumed more prey at high prey densities. Thus, we concluded that the addition of refuge was an important component mediating D. ater-M. domestica population interactions. Refuge actually acted as a refuge for predators from prey, since prey behaviors detrimental to predators were reduced in this case.

Alcohol dehydrogenase 3 genotype as a risk factor for upper aerodigestive tract cancers

Objective: To assess alcohol dehydrogenase 3 (ADH3) polymorphism at position Ile349Val as indicator of risk factor for upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer to verify its association with UADT cancer in nonalcoholic or nonsmoking individuals.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Primary care or referral center.Patients: the study group consisted of 141 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx admitted for surgical treatment. The comparison group consisted of 94 inpatients without cancer from the A. C. Camargo or other São Paulo (Brazil) hospital and 40 healthy individuals.Intervention: All participants were interviewed and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. After written informed consent was obtained, 20 mL of blood was collected in heparinized tubes.Main Outcome Measures: Odds ratio for ADH3 genotypes using logistic regression models.Results: After adjustment for sex, age, tobacco use, and history of cancer in first-degree family relatives, a significantly higher odds ratio for UADT cancer was observed among individuals with AA genotype and low cumulative alcohol consumption (:5 100 kg of ethanol) (odds ratio=3.8 [95% confidence interval, 1.5-9.7]). A 4-fold increase in odds ratio for UADT cancer among individuals with AA genotype and low tobacco consumption (:525 pack-years) was also found in the adjusted model.Conclusions: These results suggest that genotype AA may be a risk factor for UADT cancer, especially in individuals with low alcohol or tobacco consumption. However, further epidemiological case-control or cohort studies, preferably prospective, are needed to establish the exact role of ADH3 polymorphism and its association with the development of UADT cancers.

IL-1ra anti-inflammatory cytokine polymorphism is associated with risk of gastric cancer and chronic gastritis in a Brazilian population, but the TNF-beta pro-inflammatory cytokine is not

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

Diagnosis of inflammatory lesions by high-wavenumber FT-Raman spectroscopy

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

Buffalos milk yield analysis using random regression models

Data comprising 1,719 milk yield records from 357 females (predominantly Murrah breed), daughters of 110 sires, with births from 1974 to 2004, obtained from the Programa de Melhoramento Genetic de Bubalinos (PROMEBUL) and from records of EMBRAPA Amazonia Oriental - EAO herd, located in Belem, Para, Brazil, were used to compare random regression models for estimating variance components and predicting breeding values of the sires. The data were analyzed by different models using the Legendre's polynomial functions from second to fourth orders. The random regression models included the effects of herd-year, month of parity date of the control; regression coefficients for age of females (in order to describe the fixed part of the lactation curve) and random regression coefficients related to the direct genetic and permanent environment effects. The comparisons among the models were based on the Akaike Infromation Criterion. The random effects regression model using third order Legendre's polynomials with four classes of the environmental effect were the one that best described the additive genetic variation in milk yield. The heritability estimates varied from 0.08 to 0.40. The genetic correlation between milk yields in younger ages was close to the unit, but in older ages it was low.

Antenatal corticosteroid use and clinical evolution of preterm newborn infants

Objectives: To describe the use of antenatal corticosteroid and clinical evolution of preterm babies. Methods: An observational prospective cohort study was carried out. All 463 pregnant women and their 514 newborn babies with gestational age ranging from 23 to 34 weeks, born at the Brazilian Neonatal Research Network units, were evaluated from August 1 to December 31, 2001. The data were obtained through maternal interview, analysis of medical records, and follow-up of the newborn infants. Data analysis was performed with the use of chi-square, t Student, Mann-Whitney, and ANOVA tests and multiple logistic regression, with level of significance set at 5%. Results: Treatment was directly associated with the number of prenatal visits, with maternal hypertension and with the antenatal use of tocolytic agents. Babies from treated pregnant women presented better Apgar scores at the 1st and 5th minute, reduced need for intervention in the delivery room and lower SNAPPE II. They were born with higher birth weight, longer gestational age and needed less surfactant use, ventilation, and oxygenation time. After multiple logistic regression, the use of antenatal corticosteroid independently improved birth conditions, decreased ventilation time, being related to increased occurrence of neonatal sepsis. Conclusions: The use of corticosteroid was associated with better prenatal care and birth conditions, better preterm evolution but higher risk of infection. Copyright © 2004 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.

Fatores preditivos do sucesso da inseminação intrauterina: A morfologia espermática de acordo com o novo manual de laboratório da Organização Mundial de Saúde

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the likelihood of IUI success as a function of the previously described predictive factors, including sperm morphology according to the new reference values defined by WHO. Material and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 300 couples which underwent IUI. Regression analyses were used to correlate maternal age, number of preovulatory follicles on the day of hCG administration, number of inseminated motile sperm, and normal sperm morphology with clinical pregnancy. Results are expressed as odds ratio (OR) with 95% of confidence intervals (CI). Results: Women older than 35 years showed a lower pregnancy rate (6.5% vs 18.2%, p=0.017). Logistic regression models confirmed the lower chance of pregnancy occurrence for older women (OR: 0.39; CI: 0.16-0.96; p=0.040). The presence of two or more preovulatory follicles on the day of hCG administration resulted in higher pregnancy rate when compared to cases in which only one preovulatory follicle was present (18.6% vs 8.2%, p=0.011). The regression model showed a more than two fold increase on probability of pregnancy when two or more preovulatory follicles were detected (OR: 2.58; CI: 1.22-5.46, p=0.013). The number of inseminated motile sperm positively influenced pregnancy occurrence (OR: 1.47; CI: 0.88-3.14, p=0.027). Similar pregnancy rates were observed when semen samples were classified as having normal or abnormal morphology (10.6% vs 10.2%, p=0.936). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that sperm morphological normalcy, according to the new reference value, has no predictive value on IUI outcomes. © Todos os direitos reservados a SBRA - Sociedade Brasileira de Reprodução Assistida.

Random regression models using Legendre polynomials or linear splines for test-day milk yield of dairy Gyr (Bos indicus) cattle

Studies investigating the use of random regression models for genetic evaluation of milk production in Zebu cattle are scarce. In this study, 59,744 test-day milk yield records from 7,810 first lactations of purebred dairy Gyr (Bos indicus) and crossbred (dairy Gyr × Holstein) cows were used to compare random regression models in which additive genetic and permanent environmental effects were modeled using orthogonal Legendre polynomials or linear spline functions. Residual variances were modeled considering 1, 5, or 10 classes of days in milk. Five classes fitted the changes in residual variances over the lactation adequately and were used for model comparison. The model that fitted linear spline functions with 6 knots provided the lowest sum of residual variances across lactation. On the other hand, according to the deviance information criterion (DIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC), a model using third-order and fourth-order Legendre polynomials for additive genetic and permanent environmental effects, respectively, provided the best fit. However, the high rank correlation (0.998) between this model and that applying third-order Legendre polynomials for additive genetic and permanent environmental effects, indicates that, in practice, the same bulls would be selected by both models. The last model, which is less parameterized, is a parsimonious option for fitting dairy Gyr breed test-day milk yield records. © 2013 American Dairy Science Association.

Comparison of random regression models to estimate genetic parameters for milk production in Guzerat (Bos indicus) cows

Random regression models have been widely used to estimate genetic parameters that influence milk production in Bos taurus breeds, and more recently in B. indicus breeds. With the aim of finding appropriate random regression model to analyze milk yield, different parametric functions were compared, applied to 20,524 test-day milk yield records of 2816 first-lactation Guzerat (B. indicus) cows in Brazilian herds. The records were analyzed by random regression models whose random effects were additive genetic, permanent environmental and residual, and whose fixed effects were contemporary group, the covariable cow age at calving (linear and quadratic effects), and the herd lactation curve. The additive genetic and permanent environmental effects were modeled by the Wilmink function, a modified Wilmink function (with the second term divided by 100), a function that combined third-order Legendre polynomials with the last term of the Wilmink function, and the Ali and Schaeffer function. The residual variances were modeled by means of 1, 4, 6, or 10 heterogeneous classes, with the exception of the last term of the Wilmink function, for which there were 1, from 0.20 to 0.33. Genetic correlations between adjacent records were high values (0.83-0.99), but they declined when the interval between the test-day records increased, and were negative between the first and last records. The model employing the Ali and Schaeffer function with six residual variance classes was the most suitable for fitting the data. © FUNPEC-RP.

Analysis of the risk factors related to the immune humoral anti-Anaplasma marginale in dairy cattle

Anaplasma marginale is the most prevalent pathogen of cattle transmitted by ticks in the world. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for anaplasmosis in dairy cattle. Fifty dairy cattle from the herd of Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuaria do Estado do Rio de Janeiro were selected by proportional stratified sampling. The risk factors evaluated were: physiological state, race pattern, number of lactations, milk production, infestation by Rhipicephalus microplus and animal density. Antibody activity against A. marginale was determined using the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The percentual values of seroprevalence for A. marginale were submitted to X2 test, and the level of minimum significance, to keep a factor in the model of logistic regression, was fixated in 5%. It was observed that pregnancy and lactation influenced significantly (p<0.05) in the seropositivity of the animals. Bos indicus animals had 5.21 times more chances of being seropositive than B. taurus animals. Primiparous female had 88% more chances of being seropositive than pluriparous female. Animals with high milk production were 63% more positive than low production animals. When infested by ticks the animals had 39% more chance of being seropositive to A. marginale. Bos indicus animals presented 5.21 times more chance of being seropositive than B. taurus animals. Primiparous females presented 88% more chance of being seropositive than the pluriparous ones. High milk production animals were 63% more positive than the low production ones. When infested by ticks the animals had 39% more chance of being seropositive to A. marginale. High density grazing provided for the animals 3.2 times more chances of being seropositive than low density ones. The herd was classified as erratic to A. marginale, even being placed in a steady enzootic area.

Cardiorespiratory fitness, but not central obesity or C-reactive protein, is related to liver function in obese children

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most frequent complications associated with excess adiposity. Its pathogenesis is complex and there are multiple factors that may contribute to it. AIM: To analyze whether cardiorespiratory ftness (CRF), waist circumference (WC), and C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in children with obesity. METHODS: 79 overweight/obese children of both genders, 11-13 year-olds, with abnormal serum ALT from Porto public schools comprised the sample. Measurements included CRF (20-m Shuttle Run Test), WC (NHANES protocol), CRP and ALT (Cholestech LDX analyzer). Logistic regression adjusted for gender, maturation, and weight with ALT levels as dependent variable (risk vs. non risk), and WC (risk vs. non risk), CRP (risk vs. non risk), and CRF (fit vs. unfit) as independent variables. Level of significance was set at 95%. RESULTS: Logistic regression showed that obese fit children were less likely to have abnormal ALT values (OR=.031) CONCLUSION: In obese children, higher cardiovascular fitness appears to reduce the chance of decreased liver function. © 2013 Human Kinetics, Inc.