Spatial memory in sedentary and trained diabetic rats: Molecular mechanisms

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

Incorporation of soybean by-product okara and inulin in a probiotic soy yoghurt: texture profile and sensory acceptance

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

Presence of infectious agents and co-infections in diarrheic dogs determined with a real-time polymerase chain reaction-based panel

Background: Infectious diarrhea can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or protozoan organisms, or a combination of these. The identification of co-infections in dogs is important to determine the prognosis and to plan strategies for their treatment and prophylaxis. Although many pathogens have been individually detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a comprehensive panel of agents that cause diarrhea in privately owned dogs has not yet been established. The objective of this study was to use a real-time PCR diarrhea panel to survey the frequencies of pathogens and co-infections in owned dogs attended in a veterinary hospital with and without diarrhea, as well the frequency in different countries. Feces samples were tested for canine distemper virus, canine coronavirus, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin (CPA), Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., and Salmonella spp. using molecular techniques.Results: In total, 104 diarrheic and 43 control dogs that were presented consecutively at a major private veterinary hospital were included in the study. Overall, 71/104 (68.3%) dogs with diarrhea were positive for at least one pathogen: a single infection in 39/71 dogs (54.9%) and co-infections in 32/71 dogs (45.1%), including 21/32 dogs (65.6%) with dual, 5/32 (15.6%) with triple, and 6/32 (18.8%) with quadruple infections. In the control group, 13/43 (30.2%) dogs were positive, all with single infections only. The most prevalent pathogens in the diarrheic dogs were CPA (40/104 dogs, 38.5%), CPV-2 (36/104 dogs, 34.6%), and Giardia spp. (14/104 dogs, 13.5%). CPV-2 was the most prevalent pathogen in the dual co-infections, associated with CPA, Cryptosporidium spp., or Giardia spp. No statistical difference (P = 0.8374) was observed in the duration of diarrhea or the number of deaths (P = 0.5722) in the presence or absence of single or co-infections.Conclusions: Diarrheic dogs showed a higher prevalence of pathogen infections than the controls. Whereas the healthy dogs had only single infections, about half the diarrheic dogs had co-infections. Therefore, multiple pathogens should be investigated in dogs presenting with diarrhea. The effects of multiple pathogens on the disease outcomes remain unclear because the rate of death and the duration of diarrhea did not seem to be affected by these factors.

Yield, changes in proteolysis, and sensory quality of Prato cheese produced with different coagulants

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

IB4(+) and TRPV1(+) sensory neurons mediate pain but not proliferation in a mouse model of squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Cancer pain severely limits function and significantly reduces quality of life. Subtypes of sensory neurons involved in cancer pain and proliferation are not clear.Methods: We produced a cancer model by inoculating human oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells into the hind paw of athymic mice. We quantified mechanical and thermal nociception using the paw withdrawal assays. Neurotoxins isolectin B4-saporin (IB4-SAP), or capsaicin was injected intrathecally to selectively ablate IB4(+) neurons or TRPV1(+) neurons, respectively. JNJ-17203212, a TRPV1 antagonist, was also injected intrathecally. TRPV1 protein expression in the spinal cord was quantified with western blot. Paw volume was measured by a plethysmometer and was used as an index for tumor size. Ki-67 immunostaining in mouse paw sections was performed to evaluate cancer proliferation in situ.Results: We showed that mice with SCC exhibited both mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity. Selective ablation of IB4(+) neurons by IB4-SAP decreased mechanical allodynia in mice with SCC. Selective ablation of TRPV1(+) neurons by intrathecal capsaicin injection, or TRPV1 antagonism by JNJ-17203212 in the IB4-SAP treated mice completely reversed SCC-induced thermal hyperalgesia, without affecting mechanical allodynia. Furthermore, TRPV1 protein expression was increased in the spinal cord of SCC mice compared to normal mice. Neither removal of IB4(+) or TRPV1(+) neurons affected SCC proliferation.Conclusions: We show in a mouse model that IB4(+) neurons play an important role in cancer-induced mechanical allodynia, while TRPV1 mediates cancer-induced thermal hyperalgesia. Characterization of the sensory fiber subtypes responsible for cancer pain could lead to the development of targeted therapeutics.

Biometry by ultrasonography of the epaxial and pelvic musculature in equines trained with Pessoa's rein

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

Exercise increases the angiotensin II effects in isolated portal vein of trained rats

Training in rats adapts the portal vein to respond vigorously to sympathetic stimuli even when the animal is re-exposed to exercise. Moreover, changes in the exercise-induced effects of angiotensin II, a potent venoconstrictor agonist, in venous beds remain to be investigated. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the effects of angiotensin II in the portal vein and vena cava from sedentary and trained rats at rest or submitted to an exercise session immediately before organ bath experiments. We found that training or exposure of sedentary animals to a single bout of running exercise does not significantly change the responses of the rat portal vein to angiotensin II. However, the exposure of trained animals to a single bout of running exercise enhanced the response of the rat portal vein to angiotensin II. This enhancement appeared to be territory-specific because it was not observed in the vena cava. Moreover, it was not observed inendothelium-disrupted preparations and in preparations treated with Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl esterhydrochloride, indomethacin, BQ-123 or BQ-788. These data indicate that training causes adaptations in the rat portal vein that respond vigorously to angiotensin II even upon re-exposure to exercise. This increased response to angiotensin II requires an enhancement of the vasocontractile influence of endothelin beyond the influence of nitric oxide and vasodilator prostanoids.

Características qualitativas e quantitativas do músculo Longissimus de bubalinos e bovinos terminados em confinamento

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV

Pre-extrusion aromatization of a soy protein isolate using volatile compounds and flavor enhancers: Effects on physical characteristics, volatile retention and sensory characteristics of extrudates

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Phenomenology of OCD: Lessons from a large multicenter study and implications for ICD-11

This study aimed to investigate the phenomenology of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), addressing specific questions about the nature of obsessions and compulsions, and to contribute to the World Health Organization's (WHO) revision of OCD diagnostic guidelines. Data from 1001 patients from the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders were used. Patients were evaluated by trained clinicians using validated instruments, including the Dimensional Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, the University of Sao Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale, and the Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale. The aims were to compare the types of sensory phenomena (SP, subjective experiences that precede or accompany compulsions) in OCD patients with and without tic disorders and to determine the frequency of mental compulsions, the co-occurrence of obsessions and compulsions, and the range of insight. SP were common in the whole sample, but patients with tic disorders were more likely to have physical sensations and urges only. Mental compulsions occurred in the majority of OCD patients. It was extremely rare for OCD patients to have obsessions without compulsions. A wide range of insight into OCD beliefs was observed, with a small subset presenting no insight. The data generated from this large sample will help practicing clinicians appreciate the full range of OCD symptoms and confirm prior studies in smaller samples the degree to which insight varies. These findings also support specific revisions to the WHO's diagnostic guidelines for OCD, such as describing sensory phenomena, mental compulsions and level of insight, so that the world-wide recognition of this disabling disorder is increased. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parasitoid-host interaction: sensory structures involved in the parasitism behavior of Bracon vulgaris (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)