Ablation of the ability to control the right-to-left cardiac shunt does not affect oxygen uptake, specific dynamic action or growth in the rattlesnake Crotalus durissus

The morphologically undivided ventricle of the heart in non-crocodilian reptiles permits the mixing of oxygen-rich blood returning from the lungs and oxygen-poor blood from the systemic circulation. A possible functional significance for this intra-cardiac shunt has been debated for almost a century. Unilateral left vagotomy rendered the single effective pulmonary artery of the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus, unable to adjust the magnitude of blood flow to the lung. The higher constant perfusion of the lung circulation and the incapability of adjusting the right-left shunt in left-denervated snakes persisted over time, providing a unique model for investigation of the long-term consequences of cardiac shunting in a squamate. Oxygen uptake recorded at rest and during spontaneous and forced activity was not affected by removing control of the cardiac shunt. Furthermore, metabolic rate and energetic balance during the post-prandial metabolic increment, plus the food conversion efficiency and growth rate, were all similarly unaffected. These results show that control of cardiac shunting is not associated with a clear functional advantage in adjusting metabolic rate, effectiveness of digestion or growth rates. © 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Humoral antibody immune response of newcastle disease vaccination in lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis)

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

Bone morphogenetic protein 15 and fibroblast growth factor 10 enhance cumulus expansion, glucose uptake, and expression of genes in the ovulatory cascade during in vitro maturation of bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes

Oocyte-secreted factors (OSFs) regulate differentiation of cumulus cells and are of pivotal relevance for fertility. Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) are OSFs and enhance oocyte competence by unknown mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that BMP15 and FGF10, alone or combined in the maturation medium, enhance cumulus expansion and expression of genes in the preovulatory cascade and regulate glucose metabolism favouring hyaluronic acid production in bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). BMP15 or FGF10 increased the percentage of fully expanded COCs, but the combination did not further stimulate it. BMP15 increased cumulus cell levels of mRNA encoding a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10), ADAM17, amphiregulin (AREG), and epiregulin (EREG) at 12 h of culture and of prostaglandin (PG)-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 6 (TNFAIP6 (TSG6)) at 22 h of culture. FGF10 did not alter the expression of epidermal growth factor-like factors but enhanced the mRNA expression of PTGS2 at 4 h, PTX3 at 12 h, and TNFAIP6 at 22 h. FGF10 and BMP15 stimulated glucose consumption by cumulus cells but did not affect lactate production or levels of mRNA encoding glycolytic enzymes phosphofructokinase and lactate dehydrogenase A. Each growth factor increased mRNA encoding glucosamine:fructose-6-PO4 transaminases, key enzymes in the hexosamine pathway leading to hyaluronic acid production, and BMP15 also stimulated hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) mRNA expression. This study provides evidence that BMP15 and FGF10 stimulate expansion of in vitro-matured bovine COCs by driving glucose metabolism toward hyaluronic acid production and controlling the expression of genes in the ovulatory cascade, the first acting upon ADAM10, ADAM17, AREG, and EREG and the second on downstream genes, particularly PTGS2. © 2013 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

Broiler breeder feeding programs and trace minerals on maternal antibody transfer and broiler humoral immune response

Breeder feed restriction may negatively affect broiler progeny immunity. Sources of trace minerals (TM) with higher bioavailability in breeder diets have been reported to enhance humoral and cellular immunity in broiler progeny. An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of breeder feeding programs and TM dietary sources on maternal antibody transfer and humoral immune response of progeny to a live vaccine against Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Cobb 500 breeders were fed according to 2 feed allocation programs, sigmoid late fast and sigmoid late slow, from 14 to 29 wk of age. From 56 to 62 wk of age, breeders were fed with either inorganic TM or an organic source (OTM) to replace 30% of Cu, Zn, and Mn. Progeny broilers were vaccinated intraocularly with La Sota NDV vaccine at 7 d of age. Blood samples were collected at hatching, 4, and 14 d postvaccination. Serum antibody levels against NDV were assessed by ELISA and cytokine expression by real time PCR. At hatching, late slow breeder progeny fed diets with 30% OTM had higher antibody titers as compared with progeny of breeders fed 100% inorganic TM. Similar results were observed 2 wk postvaccination. Breeder feeding programs and TM sources affected the expression level of IL-4 in NDV vaccinated broiler progeny. It was concluded that breeder feeding programs influenced humoral immune response to NDV vaccine in the broiler progeny, and 30% OTM may increase these responses. © 2013 Poultry Science Association, Inc.

Avaliação da densidade microvascular em astrocitomas em adultos correlacionada com SPECT-MIBI

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Oxidação de compostos β-dicarbonílicos por peroxidase

Pós-graduação em Biociências e Biotecnologia Aplicadas à Farmácia - FCFAR

Water uptake by Annona diversifolia Saff. and A. purpurea Moc. & sessé ex dunal seeds (Annonaceae)

Annonaceae seeds are known by presenting dormancy mechanisms, whose reports ranging from coating impermeable to the physiological dormancy. By this way, the present study aimed to evaluate water uptake in Annona diversifolia Saff and Annona purpurea Moc & Sessé ex Dunal seeds. For this study, seeds were placed under immersion in distilled water, and used four replicates of 25 seeds of each species, which were weighed during the 480 hours that were immersed. To determine the place of purchase of water, Annona diversifolia seeds were sealed with paraffin at different locations. Based on the results, seeds from both species reached the phases I and II of water uptake, which indicates they are not hard; however, germination (Phase III) was not reached. Annona diversifolia seeds completed Phase I with, 50h and Annona purpurea with 70h from imbibitions begin, which shows that even slowly, water is acquire.

The Positive Effects of Priming Exercise on Oxygen Uptake Kinetics and High-Intensity Exercise Performance Are Not Magnified by a Fast-Start Pacing Strategy in Trained Cyclists

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Evaluation of canine and feline leishmaniasis by the association of blood culture, immunofluorescent antibody test and polymerase chain reaction

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

Boron uptake and translocation in some cotton cultivars

Boron (B) is the most deficient micronutrient in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). It is generally accepted that B is immobile in cotton phloem, but some cultivars could remobilize the nutrient. In order to further understand B uptake and mobility in various cotton cultivars two experiments were conducted.In experiment-1, cotton cultivars were grown in B-10 enriched or natural abundance nutrient solutions for 4 weeks and transferred to nutrient solutions ranging from deficient to sufficient in B. In experiment-2 B-10 enriched boric acid was applied to cotton leaves and B mobilization was determined.In deficient plants, B previously supplied to roots was remobilized from older to younger plant tissues, but the amount was insufficient to maintain growth. Boron deficiency symptoms appeared and progressed with time. Boron applied to leaves was taken up and remobilized within 24 h. Boron mobilization was higher to plant parts above the treated region.Boron uptake and mobilization was similar among cotton cultivars. Boron applied to cotton leaves shows a preferential translocation to younger tissues. Foliar sprays of B to cotton may be used to cope with a temporary deficiency, but to achieve full growth and development B must be available to cotton throughout the plant cycle.

Rumen microbial diversity under influence of a polyclonal antibody preparation against lactate-producing and proteolytic bacteria in cows fed different energy sources

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

Proposed method for agglutinating antibody titer analysis and its use as indicator of acquired immunity in pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus

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

Evaluation of Fe uptake and translocation in transgenic and non-transgenic soybean plants using enriched stable Fe-57 as a tracer

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

Uptake of Seeds Secondary Metabolites by Virola surinamensis Seedlings

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