Ginkgo Biloba Extract in an Animal Model of Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review

Although the exact cause of neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease is not known, evidence points to oxidative stress and the production of reactive oxygen species as the main events that occur in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the brain of parkinsonians. EGb761 is an extract of the leaves from the Ginkgo biloba tree that has been reported as an antioxidant and neuroprotective agent. The objective of this work was to perform a systematic review of the studies that analysed the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism. This research was conducted using the following databases: Medline, PsycInfo, Cinahl, Sigle, Lilacs, Scielo, Cochrane Library, and Embase. Initially, we selected 32 articles. After a more detailed analysis, only 10 articles remained. One of the hypotheses for the positive effect of EGb761 on Parkinson's disease is the reduction or inhibition of monoamine-oxidase activity. This enzyme metabolises dopamine, inducing the formation of free radicals, which in turn damage nigrostriatal neurons. Another hypothesis is that the neuroprotective effect of EGb761 against 6-hydroxydopamine, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and MPP+ toxins. As there are few studies on the effect of EGb761 on humans, this review could contribute new data to further the discussion of this issue.

Phyllosphere Bacteria Improve Animal Contribution to Plant Nutrition

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

Qualidade do manejo no frigorífico: efeitos no bem-estar animal e na qualidade da carcaça e da carne

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV

Zoonoses parasitárias veiculadas por alimentos de origem animal: revisão sobre a situação no Brasil

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

Human-calf relationship and its implications on animal welfare

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV

A comparative study of production performance and animal health practices in organic and conventional dairy systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Animal models in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-an overview

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by progressive airway obstruction resultant from an augmented inflammatory response of the respiratory tract to noxious particles and gases. Previous reports present a number of different hypotheses about the etiology and pathophysiology of COPD. The generating mechanisms of the disease are subject of much speculation, and a series of questions and controversies among experts still remain. In this context, several experimental models have been proposed in order to broaden the knowledge on the pathophysiological characteristics of the disease, as well as the search for new therapeutic approaches for acute or chronically injured lung tissue. This review aims to present the main experimental models of COPD, more specifically emphysema, as well as to describe the main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, possibilities of application, and potential contribution of each of these models for the knowledge on the pathophysiological aspects and to test new treatment options for obstructive lung diseases.

Pathogens in animal meal and the use of Salmex (R) in the elimination of Clostridium perfringens

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

O bem-estar animal: como avaliá-lo e promovê-lo

The traffic of wild animals can be identified as the main cause of finding captive animals in zoos and sorting centers in Brazil. The maintenance of these animals in captivity is usually justified by the prevention of total loss of individuals of that specie, if it becomes extinct in the wild, and also, the importance of these subjects in studies of basic biology of the species. Keeping animals in captivity environment brings the need to ensure the welfare of them. The high population density and limited space are some of the possible stressors that these individuals face in capivity. Even the low pressure feeding and food easily available could be stressors, since they change the budget activities typical of the specie, causing sedentary behavior and sometimes depression. The captive environment and activities related to it (handling, transport, social change and social isolation) could compromise the animal welfare. Reduction in life expectancy, impaired growth and reproduction, personal injury, illness, immunosuppression, exacerbated adrenal activity and abnormal behavior, are events often lonked to compromised welfare. Hence, assessment and promoter methods are used to provide the welfare to captive animals. The assessment can be made by hormonal and/or behavioral measures. Both are extremely important, and usually are used in combination, to provide more tangible results about the condition of the animal. The promotion of animal welfare can be accomplished through environmental enrichment, a technique which aims to provide a more complex and diverse environment, increasing the possibility of the animal express more natural behavior, or characteristic of the species. Thus, the objective of this dissertation is discuss the importance of animal welfare and the ways this can be evaluated and promoted... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Uma perspectiva fenomenológica para: o que é o animal no circo?

The relationship between humans and the world around is getting less symbiotic and harmonic, so as with the other animals we share the planet with, mostly about domination of plagues, domination for food, company, work or fun. This last both are responsible for the beginning of the Circus as we know, with the exhibition of wild animals and horses, and have been increased with clowns, acrobats, and jugglers, street artists, getting to be one unified show all around the world, which most of them don´t have animals. Following this tendency, the PL 7291/06 is on process on the plenary assembly to forbidden the animals inside Circus. In that matter, this work is a Phenomenological perspective of the phenomenon Circus’s animals sited beyond the animal rights activists perspective. The Ideographic and Nomotetic analysis of the activist’s speech realize that is no discordance between then. All the speeches agrees that the animal must be out of the circus, and most of them agrees about the cruelty involving the animal´s domination, about that ONGs should be the better destination for this animals, and they shows lack of knowledge about the Brazilian Circus, with or without animals, their traditions and characteristics, so as the lack of knowledge about de ecology and biology of the animals involved.

A Ética na Experimentação Animal

A experimentação em animais é a metodologia mais utilizada para se testar a ação de todo tipo de droga em um organismo e suas reações. Atualmente existe na ciência a preocupação com a ética para amenizar o sofrimento dos animais envolvidos. Com o advento de novas tecnologias, são propostas técnicas alternativas que se abstém da utilização destes. Mas que não são ainda largamente estudadas no Brasil. Portanto realizou-se uma breve revisão das relações ser - humano/natureza presentes historicamente na atividade científica. Foram respondidos questionários e entregues para a análise, no qual se teve o objetivo de averiguar a opinião em relação a esse assunto perante os experimentadores de um conceituado Centro de Pesquisas e verificar assim, a possibilidade da inserção de uma nova ética, a qual possa futuramente livrar todos os animais de qualquer sofrimento. Os pesquisadores apresentam de uma forma geral, uma pequena preocupação com a reflexão sobre a utilização de materiais alternativos, em contrapartida se mostram bastante preocupados com a utilização dos animais de forma ética, a fim de minimizarem o sofrimento causado

Escolha de pareamento com coespecíficos na tilápia-do-Nilo: efeito do tamanho do animal e do horário do dia

Considerando os conceitos de senciência e bem-estar animal, os testes de escolha e preferência são das alternativas interessantes para se discutir o bem-estar em peixes. Assim, avaliamos a escolha da tilápia-do-Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) em manter-se em isolamento ou próxima a coespecíficos não-familiares de diferentes tamanhos (menores, similares ou maiores que o peixe-foco). O tamanho foi estudado por ser um fator determinante da dominância. Admitindo que o grau de atenção dos indivíduos possa ter flutuação circadiana, testamos também se o período do dia (manhã e tarde) afeta essa escolha. A escolha foi determinada pela maior freqüência do animal junto ao respectivo estímulo. Nesse estudo vimos que a tilápia-do-Nilo apresenta dois perfis de escolha: “decididos”, onde os animais escolhem uma posição em número significativamente maior de vezes; e os “indecisos”, que escolhem igualmente no mínimo duas opções de estímulos. No período da manhã há maior proporção de animais “decididos” do que à tarde. Portanto, embora não tenhamos detectado uma nítida escolha por tamanho de coespecífico o período do dia influenciou o número de indivíduos em cada um dos perfis. Assim, concluímos que a tomada de decisão na tilápia-do-Nilo varia em função do período do dia

Nutrição e nutrição parenteral no animal hospitalizado

The beneficial effects derived from the nutritional support in human patients and experimental animal models include the improvement of immune function, repair of wounds, answer to the treatment, time of recovery and survival. In front of these benefits, we end up alienating the nutritional needs of hospitalized patients, especially those with clinical or surgical affections threatening. The objective of the nutritional support is to indicate the importancea and the proportions of energy and nutrients that the patient can use with the maximum effectiveness. The majority of hospitalized patients do not have voluntary food intake adequate to meet even the minimal nutritional needs. It is often perceived that lack of adequate food intake, will have serious impact on the patient’s clinical outcome. The nutritional assessment will help determine which route of feeding will be the safest, most effective and best tolerated by the patient. Diet choice is based on which of the patient’s problems can and should be addressed with nutrition and the feeding access available

Os segredos que a natureza encerra: uso de conceitos e modelos da física para investigar questões do mundo animal

Physics governs all working patterns of the universe and could not be otherwise in a biological environment. Living things depend directly on laws and physical models to compose their body structure, allow its survival in certain environments, communication between individuals and groups and also to establish a complex sensorial system that allows interaction with the environment that surrounds them. With the advancement of science and technology, new ideas are required, and thus, many researchers began to turn their attention to those systems found in nature, as these systems often present practical solutions and with maximum efficiency. This imitation of biological systems, applied in creating innovative technological resources, is called Biomimetics. To study the biological systems based on physical concepts is essential the creation of models. These allow the distinction of the effects of the issue really essential and may be ignored side effects that do not have an effective participation in the phenomenon being analyzed. In this Work Completion of course will be studied the phenomenon of countercurrent heat exchangers, present in various situations of nature, focusing on their participation in the legs of birds, also the balance of certain birds that are supported on one leg and possible inspiration of these phenomena in the fields of engineering. Also included are videos that allow better understanding of the studied subjects