DNA damage in BALB/c mice infected with Lacazia loboi and its relation to nutritional status

Background: Jorge Lobo's disease, also known as lacaziosis, is a cutaneous-subcutaneous mycosis with chronic evolution. It is caused by the fungus Lacazia loboi. Herein we report a study that relates the genotoxicity caused by L. loboi in isogenic mice with nutritional status, through a normal or restricted diet.Methods: DNA damage was assessed in the peripheral blood by the comet assay (tail intensity).Results: The results for leukocytes showed increases in the mean tail intensity in mice under dietary restriction, in infected mice under dietary restriction and in infected mice ingesting a normal diet.Conclusion: These results indicate that dietary restriction and L. loboi infection may increase DNA damage levels in mice, as detected by the comet assay.

Effects of aging and maternal protein restriction on the muscle fibers morphology and neuromuscular junctions of rats after nutritional recovery

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Finite element analysis of the influence of geometry and design of zirconia crowns on stress distribution

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of the geometry and design of prosthetic crown preparations on stress distribution in compression tests, using finite element analysis (FEA). Materials and Methods: Six combinations of 3D drawings of all-ceramic crowns (yttria-stabilized zirconia framework and porcelain veneer) were evaluated: F, flat preparation and simplified crown; FC, flat preparation and crown with contact point; FCM, flat preparation and modified crown; A, anatomical preparation and simplified anatomical crown framework; AC, anatomical preparation and crown with contact point; and ACM, anatomical preparation and modified crown. Bonded contact types at all interfaces with the mesh were assigned, and the material properties used were according to the literature. A 200 N vertical load was applied at the center of each model. The maximum principal stresses were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Results: The highest values of tensile stress were observed at the interface between the ceramics in the region under the load application for the simplified models (F and A). Reductions in stress values were observed for the model with the anatomical preparation and modified infrastructure (ACM). The stress distribution in the flat models was similar to that of their respective anatomical models. Conclusions: The modified design of the zirconia coping reduces the stress concentration at the interface with the veneer ceramic, and the simplified preparation can exert a stress distribution similar to that of the anatomical preparation at and near the load point, when load is applied to the center of the crown.

Growth and nutritional disorders of eggplant cultivated in nutrients solutions with suppressed macronutrients

The objective was to evaluate the effects of omitting macronutrients in the nutrients solution on growth characteristics and nutritional status of eggplants. The treatments were complete nutrients solution and solutions with nutrient omission: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S). The experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions with three replicates in a completely random design. Plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, relative chlorophyll index, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, dry matter, concentration levels of macronutrients in plant aerial part and root system, and nutritional disorders were evaluated. Omitting elements interfered in the concentration of elements in the various plant tissues and this had as consequences limited vegetative growth, reduced dry matter and led to the development of the typical deficiency symptoms of each element. Although potassium was the most demanded of all elements, nitrogen and calcium were the most growth limiting ones.

Nutritional status of the cauliflower cultivar ‘verona’ grown with omission of out added macronutrients

Knowledge of plant nutritional status allows an understanding of the physiological responses of plants to crop fertilization. A hydroponic experiment evaluated the symptoms of macronutrient deficiency in cauliflower 'Verona'and determined: a) the macronutrient contents of foliar tissues when visual symptoms were observed, b) macronutrients content of foliar and inflorescence tissues at harvest. The effect of nutrient deficiency on inflorescence mass was also evaluated. Nitrogen deficiency caused chlorosis followed by purple color in the old leaves, while P deficiency caused only chlorosis in old leaves. Chlorosis at the edge of old leaves progressing to the center of the leaves was observed with the omission of K, and after was observed necrosis in the chlorotic areas. Ca deficiency caused tip burn in new leaves, while Mg deficiency caused internerval chlorosis in old leaves. The omission of eachmacronutrient reduced inflorescence dry matter. This deleterious effect was larger for N, P, and K deficiencies, reducing inflorescence dry matter by 87, 49, and 42%, respectively. When the nutrient solutions without N, P, K, Ca, or Mg were supplied to cauliflower plants, the macronutrient contents at harvest were 8.8, 0.6, 3.5, 13.0, and 0.8 g kg(-1) in the foliar tissues and 27.3, 2.2, 21.6, 1.1, and 0.7 g kg(-1) in the inflorescence tissues, respectively.

Evaluation of the owner's perception in the use of homemade diets for the nutritional management of dogs

Many dog owners see homemade diets as a way of increasing the bond with their pets, even though they may not have the convenience of commercial diets. Modifications of ingredients, quality and proportion might change the nutritional composition of the diet, generating nutritional imbalances. The present study evaluated how dog owners use and adhere to homemade diets prescribed by veterinary nutritionists over an extended period of time. Forty-six owners of dogs fed a homemade diet for at least 6 months were selected for the present study. Owners were invited to answer questions by first reading all possible answers and then selecting the one that best indicated their opinion. The results were evaluated through descriptive statistics. Thirty-five owners (76·1 %) found that the diets are easy to prepare. Fourteen owners (30·4 %) admitted to modifying the diets, 40 % did not adequately control the amount of provided ingredients, 73·9 % did not use the recommended amounts of soyabean oil and salt, and 34·8 % did not correctly use the vitamin, mineral or amino acid supplements. Twenty-six owners (56·5 %) reported that their dogs refused to eat at least one food item. All of these alterations make the nutritional composition of the diets unpredictable and likely nutritionally imbalanced. Although homemade diets could be a useful tool for the nutritional management of dogs with certain diseases, not all owners are able to appropriately use this type of diet and adhere to it for an extended period of time and this limitation needs to be considered when recommending the use of homemade diets.

Nutritional status and immune response in murine experimental Jorge Lobo's disease

There are no studies investigating the role of nutritional status and immunity associated with Jorge Lobo's disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of protein-calorie malnutrition on the immune response of BALB/c mice inoculated with Lacazia loboi. In this study,the animals were divided into four groups: G1: inoculated with restricted diet, G2: not inoculated with restricted diet, G3: inoculated with regular diet, G4: not inoculated with regular diet. The animals of groups G1 and G2 were submitted to malnutrition for 20 days and once installed the animals were inoculated intradermally into the footpad. After 4 months, they were euthanised for the isolation of peritoneal lavage cells and removal of the footpad. The production of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α, H2 O2 and nitric oxide (NO) was evaluated in the peritoneal lavage cells. The footpad was evaluated regarding the size of macroscopic lesions, number of fungi and viability index. The results showed that the infection did not exert great influence on the body weight of the mice and previous malnutrition was an unfavourable factor for viability index, number of fungi, macroscopic lesion size in the footpad and production of H2 O2 , NO, IL-12, IL-10 and IFN-γ, suggesting that malnutrition significantly altered fungal activity and peritoneal cells. The results suggest considerable interaction between nutrition and immunity in Jorge Lobo's disease.

Tolerance and nutritional therapy of dietary fibre from konjac glucomannan hydrolysates for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Carbohydrates may provide an alternative therapeutic approach for a number of digestive health disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this work was to characterise the tolerance and efficacy of low and high molecular weight konjac glucomannan hydrolysates within healthy volunteers and patients suffering from IBD and associated gut conditions. These conditions included constipation, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. For general tolerance, fourteen patients participated whilst for the digestive disorder trial, there were twenty. Scores of taste/texture of the product, bowel movement, stool consistency, diarrhoea, existence/absence of blood in the faeces, abdominal pains, flatulence, vomiting, fever, improvement of life style after use, willingness to use in the future and clinician's statements about each patient's conditions before and after use were recorded. The results showed that the hydrolysates were tolerated well for patients with diarrhoea and had a significant improvement on bowel movement, stool consistency, abdominal pain and flatulence after ten days. With respect to effects on IBD, there was a significant health benefit after fourteen days of consumption for bowel movement, stool consistency, diarrhoea, existence/absence of blood in the faeces, abdominal pain, flatulence and vomiting. Most patients declared an improvement of their life style after consuming the hydrolysates. The use of konjac glucomannan hydrolysates as a therapeutic agent or adjunct to standard treatments could prove a successful tool for the treatment of a range of disorders; although large scale studies are required to characterise further the role of the carbohydrates.

Nutritional and metabolic risk factors for insulin resistance in adults

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

Effects of chronic stress and high-fat diet on metabolic and nutritional parameters in Wistar rats

Objective: The aim of this study was assess the role of chronic stress on the metabolic and nutritional profile of rats exposed to a high-fat diet. Materials and methods: Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats (70-100 g) were distributed into four groups: normal-diet (NC), chronic stress (St), high-fat diet (HD), and chronic stress/high-fat diet (HD/St). Stress consisted at immobilization during 15 weeks, 5 times per week, 1h per day; and exposure to the high-fat diet lasted 15 weeks. Nutritional and metabolic parameters were assessed. The level of significance was 5%. Results: The HD group had final body weight, total fat, as well as insulin and leptin increased, and they were insulin resistant. The St and HD/St had arterial hypertension and increased levels of corticosterone. Stress blocked the effects of the high-fat diet. Conclusion: Chronic stress prevented the appearance of obesity. Our results help to clarify the mechanisms involved in metabolic and nutritional dysfunction, and contribute to clinical cases linked to stress and high-fat diet.

The use of artificial neural networks in analysing the nutritional ecology of Chrysomya megacephala (F.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), compared with a statistical model

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been widely applied to the resolution of complex biological problems. An important feature of neural models is that their implementation is not precluded by the theoretical distribution shape of the data used. Frequently, the performance of ANNs over linear or non-linear regression-based statistical methods is deemed to be significantly superior if suitable sample sizes are provided, especially in multidimensional and non-linear processes. The current work was aimed at utilising three well-known neural network methods in order to evaluate whether these models would be able to provide more accurate outcomes in relation to a conventional regression method in pupal weight predictions of Chrysomya megacephala, a species of blowfly (Diptera: Calliphoridae), using larval density (i.e. the initial number of larvae), amount of available food and pupal size as input data. It was possible to notice that the neural networks yielded more accurate performances in comparison with the statistical model (multiple regression). Assessing the three types of networks utilised (Multi-layer Perceptron, Radial Basis Function and Generalised Regression Neural Network), no considerable differences between these models were detected. The superiority of these neural models over a classical statistical method represents an important fact, because more accurate models may clarify several intricate aspects concerning the nutritional ecology of blowflies.