Piscinoodinium pillulare (Schäperclaus, 1954) Lom, 1981 (Dinoflagellida) infection in cultivated freshwater fish from the Northeast region of São Paulo State, Brazil: parasitological and pathological aspects

O Centro de Aqüicultura, Unesp, Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil, recebeu peixes para diagnose, os quais apresentavam aglomeração nas bordas dos viveiros e na entrada da água. Dos 194 casos diagnosticados, 53 apresentavam estruturas brancas circulares ou ovais, imóveis, medindo 162 mm de diâmetro, identificadas como o dinoflagelado Piscinoodinium pillulare. em 34 casos, os parasitos estavam presentes nas brânquias, em 2 casos, no corpo e em 9 casos, em ambos. Dos 53 casos observados, 31 eram o híbrido tambacu; 7, o Piaractus mesopotamicus; 6, o Colossoma macropomum; 5, o Leporinus macrocephalus; 3, o Oreochromis niloticus; e 1, o Prochilodus lineatus. Os peixes apresentaram aumento da produção de muco no corpo e nas brânquias e equimoses no pedúnculo caudal e nos opérculos. As brânquias também apresentaram palidez, congestão e petéquias. A histopatologia revelou a presença de grande número de trofontes situados entre as lamelas secundárias, fixados ou não ao epitélio. As lamelas primárias mostraram hemorragias intersticiais, severa hiperplasia do epitélio e das células caliciformes e infiltrado inflamatório. O presente trabalho é o primeiro relato de P. pillulare no Brasil e enfatiza a importância dos dinoflagelados, que causaram significativas perdas econômicas entre 1995 e 1997.

Clinical and pathological assessment of 82 patients with cardiovascular diseases undergoing autopsy at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu from 1988 to 1993

OBJECTIVE: To evaluated the clinical diagnostic, efficiency for basic death causes in patients dying of circulatory disease and de relative frequency of those diseases. METHODS: Analysis of medical record data of 82 patients, ages from 16 to 84 years old (68 over 40 years old), whose died of circulatory disease and had undergone necropsy in the period from 1988 to 1993 years in the University Hospital of Medicine Faculty of Botucatu-UNESP, Br. RESULTS: The functional class of patients were III or IV, in 78%, and 81.7% needed urgent hospitalization. By the clinical judgment the death were by ischemic heart disease in 32 (21 acute myocardial infarction), Chagas'disease in 12, valvopathy in 11, cardiomyopathy in 7, heart failure with no specification of cardiopathy in 11 and other causes in 9. At the necropsy the death cause was ischemic heart disease in 34 patients, valvopathy in 10, Chagas'disease in 10, cardiomyopathy in 5, and heart failure with no specification of cardiopathy in 2.The concordance taxes were in thhe same order: 94,6%, 90,0%, 83.3%, 71.4% and 28.5%. CONCLUSION: There was a great efficiency of clinical diagnosis for death cause in a general university hospital. The ischemic heart disease were the main causes of death.

Hydatidiform Mole in Ectopic Pregnancy Clinical, Imaging, Pathological and Immunohistochemical Characteristics

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical, pathological, immunohistochemical and imaging characteristics of hydatidiform mole in ectopic pregnancy (HMEP) in all the cases admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Caracas (HUC), Central University of Venezuela.STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective and comparative study, based on clinical records review of 2 groups: 10 cases with a diagnosis of HMEP and 20 cases with intrauterine hydatidiform mole (IUHM) admitted to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of HUC from 1996 to 2010. Clinical, pathological, immunohistochemical and imaging features were analyzed.RESULTS: The prevalence of HMEP in this study was 0.14:1,000 pregnancies; in this group the mean age was 28.8 years, and the mean gestational age at admission was 8.6 weeks. Both groups (HMEP and IUHM) were comparable in these last variables. Abdominal pain and genital bleeding were the most common clinical symptoms in the HMEP group, while it was vaginal bleeding in the IUHM group. Ultrasound findings were similar to those traditionally described in nonmolar ectopic pregnancy. Histology and immunohistochemistry showed that all cases of HMEP were partial mole.CONCLUSION: Although in this study the prevalence of HMEP was high, the size of the sample limits definitive conclusions. This study concludes that all cases of HMEP are partial mole. (J Reprod Med 2012;57:329-332)

A comparative-analysis of glycosaminoglycans from human umbilical arteries in normal subjects and in pathological conditions affecting pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Vascular cells express different phenotypes in adult and fetal vessels, and the extracellular matrix they synthesize should reflect these differences. Alterations of vascular proteoglycan/glycosaminoglycan is verified in disorders such as hypertension and diabetes, and when occurring during pregnancy, they bring about structural changes to fetal vessels that often lead to impaired fetus growth. Yet there is little data about the extracellular matrix of an important human fetal vessel, the umbilical artery.EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: This study involved the biochemical characterization of the extracellular matrix of normal umbilical arteries, umbilical arteries from complicated pregnancies (maternal hypertension and diabetes and intrauterine growth retardation syndrome), and, for purpose of comparison, normal adult arteries (aorta and iliac and pulmonary arteries). Although the collagen types I:III ratio was determined in some cases, emphasis was placed on analysis of glycosaminoglycans.RESULTS: Normal umbilical arteries differ from normal adult arteries in that they contain greater concentrations of hyaluronic acid and lesser concentrations of heparan sulfate and chondroitin 4-and 6-sulfate. The umbilical artery also differs from adult arteries in the disaccharide composition of its chondroitin and heparan sulfates and in the molecular weight of this latter glycosaminoglycan. The glycosaminoglycan distribution in umbilical arteries derived from complicated pregnancies is roughly similar to that of controls. However, total glycosaminoglycan and collagen were significantly reduced, and the collagen I:III ratio was increased in the umbilical arteries from hypertension-complicated pregnancies.CONCLUSIONS: the glycosaminoglycan composition of the normal umbilical artery, a fully differentiated tissue, differs in many aspects from that of normal adult arteries. of the cases of complicated pregnancies studied, the extracellular matrix of umbilical arteries was altered only in maternal hypertension. The changes, notably a mild fibrosis, were not very pronounced and should not impair hemodynamic properties of the vessel.

Simultaneous observation of collagen and elastin in normal and pathological tissues: analysis of Sirius-red-stained sections by fluorescence microscopy

In order to observe collagen and elastic fibers simultaneously, sections of human aorta, skin, lung, liver, and bladder were stained by Sirius red and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. In all cases, the fibers of collagen presented the characteristic fluorescent red-orange color that results from the interaction of this extracellular protein with the dye, whereas elastic fibers showed strong green fluorescence (intrinsic fluorescence). This method efficiently detects collagen and elastic fibers when these two structures are present and could have valuable applications in processes that involves both fibers.

Clinical pathological data and analyses of mineral elements of cattle affected by epizootic botulism in the State of São Paulo

In order to study laboratorial aspects of beef cow mortality, a syndrome popularly known as ''doenca da vaca caida'', examens were made of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, serum, bone and liver samples from 32 naturally affected 4 to 9 year old cows, 27 belonging to the Nellore breed and 5 were crossbred Nellore, all originating from farms located in municipalities near Botucatu, State of São Paulo. Laboratory determinations were analysed by descriptive statistics and included hematological values, total plasma protein, plasma fibrinogen, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and concentration measurements of serum calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, total protein, albumin, globulin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, gama-glutamyltransferase and creatine kinase activities, included bone ash percentage and concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, and also hepatic levels of copper, zinc, iron, manganese and cobalt. In addition, mouse bioassays and complement micro-fixation tests were performed to detect botulinum toxins in liver samples. The results indicated leukocytosis (13,3+/-3,9 x10(3)/mm(3)) with neutrophilia (8,9+/-3,2 x10(3)/mm(3)), hypocalcemia (7,8+/-1,7mg/dl), hypophosphatemia (3,6+/-1,6mg/dl), hypoalbuminemia (2,9+/-0,9g/dl), increased creatine kinase activity (691,0+/-829,7 UI/1), and reduced ash percentage (60,3+/-1,9%) and low phosphorus (17,2+/-0,4%) in bone. The other values were ail within normal limits. The diagnosis of botulism, involving type C and D toxins, was confirmed as the cause of the mortality in the region of study, what is strongly consistent with the other laboratorial findings.

Swimming training exacerbates pathological cardiac hypertrophy in kinin B(2) receptor-deficient mice

Kallikrein-kinin system exerts cardioprotective effects against pathological hypertrophy. These effects are modulated mainly via B(2) receptor activation. Chronic physical exercise can induce physiological cardiac hypertrophy characterized by normal organization of cardiac structure. Therefore, the aim of this work was to verify the influence of kinin B(2) receptor deletion on physiological hypertrophy to exercise stimulus. Animals were submitted to swimming practice for 5 min or for 60 min, 5 days a week, during 1 month and several cardiac parameters were evaluated. Results showed no significantly difference in heart weight between both groups, however an increased left ventricle weight and myocyte diameter were observed after the 60 min swimming protocol, which was more pronounced in B(2)(-/-) mice. In addition, sedentary B(2)(-/-) animals presented higher left ventricle mass when compared to wild-type (WT) mice. An increase in capillary density was observed in exercised animals, however the effect was less pronounced in B(2)(-/-) mice. Collagen, a marker of pathological hypertrophy, was increased in B(2)(-/-) mice submitted to swimming protocol, as well as left ventricular thickness, suggesting that these animals do not respond with physiological hypertrophy for this kind of exercise. In conclusion, our data suggest an important role for the kinin B(2) receptor in physiological cardiac hypertrophy. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NO EVIDENCE of PATHOLOGICAL AUTOIMMUNITY FOLLOWING MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE HEAT-SHOCK PROTEIN 65-DNA VACCINATION IN MICE

Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are currently one of the most promising targets for the development of immunotherapy against tumours and autoimmune disorders. This protein family has the capacity to activate or modulate the function of different immune system cells. They induce the activation of monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells, and contribute to cross-priming, an important mechanism of presentation of exogenous antigen in the context of MHC class I molecules, These various immunological properties of HSP have encouraged their use in several clinical trials. Nevertheless, an important issue regarding these proteins is whether the high homology among HSPs across different species may trigger the breakdown of immune tolerance and induce autoimmune diseases. We have developed a DNA vaccine codifying the Mycobacterium leprae Hsp65 (DNAhsp65), which showed to be highly immunogenic and protective against experimental tuberculosis. Here, we address the question of whether DNAhsp65 immunization could induce pathological autoimmunity in mice. Our results show that DNAhsp65 vaccination induced antibodies that can recognize the human Hsp60 but did not induce harmful effects in 16 different organs analysed by histopathology up to 210 days after vaccination. We also showed that anti-DNA antibodies were not elicited after DNA vaccination. The results are important for the development of both HSP and DNA-based immunomodulatory agents.

Biodegradable Nanoparticles Containing Benzopsoralens: An Attractive Strategy for Modifying Vascular Function in Pathological Skin Disorders

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mucocele of the glands of Blandin-Nuhn-clinical, pathological, and therapeutical aspects

Purpose: This study aims to review anatomical, clinical, and pathological concepts as well as to discuss the most adequate therapeutic approach to the mucoceles of the glands of Blandin-Nuhn. Discussion: The glands of Blandin-Nuhn are localized in the ventral part of the tongue, next to the apex in the lingual median plane. Development of a mucocele in this site is rarely seen; besides, as the glands of Blandin-Nuhn are not encapsulated and are directly overlapped to the muscle tissues, their manipulation tends to be different from the other oral mucoceles. Conclusion: As Blandin-Nuhn mucoceles are uncommon and their clinical appearance could be similar to other lesions, it is important that health professionals know their clinical and histopathological features to avoid having them misdiagnosed. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Pathological and molecular analysis of Turkey coronavirus replication in captive wild Turkey embryos (broad-breasted bronze breeder)

The degree of genetic and pathologic variation exhibited by a turkey Coronavirus (TCoV) strain was investigated after nine serial passages in 25-day-old turkey embryos obtained from wild broad-breasted bronze breeders. In spite of spleen, liver, kidneys, cloacal bursa and thymus have been collected and analysed, the main histopathological changes were only documented in the intestine sections. Microscopic lesions were characterized as mild enteritis, low degree of enterocyte vacuolization and detachment of the intestinal villous after five consecutive passages and were considered absent in the last passages. Genealogic analysis based on S1 and S2 DNA sequences suggested that Brazilian isolate might be considered as originated from TCoV strains circulating in the United States, as 100% identity with TCoV-Gl strain. Although S1 S2 sequences from each passage revealed no significant point mutations, and no correlation could be speculate between S2 nucleotide changes and pathologic features in infected embryos. This is the first demonstration of wild turkey embryos as a model for TCoV isolation and propagation.

First record of chilodonella hexasticha (ciliophora: Chilodonellidae) in brazilian cultured fish: A morphological and pathological assessment

Chilodonelids are small ciliated protozoans found worldwide and can be dangerous in culture conditions. This study presents morphometric data on the ciliate Chilodonella that is found in cultured Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), native bait fish tuvira (Gymnotus aff. inaequilabiatus) and native pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) and includes a histopathological assessment of the changes that occur in the pacu. For parasitic diagnosis, skin and gill samples were scraped onto slides, dried at room temperature, stained with Giemsa or impregnated with silver nitrate, and the measurements were obtained from photomicrographs. In the diseased pacu, the first gill arch was collected and fixed in a 10% buffered formalin solution for histopathological analysis. Parasite specimens from the different collection sites were identified morphologically as C. hexasticha Kiernik (1909). Diseased fish exhibited depigmentation, skin ulceration, scale loss, excessive mucus production and gill lesions. Histopathological analysis of pacu gills displayed epithelial proliferation with mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate, hemorrhages, and scattering necrosis. In Brazilian-farmed fish this is the first record of C. hexasticha, which has great pathogenic potential in cultured freshwater species. In addition, two new hosts are presented. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Pathological and behavioral risk factors for higher serum c-reactive protein concentrations in free-living adults - A Brazilian community-based study

Low-grade chronic systemic inflammation is often associated with chronic non-communicable diseases, and its most frequently used marker, the C-reactive protein (CRP), has become an identifier of such diseases as well as an independent predictor for cardiovascular disorders and mortality. CRP is produced in response to pro-inflammatory signaling and to individual and behavioral factors, leading to pathological states. The aim of this study was to rank the predicting factors of high CRP concentrations in free-living adults from a community-based sample. We evaluated 522 adults (40-84 years old; 381 women) for anthropometric characteristics, dietary intake, clinical and physical tests, and blood analysis. Subjects were assigned to groups, according to CRP concentrations, as normal CRP (G1;<3.0 mg/L; n = 269), high CRP (G2; 3.0-6.0 mg/L; n = 139), and very high CRP (G3; >6.0 mg/dL; n = 116). Statistical comparison between groups used one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests, and prediction of altered values in increasing CRP was evaluated by proportional hazard models (odds ratio). CRP distribution was influenced by gender, body mass index, body and abdominal fatness, blood leukocytes, and neutrophil counts. The higher CRP group was discriminated by the above variables in addition to lower VO2max, serum metabolic syndrome components (triglycerides, glucose, and HDL cholesterol), higher insulin, homeostasis assessment of insulin resistance, uric acid, gamma-GT, and homocysteine. After adjustments, only fatness, blood leukocytes, and hyperglycemia remained as independent predictors for increased serum CRP concentrations. Intervention procedures to treat low-grade chronic inflammation in overweight women would mainly focus on restoring muscle mass and functions in addition to an antioxidant-rich diet. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Outbreak control and clinical, pathological, and epidemiological aspects and molecular characterization of a bovine herpesvirus type 5 on a feedlot farm in S(a)over-tildeo Paulo State

This paper describes the control, epidemiological, pathological, and molecular aspects of an outbreak of meningoencephalitis in calves due to bovine herpesvirus 5 at a feedlot with 540 animals in Sa (a) over tildeo Paulo State, Brazil. The introduction of new animals and contact between the resident animals and the introduced ones were most likely responsible for virus transmission. Bovine herpesvirus 1 vaccine was used, resulting in the efficacy of the outbreak control, although two bovine herpesvirus 1 positive animals, vaccinated and revaccinated, presented meningoencephalitis, thereby characterizing vaccinal failure.