Cisto esplênico não-parasitário e não-neoplásico

The authors present a rare case of pathology from spleen, a nonparasitic, non-neoplastic splenic cyst, in an adult male patient without a previous history of abdominal trauma. Principal clinical findings were pain in left upper quadrant, nausea, regurgitation and precocious satiation. On investigation, ultrasonography and CT scan showed an expansive lesion in the spleen, compressing the stomach. Surgical procedure was splenectomy and a microscopical examination revealed a non- parasitic, non-neoplastic splenic cyst. Splenic cysts are usually benigns, but surgical remotion is necessary when they are symptomatic or exist risk of rupture. In this report is presented the classification of splenic cysts, clinical manifestations, diagnostics methods and discussed their surgical treatment.

Fratura de pênis com trauma uretra

We reported a case of a twenty-nine-year-old male who presented a penile fracture associated with urethral injury caused by a sexual intercourse. An ideal anamnesis and a special physical examination were determinant to correct diagnostics. Ultrasonography and uretrocistography must be performed for confirmation. The treatment is based on the presence of associated urethral injury. The surgical repair of cavernous body and urethra can produce good results, with a favorable prognosis and minimal rate of complications.

Perfil hematológico de equinos submetidos à prova de Team Penning

As variações nos parâmetros hematológicos são utilizadas com intuito de avaliar o grau de treinamento ou estado clínico do animal. A avaliação hematológica de eqüinos em repouso tem sido objeto de estudo, a fim de estabelecer uma relação com treinamento ou capacidade atlética. Objetivou-se avaliar o perfil hematológico de eqüinos submetidos à prova de Team Penning, correlacionando o sexo e freqüência da atividade física. Mediante punção da veia jugular externa coletaram-se dois mL de sangue de 29 eqüinos, 18 machos e 11 fêmeas, em repouso (Momento I) e após o exercício (Momento II). As amostras de sangue foram processadas em analisador hematológico automático veterinário (ABC VET - Horiba ABX Diagnostics). Os animais foram divididos em Grupos A, B, C e D, de acordo com o número de participações na prova. Observou-se que os valores de volume globular, hemoglobina, hemácias, leucócitos, neutrófilos em bastonetes e segmentados, e monócitos aumentaram após o exercício físico, ao contrário do número de linfócitos e eosinófilos, que reduziram. Não existiram diferenças significativas (p<0,05) entre machos e fêmeas ao confrontar as relações antes/depois. Além disso, evidenciou-se que o valor da relação MI/MII para volume globular, hemoglobina e número de hemácias variou de acordo com a freqüência do exercício. Conclui-se que a prova de Team Peninng ocasiona alterações hematológicas em eqüinos, com interferência da freqüência do exercício, independente do sexo.

Histophilus somni-induced thrombotic meningoencephalitis in cattle from northern Paraná, Brazil

Thrombotic meningoencephalitis (TME) is a fatal neurological disease of cattle, predominantly from North America, that is caused by Histophilus somniwith sporadic descriptions from other countries. This manuscript describes the occurrence of spontaneous TME in cattle from northern Paraná, Brazil. Most cattle had acute neurological manifestations characteristic of brain dysfunction. Hematological and cerebrospinal fluid analyses were not suggestive of bacterial infections of the brain. Histopathology revealed meningoencephalitis with vasculitis and thrombosis of small vessels that contained discrete neutrophilic and/or lymphocytic infiltrates admixed with fibrin at the brainstem, cerebral cortex, and trigeminal nerve ganglion of all animals. All tissues from the central nervous system used during this study were previously characterized as negative for rabies virus by the direct immunofluorescence assay. PCR and RT-PCR assays investigated the participation of infectious agents associated with bovine neurological disease by targeting specific genes of H. somni, Listeria monocytogenes, bovine herpesvirus -1 and -5, bovine viral diarrhea virus, and ovine herpesvirus-2. PCR and subsequent sequencing resulted in partial fragments of the 16S rRNA gene of H. somni from brain sections of all animals with histopathological diagnosis of TME; all other PCR/RT-PCR assays were negative. These findings confirmed the participation of H. somni in the neuropathological disease observed in these animals, extend the geographical distribution of this disease, and support previous findings of H. somni from Brazil.

Accuracy of modelling and identification of malfunctions in rotor systems: experimental results

The accuracy of modelling of rotor systems composed of rotors, oil film bearings and a flexible foundation, is evaluated and discussed in this paper. The model validation of different models has been done by comparing experimental results with numerical results by means. The experimental data have been obtained with a fully instrumented four oil film bearing, two shafts test rig. The fault models are then used in the frame of a model based malfunction identification procedure, based on a least square fitting approach applied in the frequency domain. The capability of distinguishing different malfunctions has been investigated, even if they can create similar effects (such as unbalance, rotor bow, coupling misalignment and others) from shaft vibrations measured in correspondence of the bearings.

Protein folding: a perspective for biology, medicine and biotechnology

At the present time, protein folding is an extremely active field of research including aspects of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer science and physics. The fundamental principles have practical applications in the exploitation of the advances in genome research, in the understanding of different pathologies and in the design of novel proteins with special functions. Although the detailed mechanisms of folding are not completely known, significant advances have been made in the understanding of this complex process through both experimental and theoretical approaches. In this review, the evolution of concepts from Anfinsen's postulate to the "new view" emphasizing the concept of the energy landscape of folding is presented. The main rules of protein folding have been established from in vitro experiments. It has been long accepted that the in vitro refolding process is a good model for understanding the mechanisms by which a nascent polypeptide chain reaches its native conformation in the cellular environment. Indeed, many denatured proteins, even those whose disulfide bridges have been disrupted, are able to refold spontaneously. Although this assumption was challenged by the discovery of molecular chaperones, from the amount of both structural and functional information now available, it has been clearly established that the main rules of protein folding deduced from in vitro experiments are also valid in the cellular environment. This modern view of protein folding permits a better understanding of the aggregation processes that play a role in several pathologies, including those induced by prions and Alzheimer's disease. Drug design and de novo protein design with the aim of creating proteins with novel functions by application of protein folding rules are making significant progress and offer perspectives for practical applications in the development of pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics.

Development and applications of the SWAN rating scale for assessment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a literature review

This study reviewed the use of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity-symptoms and Normal-behaviors (SWAN) rating scale in diagnostic and evolutive approaches to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in correlational studies of the disorder. A review of articles published in indexed journals from electronic databases was conducted and 61 articles on the SWAN scale were analyzed. From these, 27 were selected to a) examine use of SWAN in research on attention disorders and b) verify evidence of its usefulness in the areas of genetics, neuropsychology, diagnostics, psychiatric comorbidities, neuroimaging, pharmacotherapy, and to examine its statistical reliability and validity in studies of diverse populations. This review of articles indicated a growing use of the SWAN scale for diagnostic purposes, for therapy, and in research on areas other than ADHD, especially when compared with other reliable scales. Use of the scale in ADHD diagnosis requires further statistical testing to define its psychometric properties.