Lance-headed viper (Bothrops moojeni) bite wounding the eye

A 5-year-old girl was bitten in her left eye by a lance-headed viper identified as Bothrops moojeni, measuring 115 cm of length. There was severe facial swelling and left exophthalmus, and enucleation of the eye was necessary. The patient apparently had mild systemic envenoming, but local inflammatory signs and histological evidence of necrosis suggest that both the mechanical trauma and the local action of the venom had a role in the genesis of the eye lesion. It is arguable if the loss of the eye could be prevented even if the antivenom was administered earlier.

Assessment of physical impairments in leprosy patients: a comparison between the world health organization (who) disability grade and the Eye-Hand-Foot Score

This cross-sectional study assessed the grade of physical impairments in 61 individuals with leprosy receiving multidrug therapy (MDT) under the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), and residing in Campina Grande, Paraíba State, Brazil. Impairments were assessed using the disability grade (DG) standardized by the WHO, and the EHF score (Eye-Hand-Foot sum of impairment scores). Impairments were detected in 25 (41%) of the subjects. A total of 14 (23%) patients scored DG 1, while 11 (18%) were assigned DG 2. The EHF score ranged from 1 to 10 points in the group of patients with physical impairments, with a mean score of 3.6 points. The majority of individuals with impairments were affected in at least two sites. We conclude that the EHF score showed overlapping impairments in the segments examined and may be more appropriate than the DG classification system for describing the degree of physical impairment of leprosy patients.

Analysis of exploratory eye movements in patients with schizophrenia during visual scanning of projective tests' figures

OBJECTIVE: Compare pattern of exploratory eye movements during visual scanning of the Rorschach and TAT test cards in people with schizophrenia and controls. METHOD: 10 participants with schizophrenia and 10 controls matched by age, schooling and intellectual level participated in the study. Severity of symptoms was evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Test cards were divided into three groups: TAT cards with scenes content, TAT cards with interaction content (TAT-faces), and Rorschach cards with abstract images. Eye movements were analyzed for: total number, duration and location of fixation; and length of saccadic movements. RESULTS: Different pattern of eye movement was found, with schizophrenia participants showing lower number of fixations but longer fixation duration in Rorschach cards and TAT-faces. The biggest difference was observed in Rorschach, followed by TAT-faces and TAT-scene cards. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest alteration in visual exploration mechanisms possibly related to integration of abstract visual information.

Biometric and statistical investigations on the cnidoma of the genus Hydra (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa)

This paper deals about the nematocysts like a source of biometric information for comparison between the species Hydra vulgaris Pallas, 1766, Hydra vulgaris pedunculata Deserti et al., 2011 and Hydra pseudoligactis (Hyman, 1931). This biometric tool lets us carry out statistical comparisons and adding these results to the identification of specimens from different classificatory groups. In this particular study, we obtained significant differences between species, individuals of each species and nematocysts type when compared the biometry of its nematocysts. Another result was the variation in of particular nematocysts, like atrichous isorhiza and holotrichous isorhiza for the species H. vulgaris in relation to the column size.

Toxicological study of the molluscicidal latex of Euphorbia splendens: irritant action on skin and eye

Aqueous solutions of the molluscicidal latex of Euphorbia splendens are irritant to the rabbit eye in concentrations higher than 0.35% and to the rabbit skin in concentrations higher than 0.5%. Although this irritant potential does not proclude its use as a molluscicide, special precautions are recommended for hanbdling and application of the product and the hazard of skin tumor-promoting potencial should be carefully investigated before its use for schistosomiasis vector control.

Eye colour as a genetic marker for fertility and fecundity of Triatoma infestans (Klug, 1834) Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae

Eye colour of Triatoma infestans is controlled at a single autosomal locus, with black-eye as the dominant gene and red-eye as the recessive. Inheritance of these characters follows a classical Mendelian system, enabling eye colour to be used as a marker for studies of mating frequency. We found no significant differences in oviposition rates and egg hatching rates irrespective of parental phenotypes. Different mating schedules between red-eye and black-eye parents showed that eye colour did not affect mating competence. Females mated with a single male or with different males together or in succession produced similar numbers of fertile eggs, with the eye colour of the offspring reflecting exposure to the different males. We conclude that although a single mating can provide sufficient sperm for the whole reproductive life of the female, multiple matings can result in balanced assortative sperm usage from the spermatheca.

A bird's eye survey of central american planorbid molluscs

In the course of two trips to Central America (June 1967 and JulyAugust 1976) I had the opportunity of collecting topotypic specimens of Planorbis nicaraguanus Morelet, 1849, anatomically defined in this paper, and of P. yzabalensis Crosse & Fischer, 1879, the identity of the latter with Drepanotrema anatinum (Orbigny, 1835) is confirmed. The following planorbid species were also found: Helisoma trivolvis (Say, 1817) in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Belize; H. duryi (Wetherby, 1879) in Costa Rica; Biomphalaria helophila (Orbigny, 1835) in Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and El Salvador; B. kuhniana (Clessin, 1883) in Panama; B. obstructa (Morelet,1849) in Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador; B. straminea (Dunker, 1848) in Costa Rica; B. subprona (Martens, 1899) in Guatemala; D. anatinum (Orbigny,1835) in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica; D. depressissimum (Moricand,1839) in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama; D. lucidum (Pfeiffer, 1839) in Guatemala, Belize and Nicaragua; D. surinamense (Clessin, 1884) in Costa Rica and Panama; and Gyraulus percarinatus sp. n. in Panama. The occurrence of B. kuhniana and D. surinamense is first recorded in Central America, and Gyraulus percarinatus is the first representative of the genus provenly occurring in the American continent south of the United States. The following synonymy is proposed: Planorbis declivis Tate, 1870 = Biomphalaria helophila (Orbigny, 1835); Planorbis isthmicus Pilsbry, 1920 = Biomphalaria kuhniana (Clessin, 1883); Planorbis cannarum Morelet, 1849 and Segmentina donbilli Tristram, 1861 = Biomphalaria obstructa (Morelet, 1849); and Planorbis yzabalensis Crosse & Fischer, 1879 = Drepanotrema anatinum (Orbigny, 1835), confirming Aguayo (1933).

Pathology and first report of natural infections of the eye trematode Philophthalmus lachrymosus Braun, 1902 (Digenea, Philophthalmidae) in a non-human mammalian host

The avian eye trematode Philophthalmus lachrymosus Braun, 1902 is for the first time referred naturally occurring in a non-human mammalian host. Previously, natural infections with P. lachrymosus and other species of Philophthalmus have been occasionally reported from man, with few data on experimental infections of non-human mammals. Results presented here are related to the report of two cases of philophthalmosis due to natural infections of wild Brazilian capybaras, Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris L., 1766 with P. lachrymosus and associated pathology. Clinical signs, gross and microscopic lesions as well as new morphometric data on the parasite are presented.

Biometric analysis of protein and oil contents of soybean genotypes in different environments

The objective of this work was to identify by biometric analyses the most stable soybean parents, with higher oil or protein contents, cultivated at different seasons and locations of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Forty-nine genotypes were evaluated in the municipalities of Viçosa, Visconde do Rio Branco, and São Gotardo, in the state of Minas Gerais, from 2009 to 2011. Protein and oil contents were analyzed by infrared spectrometry using a FT-NIR analyzer. The effects of genotype, environment, and genotype x environment interaction were significant. The BARC-8 soybean genotype is the best parent to increase protein contents in the progenies, followed by BR 8014887 and CS 3032PTA276-3-4. Selection for high oil content is more efficient when the crossings involve the Suprema, CD 01RR8384, and A7002 genotypes, which show high mean phenotypic values, wide adaptability, and greater stability to environmental variation.

Seed biometric parameters in oil palm accessions from a Brazilian germplasm bank

The objective of this work was to evaluate the morphological diversity of oil palm seeds and to cluster the accessions according to their morphological characteristics. Forty-one accessions from the oil palm germplasm bank of Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental were evaluated - 18 of Elaeis oleifera and 23 of E. guineensis. The groups were formed based on morphological characteristics, by principal component analysis. In E. oleifera, four groups were formed, tied to their region of origin, but with significant morphological differences between accessions from the same population. For tenera-type E. guineensis seeds, three widely divergent groups were formed, especially as to external parameters, which differentiated them from the other ones. The parameter endocarp thickness stood out in intra- and inter-population differentiation. For dura-type E. guineensis, three groups were formed, with larger seeds and thicker endocarps, which differed from all the other ones. The variability observed for seed characteristics in the analyzed accessions allows the establishment of different groups, to define strategies for genetic improvement.

A Tomada de Decisão (Bio)ética: Estudo Preliminar Utilizando o Mobile Eye Tracking

RESUMO A tomada de decisão é uma das dimensões essenciais da formação do profissional da saúde, como mencionado nas atuais Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais do Curso de Graduação em Medicina. O processo decisório, no âmbito da saúde, envolve diferentes aspectos, incluindo os elementos (bio)éticos. Nesse sentido, pesquisas que investiguem a tomada de decisão em (bio)ética poderão elucidar passos ainda não completamente esclarecidos, permitindo uma construção mais efetiva das competências em (bio)ética, na graduação e na pós-graduação. Diante desta perspectiva, o objetivo deste estudo é explorar possibilidades de uso do Mobile Eye Tracking para o estudo do papel da atenção visual – durante a exibição de filmes de cinema – no processo decisório em (bio)ética.

Soursop seedlings: biomasses and biometric relations in different farming environments and substrates – Part II

ABSTRACT The quality of seedling is critical to obtain vigorous plants in the field. The present study aimed to assess biomasses and biometric relations of soursop seedlings. We used different substrates in protected environments. The experiment was performed at the Universidade Estadual do Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) (State University of Mato Grosso do Sul). Five farming environments were developed in greenhouses: one covered with low-density polyethylene film (LDPE), another with with polyethylene and heat-reflective cloth under film under 50% shading in aluminized color, monofilament cloth under 50% shading in black, thermo-reflective cloth under 50% shading in aluminized color, and an environment covered with bacuri coconut straw. Substrates were made of manure, humus, cassava branches and vermiculite at different proportions. Each of them varying from 25%, 33.3%, 50% and 75% in mixture combination. Each environment was considered an experiment. A completely randomized design was adopted and later a joint analysis of them. Agricultural greenhouse covered with LDPE and thermo-reflective cloths under 50% of shading, proportionated seedlings with greater biomass. Substrates containing manure are the most suitable for soursop seedlings. High percentages of earthworm humus produce low quality soursop seedlings. Soursop seedlings had a Dickson’s quality index around 0.335. The greenhouse covered only with LDPE film did not produce high quality seedlings.

Fifty years in the blink of an eye: a retrospective study of ocular and periocular lesions in domestic animals

A survey was undertaken aiming to obtain an overview of ocular and periocular lesions diagnosed in domestic mammals over a period of 50 years in a veterinary pathology diagnostic laboratory in the Central Region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In this lab, 33,075 histophatological exams had been performed over the period surveyed, of which 540 (1.6%) concerned ocular and periocular lesions. For various reasons ninety specimens were excluded from the study and the remaining 450 consisted of samples from dogs (53.5%), cattle (28.2%), cats (11.1%), horses (5.1%) sheep (1.3%), rabbits (0.4%), and pig (0.2%). The eyelids were the most prevalent (248/450) site of lesions in each of the species studied, followed by third eyelid (73/450), and conjunctiva (27/450). In dogs (241 samples) lesions in sebaceous glands (including Meibomian glands) were the most common findings (75/241), followed by melanocytic tumors (52/241) and nonspecific conjunctivitis (13/241). Squamous cell neoplasms, both benign and malignant, were relatively common. In cattle, anatomical sites affected by ocular and periocular lesions, in decreasing order of frequency, were eyelid, cornea and third eyelid. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) alone accounted for 80.3% of all diagnoses, while all neoplastic lesions made up for 85.0% of the lesions diagnosed in cattle. Neoplasia accounted for most of the lesions diagnosed in cats (39/50 cases); all of these were malignant, and SCC, hemangiosarcoma and fibrosarcoma were the most common types diagnosed. In horses, 19 out of 23 submissions were neoplasms and most were sarcoid (8/23) and SCC (8/23). There were six submissions from sheep with unpigmented skin, all of which represented SCC of the eyelids (5) and third eyelid (1).

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation reduces rat frontal cortex acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) activity

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation induces several behavioral changes. Among these, a decrease in yawning behavior produced by low doses of cholinergic agonists is observed which indicates a change in brain cholinergic neurotransmission after REM sleep deprivation. Acetylcholinesterase (Achase) controls acetylcholine (Ach) availability in the synaptic cleft. Therefore, altered Achase activity may lead to a change in Ach availability at the receptor level which, in turn, may result in modification of cholinergic neurotransmission. To determine if REM sleep deprivation would change the activity of Achase, male Wistar rats, 3 months old, weighing 250-300 g, were deprived of REM sleep for 96 h by the flower-pot technique (N = 12). Two additional groups, a home-cage control (N = 6) and a large platform control (N = 6), were also used. Achase was measured in the frontal cortex using two different methods to obtain the enzyme activity. One method consisted of the obtention of total (900 g supernatant), membrane-bound (100,000 g pellet) and soluble (100,000 g supernatant) Achase, and the other method consisted of the obtention of a fraction (40,000 g pellet) enriched in synaptic membrane-bound enzyme. In both preparations, REM sleep deprivation induced a significant decrease in rat frontal cortex Achase activity when compared to both home-cage and large platform controls. REM sleep deprivation induced a significant decrease of 16% in the membrane-bound Achase activity (nmol thiocholine formed min-1 mg protein-1) in the 100,000 g pellet enzyme preparation (home-cage group 152.1 ± 5.7, large platform group 152.7 ± 24.9 and REM sleep-deprived group 127.9 ± 13.8). There was no difference in the soluble enzyme activity. REM sleep deprivation also induced a significant decrease of 20% in the enriched synaptic membrane-bound Achase activity (home-cage group 126.4 ± 21.5, large platform group 127.8 ± 20.4, REM sleep-deprived group 102.8 ± 14.2). Our results suggest that REM sleep deprivation changes Ach availability at the level of its receptors through a decrease in Achase activity

Rapid eye movement sleep deprivation induces an increase in acetylcholinesterase activity in discrete rat brain regions

Some upper brainstem cholinergic neurons (pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegmental nuclei) are involved in the generation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and project rostrally to the thalamus and caudally to the medulla oblongata. A previous report showed that 96 h of REM sleep deprivation in rats induced an increase in the activity of brainstem acetylcholinesterase (Achase), the enzyme which inactivates acetylcholine (Ach) in the synaptic cleft. There was no change in the enzyme's activity in the whole brain and cerebrum. The components of the cholinergic synaptic endings (for example, Achase) are not uniformly distributed throughout the discrete regions of the brain. In order to detect possible regional changes we measured Achase activity in several discrete rat brain regions (medulla oblongata, pons, thalamus, striatum, hippocampus and cerebral cortex) after 96 h of REM sleep deprivation. Naive adult male Wistar rats were deprived of REM sleep using the flower-pot technique, while control rats were left in their home cages. Total, membrane-bound and soluble Achase activities (nmol of thiocholine formed min-1 mg protein-1) were assayed photometrically. The results (mean ± SD) obtained showed a statistically significant (Student t-test) increase in total Achase activity in the pons (control: 147.8 ± 12.8, REM sleep-deprived: 169.3 ± 17.4, N = 6 for both groups, P<0.025) and thalamus (control: 167.4 ± 29.0, REM sleep-deprived: 191.9 ± 15.4, N = 6 for both groups, P<0.05). Increases in membrane-bound Achase activity in the pons (control: 171.0 ± 14.7, REM sleep-deprived: 189.5 ± 19.5, N = 6 for both groups, P<0.05) and soluble enzyme activity in the medulla oblongata (control: 147.6 ± 16.3, REM sleep-deprived: 163.8 ± 8.3, N = 6 for both groups, P<0.05) were also observed. There were no statistically significant differences in the enzyme's activity in the other brain regions assayed. The present findings show that the increase in Achase activity induced by REM sleep deprivation was specific to the pons, a brain region where cholinergic neurons involved in REM generation are located, and also to brain regions which receive cholinergic input from the pons (the thalamus and medulla oblongata). During REM sleep extracellular levels of Ach are higher in the pons, medulla oblongata and thalamus. The increase in Achase activity in these brain areas after REM sleep deprivation suggests a higher rate of Ach turnover.