Anti-Toxocara spp. antibodies in sheep from southeastern Brazil

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of anti-Toxocara antibodies in sheep from Presidente Prudente, southeastern Brazil. Serum samples were obtained from 365 sheep of diverse breeds and different ages. Samples were collected at a slaughterhouse and at farms located in Presidente Prudente. Three groups of animal of different ages were evaluated according to age: Group I: between 1 and 6 months old; Group II: between 7 and 10 months old; and Group III: between 11 and 15 months old. An ELISA test was carried out to detect anti-Toxocara antibodies (IgG) using the excretory-secretory antigens of Toxocara canis (TES) larvae. In total, 183 out of 365 animals (50.1%) were positive for anti-Toxocara antibodies. The frequency of antibody detection was directly proportional to the age of the animals (p<0.0001). indicating a relationship between infection and aging. In Group III, there was a higher prevalence in females (p = 0.0041). The relevance of these animals to the epidemiology of toxocariasis in pets and human should be considered. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Defining the role of common variation in the genomic and biological architecture of adult human height

Using genome-wide data from 253,288 individuals, we identified 697 variants at genome-wide significance that together explained one-fifth of the heritability for adult height. By testing different numbers of variants in independent studies, we show that the most strongly associated ���2,000, ���3,700 and ���9,500 SNPs explained ���21%, ���24% and ���29% of phenotypic variance. Furthermore, all common variants together captured 60% of heritability. The 697 variants clustered in 423 loci were enriched for genes, pathways and tissue types known to be involved in growth and together implicated genes and pathways not highlighted in earlier efforts, such as signaling by fibroblast growth factors, WNT/��-catenin and chondroitin sulfate-related genes. We identified several genes and pathways not previously connected with human skeletal growth, including mTOR, osteoglycin and binding of hyaluronic acid. Our results indicate a genetic architecture for human height that is characterized by a very large but finite number (thousands) of causal variants.2014

Avalia����o da ingest��o de c��lcio em pacientes com urolit��ase

A lit��ase renal �� uma doen��a comum, com preval��ncia estimada em 5 a 10% da popula����o. Sua etiopatogenia �� multifatorial, com a participa����o de fatores gen��ticos, nutricionais, s��cio-econ��micos, ambientais, metab��licos, anat��micos e infecciosos. A dieta tem papel relevante na forma����o e crescimento de c��lculos renais. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o perfil alimentar, principalmente a ingest��o de c��lcio, dos pacientes com lit��ase em atendimento ambulatorial. Foram avaliados 37 pacientes liti��sicos (17M/20F, 46 �� 11 anos) e 45 controles (20M/25F, 44 �� 13 anos). Os liti��sicos apresentaram m��dia de ��ndice de massa corporal (IMC) maior que os controles (26 �� 4 vs 24 �� 3 kg/m2, P= 0,01). Foi utilizado o m��todo de registro alimentar de quatro dias, incluindo tr��s dias da semana e um domingo. Observou-se uma ingest��o significativamente maior entre os controles quanto a calorias totais, kcal/kg de peso atual/dia, prote��nas/kg de peso atual/dia, lip��dios totais, percentual do valor cal��rico total em lip��dios e c��lcio (582��229 vs 949��480mg/dia). Desmembrando o registro alimentar de quatro dias, observou-se diferen��a significativa quanto a ingest��o de c��lcio tanto nos dias referentes �� semana (608��289 vs 951��465mg/dia, P<0,001) quanto no domingo (556��276 vs 947��553mg/dia, P<0,001), entre casos e controles, respectivamente. Atrav��s da an��lise da regress��o linear m��ltipla, corrigindo para IMC, renda, idade e sexo, observou-se maior ingest��o de c��lcio no grupo controle, nos registros alimentares estudados (P< 0,02). Em conclus��o, os resultados do presente estudo mostram que, na amostra estudada, os pacientes liti��sicos ingerem uma menor quantidade de c��lcio que os indiv��duos normais, tanto no registro alimentar de quatro dias, tr��s dias e no domingo, podendo contribuir como mais um fator de risco para o desenvolvimento da urolit��ase.

Pulpal temperature increases with Er : YAG laser and high-speed handpieces

Statement of problem. During tooth preparation, both high-speed handpieces and lasers generate heat, which, if not controlled, can cause pulpal necrosis.Purpose. The aim of this study was to compare temperature increases produced by a high-speed dental handpiece with those produced by a relatively new instrument, the Er:YAG (erbium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet) laser.Material and methods. Thirty bovine mandibular incisors were reduced to an enamel/dentin thickness of 2.5 mm. Class V preparations were completed to a depth of 2.0 mm, measured with a caliper or by a mark oil the burs. A thermocouple was placed inside the pulp chamber to determine temperature increases (degreesC). Analysis was performed on the following groups (n = 10): Group 1, high-speed handpiece without water cooling, Group 11, high-speed handpiece with water cooling (30 mL/min), and Group III, the noncontact Er:YAG laser (2.94 mum at 350 mJ/10 Hz) with water cooling (4.5 mL/min). The temperature increases were recorded by a computer linked to the thermocouples. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The Dunn multiple comparison test was used as post hoc test (alpha = .05).Results. The average temperature rises were: 11.64degreesC (+/-4.35) for Group 1, 0.96degreesC (+/-0.71) for Group 11, and 2.69degreesC (+/-1.12) for Group III. There were no statistical differences between Groups 11 and III, both 11 and III differed from Group I significantly (P = .000 and P = .002, respectively).Conclusion. The preparations made with the high-speed and the laser instrument generated similar heat increases under water cooling. Water cooling was essential to avoid destructive temperature increases when using both the high-speed handpiece and laser.

Frequency of coronary artery disease in patients with renal artery stenosis without clinical manifestations of coronary insufficiency

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) arise from the same multiple risk factors. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of previously undiagnosed CAD in patients with angiographically confirmed RAS, by conducting coronary arteriography in the same setting. of 57 consecutive patients referred for renal arteriography on clinical grounds during a 14-month period, 28 had no RAS and 6 had RAS, but previously documented CAD. of the remainder 23 patients. 17 (74%; CI 56%-92%) had both RAS and CAD (7 single vessel, 4 two-vessel, and 7 multivessel disease). The clinical characteristics, such as age, blood pressure (BP) levels, signs of heart failure, were no different between those with and without CAD, although the 4 diabetic patients, the 4 patients with fundoscopic findings of grade III retinopathy, 11 of 14 with peripheral arterial disease, and 7 of 8 patients with prior stroke belonged in the CAD group. None developed complications as a result of the two consecutive procedures. The data suggest that in patients with RAS the frequency of silent CAD is high and cannot be predicted on clinical grounds alone, therefore coronary angiography should be routinely recommended in the same setting.

Spontaneous triploidy and NOR activity in Eigenmannia sp. (Pisces, Sternopygidae) from the Amazon basin

The occurrence of a natural triploid among diploid individuals of Eigenmannia sp from the Amazon basin is described. The diploid individuals had 2n=31 and 32 chromosomes, the difference in chromosome number being due to a Robertsonian rearrangement. The triploid individual presented 2n=46 and had two fused acrocentrics. NOR activity was present in the three homologues of triploid and a NOR polymorphism was detected in the triploid and diploids. �� 1985 Dr W. Junk Publishers.

Diagnosis of 5��-reductase type 2 deficiency: Contribution of anti-M��llerian hormone evaluation

Aim: To evaluate anti-M��llerian hormone (AMH) levels in patients with clinical and molecular diagnosis of 5��-reductase 2 deficiency. Patients and methods: Data from 14 patients whose age ranged from 21 days to 29 years were analyzed according to age and pubertal stage. Sexual ambiguity was rated as Prader III in 11 patients. LH, FSH, testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and AMH serum levels were measured in all but two patients, who had been previously submitted to gonadectomy; T and DHT were also measured in 20 age-matched controls. Results: Gonadotropin levels were normal in all but one patient who retained gonads (six of whom had reached puberty) and T/DHT ratio was elevated in all patients when compared to controls. All prepubertal patients had AMH levels < -1 SD for age, while most pubertal patients had AMH levels compatible with pubertal stage. Conclusions: Prepubertal patients with 5��-reductase 2 deficiency have AMH values in the lower part of the normal range. These data indicate that T does not need to be converted to DHT to inhibit AMH secretion by Sertoli cells. �� Freund Publishing House Ltd., London.

Stability of trapped degenerate dipolar Bose and Fermi gases

Trapped degenerate dipolar Bose and Fermi gases of the cylindrical symmetry with the polarization vector along the symmetry axis are only stable for the strength of dipolar interaction below a critical value. In the case of bosons, the stability of such a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is investigated for different strengths of contact and dipolar interactions using a variational approximation and a numerical solution of a mean-field model. In the disc shape, with the polarization vector perpendicular to the plane of the disc, the atoms experience an overall dipolar repulsion and this fact should contribute to the stability. However, a complete numerical solution of the dynamics leads to the collapse of a strongly disc-shaped dipolar BEC due to the long-range anisotropic dipolar interaction. In the case of fermions, the stability of a trapped single-component degenerate dipolar Fermi gas is studied including the Hartree-Fock exchange and Brueckner-Goldstone correlation energies in the local-density approximation valid for a large number of atoms. Estimates for the maximum allowed number of polar Bose and Fermi molecules in the BEC and degenerate Fermi gas are given. �� 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Estudo econ��mico das diferentes formas de transporte de vinha��a em fertirriga����o na cana-de-a����car

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

Efic��cia de ��cidos h��micos e f��lvicos no controle de Meloidogyne incognita e Meloidogyne javanica in vitro e na cultura de cana-de-a����car em vasos

P��s-gradua����o em Agronomia (Produ����o Vegetal) - FCAV

Identifica����o de colletotrichum gloeosporioides de atem��ia (Annona cherimola x Annona squamosa), por meio de caracteriza����o patog��nica, cultural e morfol��gica

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

Accuracy of genotype imputation in Nelore cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient��fico e Tecnol��gico (CNPq)

Radia����o e detetores de Unruh - DeWitt

P��s-gradua����o em F��sica - IFT

Probing the properties of Be star discs with spectroastrometry and NLTE radiative transfer modelling: beta CMi

While the presence of discs around classical Be stars is well established, their origin is still uncertain. To understand what processes result in the creation of these discs and how angular momentum is transported within them, their physical properties must be constrained. This requires comparing high spatial and spectral resolution data with detailed radiative transfer modelling. We present a high spectral resolution, R similar to 80 000, sub-milliarcsecond precision, spectroastrometric study of the circumstellar disc around the Be star beta CMi. The data are confronted with 3D, non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer calculations to directly constrain the properties of the disc. Furthermore, we compare the data to disc models featuring two velocity laws: Keplerian, the prediction of the viscous disc model, and angular momentum conserving rotation. It is shown that the observations of beta CMi can only be reproduced using Keplerian rotation. The agreement between the model and the observed spectral energy distribution, polarization and spectroastrometric signature of beta CMi confirms that the discs around Be stars are well modelled as viscous decretion discs.