As chuvas na bacia do Paraná: aspectos temporais, espaciais e rítmicos. -

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Stimulatory effects of adenosine on prolactin secretion in the pituitary gland of the rat

We investigated the effects of adenosine on prolactin (PRL) secretion from rat anterior pituitaries incubated in vitro. The administration of 5-N- methylcarboxamidoadenosine (MECA), an analog agonist that preferentially activates A2 receptors, induced a dose-dependent (1 nM to 1 µM) increase in the levels of PRL released, an effect abolished by 1,3-dipropyl-7-methylxanthine, an antagonist of A2 adenosine receptors. In addition, the basal levels of PRL secretion were decreased by the blockade of cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase pathways, with indomethacin and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), respectively. The stimulatory effects of MECA on PRL secretion persisted even after the addition of indomethacin, but not of NDGA, to the medium. MECA was unable to stimulate PRL secretion in the presence of dopamine, the strongest inhibitor of PRL release that works by inducing a decrease in adenylyl cyclase activity. Furthermore, the addition of adenosine (10 nM) mimicked the effects of MECA on PRL secretion, an effect that persisted regardless of the presence of LiCl (5 mM). The basal secretion of PRL was significatively reduced by LiCl, and restored by the concomitant addition of both LiCl and myo-inositol. These results indicate that PRL secretion is under a multifactorial regulatory mechanism, with the participation of different enzymes, including adenylyl cyclase, inositol-1-phosphatase, cyclooxygenase, and lipoxygenase. However, the increase in PRL secretion observed in the lactotroph in response to A2 adenosine receptor activation probably was mediated by mechanisms involving regulation of adenylyl cyclase, independent of membrane phosphoinositide synthesis or cyclooxygenase activity and partially dependent on lipoxygenase arachidonic acid-derived substances.

Avaliação do bem-estar durante o pré-abate e abate e condição sanitária de diferentes segmentos da produção avícola

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

As chuvas na bacia hidrográfica do rio Paraná, Brasil: um estudo do ritmo climático e algumas considerações sobre a vazão hídrica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Qualidade ambiental, distribuição e densidade do mesozooplâncton do estuário de Guajará-Miri, Vigia de Nazaré, NE do Estado do Pará

Com o objetivo de caracterizar a área do estuário de Guajará-Miri (Vigia Pará), quanto à sua qualidade ambiental e de dispersão do zooplâncton, foi amostrada em quatro pontos na região situada entre a sua Foz e o limite da extensão máxima da penetração da cunha salina rio acima, as amostragens foram realizadas em um barco adaptado para os trabalhos. Sendo bimestralmente, com início em nov/04 e término em novlOS. Tendo-se no total 6 campanhas, incluindo assim os meses de março (período chuvoso) e setembro (período seco) de 2005. Os dados de qualidade da água foram medidos através da sonda multiparâmetros "Datasound 4a". Realizados estudos de abundância, dominância e diversidade do zooplâncton, sendo estes parâmetros relacionados aos dados de qualidade de água. O grupo zooplanctônico mais diverso encontrado nas amostras analisadas foi o dos Copepoda, destacandose Pseudodíatomus rich a rd, Pseudodíatomus marsh, Pseudodíatomus grací/ís, Acarlía plumosa, Acarlía tonsa, Qithona gessneri, Notodiaptomus paraensi e Notodiaptomus amazonicus, tendo densidades variando de 2,6 a 129,24 org/m3. Destacaram-se também as larvas de Crustacea (Brachyura), principalmente em mar/OS, onde foram muito abundantes, chegando a apresentar 860,86 org/m3. Ficando evidenciado um período de maior desova para estas larvas. Além destes, também ocorreram Cladoceros, larvas de Bivalves, Gastrópodes, Cirripedia, Hidromedusas e Isópodes. De uma forma geral a composição das espécies nas áreas estudas foram semelhantes, apresentando alterações sazonais de dominância de espécies. A diversidade específica no estuário foi relativamente baixa, em decorrência do pequeno número de espécies encontradas, a análise de agrupamentos dos organismos revelou grupos fortemente definidos, e pequenos subgrupos correlacionados entre si. Foi verificada uma grande quantidade de larvas de peixes e de crustáceos, o que caracteriza o estuário como uma área berçário, de importância fundamental para o desenvolvimento da vida marinha, estuarina e de água doce na região de Vigia de Nazaré.

Determination and fractionation of barium in Brazil nuts

Diversas estratégias para preparo de amostra, determinação e fracionamento, tais como espectrometria de absorção atômica com atomização eletrotérmica em forno de grafite (GF AAS) e espectrometria de emissão óptica com plasma acoplado indutivamente com configuração axial (ICP OES), foram empregadas para o fracionamento de bário em Castanha-do-Pará. Esse alimento é amplamente apreciado tanto pelo valor nutricional, quanto pelo sabor agradável. A análise química de Castanha-do-Pará não é trivial devido à matriz complexa. O fracionamento de bário em Castanha-do-Pará foi estudado devido à toxicidade desse elemento e a correlação entre a forma química e a absorção. Os teores totais de bário nas amostras de Castanha-do-Pará variaram entre 860 e 2084 mg kg^-1. Extrações sequenciais foram feitas com base na solubilidade em diferentes meios e composição química envolvendo lipídios, proteínas e compostos de baixa massa molecular (LMW). Teores mais elevados de bário foram determinados nas frações LMW e insolúvel em água que variaram entre 778-1606 e 551-1520 mg kg^-1, respectivamente. Esses resultados indicaram a indisponibilidade de bário presente nesse alimento ao organismo humano. Baseando-se nos teores de bário e enxofre nas diferentes frações e em cálculos estequiométricos para as possíveis reações envolvidas pode-se inferir que bário se encontra principalmente na forma de BaSO₄. Experimentos termogravimétricos também confirmaram essa suposição.

Bem estar animal no transporte e a influência na qualidade da carne suína

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A Catuama e o bilobalide na regeneração nervosa periférica de ratos submetidos à secção do nervo isquiático

The Catuama((R)) is composed of four Brazilian plants extracts (Paullinia cupana, Trichilia catigua, Ptychopetalum olacoides e Zingiber officinale). The Catuama((R)) is known as having neuroprotector, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antidepressant effects. Bilobalide, extracted from leaves of Ginkgo biloba, is known by its neuroprotective effect in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The present study evaluates the effect of Catuama((R)) and bilobalide on peripheral nerve regeneration in rats following a sciatic nerve section. Sciatic nerve of forty adult rats was transected with a 10-mm gap and the proximal and distal nerve stumps were fixed in a silicone tube filled with liquid collagen. The animals were divided into four groups: the control group (A), two groups treated with Catuama((R)) by gavage along 28 days after the surgery in different doses of 100 (B) and 400mg. kg(-1) (C) and the group using 200 mu M bilobalide (D) associated with the liquid collagen in the silicone tube. Evaluations were done by a walk test on the first, fifth and tenth week after the surgery. Electrophysiological stimulation and quantitative and qualitative histological analyses of the sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius muscle were also performed on the tenth week after the surgery. All groups showed good regeneration but no statistical difference was found between treatments and control groups (P > 0.05).

Simple agrometeorological models for estimating Guineagrass yield in Southeast Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Adequacy of antenatal care and its relationship with low birth weight in Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil: a case-control study

Background: Birth weight reflects gestational conditions and development during the fetal period. Low birth weight (LBW) may be associated with antenatal care (ANC) adequacy and quality. The purpose of this study was to analyze ANC adequacy and its relationship with LBW in the Unified Health System in Brazil.Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2004 to 2008. Data were collected from secondary sources (the Live Birth Certificate), and primary sources (the official medical records of pregnant women). The study population consisted of two groups, each with 860 newborns. The case group comprised newborns weighing less than 2,500 grams, while the control group comprised live newborns weighing greater than or equal to 2,500 grams. Adequacy of ANC was evaluated according to three measurements: 1. Adequacy of the number of ANC visits adjusted to gestational age; 2. Modified Kessner Index; and 3. Adequacy of ANC laboratory studies and exams summary measure according to parameters defined by the Ministry of Health in the Program for Prenatal and Birth Care Humanization.Results: Analyses revealed that LBW was associated with the number of ANC visits adjusted to gestational age (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.32-2.34) and the ANC laboratory studies and exams summary measure (OR = 4.13, 95% CI 1.36-12.51). According to the modified Kessner Index, 64.4% of antenatal visits in the LBW group were adequate, with no differences between groups.Conclusions: Our data corroborate the association between inadequate number of ANC visits, laboratory studies and exams, and increased risk of LBW newborns. No association was found between the modified Kessner Index as a measure of adequacy of ANC and LBW. This finding reveals the low indices of coverage for basic actions already well regulated in the Health System in Brazil. Despite the association found in the study, we cannot conclude that LBW would be prevented only by an adequate ANC, as LBW is associated with factors of complex and multifactorial etiology. The results could be used to plan monitoring measures and evaluate programs of health care assistance during pregnancy, at delivery and to newborns, focusing on reduced LBW rates.

Valores de referência da atividade da enzima iduronato-2-sulfatase para o diagnóstico de mucopolissacaridose II

Mucopolissacaridoses são erros inatos do metabolismo nos quais a deficiência ou falta de uma enzima faz com que os glicosaminoglicanos não sejam degradados e se acumulem nos lisossomos. O acúmulo se dá em todos os tecidos, dessa forma, a sintomatologia é multissistêmica e de gravidade variável. Essas características, unidas à baixa frequência, fazem com que a doença seja subdiagnosticada. O estudo teve como objetivo padronizar uma técnica laboratorial para a dosagem da atividade enzimática da iduronato-2-sulfatase, enzima alterada na mucopolissacaridose de tipo II, em gota seca em papel filtro (GSPF) por método fluorimétrico, tendo como material de referência a técnica em leucócitos. Os valores obtidos dos indivíduos saudáveis variaram entre 1,830-16,860 μmol/L/h em leucócitos e entre 2,710-17,360 μmol/L/h em GSPF, contra 0,650-3,060 μmol/L/h dos afetados em GSPF, que tiveram uma atividade entre 0,020-0,000 μmol/L/h em leucócitos. O melhor valor de corte, levando em consideração sensibilidade e especificidade, foi de 3,48 μmol/L/h. Este estudo possibilitou determinar o intervalo de referência da atividade da enzima iduronato-2-sulfatase em GSPF para a população brasileira, assim como validar as técnicas em leucócitos e GSPF

Síntese e caracterização dielétrica de filmes finos de Bi3NbO7 obtidos pelo método dos precursores poliméricos

Bi3NbO7 thin films were prepared by the polymeric precursor method. The precursor solutions were prepared with excess of bismuth ranging from 0% to 10% and the pH was controlled to be maintained between 8 and 9. This control was done by adding to the solution niobium and ethylene glycol. The final solution was clear and free of precipitation. After obtaining the precursor solution, has begun the process of characterization of powders with thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis and X-ray analysis (XRD). The films were obtained by the polymeric precursors, the method is advantageous because it is simple, and low cost involves steps and controlled stoichiometry. The films were annealed and characterized by XRD and SEM and also characterized according to their dialectics properties. We observed that the best results were obtained when the film is thermally at 800 ° C for two hours and 860 ° C for two hour. Under these conditions we obtain Bi3NbO7 thin films with good homogeneity, uniform distribution of the grains, but with the formation of secondary phase, which does not occur in treatments with lower temperature. The dielectric characterization showed that the produced film showed good characteristics with high dielectric constant and low loss

Avaliação das ocorrências de nitrato e fluoreto nas águas subterrâneas do Estado de São Paulo

Concerns about the quality of groundwater have been continuously rising, considering its importance for the public water supply in the State of São Paulo, and even more due to the impact that anthropic action has been causing to the original quality of that natural resource. It is extremely relevant to identify the contamination focuses along the aquifers of the State of São Paulo. This report aims to evaluate nitrates and fluorides concentrations along the aquifers present in the state, in order to identify places where change in the quality of groundwater is observed, through the comparison between measured concentrations and reference values, such as: “Intervention Value” (maximum allowed value) and “Alert Value” (attention required value). To perform this research, a full compilation and organization has been done on chemical analysis data from the “Sistema de Informações de Águas Subterrâneas - SIDAS”, made available by the “Divisão de Procedimentos de Outorga – DPO” of the “Departamento de Água e Energia Elétrica – DAEE”. This work has made possible the build-up of a database composed by 6,860 wells, with analytical data ready to be interpreted, containing information about water pH, electrical conductivity, hardness and chloride, iron, fluoride, nitrogen, nitrates and total dissolved solids concentrations. This database shows concentration data for nitrates (6,157 wells) and fluoride (3,316 wells). From this information, maps for nitrates and fluorides concentration distributions have been made, by each aquifer and each “Unidade de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos – UGRHI”, which has enabled the identification of wells where the concentrations of these chemical compounds exceeds the reference values. Concerning nitrates, these analysis indicated the existence of contamination sources from rural and urban zones, mostly present in the west region... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Morfometria e compactação da cromatina espermática de touros Nelore de acordo com a idade e sua influência na produção de embriões in vitro

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV

Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome: a paediatric dentistry approach

Schwartz-Jampel syndrome (SJS) is a rare recessive disorder characterized mainly by myotonia. As the clinical signs and symptoms are manifested in the oromaxillofacial region, paediatric dentists may be first choice of parents that seek information and assistance to their children. A female patient diagnosed with SJS was brought to our clinic for dental treatment with main complain of difficulty on oral hygiene and mastication due to tooth crowding. The treatment included preventive measures, extraction of a supernumerary tooth and the maxillary primary second molars. Furthermore, the patient was referred to orthodontic treatment for correction of tooth crowding. When dealing with children with confirmed diagnosis of SSJ, paediatric dentists should be understand the need of planning the dental treatment considering the characteristics and possible complications associated with the syndrome in order to reduce the risks to patients, especially when surgical procedures are necessary.