Cholangiocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Stratified Epithelial Portion of the Stomach in a Horse: A Case Report

Both cholangiocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach stratified squamous epithelial portion are rarely found in equine medicine despite being more common in human beings, dogs, and cats. The objective of the present article was to report the simultaneous occurrences of these two types of neoplasias in an 11-year-old mare. Numerous firm, whitish nodules were distributed throughout the liver parenchyma and those protruding over its surface were umbilicated in their appearance. It was verified that the nodules adhered to the peritoneum and omentum, diaphragm, spleen, and stomach serosa compressed the adjacent structures. The stomach stratified squamous epithelial portion, particularly originating in the margo plicatus toward the cardia, was covered by numerous smooth, whitish spherules. Microscopic examination allowed the liver, tumor, and the abdominal implants to be identified as a cholangiocarcinoma, and the stomach neoplasia as a carcinoma of its stratified squamous epithelial portion. Considering this as an uncommon finding, although when considered individually, the presence of a cholangiocarcinoma and a squamous cell carcinoma of the stratified squamous epithelial portion of the equine stomach in the same specimen is worthy of reporting. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Panorama atual da ética em pesquisa em seres humanos

In the last decades, medical care has been increasingly permeated by the concept of evidence-based-medicine, in which clinical research plays a crucial role in establishing diagnostic and treatment. Following the improvements in clinical research, we have a growing concern and understanding that some ethical issues must be respected when the subjects are human beings. Research with human subjects relies on the principles of autonomy, beneficence, no maleficence and justice. Ordinance 196/96 from the National Health Board adds to the Brazilian legislation such renowned bioethical principles.Aim: Discuss the main ethical aspects involved in research with human subjects.Materials and Methods: Critical analysis of Ordinance 196/96 and related literature.Conclusion: Ordinance 196/96 rules research with human subjects; nevertheless, it requires more in-depth discussions regarding the informed consent, use of placebo, research with vulnerable populations and research in developing countries.

Aproximacion a una estrategia general de evaluacion de la vivienda en comunidades marginales de las metropolis de paises en vias de desarrollo

Evaluation is regarded as a highly complex, continuous process intended to improve the object-subject involved. In the case of marginal metropolitan neighborhoods, whose inhabitants live in conditions unfit for human beings, we must remember that the specific actors in the drama - the users of the area of operation - should be the main creators of their own individual and community development through the evaluation-improvement process. This paper provides a basis for discussing such an approach. -from English summary

Estimation of crowd density using image processing

Human beings perceive images through their properties, like colour, shape, size, and texture. Texture is a fertile source of information about the physical environment. Images of low density crowds tend to present coarse textures, while images of dense crowds tend to present fine textures. This paper describes a new technique for automatic estimation of crowd density, which is a part of the problem of automatic crowd monitoring, using texture information based on grey-level transition probabilities on digitised images. Crowd density feature vectors are extracted from such images and used by a self organising neural network which is responsible for the crowd density estimation. Results obtained respectively to the estimation of the number of people in a specific area of Liverpool Street Railway Station in London (UK) are presented.

Dermatoses provocadas por animais venenosos

The venomous brazilian animals can cause accidents in human beings with great frequency. By means of this revision, the authors talk about the species and the accidentes more commons and more serious in our country. The function of the dermatologist in diagnostic, treatment and prevention of the accidents is enphatized.

Acidentes provocados por Millipede com manifestacoes dermatologicas: Relatos de dois casos

This study is based on the two case reports of accidents provoked by arthropods (Millepede) in human beings. The authors present this type of accident, the insect specie that caused the accidents, the aggressive mechanism, which is poorly studied in Brazil, and the bibliography.

Amphetamine Poisoning in a Dog: Case Report, Literature Review and Veterinary Medical Perspectives

Amphetamine abuse in human beings has increased, resulting in many reports of toxicity and death. In the US over 4 million people have abused amphetamines at least once, thus small animals are exposed to increased accidental poisoning risk. This report describes an acute amphetamine poisoning in a dog due to ingestion of 15 mg/kg fenproporex, leading to typical signs of catecholamines release and effects in different organ systems. Similar clinical and laboratory findings observed in human beings are reviewed and physiopathogenic mechanisms discussed, as well as the therapeutic approaches available in veterinary medicine.

Igreja católica, assistência social e caridade: Aproximações e divergências

This article is the result of a research study concluded in 2003, which aimed at investigating how the conception of Law is expressed in the actions of the so-called social pastoral commissions of the Catholic Church in Londrina, Brazil. By observing that the conception of charity and that of social rights walk side-bi-side within the Catholic Church, a question emerged: how is the conception of social right expressed in the actions of social pastoral commissions? Charity is preached as a Christian duty, as an action expressed in the experience of solidarity towards others who are in a situation that prevents them from having minimal living conditions. At least at discourse level, the actions developed are not limited to provide basic goods, clothes or medicine. We realized that those who act in social pastoral commissions, driven by values such as love to fellow human beings and solidarity, have not lost sight of the idea of social right - on the contrary, they have been reinforcing it. © 2006 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia - UFRGS.

Zinc does not inhibit prolactin secretion during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in normal men

Zinc (Zn ++) has been shown as an important physiological inhibitor of pituitary PRL release, and Zn ++ and PRL could be involved in a negative feedback regulatory loop. However, this inhibitory effect has not been detected in humans with regard to thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), dopamine (DA) and histamine (HA) neurotransmitters. In order to investigate this topic, Zn ++ was acutely and chronically administered to five healthy men to observe the probable inhibitory effect on PRL release during insulin-induced hypoglycemia. The positive PRL response to hypoglycemia has generally been considered to be mediated via the hypothalamus by adrenergic, serotoninergic, histaminergic, opioid-peptidergic and TRH neurotransmitters. The results showed that Zn ++ was not able to inhibit the PRL release during insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Under these conditions, Zn ++ does not block hypothalamic neurotransmitters stimulated by hypoglycemia, thus excluding its clinical application in human beings. On the other hand, the effect of acute stress, such as hypoglycemia, on the serum Zn ++ profile was not observed. ©2006 Dustri-Verlag Dr. K. Feistle.

Toxoplasma gondii genotyping in a dog co-infected with distemper virus and ehrlichiosis rickettsia

This paper reports a toxoplasmosis, erhlichiosis and distemper co-infection in a dog with an exuberant neuropathological clinical picture. Primary involvement was discussed based on information collected in the analysis of the clinical case, such as neurological impairment, epidemiological data, poor immunoprophylactic scheme of the dog affected and the role of these diseases on immunosuppression. Canine distemper and ehrlichiosis were diagnosed based on epidemiologic data, clinical signs, hematological and cytological evaluation. Toxoplasma gondii was isolated and genetically characterized as Type I using restriction analysis (RFLP) with SAG-2 genes. Immunosuppression features of both dogs and human beings are discussed, as well as implications on animal and public health. This is the first report on toxoplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and distemper co-infection in a dog in Brazil, associated with genotyping determination of the T. gondii strain involved.

Root trunk height as a risk factor for periodontal furcation involvement in maxillary first molars: an in vitro study.

The aim of this study was to correlate the root trunk height from the furcation openings on the buccal, mesial and distal surfaces to the cemento-enamel junction in upper first permanent molars in human beings with risk for periodontal disease progression. One hundred extracted maxillary first molars were used. Reference points and demarcations were determined from the entrance of the buccal (F1), mesial (F2) and distal (F3) furcations to the cemento-enamel junction in millimeters. The mean distances found were 3.50 mm, 4.44 mm and 4.26 mm for the buccal, mesial and distal furcations, respectively, in relation to the cemento-enamel junction. The statistical analyses were Student's t-test and Chi-square (X2). With periodontal disease progression, the buccal furcation presents a greater compromising risk due to its proximity to the cemento-enamel junction, while the mesial furcation is the most distant, comprising a lesser risk.

Ações de vigilância continuada, papel do cão como animal sentinela para toxoplasmose.

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii and its definitive host is the domestic and wild felids infecting human beings and other warmblooded animals. Dogs are considered a potential risk on the transmission due they can mechanically transmit oocysts to man. In this study, a retrospective analysis of toxoplasmic infection in dog serum samples sent to Serviço de Diagnóstico de Zoonoses/FMVZ-UNESP/Botucatu, SP, in the period of 1998 to 2007 was performed. During this period 1097 serum samples were analyzed by the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), with 299 (27.25%) positive. The most frequent titer was 16 (42.80%), followed by 64 (37.79%). The results indicate that T.gondii is distributed in the environment showing the role of the dog as sentinel animal to toxoplasmosis to monitor public health actions to the control of this zoonosis.

Contribuição do uso de medicamentos para a admissão hospitalar

According to the Word Health Organization, adverse drug reactions (ADR) are any harmful and non intentional answer which occurred in doses normally used in human beings. The ADR can be responsible for 2.4% to 11.5% of hospital admissions. Therefore, this study aimed at knowing the admitted patient's demographic profile due to possible ADR, identifying the most frequent drugs and complaints, and evaluating the incidence of hospital admission related to drug use. Patients who were 18 years old or more and were admitted during a period of one month to a medical clinical of a general hospital were interviewed for one month about drug use before being admitted, as well as regarding to the complaint which led them to hospital. These information were analyzed according to official data, like MICROMEDEX® and WHO criteria as well. It was observed that the admission due to drug use occurred in most part of the cases in elderly [47.5% (66/139)] and women [62% (87/139)]. The most frequent drugs used were: omeprazole (16), analgesics (31), antihypertensive (31), simvastatin (7) and formoterol fumarate (6), and the symptoms were normally associated to the digestive (20.5%), circulatory (20.2%), respiratory (18.2%) and central nervous systems (13.9%). It was estimated that 15.5% (139/897) of the hospital admission occurred possibly due to the drug use. The data found by present study suggests some strategies in order to prevent ADR in the context of primary health care services, such as monitoring drug therapy, manly for patients with chronic diseases, elderly and polimedicated people; and pharmaceutical care including dispensation and purchasing of the drugs, a lot of them dispensed over the counter (OTC).

Pitiose nasal em equino

Pythiosis is a subcutaneous infection caused by aquatic fungi (Pythium insidiosum) which occurs in some animal species, as human beings. This paper describes an Quarter Horse, breed in Pernambuco, Brazil, who had this infection. The horse presented nodular and ulcerated lesions only in nasal mucosa and the diagnosis was made by histopathologic analysis and clinical signals. Based in the histopathologic findings and anamneses information by the owner the authors believed this is an atypical presentation of this infection caused by the contact with water offered at stable.

Anticorpos anti-Leptospira spp. em animais selvagens do zoológico municipal de Ribeirão Preto, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Leptospirosis may affect all domestic and wild animals as well as human beings. Some serological studies have shown the involvement of wild species in the epidemiology of the disease. Once captive wild animals are not much studied, especially in Brazil, the present study aimed to detect anti- Leptospira spp. antibodies in animals from Ribeirão Preto city zoo, in São Paulo state, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from captive birds, fish, reptiles and mammals, sinanthropics and free-living animals and also from employees between March and October, 2006. Four hundred and three blood samples were obtained, 388 animals' samples (110 reptiles, 143 birds, 110 mammals and 25 fish) and 15 humans'. The sera were analysed by Microscopic Agglutination Test using 22 serovars from pathological leptospiras and two from non-pathological serovars. Among the animal samples, 339 were from captive animals, and 49 from free-living ones, captured with traps inside the zoo. One hundred and three (103/388 = 26.5%) samples reacted to leptospirosis, ninety-two (92/339 = 27.1%) samples were from captive animals and eleven (11/49 = 22.4%) from free-living ones. All humans' samples were negative. Serological titles varied from 40 to 5.120, with predominance of titles between 40 and 80 and the most frequent serovars were Patoc, Andamana, Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Panama.