Repair of lamellar scleral lesions in dogs with preserved equine renal capsule: short report

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o uso da cápsula renal de eqüino preservada em glicerina 98% no reparo de lesões lamelares esclerais em cães. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 12 cães, machos e fêmeas, com peso médio de 12kg. Foram realizadas avaliações clínica e morfológica aos 1, 3, 7, 15, 30 e 60 dias de pós-operatório. Após anestesia geral e procedimentos padrões de preparo do campo operatório, foi realizada cantotomia temporal, seguida de incisão conjutival e escleral com área de 0,5x0,5 cm na posição de 1hora, próxima ao limbo. em seguida, um fragmento de mesma dimensão de cápsula renal de eqüino preservada em glicerina, previamente hidratado em solução salina, foi aplicado ao defeito escleral criado sendo fixado com pontos simples isolados com vicryl 7-0®. RESULTADOS: A avaliação clínica revelou blefaroespasmo/fotofobia até o sétimo dia de pós-operatório. Foi observado edema conjuntival até o quinto dia, acompanhado de secreção ocular mucóide, que persistiu até o décimo dia de pós-operatório. Não foram observados sinais clínicos de rejeição do enxerto em todos os animais, em todos os períodos avaliados. Os segmentos anterior e posterior do bulbo ocular não apresentaram sinais de inflamação. A análise morfológica revelou exsudação inflamatória aguda nos períodos precoces e intermediários da avaliação e inflamação crônica nos períodos tardios da observação. Houve incorporação do enxerto ao leito receptor. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados sugerem que a cápsula renal de eqüino preservada pode ser mais uma alternativa de membrana biológica para o reparo de lesões esclerais lamelares em cães e no homem.

Steinernema brazilense n. sp (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from Mato Grosso, Brazil

A new entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema brazilense n. sp., was isolated from a single soil sample collected from a natural forest in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. S. brazilense n. sp. is characterized morphologically by features of infective juveniles (IJ), males and females. For the IJ, body length averaging 1157 (1023-1284) mu m, distance from anterior end to excretory pore 95 (87-102) mu m, from anterior end to end of esophagus 148 (139-153) mu m, tail length 85 (80-104) mu m, D% and E% values 63 (58-70) and 106 (95-118.0), respectively. Lateral field pattern variable; the formula for the arrangement of ridges from head to tail is: 2, 4, 6, 8, 6, 2. For the male, the diagnostic characters include spicule averaging 83 (75-89) mu m; D% about 65; the ratio SW% about 192. The length of spicule head is greater than width. Lateral field with one narrow ridge. First generation females are characterized by the presence of a ventral postanal swelling. S. brazilense n. sp. is morphologically close to Steinernema diaprepesi. It can be differentiated from S. diaprepesi by its longer IJ body length (1157 vs 1002 mu m), longer distance from anterior end to excretory pore (1110 vs 75 mu m), a longer tail length (103 vs 83 mu m); males of the new species with longer spicule (83 vs 79 mu m). The new species can be distinguished further from other members of Steinernema glaseri group by characteristics of rDNA of ITS and D2D3 regions. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Evaluation of alternative containers to determining the working width of fertilizer spreaders

Os ensaios de largura de trabalho e uniformidade de distribuição são de difícil execução para o agricultor por exigirem equipamentos, recursos e métodos complexos. Portanto, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar coletores alternativos para tornar mais acessível a regulagem e a avaliação de distribuidores de fertilizantes sólidos a lanço. Foram utilizados quatro diferentes conjuntos de coletores: i) coletores construídos segundo a norma ISO 5690/1; ii) coletores de polietileno (bandejas plásticas) com tela de sombreamento para evitar o ricochete de material; iii) coletores formados por caixas de leite longa vida, e iv) coletores formados por vasos de polietileno (número 3,5). Também foram utilizados três diferentes distribuidores para as avaliações. Os coletores alternativos apresentaram maior retenção de partículas que os coletores normatizados. A largura efetiva de trabalho obtida para os coeficientes de variação de 12,5; 15; 17,5 e 20% variou entre os coletores nos diferentes percursos. O coletor que mais se assemelhou à norma foram os vasos de polietileno. Constatou-se que a altura dos coletores foi mais importante para sua eficiência do que a sua área de coleta.

Allometric growth of two species of Ephemeroptera from Neotropical mountains streams

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Head morphology of 1st and 5th instar nymphs of Triatoma circummaculata and Triatoma rubrovaria (Hemiptera, Reduviidae)

Morphological structures of the head of 1st and 5th instar nymphs of Triatoma circummaculata and Triatoma rubrovaria were revealed by analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Differences between Ist and 5th instar nymphs of these two species were observed in the postocular callosity, the number of ommatidia and tapered hair, the small segment between antennal segments, the rostrum third segment and slit lines. These slit lines were different only in the 5th instar. Similarities observed were the presence of tapered hairs in the joints, and the type of sensilla in the antennal segments. Only the Ist instar shows anteclypeus and gena sensilla. The antennal segments comprise the following types of sensilla: basiconica, bristles type I, bristles type II, bristles type III, campaniformia, coeloconica, chemosensilla, placodea, trichobothria and trichoidea. We describe here for the first time six (3+3) sensilla basiconica on the dorsal portion of the first segment of the rostrum. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Large-scale transcriptome analyses reveal new genetic marker candidates of head, neck, and thyroid cancer

A detailed genome mapping analysis of 213,636 expressed sequence tags (EST) derived from nontumor and tumor tissues of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, and thyroid was done. Transcripts matching known human genes were identified; potential new splice variants were flagged and subjected to manual curation, pointing to 788 putatively new alternative splicing isoforms, the majority (75%) being insertion events. A subset of 34 new splicing isoforms (5% of 788 events) was selected and 23 (68%) were confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR and DNA sequencing. Putative new genes were revealed, including six transcripts mapped to well-studied chromosomes such as 22, as well as transcripts that mapped to 253 intergenic regions. In addition, 2,251 noncoding intronic RNAs, eventually involved in transcriptional regulation, were found. A set of 250 candidate markers for loss of heterozygosis or gene amplification was selected by identifying transcripts that mapped to genomic regions previously known to be frequently amplified or deleted in head, neck, and thyroid tumors. Three of these markers were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR in an independent set of individual samples. Along with detailed clinical data about tumor origin, the information reported here is now publicly available on a dedicated Web site as a resource for further biological investigation. This first in silico reconstruction of the head, neck, and thyroid transcriptomes points to a wealth of new candidate markers that can be used for future studies on the molecular basis of these tumors. Similar analysis is warranted for a number of other tumors for which large EST data sets are available.

A Single Intraoperative Sub-Tenon's Capsule Injection of Triamcinolone and Ciprofloxacin in a Controlled-Release System for Cataract Surgery

PURPOSE. To compare intraoperative injection of triamcinolone and ciprofloxacin in a controlled-release system (DuoCat) with prednisolone and ciprofloxacin eye drops after cataract surgery.METHODS. In this randomized, double-masked, controlled trial, a total of 135 patients undergoing cataract surgery were randomly allocated to two groups: 67 patients treated after surgery with prednisolone 1% and ciprofloxacin 3% eye drops four times daily (week 1), three times daily (week 2), twice daily (week 3), and once daily (week 4) and 0.3% ciprofloxacin drops four times daily (weeks 1 and 2), and 68 patients treated at the end of surgery with a sub-Tenon's injection of 25 mg triamcinolone and 2 mg ciprofloxacin in biodegradable microspheres. The patients were examined on postoperative days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. The main outcome measures were postoperative anterior chamber cell and flare, intraocular pressure (IOP), lack of anti-inflammatory response, and presence of infection.RESULTS. No significant differences were observed between the groups in anterior chamber cell (P > 0.14) and flare (P > 0.02) at any postoperative visits. The mean (99% confidence interval) differences in IOP between the prednisolone and triamcinolone groups on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 were -0.4 mm Hg (-2.1 to 1.3), 0.0 mm Hg (-1.4 to 1.3), 0.0 mm Hg (-1.1 to 1.1), -0.2 mm Hg (-1.1 to 0.8), and -0.1 mm Hg (-1.1 to 0.9), respectively. No patient had a postoperative infection.CONCLUSIONS. One injection of DuoCat had a therapeutic response and ocular tolerance that were equivalent to conventional eye drops in controlling inflammation after cataract surgery. (Clinical-Trials. gov number, NCT00431028.) (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009; 50: 3041-3047) DOI: 10.1167/iovs.08-2920

Modelos analíticos para rádio fontes extragalácticas

The great majority of analytical models for extragalactic radio sources suppose self-similarity and can be classified into three types: I, II and III. We have developed a model that represents a generalization of most models found in the literature and showed that these three types are particular cases. The model assumes that the area of the head of the jet varies with the jet size according to a power law and the jet luminosity is a function of time. As it is usually done, the basic hypothesis is that there is an equilibrium between the pressure exerted both by the head of the jet and the cocoon walls and the ram pressure of the ambient medium. The equilibrium equations and energy conservation equation allow us to express the size and width of the source and the pressure in the cocoon as a power law and find the respective exponents. All these assumptions can be used to calculate the evolution of the source size, width and radio luminosity. This can then be compared with the observed width-size relation for radio lobes and the power-size (P-D) diagram of both compact (GPS and CSS) and extended sources from the 3CR catalogue. In this work we introduce two important improvement as compared with a previous work: (1)We have put together a larger sample of both compact and extended radio sources

Loss of Y-chromosome does not correlate with age at onset of head and neck carcinoma: a case-control study

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The influence of external ultrasound on the histologic architecture of the organic capsule around smooth silicone implants: Experimental study in rats

Background Capsular contracture is the main complication related to breast silicone implants, and its prevention remains a medical challenge. The authors present experimental research examining the effect of external ultrasound on the formation and contracture of peri-implant capsules.Methods In this study, 42 male Wistar rats had a 2-mm smooth surface implant placed in a dorsal submuscular pocket. They then were separated into ultrasound'' and control'' groups that received repeated external applications either with or without the ultrasound power on. Ultrasound applications were given three times a week for a period of 90 days. After that, both groups were housed under the same conditions with no application scheduled. Five animals of each group, killed at 30, 60, 90, and 180 days, had their implants removed along with the capsule, which received a special histologic preparation via annular sectioning that provided wide circumferential observation of the capsular tissue. Sections were stained with hematoxylin/eosin stain, Masson's trichrome stain, and Pricrosirius Red stain for regular microscopic evaluation under normal and polarized light.Results Histologic data showed that capsules from the ultrasound and control groups had statistically significant differences. Ultrasound application developed a capsular architecture similar to that shown within textured silicone implants, and its effect had an early definition with subsequent stabilization.Conclusion The authors conclude that early and repeated external ultrasound application enhances the thickness, cellular count, and vascularity of smooth silicone capsular tissue, whereas it diminishes the pattern of parallel orientation of collagen fibers.

Relationship between DNA damage and sperm head birefringence

Birefringence or double refraction is the decomposition of a ray of light into two rays when it passes through an anisotropic material such as quartz. Sperm cells have been demonstrated to be optically anisotropic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the pattern of human sperm head birefringence (SHBF) and DNA damage. A total of 26 patients with normal semen were included. DNA damage (fragmentation and denaturation) was evaluated in the sperm head in the context of birefringence, both total (SHBF-T) and partial (SHBF-P), by terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUDP nick-end labelling assay and acridine orange fluorescence, respectively. Positive DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa with SHBF-T (205/1053; 19.5%) was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than in spermatozoa that presented SHBF-P (60/820; 7.3%). However, the percentage of denatured DNA in spermatozoa with SHBF-T (824/1256; 65.6%) was not significantly different from the ones with SHBF-P (666/1009; 66.0%). In conclusion, the data support a positive relationship between spermatozoa with total SHBF in their head and increased DNA fragmentation. (C) 2011, Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME): intervariation study of normal sperm and sperm with large nuclear vacuoles

Background: Although the motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) was developed only as a selection criterion, its application as a method for classifying sperm morphology may represent an improvement in evaluation of semen quality, with potential clinical repercussions. The present study aimed to evaluate individual variations in the motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) analysis after a time interval.Methods: Two semen samples were obtained from 240 men from an unselected group of couples undergoing infertility investigation and treatment. Mean time interval between the two semen evaluations was 119 +/- 102 days. No clinical or surgical treatment was realized between the two observations. Spermatozoa were analyzed at greater than or equal to 8400 x magnification by inverted microscope equipped with DIC/Nomarski differential interference contrast optics. At least 200 motile spermatozoa per semen sample were evaluated and percentages of normal spermatozoa and spermatozoa with large nuclear vacuoles (LNV/one or more vacuoles occupying >50% of the sperm nuclear area) were determined. A spermatozoon was classified as morphologically normal when it exhibited a normal nucleus (smooth, symmetric and oval nucleus, width 3.28 +/- 0.20 mu m, length 4.75 +/- 0.20 mu m/absence of vacuoles occupying >4% of nuclear area) as well as acrosome, post-acrosomal lamina, neck and tail, besides not presenting cytoplasm around the head. One examiner, blinded to subject identity, performed the entire study.Results: Mean percentages of morphologically normal and LNV spermatozoa were identical in the two MSOME analyses (1.6 +/- 2.2% vs. 1.6 +/- 2.1% P = 0.83 and 25.2 +/- 19.2% vs. 26.1 +/- 19.0% P = 0.31, respectively). Regression analysis between the two samples revealed significant positive correlation for morphologically normal and for LNV spermatozoa (r = 0.57 95% CI: 0.47-0.65 P < 0.0001 and r = 0.50 95% CI: 0.38-0.58 P < 0.0001, respectively).Conclusions: The significant positive correlation and absence of differences between two sperm samples evaluated after a time interval with respect to normal morphology and LNV spermatozoa indicated that MSOME seems reliable (at least for these two specific sperm forms) for analyzing semen. The present result supports the future use of MSOME as a routine method for semen analysis.