Human-animal interaction, stress, and embryo production in Bos indicus embryo donors under tropical conditions

This study investigated the effect of human-animal interaction (HAI) and the stress response on the quality of embryo production in superovulated Nelore (Bos indicus) cattle, under tropical conditions. Thirty-two females underwent a superovulation protocol for 5 days. Cortisol concentrations were determined in blood plasma collected on days 0, 4, and 5. Artificial insemination was performed on days 4 and 5, and nonsurgical embryo flushing on day 11. Embryo production and viability were determined. Human stimulation, animal behaviors, accidents, and handling time were recorded to assess HAI. Cattle age was negatively correlated with accidents, frequency of aversive behaviors, and negative stimuli by stockperson during transit through corral compartments to receive superovulation treatments. The factor analysis revealed two distinct groups. The first group was called stressed and had higher cortisol concentration than the nonstressed group, 16.0 +/- 2.1 and 12.5 +/- 1.0 ng/mL, respectively. Comparisons between these groups showed that the frequency of voice emissions by the stockperson and the number of accidents were higher in the stressed group, and also, the mean handling time was longer in the stressed group than for the nonstressed. As a result, viability rate of the embryos was 19% lower in the stressed group (P < 0.05). This indicates that intensive negative HAI is likely related to stress, which affects embryo production in a superovulation program.

Upgrading a TCABR data analysis and acquisition system for remote participation using Java, XML, RCP and modern client/server communication/authentication

The TCABR data analysis and acquisition system has been upgraded to support a joint research programme using remote participation technologies. The architecture of the new system uses Java language as programming environment. Since application parameters and hardware in a joint experiment are complex with a large variability of components, requirements and specification solutions need to be flexible and modular, independent from operating system and computer architecture. To describe and organize the information on all the components and the connections among them, systems are developed using the extensible Markup Language (XML) technology. The communication between clients and servers uses remote procedure call (RPC) based on the XML (RPC-XML technology). The integration among Java language, XML and RPC-XML technologies allows to develop easily a standard data and communication access layer between users and laboratories using common software libraries and Web application. The libraries allow data retrieval using the same methods for all user laboratories in the joint collaboration, and the Web application allows a simple graphical user interface (GUI) access. The TCABR tokamak team in collaboration with the IPFN (Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa) is implementing this remote participation technologies. The first version was tested at the Joint Experiment on TCABR (TCABRJE), a Host Laboratory Experiment, organized in cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in the framework of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on ""Joint Research Using Small Tokamaks"". (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Density of sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) in domestic and wild animal shelters in an area of visceral leishmaniasis in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

XIMENES, Maria de Fátima Freire de Melo; SOUZA, Maria de Fátima de; CASTELLON, Eloy Guilhermo. Density of sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in domestic and wild animal shelters in an area of visceral Leishmaniasis in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, v.94, n.4, p.427-432, jul./ago. 1999. Disponivel em: Acesso em: 4 out. 2010.

Fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism genotyping of human and animal Staphylococcus aureus isolates from dairy farms with manual milking

Fluorescence amplified fragment length polymorphism (fAFLP) was used to assess the genetic relatedness of 40 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from human and animal skin samples in seven dairy farms with manual milking. S. aureus was isolated from 11 out of 30 (36%) human skin samples and from 29 out of 100 (29%) teat skin samples from apparently healthy cows. Genomic DNA from each isolate was double-digested with EcoRI and MseI and complementary oligonucleotide adaptors were ligated to the restriction fragments. Pre-selective and selective, amplification reactions were performed, the amplified fragments were separated by electrophoresis in an ABI377 sequencer and analysed using GeneScan 3.1 and Genotyper 2.5. Three single isolates (a-c), a predominant cluster with 35 isolates (d) and another cluster with two isolates (e) were identified. Both clusters d and e included human and animal isolates genetically related, because the profiles had 90-100% homology. Since no cluster was comprised uniquely of human or animal isolates and given the close genetic relatedness among human and animal samples in the farms, the present findings support the. hypothesis that dairy workers can spread S. aureus through manual milking. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strategies to promote farm animal welfare in Latin America and their effects on carcass and meat quality traits

Several initiatives, including research and development, increasing stakeholders' awareness and application of legislation and recommendation, have been carried out in Latin America to promote animal welfare and meat quality. Most activities focused on the impact of pre-slaughter conditions (facilities, equipment and handling procedures) on animal welfare and meat quality. The results are encouraging; data from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay showed that the application of the improved pre-slaughter handling practices reduced aggressive handling and the incidence of bruised carcasses at slaughter in cattle and pigs. These outcomes stimulated some to apply animal welfare concepts in livestock handling within the meat production chain as shown by the increasing demand for personnel training on the best. To attend this demand is important to expand local studies on farm animal welfare and to set up (or maintain) an efficient system for knowledge transfer to all stakeholders in the Latin America meat production chains. However, it is clear that to promote the long-term progress in this field is important to deliver practical solutions, assuring that they match the technical and financial conditions of those who are the target of training programs. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Porencephaly and cortical dysplasia as cause of seizures in a dog

Background: Seizures are a common problem in small animal neurology and it may be related to underlying diseases. Porencephaly is an extremely rare disorder, and in Veterinary Medicine it affects more often ruminants, with only few reports in dogs.Case presentation: A one-year-old intact male Shih-Tzu dog was referred to Veterinary University Hospital with history of abnormal gait and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Signs included hypermetria, abnormal nystagmus and increased myotatic reflexes. At necropsy, during the brain analysis, a cleft was observed in the left parietal and occipital lobes, creating a communication between the subarachnoid space and the left lateral ventricle, consistent with porencephaly; and also a focal atrophy of the caudal paravermal and vermal portions of the cerebellum. Furthermore, the histological examination showed cortical and cerebellar neuronal dysplasia.Conclusions: Reports of seizures due to porencephaly are rare in dogs. In this case, the dog presented a group of brain abnormalities which per se or in assemblage could result in seizure manifestation.

Periodontal Disease Decreases Insulin Sensitivity and Insulin Signaling

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

TNF-alpha acts in the hypothalamus inhibiting food intake and increasing the respiratory quotient - Effects on leptin and insulin signaling pathways

Acting in the hypothalamus, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) produces a potent anorexigenic effect. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are poorly characterized. In this study, we investigate the capacity of TNF-alpha to activate signal transduction in the hypothalamus through elements of the pathways employed by the anorexigenic hormones insulin and leptin. High dose TNF-a promotes a reduction of 25% in 12 h food intake, which is an inhibitory effect that is marginally inferior to that produced by insulin and leptin. In addition, high dose TNF-a increases body temperature and respiratory quotient, effects not reproduced by insulin or leptin. TNF-alpha, predominantly at the high dose, is also capable of activating canonical pro-inflammatory signal transduction in the hypothalamus, inducing JNK, p38, and NF kappa B, which results in the transcription of early responsive genes and expression of proteins of the SOCS family. Also, TNF-a activates signal transduction through JAK-2 and STAT-3, but does not activate signal transduction. through early and intermediary elements of the insulin/leptin signaling pathways such as IRS-2, Akt, ERK and FOXO1. When co-injected with insulin or leptin, TNF-a, at both high and low doses, partially impairs signal transduction through IRS-2, Akt, ERK and FOXO1 but not through JAK-2 and STAT-3. This effect is accompanied by the partial inhibition of the anorexigenic effects of insulin and leptin, when the low, but not the high dose of TNF-alpha is employed. In conclusion, TNF-alpha, on a dose-dependent way, modulates insulin and leptin signaling and action in the hypothalamus. (c) Published by Elsevier B.V.

Ambient pH Controls Glycogen Levels by Regulating Glycogen Synthase Gene Expression in Neurospora crassa. New Insights into the pH Signaling Pathway

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Escherichia coli phylogenetic group determination and its application in the identification of the major animal source of fecal contamination

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha by mouse peritoneal macrophages in the presence of dental sealers, sealapex and endomethasone

After filling root canals, the healing process depends on the chemical composition or physical-chemical properties of the material used, among other factors. All root canal sealers, whether solid or plastic, are foreign matter for the body if they remain in permanent contact with apical and periapical tissues. As a result, the first organic reaction that occurs is an attempt to phagocytize the material. During phagocytosis, macrophages release a large number of cell mediators into the area, among which are cytokines that are essential in intercellular communication and in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. One of these cytokines is tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α), which acts through links to specific receptors on the cell membrane initiating a cascade of events leading to induction, activation, or inhibition of numerous cytokine-regulated genes in the cell nucleus. The release of TNF-α in a cell culture of mouse peritoneal macrophages incubated with three concentrations (25, 50, and 100 mg/ml) of two endodontic sealers was measured. The solutions containing the calcium hydroxide-based root canal sealer (Sealapex) released fewer units of TNF-α than solutions containing the zinc oxide and eugenol-based sealer (Endomethasone).

Exploring the multifactorial nature of autism through computational systems biology: Calcium and the Rho GTPase RAC1 under the spotlight

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication accompanied with repetitive behavioral patterns and unusual stereotyped interests. Autism is considered a highly heterogeneous disorder with diverse putative causes and associated factors giving rise to variable ranges of symptomatology. Incidence seems to be increasing with time, while the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain virtually uncharacterized (or unknown). By systematic review of the literature and a systems biology approach, our aims were to examine the multifactorial nature of autism with its broad range of severity, to ascertain the predominant biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions integral to the disorder, and finally, to elucidate the most central contributions (genetic and/or environmental) in silico. With this goal, we developed an integrative network model for gene-environment interactions (GENVI model) where calcium (Ca2+) was shown to be its most relevant node. Moreover, considering the present data from our systems biology approach together with the results from the differential gene expression analysis of cerebellar samples from autistic patients, we believe that RAC1, in particular, and the RHO family of GTPases, in general, could play a critical role in the neuropathological events associated with autism. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Modulation of cell proliferation, survival and gene expression by RAGE and TLR signaling in cells of the innate and adaptive immune response: role of p38 MAPK and NF-KB

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A comparative study of production performance and animal health practices in organic and conventional dairy systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Periodontal disease-associated compensatory expression of osteoprotegerin is lost in type 1 diabetes mellitus and correlates with alveolar bone destruction by regulating osteoclastogenesis

Alveolar bone resorption results from the inflammatory response to periodontal pathogens. Systemic diseases that affect the host response, such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1), can potentiate the severity of periodontal disease (PD) and accelerate bone resorption. However, the biological mechanisms by which DM1 modulates PD are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of DM1 on alveolar bone resorption and to evaluate the role of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) in osteoclastogenesis in rats. PD was induced by means of ligature in nondiabetic and in streptozotocyn-induced DM1 rats. Morphological and morphometric analyses, stereology and osteoclast counting were performed. RANKL and OPG mRNA levels, protein content, and location were determined. PD caused alveolar bone resorption, increased the number of osteoclasts in the alveolar bone crest and also promoted changes in RANKL/OPG mRNA expression. DM1 alone showed alveolar bone destruction and an increased number of osteoclasts at the periapical and furcal regions. DM1 exacerbated these characteristics, with a greater impact on bone structure, resulting in a low OPG content and a higher RANKL/OPG ratio, which correlated with prominent osteoclastogenesis. This work demonstrates that the effects of PD and DM1 enhance bone destruction, confirms the importance of the RANKL signaling pathway in bone destruction in DM1 in animal models and suggests the existence of alternative mechanisms potentiating bone degradation in PD.