Desempenho de ovelhas da raça Bergamácia alimentadas com dieta contendo gordura protegida

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o efeito do uso de gordura protegida na dieta de ovelhas da raça Bergamácia sobre a produção e composição do leite e a dinâmica de peso das ovelhas. Utilizaram-se 77 ovelhas distribuídas em 2 grupos de forma homogênea por ordem de parição e idade, mantidas com uma dieta controle, com silagem de milho e concentrado, ou com a dieta controle contendo gordura protegida (35 g/ovelha.dia) adicionada ao concentrado. As dietas foram isoenergéticas e isoproteicas e continham 16% PB e 70% NDT na matéria seca. Durante o dia, os cordeiros eram mantidos com suas mães em pasto, à noite eram separados e retornavam à suas mães após a ordenha matinal; foram desmamados aos 45 dias de idade. As ovelhas, após 48 horas do parto, foram ordenhadas mecanicamente uma vez ao dia, às 7 h, e sua produção de leite foi mensurada diariamente durante 60 dias. Amostras de leite foram coletadas semanalmente para determinação dos teores de proteína e gordura. A dieta com gordura protegida proporcionou maior produção média diária de leite após a desmama dos cordeiros (0,531 vs 0,489 kg/animal.dia). Entretanto, a produção de todo o período não diferiu entre as dietas (0,468 vs 0,453 kg/animal.dia, com gordura protegida e controle, respectivamente). As produções de leite corrigidas para 6,5% de gordura e para 6,5% de gordura e 5,8% de proteína foram semelhantes entre as dietas.

Female preferences based on male nutritional chemical traits

Selection favors females that attend to reliable information about male genetic quality and fitness. Male nutritional condition can be a significant sign of mate quality since poor nutrition can be related to reduced sperm quality, low sperm quantity, sexually transmitted diseases, and parasites. We tested whether female Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, preferred the chemical cues of males that were well fed with high-protein diet over those fed with low-protein diet. Females do not only discriminate between males but also show a preference for well-fed males, discriminating between the odors with respect to nutritional state, suggesting that they were responding to a food-specific chemical cue. It is therefore likely that nutritional condition is related to the production of pheromones in males. Our results suggest that information about male nutritional state can be conveyed in chemical cues and that females attend to these cues during mate choice.

Influence of protein supplementation during late pregnancy and lactation on the resistance of Santa Ines and Ile de France ewes to Haemonchus contortus

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

IgA anti-Streptococcus mutans em crianças com e sem cárie dentária

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

HAEMONCHUS PLACEI IN CALVES - EFFECTS OF DIETARY-PROTEIN AND MULTIPLE EXPERIMENTAL-INFECTION ON WORM ESTABLISHMENT AND PATHOGENESIS

An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of dietary protein and immunisation on parasite establishment and pathogenesis of Haemonchus placei in calves. Four groups of 4-6-month-old worm-free calves (n=4) were given a low protein diet (LP) containing 213 g crude protein (CP) per head per day or a high-protein diet (HP) containing 469 g per head per day CP. Five weeks later, calves in one of the two groups of each dietary treatment were given 50 000 H. placei infective larvae (L(3)). Twenty-five days later, infection in these groups was terminated by dosing with oxfendazole, This immunisation process was repeated 4 days later. Four days after termination of the second immunisation all calves were challenged with 100 000 L(3). Five weeks later, all calves were slaughtered for abomasal worm counts. Worm establishment was lower in the immunised groups; however, only the HP-I group showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05). All calves gained weight during the first 13 week period, and after challenge the non-immunised groups lost weight, independent of the level of protein in the diet (P < 0.05), Packed cell volume values for all treatments only dropped after challenge (P < 0.05) and the HP-immunised group presented values significantly higher when compared with the other treatments, All calves were hypoproteinaemic and hypoalbuminaemic at the end of the experiment, regardless of the treatment. Immunised calves showed a normocytic normochromic anaemia, while the non-immunised groups presented a microcytic normochromic anaemia.

The influence of chlorhexidine on the severity of cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth

THE INFLUENCE OF CHEMICAL PLAQUE CONTROL, using topically applied 0.12% chlorhexidine, on the severity of cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced gingival overgrowth (GO) was evaluated. Forty Holtzman rats were divided into four groups: 1) control; 2) cyclosporin A: a 10mg/kg/day subcutaneous dose of CsA; 3) chlorhexidine: 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) was applied to the buccal surface of the right mandibular molars; and 4) cyclosporin A/chlorhexidine: a combination of the treatment described for cyclosporin A and chlorhexidine groups. The animals were fed a high sucrose diet during the experiment and were sacrificed after 14 and 21 days. The histometric analysis revealed a significant increase in buccal gingival area in the cyclosporin A group compared to other groups (P < 0.01) after 21 days. The epithelium thickness of the buccal gingiva was significantly increased in the cyclosporin A group, compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The cyclosporin A/chlorhexidine group exhibited statistically significantly lower gingival overgrowth than the cyclosporin A group. These findings, if replicated in human studies, suggest that topically applied 0.12% chlorhexidine may be a valuable measure in the management of cyclosporin-induced gingival overgrowth.

EFFECTS OF DIETARY-PROTEIN, ANGIOTENSIN-I CONVERTING-ENZYME INHIBITION AND MESANGIAL OVERLOAD ON THE PROGRESSION OF ADRIAMYCIN-INDUCED NEPHROPATHY

Adriamycin, a commonly used antineoplastic antibiotic, induces glomerular lesions in rats, resulting in persistent proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. We studied the effects of dietary protein and of an angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor on the progression of this nephropathy and the evolution of the histological lesions, as well as mesangial macromolecule flow. Adriamycin nephropathy was induced by injecting a single iv dose of adriamycin (3 mg/kg body weight) into the tail vein of male Wistar rats (weight, 180-200 g). In Experiment I animals with adriamycin-induced nephropathy were fed diets containing 6% (Low-Protein Diet Group = LPDG), 20% (Normal-Protein Diet Group = NPDG) and 40% (High-protein Diet Group = HPDG) protein and were observed for 30 weeks. In Experiment II the rats with adriamycin nephropathy were divided into 2 groups: ADR, that received adriamycin alone, and ADR-ENA, that received adriamycin plus enalapril, an angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor. The animals were sacrificed after a 24-week observation period. Six hours before sacrifice the animals were injected with I-131-ferritin and the amount of I-131-ferritin in the glomeruli was measured. In Experiment III, renal histology was performed 4, 8 and 16 weeks after adriamycin injection. At the end of Experiment I the tubulointerstitial lesion index was 2 for LPDG, 8 for NPDG, and 7.5 for HPDG (P<0.05); the frequency of glomerulosclerosis was 19 +/- 6.1% in LPDG, 42.6 +/- 6% in NPDG, and 54 +/- 9% in HPDG (P<0.05); and proteinuria was 61.1 +/- 25 mg/24 h in LPDG, 218.7 +/- 27.5 mg/24 h in NPDG, and 324.5 +/- 64.8 mg/24 h in HPDG (P<0.05). In Experiment II, at sacrifice, 24-h proteinuria was 189 +/- 16.1 mg in ADR, and 216 +/- 26.1 mg in ADR-ENA (P>0.05); the tubulointerstitial lesion index was 5 for ADR, and 5 for ADR-ENA (P>0.05); the frequency of glomerulosclerosis was 40 +/- 5.2% in ADR and 44 +/- 6% in ADR-ENA (P>0.05); the amount of I-131-ferritin in the mesangium was 214.26 +/- 22.71 cpm/mg protein in ADR and 253.77 +/- 69.72 cpm/mg protein in ADR-ENA (P>0.05). In Experiment III, sequential histological analysis revealed an acute tubulointerstitial cellular infiltrate at week 4, which was decreased at week 8. Tubular casts and dilatation were first seen at week 8 and increased at week 16 when few glomerular lesions were found. The results suggest that the tubulointerstitial lesions may play a role in the development of glomerulosclerosis in adriamycin-induced nephropathy.

Congenic strains reveal the effect of the renin gene on skeletal muscle angiogenesis induced by electrical stimulation

Previous studies have indicated the importance of angiotensin II (ANG II) in skeletal muscle angiogenesis. The present study explored the effect of regulation of the renin gene on angiogenesis induced by electrical stimulation with the use of physiological, pharmacological, and genetic manipulations of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Transfer of the entire chromosome 13, containing the physiologically regulated renin gene, from the normotensive inbred Brown Norway (BN) rat into the background of an inbred substrain of the Dahl salt-sensitive (SS/Mcwi) rat restored renin levels and the angiogenic response after electrical stimulation. This restored response was significantly attenuated when SS-13BN/Mcwi consomic rats were treated with lisinopril or high-salt diet. The role of ANG II on this effect was confirmed by the complete restoration of skeletal muscle angiogenesis in SS/Mcwi rats infused with subpressor doses of ANG II. Congenic strains derived from the SS-13BN/Mcwi consomic were used to further verify the role of the renin gene in this response. Microvessel density was markedly increased after stimulation in congenic strains that contained the renin gene from the BN rat (congenic lines A and D). This angiogenic response was suppressed in control strains that carried regions of the BN genome just above (congenic line C) or just below (congenic line B) the renin gene. The present study emphasizes the importance of maintaining normal renin regulation as well as ANG II levels during the angiogenesis process with a combination of physiological, genetic, and pharmacological manipulation of the RAS.

Metabolic adaptations induced by long-term fasting in quails

After up to 21 days without food, adult male quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) lost about 45% of the initial body weight (100-150 g). As in naturally fast-adapted and larger birds, three phases were identified during prolonged fasting in quails. Phase I lasted 2-3 days and was characterized by a rapid decrease in the rate of body weight loss and high fat mobilization. Phase II was longer and characterized by a slow and steady decline in the rates of body weight loss and of nitrogen excretion. The third (critical) period was marked by an abrupt increase in the rates of body weight loss and of nitrogen excretion. Despite their small size, the duration of phase II in quails was relatively long, a clear advantage for the study of the relationships between the several metabolic events that occur during this crucial adaptative period. Also, the beginning of phase III could be precisely determined. Changes in blood glucose, plasma FFA and triacylglycerols levels, as well as in liver and carcass lipid content were similar to those found in other species of birds. Therefore, quails seem to be a suitable model to investigate the biochemical mechanisms involved in the metabolic adjustments to prolonged food deprivation in non fasting-adapted birds. © 1995.

The influence of dietary vitamin C and E supplementation on the physiological response of pirarucu, Arapaima gigas, in net culture

This study evaluated the efficacy of dietary vitamin C (ascorbic acid or AA), vitamin E (α-tocopherol or α-T), and C + E supplementation on the blood parameters of Arapaima gigas grown in net cages for 45 days. Four treatments were tested: control (commercial feed); C800; E500 and C + E (800 + 500) with supplementation of 800 mg AA kg- 1, 500 mg α-T kg- 1 and 800 + 500 mg AA + α-T kg- 1, respectively. Hematocrit (Ht), red blood cells (RBC), and hemoglobin concentration (Hb) (oxidative status indicators), thrombocytes and leukocytes (immunological indicators), plasma protein and glucose were evaluated. Fish fed vitamin C and C + E supplemented diets showed greater weight gain and survival. Dietary vitamin C and C + E diet supplementation resulted in increased Ht, Hb, RBC, MCHC, total leukocytes, total proteins, thrombocytes and eosinophils compared to the control and α-T. The α-tocopherol-supplemented diet reduced the number of total thrombocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils and increased glucose and eosinophils relatively to the control. In general, leukocytes and thrombocytes were good indicators of the efficiency of vitamin on the defense mechanism of the A. gigas reared in cages. Results indicate that high α-T diet supplementation provides no benefit for the maintenance of the oxidative or the immunological status of A. gigas. However, it was demonstrated that high dietary AA improves A. gigas immunological status. Red blood cell indices and immune system indicators showed no synergistic effect between the vitamins after supplementing the A. gigas diet with α-T + AA. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Infrared thermography applied to the evaluation of metabolic heat loss of chicks fed with different energy densities

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

Effects of corn replacement by sorghum in broiler diets on performance and intestinal mucosa integrity

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influência do treinamento aeróbio periodizado em natação com ratos induzidos à obesidade exógena: estudo histomorfométrico do tecido cardíaco

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Proposta de modelo experimental para o estudo da síndrome metabólica

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Caracterização do modelo B6D2F1 para obesidade, diabetes e síndrome metabólica e sua potencialidade para terapia celular em lesão aguda

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