Lactato sanguíneo como indicador precoce de prognóstico em emergência

Foram avaliados no Hospital Veterinário da Arrábida (HVA) em Azeitão, entre o período de 1 de Outubro de 2010 a 28 de Fevereiro de 2011, 64 animais em emergência, dos quais 21 pertenciam à espécie felina e 43 à espécie canina. Procedeu-se à medição dos níveis de lactato sérico tipo A durante a triagem nos 64 animais, com o objectivo de se estabelecer uma correlação com o prognóstico. Todos os animais entraram com o Síndrome de Resposta Inflamatória Sistémica (SRIS) e alguns apresentaram Sepsis. Da análise da população total, observou-se que para níveis de lactato sanguíneo entre os 2,5 e os 5 mmol/L, a taxa de mortalidade foi de 4%, já para níveis de lactato entre os 5 e os 7 mmol/L esta subiu para os 25 % e finalmente para níveis de lactato maiores que 7 mmol/L a taxa de mortalidade atingiu os 72%. A morbilidade foi definida com base na média do número de dias de internamento e complicações associadas de cada animal, sendo que para níveis de lactato entre os 0 e 2,5 mmol/L a espécie canina apresentou 2 dias e a felina apresentou 0, uma vez que não houve casos. Para níveis de lactato sanguíneo entre os 2,5 e 5 mmol/L os cães exibiram 2,3 e os gatos 2,8 dias. Entre 5 e 7 mmol/L os cães exibiram 3dias e os gatos 3,6. Para níveis séricos maiores que 7 mmol/L os cães apresentaram 6,1 dias enquanto que os gatos exibiram 4,3.

Lipid metabolism in women

Differences in whole-body lipid metabolism between men and women are indicated by lower-body fat accumulation in women but more marked accumulation of fat in the intra-abdominal visceral fat depots of men. Circulating blood lipid concentrations also show gender-related differences. These differences are most marked in premenopausal women, in whom total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations are lower and HDL-cholesterol concentration is higher than in men. Tendency to accumulate body fat in intra-abdominal fat stores is linked to increased risk of CVD, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and other insulin-resistant states. Differential regional regulation of adipose tissue lipolysis and lipogenesis must underlie gender-related differences in the tendency to accumulate fat in specific fat depots. However, empirical data to support current hypotheses remain limited at the present time because of the demanding and specialist nature of the methods used to study adipose tissue metabolism in human subjects. In vitro and in vivo data show greater lipolytic sensitivity of abdominal subcutaneous fat and lesser lipolytic sensitivity of femoral and gluteal subcutaneous fat in women than in men. These differences appear to be due to fewer inhibitory alpha adrenergic receptors in abdominal regions and greater a adrenergic receptors in gluteal and femoral regions in women than in men. There do not appear to be major gender-related differences in rates of fatty acid uptake (lipogenesis) in different subcutaneous adipose tissue regions. In visceral fat rates of both lipolysis and lipogenesis appear to be greater in men than in women; higher rates of lipolysis may be due to fewer alpha adrenergic receptors in this fat depot in men. Fatty acid uptake into this depot in the postprandial period is approximately 7-fold higher in men than in women. Triacylglycerol concentrations appear to be a stronger cardiovascular risk factor in women than in men, with particular implications for cardiovascular risk in diabetic women. The increased triacylglycerol concentrations observed in women taking hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) may explain the paradoxical findings of increased rates of CVD in women taking HRT that have been reported from recent primary and secondary prevention trials of HRT.

Effect of dietary vitamin A restriction on marbling and conjugated-linoleic acid (CLA) content in Holstein steers

To determine the effect of duration of dietary vitamin A restriction on site of fat deposition in growing cattle, 60 Holstein steers (BW = 218.4 ± 6.55 kg) were fed a diet based on high-moisture corn with 2,200 IU supplemental vitamin A/kg DM (C) or no supplemental vitamin A for a long (243 d; LR) or short (131 d; SR) restriction prior to harvest at 243 d. The SR steers were fed the C diet for the first 112 d. Steers were penned individually and fed for ad libitum intake. Jugular vein blood samples for serum retinol analysis were collected on d 1, 112, and 243. Carcass samples were collected for composition analysis. Subcutaneous fat samples were collected for fatty acid composition. Fat samples from the i.m. and s.c. depot were collected to measure adipocyte size and density. Feedlot performance (ADG, DMI, and G:F) was not affected (P > 0.05) by vitamin A restriction. On d 243, the i.m. fat content of the LM was 33% greater (P < 0.05) for LR than for SR and C steers (5.6 vs. 3.9 and 4.2% ether extract, respectively). Depth of back fat and KPH percentage were not affected (P = 0.44 and 0.80, respectively) by vitamin A restriction. Carcass weight, composition of edible carcass, and yield grade were similar among treatments (P > 0.10). Liver retinol (LR = 6.1, SR = 6.5, and C = 44.7 µg/g; P < 0.01) was reduced in LR and SR vs. C steers. On d 243, LR and SR steers had similar serum retinol concentrations, and these were lower (P < 0.01) than those of C steers (LR = 21.2, SR = 25.2, and C = 36.9 µg/dL). Intramuscular adipose cellularity (adipocyte/mm2 and mean adipocyte diameter) on d 112 and d 243 was not affected (P > 0.10) by vitamin A restriction. Restricting vitamin A intake for 243 d increased i.m fat percentage without affecting s.c. or visceral fat deposition, feedlot performance, or carcass weight. Restricting vitamin A intake for 131 d at the end of the finishing period appears to be insufficient to affect the site of fat deposition in Holstein steers.

Technologies for biological containment of GM and Non-GM crops

International Perspective The development of GM technology continues to expand into increasing numbers of crops and conferred traits. Inevitably, the focus remains on the major field crops of soybean, maize, cotton, oilseed rape and potato with introduced genes conferring herbicide tolerance and/or pest resistance. Although there are comparatively few GM crops that have been commercialised to date, GM versions of 172 plant species have been grown in field trials in 31 countries. European Crops with Containment Issues Of the 20 main crops in the EU there are four for which GM varieties are commercially available (cotton, maize for animal feed and forage, and oilseed rape). Fourteen have GM varieties in field trials (bread wheat, barley, durum wheat, sunflower, oats, potatoes, sugar beet, grapes, alfalfa, olives, field peas, clover, apples, rice) and two have GM varieties still in development (rye, triticale). Many of these crops have hybridisation potential with wild and weedy relatives in the European flora (bread wheat, barley, oilseed rape, durum wheat, oats, sugar beet and grapes), with escapes (sunflower); and all have potential to cross-pollinate fields non-GM crops. Several fodder crops, forestry trees, grasses and ornamentals have varieties in field trials and these too may hybridise with wild relatives in the European flora (alfalfa, clover, lupin, silver birch, sweet chestnut, Norway spruce, Scots pine, poplar, elm, Agrostis canina, A. stolonifera, Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perenne, L. multiflorum, statice and rose). All these crops will require containment strategies to be in place if it is deemed necessary to prevent transgene movement to wild relatives and non-GM crops. Current Containment Strategies A wide variety of GM containment strategies are currently under development, with a particular focus on crops expressing pharmaceutical products. Physical containment in greenhouses and growth rooms is suitable for some crops (tomatoes, lettuce) and for research purposes. Aquatic bioreactors of some non-crop species (algae, moss, and duckweed) expressing pharmaceutical products have been adopted by some biotechnology companies. There are obvious limitations of the scale of physical containment strategies, addressed in part by the development of large underground facilities in the US and Canada. The additional resources required to grow plants underground incurs high costs that in the long term may negate any advantage of GM for commercial productioNatural genetic containment has been adopted by some companies through the selection of either non-food/feed crops (algae, moss, duckweed) as bio-pharming platforms or organisms with no wild relatives present in the local flora (safflower in the Americas). The expression of pharmaceutical products in leafy crops (tobacco, alfalfa, lettuce, spinach) enables growth and harvesting prior to and in the absence of flowering. Transgenically controlled containment strategies range in their approach and degree of development. Plastid transformation is relatively well developed but is not suited to all traits or crops and does not offer complete containment. Male sterility is well developed across a range of plants but has limitations in its application for fruit/seed bearing crops. It has been adopted in some commercial lines of oilseed rape despite not preventing escape via seed. Conditional lethality can be used to prevent flowering or seed development following the application of a chemical inducer, but requires 100% induction of the trait and sufficient application of the inducer to all plants. Equally, inducible expression of the GM trait requires equally stringent application conditions. Such a method will contain the trait but will allow the escape of a non-functioning transgene. Seed lethality (‘terminator’ technology) is the only strategy at present that prevents transgene movement via seed, but due to public opinion against the concept it has never been trialled in the field and is no longer under commercial development. Methods to control flowering and fruit development such as apomixis and cleistogamy will prevent crop-to-wild and wild-to-crop pollination, but in nature both of these strategies are complex and leaky. None of the genes controlling these traits have as yet been identified or characterised and therefore have not been transgenically introduced into crop species. Neither of these strategies will prevent transgene escape via seed and any feral apomicts that form are arguably more likely to become invasives. Transgene mitigation reduces the fitness of initial hybrids and so prevents stable introgression of transgenes into wild populations. However, it does not prevent initial formation of hybrids or spread to non-GM crops. Such strategies could be detrimental to wild populations and have not yet been demonstrated in the field. Similarly, auxotrophy prevents persistence of escapes and hybrids containing the transgene in an uncontrolled environment, but does not prevent transgene movement from the crop. Recoverable block of function, intein trans-splicing and transgene excision all use recombinases to modify the transgene in planta either to induce expression or to prevent it. All require optimal conditions and 100% accuracy to function and none have been tested under field conditions as yet. All will contain the GM trait but all will allow some non-native DNA to escape to wild populations or to non-GM crops. There are particular issues with GM trees and grasses as both are largely undomesticated, wind pollinated and perennial, thus providing many opportunities for hybridisation. Some species of both trees and grass are also capable of vegetative propagation without sexual reproduction. There are additional concerns regarding the weedy nature of many grass species and the long-term stability of GM traits across the life span of trees. Transgene stability and conferred sterility are difficult to trial in trees as most field trials are only conducted during the juvenile phase of tree growth. Bio-pharming of pharmaceutical and industrial compounds in plants Bio-pharming of pharmaceutical and industrial compounds in plants offers an attractive alternative to mammalian-based pharmaceutical and vaccine production. Several plantbased products are already on the market (Prodigene’s avidin, β-glucuronidase, trypsin generated in GM maize; Ventria’s lactoferrin generated in GM rice). Numerous products are in clinical trials (collagen, antibodies against tooth decay and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from tobacco; human gastric lipase, therapeutic enzymes, dietary supplements from maize; Hepatitis B and Norwalk virus vaccines from potato; rabies vaccines from spinach; dietary supplements from Arabidopsis). The initial production platforms for plant-based pharmaceuticals were selected from conventional crops, largely because an established knowledge base already existed. Tobacco and other leafy crops such as alfalfa, lettuce and spinach are widely used as leaves can be harvested and no flowering is required. Many of these crops can be grown in contained greenhouses. Potato is also widely used and can also be grown in contained conditions. The introduction of morphological markers may aid in the recognition and traceability of crops expressing pharmaceutical products. Plant cells or plant parts may be transformed and maintained in culture to produce recombinant products in a contained environment. Plant cells in suspension or in vitro, roots, root cells and guttation fluid from leaves may be engineered to secrete proteins that may be harvested in a continuous, non-destructive manner. Most strategies in this category remain developmental and have not been commercially adopted at present. Transient expression produces GM compounds from non-GM plants via the utilisation of bacterial or viral vectors. These vectors introduce the trait into specific tissues of whole plants or plant parts, but do not insert them into the heritable genome. There are some limitations of scale and the field release of such crops will require the regulation of the vector. However, several companies have several transiently expressed products in clinical and pre-clinical trials from crops raised in physical containment.

Effect of dietary supplementation with selenium-enriched yeast or sodium selenite on selenium tissue distribution and meat quality in commercial-line turkeys

The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of total selenium (Se) and proportions of total Se comprised as selenomethionine (SeMet) and selenocysteine (SeCys) in the tissues of female turkeys offered diets containing graded additions of selenized-enriched yeast (SY), or sodium selenite (SS). Oxidative stability and tissue glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity of breast and thigh muscle were assessed at 0 and 10 days post mortem. A total of 216 female turkey poults were enrolled in the study. A total of 24 birds were euthanized at the start of the study and samples of blood, breast, thigh, heart, liver, kidney and gizzard were collected for determination of total Se. Remaining birds were blocked by live weight and randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments(n548 birds/treatment) that differed either in Se source (SY v. SS) or dose (Con [0.2 mg/kg total Se], SY-L and SS-L [0.3mg/kg total Se as SY and SS, respectively] and SY-H [0.45mg total Se/kg]). Following 42 and 84 days of treatment 24 birds per treatment were euthanized and samples of blood, breast, thigh, heart, liver, kidney and gizzard were retained for determination of total Se and the proportion of total Se comprised as SeMet or SeCys. Whole blood GSH-Px activity was determined at each time point. Tissue GSH-Px activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were determined in breast and thigh tissue at the end of the study. There were responses (P,0.001) in all tissues to the graded addition of dietary Se, although rates of accumulation were highest in birds offered SY. There were notable differences between tissue types and treatments in the distribution of SeMet and SeCys, and the activity of tissue and erythrocyte GSH-Px (P,0.05). SeCys was the predominant form of Se in visceral tissue and SeMet the predominant form in breast tissue. SeCys contents were greater in thigh when compared with breast tissue. Muscle tissue GSH-Px activities mirrored SeCys contents. Despite treatment differences in tissue GSH-Px activity, there were no effects of treatment on any meat quality parameter.

Return of the 'Angry Woman': authenticating female physical action in contemporary cinema

In 1999, Elizabeth Hills pointed up the challenges that physically active women on film still posed, in cultural terms, and in relation to certain branches of feminist theory . Since then, a remarkable number of emphatically active female heroes have appeared on screen, from 'Charlie’s Angels' to 'Resident Evil', 'Aeon Flux', and the 'Matrix' and 'X-Men' trilogies. Nevertheless, in a contemporary Western culture frequently characterised as postfeminist, these seem to be the ‘acceptable face’ – and body – of female empowerment: predominantly white, heterosexual, often scantily clad, with the traditional hero’s toughness and resolve re-imagined in terms of gender-biased notions of decorum: grace and dignity alongside perfect hair and make-up, and a body that does not display unsightly markers of physical exertion. The homogeneity of these representations is worth investigating in relation to critical claims that valorise such air-brushed, high-kicking 'action babes' for their combination of sexiness and strength, and the feminist and postfeminist discourses that are refracted through such readings. Indeed, this arguably ‘safe’ set of depictions, dovetailing so neatly with certain postfeminist notions of ‘having it all’, suppresses particular kinds of spectacles in relation to the active female body: images of physical stress and extension, biological consequences of violence and dangerous motivations are all absent. I argue that the untidy female exertions refused in popular “action babe” representations are now erupting into view in a number of other contemporaneous movies – 'Kill Bill' Vols 1 & 2, 'Monster', and 'Hard Candy' – that mark the return of that which is repressed in the mainstream vision of female power – that is, a more viscerally realistic physicality, rage and aggression. As such, these films engage directly with the issue of how to represent violent female agency. This chapter explores what is at stake at a representational level and in terms of spectatorial processes of identification in the return of this particularly visceral rendering of the female avenger.

Mast cell tryptase and proteinase-activated receptor 2 induce hyperexcitability of guinea-pig submucosal neurons

Mast cells that are in close proximity to autonomic and enteric nerves release several mediators that cause neuronal hyperexcitability. This study examined whether mast cell tryptase evokes acute and long-term hyperexcitability in submucosal neurons from the guinea-pig ileum by activating proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) on these neurons. We detected the expression of PAR2 in the submucosal plexus using RT-PCR. Most submucosal neurons displayed PAR2 immunoreactivity, including those colocalizing VIP. Brief (minutes) application of selective PAR2 agonists, including trypsin, the activating peptide SL-NH2 and mast cell tryptase, evoked depolarizations of the submucosal neurons, as measured with intracellular recording techniques. The membrane potential returned to resting values following washout of agonists, but most neurons were hyperexcitable for the duration of recordings (> 30 min-hours) and exhibited an increased input resistance and amplitude of fast EPSPs. Trypsin, in the presence of soybean trypsin inhibitor, and the reverse sequence of the activating peptide (LR-NH2) had no effect on neuronal membrane potential or long-term excitability. Degranulation of mast cells in the presence of antagonists of established excitatory mast cell mediators (histamine, 5-HT, prostaglandins) also caused depolarization, and following washout of antigen, long-term excitation was observed. Mast cell degranulation resulted in the release of proteases, which desensitized neurons to other agonists of PAR2. Our results suggest that proteases from degranulated mast cells cleave PAR2 on submucosal neurons to cause acute and long-term hyperexcitability. This signalling pathway between immune cells and neurons is a previously unrecognized mechanism that could contribute to chronic alterations in visceral function.

Effect of polymorphisms in the PPARGC1A gene on body fat in Asian Indians

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether polymorphisms in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PPARGC1A) gene were related to body fat in Asian Indians. METHODS: Three polymorphisms of PPARGC1A gene, the Thr394Thr, Gly482Ser and +A2962G, were genotyped on 82 type 2 diabetic and 82 normal glucose tolerant (NGT) subjects randomly chosen from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study using PCR-RFLP, and the nature of the variants were confirmed using direct sequencing. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was estimated from the estimates of haplotypic frequencies using an expectation-maximization algorithm. Visceral, subcutaneous and total abdominal fat were measured using computed tomography, whereas dual X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure central abdominal and total body fat. RESULTS: None of the three polymorphisms studied were in LD. The genotype (0.59 vs 0.32, P=0.001) and allele (0.30 vs 0.17, P=0.007) frequencies of Thr394Thr polymorphism were significantly higher in type 2 diabetic subjects compared to those in NGT subjects. The odds ratio for diabetes (adjusted for age, sex and body mass index) for the susceptible genotype, XA (GA+AA) of Thr394Thr polymorphism, was 2.53 (95% confidence intervals: 1.30-5.04, P=0.009). Visceral and subcutaneous fat were significantly higher in NGT subjects with XA genotype of the Thr394Thr polymorphism compared to those with GG genotype (visceral fat: XA 148.2+/-46.9 vs GG 106.5+/-51.9 cm(2), P=0.001; subcutaneous fat: XA 271.8+/-167.1 vs GG 181.5+/-78.5 cm(2), P=0.001). Abdominal (XA 4521.9+/-1749.6 vs GG 3445.2+/-1443.4 g, P=0.004), central abdominal (XA 1689.0+/-524.0 vs GG 1228.5+/-438.7 g, P<0.0001) and non-abdominal fat (XA 18763.8+/-8789.4 vs GG 13160.4+/-4255.3 g, P<0.0001) were also significantly higher in the NGT subjects with XA genotype compared to those with GG genotype. The Gly482Ser and +A2962G polymorphisms were not associated with any of the body fat measures. CONCLUSION: Among Asian Indians, the Thr394Thr (G --> A) polymorphism is associated with increased total, visceral and subcutaneous body fat.

Endocannabinoids, FOXO and the metabolic syndrome: redox, function and tipping point--the view from two systems

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) was only 'discovered' in the 1990s. Since then, many new ligands have been identified, as well as many new intracellular targets--ranging from the PPARs, to mitochondria, to lipid rafts. It was thought that blocking the CB-1 receptor might reverse obesity and the metabolic syndrome. This was based on the idea that the ECS was dysfunctional in these conditions. This has met with limited success. The reason may be that the ECS is a homeostatic system, which integrates energy seeking and storage behaviour with resistance to oxidative stress. It could be viewed as having thrifty actions. Thriftiness is an innate property of life, which is programmed to a set point by both environment and genetics, resulting in an epigenotype perfectly adapted to its environment. This thrifty set point can be modulated by hormetic stimuli, such as exercise, cold and plant micronutrients. We have proposed that the physiological and protective insulin resistance that underlies thriftiness encapsulates something called 'redox thriftiness', whereby insulin resistance is determined by the ability to resist oxidative stress. Modern man has removed most hormetic stimuli and replaced them with a calorific sedentary lifestyle, leading to increased risk of metabolic inflexibility. We suggest that there is a tipping point where lipotoxicity in adipose and hepatic cells induces mild inflammation, which switches thrifty insulin resistance to inflammation-driven insulin resistance. To understand this, we propose that the metabolic syndrome could be seen from the viewpoint of the ECS, the mitochondrion and the FOXO group of transcription factors. FOXO has many thrifty actions, including increasing insulin resistance and appetite, suppressing oxidative stress and shifting the organism towards using fatty acids. In concert with factors such as PGC-1, they also modify mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Hence, the ECS and FOXO may interact at many points; one of which may be via intracellular redox signalling. As cannabinoids have been shown to modulate reactive oxygen species production, it is possible that they can upregulate anti-oxidant defences. This suggests they may have an 'endohormetic' signalling function. The tipping point into the metabolic syndrome may be the result of a chronic lack of hormetic stimuli (in particular, physical activity), and thus, stimulus for PGC-1, with a resultant reduction in mitochondrial function and a reduced lipid capacitance. This, in the context of a positive calorie environment, will result in increased visceral adipose tissue volume, abnormal ectopic fat content and systemic inflammation. This would worsen the inflammatory-driven pathological insulin resistance and inability to deal with lipids. The resultant oxidative stress may therefore drive a compensatory anti-oxidative response epitomised by the ECS and FOXO. Thus, although blocking the ECS (e.g. via rimonabant) may induce temporary weight loss, it may compromise long-term stress resistance. Clues about how to modulate the system more safely are emerging from observations that some polyphenols, such as resveratrol and possibly, some phytocannabinoids, can modulate mitochondrial function and might improve resistance to a modern lifestyle.

Mechanisms of protease-activated receptor 2-evoked hyperexcitability of nociceptive neurons innervating the mouse colon

Agonists of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR(2)) evoke hyperexcitability of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons by unknown mechanisms. We examined the cellular mechanisms underlying PAR(2)-evoked hyperexcitability of mouse colonic DRG neurons to determine their potential role in pain syndromes such as visceral hyperalgesia. Colonic DRG neurons were identified by injecting Fast Blue and DiI retrograde tracers into the mouse colon. Using immunofluorescence, we found that DiI-labelled neurons contained PAR(2) immunoreactivity, confirming the presence of receptors on colonic neurons. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings of acutely dissociated neurons demonstrated that PAR(2) activation with a brief application (3 min) of PAR(2) agonists, SLIGRL-NH(2) and trypsin, evoked sustained depolarizations (up to 60 min) which were associated with increased input resistance and a marked reduction in rheobase (50% at 30 min). In voltage clamp, SLIGRL-NH(2) markedly suppressed delayed rectifier I(K) currents (55% at 10 min), but had no effect on the transient I(A) current or TTX-resistant Na(+) currents. In whole-cell current-clamp recordings, the sustained excitability evoked by PAR(2) activation was blocked by the PKC inhibitor, calphostin, and the ERK(1/2) inhibitor PD98059. Studies of ERK(1/2) phosphorylation using confocal microscopy demonstrated that SLIGRL-NH(2) increased levels of immunoreactive pERK(1/2) in DRG neurons, particularly in proximity to the plasma membrane. Thus, activation of PAR(2) receptors on colonic nociceptive neurons causes sustained hyperexcitability that is related, at least in part, to suppression of delayed rectifier I(K) currents. Both PKC and ERK(1/2) mediate the PAR(2)-induced hyperexcitability. These studies describe a novel mechanism of sensitization of colonic nociceptive neurons that may be implicated in conditions of visceral hyperalgesia such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Traditional medicine use by cancer patients in Thailand

Ethnobotanical relevance Cancer patients commonly use traditional medicines (TM) and in Thailand these are popular for both self-medication and as prescribed by TM practitioners, and are rarely monitored. A study was conducted at Wat Khampramong, a Thai Buddhist temple herbal medicine hospice, to document some of these practices as well as the hospice regime. Materials and methods Cancer patients (n=286) were surveyed shortly after admission as to which TMs they had previously taken and perceptions of effects experienced. They were also asked to describe their current symptoms. Treatment at the hospice is built upon an 11-herb anti-cancer formula, yod-ya-mareng, prescribed for all patients, and ideally, its effects would have been evaluated. However other herbal medicines and holistic practices are integral to the regime, so instead we attempted to assess the value of the patients׳ stay at the hospice by measuring any change in symptom burden, as they perceived it. Surviving patients (n=270) were therefore asked to describe their symptoms again just before leaving. Results 42% of patients (120/286; 95% CI 36.4%, 47.8%) had used herbal medicines before their arrival, with 31.7% (38/120; 95% CI 24%, 40.4%) using several at once. Mixed effects were reported for these products. After taking the herbal regime at Khampramong, 77% (208/270 95% CI; 71.7%, 81.7%) reported benefit, and a comparison of the incidence of the most common (pain, dyspepsia, abdominal or visceral pain, insomnia, fatigue) showed statistical significance (χ2 57.1, df 7, p<0.001). Conclusions A wide range of TMs is taken by cancer patients in Thailand and considered to provide more benefit than harm, and this perception extends to the temple regime. Patients reported a significant reduction in symptoms after staying at Khampramong, indicating an improvement in quality of life, the aim of hospices everywhere. Based on this evidence, it is not possible to justify the use of TM for cancer in general, but this study suggests that further research is warranted. The uncontrolled use of TMs, many of which are uncharacterised, raises concerns, and this work also highlights the fact that validated, robust methods of assessing holistic medical regimes are urgently needed.

Food geographies I: relational foodscapes and the busy-ness of being more-than-food

The study of foodscapes has spread throughout geography at the same time as food scholarship has spearheaded post-disciplinary research. This report argues that geographers have taken to post-disciplinarity to explore the ways that food is ‘more-than-food’ through analyses of the visceral nature of eating and politics and the vital (re)materializations of food’s cultural geographies. Visceral food geographies illuminate what I call the ‘contingent relationalities’ of food in the critical evaluation of the indeterminate, situated politics of ‘feeling food’ and those of the embodied collectivities of obesity. Questions remain, however, about how a visceral framework might be deployed for broader critiques within foodscapes and the study of human geography. The study of food’s vital materialisms opens up investigation into the practices of the ‘makings’ of meat, food waste and eating networks. Analysis of affect, embodiment and cultural practices is central to these theorizations and suggests consideration of the multiple materialisms of food, space and eating. There is, I contend, in the more radical, ‘post-relational’ approaches to food, the need for a note of caution. Exuberant claims for the ontological, vital agency of food should be tempered by, or at least run parallel to, critical questions of the real politik of political and practical agency in light of recent struggles over austerity, food poverty and food justice.

Retinoid-Related Receptor (ROR) alpha mRNA Expression Is Altered in the Brain of Male Mice Lacking All Ligand-Binding Thyroid Hormone Receptor (TR) Isoforms

In the vertebrate brain, the thalamus serves as a relay and integration station for diverse neuronal information en route from the periphery to the cortex. Deficiency of TH during development results in severe cerebral abnormalities similar to those seen in the mouse when the retinoic acid receptor (ROR)α gene is disrupted. To investigate the effect of the thyroid hormone recep-tors (TRs) on RORalpha gene expression, we used intact male mice, in which the genes encoding the α and beta TRs have been deleted. In situ hybridization for RORalpha mRNA revealed that this gene is expressed in specific areas of the brain including the thalamus, pons, cerebellum, cortex, and hippocampus. Our quantitative data showed differences in RORalpha mRNA expression in different subthalamic nuclei between wild-type and knock-out mice. For example, the centromedial nucleus of the thalamus, which plays a role in mediating nociceptive and visceral information from the brainstem to the basal ganglia and cortical regions, has less expression of RORalpha mRNA in the knockout mice (-37%) compared to the wild-type controls. Also, in the dorsal geniculate (+72%) and lateral posterior nuclei (+58%) we found more RORalpha mRNA in dKO as compared to dWT animals. Such differences in RORalpha mRNA expression may play a role in the behavioral alterations resulting from congenital hypothyroidism.

Detection of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum RNA in fleas and ticks collected from naturally infected dogs

The occurrence of the insect vector (sand flies) with low rates of Leishmania infection, as well as autochthonous transmission in the absence of the natural vector in dogs, have been reported. These unexpected data suggest a hypothesis of other arthropods as a possible way of Leishmania transmission. The prevalence of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in fleas and ticks collected from dogs with canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL), as well as parasite viability, were evaluated herein. The presence of L. (L.) infantum was assayed by PCR and ELISA in ectoparasites and biological samples from 73 dogs living in a Brazilian endemic area. As the occurrence of Leishmania DNA in ticks and fleas is expected given their blood-feeding habits, we next investigated whether parasites can remain viable inside ticks. PCR and ELISA confirmed that 83% of the dogs had CVL. Fleas and ticks (nymphs, male and female adults) were collected in 55% and 63% of the 73 dogs, respectively. Out of the 60 dogs with CVL, 80% harbored ectoparasites infected with L. (L.) infantum. The infection rates of the ectoparasites were 23% and 50% for fleas and ticks, respectively. The RNA analysis of the extract from ticks left in laboratory conditions during 7 to 10 days after removal from CVL dogs showed that parasites were alive. In addition, live parasites were also detected inside adult ticks recently molted in laboratory conditions. These findings indicate a higher infection rate of L. (L.) infantum in ticks and fleas, but they do not conclusively demonstrate whether these ticks can act as vectors of CVL, despite the fact that their rates were higher than those previously described in Lutzomyia longipalpis. The presence of viable L. (L.) infantum in ticks suggests the possible importance of dog ectoparasites in CVL dissemination.

Species-specific identification of Leishmania in naturally infected sand flies captured in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

An increase in cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis cases has been reported in recent years in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and little is known to date about their etiological agents. An investigation into natural Leishmania infection of sand flies captured in this state between December 2003 and August 2004 was carried out. Mini-exon sequences were used as targets to identify Leishmania, and an RFLP technique was employed for those identified as belonging to the Viannia subgenus. Calculation of the minimal infection rate (MR) revealed that 1.6% of sand flies captured in the forest, peridomicile and intradomicile were positive. Six species were found to be infected by Leishmania (V.) braziliensis. Interestingly, two of the six species. Lutzomyia longipalpis and Nyssomyia whitmani, were captured in anthropic environments. The findings of this study constitute a useful tool for planning control measures against this disease in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.