Effect of fermented soy product on the fecal microbiota of rats fed on a beef-based animal diet

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

Evaluation of the elevated T-maze as an animal model of anxiety in the mouse

The elevated T-maze has been developed as an animal model of anxiety to generate both conditioned and unconditioned fears in the same rat. This study explores a version of the elevated T-maze fit for mice. Inhibitory (passive) avoidance-conditioned fear-is measured by recording the latency to leave the enclosed arm during three consecutive trials. One-way escape-unconditioned fear-is measured by recording the time to withdraw from open arms. The results showed that mice do not appear to acquire inhibitory avoidance in the standard T-maze, since their latencies to leave enclosed arm did not increase along trials. Nevertheless, the open arms seemed to be aversive for mice, because the latency to leave the enclosed arm after the first trial was lower in a T-maze with the three enclosed arms than in the standard elevated T-maze, In agreement, the exposure of mice to an elevated T-maze without shield, that reduces the perception of openness, increased significantly the latencies to leave the enclosed arm, However, the absence of the shield also increased the time taken to leave the open arms when compared to that recorded in standard T-maze. Systematic observation of behavioral items in the enclosed arm has shown that risk assessment behavior decreases along trials while freezing increases. In the open arms, freezing did not appear to influence the high latency to leave this compartment, since mice spend only about 8% of their time exhibiting this behavior, These results suggest that mice acquire inhibitory avoidance of the open arms by decreasing and increasing time in risk assessment and freezing, respectively, along three consecutive trials, However, one-way escape could not be characterized. Therefore, there are important differences between mice (present results) and rats (previously reported results) in the performance of behavioral tasks in the elevated T-maze. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V.

Molecular typing and virulence markers of Yersinia enterocolitica strains from human, animal and food origins isolated between 1968 and 2000 in Brazil

Molecular typing and virulence markers were used to evaluate the genetic profiles and virulence potential of 106 Yersinia enterocolitica strains. of these strains, 71 were bio-serotype 4/O: 3, isolated from human and animal clinical material, and 35 were of biotype 1 A or 2 and of diverse serotypes, isolated from food in Brazil between 1968 and 2000. Drug resistance was also investigated. All the strains were resistant to three or more drugs. The isolates showed a virulence-related phenotype in the aesculin, pyrazinamidase and salicin tests, except for the food isolates, only two of which were positive for these tests. For the other phenotypic virulence determinants (autoagglutination, Ca++ dependence and Congo red absorption), the strains showed a diverse behaviour. The inv, ail and ystA genes were detected in all human and animal strains, while all the food isolates were positive for inv, and 3% of them positive for ail and ystA. The presence of virF was variable in the three groups of strains. The strains were better discriminated by PFGE than by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR). A higher genomic similarity was observed among the 4/O: 3 strains, isolated from human and animal isolates, than among the food strains, with the exception of two food strains possessing the virulence genes and grouped close to the 4/O: 3 strains by ERIC-PCR. Unusually, the results revealed the virulence potential of a bio-serotype 1 A/O: 10 strain, suggesting that food contaminated with Y. enterocolitica biotype 1 A may cause infection. This also suggests that ERIC-PCR may be used as a tool to reveal clues about the virulence potential of Y. enterocolitica strains. Furthermore, the results also support the hypothesis that animals may act as reservoirs of Y. enterocolitica for human infections in Brazil, an epidemiological aspect that has not been investigated in this country, confirming data from other parts of the world.

Caracterização comportamental e distribuição de neurônios inibitórios em um modelo animal de autismo induzido por ácido valpróico

Autism comprises a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders that affects the brain maturation and produces sensorial, motor, language and social interaction deficits in early childhood. Several studies have shown a major involvement of genetic factors leading to a predisposition to autism, which are possibly affected by environmental modulators during embryonic and post-natal life. Recent studies in animal models indicate that alterations in epigenetic control during development can generate neuronal maturation disturbances and produce a hyper-excitable circuit, resulting in typical symptoms of autism. In the animal model of autism induced by valproic acid (VPA) during rat pregnancy, behavioral, electrophysiological and cellular alterations have been reported which can also be observed in patients with autism. However, only a few studies have correlated behavioral alterations with the supposed neuronal hyper-excitability in this model. The aim of this project was to generate an animal model of autism by pre-natal exposure to VPA and evaluate the early post-natal development and pre-puberal (PND30) behavior in the offspring. Furthermore, we quantified the parvalbumin-positive neuronal distribution in the medial prefrontal cortex and Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of VPA animals. Our results show that VPA treatment induced developmental alterations, which were observed in behavioral changes as compared to vehicle-treated controls. VPA animals showed clear behavioral abnormalities such as hyperlocomotion, prolonged stereotipies and reduced social interaction with an unfamiliar mate. Cellular quantification revealed a decrease in the number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the anterior cingulate cortex and in the prelimbic cortex of the mPFC, suggesting an excitatory/inhibitory unbalance in this animal model of autism. Moreover, we also observed that the neuronal reduction occurred mainly in the cortical layers II/III and V/VI. We did not detect any change in the density of Purkinje neurons in the Crus I region of the cerebellar cortex. Together, our results strengthens the face validity of the VPA model in rats and shed light on specific changes in the inhibitory circuitry of the prefrontal cortex in this autism model. Further studies should address the challenges to clarify particular electrophysiological correlates of the cellular alterations in order to better understand the behavioral dysfunctions

Aspectos anatômicos do olho e neuroquímicos da retina do mocó (Kerodon rupestris)

The visual system is an important link between the animal and the environment, com profound influences on the habits and lifestyle in various habitats. Adaptive mechanismsto the temporal niche are present in the visual system of many vertebrates, involving changins in ocular dimensios and design, retinal cell distribution and organization of neurochemical circuits related to the retinal resolution or sensitivity. The sensory system of the eye is represented by the retina, whose organization is responsible by receipty, initial analysis, and transmission of the information to the brain. The knowledge of the position of the eyes in the head and the distribution of retinal cells allow to identify adaptive aspects of each species to its visual field, which is characteristic to the ecological niche it occupies. In this research, we study eye anatomical characteristics and retina neurochemical features of the rock cavy (Kerodon rupestris), a tipical Brazilian rodent from the suborder Hystricomorpha, family Caviidae. The rock cavy has lateral eyes well constitute bony orbit and well differentiated extrinsic muscle. The study of the descriptive and morphometric anatomy of the showed mean values of axial diameter 10.7±0,5mm and equatorial diameter 11.6±0.7mm. The pupil is slit shaped and the lens has mean axial diameter 5.4±0.03 mm, corresponding to ~45% of the axial diameter of the eye. The posterior nodal distance and the retinal magnification factor were estimated at 6.74 mm e 118 μm/grau, respectively. Flat mounts were processed for Nissl stain, and the topographic distribution of ganglion cells showed a moderate visual band, just below the optic disc, with higher density in the ventral retina. Retinal vertical sections and flat mounts were processed for immunohistochemistry to visualize tyrosine hydroxilase (TH) and thus two types of TH+ cells were detected. Type 1 cells had strong TH-immunoreactivity, the body cell varied from 120.047 to 269.373 μm2 stratifying in the sublamina 1 of the IPL. Type 2 cells were weakly TH-imunoreactive, had cell body located mostly in the IPL, varying from 54.848 to 177.142 μm2, constituting ~10% of the TH+ cells. Both cell types exhibited similar topographic distribution with higher density found in a horizontal band along of the naso-temporal axis in the dorsal retina. The total population of dopaminergic cells was 2,156±469,4 cells, occupying an average area of 198,164 μm2. The presence of cones and rods was detected by immunohistochemistry in vertical sections and flat mounts. S cones density is around 10 times smaller than L cones, with different degree of spatial organization. Other retinal neuronal populations of the rock cavy were also detected in vertical sections with specific markers. Comparative analysis of the anatomical characteristics of the rock cavy eye 12 suggest that it was designed to acquire higher sensitivity to light, at expense of image sharpness, compatible with a vision at mesopic conditions. Additionally, the distribution of the 2 subtypes of dopaminergic cells in a naso-temporal band in the dorsal retina seems suitable to a gain in sensitivity, coherent with an animal with predominantly crepuscular activity pattern

Avaliação comportamental e neuroquímica de ratos em dessincronização forçada: possíveis implicações para um modelo animal de oscilações no humor

Bipolar disorder has been growing in several countries. It is a disease with high mortality and has been responsible by the social isolation of the patients. Bipolar patients have alterations in circadian timing system, showing a phase shift in various physiological variables. There are several arguments demonstrating alterations in circadian rhythms may be part of the bipolar disorder pathophysiology. Given the necessity for further elucidation, the goal of this study was to validate the forced desynchronization protocol as an animal model for bipolar disorder. To do this, Wistar rats were submitted to a forced desynchronization protocol which consists in a symmetrical light dark cycle with 22h. Under this protocol, rats dissociate the locomotor activity rhythm into two components: one synchronized to the light / dark cycle with 22h, and another component with period longer than 24 hours following the animal endogenous period. These rhythms with different periods sometimes there is coincidence, which we named CAP (Coincidence Active Phase) and the opposite phase, non-coincidence, called NCAP (Non-Concidence Active Phase). The hypothesis is that in CAP animals present a mania-like behavior and animals in NCAP depressive-like behavior. We found some evidence described in detail throughout this thesis. In sum, the animals under forced desynchronization protocol were more stressed, showed an increase in stereotypic behaviors such as grooming and reduction in other behaviors such as risk assessment and vertical exploration when compared to the control group. The CAP animals showed increased locomotor activity, especially during the dark phase when compared to controls (rats under T24) and less depressive behavior in the forced swim test. The animals in NCAP showed a higher anxiety in elevated plus maze, but they don t have ahnedonia. The animals under dissociation have more labeled 5HT1A cells at the amygdala area, which appoint that they have more amygdala inhibition. Taking these data together, we could partially validated the forced desynchronization protocol as an animal model for mood oscillations

Double aortic arch in a dog (Canis familiaris): a case report

We herein report a case of a double aortic arch in a 10-week-old male dog of no defined race, which presented episodes of regurgitation at the time of weaning. This vascular malformation was Characterized by the persistence of two aortic arches, right and left, of varying dimensions. The right aortic arch was observed to be larger. During post mortem examination the vessels of the animal were injected with coloured latex bi-centrifuged CIS 1-4 polisopreno which revealed the patency of the two aortic arches. Concomitantly, dilation of the cranial oesophagus causing constriction was observed, indicating megaesophagus, Apart from the constriction, the oesophagus presented normal morphometric parameters in relation to its dimensions.

Animal models for clinical and gestational diabetes: maternal and fetal outcomes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Tuberculose em necropsias realizadas no Serviço de Anatomia Patológica da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu

Entre 6.316 necropsias realizadas, no período de 1969 a 2000, no Departamento de Patologia da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu da Universidade Estadual Paulista (FMB/UNESP), foram encontradas 240 necropsias com diagnóstico de tuberculose, sendo 117 registradas como doença principal (grupo tuberculose/doença principal) e 123, como doença associada (grupo tuberculose/doença associada). No grupo tuberculose/doença principal, 100% apresentavam tuberculose ativa, com 80 ocorrências em homens e 37 em mulheres e média de idade de 47,7 anos. Caquexia (37,2%) e cor pulmonale (23,7%) foram as co-morbidades mais prevalentes nesse grupo. Os pulmões estavam comprometidos em 95,7% dos casos, seguido pelos linfonodos (38,9%) e pleuras (27,1%). Os padrões morfológicos das lesões pulmonares foram: 1. miliar, 58,4%; 2. cavernas, 56,6%; 3. fibrose, 41,5%; 4. bronquiectasias, 26,5%; 5. enfisema, 19,4%; e 6. cistos, 1,7%. Cavernas foram observadas em diferentes áreas, com discreto predomínio no pulmão direito, sendo a localização apical preferencial (100%) e quase sempre bilaterais (94%). Lesões miliares, bronquiectasias e fibrose estavam distribuídas, de forma difusa e aleatória, nos pulmões. No grupo tuberculose/doença associada também houve predomínio de homens (70,8%). Nesses casos, a AIDS e o alcoolismo crônico foram as doenças principais mais freqüentes, representando 22% e 16,3%, respectivamente. Os pulmões estavam acometidos em 85,2% dessas necropsias (100% nos casos de AIDS), seguidos pelos linfonodos (31,9%) e baço (28,6%). Nossos dados corroboram a importância da necropsia no estudo e no conhecimento da tuberculose, fornecendo subsídios para uma melhor abordagem clínica e epidemiológica dessa doença em nossa região.

Melanoma tipo animal: relato de dois casos

Dificuldade potencial no diagnóstico histológico de melanomas é a dificuldade em reconhecer variantes pouco frequentes de melanoma. Entre elas, as mais desafiantes incluem exemplos de melanoma desmoplásico, melanoma nevoide, o chamado melanoma de desvio mínimo, melanomas com proeminente síntese de pigmento ou melanoma tipo animal e o nevo azul maligno. Os autores descrevem dois casos de melanoma tipo animal e discute-se a importância do diagnóstico diferencial clinico-histopatológico nesses casos.

Development of a rabbit's urethral sphincter deficiency animal model for anatomical-functional evaluation

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

A genômica funcional no âmbito da produção animal: estado da arte e perspectivas

Os últimos vinte anos caracterizaram-se pela proliferação de tecnologias que tornaram possível decifrar o genoma das espécies, localizar e identificar particularidades na sua seqüência, elucidar as suas funções dentro dos sistemas biológicos e, sobretudo, começar a entender os mecanismos que controlam as interações entre os genótipos e os estímulos ambientais, que são responsáveis pela diversidade fenotípica. Estes estudos sobre as bases moleculares da variabilidade fenotípica abriram uma nova abordagem científica, caracterizada pela multiplicidade das questões envolvidas, que resultou no surgimento de novas áreas de pesquisa, cujos conhecimentos estão sendo aplicados em diversos campos da biologia, inclusive na zootecnia. Tendo em vista o grande impacto que tais conhecimentos estão tendo sobre a compreensão dos fenômenos biológicos, parece ser oportuno fazer uma avaliação das potencialidades de aplicação das abordagens de Genômica Funcional em pesquisas de nutrição e alimentação de ruminantes. Nesse contexto, este artigo está focado na descrição das principais ferramentas genômicas disponíveis e na discussão sobre a viabilidade de se utilizar as informações por elas geradas em benefício da produção animal.

Estudo de simulação de modelos lineares mistos com distribuição normal contaminada no melhoramento genético animal

Objetivou-se com esse trabalho comparar estimativas de componentes de variâncias obtidas por meio de modelos lineares mistos Gaussianos e Robustos, via Amostrador de Gibbs, em dados simulados. Foram simulados 50 arquivos de dados com 1.000 animais cada um, distribuídos em cinco gerações, em dois níveis de efeito fixo e três valores fenotípicos distintos para uma característica hipotética, com diferentes níveis de contaminação. Exceto para os dados sem contaminação, quando os modelos foram iguais, o modelo Robusto apresentou melhores estimativas da variância residual. As estimativas de herdabilidade foram semelhantes em todos os modelos, mas as análises de regressão mostraram que os valores genéticos preditos com uso do modelo Robusto foram mais próximos dos valores genéticos verdadeiros. Esses resultados sugerem que o modelo linear normal contaminado oferece uma alternativa flexível para estimação robusta em melhoramento genético animal.