Intoxicações por plantas em ruminantes e equídeos no Sertão Paraibano

Foi realizado um levantamento das intoxicações por plantas em 20 municípios do Sertão Paraibano, onde foram entrevistados 50 produtores e 11 médicos veterinários. De acordo com o levantamento realizado, Ipomoea asarifolia e Mascagnia rigida são as intoxicações mais importantes. Indigofera suffruticosa, as plantas cianogênicas (Sorghum vulgare, Piptadenia macrocarpa e Manihot spp.), Mimosa tenuiflora, Aspidosperma pyrifolium e Crotalaria retusa são plantas importantes como causa de intoxicações na região. Os entrevistados relataram casos esporádicos de intoxicação por Ricinus communis, Enterolobium contortisiliquum, Prosopis juliflorae Brachiaria decumbens. Ziziphus joazeiro, Passiflora sp., Caesalpina ferrea e Crescentia cujete foram mencionadas como causa de abortos em ruminantes. Frutos de Crescentia cujete foram administrados a duas cabras prenhes causando mortalidade perinatal e abortos. As cascas de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris e Vigna unguiculata) e as folhas de Licania rigida (oiticica) são associadas à sobrecarga ruminal em bovinos. As frutas de Mangifera indica (manga)e Anacardium occidentale (cajú) são responsabilizadas por causarem intoxicação etílica. Dalechampia sp. e Croton sp. foram citadas pelos entrevistados como possíveis plantas tóxicas, que ainda não tiveram sua toxicidade comprovada.

Health management practices and disease prevalence in dairy sheep systems in Argentina

A cross-sectional survey of 19 dairy sheep farms in Argentina was carried out with the purpose to know farm management, health practices, and occurrence and mortality of diseases. The survey comprised 40% of all sheep milking farms in Argentina. A questionnaire was conducted by way of personal interviews with sheep owners during farm visits. The proportions of farms reporting routine vaccination for clostridial diseases, contagious ecthyma, pneumonia and mineral and vitamin parenteral administration were 63%, 47.3%, 16.6% and 42.1% respectively. Regular treatment against lice was used in 37.5% of the farms, and 89.5% o the farmers treated against gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). The mean number of GIN drenches per farm was 2.26±1.78 annually. In 68.4% of the milking flocks the California Mastitis Test was regularly done and 55.6% of the farmer managers had sampled their flocks once a year for Brucella ovis antibodies. During the pre-mating period respectively 68.4% and 50% of farmers clinically examined their rams and ewe for general health and teeth condition. The udders of ewes were frequently inspected at the start of each milking period. The most important parasite problems noticed were GIN (reported by 57.9% of farmers), lice (57.9%) and scabies (10.5%) and the most frequent infectious diseases were ecthyma (73.7%), pneumonia and other respiratory problems (57.9%), clinical mastitis (55.6%), clostridial diseases (36.9%) and foot lameness (35.2%). Photosensitivity (47.4%) and ruminal acidosis (42.1%) were reported as other frequent toxic or metabolic disorders. Owners mentioned that the mean lifespan or milk productive time per ewe was 4.5±1.4 years. Perinatal lamb mortality was 8.5% and the total flock mortality rates, above the first 24 h of life was 6.9%. The high rates of lamb mortality during the pre-weaning (10.3%) and post-weaning (5.9%) periods indicate that this problem, as well as the most prevalent diseases, should be the subject of further studies.

Lesões perinatais em cordeiros induzidas pela administração de Tetrapterys multiglandulosa (Malpighiaceae) a ovelhas em diferentes estágios de gestação

Foi realizada a intoxicação experimental em ovelhas em diferentes dias de gestação, 12 ovelhas foram dividas em quatro grupos. As ovelhas do Grupo 1 consumiram quatro doses de 5g/kg de folhas verdes durante quatro dias; ovinos do Grupo 2 consumiram duas doses de 10g/kg durante dois dias, o Grupo 3 consumiu uma dose de 20g/kg em um único dia e os ovinos do Grupo 4 não consumiram a planta (controle-negativo). Para testar a toxicidade da planta um ovino macho consumiu 5g/kg até manifestação dos sintomas. Não foram observados sinais clínicos da intoxicação nas ovelhas, mas três cordeiros tiveram morte perinatal, e um cordeiro morreu com três meses de idade; o ovino controle-positivo morreu após 38 dias de consumo diário da planta e os sinais clínicos foram taquipnéia, taquicardia, sonolência, incoordenação e fraqueza. Todos os quatro cordeiros e o ovino controle-positivo foram necropsiados e os achados de necropsia foram áreas esbranquiçadas no miocárdio, evidenciação do padrão lobular do fígado, pulmão vermelho enegrecido e rúmen acentuadamente distendido com presença de gases livres. Os achados histopatológicos foram fibrose cardíaca, necrose dos cardiomiócitos, congestão e edema pulmonar, congestão hepática centrolobular e degeneração esponjosa na região subcortical do encéfalo. Tetrapterys multiglandulosa demonstrou ser tóxica para os fetos ovinos em dosagens que não foram suficientes para induzir sinais clínicos nas ovelhas prenhes, e que a intoxicação pode ocorrer com morte de cordeiros logo após o parto, mesmo após meses de ter cessada a ingestão da planta.

Enfermidades de cutias (Dasyprocta aguti) criadas em cativeiro diagnosticadas pelo exame anatomopatológico

O exame necroscópico é especialmente útil no diagnóstico de enfermidades em animais silvestres. Em muitas ocasiões, as manifestações clínicas não são características como em animais domésticos, sendo frequente a ocorrência de óbitos em animais assintomáticos. Este trabalho objetivou realizar um estudo retrospectivo sobre as doenças de cutias diagnosticadas pelo Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária da Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, através do exame anatomopatológico no período de 2006 a 2009. Em 32 cutias submetidas à necropsia, as percentagens das enfermidades diagnosticadas foram: morte perinatal pelo complexo inanição/hipotermia (21,6%), urolitíase obstrutiva (6,24%), distocia (6,24%), obstrução do ceco por areia - sablose (6,24%), intussuscepção (3,20%), fecaloma (3,20%) e obstrução do esôfago (3,20%). Dezesseis (16) animais permaneceram sem diagnóstico, dos quais nove (28,48%) apresentavam avançado estado autolítico e em sete (21,60%) não foram observadas lesões macro e microscópicas compatíveis com nenhuma enfermidade. Este artigo apresenta relatos de doenças ainda não descritas em cutias e seus resultados poderão produzir literatura sobre os aspectos patológicos destas enfermidades nessa espécie.

Proteínas séricas de potros da raça Puro Sangue Árabe recém-desmamados ou com mais de trinta dias de desmame

A fase perinatal do desenvolvimento constitui um dos períodos de vida mais desafiadores para o sistema imunológico dos potros. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar o perfil protéico sérico de parâmetros relacionados à imunidade de equinos jovens no período perinatal, verificando-se a transferência de imunidade passiva. Oito animais desmamados há um dia, formaram o Grupo 1 (G1), enquanto vinte animais desmamados há mais de trinta dias formaram o Grupo 2 (G2). A concentração sérica de proteína total foi determinada por refratometria. Para o fracionamento das proteínas, utilizou-se eletroforese em gel de acrilamida. Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de medidas repetidas e ao teste Tukey (p<0,05) para comparação das médias. As concentrações de IgA apresentaram diferença (p<0,05) entre os grupos, porém os valores observados encontravam-se dentro do considerado normal para equinos adultos. Não houve diferença (p>0,05) nas concentrações de IgG. O estabelecimento adequado da imunidade celular ocorre durante a fase neonatal, nos animais que ingerem adequadamente o colostro e o leite. O presente estudo determinou diferenças no perfil protéico sérico de parâmetros relacionados à imunidade de equinos jovens no período imediato ao desmame, comparados com animais desmamados há mais de 30 dias. De acordo com os valores observados, concluiu-se que os animais, mesmo desmamados precocemente, obtiveram transferência adequada de imunidade passiva.

Economic losses due to bovine brucellosis in Brazil

Brucellosis is an important zoonosis of worldwide distribution. Reliable epidemiologic brucellosis data covering approximately 90% of the cattle population in Brazil have been recently published. Therefore, considering the scarcity of information regarding the economic impact of bovine brucellosis in Brazil, the goal of this study was to estimate economic impact of brucellosis on the Brazilian cattle industry. Several parameters including abortion and perinatal mortality rates, temporary infertility, replacement costs, mortality, veterinary costs, milk and meat losses were considered in the model. Bovine brucellosis in Brazil results in an estimated loss of R$ 420,12 or R$ 226,47 for each individual dairy or beef infected female above 24 months of age, respectively. The total estimated losses in Brazil attributed to bovine brucellosis were estimated to be approximately R$ 892 million (equivalent to about 448 million American dollars). Every 1% increase or decrease in prevalence is expected to increase or decrease the economic burden of brucellosis in approximately 155 million Reais.

Inhibition of in vitro CO2 production and lipid synthesis by 2-hydroxybutyric acid in rat brain

2-Hydroxybutyric acid appears at high concentrations in situations related to deficient energy metabolism (e.g., birth asphyxia) and also in inherited metabolic diseases affecting the central nervous system during neonatal development, such as "cerebral" lactic acidosis, glutaric aciduria type II, dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3) deficiency, and propionic acidemia. The present study was carried out to determine the effect of 2-hydroxybutyric acid at various concentrations (1-10 mM) on CO2 production and lipid synthesis from labeled substrates in cerebral cortex of 30-day-old Wistar rats in vitro. CO2 production was significantly inhibited (30-70%) by 2-hydroxybutyric acid in cerebral cortex prisms, in total homogenates and in the mitochondrial fraction. We also demonstrated a significant inhibition of lipid synthesis (20-45%) in cerebral cortex prisms and total homogenates in the presence of 2-hydroxybutyric acid. However, no inhibition of lipid synthesis occurred in homogenates free of nuclei and mitochondria. The results indicate an impairment of mitochondrial energy metabolism caused by 2-hydroxybutyric acid, a fact that may secondarily lead to reduction of lipid synthesis. It is possible that these findings may be associated with the neuropathophysiology of the situations where 2-hydroxybutyric acid is accumulated.

Preeclampsia: from epidemiological observations to molecular mechanisms

Preeclampsia is the main cause of maternal mortality and is associated with a five-fold increase in perinatal mortality in developing countries. In spite of this, the etiology of preeclampsia is unknown. The present article analyzes the contradictory results of the use of calcium supplementation in the prevention of preeclampsia, and tries to give an explanation of these results. The proposal of an integrative model to explain the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia is discussed. In this proposal we suggest that preeclampsia is caused by nutritional, environmental and genetic factors that lead to the creation of an imbalance between the free radicals nitric oxide, superoxide and peroxynitrate in the vascular endothelium. The adequate interpretation of this model would allow us to understand that the best way of preventing preeclampsia is the establishment of an adequate prenatal control system involving adequate antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplementation, adequate diagnosis and early treatment of asymptomatic urinary and vaginal infections. The role of infection in the genesis of preeclampsia needs to be studied in depth because it may involve a fundamental change in the prevention and treatment of preeclampsia.

Dopaminergic modulation of grooming behavior in virgin and pregnant rats

Dopamine receptors are involved in the expression of grooming behavior. The pregnancy-induced increase in self-licking observed in rats is important for mammary gland development and lactation. This study focuses on the role of dopamine receptor subtypes in grooming behavior of virgin and pregnant female rats. General and mammary gland grooming were measured in virgin rats treated with 0.25 mg/kg of the D1-like agonist SKF-81297 and antagonist SKF-83566 and the D2-like agonist lisuride and antagonist sulpiride. The effects of 0.01 and 0.25 mg/kg doses of the same agonists and antagonists were evaluated in pregnant rats as well. In virgin animals both SKF-83566 and sulpiride treatments significantly reduced the time spent in general grooming, while none of the dopamine agonists was able to significantly change any parameter of general grooming. Time spent in grooming directed at the mammary glands was not affected significantly by any of the drug treatments in virgin rats. All drugs tested significantly decreased the frequency of and the time spent with general grooming, while SKF-81297 treatment alone did not significantly reduce the duration of mammary gland grooming in pregnant rats. These data show that in female rats the behavioral effects of D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptor stimulation and blockade differ according to physiological state. The results suggest that dopamine receptors may play specific roles modulating grooming behavior in pregnant rats. Since grooming of the mammary gland during pregnancy may influence lactation, this aspect is relevant for studies regarding the perinatal use of dopamine-related drugs.

Congenital upper limb defects in Finland 1993-2005

Background: Interest in limb defects has grown after the thalidomide tragedy in the 1960s. As a result, congenital malformation registries, monitoring changes in birthprevalence and defect patterns, have been established in several countries. However, there are only a few true population based studies on birth prevalence of upper limb defects. The burden of hospital care among these children, specifically in terms of the number of admissions and total time spent in hospital, is also unknown. Aims and Methods: This study is based on information gathered from the Finnish Register of Congenital malformations (FRM) and the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR). A total of 417 children born between 1993 and 2005 with an upper limb defect were gathered from the FRM. The upper limb defects were classified using the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand -classification that enables comparison with previous and future studies. Birth and live birth prevalence, sex and side distribution, frequency of associated anomalies as well as the proportion of perinatal and infant deaths according to the different subtypes were calculated. The number of hospital admissions, days spent in hospital, number and type of surgical operations were collected from the FHDR. Special features of two subgroups, radial ray defects (RRD) and constriction band syndrome (CBS), were explored. Results: Upper limb defects were observed in 417 of 753 342 consecutive births and in 392 of 750 461 live births. Birth prevalence was 5.5 per 10 000 births and 5.2 per 10 000 live births. Multiple anomalies or a known syndrome was found in 250 cases (60%). Perinatal mortality was 139 per 1000 births and infant mortality 135 per 1000 live births (overall Finnish perinatal mortality <5 per 1000 births and infant mortality 3.7 per 1000 live births). Altogether, 138 infants had RRD and 120 (87%) of these had either a known syndrome or multiple major anomalies. The proportion of perinatal deaths in RRD group was 29% (40/138) and infant deaths 35% (43/123). Fifty-one children had CBS in upper limbs. Fifteen of these (29%) had other major anomalies associated with constriction rings. The number of hospital admissions per year of children with congenital upper limb defects was 11-fold and the time spent in hospital 13-fold as compared with the general paediatric population. Conclusions: Birth prevalence of congenital upper limb defects was 5.5 per 10 000 births and 5.2 per 10 000 live births. RRD was especially associated with other major anomalies and high mortality. Nearly one third of the children with CBS also had other major anomalies suggesting different aetiologies inside the group. The annual burden of hospital care of children with congenital upper limb defects was at least 11-fold as compared with the general paediatric population.

Diet plus insulin compared to diet alone in the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review

Fetuses of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus are at increased risk to develop perinatal complications mainly due to macrosomia. However, in view of the marked heterogeneity of this disease, it seems difficult to set guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. This complicates the choice of assigning patients either to diet or to insulin therapy. Also of concern is how much benefit could be expected from insulin therapy in preventing fetal complications in these patients. In a systematic review of the literature assessing the efficacy of insulin in preventing macrosomia in fetuses of mothers with gestational diabetes, we found six randomized controlled trials comparing diet alone to diet plus insulin. The studies included a total of 1281 patients (644 in the diet plus insulin group and 637 in the diet group), with marked differences among trials concerning diagnostic criteria, randomization process and treatment goals. Meta-analysis of the data resulted in a risk difference of -0.098 (95%CI: -0.168 to -0.028), and a number-necessary-to-treat of 11 (95%CI: 6 to 36), which means that it is necessary to treat 11 patients with insulin to prevent one case of macrosomia. This indicates a potential benefit of insulin, but not significantly enough to set treatment guidelines. Because of the heterogeneous evidence available in the literature about this matter, we conclude that larger trials addressing the efficacy of these two therapeutic modalities in preventing macrosomia are warranted.

Relation of cervical length at 22-24 weeks of gestation to demographic characteristics and obstetric history

Preterm delivery is the main cause of neonatal death and ultrasonographic cervical assessment has been shown to be more accurate than digital examination in recognizing a short cervix. This is a cross-sectional study, involving 1131 women at 22-24 weeks of pregnancy, designed to determine the distribution of cervical length and to examine which variables of demographic characteristics and obstetric history increase the risk of a short cervix (15 mm or less). The distribution of maternal demographic and obstetric history characteristics among patients with cervical length £15 mm was analyzed and compared to the findings for the general population. Risk ratios (RR) between subgroups were generated from this comparison. Median cervical length was 37 mm and in 1.5% of cases it was 15 mm or less. The proportion of women with a short cervix (<=15 mm) was significantly higher among patients with a low body mass index (RR = 3.5) and in those with previous fetal losses between 16-23 weeks (RR = 33.1) or spontaneous preterm deliveries between 24-32 weeks (RR = 14.1). We suggest that transvaginal sonographic measurement of cervical length be performed as part of a routine midtrimester ultrasound evaluation. There are specific variables of demographic characteristics and obstetric history which increase the risk of detecting a short cervix at 22-24 weeks.

Air pollution and neonatal deaths in São Paulo, Brazil

Air pollution has been associated with health effects on different age groups. The present study was designed to assess the impact of daily changes in air pollutants (NO2, SO2, CO, O3, and particle matter (PM10)) on total number of daily neonatal deaths (those that occur between the first and the 28th days of life) in São Paulo, from January 1998 to December 2000, since adverse outcomes such as neonatal deaths associated with air pollution in Brazil have not been evaluated before. Generalized additive Poisson regression models were used and nonparametric smooth functions (loess) were adopted to control long-term trend, temperature, humidity, and short-term trends. A linear term was used for holidays. The association between air pollutants and neonatal deaths showed a short time lag. Interquartile range increases in PM10 (23.3 µg/m³) and SO2 (9.2 µg/m³) were associated with increases of 4% (95% CI, 2-6) and 6% (95% CI, 4-8), respectively. Instead of adopting a two-pollutant model we created an index to represent PM10 and SO2 effects. For an interquartile range increase in the index an increase of 6.3% (95% CI, 6.1-6.5) in neonatal deaths was observed. These results agree with previous studies performed by our group showing the deleterious effects of air pollutants during the perinatal period. The method reported here represents an alternative approach to analyze the relationship between highly correlated pollutants and public health problems, reinforcing the idea of the synergic effects of air pollutants in public health.

Umbilical cord blood and neonatal endothelin-1 levels in preterm newborns with and without respiratory distress syndrome

Increased pulmonary vascular resistance in preterm newborn infants with respiratory distress syndrome is suggested, and endothelin-1 plays an important role in pulmonary vascular reactivity in newborns. We determined umbilical cord blood and neonatal (second sample) levels of endothelin-1 in 18 preterm newborns with respiratory distress syndrome who had no clinical or echocardiographic diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and 22 without respiratory distress syndrome (gestational ages: 31.4 ± 1.6 and 29.3 ± 2.3 weeks, respectively). Umbilical cord blood and a second blood sample taken 18 to 40 h after birth were used for endothelin-1 determination by enzyme immunoassay. Median umbilical cord blood endothelin-1 levels were similar in both groups (control: 10.9 and respiratory distress syndrome: 11.4 pg/mL) and were significantly higher than in the second sample (control: 1.7 pg/mL and respiratory distress syndrome: 3.5 pg/mL, P < 0.001 for both groups). Median endothelin-1 levels in the second sample were significantly higher in children with respiratory distress syndrome than in control infants (P < 0.001). There were significant positive correlations between second sample endothelin-1 and Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology and Perinatal Extension II (r = 0.36, P = 0.02), and duration of mechanical ventilation (r = 0.64, P = 0.02). A slower decline of endothelin-1 from birth to 40 h of life was observed in newborns with respiratory distress syndrome when compared to controls. A significant correlation between neonatal endothelin-1 levels and some illness-severity signs suggests that endothelin-1 plays a role in the natural course of respiratory distress syndrome in preterm newborns.

Do early life factors influence body mass index in adolescents?

The association between early life factors and body mass index (BMI) in adulthood has been demonstrated in developed countries. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of early life factors (birth weight, gestational age, maternal smoking, and social class) on BMI in young adulthood with adjustment for adult socioeconomic position. A cohort study was carried out in 1978/79 with 6827 mother-child pairs from Ribeirão Preto city, located in the most developed economic area of the country. Biological, economic and social variables and newborn anthropometric measurements were obtained shortly after delivery. In 1996, 1189 males from this cohort, 34.3% of the original male population, were submitted to anthropometric measurements and were asked about their current schooling on the occasion of army recruitment. A multiple linear regression model was applied to determine variables associated with BMI. Mean BMI was 22.7 (95%CI = 22.5-23.0). After adjustment, BMI was 1.22 kg/m² higher among infants born with high birth weight (³4000 g), 1.21 kg/m² higher among individuals of low social class at birth and 0.69 kg/m² higher among individuals whose mothers smoked during pregnancy (P < 0.05). The association between social class at birth and BMI remained statistically significant (P < 0.05) even after adjustment for adult schooling. These findings suggest that early life social influences on BMI were more important and were not reversed by late socioeconomic position. Therefore, prevention of overweight and obesity should focus not only on changes in adult life styles but also on factors such as high birth weight.