The physiology and impact on fertility of the period of proestrus in lactating dairy cows

In cattle, proestrus begins with the initiation of luteolysis and ends with initiation of estrus and the GnRH/LH surge. This period is marked by a dramatic decrease in circulating progesterone (P4) that reaches a nadir by about 36-48 h in cows undergoing natural or prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF)-induced luteolysis. Inadequate luteolysis is a cause of reduced fertility particularly in timed AI programs with small elevations in circulating P4 reducing fertility. Increasing circulating estradiol (E2) during proestrus is dependent on presence, size, and function of the dominant follicle and this varies during natural proestrus, due to whether animals have two or three follicular waves, and during PGF-induced proestrus, according to stage of the follicular wave at time of PGF treatment. Inadequate circulating E2 can limit fertility and increase pregnancy loss in some specific circumstances such as in cows with low BCS and in cows during heat stress. Thus, studies to optimize the length of proestrus and the concentrations of E2 and P4 during proestrus could produce substantial improvements in fertility and reductions in pregnancy loss.

Análise de metilação do gene FOXE1 em carcinoma de células escamosas em cães: padronização metodológica

It is believed that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation are important for the tumorigenesis and maintenance of the altered state of tumor cells. DNA methylation occurs by the addition of a methyl group to carbon 5 of cytosine, catalyzed by the enzyme DNA methyl-transferase, which can change the expression of a gene, including the tumor suppressor genes. In human squamous cell carcinoma, several features have shown the etiological role of genes in tumor development. Among them, FOXE1 gene (forkhead box E1 - thyroid transcription factor) is presented with an important role in susceptibility to disease. Similarly the FOXE1 methylation pattern could alter the expression of this gene in dogs and predisposed to tumor on. Therefore, this study aims to investigate in dogs, the validity of the strategy employed in humans to analyze the FOXE1 methylation status. DNA extraction from fresh frozen tumoral samples was performed by Wizard Genomic® DNA Purification Kit. The methylation status was determined by MSP-PCR (methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction), using 2.0 ng of DNA treated with sodium bisulphate. One hundred micrograms of bisulphite-modified DNA was amplified using primers specific for either methylated or unmethylated DNA (primers sequences are available at http://pathology2.jhu.edu/pancreas/primer.pdf). The analysis of fragments was loaded on to 7% polyacrylamide gels and silver nitrate staining. In this stage of technical approach, 60% were FOXE1 hypermethylated. In conclusion, it was observed that the standard technique for assessing the methylation pattern of gene FOXE1 in humans can be used for the same evaluation in dogs. The correlation of these molecular data with clinical and histopathological parameters may have diagnostic and prognostic value and still be used as a tumor marker for therapeutic decision and surgical approach

Avaliação teórico-experimental da distribuição de dose absorvida em radioterapia em tumores de pele

O trabalho propõe rotinas computacionais usando o Método de Monte Carlo com o Código MCNP-5, para analisar os perfis de dose de radiação liberada nos tratamentos de tumores de pele e otimizar os cálculos radiométricos dos feixes de radiação estudados. Foram realizadas medidas dosimétricas do feixe de radiação, comparando os resultados obtidos com os respectivos valores fornecidos pelo serviço de física médica das instituições, com resultados informados pelo fabricante do equipamento e com as simulações computacionais efetuadas com o Código MCNP-5. A quantificação dos erros relativos percentual entre os resultados simulados e os fornecidos pelo Serviço de Radioterapia (E1), os informados pelo fabricante (E2) e os medidos experimentalmente (E3) são inferiores a 4,0% e validam a metodologia computacional proposta para avaliação do comportamento do feixe de raios-X superficial e do feixe de raios γ da unidade de Cobaltoterapia. A metodologia de análise do espectro energético e da curva de porcentagem de dose profunda (PDP) desenvolvida neste trabalho pode ser estendida para estudos de outros feixes clínicos e subsidiar os dados radiométricos utilizados nos planejamentos e cálculos de dose realizados pelo profissional da física médica na sua rotina nos Serviços de Radioterapia

Associação da ocorrência de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) com atributos do solo e da vegetação em um domínio do cerrado à nordeste do estado do maranhão, Brasil

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Inflammation and cancer: role of Annexin A1 and FPR2/ALX in proliferation and metastasis in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

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

The H2S-releasing naproxen derivative, ATB-346, inhibits alveolar bone loss and inflammation in rats with ligature-induced periodontitis

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

Intra-examiner reproducibility of the agar plate method for estmation of phospholipase activity in candida albicans

Although measurement errors can impair statistical analysis, reliability analysis has been neglected in applied microbiology. This study assessed the intra-rater reproducibility of the Agar-based method for estimation of phospholipase activity (Pz). Pz readings were performed twice by two examiners (E1, E2), either directly on plates or in photos, and both black and white backgrounds were used. Pz values were taken from one or triplicate colonies from each sample (n=30). Intra-examiner reproducibility was estimated using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). For both examiners, reading triplicate (ICCE1=0.91, ICCE2=0.86) was better than one colony (ICCE1=0.86, ICCE2=0.80). E1 had an excellent concordance when measurements were performed on photos using a white background (ICC=0.95) and a good concordance in the other conditions

Significação e sentimentos dos alunos quando erram na matemática

A afetividade presente nas situações em que o erro ocorre na escola tem promovido significações negativas dos alunos em seu processo de aprendizagem. Embasada na teoria de Piaget, a presente pesquisa analisou o papel da afetividade nas significações sobre o erro de 15 alunos do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental que frequentam uma sala de apoio por apresentarem dificuldades, sobretudo, na disciplina de matemática. A pesquisa caracterizou-se como qualitativa, e foi aplicada com base no método clínico crítico piagetiano. O plano para a coleta de dados foi distribuído em duas etapas: E1 - Observação das interações na sala de apoio; E2 - Realização de entrevista semiestruturada para identificação das significações dos alunos. Como resultado, obteve-se: de modo geral, os alunos relacionam o erro a situações de não respeito às regras e, especialmente, de desobediência ao professor. Nas significações referidas ao erro com a presença do professor, prevalecem sentimentos como a culpa e o desânimo; com relação aos colegas, não há muita diferença, já que o erro está relacionado a sentimentos como a culpa, raiva e desânimo. Com relação ao processo de aprendizagem, os alunos compreendem o erro como ação fora deste processo, demonstrando, em tais situações, pouco interesse, esforço e implicação.

Efeito de treinamento de saltos verticais e do destreinamento sobre a expressão gênica de vias energéticas da musculatura esquelética de ratos Wistar induzidos à obesidade

Pós-graduação em Fisioterapia - FCT

Aplicação de efluente de tratamento de esgoto, via aspersão, no solo e em Brachiaria

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Efeitos preventivos do treinamento físico na expressão das proteínas Cox-2 e Vegf de ratos tratados com dexametasona

Dexamethasone is a synthetic glucocorticoid widely used to treat allergic and inflammatory processes. This drug is used in three main situations, are used to contain acute or chronic inflammatory processes, or like immunosuppressive drug's. In these cases the patient will receive high doses for a chronic period and, therefore, has a much greater chance of adverse side effects, such as hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia. Dexamethasone promotes deleterious effects on the arachidonic acid pathway, when administered in high doses, because it is a potent anti-inflammatory drug. We recently demonstrated that dexamethasone significantly reduces the protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in both skeletal muscle and heart, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Meanwhile, exercise has been shown to be effective against high blood pressure, diabetes and dyslipidemia, promoting, among other factors, the increase in VEGF and angiogenesis. One possible explanation for these effects would be the creation of new vessels mediated by inflammation, or by the stimulation of the formation of products of the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA), such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and VEGF, by increasing the stimulation of the enzymes cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 (COX-1 and COX-2). Little is known about the preventive effects of training on the action of dexamethasone in the arachidonic acid pathway. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether aerobic exercise training, performed before and concomitant treatment with dexamethasone, was able to prevent the effects of the dexamethasone in the protein expression of COX-2 and VEGF. For this, we used young Wistar rats (n = 40) which were randomly divided into 4 groups: sedentary control (SC), sedentary and treated with dexamethasone (SD), trained control (TC) and trained and treated with dexamethasone (TD). These rats performed aerobic exercise training, 60% of maximum capacity, 5

Acúmulo de nutrientes e tempo de decomposição da palhada de espécies forrageiras em função de épocas de semeadura

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

Fibroblast growth factor 17 and bone morphogenetic protein 15 enhance cumulus expansion and improve quality of in vitro-produced embryos in cattle

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

Supplementation with sunflower seed increases circulating cholesterol concentrations and potentially impacts on the pregnancy rates in Bos indicus beef cattle

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

Increased cyclooxygenase-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor protein expression is associated with canine prostatic carcionogenesis process

Background: COX-2 is one of the most important prostaglandin involved in urologic cancer and seems to be associated with tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis. In addition, several effects have been reported for VEGF, including inducing angiogenesis, promoting cell migration, and inhibiting apoptosis. COX2 and VEGF up-regulation have been reported in human prostate cancer. Due to the importance of canine natural model for prostate cancer, the aim of this study was to evaluate COX-2 and VEGF protein expression in canine carcinogenic process. Material and Methods: Seventy-four prostatic tissues from dogs were selected to be evaluated for protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC), including: 10 normal prostatic tissues, 20 benign prostatic hyperplasias (BPH), 25 proliferative inflammatory atrophies (PIA) and 20 prostatic carcinomas (PCa). COX-2 and VEGF were detected using the monoclonal antibody CX-294 (1:50 dilution, Dako Cytomation and sc-53463 (1:100 dilution, Santa Cruz), respectively. The immunolabelling was performed by a polymer method (Histofine, Nichirei Biosciences). All reaction included negative controls by omitting the primary antibody. The percentage of C-MYC, E-cadherin, and p63- positive cells per lesion was evaluated according to Prowatke et al. (2007). The samples were scored separately according to staining intensity and graded semi-quantitatively as negative, weakly positive (1), moderately positive, and strongly positive. The score was done in one 400 magnification field, considering only the lesion, since this was done in a TMA core of 1 mm. For statistical analyses, the immunostaining classifications were reduced to two categories: negative and positive. The negative category included negative and weakly positive staining. Chi-square or Fisher exact test was used to determine the association between the categorical variables. Results: The COX-2 protein expression was elevated in the cytoplasm of the canine PCa and PIA compared to normal prostate (p=0.002). VEGF protein expression was increased in 94.75% of the PCa and 100% of the PIA compared with to normal prostate (p = 0.001). No difference was found when compared normal prostate with BPH. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that the carcinogenesis of canine prostatic tissue may be related to gain of COX-2 and VEGF protein expression.