Importância do modelo animal para testar hipóteses sobre a fisiopatologia do binômio diabetes e incontinência urinária feminina

Aims: To discuss the importance of studying animal models to test hypotheses about the mechanisms of urinary continence and pathophysiology of diabetes and urinary incontinence. Source of Data: A literature review was conducted in PubMed and SciELO. The key words used were diabetes, urinary incontinence, urethra, human and rats. Summary of Findings: There is a strong relation between the genesis of urinary incontinence and diabetes mellitus. Due to the similarity of normal distribution of skeletal muscle and urethra anatomy between humans and rats, these animal models have been used in current research about these disorders. Conclusions: The use of rats as an animal model is suitable for experimental studies that test hypotheses about the mechanisms of continence and pathophysiology of the binomial diabetes mellitus and urinary incontinence, thus enabling solutions of great value in clinical practice.

Acidosis ruminal en bovinos lecheros: Implicaciones sobre la producción y la salud animal

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

Photodynamic and Antibiotic Therapy Impair the Pathogenesis of Enterococcus faecium in a Whole Animal Insect Model

Enterococcus faecium has emerged as one of the most important pathogens in healthcare-associated infections worldwide due to its intrinsic and acquired resistance to many antibiotics, including vancomycin. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is an alternative therapeutic platform that is currently under investigation for the control and treatment of infections. PDT is based on the use of photoactive dye molecules, widely known as photosensitizer (PS). PS, upon irradiation with visible light, produces reactive oxygen species that can destroy lipids and proteins causing cell death. We employed Galleria mellonella (the greater wax moth) caterpillar fatally infected with E. faecium to develop an invertebrate host model system that can be used to study the antimicrobial PDT (alone or combined with antibiotics). In the establishment of infection by E. faecium in G. mellonella, we found that the G. mellonella death rate was dependent on the number of bacterial cells injected into the insect hemocoel and all E. faecium strains tested were capable of infecting and killing G. mellonella. Antibiotic treatment with ampicillin, gentamicin or the combination of ampicillin and gentamicin prolonged caterpillar survival infected by E. faecium (P = 0.0003, P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0001, respectively). In the study of antimicrobial PDT, we verified that methylene blue (MB) injected into the insect followed by whole body illumination prolonged the caterpillar survival (P = 0.0192). Interestingly, combination therapy of larvae infected with vancomycin-resistant E. faecium, with antimicrobial PDT followed by vancomycin, significantly prolonged the survival of the caterpillars when compared to either antimicrobial PDT (P = 0.0095) or vancomycin treatment alone (P = 0.0025), suggesting that the aPDT made the vancomycin resistant E. faecium strain more susceptible to vancomycin action. In summary, G. mellonella provides an invertebrate model host to study the antimicrobial PDT and to explore combinatorial aPDT-based treatments.

Intensified peginterferon α-2a dosing increases sustained virologic response rates in heavy, high viral load hepatitis c genotype 1 patients with high low-density lipoprotein

BACKGROUND AND GOAL: Patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels achieve higher sustained virologic response (SVR) rates after peginterferon (PegIFN)/ribavirin treatment versus patients with lower LDL. Our aim was to determine whether SVR rates in patients with low/elevated LDL can be improved by dose intensification. STUDY: In PROGRESS, genotype 1 patients with baseline HCV RNA≥400,000 IU/mL and body weight ≥85 kg were randomized to 48 weeks of 180 μg/wk PegIFN α-2a (40 kDa) plus ribavirin (A: 1200 mg/d; B: 1400/1600 mg/d) or 12 weeks of 360 μg/wk PegIFN α-2a followed by 36 weeks of 180 μg/wk, plus ribavirin (C: 1200 mg/d; D: 1400/1600 mg/d). This retrospective analysis assessed SVR rates among patients with low (<100 mg/dL) or elevated (≥100 mg/dL) LDL. Patients with high LDL (n=256) had higher baseline HCV RNA (5.86×10 IU/mL) versus patients with low LDL (n=262; 4.02×10 IU/mL; P=0.0003). RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis identified a significant interaction between PegIFN α-2a dose and LDL levels on SVR (P=0.0193). The only treatment-related SVR predictor in the nested multiple logistic regression was PegIFN α-2a dose among patients with elevated LDL (P=0.0074); therefore, data from the standard (A+B) and induction (C+D) dose arms were pooled. Among patients with low LDL, SVR rates were 40% and 35% in the standard and induction-dose groups, respectively; SVR rates in patients with high LDL were 44% and 60% (P=0.014), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Intensified dosing of PegIFN α-2a increases SVR rates in patients with elevated LDL even with the difficult-to-cure characteristics of genotype 1, high baseline viral load, and high body weight. Copyright © 2013 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Immunosensor based on immobilization of antigenic peptide NS5A-1 from HCV and silk fibroin in nanostructured films

The peptide NS5A-1 (PPLLESWKDPDYVPPWHG), derived from hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A protein, was immobilized into layer-by-layer (LbL) silk fibroin (SF) films. Deposition was monitored by UV-vis absorption measurements at each bilayer deposited. The interaction SF/peptide film induced secondary structure in NS5A-1 as indicated by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) measurements. Voltammetric sensor (SF/NS5A-1) properties were observed when the composite film was tested in the presence of anti-HCV. The peptide-silk fibroin interaction studied here showed new architectures for immunosensors based on antigenic peptides and SF as a suitable immobilization matrix. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

On Hepatitis C Virus Evolution: The Interaction between Virus and Host towards Treatment Outcome

Background:Hepatitis C is a disease spread throughout the world. Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the etiological agent of this disease, is a single-stranded positive RNA virus. Its genome encodes a single precursor protein that yields ten proteins after processing. NS5A, one of the non-structural viral proteins, is most associated with interferon-based therapy response, the approved treatment for hepatitis C in Brazil. HCV has a high mutation rate and therefore high variability, which may be important for evading the immune system and response to therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution of NS5A quasispecies before, during, and after treatment in patients infected with HCV genotype 3a who presented different therapy responses.Methods:Viral RNA was extracted, cDNA was synthesized, the NS5A region was amplified and cloned, and 15 clones from each time-point were sequenced. The sequences were analyzed for evolutionary history, genetic diversity and selection.Results:This analysis shows that the viral population that persists after treatment for most non-responder patients is present in before-treatment samples, suggesting it is adapted to evade treatment. In contrast, the population found in before treatment samples from most end-of-treatment responder patients either are selected out or appears in low frequency after relapse, therefore changing the population structure. The exceptions illustrate the uniqueness of the evolutionary process, and therefore the treatment resistance process, in each patient.Conclusion:Although evolutionary behavior throughout treatment showed that each patient presented different population dynamics unrelated to therapy outcome, it seems that the viral population from non-responders that resists the treatment already had strains that could evade therapy before it started. © 2013 Bittar et al.

Hepatitis C Virus NS2 Protein Inhibits DNA Damage Pathway by Sequestering p53 to the Cytoplasm

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and often leads to end-stage liver disease. The DNA damage checkpoint pathway induces cell cycle arrest for repairing DNA in response to DNA damage. HCV infection has been involved in this pathway. In this study, we assess the effects of HCV NS2 on DNA damage checkpoint pathway. We have observed that HCV NS2 induces ataxia-telangiectasia mutated checkpoint pathway by inducing Chk2, however, fails to activate the subsequent downstream pathway. Further study suggested that p53 is retained in the cytoplasm of HCV NS2 expressing cells, and p21 expression is not enhanced. We further observed that HCV NS2 expressing cells induce cyclin E expression and promote cell growth. Together these results suggested that HCV NS2 inhibits DNA damage response by altering the localization of p53, and may play a role in the pathogenesis of HCV infection. © 2013 Bitter et al.

Mechanism and effect of esculetin in an experimental animal model of inflammatory bowel disease

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

Design of experimental composting of animal carcasses in universitary unit of treatment aimed a correct final disposition and soil improve

For many years, composting has been used as a result of the recycling of organic matter. There is significative animal carcasses accumulation from teaching and researching activities of the university veterinary hospital. Every year, Unesp University needs to dispose correctly about 180 tones of this waste and the composting seemed to be the most sustainable alternative. Piles of animal carcasses were prepared using peanut hulls and tree pruning as bulking agent and water to the first phase of this process. The extracts pH values no impediments for offering germination and indicated a good addition to the soil management. The germination index showed no impediment to the seeds germination on any type of compost and the extracts concentrations not influenced this biological process. No parameters studied assigns risks of contamination of carcasses for the compost development in Unesp according to the proposed design. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group.

Dieta hiperlipídica e exercício físico: conseqüências sobre o metabolismo e a peroxidação lipídica - estudo em modelo animal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Aspecto funcional da fração 11S do grão de bico (Civer arietinum L.) no quadro de hiperlipidemia em modelo animal

Pós-graduação em Alimentos e Nutrição - FCFAR

Qualidade do sombreamento natural de três espécies arbóreas visando ao conforto térmico animal

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Parâmetros de produção de Chrysomya megacephala (Fabr., 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) em dietas e densidades larvais, com vistas à alimentação animal

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Entomologia Agrícola) - FCAV

Influência do método de separação dos espermatozóides viáveis (swim-up) na eficiência de seleção do sexo de bovinos por gradiente descontínuo de densidade e o impacto no melhoramento genético animal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Utilização de biodiesel animal em turbinas a gás

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)