Influence of genetic type and level of concentrate in the finishing diet on carcass and meat quality traits in beef heifers

Carcass and meat quality traits of thirty-six feedlot beef heifers from different genetic groups (GG) fed at two concentrate levels (CL) were evaluated using 12- Nellore (NE), 12 - 1/2Angus x 1/2Nellore (AN) and 12 - 1/2Simmental x 1/2Nellore (SN) animals. Six heifers of each GG were randomly assigned into one of two treatments: concentrate at 0.8% or 1.2% of body weight (BW). Heifers fed concentrate at 0.8% of BW had greater (P<0.05) dressing percentage. None of the proximate analysis components of the beef were affected (P>0.05) by either CL or GG. Heifers from the AN group had higher (P<0.05) carcass weights, 12th rib fat thickness and lower dressing percentage (P<0.05) compared to the other groups. NE heifers had greater WBSF values (P<0.05) than the other genetic groups. Data suggest that the concentrate level can be reduced without compromising meat quality traits. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Growth Regulation and Other Secondary Effects of Herbicides

As all herbicides act on pathways or processes crucial to plants, in an inhibitory or stimulatory way, low doses of any herbicide might be used to beneficially modulate plant growth, development, or composition. Glyphosate, the most used herbicide in the world, is widely applied at low rates to ripen sugarcane. Low rates of glyphosate also can stimulate plant growth (this effect is called hormesis). When applied at recommended rates for weed control, glyphosate can inhibit rust diseases in glyphosate-resistant wheat and soybean. Fluridone blocks carotenoid biosynthesis by inhibition of phytoene desaturase and is effective in reducing the production of abscisic acid in drought-stressed plants. Among the acetolactate synthase inhibitors, sulfometuron-methyl is widely used to ripen sugarcane and imidazolinones can be used to suppress turf species growth. The application of protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitors can trigger plant defenses against pathogens. Glufosinate, a glutamine syntherase inhibitor, is also known to improve the control of plant diseases. Auxin agonists (i.e., dicamba and 2,4-D) are effective, low-cost plant growth regulators. Currently, auxin agonists are still used in tissue cultures to induce somatic embryogenesis and to control fruit ripening, to reduce drop of fruits, to enlarge fruit size, or to extend the harvest period in citrus orchards. At low doses, triazine herbicides stimulate growth through beneficial effects on nitrogen metabolism and through auxin-like effects. Thus, sublethal doses of several herbicides have applications other than weed control.

Cross-sectional association between healthy and unhealthy food habits and leisure physical activity in adolescents

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

Tetracaine stimulates insulin secretion through the mobilization of Ca2+ from thapsigargin- and IP3-insensitive Ca2+ reservoir in pancreatic beta-cells

The effect of tetracaine on Ca-45 efflux, cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration [Ca2+](i), and insulin secretion in isolated pancreatic islets and beta-cells was studied. In the absence of external Ca2+, tetracaine (0.1-2.0 mM) increased the Ca-45 efflux from isolated islets in a dose-dependant manner. Tetracaine did not affect the increase in Ca-45 efflux caused by 50 mM K+ or by the association of carbachol (0.2 mM) and 50 mM K+. Tetracaine permanently increased the [Ca2+](i) in isolated beta-cells in Ca2+-free medium enriched with 2.8 mM glucose and 25 mu M D-600 (methoxiverapamil). This effect was also observed in the presence of 10 mM caffeine or 1 mu M thapsigargin. In the presence of 16.7 mM glucose, tetracaine transiently increased the insulin secretion from islets perfused in the absence and presence of external Ca2+. These data indicate that tetracaine mobilises Ca2+ from a thapsigargin-insensitive store and stimulates insulin secretion in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. The increase in Ca-45 efflux caused by high concentrations of K+ and by carbachol indicates that tetracaine did not interfere with a cation or inositol triphosphate sensitive Ca2+ pool in beta-cells.

Edentulismo funcional e seus fatores de risco em adultos

The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors to the functional edentulism in adults aged 35 a 44 years old of Natal-RN, 278 adults took part in the study. They were all selected from a previous dental loss prevalence study thus being complemented by an active research. The study was a case-control based and data collection was made though a survey as well as with a clinical examination. The cases were identified through individuals with 20 or more teeth. Age and gender were used as variables of pairing off. The data was analyzed through chi-square, significant level of 95% to the checking of its force associations. The independent variables were grouped in three levels. The first one, more macro, is related to the region where the individual lives, which was also related to the second level, the family-based one, linked with a third level, at this low socio-economical level, where the domiciliary density was favorable, living in capital cities, regions with prime sanitary condicitions, with predominant possibility of accessing the public dental service, but in despite of this, only looking for this service when tooth ache is felt, where preferentially an aid dressing treatment is executed in detriment of preventive procedures. From all the samples, less than 25% of the individuals make use of tobacco and alcoholic beverages for quite a number of years. There was an association of functional edentulism with all the studied variables in a regional method. In the family-based with Crit��rio Brasil (OR=4,45) and monthly wages (OR=9,62) and to an to an individual level, the associations took place with the current use of kind of attendance (OR=1,78), looks for dressing treatment (OR=2,51), does not look for preventive treatment (OR=3,31), pain as the main cause of demand (OR=1,92), previous treatment as the demanding reason for dental service (OR+0,28), interval of the last visit to the dental service (OR=1,35) and when advise was received (OR=1,66). It was noticed from the results that the functional edentulism is much more expressive in those families which live in environments with precarious social economical sanitary conditions. Such conditions seem to have a direct influence upon the family social economical conditions which are also shown in detriment to functional edentulism. In the same way, the collection of variants influence the social economical conditions of the individual, as well as the kind of dental service searched by them, the reason of the search and the interval of the last visit to the dental service were strong determiners to the functional edentulism. Beyond that, individual habits like the use of tobacco and its frequency on its previous use influenced in a significant way the existence of functional edentulism in the studied population

Efeitos da administra����o subaracn��idea de grandes volumes de lidoca��na a 2% e ropivaca��na a 1% sobre a medula espinhal e as meninges: estudo experimental em c��es

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A inje����o de grandes volumes de anest��sico local no espa��o subaracn��ideo, ap��s pun����o dural acidental, �� complica����o da anestesia peridural. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar as poss��veis altera����es cl��nicas e histol��gicas desencadeadas por grandes volumes de lidoca��na a 2% e ropivaca��na a 1%, simulando inje����o subaracn��idea acidental, em c��es. M��TODO: Vinte e um c��es foram distribu��dos aleatoriamente em 3 grupos, que receberam por via subaracn��idea: G1 - cloreto de s��dio a 0,9%; G2 - lidoca��na a 2% e G3 - ropivaca��na a 1%. A pun����o subaracn��idea foi realizada no espa��o intervertebral L6-L7. O volume de anest��sico local administrado foi de 1 ml para cada 10 cm de dist��ncia entre a protuber��ncia occipital e o espa��o lombossacral (5 - 6,6 ml). Ap��s 72 horas de observa����o cl��nica os animais foram sacrificados e foi removida a por����o lombossacral da medula para exame histol��gico, por microscopia ��ptica. RESULTADOS: Nenhum animal do G1 apresentou altera����es cl��nicas ou histol��gicas da medula espinhal. Foram observados dois casos de necrose do tecido nervoso em G2, por��m mudan��as cl��nicas, em somente um desses c��es e em outros dois animais que n��o apresentaram altera����es histol��gicas. Foi encontrada necrose focal do tecido nervoso medular em um animal de G3. Todos os animais de G3 permaneceram clinicamente normais. CONCLUS��ES: Conclui-se que grandes volumes de lidoca��na a 2% determinaram altera����es cl��nicas e histol��gicas mais intensas que os de ropivaca��na a 1%.

Romifidine or xylazine combined with ketamine in dogs premedicated with methotrimeprazine

Funda����o de Amparo �� Pesquisa do Estado de S��o Paulo (FAPESP)

Preval��ncia de les��es cut��neas act��nicas em pacientes com carcinoma basocelular do segmento cef��lico: um estudo caso-controle

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a preval��ncia de les��es cut��neas act��nicas em portadores de carcinoma basocelular do segmento cef��lico. M��TODOS: Foi conduzido estudo tipo caso-controle. Os casos, constitu��dos por pacientes com carcinoma basocelular s��lido, prim��rio, menor que dois cent��metros, no segmento cef��lico; e controles, por pacientes com outras dermatoses. Foram analisadas vari��veis constitucionais, comportamentais e les��es act��nicas. RESULTADOS: Avaliaram-se 120 casos e 360 controles. M��lio facial (OR = 2,3), leucodermia puntacta de membros superiores (OR = 2,9) e cutis romboidalis nuchae (OR = 1,8) associaram-se �� neoplasia independentemente das demais vari��veis, sugerindo um fen��tipo de risco. Houve ainda associa����o com fen��tipos claros, gen��tica familiar e exposi����o solar cumulativa. Queimadura solar, tabagismo e alcoolismo n��o foram identificados como fatores de risco. O uso de fotoprotetores n��o evidenciou prote����o; por��m, o grupo controle era composto por pacientes dermatol��gicos, aos quais s��o indicados fotoprotetores regularmente. CONCLUS��O: Les��es act��nicas foram mais prevalentes em portadores de carcinoma basocelular s��lido do segmento cef��lico que em controles, especialmente m��lio, cutis romboidalis nuchae e leucodermia puntacta, independentemente dos demais fatores de risco conhecidos.

Associa����o entre acroc��rdons e resist��ncia �� insulina

FUNDAMENTOS: Acroc��rdons s��o les��es dermatol��gicas comuns na popula����o e est��o associados ao diabetes mellitus, �� obesidade, �� resist��ncia insul��nica e �� aterosclerose. A identifica����o precoce de pacientes com resist��ncia insul��nica pode ter papel preventivo prim��rio. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a associa����o entre presen��a de acroc��rdons cervicais ou axilares e resist��ncia insul��nica. M��TODOS: Estudo transversal com pacientes dermatol��gicos adultos atendidos em hospital universit��rio. Casos foram definidos como portadores de mais de cinco acroc��rdons cervicais e/ou axilares. A resist��ncia insul��nica foi estimada pelo ��ndice HOMA-IR. Resultados foram ajustados pelas demais covari��veis de risco para resist��ncia insul��nica conhecidos, a partir de regress��o log��stica m��ltipla. RESULTADOS: Avaliaram-se 98 casos e 103 controles, que n��o diferiram entre si quanto �� idade ou ao g��nero. Acroc��rdons se associaram diretamente aos valores de HOMA-IR (Odds Ratio = 1,4), hipertrigliceridemia e ��ndice de massa corp��rea, independentemente do ajuste por diabetes mellitus, idade, fototipo, g��nero, hist��ria de diabetes mellitus familiar e rela����o cintura/quadril. N��veis qualitativamente elevados de HOMA-IR (> 3,8) tamb��m evidenciaram associa����o significativa (��ndice de probabilidade = 7,5). CONCLUS��ES: Presen��a de m��ltiplos acroc��rdons se associou �� resist��ncia insul��nica, independentemente dos demais fatores de risco.

Genetic, epidemiological and biological analysis of interleukin-10 promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms suggests a definitive role for-819C/T in leprosy susceptibility

Leprosy is a complex infectious disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The genetic contributing factors are considered heterogeneous and several genes have been consistently associated with susceptibility like PARK2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA) and vitamin-D receptor (VDR). Here, we combined a case-control study (374 patients and 380 controls), with meta-analysis (5 studies; 2702 individuals) and biological study to test the epidemiological and physiological relevance of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) genetic markers in leprosy. We observed that the -819T allele is associated with leprosy susceptibility either in the case-control or in the meta-analysis studies. Haplotypes combining promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms also implicated a haplotype carrying the -819T allele in leprosy susceptibility (odds ratio (OR) = 1.40; P = 0.01). Finally, we tested IL-10 production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with Mycobacterium leprae antigens and found that -819T carriers produced lower levels of IL-10 when compared with noncarriers. Taken together, these data suggest that low levels of IL-10 during the disease outcome can drive patients to a chronic and unprotective response that culminates with leprosy.

Assessment of risk factors for low bone mineral density in Brazilian postmenopausal women

Funda����o de Amparo �� Pesquisa do Estado de S��o Paulo (FAPESP)

Efficacy of the motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) in predicting pregnancy after intrauterine insemination

Background: Although the motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) was developed merely as a selection criterion, its application as a method for classifying sperm morphology may represent an improvement in the evaluation of semen quality. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of normal sperm morphology using MSOME with regard to clinical pregnancy (CP) after intrauterine insemination (IUI).Methods: A total of 156 IUI cycles that were performed in 111 couples were prospectively analysed. Each subject received 75 IU of recombinant FSH every second day from the third day of the cycle. Beginning on the 10th day of the cycle, follicular development was monitored by vaginal ultrasound. When one or two follicles measuring at least 17 mm were observed, recombinant hCG was administered, and IUI was performed 12-14 h and 36-40 h after hCG treatment. Prior to the IUI procedure, sperm samples were analysed by MSOME at 8400x magnification using an inverted microscope that was equipped with DIC/Nomarski differential interference contrast optics. A minimum of 200 motile spermatozoa per semen sample were evaluated, and the percentage of normal spermatozoa in each sample was determined.Results: Pregnancy occurred in 34 IUI cycles (CP rate per cycle: 21.8%, per patient: 30.6%). Based on the MSOME criteria, a significantly higher percentage of normal spermatozoa was found in the group of men in which the IUI cycles resulted in pregnancy (2.6+/-3.1%) compared to the group that did not achieve pregnancy (1.2+/-1.7%; P = 0.019). Logistic regression showed that the percentage of normal cells in the MSOME was a determining factor for the likelihood of clinical pregnancy (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.51; P = 0.003). The ROC curve revealed an area under the curve of 0.63 and an optimum cut-off point of 2% of normal sperm morphology. At this cut-off threshold, using the percentage of normal sperm morphology by MSOME to predict pregnancy was 50% sensitive with a 40% positive predictive value and 79% specificity with an 85% negative predictive value. The efficacy of using the percentage of normal sperm morphology by MSOME in predicting pregnancy was 65%.Conclusions: The present findings support the use of high-magnification microscopy both for selecting spermatozoa and as a routine method for analysing semen before performing IUI.

Poultry offal meal in chicken: Traceability using the technique of carbon (C-13/C-12)- and nitrogen (N-15/N-14)-stable isotopes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient��fico e Tecnol��gico (CNPq)

Bone mineral density of tibae and femura of broiler breeders: growth, development and production

The aim of this study was to follow-up the physiological variations in the development of the bone tissue, associating them with the egg production curve. This study was carried out in the facilities of the Faculdade de Medicina Veterin��ria e Zootecnia of the UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil. Twenty-three families of Ross broiler breeders were used, each family consisting of 13 females and 1 male, distributed in 23 pens of 5.0m�� each. The management was that recommended by the genetic company manual (Agroceres Ross, 2003), with daily feeding until 6th week of age; and birds were fed according to a 5:2 schedule (5 days fed, 2 days of fasting) between 7 and 17 weeks of age, returning to daily feeding starting at 18 weeks of age. Birds did not receive afternoon calcium supplementation. on the fourth week of rearing, 84 females were removed for bone analyses of the right tibia and femur, using optical densitometry in radiographic images technique. These analyses were sequentially carried out in 4, 8, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 35, 42, 47, and 52 week-old birds. The egg production curve of the birds was followed-up and associated to bone mineral density results. For bone mineral density evaluation (BMD) birds were divided by weight categories as light, intermediate, or heavy within each data age. BMD values of the tibias were not influenced by weight range, but by the age at collection. on the other hand, interactions were found among femur BMD values and weight and age categories. There was no correlation between eggshell quality and femur BMD. A negative correlation (-0.15) was observed between tibia BMD and eggshell percentage. It was possible to conclude that the egg production has little influence on bone mineral density of the birds probably because there was no need of bone mineral mobilization during the production period, since the observed egg production was below that observed under commercial conditions.

Effects of temperament and acclimation to handling on feedlot performance of Bos taurus feeder cattle originated from a rangeland-based cow-calf system

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)