Análise espermática de perdizes (Rhynchotus rufescens) criadas em cativeiro e suplementadas com selênio

Due to the commercial importance of the red-winged tinamou (Rhynchotus rufescens), for the past few years, the employment of reproductive biotechnologies has been attempted. Thirty animals were randomly assigned into two groups: control group (no selenium) and treatment group (supplemented with 0,2 a 0,8 mg selenium/ 1000 kg ration). Animals were allocated at the FCAV - UNESP/Jaboticabal (2007-2008). Semen collections were performed by digital manipulation and divided in pools of at least 150 μL. After the immediate evaluation of motility, vigour, concentration and morphology, an aliquot of 20 μL was diluted in 300 μL of physiologic solution in order to test acrosome and membrane integrities, which were performed by counting 200 cells for each test. Cells were evaluated as follows: 1) Intact acrosome: lilac acrosome; Non-intact acrosome: pink acrosome; 2) Live cells: non stained; Dead: stained. Data was statistically analysed using the SAS System for Windows. No differences were found between treatment and control groups for volume, motility, vigour, mean number of spermatozoa per animal, concentration, Intact acrosome, Intact membrane. The difference found on midpiece sperm defect (Se = 1,33 ± 0,53 and control = 3,78 ± 0,69, p = 0.0107) may be due to the damages caused by the selenium deficiency to the architecture of the midpiece, which compromises sperm mobility and fertilization capacity.

Rumen microbial diversity under influence of a polyclonal antibody preparation against lactate-producing and proteolytic bacteria in cows fed different energy sources

Nine ruminally cannulated cows fed different energy sources were used to evaluate an avianderived polyclonal antibody preparation against specific ruminal bacteria and monensin on microbial community diversity. The experimental design was three Latin squares 3 x 3 distinguished by the main energy source in the diet [dry-ground corn grain, high moisture corn silage or citrus pulp]. Inside each Latin square, animals received one of the feed additives per period [control, monensin or polyclonal antibody preparation]. Each period lasted 21 days where 20 were used for treatments adaptation and the last one for sampling collection. Microbial diversity was evaluated by protozoa counts and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Polyclonal antibodies plus citrus pulp (CiPu) addition in the diet resulted in an increase of relative counting of Isotricha protozoa that indicates a possible effect on this ruminal ciliate population. In general lines, in the present experiment, it was not possible to assign that there was a pattern in the structures of amplification of Bacteria and Archaea communities of the ruminal content. Oral passive immunization is a technology that arises as an effective alternative for feed additive production. Further research is still necessary to better understand its mechanisms of action.

Dermatoglyphics in sports sciences: Understanding the distribution of quantitative indicators in non-athletes and athletes of basketball according to their performance

Objectives. One of the concerns of Sports Sciences is the search for methodologies that can help discover potential athletes. In this sense, some initiatives have been taken in an attempt to identify and characterize the genetic profile of dermatoglyphic marks (fingerprints). The present work has the objective of understanding the distribution of quantitative dermatoglyphic indicators in basketball players with different levels of performance compared to non-players. Methods. The subjects observed constituted 125 individuals, divided into five numerically equal groups, three of which were composed of professional basketball players according to their level of participation (Brazilian Team, National Championship and São Paulo Championship) and the last two formed by weekend players and non-players, respectively. Eleven dermatoglyphic variables were analysed in the descriptive level by means of measurement of position, variability and limits of confidence of the median, and, in inferential terms, the Kruskal-Wallis statistical test was adopted. Results. The more expressive ones were: TRC, counting lines a-b and A'-d, behave differently between athletes and non-athletes. Conclusion. Studies about this kind of analysis should be continued, calling on resources that take into consideration all variables simultaneously as a multivariate study. © 2012 Revista Andaluza de Medicina del Deporte.

Análise de fraturamentos para determinação de áreas instáveis na faixa de dutos Osvat/Osplan - São Sebastião, em São Paulo

The present work aimed at characterizing geological features that identify areas with high ruptibility (fracturing) in the Osvat/Osplan pipeline in São Sebastião, São Paulo. The analysis of ruptile geological structures (lines of strikes and structural lineaments) through the use of orbital remote sensing was used as systematic mapping. The analysis of these features enables the inference of factors, such as permeability, infiltration and degree of shear in the region, factors which influence the processes of erosion and landslides in the area. On the map of structural lineaments, points of lineaments intersection from different directions were analyzed, followed by the counting of the frequency of these items per unit area, allowing the statistical modeling of spatial distribution, generating the map of density of structural lineament intersections, which allows determining areas with the highest percolation of fluid in the rock structure. However, on the map of lines of strikes, a space analysis was conducted to identify the two directions with higher frequency of lines of strikes in order to establish the maximums 1 and 2 and to identify the areas of abrupt changes of direction of these strike lines. In such areas where abrupt changes of directions of maximum lines of strikes occur, consequently there will be intense percolation of fluids, responsible for higher alterability of the rock/soil complex, facilitating the installation of erosion processes and landslides, increasing the area instability and consequently the vulnerability of the pipeline.

Extrato de própolis no controle de helmintoses em bezerros

The use of conventional anthelmintic has been a growing concern among consumers who have become more and stricter toward drug residues in products of animal origin. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the anthelmintic effect of alcoholic extract of propolis, at 30% of concentration, in naturally infected calves. Twelve calves weighting 60 kg and aging 90 days old were used. The treatments were performed by direct oral administration of 10 mL of EAP. The calves received the extract at every 8 h intervals, for five consecutive days. The results were evaluated comprising the detection of light and heavy eggs counted per gram of feces (EPG), immediately before and after treatment, calculating the percentage of reduction. For the statistical analysis, the results were evaluated by Wilcoxon unilateral test of signed points at 5% probability. Trichostrongylus sp. and Strongyloides sp. were found. After treatment, 83% of animals showed an average decrease of 48.48% per counting of EPG. Therefore, propolis may represent an important adjunctive therapy to control helminthiasis in cattle. It was particularly important in ecological organic and biological-dynamic systems of production, whose use of chemicals is prohibitive and limiting factor for certification.

Characterization of texture in image of skin lesions by support vector machine

Due to the increased incidence of skin cancer, computational methods based on intelligent approaches have been developed to aid dermatologists in the diagnosis of skin lesions. This paper proposes a method to classify texture in images, since it is an important feature for the successfully identification of skin lesions. For this is defined a feature vector, with the fractal dimension of images through the box-counting method (BCM), which is used with a SVM to classify the texture of the lesions in to non-irregular or irregular. With the proposed solution, we could obtain an accuracy of 72.84%. © 2012 AISTI.

Multimodal exercise intervention improves frontal cognitive functions and gait in Alzheimer's disease: A controlled trial

Aim: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of a multimodal exercise intervention on frontal cognitive functions and kinematic gait parameters in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Methods: A sample of elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease (n=27) were assigned to a training group (n=14; aged 78.0±7.3years) and a control group (n=13; aged 77.1±7.4years). Multimodal exercise intervention includes motor activities and cognitive tasks simultaneously. The participants attended a 1-h session three times a week for 16weeks, and the control participants maintained their regular daily activities during the same period. The frontal cognitive functions were evaluated using the Frontal Assessment Battery, the Clock Drawing Test and the Symbol Search Subtest. The kinematic parameters of gait-cadence, stride length and stride speed were analyzed under two conditions: (i) free gait (single task); and (ii) gait with frontal cognitive task (walking and counting down from 20 - dual task). Results and discussion: The patients in the intervention group significantly increased the scores in frontal cognitive variables, Frontal Assessment Battery (P<0.001) and Symbol Search Subtest (P<0.001) after the 16-week period. The control group decreased the scores in the Clock Drawing Test (P=0.001) and increased the number of counting errors during the dual task (P=0.008) after the same period. Conclusion: The multimodal exercise intervention improved the frontal cognitive functions in patients with Alzheimer's disease. © 2012 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Spatial and seasonal patterns in fish assemblage in Córrego Rico, upper Paraná river Basin

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of heat stress on development, quality and survival of Bos indicus and Bos taurus embryos produced in vitro

Heat stress is an important cause of poor development and low survival rates in bovine embryos. Experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that Bos indicus embryos are more resistant to heat stress than are Bos taurus embryos. In experiment 1, Nelore and Jersey embryos from oocyte pick-up-derived oocytes were submitted to heat stress (96 hours post-insemination, 41 °C, 6 hours), developmental ratios were assessed at Day 7 (Day 0 = day of fertilization), and blastocysts were frozen for RNA extraction. Experiment 2 evaluated expression of COX2, CDX2, HSF1, and PLAC8 in previously frozen blastocysts. In experiment 3, Nellore and Angus embryos from oocyte pick-up-derived oocytes were submitted to heat stress (96 hours post-insemination, 41 °C, 12 hours) and transferred to recipients on Day 7. In experiment 4, embryos developed as in experiment 3 were fixed for Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling labeling and total cell counting. In experiment 1, heat stress decreased the percentage of Jersey oocytes that became blastocysts, but had no effect on Nellore embryos (34.6%, 25.0%, 39.5%, and 33.0% for Jersey control, Jersey heat-stressed, Nellore control, and Nellore heat-stressed oocytes, respectively; P < 0.05). In experiment 2, heat stress decreased (P < 0.05) expression of CDX2 and PLAC8, with higher expression of these genes in Nellore embryos than in Jersey embryos. Heat stress also decreased (P < 0.05) expression of COX2 in Jersey embryos, but had no effect on Nellore embryos. Expression of HSF1 was decreased (P < 0.05) by heat stress in both breeds, with a greater effect in Nellore embryos. In experiment 3, heat stress tended (P = 0.1) to decrease the percentage of pregnancies among cows (Day 30 to 35) that received Angus embryos. In experiment 4, heat stress increased (P < 0.05) the percentage of apoptotic blastomeres, but had no breed-specific effects. In addition, Nellore embryos had fewer (P < 0.05) Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling- positive blastomeres than did Angus embryos. We concluded that the detrimental effects of heat stress were dependent upon embryo breed and were more evident in Bos taurus embryos than in Bos indicus embryos. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Recovery of mutans streptococci on MSB, SB-20 and SB-20M agar media

Objective: The recovery of mutans streptococci in saliva and dental biofilm samples depends, in part, on the culture medium used. In this study, we compared (i) the culture media Sucrose-Bacitracin agar (SB-20), Modified SB-20 (SB-20M) and Mitis Salivarius Bacitracin agar (MSB) in the count of colony forming units (cfu) of mutans streptococci and (ii) in the morphological and biochemical differentiation between Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. Design: Samples of non-stimulated saliva from 20 children were plated on SB-20, SB-20M and MSB, and incubated in microaerophilia at 37 °C for 72 h. Identification of microorganisms was based on analysis of colony morphology under stereomicroscopy. The biochemical identification of colonies was done by biochemical tests using sugar fermentation, resistance to bacitracin and hydrogen peroxide production. Results: There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the number of cfu of mutans streptococci recovered on SB-20 and SB-20M agar. Comparing the media, SB-20 and SB-20M yielded a larger number of mutans streptococci colonies (p < 0.05) and were more effective than MSB in the identification of S. sobrinus (p < 0.05), but not of S. mutans (p > 0.05). Conclusion: There was no significant difference between SB-20 and SB-20M culture media in the count of mutans streptococci, demonstrating that the replacement of sucrose by coarse granular cane sugar did not alter the efficacy of the medium. Compared with MSB, SB-20 and SB-20M allowed counting a larger number of mutans streptococci colonies and a more effective morphological identification of S. sobrinus. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

In vitro adhesion of Candida glabrata to denture base acrylic resin modified by glow-discharge plasma treatment

This study evaluated the potential of plasma treatments to modify the surface chemistry and hydrophobicity of a denture base acrylic resin to reduce the Candida glabrata adhesion. Specimens (n=54) with smooth surfaces were made and divided into three groups (n=18): control - non-treated; experimental groups - submitted to plasma treatment (Ar/50W; AAt/130W). The effects of these treatments on chemical composition and surface topography of the acrylic resin were evaluated. Surface free energy measurements (SFE) were performed after the treatments and after 48h of immersion in water. For each group, half (n=9) of the specimens were preconditionated with saliva before the adhesion assay. The number of adhered C. glabrata was evaluated by cell counting after crystal violet staining. The Ar/50W and AAt/130W treatments altered the chemistry composition, hydrophobicity and topography of acrylic surface. The Ar/50W group showed significantly lower C. glabrata adherence than the control group, in the absence of saliva. After preconditioning with saliva, C. glabrata adherence in experimental and control groups did not differ significantly. There were significant changes in the SFE after immersion in water. The results demonstrated that Ar/50W treated surfaces have potential for reducing C. glabrata adhesion to denture base resins and deserve further investigation, especially to tailor the parameters to prolong the increased wettability. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Ex-vivo Effect of Intracanal Medications Based on Ozone and Calcium Hydroxide in Root Canals Contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis

This ex vivo study evaluated the antibacterial effect of intracanal medications in root canals contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis. Fifty single-rooted human teeth were contaminated with E. faecalis (ATCC 29212) and incubated at 37°C for 21 days. The specimens were randomly divided into 5 groups according to the intracanal medication used: OZ-PG: ozonized propylene glycol; CH/CPMC: calcium hydroxide/camphorated paramonochlorophenol; OZ-PG/CH ozonized PG/CH; PC: positive control group (no medication); and NC: negative control group (no contamination). The samples were collected after 7 days (post-medication) and 14 days (final). Bacterial growth was checked by counting the colony-forming units (CFU). OZ-PG and CH/CPMC reduced significantly the CFU counts compared with PC in the post-medication and final samples, with no statistically significant differences among them. On the other hand, OZ-PG/CH did not reduce significantly the number of bacteria compared with PC. In conclusion, among the evaluated medications OZ-PG and CH/CPMC were the most effective against E. faecalis.

Microbiological control of moisturizing mask formulation added of hibiscus flowers, assai palm, black mulberry and papaw glycolic extracts

The microbiological control of moisturizing mask formulation added of hibiscus flowers, assai palm, black mulberry and papaw glycolic extracts, determining the number of viable microorganisms and possible presence of pathogenic. The moisturizing mask formulation was composed of zinc oxide (5. 0%) and moisturizing cream constituted of triceteareth-4 phosphate (and) cetyl alcohol (and) stearyl alcohol (and) sodium cetearyl sulfate (and) oleth-10 (qs 50g). To this formulation was added hibiscus flowers glycolic extract (2. 5%), assai palm glycolic extract (1. 5%), black mulberry glycolic extract (1. 5%) and papaw glycolic extract (2. 0%). The formulation was stored in aseptically clean recipients, away from humidity and light, in fresh and airy places. The results of the microbiological analysis on the counting of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), of the above mentioned formulation, revealed a bioburden < 10 CFU/mL in all samples. Such data indicate adequate microbiological quality of the tested products, according to official recommendations. Furthermore, it was not detected the presence of pathogenic microorganisms, assuring the harmlessness of the formulation. The results lead us to conclude that the formulation and raw materials analyzed did not present microbial contamination, evidenced for estimating the number of viable microorganisms (<10 UFC/g) and for researching pathogens.

Reservoir design and operation: Effects on aquatic biota-a case study of planktonic copepods

Copepod assemblages from two cascade reservoirs were analyzed during two consecutive years. The upstream reservoir (Chavantes) is a storage system with a high water retention time (WRT of 400 days), and the downstream one (Salto Grande) is a run-of-river system with only 1. 5 days WRT. Copepod composition, richness, abundance, and diversity were correlated with the limnological variables and the hydrological and morphometric features. Standard methods were employed for zooplankton sampling and analysis (vertical 50-μm net hauls and counting under a stereomicroscope). Two hypotheses were postulated and confirmed through the data obtained: (1) compartmentalization is more pronounced in the storage reservoir and determines the differences in the copepod assemblage structure; and (2) the assemblages are more homogeneous in the run-of-river reservoir, where the abundance decreases because of the predominance of washout effects. For both reservoirs, the upstream zone is more distinctive. In addition, in the smaller reservoir the influence of the input from tributaries is stronger (turbid waters). Richness did not differ significantly among seasons, but abundance was higher in the run-of-river reservoir during summer. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Antimicrobial activity of the synthetic peptide Lys-a1 against oral streptococci

The peptide LYS-[TRP6]-Hy-A1 (Lys-a1) is a synthetic derivative of the peptide Hy-A1, initially isolated from the frog species Hypsiboas albopunctatus. According to previous research, it is a molecule with broad antimicrobial activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the synthetic peptide Lys-a1 (KIFGAIWPLALGALKNLIK- NH2) on the planktonic and biofilm growth of oral bacteria. The methods used to evaluate antimicrobial activity include the following: determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) in microtiter plates for growth in suspension and quantification of biomass by crystal violet staining and counting of colony forming units for biofilm growth. The microorganisms Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus parasanguinis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus were grown in Brain Heart Infusion broth at 37 °C under atmospheric pressure with 10% CO2. The peptide was solubilized in 0.1% acetic acid (v/v) at various concentrations (500-1.9 μg mL-1). Chlorhexidine gluconate 0.12% was used as the positive control, and BHI culture medium was used as the negative control. The tested peptide demonstrated a remarkable antimicrobial effect, inhibiting the planktonic and biofilm growth of all strains tested, even at low concentrations. Thus, the peptide Lys-a1 is an important source for potential antimicrobial agents, especially for the control and prevention of microbial biofilms, which is one of the most important factors in cariogenic processes. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.