Effects of Exercise Training on Hippocampus Concentrations of Insulin and IGF-1 in Diabetic Rats

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

Long-term physical training increases liver IGF-I in diabetic rats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Oxidative stress in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and armored catfish (Pterygoplichthys anisitsi) exposed to diesel oil

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

Biochemical biomarkers in Oreochromis niloticus exposed to mixtures of benzo[a]pyrene and diazinon.

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

Experimental systemic virulence of oral Candida dubliniensis isolates in comparison with Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei

There are no previous studies on the comparative virulence of Candida dubliniensis with other non-albicans species. The aim of this study was to compare the virulence and infection kinetics of C. dubliniensis and other species. Candida albicans, C. dubliniensis, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei (reference strains) were inoculated intravenously in mice. For infection kinetics evaluation, a group of five animals were sacrificed after 6 h, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days. Microbiological evaluations (liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs and brain) and histopathological examination of the kidney were performed. The results of virulence evaluation were analysed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (5%). Candida dubliniensis-inoculated mice survived for longer periods compared with those with C. albicans (P = 0.005). No differences were detected in relation to C. tropicalis (P = 0.326) and C. krusei (P = 0.317). Most of the organs were persistently colonised by C. albicans and C. dubliniensis even by day 21. Tendency of C. krusei clearance was observed in all organs. Fungal masses and renal lesions were observed after inoculation of C. albicans, C. dubliniensis and C. tropicalis. Within the limits of the study, data on survival rate and dissemination capacity suggest that C. dubliniensis is less virulent than C. albicans.

Protein, methionine+cystine and lysine levels for Japanese quails during the production phase

An experiment was conducted at Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia/Unesp - Botucatu for 168 days to evaluate the effects of protein, Met + Cys and lysine diet levels on egg production and egg quality of laying Japanese quails. Quails with 42 days of age were reared in a completely randomized design. There were 1,944 quails distributed in four replicates of 27 birds per pen, according to a factorial 3x3x2 with three crude protein levels (16, 18 and 20% CP), three Met + Cys levels (0.700; 0.875 and 1.050%) and two lysine levels (1.100 and 1.375%). Birds fed diets with 18 and 20% CP had higher feed intake and egg production than those fed diets with 16% CP. There was significant interaction (p<0.05) between protein and Met + Cys levels on egg weight. There was no effects (p>0.05) of the protein level on feed conversion per dozen eggs; however, improved feed conversion per egg mass was seen for birds fed diets with 20% CP compared to those fed diets with 16% and 18% CP. Protein and lipid percentage in the yolk increased when dietary protein level increased from 16 to 18%. Increasing Met + Cys from 0.700% to 0.875% reduced yolk protein percentage. Higher lipid percentage in the yolk was seen in eggs from quails fed diets with 1.050% Met + Cys, whereas 1.375% lysine in the diet of resulted in decreased egg production and egg mass, besides poorer feed conversion per dozen eggs and per egg mass.

Effect of L-arginine, dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and the association of L-arginine and DMSA on tissue lead mobilization and blood pressure level in plumbism

Lead (Pb)-induced hypertension is characterized by an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a decrease in nitric oxide (NO). In the present study we evaluated the effect of L-arginine (NO precursor), dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA, a chelating agent and ROS scavenger), and the association of L-arginine/DMSA on tissue Pb mobilization and blood pressure levels in plumbism. Tissue Pb levels and blood pressure evolution were evaluated in rats exposed to: 1) Pb (750 ppm, in drinking water, for 70 days), 2) Pb plus water for 30 more days, 3) Pb plus DMSA (50 mg kg-1 day-1, po), L-arginine (0.6%, in drinking water), and the combination of L-arginine/DMSA for 30 more days, and 4) their respective matching controls. Pb exposure increased Pb levels in the blood, liver, femur, kidney and aorta. Pb levels in tissues decreased after cessation of Pb administration, except in the aorta. These levels did not reach those observed in nonintoxicated rats. All treatments mobilized Pb from the kidney, femur and liver. Pb mobilization from the aorta was only effective with the L-arginine/DMSA treatment. Blood Pb concentrations in Pb-treated groups were not different from those of the Pb/water group. Pb increased blood pressure starting from the 5th week. L-arginine and DMSA treatments (4th week) and the combination of L-arginine/DMSA (3rd and 4th weeks) decreased blood pressure levels of intoxicated rats. These levels did not reach those of nonintoxicated rats. Treatment with L-arginine/DMSA was more effective than the isolated treatments in mobilizing Pb from tissues and in reducing the blood pressure of intoxicated rats.

Energy and oil levels in broiler starter diets

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

Effects of irrigation and nitrogen levels on qualitative and nutritional aspects of fig-trees (Ficus carica L.)

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

Liver dysfunction in patients bitten by Crotalus durissus terrificus (Laurenti, 1768) snakes in Botucatu (State of São Paulo, Brazil)

Os autores estudaram 32 doentes picados por serpentes venenosas, sendo 16 picados por Bothrops spp. e 16 por Crotalus durissus terrificus. Trinta doentes eram do sexo masculino e dois do feminino com idades variando entre 8 e 63 anos (méda 33±15). A prova da retenção da bromosulfaleína apresentou-se aumentada na maioria dos doentes picados por serpentes Crotalus durissus terrificus. Houve correlação positiva entre a retenção da bromosulfaleína e os níveis séricos de alanina aminotransferase e entre alanina e aspartato aminotransferase apenas nos doentes do grupo Crotalus. Um dos doentes evoluiu para o óbito e apresentou no exame anatomopatológico do fígado degeneração hidrópica e lesões mitocondriais. Os autores concluem que as alterações hepáticas são causadas por pelo menos dois mecanismos a saber: lesão mitocondrial por efeito do veneno crotálico; efeito das citoquinas, especialmente a interleucina-6.

INFLUENCE OF ENTERAL PARASITES ON THE BLOOD VITAMIN-A LEVELS IN PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN ORALLY SUPPLEMENTED WITH RETINOL AND OR ZINC

A sample of 471 pre-school children who frequented schools and creches in a poor district of Manaus (Amazonas), Brazil, were randomly submitted to faecal parasitological tests. Two-hundred-and-forty children from both sexes between the ages of 3 and 7 years with Ascaris lumbricoides and/or Giardia lamblia were selected. The objective of the study was to determine the possible influence of these two intestinal parasites and vitamin A and/or zinc supplementation on the serum retinol levels of primary school children. The children were submitted to clinical and anthropometric examinations, dietary interviews and biochemical examinations of retinol and carotene in the serum and of zinc in the hair. The parasitic incidence was 85.0% and about 54% of the children were polyparasitic. During the pretreatment phase, the retinol and carotene serum levels were 36% and 57%, respectively, below the normal levels. Using the Waterlow classification, the anthropometric analyses revealed that 88% of the children showed normal growth. A significant effect was observed of the anti-parasitic medicine on the serum retinol levels.

5-AMINOLEVULINIC ACID-INDUCED ALTERATIONS OF OXIDATIVE-METABOLISM IN SEDENTARY AND EXERCISE-TRAINED RATS

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a heme precursor that accumulates in acute intermittent porphyria patients and lead-exposed individuals, has previously been shown to autoxidize with generation of reactive oxygen species and to cause in vitro oxidative damage to rat liver mitochondria. We now demonstrate that chronically ALA-treated rats (40 mg/kg body wt every 2 days for 15 days) exhibit decreased mitochondrial enzymatic activities (superoxide dismutase, citrate synthase) in liver and soleus (type I, red) and gastrocnemius (type IIb, white) muscle fibers. Previous adaptation of rats to endurance exercise, indicated by augmented (cytosolic) CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) and (mitochondrial) Mn-SOD activities in several organs, does not protect the animals against liver and soleus mitochondrial damage promoted by intraperitoneal injections of ALA. This is suggested by loss of citrate synthase and Mn-SOD activities and elevation of serum lactate levels, concomitant to decreased glycogen content in soleus and the red portion of gastrocnemius (type IIa) fibers of both sedentary and swimming-trained ALA-treated rats. In parallel, the type IIb gastrocnemius fibers, which are known to obtain energy mainly by glycolysis, do not undergo these biochemical changes. Consistently, ALA-treated rats under swimming training reach fatigue significantly earlier than the control group. These results indicate that ALA may be an important prooxidant in vivo.

Dose- and sex-related carcinogenesis by N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine in Wistar rats

An initiation-promotion medium-term bioassay for detection of chemical carcinogens, developed in the male F344 rat, uses 0.1% N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine (DHPN) among five genotoxic chemicals for the initiation of carcinogenesis in multiple organs. To establish this bioassay in the Wistar strain, the effects of two dose levels of DHPN were evaluated on the main DHPN rat target organs: lung, thyroid gland, kidneys and liver. Four groups of male and female animals were studied: Control--untreated group; Multi-organ initiated group (also referred to as DMBDD, based on the initials of the five initiators)-treated sequentially with N-diethylnitrosamine (DEN, i.p.), N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU, i.p.), N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxy butyl)nitrosamine (BBN, drinking water), N, N'-dimethylhydrazine (DMH, s.c.) and DHPN (drinking water) for 4 weeks; a third group treated with 0.1% DHPN in drinking water for 2 weeks and the last group treated with 0.2% DHPN in drinking water for 4 weeks. The animals were sacrificed after 30 weeks. DHPN at 0.2% induced preneoplasia in the liver and kidneys of rats of both sexes, the number and area of the putative preneoplastic liver glutathione S-transferase-positive hepatocyte foci being significantly increased in these animals. It also induced benign and malignant tumors in female and in male rats. However, there was no relationship between the increased incidence of preneoplastic lesions and tumor development in the 0.2% DHPN-exposed groups of both sexes. DHPN at 0.1% induced only a few preneoplastic lesions in the liver and kidney and no tumors in both male and female rats. A clear dose and sex-related carcinogenic activity of DHPN was registered, although Wistar rats of both sexes showed a relative resistance to the carcinogenic activity of this compound.

Effects of prolonged oral administration of fumonisin B(1) and aflatoxin B(1) in rats

The effects of prolonged oral administration (21 days) of fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) and aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) were evaluated on male Wistar rats. The animals were housed in individual metabolic cages and submitted to the following treatments: 1-0 mug AFB(1) + 0 mg FB(1)/100g bw.; 2-72 mug AFB(1)+ 0 mg FB(1)/100 g bw; 3-0 mug AFB(1) + 0.5 mg FB(1) g bw; 4-0 mug AFB(1) + 1.5 mg FB(1)/100 g bw; 5-72 mug AFB(1) + 0.5 mg FB(1)/100g bw; 6-72 mu gAFB(1) + 1.5 mg FB(1)/100g bw. on day 21, the rats were sacrificed for evaluation. The results showed that treated animals presented differences in body weight and absolute/relative weights of liver and kidney as well as altered hepatic function and cholesterol blood levels. Rats fed with the greatest doses of AFB(1) and FB(1) gained less weight (2.79 g/day) at the end of the experimental period; their blood concentrations of liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) were above control levels (130.35 mu /l and 471.00 mu /l, respectively). Blood cholesterol increased in the groups treated with the highest dose of FB(1) or FB(1) associated with AFB(1). Histopathology revealed the occurrence of apoptosis in the liver of rats exposed to FB(1). The association of aflatoxin B(1) with fumonisin B(1) at higher dose probably potentiated the effects of the higher dose of fumonisin B(1)acting singly.

Physiological responses of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, fed vitamin C- and lipid-supplemented diets and submitted to low-temperature stress

Water temperature alterations can determine harmful physiological modifications in fish, which should be prepared to cope with this, and nutrition strategies seem to be essential. This study evaluated the effects of different levels of vitamin C and lipids on physiological responses of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, submitted to temperature stress. There were two phases: Phase I - preparing fish to store vitamin C and lipid at appropriate temperature, and Phase II - evaluating the contributions these reserves make to fish physiology under low-temperature stress. The experiment used a 3 x 2 factorial design with three vitamin C levels (300, 600, and 1200 mg/kg diet) and two lipid levels (8.0 and 12.0%), plus absence of nutrient test and a diet of 6.0% lipids and 125.0 mg/kg vitamin C. In Phase I, 192 fish were kept at 26.0 +/- 1.0 C for 112 d, and in Phase II, 48 fish were kept at 18.0 +/- 0.5 C for 32 d and at 15.0 +/- 0.5 C for 11 d. Fish fed C0L0 diet showed lower erythrocytes values in both phases; higher vitamin C supplement determined higher red blood cell (RBC) number and higher hematocrit (Htc) (Phase II); Htc was significantly lower in Phase II; after temperature stress, fish fed C0L0 diet had higher mean corpuscular volume, lower hemoglobin corpuscular concentration, and significantly lower vitamin C concentration in the liver; and higher supplementation determined a higher concentration in the liver (Phases I and II). Higher plasmatic cortisol concentration was seen in fish fed C0L0 diet. In conclusion, our results show that the absence of vitamin C in diets impairs RBC formation and does not enable fish to cope with stress; excess vitamin C is efficient in mitigating stress and 600 mg/kg diet is economic and physiologically sufficient to prepare fish for coping with low-temperature stress. Lipid supplementation does not determine alterations in stress biochemical parameters.