Effects of synbiotic-based Bifidobacterium animalis in female rats experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a synbiotic composed of Bifidobacterium animalis and fructooligosaccharides on female rats infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Female Wistar rats, treated or not with dexamethasone, were daily supplemented with synbiotics for 21 days. After 15 days of supplementation, the rats were orally infected with 10(4) T. gondii bradyzoites. Blood samples were collected to measure the levels of IFN-gamma, IL-10 and T. gondii antibodies. All synbiotic-supplemented rats survived until the end of the experiment; however, non-supplemented dexamethasone-treated rats died between the fifth and the eighth days after T. gondii infection. Dexamethasone-treated rats supplemented with synbiotics (P < 0.05) were capable of synthesizing IFN-gamma, and this immunological response was essential to ensure their survival. In addition, brain cysts were found in one rat not supplemented with synbiotics. Results suggest that the synbiotic composed of B. animalis and fructooligosaccharides may be beneficial to toxoplasmosis control. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in the milk of experimentally infected Wistar female rats

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

The influence of loss of bone mass on induced periodontal disease: A radiographic and densitometric study of female rats

Background: Changes in mineral density in the mandibular and femoral bones (BMD) after estrogen deficiency caused by ovariectomy (OVX) and the influence of these changes on induced periodontal disease were evaluated in female rats.Methods: Forty-eight female Holtzman rats (90 days old) were randomly divided into five groups: 0: control (N = 9); 1: SHAM without induced periodontal disease (N = 11); 2: SHAM with induced disease (N = 10); 3: OVX without induced disease (N = 9); and 4: OVX with induced disease (N = 9). In groups 2 and 4, the first lower molars were tied with ligatures for 30 days 120 days after surgery. After 5 months the animals were sacrificed to measure global mineral density (BMD) and that of the sub-regions of the mandible and femur by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The extent of vertical bone loss was evaluated with digital radiography by measuring the distance from the bone crest to the cemento-enamel junction at the mesial of the first lower molar.Results: Results of the femur (Kruskal-Wallis test) showed a significant difference (P < 0.001) between the groups SHAM and OVX in bone density values for all regions. Comparison between the groups in relation to the BMD of the mandible, both in the sub-regions and global revealed no differences (P < 0.05). The vertical bone loss measured for the groups with induced disease was similar (P= 0.713).Conclusions: Differences between the groups were found in the bone mineral density BMD of the femur but not of the mandible. OVX had no influence on induced periodontal disease.

Female preferences based on male nutritional chemical traits

Selection favors females that attend to reliable information about male genetic quality and fitness. Male nutritional condition can be a significant sign of mate quality since poor nutrition can be related to reduced sperm quality, low sperm quantity, sexually transmitted diseases, and parasites. We tested whether female Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, preferred the chemical cues of males that were well fed with high-protein diet over those fed with low-protein diet. Females do not only discriminate between males but also show a preference for well-fed males, discriminating between the odors with respect to nutritional state, suggesting that they were responding to a food-specific chemical cue. It is therefore likely that nutritional condition is related to the production of pheromones in males. Our results suggest that information about male nutritional state can be conveyed in chemical cues and that females attend to these cues during mate choice.

Morphology and histology of male and female reproductive systems in the inseminating species Scoloplax distolothrix (Ostariophysi : Siluriformes : Scoloplacidae)

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

Ultrastructural changes in the ovary cells of engorged Rhipicephalus sanguineus female ticks treated with esters of ricinoleic acid from castor oil (Ricinus communis)

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

Structure, histochemistry, and ultrastructure of the epithelium and stroma in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) female prostate

The female prostate has aroused scientific interest because it is subjected to the same diseases compromising the male prostate during aging. The objective of this work was to characterize structurally, cytochemically, and ultrastructurally the tissue compartments of the normal adult female prostate of Meriones unguiculatus gerbils. The morphological analyses showed that the gerbil's female prostate is constituted of a cluster of glands and ducts inserted in a musculofibrous stroma. The alveolar epithelium is differentiated and consisted of basal proliferating cells, intermediary cells, and secretory cells. The secretory cells are the most numerous cell type and continuously secrete glycoproteins. The basal cells are the source of the secretory cells and they are then responsible for the alveolus renovation. The prostatic stroma is abundant and rich in elastic and collagen fibers, which are closely associated with smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. The results showed that the gerbil's female prostate shows morphological and ultrastructural homology to the human female prostate (Skene's gland), and despite being a small organ, it is a mature and physiologically active gland. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exposure to ethinylestradiol during prenatal development and postnatal supplementation with testosterone causes morphophysiological alterations in the prostate of male and female adult gerbils

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

Aging effects on the mongolian gerbil female prostate (Skene's paraurethral glands): Structural, ultrastructural, quantitative, and hormonal evaluations

Different from the classic view, the prostate is not a gland exclusive to the male, also being an organ of the female genital system presenting morphofunctional similarity between human and rodent. Thus structural, ultrastructural, morphometric-stereological features of the female prostate (Skene's paraurethral gland) and steroid serological levels were evaluated during young, adult, and senile ages in the Mongolian gerbil. The morphofunctional precocity of the female gland in comparison with the male gland occurring in young gland is probably associated with the female circulating steroid levels. The hormonal imbalance in senesce coincides with its susceptibility to histopathological lesions, such as epithelial hypertrophy, metaplasia, and intraepithelial neoplasia. Differently than that of males, the aging degeneration of the female gland involves the accumulation of lipofuscin granules. However, the alterations in senile prostate did not damage its functionality. These analyses reinforce the use of this experimental model for the comprehension of glandular morphofunctional aspects with special attention to senescence. Thus, the appreciation of this organ becomes relevant to avoid future discomfort to women's health.

Angioarquitetura venosa do órgão genital da fêmea bovina

Investigou-se a angioarquitetura venosa da genitália de fêmeas bovinas não prenhes, para avaliar a presença de possíveis anastomoses dos vasos provenientes da região da vulva e da vagina com a veia útero-ovariana, usando-se cinco peças obtidas em abatedouros. No laboratório, um ramo da veia vaginal caudal, infundido com contraste radiográfico intravascular, foi submetido à radiografia. Observou-se que a veia vaginal forma intensa rede de anastomoses na superfície ventral do útero, entre os antímeros direito e esquerdo. As genitálias apresentaram anastomoses dos vasos vulvares e vaginais com vasos da cérvice, corpo e cornos uterinos, sugerindo que parte de um agente luteolítico administrado via intravulvosubmucosa pode ser transportado diretamente aos ovários por uma rota local, sem atingir a circulação sistêmica.

Lactate in Bitches with Pyometra

Lactate is a compound produced by the anaerobic metabolism of glucose, and hyperlactataemia occurs when the rate of production of lactate exceeds the rate of elimination. This occurs in situations of hypoxia and tissue hypoperfusion. Lactate has been considered a useful prognostic indicator in critically ill patients. Pyometra is a disease of adult female dogs characterized by inflammation of the uterus with an accumulation of exudate, which occurs during the luteal phase. It is one of the most common diseases that occur in the genital tract of female dogs. A total of 31 dogs were diagnosed with pyometra. The diagnosis was confirmed at ultrasonography. of the 31 dogs, 25 females had open cervix pyometra and six had closed cervix pyometra. Plasma lactate concentrations were determined by an enzymatic colorimetric method. The average concentration (+/- SD) of plasma lactate in all 31 bitches with pyometra was 3.55 +/- 0.46 mm. Healthy dogs had plasma lactate concentrations between 0.3 and 2.5 mm (mean +/- SD). Concentrations ranged from 0.8 to 2.9 mm when plasma lactate was measured with a portable device and 0.42.6 mm with the blood gas analyser. Even though plasma lactate values vary between several studies and equipment used to measure concentrations, our results for dogs with pyometra are higher indicating hyperlactataemia (Thorneloe et al. , Can Vet J 48, 283288). Plasma lactate in dogs with closed cervix pyometra was mean +/- SD and in dogs with open cervix pyometra, it was mean +/- SD. The plasma lactate concentration in dogs with pyometra was higher than in healthy bitches, and there was no influence of patency of the cervix on the concentration of plasma lactate concentrations. Plasma lactate concentrations were similar for animals with open and closed pyometra (3.54 +/- 0.52 to 3.64 +/- 1.03 mm).

Oocyte morphometry in female dogs (Canis familiaris, Linnaeus, 1758)

In the present study, the ovaries of 15 healthy bitches divided into three groups according to age were analysed by histology and morphometry: group 1 (1-3 years), group 2 (> 3-5 years) and group 3 (> 5-7 years). After ovariosalpingohysterectomy, the ovaries were fixed, routinely processed for embedding in paraffin and stained with haematoxylin-eosin. The following morphometric parameters were analysed: maximum and minimum diameter (mu m), perimeter (mu m), area (mu m(2)) and roundness of the cytoplasm and nucleus of oocytes from different types of follicles. Significant differences in the cytoplasmic and nuclear parameters of follicular oocytes between the experimental groups were determined by ANOVA and the Tukey test (5%). For the biotechnology of reproduction, the present results showed that in vitro maturation yielded the best performance for oocytes from primordial follicles in group 3 females and for oocytes embedded in secondary and tertiary follicles in group 2 females. In addition, the present findings will help in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases affecting bitches, and will especially contribute to a better understanding of these cells by researchers in the field of histology and canine reproduction.

Effects of unilateral decortication on β-adrenergic receptors in the remaining cortex and in the hypothalamus of female rats

Many experiments have been performed to evaluate the physiological role of catecholaminergic mechanisms of gonadotropin release. The purpose of the present study was to determine the concentration of β-adrenoreceptors in the remaining (right) cerebral cortex and in right and left hypothalamic halves of hemi-decorticated female rats which exhibited elevated plasma gonadotropin levels as observed previously. The density of β-receptors was measured using a high-affinity β-adrenergic ligand, iodocyanopindolol (ICYP). Scatchard estimates were obtained for maximum binding (B(max) fmol/mg of tissues) from pooled cerebral cortical and hypothalamic tissue of animals under several experimental conditions after hemi-decortication and sham operation. There was an increase in β-adrenoreceptor density in the remaining (right) cerebral cortex at all times examined in hemi-decorticate in comparison with the sham-operated animals (7 days, +10.9%; 21 days, +8.4%; 90 days, +22%; and 90 days plus ovariectomy, +34.8%). The number of β-adrenoreceptors in the right hypothalamic half in hemi-decorticates decreased at 21 days (-42.20%) and then increased at 90 days (+76.63%) and 90 days plus ovariectomy (+51.75%) when compared with the left hypothalamic half. At the same time there were no significant changes in the sham-operated animals when comparing the receptor density in the right and left hypothalamic halves, respectively. Thus, our results suggest a direct adrenergic pathway by which the left cortex can influence the right cortex and a crossed pathway to the contralateral hypothalamus changing adrenergic activity which can alter the β-adrenergic receptor binding capacity in the hypothalamus.

Paracoccidioidomicose: estudo radiológico e pulmonar de 58 casos

Spirometric and haemogasimetric tests were performed in 52 patients with unifocal and multifocal progressive Paracoccidioidomycosis pulmonary diseases, in 5 patients with juvenile and 1 female internal genital forms. The age ranged from 20 to 74 years old and the duration of disease from 3 to 25 years. Dyspnea, cough, tegumentary and lymphatic manifestations were the most predominant signs observed. Fourteen of them was developed Cor pulmonale. Impaired renal function was recorded in 19 patients, cardiac symptoms were described in 7 and hyporeactor adrenal activity was showed in 13 patients. Radiological studies demonstrated mild in 16, moderate in 24 and severe pulmonary lesions types in 18 patients. The pulmonary function revealed: normal spyrographic findings in 17, pure obstructive type in 32 and mixed form in 9 of them. Hyperventilation was described in 54 individuals and all of them showed an increasing of the alveolo-arterial difference. PaO2 less than 80 mm/Hg observed in 36 of them. Statistical analysis demonstrated significative association between clinical evolution and radiological interpretation. Similar data were obtained in radiology evaluations, clinical evolutive studies and pulmonary functions described in these patients. The granulomatous reaction due to Paracoccidioidomycosis, in heavy smokers patients, gave origin to the alterations in small airways predisposing the interalveolar dissemination an impaired alveolo-arterial diffusion.