Integrative approach to a patient following rumenotomy - case report / [Abordagem integrativa ao paciente submetido à ruminotomia - relato de caso]

Concern with antimicrobial resistance in animal production systems increases the interest toward integrative therapies. The objective of the present report was to report an integrative approach to a goat undergoing rumenotomy. A goat with ruminal acidosis underwent rumenotomy, corrective rumen suture, moxibustion, and treatment of the surgical wound (TFO) with sugar. In the first twenty days, acupuncture was performed on ST36, indirect moxibustion on Sp6 and CV8, and TFO with antibiotic ointment and sugar. The wound contracted 2cm, there was gradual return of ruminal dynamics, and moderate pain. Acupuncture continued from D21 to D50 on Yin tang, BL13, BL20, BL23, and BL22. Although there was drainage of ruminal fluid, the wound contracted 4cm during this period, pain was absent, and ruminal dynamics normal. During the last thirty days, the acupuncture technique surround the dragon was used and BL13 point needled, with complete closure of the wound. The TFO from D21 was performed solely with sugar. During treatment, there was modulation of the inflammatory response, with formation of granulation tissue and neovascularization. On D84, fibrinogen was 100mg/dL. The authors conclude that the use of sugar, acupuncture, and moxibustion contributed to return of normal ruminal motility, wound contraction, and complete tissue reepithelization.(AU)

A preocupação com a resistência antimicrobiana nos sistemas de produção animal aumenta o interesse pelas terapias integrativas. Objetiva-se relatar a abordagem integrativa ao paciente caprino submetido à ruminotomia. Uma cabra com acidose ruminal foi submetida à ruminotomia, ruminorrafia, moxabustão, acupuntura e tratamento da ferida operatória (TFO) com açúcar. Nos primeiros vinte dias realizou-se acupuntura em ST36, moxa indireta em Sp6 e CV8, TFO com pomada antibiótica e açúcar. A ferida contraiu 2cm, houve retorno gradual da dinâmica ruminal e dor moderada. A acupuntura continuou de D21 a D50 em Yin tang, BL13, BL20, BL23 e BL22. Apesar da ferida drenar fluido ruminal teve contração de 4cm nesse período, ausência de dor e retorno fisiológico da dinâmica ruminal. Nos últimos trinta dias foi realizada a técnica de acupuntura cercar o dragão e punturou-se o ponto BL13, com fechamento completo da ferida. O TFO a partir do D21 foi realizado somente com açúcar. Durante tratamento houve modulação da resposta inflamatória com formação de tecido de granulação e neoangiogênesse, o D84 revelou fibrinogênio 100mg/dL. Conclui-se que a utilização do açúcar, acupuntura e moxabustão contribuíram para o retorno fisiológico da motilidade ruminal, contração da ferida e completa reepitelização tecidual.(AU)

Análise faunística e flutuação populacional de moscas-das-frutas (Diptera: Tephritidae) em pomares comerciais de goiaba na região do Cariri cearense / Faunistic and populational analysis of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in commercial guava orchards in the Cariri region (State of Ceará), Brazil

Devido à importância das moscas-das-frutas como pragas da fruticultura, este trabalho teve como objetivos caracterizar as populações das moscas-das-frutas em pomares comerciais de goiaba na região do Cariri, Estado do Ceará, por meio de índices faunísticos e estudar a flutuação populacional dessas moscas ao longo do ano. Para isso, foram instaladas armadilhas McPhail nos Municípios de Barbalha, Crato e Juazeiro do Norte. As armadilhas foram examinadas semanalmente e as moscas capturadas foram triadas, conservadas em álcool a 70% e identificadas. Constatou-se que Anastrepha zenildae (Wiedemann), A. sororcula Zucchi, A. fraterculus (Wiedemann), A. obliqua (Macquart) e Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) foram as moscas-das-frutas associadas à goiaba. Dessas, A. zenildae. A. sororcula e A. obliqua foram dominantes e constantes na região estudada, enquanto que A. fraterculus e C. capitata foram não-dominantes, mas também constantes. A. zenildae ocorreu em quase todos os meses do ano, exceto em outubro e dezembro de 2008, nos três pomares de goiaba do Cariri e com picos populacionais nos meses mais chuvosos e com temperaturas amenas.

Due to the importance of fruit-flies as pests in fruit growing, the present study was aimed to characterize the populations of fruit-flies in commercial guava orchards in the Cariri region (state of Ceará), Brazil, by means of faunistic indexes and to study their population fluctuation during the year. For this purpose, McPhail traps were installed in the counties Barbalha, Crato and Juazeiro do Norte. The traps were examined weekly and the captured flies were separated, preserved in 70% alcohol and identified. Anastrepha zenildae (Wiedemann), A. sororcula Zucchi, A. fraterculus (Wiedemann), A. obliqua (Macquart) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) were associated with guava fruits. Of them, A. zenildae. A. sororcula and A. obliqua were dominant and constant in the studied region, while A. fraterculus and C. capitata were non-dominant but constant. A. zenildae occurred in almost all months of the year, except October and December of 2008, with population peaks in the rainy season with its milder temperatures.

Diversity and seasonality of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae and Lonchaeidae) and their parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae and Figitidae) in orchards of guava, loquat and peach / Diversidade e variação sazonal de moscas-das-frutas (Diptera: Tephritidae, Lonchaeidae) e seus parasitóides (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Figitidae) em pomares de goiaba, nêspera e pêssego

This work was carried out in orchards of guava progenies, and loquat and peach cultivars, in Monte Alegre do Sul, SP, Brazil, in 2002 and 2003. Guavas and loquats were bagged and unbagged bi-weekly and weekly, respectively, for assessment of the infestation period. Peach was only bagged weekly. The assays started when the fruits were at the beginning of development, but still green. Ripe fruits were taken to the laboratory and placed individually into plastic cups. McPhail plastic traps containing torula yeast were hung from January 2002 to January 2004 to assess the fruit fly population in each orchard, but only the Ceratitis capitata population is here discussed. Five tephritid species were reared from the fruits: Anastrepha bistrigata Bezzi, A. fraterculus (Wiedemann), A. obliqua (Macquart), A. sororcula Zucchi, and C. capitata, in addition to six lonchaeid species: Neosilba certa (Walker), N. glaberrima (Wiedemann), N. pendula (Bezzi), N. zadolicha McAlpine and Steyskal, Neosilba sp. 4, and Neosilba sp. 10 (both species are in the process of being described by P. C. Strikis), as well as some unidentified Neosilba species. Ten parasitoid species were obtained from fruit fly puparia, of which five were braconids: Asobara anastrephae (Muesebeck), Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), D. brasiliensis (Szépligeti), Opius bellus Gahan, and Utetes anastrephae (Viereck), and five figitids: Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes), Dicerataspis grenadensis Ashmead, Lopheucoila anastrephae (Rhower), Leptopilina boulardi (Barbotin, Carlton and Kelner-Pillaut), and Trybliographa infuscata Diaz, Gallardo and Uchôa. Ceratitis capitata showed a seasonal behavior with population density peaking at the second semester of each year. Anastrepha and Neosilba species remained in the orchards throughout both years.

Este trabalho foi realizado em três pomares em Monte Alegre do Sul, SP, em 2002 e 2003, representados por coleção de progênies de goiabeiras, de cultivares de nespereiras e de cultivares de pessegueiros. O período de infestação foi determinado por meio de ensacamento e desensacamento quinzenal e semanal de goiabas e nêsperas, respectivamente, e pelo ensacamento semanal de pêssegos. Os ensaios iniciaram-se com os frutos verdes (princípio de desenvolvimento). Os frutos maduros foram levados ao laboratório e acondicionados individualmente em copos plásticos. A flutuação populacional de Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) foi avaliada por meio de armadilhas plásticas modelo McPhail com torula em cada pomar, de janeiro/2002 a janeiro/2004. Dos frutos foram obtidas cinco espécies de tefritídeos: Anastrepha bistrigata Bezzi, A. fraterculus (Wiedemann), A. obliqua (Macquart), A. sororcula Zucchi e C. capitata e seis de lonqueídeos: Neosilba certa (Walker), N. glaberrima (Wiedemann), N. pendula (Bezzi), N. zadolicha McAlpine and Steyskal, Neosilba sp. 4 e Neosilba sp. 10, além de algumas espécies não-identificadas. Foram obtidas 10 espécies de parasitóides, cinco da família Braconidae - Asobara anastrephae (Muesebeck), Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), D. brasiliensis (Szépligeti), Opius bellus Gahan e Utetes anastrephae (Viereck) - e cinco da família Figitidae - Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes), Dicerataspis grenadensis Ashmead, Lopheucoila anastrephae (Rhower), Leptopilina boulardi (Barbotin, Carlton and Kelner-Pillaut) e Trybliographa infuscata Diaz, Gallardo and Uchôa. Ceratitis capitata apresentou comportamento sazonal com picos populacionais durante o segundo semestre dos dois anos. As espécies de Anastrepha e de Neosilba permaneceram nos pomares durante os dois anos.

The scientific production in health and biological sciences of the top 20 Brazilian universities

Brazilian scientific output exhibited a 4-fold increase in the last two decades because of the stability of the investment in research and development activities and of changes in the policies of the main funding agencies. Most of this production is concentrated in public universities and research institutes located in the richest part of the country. Among all areas of knowledge, the most productive are Health and Biological Sciences. During the 1998-2002 period these areas presented heterogeneous growth ranging from 4.5 percent (Pharmacology) to 191 percent (Psychiatry), with a median growth rate of 47.2 percent. In order to identify and rank the 20 most prolific institutions in these areas, searches were made in three databases (DataCAPES, ISI and MEDLINE) which permitted the identification of 109,507 original articles produced by the 592 Graduate Programs in Health and Biological Sciences offered by 118 public universities and research institutes. The 20 most productive centers, ranked according to the total number of ISI-indexed articles published during the 1998-2003 period, produced 78.7 percent of the papers in these areas and are strongly concentrated in the Southern part of the country, mainly in São Paulo State.

Characterization of a new Kinin potentiating peptide obtained from human plasma proteins

Partially purified kinin potentiating peptide (KPP) obtained from kininogen-depleted human plasma inhibited lung angiotensin converting enzyme in vitro and potentiated guinea-pig ileum contractions induced by bradykinin (BK), Lys-BK, Met-Lys-BK, Ile-Ser-BK, and Lys-Lys-BK. Contractions evoked by angiotensin II, histamine, acetylcholine, and barium cloride were not potentiated. KPP also potentiated kinin-induced contractions of rat uterus and of guinea-pig ileum pre-incubated with 1,10-phenbabthroline. It in suggested that KPP potentiation is due, at least in part, to a direct effect on kinin receptor(s)

The secretory effect of canatoxina ou rat brain synaptosomes involves a lipoxygenase-mediated pathway

Canatoxin (CNTX), a neurotoxic protein, is known to activate platelet secretion and aggregation in vitro through a lipoxygenase-dependent pathway. This study shows that CNTX also induces time and dose-dependent serotonin secretion from rat brain synaptosomes. The secretory effect induced by 6 micronM CNTX was similar to that elicited by 150 mM KCl. Nordihyderoguaiaretic acid (500 micronM) completely abolished CNTX-induced serotonin release while 150 micronM indomethacin had no effect. These data suggest the involvement of the lipoxygenase pathway in neurotransmitter release elicited by CNTX as occurs in the platelet

Biochemical and pharmacological screening of snake (Bothrops) venoms: characterization of components acting on blood coagulation and platelet aggregation

Six venoms from snakes of the genus Bothrops were tested for coagulation, platelet aggregation and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. Almost all showed pro-coagulant and PLA2 activities while pro-aggregating properties were found only for some venoms. Bothrops jararaca venom showed different protein peaks associated with these activities. The pro-aggregating activity was inhibited by EDTA, leupeptin and mepacrine while the PLA2 activity was blocked by p-bromophenacyl bromide and 2-mercaptoethanol. Venom screening tests for clotting and platelet aggregation may represent a valuable tool for snake taxonomy and for monitoring the quality of antisera