Evaluation of carcass and muscle traits in Santa Ines female lambs finished with different agricultural products / Avaliação de características da carcaça e do músculo de cordeiras Santa Inês terminadas com diferentes produtos agrícolas

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different agricultural products on quantitative aspects of carcass, body constituents, cooking loss, shear force and colorimetry of the Longissimus lumborum and Triceps brachii muscles in Santa Ines lambs. 24 Santa Ines female lambs received one of four diets which were isoproteic and isoenergetic with fixed levels of forage (60%) and concentrate (40%) of corn and soybean meal during 45 days. The forages per diet differed: coast-cross hay (HAY), cassava hay (CASS), dehydrated by-product of pea crop (PEA) and sugarcane (SC). The average weight of the lambs at the beginning of the experiment was 26.35kg. Animals were slaughtered in a federally certified abattoir. Initial and final pH, cooking losses, color using the CIELAB system, shear force and the quantity of sarcomeres per 100µm were measured. Hot carcass, cold and half carcass weights were affected by treatments (P<0.05). The sarcomere length of Triceps brachii muscle 24 hours after slaughter differed between diets and coast-cross hay had the lowest value. The sarcomere length differed significantly between diets and the dehydrated by-product of pea crop had the lowest number of sarcomeres immediately after slaughter compared to other diets. There was no influence of diet on colorimetry, cooking loss and shear force. The decrease in pH followed the development of the process of rigor mortis in the Longissimus lumborum and Triceps brachii muscles in the first hour and up to 24 hours after slaughter. Diets did not alter the pH, water holding capacity, colorimetry or shear force. The pea by-product and sugarcane can replace traditional sources of fodder without depreciation of meat characteristics.(AU)

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes produtos agrícolas sobre aspectos quantitativos da carcaça, constituintes do corpo, perda por cocção, força de cisalhamento e colorimetria dos músculos Longíssimus lumborum e Tríceps brachii em cordeiras Santa Inês. Vinte e quatro cordeiras Santa Inês receberam uma das quatro dietas, que foram isoproteicas e isoenergéticas, com níveis fixos de forragem (60%) e concentrado (40%) composto por milho e farelo de soja, durante 45 dias. As forragens diferiram entre as dietas: feno de coast cross (FENO), feno da parte aérea da mandioca (MAN), subproduto desidratado da cultura da ervilha (ERV) e cana-de-açúcar (CANA). O peso médio das cordeiras no início do experimento foi de 26,35kg. Os animais foram abatidos em frigorífico com inspeção sanitária federal. Foram avaliados o pH inicial e o final, as perdas por cocção, a cor, por meio do sistema CIELAB, a força de cisalhamento e a quantidade de sarcômeros em 100µm. Os pesos de carcaça quente, de carcaça fria e de meia-carcaça foram afetados pelos tratamentos (P<0,05). O comprimento do sarcômero do músculo Tríceps brachii 24 horas após o abate diferiu entre dietas e o feno coast cross apresentou o menor valor. O comprimento do sarcômero diferiu significativamente entre as dietas, e o subproduto da ervilha apresentou o menor número de sarcômeros imediatamente após o abate em comparação com as outras dietas. Não houve influência da dieta sobre as características de colorimetria, perda por cocção e força de cisalhamento. Houve diminuição do pH, seguido pelo desenvolvimento do processo de rigor mortis nos músculos Longíssimus lumborum e Tríceps brachii da primeira hora até 24 horas após o abate. As dietas não foram capazes de alterar o pH, a capacidade de retenção de água, a colorimetria ou a força de cisalhamento. O subproduto de ervilha e a cana-de-açúcar podem substituir as fontes tradicionais de forragem sem prejudicar as características da carne.(AU)

Gênero Pimenta: aspectos botânicos, composição química e potencial farmacológico / Pimenta genus: botanical aspects, chemical composition and pharmacological potential

A família Myrtaceae possui representantes de grande interesse medicinal e o gênero Pimenta é um dos que merecem destaque. A maioria das espécies desse gênero é nativa da América Central, com exceção da Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus (Gomes) L. R. Landrum, nativa nas regiões centro-oeste e sudeste do Brasil. O presente estudo teve como objetivo revisar aspectos botânicos, químicos e farmacológicos descritos na literatura sobre o gênero Pimenta. Os dados foram obtidos de artigos originais e revisões indexadas nas bases Periódicos Capes, ISI Web of Knowledge, Bireme e SciELO. As espécies desse gênero podem ser arbustivas ou arbóreas, possuem pelos unicelulares, folhas usualmente coriáceas, inflorescência em dicásio ou panícula e são distinguidas, principalmente, pela estrutura do ovário. As propriedades farmacológicas são conferidas, principalmente, pelos óleos essenciais que são constituídos, na maioria, por derivados fenilpropanóides, monoterpenos, aldeídos monoterpênicos e alcoóis monoterpênicos. Dentre as propriedades farmacológicas apresentadas por espécies desse gênero destacam-se as anti-hipertensivas, anti-inflamatórias, analgésicas, antimicrobianas e antioxidantes. Das quinze espécies de Pimenta conhecidas, a Pimenta dioica (L.) Merrill e a Pimenta racemosa (Miller) J. Moore são as espécies de maior importância econômica e, por esse motivo são as mais estudadas do ponto de vista químico e farmacológico.

The family Myrtaceae has representatives of great medical interest, and the genus Pimenta deserves attention. Most species of this genus are native to the Central America, except Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus (Gomes) L. R. Landrum, which is native to the Central-West and Southeast Brazilian Regions. This study aimed to review botanical, chemical and pharmacological aspects described in the literature for Pimenta genus. Information was obtained from original papers and reviews indexed in the databases "Periódicos Capes", ISI Web of Knowledge, "Bireme" and SciELO. This genus can present shrubs or trees, which have unicellular hairs, usually coriaceous leaves and dichasium or panicle inflorescence, and are mainly distinguished by the ovary structure. The pharmacological properties are mostly due to essential oils, mainly consisted of phenylpropanoid, monoterpene, monoterpenic aldehyde and alcohol derivatives. Among these properties, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial and antioxidant ones are highlighted. Of the fifteen known Pimenta species, Pimenta dioica (L.) Merrill and Pimenta racemosa (Miller) J. Moore have the greatest economic importance and consequently have been the most chemically and pharmacologically studied.

Efficacy of the FEV1/FEV6 ratio compared to the FEV1/FVC ratio for the diagnosis of airway obstruction in subjects aged 40 years or over

The present cross-sectional, population-based study was designed to evaluate the performance of the FEV1/FEV6 ratio for the detection of airway-obstructed subjects compared to the FEV1/FVC <0.70 fixed ratio test, as well as the lower limit of normality (LLN) for 1000 subjects ³40 years of age in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. After the exclusion of 37 (3.7 percent) spirometries, a total of 963 pre-bronchodilator (BD) and 918 post-BD curves were constructed. The majority of the post-BD curves (93.1 percent) were of very good quality and achieved grade A (762 curves) or B (93 curves). The FEV1/FEV6 and FEV1/FVC ratios were highly correlated (r² = 0.92, P < 0.000). Two receiver operator characteristic curves were constructed in order to express the imbalance between the sensitivity and specificity of the FEV1/FEV6 ratio compared to two FEV1/FVC cut-off points for airway obstruction: equal to 70 (area under the curve = 0.98, P < 0.0001) and the LLN (area under the curve = 0.97, P < 0.0001), in the post-BD curves. According to an FEV1/FVC <0.70, the cut-off point for the FEV1/FEV6 ratio with the highest sum for sensitivity and specificity was 0.75. The FEV1/FEV6 ratio can be considered to be a good alternative to the FEV1/FVC ratio for the diagnosis of airway obstruction, both using a fixed cut-off point or below the LLN as reference. The FEV1/FEV6 ratio has the additional advantage of being an easier maneuver for the subjects and for the lung function technicians, providing a higher reproducibility than traditional spirometry maneuvers.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated in São Paulo (Brazil): results of the PLATINO study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease in adults over 40 years of age and has a great social and economic impact. It remains little recognized and undertreated even in developed countries. However, there are no data about its diagnosis and treatment in Brazil. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the proportion of COPD patients who had never been diagnosed and to determine if the COPD patients who had been identified were receiving appropriate treatment. The Latin American Project for the Investigation of Obstructive Lung Disease (PLATINO) was a randomized epidemiological study of adults over 40 years living in five metropolitan areas, including São Paulo. The studied sample was randomly selected from the population after a division of the metropolitan area of São Paulo in clusters according to social characteristics. All subjects answered a standardized questionnaire on respiratory symptoms, history of smoking, previous diagnosis of lung disease, and treatments. All subjects performed spirometry. The criterion for the diagnosis of COPD was defined by a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio lower than 0.7. A total of 918 subjects were evaluated and 144 (15.8 percent) met the diagnostic criterion for COPD. However, 126 individuals (87.5 percent) had never been diagnosed. This undiagnosed group of COPD patients had a lower proportion of subjects with respiratory symptoms than the previously diagnosed patients (88.9 vs 54.8 percent) and showed better lung function with greater FEV1 (86.8 ± 20.8 vs 68.5 ± 23.6 percent predicted) and FVC (106.6 ± 22.4 vs 92.0 ± 24.1 percent predicted). Among the COPD patients, only 57.3 percent were advised to stop smoking and 30.6 percent received the influenza vaccine. In addition, 82.3 percent did not receive any pharmacological treatment. In conclusion, COPD is underdiagnosed and a large number of COPD patients are not treated appropriately.

Comparison of etoricoxib and indomethacin for the treatment of experimental periodontitis in rats

We investigated the effect of etoricoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, and indomethacin, a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on experimental periodontitis, and compared their gastrointestinal side effects. A ligature was placed around the second upper left molars of female Wistar rats (160 to 200 g). Animals (6 per group) were treated daily with oral doses of 3 or 9 mg/kg etoricoxib, 5 mg/kg indomethacin, or 0.2 mL saline, starting 5 days after the induction of periodontitis, when bone resorption was detected, until the sacrifice on the 11th day. The weight and survival rate were monitored. Alveolar bone loss (ABL) was measured as the sum of distances between the cusp tips and the alveolar bone. The gastric mucosa was examined macroscopically and the periodontium and gastric and intestinal mucosa were examined by histopathology. The ongoing ABL was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) by 3 and 9 mg/kg etoricoxib and by indomethacin: control = 4.08 ± 0.47 mm; etoricoxib (3 mg/kg) = 1.89 ± 0.26 mm; etoricoxib (9 mg/kg) = 1.02 ± 0.14 mm; indomethacin = 0.64 ± 0.15 mm. Histopathology of periodontium showed that etoricoxib and indomethacin reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, ABL, and cementum and collagen fiber destruction. Macroscopic and histopathological analysis of gastric and intestinal mucosa demonstrated that etoricoxib induces less damage than indomethacin. Animals that received indomethacin presented weight loss starting on the 7th day, and higher mortality rate (58.3 percent) compared to etoricoxib (0 percent). Treatment with etoricoxib, even starting when ABL is detected, reduces inflammation and cementum and bone resorption, with fewer gastrointestinal side effects.

Prevalencia de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica y sus principales factores de riesgo: proyecto PLATINO en Montevideo / Prevalence and risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the PLATINO project in Montevideo

La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC), caracterizada por limitación al flujo aéreo, se ha convertido en una causa mayor de morbimortalidad en los países desarrollados. En américa LAtina los datos epidemiológicos son escasos. PLATINO (Proyecto Latinoamericano de Investigación en Obstrucción Pulmonar) es un estudio multicéntrico dirigido a medir la prevalencia de esta enfermedad en 5 ciudades latinoamericanas, sus principales factores de riesgo, describir los síntomas respiratorios, evaluar la sensibilidad y especificidad de los mismos así como correlacionar el diagnóstico médico previo con el diagnóstico funcional de EPOC. La selección de la muestra fue realizada en varias etapas, agrupada por conglomerads, de manera de analizar una población representativa de la ciudad de Montevideo y el aréa metropolitana con edad mayor o igual a 40 años. De 1.140 sujetos elegibles contestaron un cuestionario estandarizado 943 personas y se completaron 885 espirometrías posbroncodilatador. La prevalencia de EPOC considerando los principales criterios funcionales diagnósticos fue: para la relación volumen respiratorio forzado en el primer seguno/capacidad vital forzada (VEF1/CVF) <70: 19,7 por ciento. Según la definición del Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) (VEF1/CVF <70 por ciento y VEF1 <80 por ciento predicto) fue 7,8 por ciento ya que cuantifica además el grado de severidad de la enfermedad (estadio II). El tabaquismo actual se presentó en 28 por ciento de los sujetos encestados. Estos presentaron 47 por ciento más EPOC que los no fumadores; esta probabilidad fue 78 por ciento mayor para aquellos fumadores con un índice de paquetes/año mayor a 10. La baja sensibilidad y especificidad de los síntomas respiratorios y el subdiagnóstico de esta enfermedad deben promover la detección temprana de limitación de flujo aéreo por espirometría, para instrumentar medidas terapéuticas adecuadas.

Estudo técnico e econômico de um sistema de produção de leite com gado mestiço F1 Holandês-Zebu / Technical and economic evaluation on of a milk production system for F1 Holstein-Zebu cattle

Avaliaram-se a viabilidade técnica e a rentabilidade de um sistema de produção de leite com gado mestiço, mediante análise de custos e receitas da atividade e avaliação da rentabilidade. Os dados foram obtidos de uma unidade experimental da EPAMIG, situada no município de Felixlândia, MG, e referem-se a dois períodos iguais de um ano cada. As variáveis analisadas foram: rentabilidade nos períodos de análise, custo de cria do bezerro e sua importância sobre a receita da atividade. A viabilidade do sistema foi demonstrada pela rentabilidade de 20,2 por cento no ano 1 e 37,6 por cento no ano 2; a venda dos bezerros à desmama representou 25 por cento da receita total.

Patau syndrome with a long survival: a case report

Trisomy 13 is a clinically severe entity; 85% of the patients do not survive beyond one year, and most children die before completing six months of age. We report a female child, 28 months old, white, the fourth child of a non-consanguineous couple, who presented trisomy 13. The child was born at term, from a vaginal delivery, weighing 2600 g. At birth, she was cyanotic, icteric, spastic, and cried weakly. The initial clinical examination detected polydactyly in the left hand, congenital clubfoot and convex soles, ocular hypertelorism, a low nasal bridge, numerous hemangiomas distributed throughout the body, cardiomegaly, and perimembranous inter-ventricular communication. There was no cleft lip or palate. On physical examination at 18 months old, the child weighed 6,900 g, had a cephalic perimeter of 41 cm, a thoracic perimeter of 43 cm and was 76 cm tall. At 28 months, she weighed 10,760 g and was 88.5 cm tall. Neuropsychomotor development retardation was evident from birth and, according to the psychologist and the social assistant of APAE (Handicapped Parents and Friends Association) in Cangucu, Rio Grande do Sul, there was a noticeable improvement after physiotherapy and recreational sessions.

Risk factors for ovarian failure in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The aim of the present study was to identify the risk factors for ovarian failure in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Seventy-one women aged 17 to 45 years with systemic lupus erythematosus were studied. Patients were interviewed and their medical records reviewed. Demographic characteristics, clinical and serologic profiles, and menstrual and obstetric histories were recorded. Disease activity was measured by the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index. Serum FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone, TSH, prolactin, and antimicrosomal and antithyroglobulin antibodies were measured. Patients who developed ovarian failure were compared to those who did not. Ovarian failure occurred in 11 patients (15.5 percent) and nine had premature menopause (11.3 percent). Cyclophosphamide administration and older patient age were found to be associated with ovarian failure. The cumulative cyclophosphamide dose was significantly higher in patients with ovarian failure than in those without this condition (18.9 vs 9.1 g; P = 0.04). The relative risk for ovarian failure in patients with cumulative cyclophosphamide dose higher than 10 g was 3.2. TSH levels were high in 100 percent of patients with ovarian failure who had received pulse cyclophosphamide. Ovarian failure, and premature menopause in particular, is common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, with the most important risk factors being cyclophosphamide dose and age. Thyroid problems may be another risk factor for ovarian failure in patients with lupus

The brain decade in debate: IV. Chronobiology

The present article is the adapted version of an electronic symposium organized by the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC) which took place on June 14, 2000. The text is divided into three sections: I. The main issues, II. Chronodrugs, and III. Methods. The first section is dedicated to the perspectives of chronobiology for the next decade, with opinions about the trends of future research being emitted and discussed. The second section deals mostly with drugs acting or potentially acting on the organism's timing systems. In the third section there are considerations about relevant methodological issues concerning data analysis

Effects of ethanol and malnutrition on rat neuromotor development

The objective of the present study was to determine whether there is a synergistic effect of malnutrition and ethanol exposure on neuromotor development. Ethanol (E) (6 g/kg) or sucrose (S) (isocaloric to ethanol) was administered by gavage to ad libitum-fed (A) and malnourished (M) pregnant rats on days 18, 19 and 20 of pregnancy. Malnutrition was produced by food restriction to 50 of control intake. At birth, the offspring were weighed and transferred to surrogate mothers. Performance in the rim-escape test and on the rotating rod were evaluated on days 19 and 28 of life, respectively. Development of the adult swimming pattern was also studied. The results indicated that: 1) malnutrition alone decreased birth weight (g) significantly (AE, 5.56 +/- 0.36; AS, 6.31 +/- 1.05; ME, 4.81 +/- 0.73; MS, 5.23 +/- 0.57); 2) a synergistic interaction between alcohol exposure and malnutrition was observed only in the rim escape test (percent of falling rats: AE, 9; AS, 5; ME, 24; MS, 5); 3) only malnutrition retarded development of swimming; 4) malnourished dams gained more weight (g) than controls during treatment with ethanol (AE, 2.6 +/- 8.4, N = 6; AS, 3.1 +/- 8.4, N = 4; ME, 23.0 +/- 6.3, N = 7; MS, 29.0 +/- 9.0, N = 8). These results indicate a possible synergistic action between malnutrition and ethanol on neuromotor development and point to the importance of ethanol as a calorie source for malnourished animals.

Diurnal variation and distribution of grooming behavior in captive common marmoset families (Callithrix jacchus)

Grooming is an important social activity among primates. In an investigation of its diurnal distribution, all grooming episodes (self-and allo-) were recorded in three families of captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) kept under natural environmental conditions at hourly intervals for periods of 20 min from 05:00 to 18:00 h, for three consecutive days a week for four weeks. The three families were composed of a reproductive pair and their offspring, with 8, 8 and 7 individuals, respectively. No significant variations were detected within families in terms of days or weeks. However, one family did perform more grooming than the others. The frequency of grooming episodes per hour/per family was higher during the period from 08:00-12:00 h, with acrophases narrowly distributed near 10:00 h, (Family 1 = 10:32 ñ 00:33 h; Family 2 = 10:11 ñ 00:13 h; Family 3 = 09:45 ñ 00:14 h) and lower frequencies were observed at the beginning and end of the active period. The differences between families are probably related to the social dynamics of the individual groups and not to their size

Circadian variation of methyleugenol anesthesia in albino rats

In Wistar rats synchronized to a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle (lights on from 08:00 to 20:h), the ip injection of methyleugenol (200 mg/Kg) at 08:00, 12:00 and 16:00 h significantly increased the sleeping time (time between loss and recovery of righting reflex) when compared to animals anesthetized at 20:00, 24:00 and 04:00h. These data provide another example of the importance of circadian rhythms in biological systems and their practical relevance to pharmacology

Effect of Astronium urundeuva (aroeira) on gastrointestinal transit in mice

In order to assess the use of Astronium urundeuva in folk medicine for treatment of diarrheal conditions, the alcoholic extract of its bark was tested on gastrointestinal transit in mice. The extract at oral doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg significantly inhibited physostigmine-induced gastrointestinal propulsion. Considering these data together with an in-vitro anti-acetylcholine effect reported earlier from this laboratory, we suggest that anti-cholinergic effects of the plant may account in part for its anti-diarrheal activity

Effect of calcium-entry blockers on the diurectic response to hydrochlorothiazide in the rat

The influence of the calcium-entry blockers, verapamil, nifedipine and diltiazem on hydrochlorothiazide-induced diuresis was determined in hydrated conscious rats. Nifedipine significantly inhibited hydrochlorothiazide-induced 5-h excreted urine volume and urinary sodium with little effect on potassium excretion. Both verapamil and diltiazem significantly enhanced sodium excretion with no effects on either urine colume or potassium excretion. These results are of interest in view of the current use of nifedipine as an anti-hypertensive agent, alone or in combination with a thiazide diuretic

Studies on the anti-ulcerogenic activity of Astronium urundeuva Engl: II. Aqueous extract

The effects of the aqueous extract of Astronium urundeuva Engl. on aspirin and restraint plus hustmine-induced ulceration in rats are described. The extract significantly inhibited aspirin-induced gastric lesions as well restraint plus histamine-induced ulceration in rats