Total rupture of Achilles tendon induces inflammatory response and glial activation on the spinal cord of mice

Rupture of Achilles tendon is a common accident affecting professional and recreational athletes. Acute and chronic pain are symptoms commonly observed in patients with rupture. However, few studies have investigated whether Achilles tendon rupture is able to promote disorders in the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate nociceptive alterations and inflammatory response in the L5 lumbar segment of Balb/c mice spinal cord after Achilles tendon rupture. We found increased algesia in the paw of the ruptured group on the 7th and 14th days post-tenotomy compared with the control group. This phenomenon was accompanied by overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) as well as hyperactivation of astrocytes and microglia in nociceptive areas of L5 spinal cord as evidenced by intense GFAP and IBA-1 immunostaining, respectively. Biochemical studies also demonstrated increased levels of nitrite in the L5 spinal cord of tenotomized animals compared with the control group. Thus, we have demonstrated for the first time that total rupture of the Achilles tendon induced inflammatory response and nitrergic and glial activation in the CNS in the L5 spinal cord region.

Avaliação on-farm dos níveis de energia na dieta sobre a produção e a composição físico-química de leite de cabras / [On farm evaluation of the energy levels in the diet on the production and physical-chemical composition of dairy goats]

Objetivou-se, com este estudo, avaliar o efeito de dietas com diferentes níveis de energia no consumo de nutrientes, na produção e na composição do leite, no peso corporal e na relação benefício:custo de uma produção de cabras leiteiras. Foram utilizadas nove cabras, distribuídas em quadrado latino triplo 3 x 3. O ensaio teve duração de 60 dias, divididos em três períodos de 20 dias. Avaliaram-se rações completas contendo três níveis de energia: 65%, 70% e 75% de NDT. Os consumos de matéria seca, proteína bruta e matéria mineral foram superiores (P<0,05) nas dietas com maiores níveis de energia em comparação à dieta com 65% de NDT. A produção de leite foi semelhante (P>0,05) nas cabras recebendo dietas contendo 70% e 75% de NDT, todavia foi superior (P<0,05) à produção de leite das cabras recebendo dieta com 65% de NDT. A dieta com 75% de NDT possibilitou maior (P<0,05) peso corporal final, quando comparada com as dietas contendo 65% e 70% de NDT. Não foi observada diferença (P>0,05) para os parâmetros físico-químicos de gordura, lactose, proteína bruta, extrato seco desengordurado, densidade, sais e condutividade do leite. Portanto, cabras alimentadas com níveis de energia entre 70% e 75% de NDT na dieta total aumentam a produção de leite, porém 75% de NDT na dieta proporciona melhor relação benefício:custo, havendo, para cada R$ 1,00 no custo investido na alimentação, R$ 1,52 de retorno financeiro.(AU)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of diets with different energy levels on nutrient intake, milk production and composition, body weight and benefit:cost ratio of a dairy goat production. Nine goats were distributed in a triple 3 x 3 latin square design. The experiment lasted for 60 days, divided into three 20-day periods. Complete rations containing three energy levels were evaluated: 65%, 70% and 75% of TDN. The dry matter intake, crude protein and mineral matter consumption were higher (P <0.05) in the diets with higher levels of energy compared to the diet with 65% of TDN. Milk production was similar (P> 0.05) in goats receiving diets containing 70% and 75% TDN, but these diets produced more milk (P<0.05) than the diet with 65% of TDN. The diet with 75% of TDN allowed a higher (P<0.05) final body weight (P<0.05) when compared to diets containing 65% and 70% TDN. There was no difference (P> 0.05) in the physical-chemical parameters of fat, lactose, crude protein, defatted dry extract, density, salts and conductivity of the milk. Therefore, goats fed with diets of 70% and 75% of TDN in the total diet increased milk production. However, the diet with 75% of TDN provides a better benefit:cost ratio, as for every $ 1.00 in the cost invested, there was $ 1.52 of financial return.(AU)

Owlet moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) associated with Bt and non- Bt soybean in the brazilian savanna / Noctuóides (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) associados a soja Bt e não-Bt no Cerrado brasileiro

Abstract The use of GMO expressing Bt toxin in soybean production has increased significantly in the last years in Brazil in order to manage the damage caused by lepidopteran pests. In this study, we compared the richness and abundance of owlet moths (Noctuoidea) associated with Bt and non-Bt soybean. We determined the temporal variations as a function of phenology, and correlated the population variations of the most common species with meteorological variables. The research was conducted at the experimental area of Embrapa Cerrados. The collection method used was differentiated being suppressive and absolute. A total of 13 species were collected, of which eight occurred on Bt soybeans. The most representative taxa were Chrysodeixis includens (72.87%), Anticarsia gemmatalis (18.17%) and Spodoptera spp (5.22%). The number of larvae belonging to species targeted by the Bt technology was 10 times lower on Bt than on non-Bt soybeans. Utetheisa ornatrix and Elaphria deltoides were recorded on soybean for the first time, observing larvae of both species in non-Bt soybean and those of U. ornatrix also in Bt soybean. Only A. gemmatalis larvae correlated (p <0.05) negatively with precipitation. This study provided field information on the abundance and species richness of owlet moths on non-Bt soybeans, associated with the effects of Bt soybean. When considering the different levels of infestation between cultivars as a criterion, larvae monitoring is of substantial importance in order to develop the lost control program.

Resumo O uso de OGM que expressam toxina Bt na produção de soja tem aumentado significativamente nos últimos anos no Brasil e são utilizados para conter os danos causados ​​pelos lepidópteros pragas. Neste estudo comparamos a riqueza e a abundância de Noctuoides (Noctuoidea) associados à soja Bt e não-Bt. Determinamos as variações temporais em função da fenologia e correlacionamos às variações populacionais das espécies mais comuns com variáveis ​​meteorológicas. A pesquisa foi conduzida na área experimental da Embrapa Cerrados. O método de coleta utilizado foi diferenciado sendo supressivo e absoluto. Um total de 13 espécies foram coletadas, das quais oito ocorreram em soja Bt. Os taxa mais representativos foram Chrysodeixis includens, Anticarsia gemmatalis e Spodoptera spp. O número de larvas pertencentes às espécies alvo da tecnologia Bt foram 10 vezes menores na soja Bt do que em soja não-Bt . Utetheisa ornatrix e Elaphria deltoides foram registradas na soja pela primeira vez, observando-se larvas de ambas espécies na soja não-Bt e as de U. ornatrix também na soja Bt. Somente as larvas de A. gemmatalis se correlacionaram (p <0,05) negativamente com a precipitação. Este estudo forneceu informações em campo sobre a abundância e riqueza de espécies na soja não- Bt, associada aos efeitos da soja Bt. A importância do monitoramento das lagartas é substancial, a fim de tomar a melhor decisão de controle, considerando-se os diferentes níveis de infestação entre cultivares como critério.

Local treatment with ascorbic acid accelerates recovery of post-sutured Achilles tendon in male Wistar rats

Tendon rupture is a very frequent accident involving average people and high-performance athletes. Clinical studies describe tendon recovery as a painful and slow process involving different biochemical and histological events. Ascorbic acid (AA) is a potent antioxidant as well as an important cofactor for collagen synthesis. In the current study, we evaluated if local treatment with AA is able to promote tendon repair in tenotomized rats. Animals were submitted to Achilles tendon rupture followed by surgical suture. Control and AA groups received in loco injection of saline solution (0.9% NaCl) and 30 mM AA, respectively. Histological and functional recovery of Achilles tendon tissue was evaluated at 7, 14, and 21 days post-surgery. Hematoxylin/eosin staining and collagen fluorescence analysis showed intense disarrangement of tendon tissue in the saline group. Tenotomized animals also showed hypercellularity in tendon tissue compared with non-tenotomized animals. The Achilles functional index (AFI) showed a significant decrease of tendon functionality in tenotomized animals at 7, 14, and 21 days post-surgery. AA accelerated tissue organization and the recovery of function of the Achilles tendons. The beneficial effect of AA treatment was also observed in the organization of the collagen network. Data presented in the current work showed that in loco treatment with AA accelerated the recovery of injured Achilles tendon post-surgery.

Owlet moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) associated with Bt and non- Bt soybean in the brazilian savanna

Abstract The use of GMO expressing Bt toxin in soybean production has increased significantly in the last years in Brazil in order to manage the damage caused by lepidopteran pests. In this study, we compared the richness and abundance of owlet moths (Noctuoidea) associated with Bt and non-Bt soybean. We determined the temporal variations as a function of phenology, and correlated the population variations of the most common species with meteorological variables. The research was conducted at the experimental area of Embrapa Cerrados. The collection method used was differentiated being suppressive and absolute. A total of 13 species were collected, of which eight occurred on Bt soybeans. The most representative taxa were Chrysodeixis includens (72.87%), Anticarsia gemmatalis (18.17%) and Spodoptera spp (5.22%). The number of larvae belonging to species targeted by the Bt technology was 10 times lower on Bt than on non-Bt soybeans. Utetheisa ornatrix and Elaphria deltoides were recorded on soybean for the first time, observing larvae of both species in non-Bt soybean and those of U. ornatrix also in Bt soybean. Only A. gemmatalis larvae correlated (p 0.05) negatively with precipitation. This study provided field information on the abundance and species richness of owlet moths on non-Bt soybeans, associated with the effects of Bt soybean. When considering the different levels of infestation between cultivars as a criterion, larvae monitoring is of substantial importance in order to develop the lost control program.

Resumo O uso de OGM que expressam toxina Bt na produção de soja tem aumentado significativamente nos últimos anos no Brasil e são utilizados para conter os danos causados pelos lepidópteros pragas. Neste estudo comparamos a riqueza e a abundância de Noctuoides (Noctuoidea) associados à soja Bt e não-Bt. Determinamos as variações temporais em função da fenologia e correlacionamos às variações populacionais das espécies mais comuns com variáveis meteorológicas. A pesquisa foi conduzida na área experimental da Embrapa Cerrados. O método de coleta utilizado foi diferenciado sendo supressivo e absoluto. Um total de 13 espécies foram coletadas, das quais oito ocorreram em soja Bt. Os taxa mais representativos foram Chrysodeixis includens, Anticarsia gemmatalis e Spodoptera spp. O número de larvas pertencentes às espécies alvo da tecnologia Bt foram 10 vezes menores na soja Bt do que em soja não-Bt . Utetheisa ornatrix e Elaphria deltoides foram registradas na soja pela primeira vez, observando-se larvas de ambas espécies na soja não-Bt e as de U. ornatrix também na soja Bt. Somente as larvas de A. gemmatalis se correlacionaram (p 0,05) negativamente com a precipitação. Este estudo forneceu informações em campo sobre a abundância e riqueza de espécies na soja não- Bt, associada aos efeitos da soja Bt. A importância do monitoramento das lagartas é substancial, a fim de tomar a melhor decisão de controle, considerando-se os diferentes níveis de infestação entre cultivares como critério.

Reproductive potential of Spodoptera eridania (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the laboratory: effect of multiple couples and the size / Potencial reprodutivo de Spodoptera eridania (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) em laboratório: efeito de múltiplos casais e do tamanho

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the effect of keeping three couples in the same cage, and the size of adults emerged from small, medium-sized and large pupae (278.67 mg; 333.20 mg and 381.58 mg, respectively), on the reproductive potential of S. eridania (Stoll, 1782) adults, under controlled conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 70% RH and 14 hour photophase). We evaluated the survival, number of copulations, fecundity and fertility of the adult females. The survival of females from these different pupal sizes did not differ statistically, but the survival of males from large pupae was statistically shorter than from small pupae. Fecundity differed significantly and correlated positively with size. The number of effective copulations (espematophores) and fertility did not vary significantly with pupal size. Our results emphasize the importance of indicating the number of copulations and the size of the insects when reproductive parameters are compared.

Resumo Este estudo objetivou avaliar o efeito de confinar três casais em cada gaiola e o tamanho de adultos emergidos de pupas pequenas, medias e grandes (278,67 mg, 333,20 mg e 381,58 mg, respectivamente), sobre o potencial reprodutivo de S. eridania (Stoll, 1782), em condições controladas (25 ± 1 °C, 70% UR e 14 horas de fotofase). Avaliou-se a sobrevivência, o número de cópulas, fecundidade e fertilidade dos adultos. A sobrevivência não diferiu significativamente entre fêmeas provenientes de pupas de diferentes tamanhos, mas os machos oriundos de pupas grandes tiveram sobrevivência significativamente menor que os demais tamanhos. A fecundidade diferiu significativamente e correlacionou-se positivamente com o tamanho. O número de cópulas (espematóforos) e a fertilidade não variaram em função do peso pupal. Os resultados enfatizam a importância de indicar o número de cópulas e o tamanho dos insetos estudados para que comparações entre os parâmetros reprodutivos possam ser efetuadas.

Creatine supplementation in trained rats causes changes in myenteric neurons and intestinal wall morphometry

Creatine is widely used by athletes as an ergogenic resource. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of creatine supplementation on the duodenum of rats submitted to physical training. The number and myenteric neuronal cell bodies as well mucosal and muscular tunic morphometry were evaluated. Control animals received a standard chow for 8 weeks, and the treated ones received the standard chow for 4 weeks and were later fed with the same chow but added with 2% creatine. Animals were divided in groups: sedentary, sedentary supplemented with creatine, trained and trained supplemented with creatine. The training consisted in treadmill running for 8 weeks. Duodenal samples were either processed for whole mount preparations or for paraffin embedding and hematoxylin-eosin staining for histological and morpho metric studies of the mucosa, the muscular tunic and myenteric neurons. It was observed that neither creatine nor physical training alone promoted alterations in muscular tunic thickness, villus height or crypts depth, however, a reduction in these parameters was observed when both were associated. The number of myenteric neurons was unchanged, but the neuronal cell body area was reduced in trained animals but not when training and creatine was associated, suggesting a neuroprotector role of this substance.

Consumo, digestibilidade aparente de nutrientes e balanços de nitrogênio e hídrico de ovinos alimentados com silagens de cultivares de capim-búfel / Intake, apparent digestibility of nutrients and nitrogen and water balances of sheep fed with buffel grass cultivars silages

Objetivou-se no presente estudo determinar o consumo, digestibilidade aparente da matéria seca e nutrientes, além dos balanços de nitrogênio (BN) e hídrico (BH), de ovinos alimentados com silagens de capim-búfel. As silagens das cultivares de capim-búfel avaliadas foram Tanzânia, Buchuma e Biloela. Utilizaram-se 21 ovinos, machos, castrados, mestiços Santa Inês x Sem Padrão de Raça Definido, com peso corporal médio inicial de 31,8±3,16kg, mantidos em gaiolas metabólicas. Foi utilizado um delineamento inteiramente casualizado com sete repetições. Não foram observadas diferenças nos consumos de MS em g/dia (919,2) e porcentagem do peso corporal (2,9). De modo geral, os coeficientes de digestibilidade da matéria seca variaram de 37,7% a 60,0%. Os BN e BH foram positivos, sendo observados maiores valores de BN para os ovinos alimentados com silagens de capim-búfel dos cultivares Tanzânia (5,1g/dia) e Biloela (3,9g/dia), e maiores BH para os animais alimentados com silagens de capim-búfel dos cultivares Buchuma (1,38kg/animal/dia) e Biloela (1,42kg/animal/dia). Os cultivares de capim-búfel Tanzânia, Buchuma e Biloela apresentaram bom valor nutritivo, sendo que o capim-búfel na forma de silagem promoveu 60% do consumo total de água diário do animal.

The objective of this present experiment was to determine intake and apparent digestibility of dry matter and nutrients, nitrogen (NB) and water balances (WB) of sheep fed with buffel grass silages. The buffel grass cultivars used were Tanzania, Buchuma and Biloela. 21 male, castrated, crossbred Santa Ines x Non defined genotype sheep, with initial body weight of 31.8±3.16kg were used, kept in metabolic cages. The experimental design was completely randomized with seven replicates. No differences were observed in dry matter intake in g/day (919.2) and % of body weight (2.9). In general, digestibility coefficients of dry matter varied from 37.7% to 60.0%. The NB and WB were positive, with higher NB values in sheep fed with Tanzania (5.1g/day) and Biloela (3.9g/day) and higher WB in animals fed with Buchuma (1.38kg/animal/day) and Biloela (1.42kg/animal/day). All cultivars of buffel grass evaluated (Tanzania, Buchuma and Biloela) presented adequate chemical composition, where the silage of buffel grass used corresponded to 60% of the total daily water intake by sheep.

Inflammatory response in a rat model of gastroschisis is associated with an increase of NF-kappaB

Babies with gastroschisis have high morbidity, which is associated with inflammatory bowel injury caused by exposure to amniotic fluid. The objective of this study was to identify components of the inflammatory response in the intestine and liver in an experimental model of gastroschisis in rats. The model was surgically created at 18.5 days of gestation. The fetuses were exposed through a hysterotomy and an incision at the right of the umbilicus was made, exposing the fetal bowel. Then, the fetus was placed back into the uterus until term. The bowel in this model had macro- and microscopic characteristics similar to those observed in gastroschisis. The study was conducted on three groups of 20 fetuses each: gastroschisis, control, and sham fetuses. Fetal body, intestine and liver weights and intestine length were measured. IL-1â, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-á, IFN-ã and NF-kappaB levels were assessed by ELISA. Data were analyzed statistically by ANOVA followed by the Tukey post-test. Gastroschisis fetuses had a decreased intestine length (means ± SD, 125 ± 25 vs 216 ± 13.9; P < 0.005) and increased intestine weight (0.29 ± 0.05 vs 0.24 ± 0.04; P < 0.005). Intestine length correlated with liver weight only in gastroschisis fetuses (Pearson’s correlation coefficient, r = 0.518, P = 0.019). There were no significant differences in the concentrations of IL-1â, TNF-á or IFN-ã in the intestine, whereas the concentration of NF-kappaB was increased in both the intestine and liver of fetuses with gastroschisis. These results show that the inflammatory response in the liver and intestine of the rat model of gastroschisis is accompanied by an increase in the amount of NF-kappaB in the intestine and liver.

Abordagem simultânea das lesões não palpáveis da mama e do linfonodo sentinela (SNOLL) / Simultaneous management of non-palpable breast lesion and sentinel lymph node (SNOLL)

As técnicas conjuntas da mastologia com auxílio da medicina nuclear representam um importante papel na atualidade. A investigação das lesões não palpáveis da mama por meio das cirurgias radioguiadas (ROLL), e a possibilidade da cirurgia conservadora da axila, por meio da análise do linfonodo sentinela (LS), são avanços tecnológicos disponíveis e cada vez mais utilizados na prática clínica. A utilização dessas duas técnicas conjugadas (SNOLL) procura associar as facilidades de ROLL com os benefícios do linfonodo sentinela, uma vez que o amplo uso dos métodos invasivos para diagnóstico do câncer de mama, tais como PAAF, core biopsy e mamotomia, permite o planejamento cirúrgico definitivo e simultâneo do tumor e da axila.

The multidiciplinary approach plays an important role in the evaluation and treatment of breast cancer. It included nuclear medicine in the last years.The radioguided ocult localization (ROLL) and the conservative surgery of the axilla (sentinel lymph node) are pratice of choice for managemente of many patients with breast cancer. The simultaneous use of both procedures (SNOLL) associates the facilities of the radioguided localization of the breast lesion and sentinel lymph node at the same surgery; it shows some benefits once the widespread use of interventional image techniques provide histologic diagnoses and makes possible the definitive surgical management of malignant lesions of the breast.

Dissection of the stylohyoid chain: a method of approach

La cadena estilohioídea está mereciendo, considerable atención debido a la gran incidencia del alargue de uno de sus elementos llamado proceso estiloide del hueso temporal, que caracteriza al Síndromede Eagle, llegando a alcanzar el 28 por ciento de la población. Nuestro trabajo tiene como objetivo describir un método de disección macroscópica para un abordaje de la cadena estilohioídea. Utilizando 15 regiones del cuello de cadáveres humanos, de sexo masculino se obtuvieron 30 cadenas estilohioídeas a través del método de disección macroscópica, observándose que el método de acceso por etapas, a partir de ambas extremidades de la cadena, es el que ofrece menor riesgo de lesión del ligamento estiloihíodeo preservándose, de esta manera, la integridad de la cadena estilohioídea

Hipoinsulinemia em alcoolistas com hepatopatia mínima / Hypoinsulinemia in alcoholics with minimal liver disease

OBJETIVO: Em alcoolistas portadores de lesões hepáticas mínimas avaliar os níveis de glicose e insulina séricas após estímulo com glicose intravenosa. MÉTODOS: Em oito etilistas, portadores de alterações hepáticas mínimas, caracteriza por biópsia hepática, e em 26 controles sadios não-alcoólicos, foram estudados os níveis glicêmicos e insulinêmicos (RIE) nos tempos 1, 3, 5, e 10 minutos após estímulo com glicose intravenosa (0.5g/Kg de peso). RESULTADOS: As médias da insulina sérica dos tempos 1, 3 minutos e resposta integrada total (RIT-10min) após estímulo foram menores no grupo alcoolista em relação ao controle (p < 0,05) apesar de curvas glicêmicas normais. CONCLUSÃO: Etilistas crônicos com lesões hepáticas mínimas, à semelhança do observado anteriormente em etilistas assintomáticos, apresentam níveis diminuídos de insulina sérica, mas com curvas glicêmicas normais, após estímulo com glicose intravenosa, indicando hipofunção de células beta do pâncreas.

Anticorpos anti-doador e rejeiçäo de transplante renal / Anti-donor antibodies and kidney transplant rejection

Despite all advances, kidney transplant specialists still face a common problem sometimes very hard to solve: the immunologic rejection. Generally classified in hyperacute, acute and chronic, the role of antibodies as mediators is clear in some cases and controversial in other. The main type is the hyperacute, which arises from an injury to graft vascular endothelial cells mediated by anti-donor HLA class-I antibodies (IgG) or anti-ABQ (IgG and/or IgM). HLA molecules comprises three main classes: class-I (mainly HLA-A, B and C), found on virtually all nucleated cells, class-II (mainly HLA-DR, DQ and DP), whose expression is confined basically to immunocompetent cells, and class-III, which includes some complement subunits, tumor necrosis factor and heat shock proteins. HLA molecules are expressed also in renal tissue. Anti-HLA antibodies are produced in response to blood transfusions, pregnancy or rejection of a previous transplant. From this knowledge, it was introduced the first immunogenetic test in kidney transplantation routine (the crossmatch) in which the patient serum samples are reacted with donor cells before surgery. Some patients, although giving a negative crossmatch ("absence" of anti-donor antibodies in the crossmatch test), lose their grafts. Some of these cases were correlated to anti-donor vascular endothelial cells, and reacted also with keratynocytes in skin sections, through immunofluorescence, with high titles. Such skin crossmatch seems to be predictive of rejection in more then 70 percent of the cases. Studyng aloatisera from patients previously exposed to various stimuli that normally induce HLA sensitization, we concluded that skin crossmatch can give false-positive reactions. Many strategies have been used to overcome the humoral barrier. One of the first was the spleenectomy, which represented a landmark in the improvement of the graft follow-up in the pre-ciclosporine era. During the following years, its beneficial effect was completely disguised, but few special recent protocols still include this procedure. Another strategy employed was the non-specific depletion of antibodies from the circulation, which can be done by plasmapheresis or immunoadsorption. Until now, it does not exist the ideal crossmatch, that is 100 percent sensible and 100 percent specific...

Purification, physicochemical characterization and biological properties of a lectin from Erythrina velutina forma aurantiaca seeds

A lectin was purified from seeds of Erythrina velutina forma aurantiaca by affinity chromatography on cross-linked guargum. The lectin is a potent agglutinin for human (minimal concentration of protein able to cause visible agglutination of a 2 per cent erythrocyte suspension varying from 1 to 4 mug/ml), rabbit(4 mug/ml) and chicken erythrocytes (8 mug/ml) but presented low activity against cow (250 mug/ml) or sheep (333 mug/ml) blood cells. Hemagglutination of human O+ erythrocytes was inhibited by D-lactose (0.2 mM) > D-galactose(0.8 mM) > D-raffinose (2.1 mM). At pH 7.5, chromatography on a Superose 12 HR 10/30 column showed that the lectin was primarily a dimer (56.0 kDa) composed of two identical subunits (31.6 kDa each). A small amount of a tetrameric form was also apparently present. The lectin is a glycoprotein (7.3 per cent carbohydrate), has a pI of 4.5, contains high levels of acidic (Asp and Glu, 64.2 and 51.6 residues/mol, respectively) and hydroxy amino acids (Ser and Thr, 42.9 and 38.5 residues/mol, respectively) but relatively low amounts of sulfur amino acids (Cys and Met, 1.0 and 5.0 residues/mol, respectively) and has an N-terminal sequence of Val-Glu-Thr-Ile/Leu-Pro-Phe-Ser. Its hemagglutinating activity was abolished by heating at 70 degrees Celsius for 10 min. The activation energy (delta G') required for denaturation measured by loss of hemagglutination activity was 24.87 kcal/mol. In rats, the purified lectin (100 mug) induced neutrophil migration into the peritoneal cavity (3.7 ñ 0.6 x 10(6) neutrophils/ml) or into the air pouch (2.75 ñ 0.25 x 10(6) neutrophils/ml), 8 and 10 times greater than the negative control, respectively.

Diabetes mellitus e doença isquêmica do coraçäo. Comparaçäo por sexo / Diabetes mellitus and ischaemic heart disease. Comparison by gender

Objetivo - testar a associaçäo do diabetes mellitus com a doença isquêmica do coraçäo (DIC), em cada sexo, procedendo-se ao ajustamento simultâneio para possíveis variáveis de confusäo e/ou modificadoras de efeito. Métodos - O estudo teve um delineamento tipo caos controle e a coleta de dados foi processada entre março/93 e fevereiro/94. Utilizou-se a estratégia de compor dois bancos de dados (um para cada sexo) que permitiram analisar, separadamente, a associaçäo de principal interesse. Os respecvos tamanhos das amostras foram de 547 indivíduos para o sexo masculino e 286 para o feminino. Cada um dos bancos foi composto por indivíduos na faixa etária de 30 a 69 anso, residentes no município de Säo Paulo. A técnica estatística utilizada para a análise dos dados foi a regressäo logística multivariada. Resultados - foram identificadas medidas de efeito semelhantes em cada uma das composiçöes do estudo, näo se constituindo o diabetes em fator de risco independente para a DIC. Verificou-se, em ambasa composiçöes , um efeito independente para as variáveis hipertensäo arterial, hipercolesterolemia, hábito de fumar e antecedente familiares de cardiopatia. As interaçöes entre o diabetes e as categorias de exposiçäo de outras variáveis näo apresentaram significância estatística. Conclusäo- conlcuiu-se que o desaparecimento da associaçäo diabetes mellitus vs DIC foi decorrente da presença, nos modelos de potentes fatores de risco para a DIC.

Effect of acute footshock stress on the responsiveness of the isolated rat tail artery to phenylephrine and epinephrine

The effects of acute footshock stress on the sensitivity of the isolated rat tail artery were studied. Footshock stress applied to male Wistar rats (200-300 g) causes subsensitivity to the vasoconstrictor effects of phenylephrine and epinephrine. No significant changes in the pA2 cvalues of prozosin were detected, using epinephrine as the agonist. Footshock stress-induced subsensitivity ot epinephrine was not affected by the calcium entry blocker nifedipine. However, nifedipine significantly depressed the maximum response to epinephrine in tail arteries isolated from acute footshock-stressed rats. The present results suggest that acute footshock stress-induced reduced sensitivity to phenylephrine and epinephrine may not be only related to events at the alpha-adrenoreceptor level. The nifedipine-induced depression of the maximum response to epinephrine suggests a role for the calcium mobilization processess in the vascular responsiveness during acute stress

Functional ß2-adrenoceptors in right atria isolated from footshock-stressed rats

The participation of ß2-adrenoceptors in the chronotropic response was evaluated in righ atria isolated from rats submitted to daily footshock stress for three days. Footshock increased both the sensitivity to salbutamol and the pA2 of butoxamine. These results provide additional support for the proposal that repeated footshock stress increases the functional of rat atrial postjunctional ß2-adrenoceptors

Glomerulopatia do transplante. / Transplantation glomerulopathy

Os autores apresentam 8 casos de glomerulopatia do transplante. A caracterizacao clinica do quadro constou de proteinuria (1,5 a 9,5g por dia), que surgiu tempo variavel pos-transplante (1 a 73 meses); hematuria microscopica foi observada em 4 casos; sete casos tiveram hipertensao arterial, sendo severa em 3. Em todos os casos houve perda progressiva de funcao renal e em 4 a perda foi total.Todos os doadores tinham 2 ou mais incompatibilidades no locus A e B. O aspectos histologico a microscopia de luz foi de um quadro de glomerulonefrite membranoproliferativa tipo I em 7 casos e glomerulosclerose segmentar a focal em um. A imunofluorescencia foi negativa e nao se observou a presenca de imunocomplexos na microscopia eletronica. Fibrose da intima de arterias e arteriolas esteve presente em todos os casos.A glomerulopatia do transplante parece ser uma forma particular de rejeicao cronica, com lesao predominantemente glomerular e vascular