Histology and histochemistry of the accessory gland of the female reproductive tract of Rhodnius neglectus Lent, 1954 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae).

Rhodnius neglectus is a wild triatomine, vector of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas' disease, and feeds on the blood of small mammals, being essential for its growth and reproduction. Accessory glands of the female reproductive tract are important in insect reproduction, but their anatomy and histology in R. neglectus are poorly studied. The aim of this work was to describe the histology and histochemistry of the accessory gland of the female reproductive tract of R. neglectus. The reproductive tract of five females of R. neglectus was dissected and the accessory glands transferred to Zamboni's fixative solution, dehydrated in a crescent series of ethanol, embedded in historesin, sectioned at 2 µm thick, stained with toluidine blue for histological analysis or mercury bromophenol blue for detection of total proteins. The accessory gland R. neglectus is tubular, without branches, opening in the dorsal region of the vagina and differing along its length in proximal and distal regions. In the proximal region, the gland is lined by the cuticle with a layer of columnar cells associated with muscle fibers. In the distal region of the gland, the epithelium has spherical secretory cells with terminal apparatus and conducting canaliculi opening in the lumen through pores in the cuticle. Proteins were identified in the gland lumen, terminal apparatus, nucleus and cytoplasm of secretory cells. The histology of the R. neglectus gland is similar to that found in other species of this genus, but with variations in the shape and size of its distal region.

Double layer SiO2-TiO2 sol-gel thin films on glass for antireflection, antifogging, and UV recoverable self-cleaning.

Double layer thin films, mechanically stable and adhering to glass, were produced through the sol-gel process, using tetraethyl orthosilicate and titanium butoxide as precursors. The refractive index of the titania and silica-titania composite layers were typically 2.1 and 1.7, and their physical thicknesses were approximately 65 nm and 81 nm, respectively, as determined by ellipsometry. These optical constants allowed attainment of quarter-wave optical thicknesses at the center of the visible spectrum (550 nm) as designed, with an increase of 3.4% in transmittance. The nanometric surface roughness, measured by optical profilometry, was effective to decrease light scattering and water contact angles to below 10°. As novelty in dip-coated sol-gel films, superhydrophilicity for self-cleaning, antifogging, and antireflection in the mid-visible spectrum were simultaneously attained with durability of 9 weeks in the dark. Further application of UV light allowed regeneration of contact angles for self-cleaning.

Morphology of the spermatheca of Triatoma lecticularia (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (Stal, 1859) / Morfologia da espermateca de Triatoma lecticularia (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (Stal, 1859)

Abstract Triatoma lecticularia (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (Stal, 1859) is a potential vector of Chagas's disease and the comprehension of its reproductive biology is an important tool to control this insect. In the reproductive tract of female insects, the spermatheca plays a crucial role storing male spermatozoa after mating. Whithin insects the spermatheca shows a wide morphological diversity and the analysis of this characteristic can contribute to understand the reproductive biology of the species. This study describes the histology and histochemistry of the spermatheca of T. lecticularia. Females have a pair of elongated spermathecal reservoirs without associated accessory gland. The reservoir opens into the common oviduct via a narrow muscular duct. The reservoir epithelium has single layer of columnar secretory cells. The control of the release of spermatozoa from the spermatheca occurs via the muscular duct. The anatomical features of the spermatheca of T. lecticularia resemble those described of other Reduviidae. However, the histological and histochemical features of spermatheca observed in T. lecticularia were important to explain the maintenance of the viability of the spermatozoa stored.

Resumo Triatoma lecticularia (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (Stal, 1859) é um potencial vetor da doença de Chagas e a compreensão de sua biologia reprodutiva é um importante fator para seu controle populacional. No aparelho reprodutor feminino dos insetos, a espermateca desempenha a importante funcão de armazenar os espermatozoides após cópula. Nos insetos, a espermateca apresenta uma ampla diversidade morfológica e a análise destas características pode contribuir com o entendimento da biologia reprodutiva das espécies. Este estudo descreve histológica e histoquimicamente a espermateca de T. lecticularia. As fêmeas tem um par de espermatecas alongadas sem glândulas acessórias associadas. O reservatório conecta-se ao oviduto comum através de um ducto muscular curto que controla a liberação dos espermatozoides. O epitélio do reservatório possui uma camada de células secretoras colunares. As características anatômicas da espermateca de T. lecticularia são semelhantes às encontradas em outros Reduviidae. Entretanto, as características histológicas e histoquímicas observadas na espermateca são importantes para explicar a manutenção da viabilidade dos espermatozoides armazenados.

Morphology of the spermatheca of Triatoma lecticularia (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (Stal, 1859).

Triatoma lecticularia (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (Stal, 1859) is a potential vector of Chagas's disease and the comprehension of its reproductive biology is an important tool to control this insect. In the reproductive tract of female insects, the spermatheca plays a crucial role storing male spermatozoa after mating. Whithin insects the spermatheca shows a wide morphological diversity and the analysis of this characteristic can contribute to understand the reproductive biology of the species. This study describes the histology and histochemistry of the spermatheca of T. lecticularia. Females have a pair of elongated spermathecal reservoirs without associated accessory gland. The reservoir opens into the common oviduct via a narrow muscular duct. The reservoir epithelium has single layer of columnar secretory cells. The control of the release of spermatozoa from the spermatheca occurs via the muscular duct. The anatomical features of the spermatheca of T. lecticularia resemble those described of other Reduviidae. However, the histological and histochemical features of spermatheca observed in T. lecticularia were important to explain the maintenance of the viability of the spermatozoa stored.

Application of the intelligent techniques in transplantation databases: a review of articles published in 2009 and 2010.

The replacement of defective organs with healthy ones is an old problem, but only a few years ago was this issue put into practice. Improvements in the whole transplantation process have been increasingly important in clinical practice. In this context are clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), which have reflected a significant amount of work to use mathematical and intelligent techniques. The aim of this article was to present consideration of intelligent techniques used in recent years (2009 and 2010) to analyze organ transplant databases. To this end, we performed a search of the PubMed and Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge databases to find articles published in 2009 and 2010 about intelligent techniques applied to transplantation databases. Among 69 retrieved articles, we chose according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The main techniques were: Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Trees (DT), Markov Models (MM), and Bayesian Networks (BN). Most articles used ANN. Some publications described comparisons between techniques or the use of various techniques together. The use of intelligent techniques to extract knowledge from databases of healthcare is increasingly common. Although authors preferred to use ANN, statistical techniques were equally effective for this enterprise.

Artificial intelligence techniques: predicting necessity for biopsy in renal transplant recipients suspected of acute cellular rejection or nephrotoxicity.

The gold standard for nephrotoxicity and acute cellular rejection (ACR) is a biopsy, an invasive and expensive procedure. More efficient strategies to screen patients for biopsy are important from the clinical and financial points of view. The aim of this study was to evaluate various artificial intelligence techniques to screen for the need for a biopsy among patients suspected of nephrotoxicity or ACR during the first year after renal transplantation. We used classifiers like artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machines (SVM), and Bayesian inference (BI) to indicate if the clinical course of the event suggestive of the need for a biopsy. Each classifier was evaluated by values of sensitivity and area under the ROC curve (AUC) for each of the classifiers. The technique that showed the best sensitivity value as an indicator for biopsy was SVM with an AUC of 0.79 and an accuracy rate of 79.86%. The results were better than those described in previous works. The accuracy for an indication of biopsy screening was efficient enough to become useful in clinical practice.

Evaluation of solid residues removed from a mangrove swamp in the São Vicente Estuary, SP, Brazil.

Mangrove swamps are found in estuaries along the coastal plains of tropical regions and have be subjected to heavy occupation and use pressure due to their privileged locations and abundance of biological resources. The present work evaluated the ecological characteristics and solid wastes accumulated in eight areas along the Santos - São Vicente Estuary Complex. The superficially deposited residues at each sampling site were collected and subsequently washed, drained, counted, weighed and separated into classes according to their composition and predominant use. The predominant litter type in terms of density was plastic (62.81%) and, by weight, wood (55.53%). The greatest deposition of residues was associated with areas that were less inclined and that had low plant density levels, indicating that the presence of obstacles was not critical for retaining floating residues in mangrove areas. The presence of the most frequently encountered types of solid waste residues could be explained by local activities.

Population and reproductive biology of the crab Uca burgersi (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) in three subtropical mangrove forests

Population and reproductive biology were studied in three populations of the crab Uca burgersi Holthuis, 1967, in the Indaiá, Cavalo and Ubatumirim mangrove forests (Ubatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil). Crabs were collected during low tide (August 2001 through July 2002), by digging the sediment, with a standard capture effort (two persons for 30 min.). Carapace width was measured, and gonad developmental stage was recorded from all specimens. U. burgersi was most abundant in the Cavalo mangrove, where the largest male was found. Juvenile crabs were found year-round at all three sites. However, the ratio of ovigerous females was very low, even null in the Cavalo mangrove. The gonad development rate indicated that U. burgersi was reproducing continuously, but more intensively during spring and summer, with recruitment occurring in winter. The synchrony between the populational and reproductive biology in the three areas showed that local features were not the limiting factors. It is suggested that this species is a habitat generalist.

Estudiamos la biología poblacional y reproductiva de tres poblaciones de Uca burgersi Holthuis, 1967, en los manglares de Indaiá, Cavalo y Ubatumirim (Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brasil). Los cangrejos fueron recolectados por excavación de sedimentos, con un esfuerzo de capturaestándar (dos personas por 30 min), durante la marea baja, entre agosto 2001 y julio 2002. En todos los especimenes se midió la anchura del caparazón y se registró la etapade desarrollo gonadal. Esta especie fue más abundante en Cavalo, donde se halló el macho de mayor tamaño.Encontramos juveniles en los tres sitios, durante todo el período de estudio. Sin embargo, la proporción de hembrasovígeras fue muy baja (nula en Cavalo). Según el desarrollo gonadal, el periodo reproductivo fue continuo allí, pero más intenso durante la primavera y el verano, con reclutamiento en el invierno. La sincronía entre la biologíapoblacional y reproductiva de las tres poblaciones, demuestra que las características locales no fueron los factores limitantes. Se sugiere que esta especie es generalista con respecto al hábitat.

Estudo da bula de medicamentos: uma análise da situação / An enquiry into pharmaceutical package inserts: analysis of the current situation

Estudo desenvolvido na cidade de Araraquara-SP-Brasil, onde foram entrevistadas 1829 pessoas, moradores de 42 bairros, selecionadas aleatoriamente. Foram feitas perguntas acerca da utilização de medicamentos tais como, os itens mais lidos na bula, dificuldades encontradas na leitura da bula, etc. A entrevista foi realizada em duas etapas, a primeira quando em vigor a Portaria 110/97, a segunda, após a vigência da RDC 140/03, sendo que dos 1829 entrevistados, 1597 relataram estar fazendo uso de algum medicamento. Em ambas as etapas do trabalho, os resultados referentes às bulas foram semelhantes quanto ao tamanho reduzido da letra, a linguagem muito científica e a excessiva quantidade de informações utilizadas constituíram os fatores que dificultam sua leitura. Este trabalho, mostra que é necessário disponibilizar informações mais simples que permitam ao paciente vislumbrar a importância do conhecimento destas informações, estando apto a detectar problemas advindos do uso e sua imediata solução. Adiciona-se a isto a contribuição que traz para avaliação, se as bulas elaboradas conforme a RDC140/03 passarão a servir como fonte de informação e orientação do paciente, promovendo o uso racional do medicamento ou, se as bulas passarão apenas a apresentar uma nova formatação, mas com manutenção de fatores que prejudicam o seu entendimento e utilização.

Screening of the equine intestinal microflora for potential probiotic organisms.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Probiotics have not been demonstrated to provide any beneficial health effects in horses, possibly because of improper selection of probiotic organisms. This study was designed to identify lactic acid bacteria of equine origin with predetermined beneficial properties which might make them useful as therapeutic probiotics. HYPOTHESIS: A small percentage of lactic acid bacteria that are native to the intestinal tract of horses possess properties that may be useful in the treatment and/or prevention of gastrointestinal disease in horses. METHODS: Faecal samples were collected from healthy mature horses and foals. Lactic acid bacteria were isolated and tested for the ability to grow in acid and bile environments, aerotolerance and in vitro inhibition of enteropathogens. One isolate that possessed these properties was administered orally to healthy mature horses and foals and gastrointestinal survival was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 47 tested organisms, 18 were deemed to be adequately acid- and bile-tolerant. All were aerotolerant. Four organisms markedly inhibited Salmonella spp. One isolate, Lactobacillus pentosus WE7, was subjectively superior and chosen for further study. It was also inhibitory against E. coli, moderately inhibitory against S. zooepidemicus and C. difficile and mildly inhibitory against C. perfringens. After oral administration, this isolate was recovered from the faeces of 8/9 (89%) foals and 7/8 (87.5%) mature horses. CONCLUSIONS: Lactobacillus pentosus WE7 possesses in vitro and in vivo properties that may be useful for the prevention and treatment of enteric disease in horses. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The beneficial in vitro and in vivo properties that L. pentosus WE7 possesses indicate that randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled efficacy studies are warranted.

Effect of zinc deficiency induced before and during pregnancy on the survival of female rats and their pups.

The objective of the present study was to determine the consequences of Zn2+ deficiency on the gestational process. The study was conducted on adult Wistar virgin female rats fed isocaloric diets containing 16% protein and different Zn2+ concentrations, i.e., 2 ppm (severe restriction), 6 ppm (moderate restriction), and 20 ppm (control). Rats received the diets and water ad libitum for 7, 14 or 21 days before mating and throughout pregnancy. Survival of dams and pups decreased with increasing Zn2+ restriction and with time of exposure to the deficient diet. Mean survival rate for control dams and pups was 100%, whereas severe restriction (2 ppm for 21 days premating and during pregnancy) resulted in survival rates of 25% and 0 for dams and pups, respectively. Dam and pup survival rates for moderate restriction (6 ppm) for the same period were 83% and 72%, respectively. These results indicate the importance of Zn2+ before and during pregnancy and show that Zn2+ deficiency causes metabolic alterations which impair normal reproductive processes.

Effect of zinc deficiency induced before and during pregnancy on the survival of female rats and their pups

The objective of the present study was to determine the consequences of Zn²+ deficiency on the gestational process. The study was conducted on adult Wistar virgin female rats fed isocaloric diets containing 16 percent protein and different Zn²+ concentrations, i.e., 2 ppm (severe restriction), 6 ppm (moderate restriction), and 20 ppm (control). Rats recived the diets and wather ad libitum for 7, 14 or 21 days before mating and throughout pregnancy. Survival of dams and pups decreased with increasing Zn²+ restriction and with time of exposure to the deficient diet. Mean survival rate for control dams and pups was 100 percent, whereas severe restriction (2 ppm for 21 days premating and during pregnancy) resulted in survival rates of 25 percent and 0 for dams and pus, respectively. Dam and pup survival rates for moderate restriction (6 ppm) for the same period were 83 percent and 72 percent, respectively. These results indicate the importance of Zn²+ before and during pregnancy and show that Zn²+ deficiency causes metabolic alterations which impair normal reproductive processes