Sensitivity of field isolates of Eimeria acervulina and E. maxima from three regions in Brazil to eight anticoccidial drugs.

Rotation with different active ingredients is among the most effective and recommended strategies to preserve the efficacy of anticoccidial drugs and reduce the emergence of resistance. Tools such as anticoccidial sensitivity tests (ASTs) are ideally used to make rational rotation programs and bring benefits to production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of E. acervulina (EA) and E. maxima (EM) from 3 different regions in Brazil, by using four ASTs. Feces samples weighing 6 to 7 kg were collected in the regions of São Paulo, Paraná, and Minas Gerais. Prevalent oocysts from feces were filtered, identified, and quantified to conduct 2 ASTs with EA and 2 with EM. The same experimental design was used in every AST (4 replicates per treatment, with 6 birds each, for a total of 240 birds). Treatment groups were a nonchallenged and nonmedicated control group (T1), a challenged and nonmedicated control group (T2), and the other groups challenged and treated with the following compounds: lasalocid (90 ppm - T3), maduramycin (6 ppm - T4), decoquinate (30 ppm - T5), nicarbazin+semduramicin (66 ppm - T6), monensin (110 ppm - T7), salinomycin (66 ppm - T8), narasin+nicarbazin (100 ppm - T9), and nicarbazin (125 ppm - T10). At the end of each AST (20 d), the percent change (delta value) between the treated group (T3 to T10) and the control group (T2) was calculated for the following variables: body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, lesion score, and an indicator of percentage of optimal anticoccidial activity (POAA) that included T2. Different sensitivity levels of EA and EM isolates could be identified. As a whole, drugs from T5 and T3 groups showed higher delta values when compared to other compounds, whereas the lowest sensitivity levels of these isolates were observed in groups T4 and T7. Despite some limiting factors, ASTs can be a good tool for strategic selection of anticoccidial drugs in order to maintain efficacy and extend the lifespan of these molecules.

Maternal protein restriction during lactation modulated the expression and activity of rat offspring hepatic CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B1, CYP2B2, and CYP2E1 during development.

Early nutrition plays a long-term role in the predisposition to chronic diseases and influences the metabolism of several drugs. This may happen through cytochromes P450 (CYPs) regulation, which are the main enzymes responsible for the metabolism of xenobiotics. Here, we analyzed the effects of maternal protein restriction (MPR) on the expression and activity of hepatic offspring's CYPs during 90 days after birth, using Wistar rats as a mammal model. Hepatic CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B1, CYP2B2 and CYP2E1 mRNA and protein expression, and associated catalytic activities (ECOD, EROD, MROD, BROD, PROD and PNPH) were evaluated in 15-, 30-, 60-, and 90-day-old offspring from dams fed with either a 0% protein (MPR groups) or a standard diet (C groups) during the 10 first days of lactation. Results showed that most CYP genes were induced in 60- and 90-day-old MPR offspring. The inductions detected in MPR60 and MPR90 were of 5.0- and 2.0-fold (CYP1A2), 3.7- and 2.0-fold (CYP2B2) and 9.8- and 5.8- fold (CYP2E1), respectively, and a 3.8-fold increase of CYP2B1 in MPR90. No major alterations were detected in CYP protein expression. The most relevant CYP catalytic activities' alterations were observed in EROD, BROD and PNPH. Nevertheless, they did not follow the same pattern observed for mRNA expression, except for an induction of EROD in MPR90 (3.5-fold) and of PNPH in MPR60 (2.2-fold). Together, these results suggest that MPR during lactation was capable of altering the expression and activity of the hepatic CYP enzymes evaluated in the offspring along development.

Sport modality affects bradycardia level and its mechanisms of control in professional athletes.

We investigated the influence of sport modalities in resting bradycardia and its mechanisms of control in highly trained athletes. In addition, the relationships between bradycardia mechanisms and cardiac structural adaptations were tested. Professional male athletes (13 runners, 11 cyclists) were evaluated. Heart rate (HR) was recorded at rest on beat-to-beat basis (ECG). Selective pharmacological blockade was performed with atropine and esmolol. Vagal effect, intrinsic heart rate (IHR), parasympathetic (n) and sympathetic (m) modulations, autonomic influence (AI) and autonomic balance (Abal) were calculated. Plasmatic norepinephrine (high-pressure liquid chromatography) and cardiac structural adaptations (echocardiography) were evaluated. Runners presented lower resting HR, higher vagal effect, parasympathetic modulation (n), AI and IHR than cyclists (P<0.05). Abal, sympathetic modulation (m) and norepinephrine level were similar within athletes regardless of modality. The cardiac chambers were also similar between runners and cyclists (P=0.30). However, cyclists displayed higher septum and posterior wall thickness than runners (P=0.04). Further analysis showed a trend towards inverse correlation between IHR with septum wall thickness and posterior wall thickness (P=0.056). Type of sport influences the resting bradycardia level and its mechanisms of control in professional athletes. Resting bradycardia in runners is mainly dependent on an autonomic mechanism. In contrast, a cyclist's resting bradycardia relies on a non-autonomic mechanism probably associated with combined eccentric and concentric hypertrophy.

Participation of the Cytoskeletal and Lysosomal Compartments in Campylobacter jejuni Invasion of Caco-2 cells, the Cellular Response by Morphometric Analysis and the Presence of Cytokine and Chemokine Transcripts.

This study aimed to evaluate the participation of actin and tubulin in the process of internalisation, the interaction of bacterial phagosomes with lysosomes, the morphometric changes and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in Caco-2 cells infected with Campylobacter jejuni. Both actin and tubulin participated in the process of internalisation. Inside the cells, lysosomes fuse with phagosomes, which may lead to bacterial death because after 2 h, the bacteria were not detected by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). There is increased expression of TGF-ß3 during the early stages, and IL-8 was expressed after 60 min p.i. This work showed that C. jejuni invades and causes major morphometric changes in epithelial cells. In response, the cells increase their expression of cytokines that can lead to inflammation. The mechanisms of invasion are dependent on actin and tubulin, and once internalised, lysosomes fuse with phagosomes.

PP045. Maternal mortality due to hypertension: A look at the puerperium.

INTRODUCTION: Maternal death is the death of a woman during pregnancy within 42days after delivery. It is one of the most serious violations of human rights of women, because it is a preventable tragedy in 92% of cases and occurs mainly in developing countries. Brazil, a country of continental dimensions has the challenge of reducing maternal deaths; one of the priority regions is Santos, a city in the state of São Paulo. It is felt that efforts are made to the adoption of care that can minimize risks during complicated pregnancy with hypertensive disorders, but not always this service is offered proportionally to postpartum. Perhaps the erroneous concept that the delivery is capable of quickly balancing the harm of maternal hypertensive disorders is implicated in reducing postpartum surveillance, exposing this group of women to undesirable outcomes. OBJECTIVES: Analyze the percentage of postpartum maternal deaths until 42days after delivery for hypertensive disorders in Santos in the period of 1999-2009. METHODS: Data were provided by the Ministry of Health of Brazil in www.datasus.gov.br (accessed February 2012). The number of maternal deaths was divided into maternal death in pregnancy, delivery and abortion and maternal death in puerperium up to 42, considering all causes of maternal death and identifying the proportion of deaths due to hypertensive syndromes. RESULTS: According to the general causes of death, more women die during pregnancy, delivery and abortion (69.7%) than postpartum (30.3%) and hypertensive disorders account for 20% of these outcomes. Analyzing the proportion of deaths due to hypertensive disorders in each period, we observed that during pregnancy the disorder accounts for 16.5% of all causes, however, the percentage reaches 30.3% in the puerperium. CONCLUSION: The increase of death in postpartum due to hypertensive syndromes, regarding all general causes, shows the necessary action to be done by the professional team to offer continuity care in and out of hospital in this period, considering that the challenges persist even after delivery.

Características cinemáticas, cinéticas e eletromiográficas do andar de adultos jovens com e sem suporte parcial de peso corporal / Kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic characteristics of young adults walking with and without partial body weight support

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar as características cinemáticas, cinéticas e eletromiográficas do andar de adultos jovens em piso fixo sem colete e com suporte parcial de peso (SPP) de 0, 10, 20 e 30 por cento do peso corporal. MÉTODO: Oito jovens com idade média de 22,2 anos foram filmados andando sobre uma passarela que continha uma plataforma de força na região central para registro das componentes da força de reação do solo. Marcadores refletivos foram posicionados nos principais pontos anatômicos dos membros inferiores para registro dos dados cinemáticos, e eletrodos de superfície foram afixados nos músculos tibial anterior e gastrocnêmio medial para registro da atividade elétrica muscular. RESULTADOS: Diferenças significantes entre as cinco condições experimentais foram constatadas nas variáveis espaço-temporal, nos ângulos máximos e mínimos da coxa, joelho e tornozelo e nas amplitudes das componentes horizontal ântero-posterior e vertical da força de reação do solo. De forma geral, as maiores mudanças ocorreram na condição de SPP de 30 por cento do peso corporal. CONCLUSÃO: É importante considerar as compensações que ocorrem no padrão do andar com SPP no planejamento das intervenções terapêuticas. Ainda, para melhor definir a utilização dos sistemas de suspensão de peso na reabilitação, estudos futuros precisam ser realizados para verificar o comportamento do andar em populações com alteração de movimento em piso fixo.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic characteristics of young adults walking on a fixed platform without a vest and with partial body weight support (PBWS) of 0, 10, 20 and 30 percent. METHOD: Eight young adults (mean age: 22.2 years) were videotaped walking on a walkway that contained a force plate embedded in its middle portion, to record the ground reaction force (GRF) components. Reflective markers were placed on the main anatomical points of the lower limbs in order to acquire kinematic data, and surface electrodes were attached to the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius medialis muscles in order to record electromyographic muscle activity. RESULTS: Significant differences among the five experimental conditions were observed with regard to spatial-temporal variables, the maximum and minimum angles for the thigh, knee, and ankle, and the amplitudes of the anteroposterior horizontal and vertical GRF components. Generally, the greatest changes occurred with PBWS of 30 percent. CONCLUSION: It is important to take into consideration the compensations to walking patterns that occur with PBWS, in planning therapeutic interventions. Moreover, to better define the use of suspended weight systems in rehabilitation programs, further investigations should be conducted in order to verify the walking patterns on fixed platforms among populations with movement disorders.

Laboratory studies of the 1984 influenza epidemic on the Witwatersrand.

A particularly severe outbreak of influenza occurred on the Witwatersrand from May to August 1984, caused sequentially by influenza A (H3N2), B/influenza and influenza A (H1N1) viruses. Although the precise extent of the infection was impossible to determine, valuable anecdotal information was provided by a network of sentinel sampling stations in private practices, clinics and hospitals, representing a cross-section of population groups on the Witwatersrand. This active surveillance programme was invaluable in providing some 85% of all the specimens, the remainder being routine clinical specimens; in addition, isolation was approximately twice as efficient for the actively acquired specimens than for the routine ones. The epidemic affected all individuals approximately equally, regardless of age, race or socio-economic status. Infection with H1N1 virus tended to predominate in the younger age group, 78% of isolates being from subjects under 30 years of age, whereas 71% of H3N2 isolates came from subjects over 30 years of age. The B/influenza isolates tended to be more evenly dispersed. Novel strains of B/influenza and H1N1 viruses were introduced into the country and possibly contributed to the greater than usual severity of the epidemic. An active surveillance programme is essential to monitor the extent of influenza virus activity and to alert virologists to the introduction of new strains, although at present forecasting of future influenza epidemics is not possible with any significant degree of reliability.

Epidemic Coxsackie B virus infection in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A particularly extensive epidemic of Coxsackie B3 virus infection occurred in Johannesburg in the spring and summer of 1984. A total of 142 positive cases were diagnosed by isolation of the virus from stools and other specimens (60) or by serology (82). Coxsackie B3 accounted for 87% of the isolations and was also the dominant serotype on serology. The outbreak involved predominantly children and young adults, with no apparent sex differences being noted. The majority of specimens came from the white population and no significant difference in age or sex distribution could be observed between the two race groups. The major clinical presentation in the white group was Bornholm disease followed by cardiac involvement and then meningoencephalitis. In the black group, however, myocarditis was the major clinical presentation, which is of particular interest taking into account the extremely high incidence of acute rheumatic carditis in this population and the prevalence of chronic cardiomyopathy.