Seroprevalence of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in sheep from the rapidly expanding flock of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Neosporosis is primarily a disease of cattle and dogs, but Neospora caninum has been linked to abortion and neonatal mortality in sheep. Since the economic, clinical and epidemiological importance of the infection in sheep remains uncertain, this work investigated the seroprevalence of anti-N. caninum antibodies and associated factors in the rapidly expanding flock of Rio de Janeiro state. Blood samples from 388 sheep of 12 farms were collected and sera tested by a commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Seroprevalence at the animal-level was of 6.2% (24/388) and, at the herd-level, 50% (6/12) of the studied farms had at least one seropositive animal. Multivariate analysis detected that occasional veterinary assistance (P < 0.05) was significantly associated to higher seroprevalence, which is also associated to age (P < 0.001) and gender (P < 0.0001). Farmers' investments should focus on making technical assistance more frequent and future studies should assess the association of veterinary assistance with anti-N. caninum antibodies in sheep flocks.

Macroscopic lesions of the ventriculus of Rhea americana , Linnaeus, 1758 (Aves: Rheidae) naturally infected by Sicarius uncinipenis (Molin, 1860) (Nematoda: Habronematidae).

There are few studies concerning the parasites of rheas. However, parasitism is the major cause of the limited success in captive breeding of these birds. Deletrocephalus dimidiatus, Deletrocephalus cesarpintoi, Paradeletrocephalus minor, and Sicarius uncinipenis are the most prevalent nematode species affecting these birds, but the lesions caused by these parasites have not been previously reported. Four adult rheas were necropsied to determine the presence or absence of gross lesions within the gastrointestinal tract, associated with parasitic infection. Two rheas parasitized by S. uncinipenis had ulcers on the koilin layer or had parasites penetrating this layer, resulting in widespread necrosis and hemorrhagic areas, whereas the 2 nonparasitized birds did not present lesions. The degree of injury was proportional to the parasitic load found in the birds. Thus, high parasitic loads can result in necrosis of the ventriculus, which may contribute to the death of birds, resulting in economic losses in the rural production of these birds.

Evidence of the participation of electronic excited states in the mechanism of positronium formation in substitutional Tb(1-x)Eu(x)(dpm)3 solid solutions studied by optical and positron annihilation spectroscopies.

Positronium formation in the bimary molecular solid solutions Tb(1-x)Eu(x) (dpm)(3) (dpm = dipivaloylmethanate) has been investigated. A strong linear correlation between the (5)D(4) Tb(iii) energy level excited state lifetime and the positronium formation probability has been observed. This correlation indicates that the ligand-to-metal charge transfer LMCT states act in both luminescence quenching and positronium formation inhibition, as previously proposed. A kinetic mechanism is proposed to explain this correlation and shows that excited electronic states have a very important role in the positronium formation mechanism.

Solid Eu(III) complexes studied by positron annihilation, optical and Mössbauer spectroscopies: insights on the positronium formation mechanism.

In this work, positron annihilation lifetime (PALS), Doppler broadening annihilation radiation lineshape (DBARL), Mössbauer and optical spectroscopies measurements were performed in Eu(III) dipivaloylmetanate complex, Eu(dpm)(3), at 295 and 80 K. The Eu(dpm)(3) complex is not luminescent at 298 K and does not form positronium. On the other hand, it is highly luminescent at 80K, but still does not form positronium. The absence of positronium formation at 80K cannot be explained by a ligand/metal charge transfer process. We found strong evidences that the electronic delocalization does not occur at both temperatures. Despite the Mössbauer results being inconclusive regarding the Eu(III)/Eu(II) reduction hypothesis, previous results showing positronium formation in other Eu(III) complexes suggest that this process is not occurring. Thus, more studies are needed to explain the absence of positronium in Eu(III) complexes.

Energy expenditure: components and evaluation methods.

INTRODUCTION: The determination of energy expenditure, considering the physical activity level and health status, is very important to adjust the individuals' nutritional supply. Energy expenditure can be determined by using indirect calorimetry, bioelectrical impedance, doubly labeled water, predictive equations, among others. All these methods have been used in clinical and research areas. However, considering the inconsistence in several research results, there is no consensus yet about the applicability of many of these methods. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review is to describe the components of energy expenditure and the methods for its determination and estimation, summarizing their main advantages and limitations. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Indirect calorimetry and doubly labeled water are considered more accurate methods, but expensive. On the other hand, even though other methods present limitations, they are convenient and less expensive, and can be used with some caution.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor: effects on nutritional homeostasis, obesity and diabetes mellitus.

The obesity and the metabolic disorders associated characterize the metabolic syndrome, which has increased at an alarming rate around the world. It is known that environmental and genetic factors are involved in the genesis of obesity. Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs) stand out among these factors. They compose the nuclear receptor superfamily and there are in three isoforms (PPARα,PPARß/δ and PPARγ), which play an important role in the regulation of the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The present review aims to understand the relationship between the diet, the PPARs and the control of the blood glucose and body weight, since the understanding about the mechanisms by which these receptors act may benefit the development of the strategies aiming at prevention and elaboration of therapeutics actions which are more effective for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.

Impact of different protein sources in the glycemic and insulinemic responses.

OBJECTIVE: The maintenance of normal blood glucose concentrations is a crucial factor to the achievement of a good health status throughout life. However, the occurrence of abnormalities in this parameter has become increasingly common, which can result in several non-transmissible diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to discuss the role of protein sources in the glycemic and insulinemic responses. METHODS: In this review paper, we critically analyzed recently published studies that discussed the role of different protein sources in the glycemic and insulinemic responses in healthy individuals and in those who have cardiovascular diseases or type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: The results of some of these studies suggest that the daily ingestion of at least one high protein meal containing low to moderate amounts of carbohydrate increases insulin secretion and glucose uptake, improving insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, the results indicate that these effects are particularly associated with the consumption of animal protein (p.e. hydrolyzed whey protein), which has a high content of branched-chain amino acids such as leucine, valine and others such as arginine, which leads to improvements in insulin secretion and uptake glucose, since it increases insulin sensitivity. However, there is still no consensus in the literature about the quantity and quality of protein capable of reducing or maintaining blood-glucose concentrations at the desirable range, without causing adverse effects. The difference in the results of the studies may be associated to methodological problems presented by these studies. CONCLUSIONS: Well designed studies should be conducted to identify the quantity and quality of protein that can lead to the improvement on blood glucose concentrations, without negative effects to health. These studies should also identify the mechanisms and the magnitude by which protein may affect glycemic response.

Multi-locus DNA sequencing of Toxoplasma gondii isolated from Brazilian pigs identifies genetically divergent strains.

Five Toxoplasma gondii isolates (TgPgBr1-5) were isolated from hearts and brains of pigs freshly purchased at the market of Campos dos Goytacazes, Northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Four of the five isolates were highly pathogenic in mice. Four genotypes were identified. Multi-locus PCR-DNA sequencing showed that each strain possessed a unique combination of archetypal and novel alleles not previously described in South America. The data suggest that different strains circulate in pigs destined for human consumption from those previously isolated from cats and chickens in Brazil. Further, multi-locus PCR-RFLP analyses failed to accurately genotype the Brazilian isolates due to the high presence of atypical alleles. This is the first report of multi-locus DNA sequencing of T. gondii isolates in pigs from Brazil.

[Energy expenditure of healthy Brazilian adults: a comparison of methods]. / Gasto energético de adultos brasileños saludables: una comparación de métodos.

UNLABELLED: There are many available methods to measure the human energy consumption. Due to the high cost and small number of laboratories able to perform it, the direct calorimetry and doubly labeled water technique are rarely used to measure the energy expenditure. As consequence, there is an increase use of the indirect calorimetry and bioelectrical impedance analysis methods by researchers and predictive equations by physicians to calculate the total energy requirements in research and in clinic. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the basal energy expenditure (GEB) and total energy expenditure (GET) of healthy subjects comparing results of indirect calorimetry (CI), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and predictive equations such as estimated energy requirements (EER), Fleish, FAO/WHO/UNU 1985 and 2001. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was evaluated the energy expenditure in 81 subjects of both gender by CI and BIA. Of these, the GEB by predictive equations FAO/WHO/UNU 1985 and 2001 and the GET by EER, Fleisch and FAO/WHO/UNU 1985 and 2001 were calculated. The data was analyzed with the software Sigma Stat for Windows version 2.03 and Dunn's test was used for comparison of mean obtained with methods and equations (p < 0.05). RESULTS: It was verified that 60.5% of the participants were men. The majority of subjects were eutrofic. BIA showed significant differences between men and women. The differences between the values of GEB, obtained by BIA and CI, were statistically significant only for women (p < 0.05) with an underestimation of the GEB results obtained by BIA in relation to those obtained by CI. Significant difference was found between the predictive equations and CI for both sexes, also demonstrating an underestimation of the equations in relation to CI. It was observed an overestimation of GET with the predictive equations of FAO/WHO/UNU/85 and 2001 in relation to EER and Fleisch for both sexes. CONCLUSION: The estimation of GEB can be carried out by both BIA and CI, although BIA must be used with criteria since it underestimates in a significant way for women. In relation to the predictive equations, overestimation can develop positive energy balance in populations with risks for overweight and obesity. Thus, it is necessary comparisons to identify the limitations of each method.