Abate halal com e sem insensibilização em ovinos: implicações sobre o bem-estar animal e a eficiência da sangria / [Halal slaughter with and without stunning in sheep: implications on animal welfare and bleeding efficiency]

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as implicações sobre o bem-estar animal e a eficiência da sangria no abate halal com e sem insensibilização em ovinos. Foram avaliados 102 ovinos, em abate comercial, separados randomicamente pelo peso em dois grupos: com insensibilização (CI) e sem insensibilização (SI). Verificou-se que os animais sem insensibilização apresentaram sinais de endireitamento e vocalização após 20 segundos da degola. Houve diferença significativa para hemácias (P<0,01), hemoglobina (P<0,01), leucócitos totais (P<0,001), bem como para os biomarcadores de estresse, como CK (P<0,01) e lactato (P<0,001). Apesar de não apresentarem diferença estatística significativa, o LDH e o cortisol ficaram acima dos valores basais em ambos os grupos. Não foram observadas alterações séricas para glicose e AST. Houve diferença estatística significativa para eficiência da sangria (P<0,01). Os resultados demonstraram que houve estresse no abate halal com e sem insensibilização e melhor eficiência da sangria em animais não insensibilizados.(AU)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the implications on animal welfare and the sangria efficiency in halal slaugther with and without stunning in sheep. 102 sheep were appraised in a commercial slaugthter, divided randomly for the weight in two groups: with stunning (CI) and without stunning (SI). It was verified that the animals without stunning presented straighten signs and vocalization after 20 seconds of decapitation. There was significant difference for erythrocytes (P<0.05), hemoglobin (P<0.01), leucocytes (P<0.01), stress of biomarkers CK (P<0.01) and lactate (P<0.01). Alterations in serum were not observed for glucose and AST. There was significant statistical difference for bleeding efficiency (P<0.01). The results demonstrated that there was stress in the halal slaugther with and without stunning and better bleeding efficiency in animals with traditional religious slaughter without stunning.(AU)

Physiological performance of quails that underwent dietary and pharmacological manipulation of cholesterol.

The present work evaluated whether dietary and pharmacological interference on cholesterol synthesis were capable of inducing alterations in blood and yolk cholesterol levels and the secretion of corticosterone metabolites. Forty-five 40-day-old quails were divided into three experimental groups: vegetal fat diet, 2% beef fat (tallow) diet and vegetal fat diet with simvastatin administration (3.13 mg/kg/day). During all experiments, the animal weights and food consumption were recorded and blood and faecal samples (days 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60), as well as eggs (days 30, 45 and 60), were collected. Analysis of serum and yolk cholesterol was performed and faecal corticosterone levels were measured. No differences were observed on blood cholesterol or faecal corticosterone between all treatments, despite a tendency of increased cholesterol in the group with the animal fat diet. However, quails submitted to an animal fat diet displayed an increase in yolk cholesterol at day 30 of the treatment and the egg yolks of quails treated with simvastatin exhibited a decrease in cholesterol content by the end of the treatment at 60 days. These results improved the knowledge regarding the physiology of quails and offered support to other studies concerning the consequences of the pharmacological treatment and the dietary manipulation of cholesterol levels.

Active suppression of host-vs graft reaction in pregnant mice. IX. Soluble suppressor activity obtained from allopregnant mouse decidua that blocks the cytolytic effector response to IL-2 is related to transforming growth factor-beta.

Non-Ts cells in murine allopregnancy decidua release potent immunosuppressor factors in vitro that block the action of IL-2. Previous studies have shown that both primary and secondary CTL responses are inhibited as well as the generation of Il-2 activated killer cells. In this paper we show that the suppressor factor(s) can arrest ongoing IL-2 dependent CTL responses but does not block binding of anti-IL-2R antibody or radiolabeled IL-2 to the IL-2R. The suppressive activity is associated with molecules that adhere to hydroxylapatite and con A-agarose but do not bind to activated charcoal or partition as lipids. HPLC TSK 3000 separation showed a major peak of suppressive activity at 60 to 100 kDa, with additional activity at 300 kDa, and at less than 1000. Under acid conditions, suppressive activity resolved as a major peak at 13 kDa with some residual activity at 65 kDa and at less than or equal to 1000. A specific rabbit IgG antibody to transforming growth factor-beta neutralized suppressor activity in unseparated supernatant and in the 13-kDa fraction whereas neutralizing antibodies to progesterone or PGE-2 did not affect suppression but could neutralize their respective ligands. Inasmuch as transforming growth factor-beta has a 25 kDa Mr, the 13-kDa decidua-associated suppressor factor would appear to represent a related but distinct regulatory molecule that associates with a variety of carrier molecules.

Putative role for lithium in human hematopoiesis.

Ingestion of lithium salts increases production of neutrophil granulocytes from the bone marrow in human subjects when the concentration of the ion in blood is within the range 5 to 10 X 10(-4) mol/L. Results of preliminary dose-response experiments appeared to indicate that nanomolar levels of lithium stimulated clonal proliferation of granulocyte precursors from normal bone marrow in vitro, suggesting the possibility that this element may contribute to the physiologic regulation of blood cell formation in humans. The present studies confirm that the influence of lithium on hematopoiesis is evident in vitro at concentrations equivalent to that demonstrable in normal blood (2 to 4 X 10(-7) mol/L). Furthermore, such effects are not cell lineage specific, being observed also in clonogenic cultures of erythroid and eosinophil granulocyte progenitor cells, and the phenomenon attributed to lithium is a property shared with rubidium and cesium salts. These findings point to a role for lithium and its elemental relatives in the biophysical mechanisms involved with the control of human blood cell production.

Multiple bluetongue virus-cloned genetic probes: application to diagnostics and bluetongue virus genetic relationships.

A shotgun-cloning method incorporating all 10 bluetongue virus genome segments can simultaneously produce complete and partial copies of any of the genome segments. We report here 4 different cloned probes derived from 3 genome segments and individually defined by different hybridization recognition capabilities. One probe hybridized strongly with all 5 United States prototype strains of the 5 different bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes existing in the United States and, as such, is a strong candidate for a broad BTV diagnostic probe in the United States. Another probe derived from genome segment 2 of BTV-17 hybridized only with the BTV-17 prototypic serotype, thereby demonstrating serospecific hybridization diagnostic potential. The implications for diagnostic and genetic relationship studies on BTV, using various genetic probes, are discussed.

Hydrocortisone promotes clonal granulopoiesis in cultures of normal human bone marrow--a "nutritional" advantage or true stimulation of growth?

The generation of normal human hemopoietic clones is promoted, in tissue culture, by physiological as well as pharmacological concentrations of hydrocortisone. In part this may reflect a facilitative, nutritional effect of the hormone which may be more evident in particular culture media. However, the findings, in liquid suspension cultures, of an increase in the absolute number of cells and a rise in the mitotic index in the presence of hydrocortisone, point to a real stimulation of cellular proliferation. Measurements of the number of clones early in culture, and the size of clones after longer intervals, indicate respectively that the hormone influences both recruitment of clonogenic cells into cytokinesis and amplification of established clones. The target cell in both processes may be the same, namely a morphologically recognizable entity, in the granulocyte lineage, having limited proliferative potential. Evidence in support of this interpretation includes the high cloning efficiency, small mean clonal size and brief clonal lifespan. These features suggest that members of the myeloblast-promyelocyte-myelocyte hierarchy are likely candidates, but whether the action of hydrocortisone is exerted directly on these cells, or on a more mature accessory population, remains to be determined.