Clinical-epidemiological profile of the canine population in a shelter, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2019-2020.

The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic, clinical, and hematological aspects of the population in a dog shelter located in the municipality of Lavras, Brazil. All animals were microchipped and evaluated by veterinarians. Whole blood samples were obtained from 329 dogs in the months of July-August 2019 and from 310 dogs in the months of January-February 2020. Most of the dogs were of mixed breed, received anti-rabies and polyvalent vaccines (100%), were dewormed (100%), and were spayed/neutered (98.59%), with a predominance of adult (86.51%), short-hair (67.51%), normal body condition (65.57%), medium-size (62.57%), and female (62.36%). The main clinical alterations detected were enlarged lymph nodes (38.69%), skin lesions (31.50%), overweight (23.32%), obesity (6.07%), elevated temperature (17.05%), and ear secretion (15.72%). Regarding hematological alterations, thrombocytopenia (36.31%), leukopenia (15.92%), anemia with decreased hemoglobin values (10.60%), hematocrit (9.70%), and red blood cells (5.14%) were observed. Most of the shelter dogs were apparently healthy, but specific measures for nutritional, dermatological, otological and disease management should be implemented once the health changes are verified, as they impact the general state of the population and adoptions.

Menadione reduces CDC25B expression and promotes tumor shrinkage in gastric cancer.

Background: Gastric cancer is one of the most incident types of cancer worldwide and presents high mortality rates and poor prognosis. MYC oncogene overexpression is a key event in gastric carcinogenesis and it is known that its protein positively regulates CDC25B expression which, in turn, plays an essential role in the cell division cycle progression. Menadione is a synthetic form of vitamin K that acts as a specific inhibitor of the CDC25 family of phosphatases. Methods: To better understand the menadione mechanism of action in gastric cancer, we evaluated its molecular and cellular effects in cell lines and in Sapajus apella, nonhuman primates from the new world which had gastric carcinogenesis induced by N-Methyl-N-nitrosourea. We tested CDC25B expression by western blot and RT-qPCR. In-vitro assays include proliferation, migration, invasion and flow cytometry to analyze cell cycle arrest. In in-vivo experiments, in addition to the expression analyses, we followed the preneoplastic lesions and the tumor progression by ultrasonography, endoscopy, biopsies, histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Results: Our tests demonstrated menadione reducing CDC25B expression in vivo and in vitro. It was able to reduce migration, invasion and proliferation rates, and induce cell cycle arrest in gastric cancer cell lines. Moreover, our in-vivo experiments demonstrated menadione inhibiting tumor development and progression. Conclusions: We suggest this compound may be an important ally of chemotherapeutics in the treatment of gastric cancer. In addition, CDC25B has proven to be an effective target for investigation and development of new therapeutic strategies for this malignancy.

Experimental gastric carcinogenesis in Cebus apella nonhuman primates.

The evolution of gastric carcinogenesis remains largely unknown. We established two gastric carcinogenesis models in New-World nonhuman primates. In the first model, ACP03 gastric cancer cell line was inoculated in 18 animals. In the second model, we treated 6 animals with N-methyl-nitrosourea (MNU). Animals with gastric cancer were also treated with Canova immunomodulator. Clinical, hematologic, and biochemical, including C-reactive protein, folic acid, and homocysteine, analyses were performed in this study. MYC expression and copy number was also evaluated. We observed that all animals inoculated with ACP03 developed gastric cancer on the 9(th) day though on the 14(th) day presented total tumor remission. In the second model, all animals developed pre-neoplastic lesions and five died of drug intoxication before the development of cancer. The last surviving MNU-treated animal developed intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma observed by endoscopy on the 940(th) day. The level of C-reactive protein level and homocysteine concentration increased while the level of folic acid decreased with the presence of tumors in ACP03-inoculated animals and MNU treatment. ACP03 inoculation also led to anemia and leukocytosis. The hematologic and biochemical results corroborate those observed in patients with gastric cancer, supporting that our in vivo models are potentially useful to study this neoplasia. In cell line inoculated animals, we detected MYC immunoreactivity, mRNA overexpression, and amplification, as previously observed in vitro. In MNU-treated animals, mRNA expression and MYC copy number increased during the sequential steps of intestinal-type gastric carcinogenesis and immunoreactivity was only observed in intestinal metaplasia and gastric cancer. Thus, MYC deregulation supports the gastric carcinogenesis process. Canova immunomodulator restored several hematologic measurements and therefore, can be applied during/after chemotherapy to increase the tolerability and duration of anticancer treatments.

Descrição morfológica dos ramos colaterais viscerais da aorta abdominal do macaco-de-cheiro / Morphological description of the collateral visceral branches from abdominal aorta of squirrel monkey

O Saimiri sciureus é um primata não humano existente na região amazônica e não consta na lista de animais em perigo de extinção, de acordo com o IBAMA. Neste trabalho, sistematizou-se os ramos colaterais viscerais da aorta abdominal de seis animais sendo três machos e três fêmeas, os quais tiveram o sistema circulatório preenchido com látex Neoprene, adicionado de contraste radiográfico. O resultado observado foi que a aorta abdominal emitiu ventralmente, como ramo colateral visceral, a artéria celíaca, que se trifurcou nas artérias gástrica esquerda, hepática e lienal. Os ramos da artéria celíaca promovem a irrigação do estômago, duodeno, fígado, pâncreas e baço. A seguir, a aorta abdominal emitiu a artéria mesentérica cranial, de calibre maior que a artéria celíaca e justaposta caudalmente. A artéria mesentérica cranial emitiu ramos que vascularizaram a parte final do duodeno, pâncreas, jejuno, íleo, ceco, cólon maior e cólon menor. A aorta abdominal emitiu lateralmente as artérias renais direita e esquerda. A artéria adrenal esquerda surgiu como um ramo colateral direto da artéria celíaca e a artéria adrenal direita surgiu da artéria renal direita. A artéria mesentérica caudal foi emitida da superfície ventral da aorta abdominal, logo abaixo das artérias renais. Em L6, a aorta abdominal se bifurcou, dando origem às artérias ilíacas externas direita e esquerda e estas deram origem à artéria ilíaca interna e femoral direita e esquerda. As artérias testiculares ou ováricas tiveram origem na artéria ilíaca interna. A continuidade da aorta abdominal deu origem à artéria sacral mediana e a continuidade desta é chamada de artéria caudal mediana. O estudo da espécie em questão é de suma importância para gerar conhecimentos a respeito dos primatas não humanos existentes em nosso país. Dessa forma, pode-se dizer que o Saimiri sciureus é um importante modelo biológico para o desenvolvimento de pesquisas biomédicas.

The Saimiri sciureus is a non human primate that exists in the amazon region, which is not in the list of endangered animals according to IBAMA. So, this research systemized the collateral branches visceral of the abdominal aorta of these animals. It was used six animals, three males and three females, which had the circulatory system filled with latex Neoprene added of radiographic contrast. The results showed that the abdominal aorta ventrally emitted a collateral visceral branch called celiac artery, which originates three branches: left gastric, hepatic and lienal arteries. The branches of the celiac artery promoted the irrigation of the stomach, duodenum, liver, pancreas and spleen. Then the abdominal aorta emitted the cranial mesenteric artery, which was of a larger size than the celiac artery and was caudally juxtaposed. The cranial mesenteric artery supply branches that irrigate the final portion of the duodenum, pancreas, jejunum, ileum, cecum and colon. Abdominal aorta emitted laterally the right and left kidney arteries. The left adrenal artery as a collateral branch of the celiac artery and the right adrenal artery has been originated in the right renal artery. The mesenteric caudal artery was emitted from the ventral surface of the abdominal aorta, below the kidney arteries. In L6, abdominal aorta has two derivations to origin the right and left external iliac arteries and these had given origin to the internal iliac and femoral artery right and left. The testicular or ovary arteries were emitted in internal iliac arteries. Of the abdominal aorta led to origin the sacral median artery and in this sequence there is the caudal median artery. The study of this specie is very important to generate knowledge about non human primates existing in our country. It can be said that Saimiri sciureus is an important biological model for development of biomedical researches.