Pregnancy rates and luteal phase characteristics of bovine embryo recipients treated with flunixin meglumine / Taxas de prenhez e características da fase lútea de receptoras de embriões tratadas com flunixina meglumina em bovinos

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of flunixin meglumine administration on pregnancy rates and luteal phase characteristics in bovine embryo recipients at the moment of embryo transfer. In experiment 1, in vitro produced embryos were transferred to 184 females divided as control and treated group (recipients treated with 1.1mg/kg flunixin meglumine). In experiment 2, 22 females were divided as control group; group 2 (animals submitted to a reproductive tract manipulation similar to an embryo transfer on the 7th day after estrous); and group 3 (females submitted to a manipulation and treatment with 1.1mg/kg flunixin meglumine). In experiment 1 no difference was observed between control and treated groups (40.2% and 44.6%, respectively) for pregnancy rates. In experiment 2 no difference was observed on the length of luteal phase between groups, however, animals in group 2 presented lower plasma progesterone concentrations than the control group and group 3. Therefore, we concluded that although the administration of flunixin meglumine at the moment of embryo transfer inhibited the reduction plasma progesterone concentrations, it was not effective in increasing pregnancy rates of bovine recipients.(AU)

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da administração de flunixina meglumina sobre as taxas de prenhez e características da fase lútea da receptora no momento da transferência de embriões em bovinos. No experimento 1, embriões produzidos in vitro foram transferidos para 184 fêmeas, divididas em grupos controle e tratado (tratados com 1,1mg/kg de flunixina meglumina). No experimento 2, 22 fêmeas foram divididas em grupo controle (n=7); grupo 2 (n=8; animais submetidos à manipulação do trato reprodutivo semelhante à transferência de embriões no sétimo dia pós-cio); e grupo 3 (n=7; fêmeas submetidas à manipulação e ao tratamento com 1,1mg/kg de flunixina meglumina). No experimento 1, não foi observada diferença nos grupos controle e tratado (40,2% e 44,6%, respectivamente) para as taxas de prenhez. No experimento 2, não houve diferença na extensão da fase lútea entre os grupos, entretanto os animais do grupo 2 apresentaram concentrações plasmáticas de progesterona mais baixas que o grupo controle e o grupo 3. Portanto, conclui-se que a administração de flunixina meglumina no momento da transferência de embriões inibiu a redução das concentrações plasmáticas de progesterona, no entanto não foi eficaz para aumentar as taxas de prenhez de receptoras em bovinos.(AU)

Morfometria e população de folículos pré-antrais de vacas Nelore vazias, gestantes e de fetos nos terços inicial, médio e final da gestação / Morphometry and population of preantral follicles of not pregnant Nelore cows, pregnant and fetus in the initial, medium and final third of pregnancy

The aim of this study was to describe population and morphological characteristics of preantral follicles of not pregnant cows, pregnant cows and fetus. Ten ovaries of non-pregnant Nelore cows, eighteen ovaries of pregnant cows and eighteen ovaries of fetus were used. For pregnant cows, six ovaries from each third (initial, middle and final) were evaluated, acquired from a slaughterhouse. For fetus, the same methodology and proportion of ovaries were used. Ovaries were washed, fixed and embedded in paraffin. They were then sectioned in longitudinal sections and stained by the Hematoxylin-Eosin method. Preantral follicles were classified according to morphology (primordial, primary and secondary) and degree of viability (intact and in initial, moderate and marked atresia). Descriptive and statistical analyzes were performed through KS300 image analysis program and Tukey's test. A greater proportion of primordial follicles were found in all categories. Secondary follicles were not observed in ovaries of fetus and cows in the initial third of pregnancy. All the ovary dimensions were higher in non-pregnant cows and in the final third of cows' pregnancy, and lower in final third of pregnancy fetus. It was concluded that follicle isolation was effective in describing population and morphological characteristics of preantral follicles of cows and fetus.(AU)

Intussuscepção uterina em uma cadela sem raça definida - relato de caso / Uterine intussusception in a crossbred female dog - case report

O presente relato descreve uma condição rara de intussuscepção uterina em uma cadela sem raça definida, quatro anos de idade, diagnosticada por meio de celiotomia exploratória e análise anatomopatológica. Foi realizada ovariossalpingo-histerectomia (OSH) como tratamento. Essa patologia geralmente requer manejo cirúrgico porque o diagnóstico inicial pode ser desafiador.(AU)

The present study describes a rare condition of uterine intussusception in a 4 year old crossbred female dog diagnosed by exploratory celiotomy and anatomopathological analysis. As treatment, a ovariohysterectomy (OH) was performed. This pathology usually requires surgical management because the initial diagnosis can be challenging.(AU)

Levantamento etnobotânico de plantas medicinais na cidade de Ipameri - GO / Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Ipameri City - Goiás State

Os objetivos deste trabalho foram: identificar as espécies vegetais utilizadas com fins medicinais pela comunidade de Ipameri (Estado de Goiás); investigar as preferências com relação à produção e comercialização dessas plantas; e diagnosticar o perfil de gênero e as faixas etárias e salariais de seus usuários. Para isso, foram realizadas entrevistas estruturadas com 200 famílias da cidade e coletadas as plantas visando-se a sua correta identificação. O material foi herborizado, identificado e depositado no Herbário da Universidade Estadual de Goiás (HUEG). Das 200 famílias entrevistadas, 75 disseram não fazer uso de plantas com fins medicinais (37,5%), enquanto 125 afirmaram fazê-lo (62,5%). O grupo que utiliza relacionou 35 espécies mais empregadas: hortelã-rasteira (Mentha x villosa L.), boldo-sete-dores (Plectranthus barbatus Andrews.), capim-cidreira (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf.), quebra-pedra (Phyllanthus niruri L.), camomila (Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert.), poejo (Mentha pulegium L.), guaco (Mikania glomerata Spreng.), mentrasto (Ageratum conyzoides L.), alfavacão (Ocimum gratissimum L.), losna (Artemisia canphorata Vill.), bálsamo (Eysenhardtia platycarpa Mich.), carqueja (Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC.), funcho (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), babosa (Aloe vera L.) e malva (Althaea officinalis L.). Todas as famílias consumidoras (100%) afirmaram preferir as plantas cultivadas de forma orgânica, selecionando-as através da boa aparência (68% das famílias) e consumindo-as in natura (sem beneficiamento, 100%). A utilização de plantas medicinais em Ipameri é independente do sexo (54%, mulheres e 46%, homens) e se estende às várias faixas etárias e também sócio-econômicas, configurando-se assim, um bom mercado consumidor.

The aims of this study were: to identify the plant species used for medicinal purposes by the community at Ipameri (Goiás State); to investigate the preferences with respect to the production and marketing of these plants; and to diagnose the gender profile and the age and wage ranges of users. Thus, structured interviews were conducted with 200 families in the city and plants were collected for their correct identification. The material was herborized, identified and deposited in the Herbarium of "Universidade Estadual de Goiás" (HUEG). Of the 200 families interviewed, 75 said they did not make use of plants for medicinal purposes (37.5%), while 125 said they do use them (62.5%). The latter group reported the 35 most used species: "hortelã-rasteira" (Mentha x villosa L.), "boldo-sete-dores" (Plectranthus barbatus Andrews.), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf.), "quebra-pedra" (Phyllanthus niruri L.), chamomile (Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert.), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.), guaco (Mikania glomerata Spreng.), mentrasto (Ageratum conyzoides L.), clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum L.), wormwood (Artemisia canphorata Vill.), balm (Eysenhardtia platycarpa Mich.), broom (Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC.), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), aloe (Aloe vera L.) and mallow (Althaea officinalis L.). All consumer families (100%) stated to prefer plants grown organically, to select the plants based on their good appearance (68% families) and to eat them in natura (unprocessed, 100%). The use of medicinal plants in Ipameri is independent of gender (54% womem and 46% men) and extends to several age and socioeconomic ranges, configuring thus a good consumer market.

Desinserção proximal do músculo sartório na correção da luxação patelar medial graus III e IV, em cães / Sartorius muscle proximal release to repair grades III and IV medial patellar luxation in dogs

Six surgical corrections were performed with techniques of bone and soft tissue reconstruction, according to the individual presentation of each patient, in four Toy breed dogs, which had grades III and IV luxation, two of them bilaterally operated. During the recovery excessive medial tension associated to the Sartorius muscle was detected, which motivated its release at the iliac insertion. The animals had a functional recovery of the limb after 15 days, and complications or loss of function related to the release of the Sartorius muscle were not observed even after six months. It is believed that the proximal disinsertion of this muscle can be necessary and effective in some patients as a complementary technique to release medial tension in dogs with grades III and IV medial patellar luxation.

The brain decade in debate: IV. Chronobiology

The present article is the adapted version of an electronic symposium organized by the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC) which took place on June 14, 2000. The text is divided into three sections: I. The main issues, II. Chronodrugs, and III. Methods. The first section is dedicated to the perspectives of chronobiology for the next decade, with opinions about the trends of future research being emitted and discussed. The second section deals mostly with drugs acting or potentially acting on the organism's timing systems. In the third section there are considerations about relevant methodological issues concerning data analysis

Circadian and ultradian rhythms of drinking behavior of albino rats maintained in constant darkness

The objetive of the present study was to investigate the circadian and the ultradian rhythms of drinking behavior in Wistar rats maintained under conditions of constant darkness. Six mature male rats (weighing 270-350 g) were exposed to light-dark 12:12-h cycles (LD 12:12, lights on at 12:00 h) for 35 days and then switched to constant darkness (DD) conditions for at least 2 weeks. Drinking behavior was monitored continuously with a standard drinkometer circuit and the data were stored in 5-min bins. A modification of Enright's periodogram technique was used to evaluate the free-running drinking behavior circadin rhythm. Ultradian rhythms in drinking behavior were estimated by the Fast Fouries Transform (FFT) technique. Two of the animals (rats 4 and 6) showed no statistically significant circadian or ultradian rhythms and the other four showed free-running drinking circardian rhythm behavior shorter than 24 h (ranging from 23.333 to 23.967 h). Ultradian rhythms of drinking behavior of 12- and 8-h periods were detected in 4 (rats 1, 2, 3 and 5) and 2 (rats 1 and 5) animals, respectively. The relation of the compound structure of the circadian and ultradian rhythms is discussed demonstrating that drinking behavior is a good marker for studies of physiology of temporal organization.

Infradian modulation of liver nucleic acid and lipid content of adult female Lewis/S rats

Infradian modulation with periods of 168 h and 120 h characterizes the RNA, DNA and lipid content of the liver in adult female Lewis/S rats. Multilinear analysis shwos that the fit of an infradian cosine curve with these periods is statistically significant below the 5% level (P = 0.011;P = 0.007 and P = 0.013) and that they account for 19.0, 22.7 and 20.1% of the overall variability, respectively

Hormonal regulation of ribosomal RNA synthesis in immature rat uterus

Fraçöes nucleares e nucleolares de útero de ratas jovens injetadas com 17-ß-estadiol näo radioativo foram isoladas e caracterizadas morfológica e bioquimicamente. A análise destas preparaçöes revelou que estas encontravam-se substancialmente puras, com a alfa-amanitina inibindo apenas apenas 20%% da atividade transcricional em nucléolos isolados. O emprego destas fraçöes nos experimentos utilizando a técnica de troca do 3H-estradiol pelo 17-ß-estradiol näo radioativo injetado préviamente nos animais, levou à determinaçäo de curvas de cinética, saturaçäo e de Scatchard para núcleos e nucléolos. Determinou-se alguns parâmetros físico-químicos que definem a ligaçäo do complexo receptor 17-ß-estradiol em núcleos e nucléolos. Os resultados obtidos mostram que tanto núcleos quanto nucléolos apresentam sítios aceptores para o complexo receptor-17-ß-estradiol, sendo esta ligaçäo saturável e específica devido à inibiçäo por um inibidor competitivo,m o diestilstilbestrol, com valores de Kd = 1,06 x 10**-9 M e 20,41 x10**-8 M; Ka = 0,94 x 10**10 M e 20,05 x 10 M; Bo = 0,49 x 10**9 M e 0,35 x 10**-9 M para nucléolos, respectivamente. Em nucléolos a curva de cinética sugere uma acumulaçäo tardia do complexo receptor-hormônio de características diferentes daquelas apresentadas em núcleos, onde existe uma acumulaçäo precoce deste complexo. A partir dos resultados apresentados neste estudo, conclue-se que em útero de ratas jovens pode haver uma açäo direta do hormônio sobre os genes ribossomais. Tal mecanismo caracteriza um sistema de regulaçäo extremamente preciso e complexo, com a presença de sítios aceptores específicos para a açäo do complexo receptor-hormônio sobre o genoma ribossomal. Tendo estabelecido este ponto, estudos adicionais säo necessários para determinar os mecanismos pelos quais os receptores estimulam as velocidades de transcriçäo e suas possíveis implicaçöes no controle gênico

Remarkable similarities between the temporal organization of neocortical electrographic sleep patterns of rats and humans

Electrocorticographic activity was automatically recorded in albino rats for 72 consecutive h and analyzed by procedures suitable to detect 24-h rhythms. Beta (alert wakefulness), theta (somnolence), delta (slow wave sleep) and sigma 1 (superficial synchronized sleep) activities showed a robust circadian rhythmic distribution. The acrophases (maxima of the adjusted cosine curve) occurred at 23:39, 07:59, 08:37 and 13:25 h, respectively. EMG atonia and extreme hypotonia (less than 10% of mean EMG level) episodes showed a 24-h rhythm peaking at 14:18 h. The temporal sequence within the circadian rest period, i.e., somnolence, slow, wave sleep, superficial synchronized sleep and paradoxical sleep, is very similar to that known to occur during the nocturnal sleep of humans

Lack of similarity between the effect of lesions of the suprachcasmatic nucleus and subparaventricular hypothalamic zone on behavioral circadian rhythms

Rats were submitted to eletrolytic lesion of either the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) or the subparaventricular hypothalamic zone (SPVH) and the effects on circadian behavioral rhythms were compared. While the SCN lesion abolished the circadian rythmicity of all behavioral patterns, the SPVH lesion only abolished that of the eating and drinking behavior and reduced the amplitude of a behavioral item usually associated with REM sleep

Circadian stage-dependent effect of acth and melatonin on protein synthesis by rat adrenal cells

The objective of the study was to determine the circadian effects of melatonin and two different ACTH preparations: a synthetic heptadecapeptide with adrenocorticotrophic action (synchrodyn 1-17, HOE 433) and a natural ACTH (Acthar, Armour). Both ACTH preparations acted in a circadian stage-dependent fashion affecting the MESOR and the amplitude of total protein synthesis of rat adrenal cells. The results also indicated interaction of melatonin with the rhythmic action of ACTH. We conclude that circadian adrenocortical organization also modulates protein synthesis