Dietary supplementation with Gracilaria gracilis by-products modulates the immune status and oxidative stress response of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) stimulated with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida.

This study evaluated the effects of agar waste (AW) dietary supplementation, obtained from the seaweed Gracilaria gracilis cultivated under two different spectral lights, neutral (NT) and blue (BL), on haematological parameters, inflammatory response, and antioxidant biomarkers of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Three diets were prepared: i) a basal diet (CTR), ii) a diet supplemented with 2.5% NT, and iii) a diet supplemented with 2.5% BL. After 15 days of feeding, fish were injected with PBS (placebo) or inactivated Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (stimulated) and sampled at 4 h and 24 h post-stimulus. Results indicated that fish fed NT and BL supplemented diets had lower Ht value and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) than fish fed the CTR diet, regardless of the stimulus and the sampling time. No differences in mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) were found between fish fed the different diets, while the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) increased in fish fed AW supplemented diets compared to fish fed the CTR diet, regardless of the stimulus and the sampling time. In response to inflammation, fish fed the NT diet displayed higher neutrophils count in blood when compared to the CTR group, regardless of the stimulus and sampling time. Thrombocyte count was higher in fish fed NT and BL diets than in the CTR group, especially in the stimulated fish (Diet*injection (D*I), P = 0.004). An increase in plasma protease activity was detected in fish fed NT or BL diets in both placebo and stimulated fish regardless of the sampling time. Hepatic catalase activity was higher in fish fed the NT and BL than in the CTR group, particularly in the stimulated fish (D*I, P < 0.001). In addition, both stimulated and placebo fish that received the BL diet showed an increase in hepatic GR activity compared to the CTR group, regardless of the sampling time. Dietary supplementation with AW by-products obtained from G. gracilis cultured under NT and BL conditions showed to improve the inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms in gilthead seabream in response to a UV-killed bacterial stimulus, having valuable applications for the sustainable use of seaweed toward improving the health and welfare of cultured fish.

O sociodrama como método de captação das representações sociais / Sociodrama as a method of capturing social representations

As representações sociais se referem a um conjunto de conceitos, ideias e explicações sobre o mundo e o contexto em que se vive. Além disso, possui por função tornar familiar o que era desconhecido. Para captar as representações sociais pode se fazer o uso do sociodrama, pois este compreende que o sujeito atravessa e é atravessado por relações e ainda possibilita ferramentas para se trabalhar estas relações intergrupais. Deste modo, este artigo pretende, por meio de uma experiência sociodramática com quinze adolescentes de um projeto social refletir acerca da possibilidade de seu uso para a captação de representações sociais. Para isso, se fez uso da pesquisa ativa, tendo por modalidade o relato de experiência e abordagem qualitativa. As ferramentas utilizadas foram: dramatização, teatralização, fantasia guiada, vinhetas e jogos. A partir do sociodrama com esses adolescentes os processos de ancoragem e objetificação das representações foram evidenciados, sendo possível identificar as informações sobre os objetos; caracterizar as atitudes favoráveis ou desfavoráveis diante das cenas; além disso, por meio das esculturas, concretizações e dramatizações ficaram evidentes as imagens que constituem uma representação social e esta, por sua vez, pode contribuir na clarificação dos papéis conservados e ressignificação de cenas

Social representations refer to a set of concepts, ideas and explanations about the world and the context in which one lives. In addition, it has the function of making familiar what was unknown. In order to capture the social representations one can make use of the sociodrama, since it understands that the subject crosses and is crossed by relations and still provides tools to work these intergroup relations. Thus, this article intends, through a sociodramatic experience with fifteen adolescents of a social project to reflect on the possibility of its use for the capture of social representations. For this, the active research was used, having as modality the experience report and qualitative approach. The tools used were: dramatization, theatricalisation, guided fantasy, vignettes and games. From the sociodrama with these adolescents the processes of anchoring and objectification of the representations were evidenced, being possible to identify the information about the objects; characterize the favorable or unfavorable attitudes towards the scenes; in addition, through the sculptures, concretizations and dramatisations, the images that constitute a social representation are evident and this, in turn, can contribute in the clarification of the conserved roles and re-signification of scenes.

Involvement of the Cholinergic Parameters and Glial Cells in Learning Delay Induced by Glutaric Acid: Protection by N-Acetylcysteine.

Dysfunction of basal ganglia neurons is a characteristic of glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I), an autosomal recessive inherited neurometabolic disease characterized by deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) and accumulation of glutaric acid (GA). The affected patients present clinical manifestations such as motor dysfunction and memory impairment followed by extensive striatal neurodegeneration. Knowing that there is relevant striatal dysfunction in GA-I, the purpose of the present study was to verify the performance of young rats chronically injected with GA in working and procedural memory test, and whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) would protect against impairment induced by GA. Rat pups were injected with GA (5 µmol g body weight-1, subcutaneously; twice per day; from the 5th to the 28th day of life) and were supplemented with NAC (150 mg/kg/day; intragastric gavage; for the same period). We found that GA injection caused delay procedural learning; increase of cytokine concentration, oxidative markers, and caspase levels; decrease of antioxidant defenses; and alteration of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Interestingly, we found an increase in glial cell immunoreactivity and decrease in the immunoreactivity of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha 7 (α7nAChR), and neuronal nuclei (NeuN) in the striatum. Indeed, NAC administration improved the cognitive performance, ROS production, neuroinflammation, and caspase activation induced by GA. NAC did not prevent neuronal death, however protected against alterations induced by GA on Iba-1 and GFAP immunoreactivities and AChE activity. Then, this study suggests possible therapeutic strategies that could help in GA-I treatment and the importance of the striatum in the learning tasks.