Fertility in seasonal-calving pasture-based lactating dairy cows following timed artificial insemination or timed embryo transfer with fresh or frozen in vitro-produced embryos.

The objective was to compare pregnancy per service event (P/S) in lactating dairy cows following timed artificial insemination (AI) or timed embryo transfer (ET) using either fresh or frozen in vitro-produced embryos. Oocytes were collected once per week for up to 9 wk using transvaginal ovum pick-up from elite dairy donors (ET-DAIRY; n = 40; Holstein-Friesian and Jersey) and elite beef donors (ET-ELITE-BEEF; n = 21; Angus). Both ET-DAIRY and ET-ELITE-BEEF donors consisted of heifers and cows. In addition, oocytes were collected from the ovaries of beef heifers of known pedigree following slaughter at a commercial abattoir (ET-COMM-BEEF; n = 119). Following in vitro maturation and fertilization, presumptive zygotes were cultured in vitro to the blastocyst stage. Grade 1 blastocysts were either transferred fresh or frozen for on-farm thawing and direct transfer. A total of 1,106 recipient cows (all lactating, predominantly Holstein-Friesian) located on 16 herdlets were blocked based on parity, calving date, and Economic Breeding Index, and randomly assigned to receive AI (n = 243) or ET (n = 863) after estrous synchronization with a 10-d Progesterone-synch protocol. Cows assigned to ET were further randomized to receive fresh (n = 187) or frozen (n = 178) ET-ELITE-BEEF embryos, fresh (n = 169) or frozen (n = 162) ET-DAIRY embryos, or fresh (n = 80) or frozen (n = 87) ET-COMM-BEEF embryos. Pregnancy was diagnosed using transrectal ultrasound on d 32 to 35 after synchronized ovulation and confirmed on d 62 to 65, at which time fetal sex was determined. Pregnancy per service event at d 32 was not different between AI (48.8%) and ET (48.9%) and did not differ between dairy and beef embryos (50.3% vs. 48.1%, respectively). However, P/S was less on d 32 following transfer of frozen embryos (41.6%) compared with fresh embryos (56.1%). Pregnancy loss between d 32 and 62 was greater for ET (15.1%) compared with AI (4.7%), with greater losses observed for frozen beef (18.5%), fresh beef (17.3%), and frozen dairy (19.2%) compared with fresh dairy (6.0%) embryos. Serum progesterone (P4) concentration on d 7 was associated with P/S at d 32 and 62. Cows in the quartile with the least serum P4 concentrations (quartile 1) had less probability of being pregnant on d 32 (33.4%) compared with cows in the 3 upper quartiles for serum P4 (45.7%, 55.6%, and 61.2% for quartile 2, quartile 3, and quartile 4, respectively). Sex ratio (male:female) at d 62 was skewed toward more male fetuses following ET (61.1:38.9) compared with AI (43.2:56.8) and was consistent with the sex ratio among in vitro blastocysts (61.2:38.8). In conclusion, P/S was similar for AI and ET, although pregnancy loss between d 32 and 62 was greater for ET than for AI.

The applicability of the "surprise question" as a prognostic tool in patients with severe chronic comorbidities in a university teaching outpatient setting.

BACKGROUND: Life expectancy in recent decades has increased the prevalence of chronic diseases in the population, requiring an approach to new health topics, such as discussions on quality of life and expectations about death and dying. The concept of advance directives (ADs) gives individuals the opportunity to make known their decisions about the treatments they would like to receive at the end of life. Despite the recognition of relevance in clinical practice, the applicability of the concept presents challenges, including establishing the appropriate prognosis for each patient and the ideal time to approach the patient. Some prognostic tools were developed, such as the surprise question (SQ): "Would you be surprised if your patient died in 12 months?", which is used in some clinical settings to predict patient deaths and to make decisions regarding ADs. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the behavior of second-year resident physicians (PGY-2) when the SQ was applied. METHOD: In our observational study, from July 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017, (PGY-2) in the Internal Medicine Residency Program (IMRP) applied SQ to all patients with multiple and varied chronic no communicable comorbidities, who were followed up at the general medicine outpatient clinic (GMOC) of a tertiary university hospital in São Paulo- Brazil. The frequency of the outcome (death or non-death within 12 months) was analyzed by correlating it with the clinical data (impact of the studied variables). RESULTS: Eight hundred forty patients entered the study. Fitfty-two of them (6.2%) died within one year. PGY-2 predicted that two hundred and fourteen patients (25.5% of total) would die within a year (answer No to SQ), of which, 32 (14.9%) did so. The correct residents' prognosis for the subgroup of 626 patients (answer "Yes" to SQ) was NPV = 96.8% (CI = 95.4%-98.2%) and PPV = 14.9% (CI 10.1%-19, 6%). Answering "Yes" to SQ correlated negatively to addressing AD while the outcomes death and the answer No to SQ were positively correlated, according to the number of comorbidities. CONCLUSION: The SQ, in addition to care, contributed to health education, communication and care planning shared by the doctor and patient.

Dietary high-protein distiller's dried grains with solubles can fully replace soybean meal in diets for meat quails without affecting growth performance.

1. The purpose of this study was to determine the metabolisable energy of high-protein distiller's dried grains with solubles (HP-DDGS) for meat quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix; Experiment I) and evaluate the effects of dietary levels of HP-DDGS on animal performance, carcase characteristics, meat quality, and organ weights (Experiment II).2. In Experiment 1, 96 meat quail were distributed in a completely randomised design with two treatments (reference or test diet) and six replicates of eight birds. The experimental period consisted of 5 d adaptation, followed by 5 d total excreta collection. The experimental diets consisted of a reference (control) and a test diet formulated with 800 g/kg reference diet and 200 g/kg HP-DDGS.3. In Experiment 2, 612 meat quail were distributed in a completely randomised design fed one of six dietary levels of HP-DDGS (0, 85, 170, 255, 340, or 425 g/kg) as a replacement for soybean meal. At 42 d of age, birds were slaughtered and evaluated for carcase yield, organ weights, and meat quality.4. Apparent metabolisable energy values corrected for nitrogen retention of HP-DDGS were 12.5 and 12.3 MJ/kg for males and females, respectively.5. In the starter phase (1-21 d of age), increasing dietary HP-DDGS levels had a quadratic effect on body weight (BW) (P = 0.020) and body weight gain (BWG) (P = 0.019). The maximum BW and BWG values were estimated to be achieved with 296.0 and 296.2 g/kg dietary HP-DDGS, respectively. Overall (1-42 d of age), increasing dietary HP-DDGS levels in replacement of soybean meal did not affect animal performance, carcase yield, meat quality or organ weight in meat quail.6. It was concluded that dietary HP-DDGS can fully replace soybean meal in meat quail diets without affecting growth performance, carcase yield, meat quality or organ weight.

The skin redoxome.

Redoxome is the network of redox reactions and redox active species (ReAS) that affect the homeostasis of cells and tissues. Due to the intense and constant interaction with external agents, the human skin has a robust redox signalling framework with specific pathways and magnitudes. The establishment of the skin redoxome concept is key to expanding knowledge of skin disorders and establishing better strategies for their prevention and treatment. This review starts with its definition and progress to propose how the master redox regulators are maintained and activated in the different conditions experienced by the skin and how the lack of redox regulation is involved in the accumulation of several oxidation end products that are correlated with various skin disorders.

Subulura eliseae sp. n. (Ascaridida: Subuluroidea), a parasite of Marmosa spp. from Amazon rainforest, Brazil.

The parasite biodiversity of mouse opossums in Brazil remains incompletely explored. We describe a new species of Subulura (Ascaridida: Subuluroidea) from the large intestine of the white-bellied woolly mouse opossum, Marmosa constantiae, based on the results of light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We also partially sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (MT-CO1) gene of the new species, using molecular phylogenetic analyses to determine its relationships within the Subuluroidea superfamily. As molecular data on subuluroid species are extremely limited, few inferences could be drawn from our phylogenies. Our SEM observations showed the detailed morphology of the cephalic extremity, precloacal pseudo-sucker, caudal papillae, phasmids and vulva. Subulura eliseae sp. n. differs from the other four Subulura parasites species of marsupials by the number of caudal papillae and the structure dimensions, and size of the spicule. Moreover, S. eliseae sp. n. has ten pairs of caudal papillae, which is unique compared to other species. We present morphometric and molecular data on this new species, contributing to future studies on subuluroids.

Inactivation of milk-borne pathogens by blue light exposure.

Food safety and quality management play a pivotal role in the dairy industry. Milk is a highly nutritious food that also provides an excellent medium for growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, dairy industry focuses most of their processes and costs on keeping contamination levels as low as possible. Thermal processes for microbial decontamination may be effective; however, they cannot provide excellent organoleptic, nutritional, and decontamination properties simultaneously. In this scenario, microbial inactivation by exposure to blue light is a promising alternative method in the food industry due to its intrinsic antimicrobial properties free of any thermal effect. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the inactivation kinetics induced by blue light (λ = 413 nm) against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Mycobacterium fortuitum cells suspended in whole milk or saline solution. We also performed a series of optic spectroscopies to investigate possible degradation of milk components. All species were sensitive to photoinactivation suspended either in saline solution or milk. Inactivation kinetics differs significantly depending on the suspension medium and each species is differently affected. All bacterial species tested presented more than 5 log10 of inactivation within less than 2 h of irradiation (720 J/cm2). Infrared spectroscopy did not reveal any significant alteration in any of the milk constituents (e.g., sugars, proteins, and lipids). Riboflavin (vitamin B2) was the only significantly degraded constituent found. Therefore, we conclude that microbial inactivation performed by blue light presents extraordinary potential for processes in the dairy industry.

Elucidating in vitro and in vivo phenotypic behaviour of L. infantum/L. major natural hybrids.

The clinical manifestation and course of Leishmania infections depend on factors such as species, virulence and host-immunity. Although trypanosomatids are considered to have clonal propagation, genetic hybridization has produced successful natural hybrid lineages. Hybrids displaying strong selective advantages may have an impact on pathogenesis and the eco-epidemiology of leishmaniasis. Thus, characterization of phenotypic properties of Leishmania hybrids could bring significant insight into the biology, infectivity, pathogenicity and transmission dynamics of these atypical strains. The present study focuses on phenotypic features and survival capacity of Leishmania infantum/Leishmania major hybrid isolates as compared with representative putative parental species, L. infantum and L. major. In vitro assays (growth kinetics, susceptibility to different conditions) and in vivo infection (parasite detection and histopathological alterations) showed that hybrids present higher growth capacity and decreased susceptibility to reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, evaluation of infected spleen tissue suggests that hybrids induce a stronger immune reaction than their putative parents, leading to the development of white pulp hyperplasia in B-lymphocyte compartments. Overall, these hybrids have shown high plasticity in terms of their general behaviour within the different phenotypic parameters, suggesting that they might have acquired genetic features conferring different mechanisms to evade host cells.

Short communication: In vitro and in vivo probiotic potential of Lactobacillus plantarum B7 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus D1 isolated from Minas artisanal cheese.

Some Lactobacillus strains may contribute to the health of the host when administered in adequate concentrations, demonstrating their probiotic potential. In contrast, Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause enteropathy, meningoencephalitis, abortion, and septicemia. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo probiotic potential of Lactobacillus plantarum B7 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus D1, isolated from Minas artisanal cheese of the Serra da Canastra (Minas Gerais, Brazil), against Lis. monocytogenes. We submitted B7 and D1 to in vitro testing (antibiogram, tolerance to bile salts and artificial gastric fluid, and spot-on-lawn) and in vivo testing (relative weight gain in mice). Both Lactobacillus strains demonstrated in vitro inhibitory activity against Lis. monocytogenes, as well as sensitivity to antimicrobials and resistance to gastric acids and bile salts. In the in vivo assays, mice treated with D1 gained more weight than mice in the other groups. These results indicate that D1 could have higher probiotic potential than B7 because improvements in feed conversion may help animals fight infection.

Blood utilisation in a developing society: what is the best index of efficiency?

OBJECTIVES: To assess blood usage for elective surgery in a developing country as a first step towards developing a maximum surgical blood-ordering schedule (MSBOS). BACKGROUND: Cross-match:transfusion (C/T) ratio, transfusion index (Ti ) and transfusion ratio (T%) are standard indices of efficient blood usage for elective surgical procedures. The MSBOS assigns surgical procedures to Group and Cross Match (GXM) and Group and Save (G&S) categories. Non-use probability (NUP) is the percentage of blood that is requested but not used. Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) has a transfusion service that predominantly uses family replacement (F/R) donors. MATERIALS/METHODS: C/T ratio, Ti , T% and NUP were retrospectively calculated for 304 elective surgical procedures performed at a tertiary medical institution in TTO between 1st January and 15th May 2013. RESULTS: For 17 types of surgical procedure, C/T ratio was <2·5 for 10, T% ≥ 30 for 10 and Ti ≥ 0·5 for 12, suggesting efficiency, significant blood use and a requirement for GXM for most operations. However, the majority of these procedures qualify for G&S when performed under conditions that guarantee ready access to blood in an emergency. A substantial proportion of issued blood was returned unused to the blood bank, giving an NUP of 39·7%. CONCLUSION: NUP was the most sensitive measure of efficiency. C/T ratio, T% and Ti must be interpreted in the context of the blood donation system. An internationally accepted value of NUP that equates to efficient blood use should be adopted.

Estimate of choline nutritional requirements for chicks from 1 to 21 days of age.

Choline is an essential nutrient in poultry diets because it performs various important metabolic functions. The objective of this study was to re-evaluate the choline requirements of male broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days of age at two levels of methionine. Two assays using 2,160 Cobb® chickens (1,080 in each assay) were conducted. The study design was completely randomized and consisted of six treatments and six replicates, with 30 animals per experimental unit. The semipurified basal diet was formulated with corn, soya bean meal, soya protein concentrate, starch and sugar, providing 390 mg/kg choline and 0.593% digestible methionine (requirement level) in Assay 1 and a reduction of about one-quarter in the requirement level of digestible methionine (0.440%) in Assay 2. Choline chloride (62.5%) was added by a supplementation technique to both basal diets to compose crescent levels of choline supplementation (715, 1,040, 1,365, 1,690 and 2,015 mg/kg). The weight gain responses were fitted using quadratic polynomial (QP) and broken-line (BL) models. The ideal intake of choline (mg/bird.day) was estimated from the first intercept of the QP with the BL plateau (BL + QP). The results showed that the diet with the 25% reduction in digestible methionine limited the maximum weight gain by approximately 10%. The choline requirements of broilers from 1 to 7, 1 to 14 and 1 to 21 days of age were 27,013, 44,458 and 62,535 mg/bird.day, respectively, for the requirement level of digestible methionine and 26,796, 41,820 and 56,578 mg/bird.day for the broilers receiving the diet with the 25% reduction in digestible methionine.

Therapy with mesenchymal stromal cells or conditioned medium reverse cardiac alterations in a high-fat diet-induced obesity model.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with numerous cardiac complications, including arrhythmias, cardiac fibrosis, remodeling and heart failure. Here we evaluated the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their conditioned medium (CM) to treat cardiac complications in a mouse model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. METHODS: After obesity induction and HFD withdrawal, obese mice were treated with MSCs, CM or vehicle. Cardiac function was assessed using electrocardiography, echocardiography and treadmill test. Body weight and biochemical parameters were evaluated. Cardiac tissue was used for real time (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histopathologic analysis. RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Characterization of CM by protein array showed the presence of different cytokines and growth factors, including chemokines, osteopontin, cystatin C, Serpin E1 and Gas 6. HFD-fed mice presented cardiac arrhythmias, altered cardiac gene expression and fibrosis reflected in physical exercise incapacity associated with obesity and diabetes. Administration of MSCs or CM improved arrhythmias and exercise capacity. This functional improvement correlated with normalization of GATA4 gene expression in the hearts of MSC- or CM-treated mice. The gene expression of connexin 43, troponin I, adiponectin, transforming growth factor (TGF) ß, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1) were significantly reduced in MSCs, but not in CM-treated mice. Moreover, MSC or CM administration reduced the intensity of cardiac fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that MSCs and CM have a recovery effect on cardiac disturbances due to obesity and corroborate to the paracrine action of MSCs in heart disease models.

Microencapsulate Aspergillus niger peptidases from agroindustrial waste wheat bran: spray process evaluation and stability.

The aim of this work was to obtain microencapsulated stable Aspergillus niger peptidases by post fermentation spray drying. The enzymatic extract was evaluated before and after spray drying microencapsulation to verify the effects of five different process parameters on the extract enzymatic activity, i.e. air flow, extract feed rate, drying temperature, homogenising time and weight ratio of extract to encapsulation material. The optimal conditions were determined by desirability functions and experimentally confirmed. Additionally, the stability of the microparticles was assessed during 60 days at 4 °C, 25 °C and 40 °C. The results revealed that the microparticles stored at 4 °C retained approximately 100% of their proteolytic activity at nine days of storage. Considering the industrial adaptation of the bioprocess and the prospect of commercial application of the proteases, the evaluation of different parameters for drying enzymes is required as a valuable alternative to obtain biotechnological products with high added value.

Microparticles Containing Curcumin Solid Dispersion: Stability, Bioavailability and Anti-Inflammatory Activity.

This work aimed at improving the solubility of curcumin by the preparation of spray-dried ternary solid dispersions containing Gelucire®50/13-Aerosil® and quantifying the resulting in vivo oral bioavailability and anti-inflammatory activity. The solid dispersion containing 40% of curcumin was characterised by calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The solubility and dissolution rate of curcumin in aqueous HCl or phosphate buffer improved up to 3600- and 7.3-fold, respectively. Accelerated stability test demonstrated that the solid dispersion was stable for 9 months. The pharmacokinetic study showed a 5.5-fold increase in curcumin in rat blood plasma when compared to unprocessed curcumin. The solid dispersion also provided enhanced anti-inflammatory activity in rat paw oedema. Finally, the solid dispersion proposed here is a promising way to enhance curcumin bioavailability at an industrial pharmaceutical perspective, since its preparation applies the spray drying, which is an easy to scale up technique. The findings herein stimulate further in vivo evaluations and clinical tests as a cancer and Alzheimer chemoprevention agent.

Collagen type IV-related nephropathies in Portugal: pathogenic COL4A5 mutations and clinical characterization of 22 families.

Alport syndrome (AS) is caused by pathogenic mutations in the genes encoding α3, α4 or α5 chains of collagen IV (COL4A3/COL4A4/COL4A5), resulting in hematuria, chronic renal failure (CRF), sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and ocular abnormalities. Mutations in the X-linked COL4A5 gene have been identified in 85% of the families (XLAS). In this study, 22 of 60 probands (37%) of unrelated Portuguese families, with clinical diagnosis of AS and no evidence of autosomal inheritance, had pathogenic COL4A5 mutations detected by Sanger sequencing and/or multiplex-ligation probe amplification, of which 12 (57%) are novel. Males had more severe and earlier renal and extrarenal complications, but microscopic hematuria was a constant finding irrespective of gender. Nonsense and splice site mutations, as well as small and large deletions, were associated with younger age of onset of SNHL in males, and with higher risk of CRF and SNHL in females. Pathogenic COL4A3 or COL4A4 mutations were subsequently identified in more than half of the families without a pathogenic mutation in COL4A5. The lower than expected prevalence of XLAS in Portuguese families warrants the use of next-generation sequencing for simultaneous COL4A3/COL4A4/COL4A5 analysis, as first-tier approach to the genetic diagnosis of collagen type IV-related nephropathies.

Optical characterization of normal, benign, and malignant thyroid tissue: a pilot study.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology is the standard technique to diagnose thyroid pathologies. However, this method has a high percentage of inconclusive and false-negative results for benign and malignant lesions. Hence, it is important to search for a new method to assist medical evaluation during these surgical procedures. The use of time-resolved fluorescence techniques to detect biochemical composition and tissue structure alterations could help to develop a portable, minimally invasive, and non-destructive method to assist medical evaluation. In this study, we investigated 17 human thyroid samples by absorbance, fluorescence, excitation, and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. This initial investigation has demonstrated that thyroid fluorescence originates from many endogenous fluorophores and culminates in several bands. The fluorescence lifetimes of benign and malignant lesions were significantly different, as attested by analysis of variance using Tukey test with individual confidence level of 98.06%. Our results suggest that fluorescence lifetimes of benign and malignant lesions can potentially assist diagnosis. After further investigations, fluorescence methods could become a tool for the surgeon to identify differences between normal and pathological thyroid tissues.

Phenotypic, genetic and environmental parameters for traits related to femur bone integrity and body weight at 42 days of age in a broiler population.

Intense selection among broilers, especially for performance and carcass traits, currently favors locomotion problems and bone resistance. Conducting studies relating to development and growth of bone tissue in broilers is necessary to minimize losses. Thus, genetic parameters were estimated for a broiler population's phenotypic traits such as BW at 42 d of age (BW42), chilled femur weight (CFW) and its yield (CFY), and femur measurements: calcium, DM, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc content; breaking strength; rigidity; length; and thickness. Variance components were estimated through multitrait analyses using the restricted maximum likelihood method. The model included a fixed group effect (sex and hatch) and additive and residual genetic random effects. The heritability estimates we obtained ranged from 0.10 ± 0.05 to 0.50 ± 0.08 for chilled femur yield and BW42, respectively, and indicated that the traits can respond to the selection process, except for CFY, which presented low-magnitude heritability coefficients. Genetic correlation estimates between breaking strength, rigidity, and traits related to mineral content indicated that selection that aims to improve the breaking strength resistance of the femur is highly correlated with mineral content. Given the genetic correlation estimates between BW42 and minerals, it is suggested that in this population, selection for BW42 can be performed with greater intensity without affecting femoral integrity.

Systematic screening of plant extracts from the Brazilian Pantanal with antimicrobial activity against bacteria with cariogenic relevance.

This study proposes a bioprospection methodology regarding the antimicrobial potential of plant extracts against bacteria with cariogenic relevance. Sixty extracts were obtained from ten plants--(1) Jatropha weddelliana, (2) Attalea phalerata, (3) Buchenavia tomentosa, (4) Croton doctoris, (5) Mouriri elliptica, (6) Mascagnia benthamiana, (7) Senna aculeata, (8) Unonopsis guatterioides, (9) Allagoptera leucocalyx and (10) Bactris glaucescens--using different extraction methods - (A) 70° ethanol 72 h/25°C, (B) water 5 min/100°C, (C) water 1 h/55°C, (D) water 72 h/25°C, (E) hexane 72 h/25°C and (F) 90° ethanol 72 h/25°C. The plants were screened for antibacterial activity at 50 mg/ml using the agar well diffusion test against Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC 19039, Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356, Streptococcus gordonii ATCC 10558, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 35688, Streptococcus sanguinis ATCC 10556, Streptococcus sobrinus ATCC 33478 and Streptococcus mitis ATCC 9811. The active extracts were tested to determine their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), cytotoxicity and chemical characterization. Forty-seven extracts (78%) were active against at least one microorganism. Extract 4A demonstrated the lowest MIC and MBC for all microorganisms except S. gordonii and the extract at MIC concentration was non-cytotoxic. The concentrated extracts were slightly cytotoxic. Electrospray ionization with tandem mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that the extract constituents coincided with the mass of the terpenoids and phenolics. Overall, the best results were obtained for extraction methods A, B and C. The present work proved the antimicrobial activity of several plants. Particularly, extracts from C. doctoris were the most active against bacteria involved in dental caries disease.

Genome-enabled prediction of indicator traits of resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep using parametric models and artificial neural networks.

This study aimed to assess the predictive ability of parametric models and artificial neural network method for genomic prediction of the following indicator traits of resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes in Santa Inês sheep: packed cell volume (PCV), fecal egg count (FEC), and Famacha© method (FAM). After quality control, the number of genotyped animals was 551 (PCV), 548 (FEC), and 565 (FAM), and 41,676 SNP. The average prediction accuracy (ACC) calculated by Pearson correlation between observed and predicted values and mean squared errors (MSE) were obtained using genomic best unbiased linear predictor (GBLUP), BayesA, BayesB, Bayesian least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (BLASSO), and Bayesian regularized artificial neural network (three and four hidden neurons, BRANN_3 and BRANN_4, respectively) in a 5-fold cross-validation technique. The average ACC varied from moderate to high according to the trait and models, ranging between 0.418 and 0.546 (PCV), between 0.646 and 0.793 (FEC), and between 0.414 and 0.519 (FAM). Parametric models presented nearly the same ACC and MSE for the studied traits and provided better accuracies than BRANN. The GBLUP, BayesA, BayesB and BLASSO models provided better accuracies than the BRANN_3 method, increasing by around 23% for PCV, and 18.5% for FEC. In conclusion, parametric models are suitable for genome-enabled prediction of indicator traits of resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep. Due to the small differences in accuracy found between them, the use of the GBLUP model is recommended due to its lower computational costs.

The expression of VDACs and Bcl2 family genes in pituitary adenomas: clinical correlations and postsurgical outcomes.

Introduction: Pituitary adenomas (PAs) are benign tumors with high prevalence and, occasionally, aggressive course. The tumorigenesis of these lesions is not completely understood at the molecular level. BAK1 and BAX proteins play fundamental roles in apoptosis and seem to interact with VDAC proteins, whose expressions have been markedly altered in cancer, impacting their prognosis. Objective: to evaluate the gene expression of VDAC1, VDAC2, BAK1 and BAX and their association with clinical and imaging characteristics in PA. Methods: Clinical-epidemiological data were collected from 117 tumor samples from patients affected by PA. Invasiveness was assessed by the Knosp scale. Gene expression was examined by real-time PCR. Relative expression analysis was performed by 2^(-DDCt) method. Results: The sample was mainly composed of women (69/117 - 57.2%). Tumor subtypes observed were Non-Functioning (NF) (73/117 - 62.4%), Acromegaly (24/117 - 20.5%) and Cushing's Disease (CD) (20/117 - 17.1%). Compared to normal tissue, there was a significant reduction in VDAC1 expression in the Acromegaly (p=0.029) and NF (p=0.002) groups. BAX expression was lower in all groups (p <0.001; p=0.007; P =0.005). No difference was found in VDAC2 and BAK1 expression, compared to normal pituitary. Overexpression of VDAC2 occurred in PAs with post-surgical regrowth (p=0.042). A strongly negative correlation was observed in BAX and BAK1 expression in CD. Conclusion: The results indicated that downregulations of VDAC1 and BAX may be related to resistance to apoptosis. In contrast, overexpression of VDAC2 in regrowing PAs suggests an antiapoptotic role for this gene. In summary, the genes evaluated might be involved in the biopathology of PAs.