Influence of Parity on the Colostrum Bacterial Community Composition in Holstein Cows.

The colostrum bacteriome of primiparous (P) and multiparous (M) Holstein cows was analysed by 16S rRNA sequencing. The species richness (Chao 1), diversity (Shannon and Simpson), and beta diversity did not differ between cow groups. The phyla Firmicutes, Tenericutes, Kiritimatiellaeota, and Fibrobacteres were more abundant in M cows, while Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cloacimonetes, and Fusobacteria were more abundant in P cows. At the genus level, no significant differences were observed between groups (P < 0.05), and Prevotella_1 was the most abundant taxon. P and M cows shared 1030 taxonomic operational units (OTUs), with Acinetobacter showing greater abundance. In conclusion, parity did not affect the colostrum bacteriome of P and M cows and a healthy mammary gland could represent a reservoir of Acinetobacter in dairy farms. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-022-01016-x.

Toxicity effects of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) to marine organisms: acute and chronic toxicity of p-xylene to the amphipod Gammarus locusta.

Despite the recent focus on hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) spills preparedness and responses, much remains to be done regarding the threat posed by HNS spills on marine biota. Among the identified priority HNS, p-xylene was selected to conduct ecotoxicological assays. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the amphipod Gammarus locusta under acute and chronic exposure to p-xylene simulating conditions of a spill incident. In the acute exposure (96 h) the p-xylene LC50 was estimated. In the chronic bioassay (36 d), an integration of organism-level endpoints (survival, growth rate, and sex ratio) with biochemical markers indicative of oxidative stress including catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels was determined. The aim was to increase the xylene ecotoxicological database and better predict its impact in aquatic environments. p-Xylene induced several chronic toxicity effects in G. locusta. Significant alterations in antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation levels as well as growth rate and biased sex-ratio were observed. p-Xylene significantly affected the activities of CAT, SOD, and GST in G. locusta and produced oxidative damage by increasing levels of LPO in males. Further, impacts in key ecological endpoints, that is, growth and sex ratio, were noted that might be indicative of potential effects at the population level in a spill scenario. The present data may be useful to assist relevant bodies in preparedness and response to HNS spills.

Ecotoxicological tools for the tropics: Sublethal assays with fish to evaluate edge-of-field pesticide runoff toxicity.

This study proposes short-term sublethal assays for the tropics using the fish Poecilia reticulata. Assays were evaluated under realistic exposure scenarios by simulating a runoff over an agricultural area sprayed with deltamethrin (Decis). In situ assays were performed inside microcosms set up to simulate runoff water entrance in lentic systems. Laboratory assays were conducted with water samples from the microcosms. In both assays the biochemical parameters were similarly responsive to Decis, with a significant inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (30-46%) and induction of lactate dehydrogenase (33-67%) and glutathione S-transferases (48-176%) activities, observed as of the lowest Decis dose. Postexposure feeding was more sensitive in the laboratory assay than in situ. Among the additional potential stressors, only acetylcholinesterase was significantly influenced by the runoff per se. The proposed methodologies were well adapted for assays with P. reticulata, as organisms were easily deployed and retrieved and enzymatic activities and postexposure feeding were sensitive endpoints.

Double outlet right ventricle with anterior and left-sided aorta and subpulmonary ventricular septal defect.

Double outlet right ventricle (DORV) is a heterogeneous group of abnormal ventriculoarterial connections where, by definition, both great arteries (pulmonary artery and aorta) arise primarily from the morphologically right ventricle. This condition affects 1-1.5% of the patients with congenital heart diseases, with a frequency of 1 in each 10,000 live births. We report the case of an 18-day-old infant with DORV and extremely rare anatomical features, such as anterior and left-sided aorta and subpulmonary ventricular septal defect (VSD). In addition to the anatomic features, the role of the echocardiogram for guiding the diagnosis and the surgical therapy of this congenital heart disease are discussed.

Simulation of a Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) spill in the marine environment: lethal and sublethal effects of acrylonitrile to the European seabass.

Despite the extensive maritime transportation of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS), there is a current lack of knowledge on the effects posed by HNS spills on the marine biota. Among the HNS identified as priority, acrylonitrile was selected to conduct ecotoxicological assays. We assessed the acute and subletal effects of acrylonitrile in seabass, followed by a recovery phase to simulate the conditions of a spill incident. The work aimed at testing a broad range of biological responses induced by acrylonitrile. Sublethal exposure to the highest two doses increased the fish mortality rate (8.3% and 25% mortality in 0.75 and 2 mg L(-1) acrylonitrile concentrations), whereas no mortality were observed in control and 0.15 mg L(-1) treatments. Additionally, important alterations at sub-individual level were observed. Acrylonitrile significantly induced the activities of Catalase- CAT and Glutathione S-Transferase - GST; and the levels of DNA damage were significantly increased. Conversely, Superoxide Dismutase- SOD - activity was found to be significantly inhibited and no effects were found on Lipid Peroxidation- LPO and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase - EROD - activity. Following a 7d recovery period, the levels of CAT, GST and EROD fell to levels at or below those in the control. In the 2 mg L(-1) group, SOD remained at the levels found during exposure phase. This study has gathered essential information on the acute and subletal toxicity of acrylonitrile to seabass. It also demonstrated that 7d recovery allowed a return of most endpoints to background levels. These data will be useful to assist relevant bodies in preparedness and response to HNS spills.

Review of oil and HNS accidental spills in Europe: identifying major environmental monitoring gaps and drawing priorities.

The European Atlantic area has been the scene of a number of extensive shipping incidents with immediate and potential long-term impacts to marine ecosystems. The occurrence of accidental spills at sea requires an effective response that must include a well executed monitoring programme to assess the environmental contamination and damage of the affected marine habitats. Despite a number of conventions and protocols developed by international and national authorities that focused on the preparedness and response to oil and HNS spills, much remains to be done, particularly in relation to the effectiveness of the environmental monitoring programmes implemented after oil and HNS spills. Hence, the present study reviews the status of the environmental monitoring programmes established following the major spill incidents over the last years in European waters, aiming at identifying the key monitoring gaps and drawing priorities for an effective environmental monitoring of accidental spills.

Improving the affinity of fibroblasts for bacterial cellulose using carbohydrate-binding modules fused to RGD.

The attachment of cells to biomedical materials can be improved by using adhesion sequences, such as Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), found in several extracellular matrix proteins. In this work, bifunctional recombinant proteins, with a Cellulose-Binding Module (CBM), from the cellulosome of Clostridium thermocellum and cell binding sequences-RGD, GRGDY-were cloned and expressed in E.coli. These RGD-containing cellulose binding proteins were purified and used to coat bacterial cellulose fibres. Its effect on the cell adhesion/biocompatibility properties was tested using a mouse embryo fibroblasts culture. Bacterial cellulose (BC) secreted by Gluconacetobacter xylinus (=Acetobacter xylinum) is a material with unique properties and promising biomedical applications. CBMs adsorbs specifically and tightly on cellulose. Thus, they are a useful tool to address the fused RGD sequence (or other bioactive peptides) to the cellulose surface, in a specific and simple way. Indeed, fibroblasts exhibit improved ability to interact with bacterial cellulose sheets coated with RGD-CBM proteins, as compared with cellulose treated with the CBM, that is, without the adhesion peptide. The effect of the several fusion proteins produced was analyzed.

The use of Mytilus galloprovincialis acetylcholinesterase and glutathione S-transferases activities as biomarkers of environmental contamination along the northwest Portuguese coast.

With the aim of using Mytilus galloprovincialis acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione S-transferases (GST) activities as biomarkers of environmental contamination in risk assessment studies along the northwest Portuguese coast, the objective of this study was to provide background information related to: (1) baseline values of these enzymatic activities both in reference and contaminated areas and their responsiveness as indicators of exposure to environmental contaminants; (2) the importance of seasonal variations of such biomarkers in M. galloprovincialis along this area. For this, the activity of these enzymes was seasonally determined in mussels collected from four sites, including a reference and three stations with different contamination sources along the referred area. Statistically significant differences on both enzymatic activities were found among the four sampling stations, at the four sampling periods. In comparison to the reference station, lower AChE and higher GST activity values were found in mussels collected in stations potentially contaminated by pesticides and domestic/industrial effluents and in mussels collected in the vicinity of an oil refinery and an industrial/mercantile harbour, respectively. The results obtained in this work highlighted the potential suitability of these biomarkers to be used as components of environmental monitoring programs in risk assessment studies along the northwest Portuguese coast. Since a seasonal variation in both enzymatic activities was found, the possible implications of such variability in the use of these enzymes as environmental biomarkers are also discussed.

Use of covered stents in the management of coarctation of the aorta.

We report our experience with the use of covered stents for the management of coarctation of the aorta. From December 2001 to March 2004, nine patients (seven males; median age, 31 years; mean weight, 65 +/- 15 kg) underwent implantation. Indications included critical or atretic native coarctation (n = 4), patients >50 years of age (n = 2), associated patent ductus arteriosus (n = 1) or adjacent aneurysm (n = 1), and the presence of a circumferential fracture within a previously implanted stent (n = 1). The covered balloon-expandable Cheatham-Platinum stent and the self-expandable stent graft Braile were employed. Adequate implantation was observed in all patients. Gradients were reduced from 54 +/- 14 to 3 +/- 8 mmHg and the coarctation site increased from 2.4 +/- 2.9 to 15.9 +/- 4.3 mm. The patent ductus arteriosus was immediately closed and the aneurysm excluded. Two patients >35 years with aneurysmal ascending aorta and metallic aortic prosthesis had aneurysm formation at follow-up, with one undergoing aneurysm exclusion using a Braile stent. Although covered stents are useful in the management of selected patients with coarctation, aneurysm formation may still occur in patients with markers of aortic wall weakness. Refinements in the deployment technique and/or the stent design are needed to eliminate this risk.

Dopplerfluxometria das artérias renais: valores normais das velocidades sistólica e diastólica e do índice resistivo nas artérias renais principais / Renal arteries Dopplerfluxometry: normal systolic and diastolic flow velocities and resistive index values in the main renal arteries / Renal arteries Dopplerfluxometry: normal systolic and diastolic flow velocities and resistive index values in the main renal arteries

Dopplerfluxometry of renal arteries has been used to estimate renal perfusion in humans. The aim of this study was to use Dopplerfluxometry technique to calculate the resistive index of main renal arteries in dogs, measuring their systolic and diastolic blood flow velocities. Twenty (10 males, 10 females), adult mongrel dogs, were used in this study. The dogs were submitted to Doppler sonographic evaluation of left and right main renal arteries. The systolic and diastolic blood flow velocities, expressed (in centimeters per second) as mean and standard deviation were 79.96± 8.82 and 28.86± 5.11 in the right main renal artery and 80.22± 6.99 and 29.62± 4.14 in the left main renal artery. The value of resistive index expressed as mean ± standard deviation was 0.64± 0.04 for the right main renal artery and 0.63± 0.028 in the left main renal artery.

Retrospective study (1998-2001) on canine ehrlichiosis in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

The present work describes a retrospective study of clinical cases of ehrlichiosis in dogs examined from March 1998 to September 2001. From the clinical records with laboratorial confirmation of Ehrlichia canis or E. platys infections, the following parameters were analyzed: demographic aspects (age, race, sex, period of the year and origin), clinical characteristics (body temperature, exposure to ticks and clinical signs), and hematological characteristics (blood cell counts and type of infected cell). A total of 194 clinical records were analyzed, from which 31 animals were infected with E. canis and 21 animals with E. platys. The number of cases of canine ehrlichiosis increased considerably from the year 2000 onwards, and 24.4 percent of the cases occurred in 13- to 24-month-old animals, in different urban and per-urban regions of the municipality of Belo Horizonte. The most frequent symptoms were fever, anorexia, apathy, abdominal pain, lymphadenopathy and dispnea. Regarding hematological alterations, 70.3 percent of the animals presented anemia, 50 percent presented thrombocytopenia and 30 percent leukopenia, and most E. canis morulae were seen in monocytes. The results point to the importance of canine ehrlichiosis, as 35.9 percent of the dogs with suspected hemoparasitic diseases were infected with Ehrlichia canis or E. platys