Increased intramyocellular lipids but unaltered in vivo mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in skeletal muscle of adipose triglyceride lipase-deficient mice.

Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) is a lipolytic enzyme that is highly specific for triglyceride hydrolysis. The ATGL-knockout mouse (ATGL(-/-)) accumulates lipid droplets in various tissues, including skeletal muscle, and has poor maximal running velocity and endurance capacity. In this study, we tested whether abnormal lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle impairs mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and hence, explains the poor muscle performance of ATGL(-/-) mice. In vivo ¹H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the tibialis anterior of ATGL(-/-) mice revealed that its intramyocellular lipid pool is approximately sixfold higher than in WT controls (P = 0.0007). In skeletal muscle of ATGL(-/-) mice, glycogen content was decreased by 30% (P < 0.05). In vivo ³¹P magnetic resonance spectra of resting muscles showed that WT and ATGL(-/-) mice have a similar energy status: [PCr], [P(i)], PCr/ATP ratio, PCr/P(i) ratio, and intracellular pH. Electrostimulated muscles from WT and ATGL(-/-) mice showed the same PCr depletion and pH reduction. Moreover, the monoexponential fitting of the PCr recovery curve yielded similar PCr recovery times (τPCr; 54.1 ± 6.1 s for the ATGL(-/-) and 58.1 ± 5.8 s for the WT), which means that overall muscular mitochondrial oxidative capacity was comparable between the genotypes. Despite similar in vivo mitochondrial oxidative capacities, the electrostimulated muscles from ATGL(-/-) mice displayed significantly lower force production and increased muscle relaxation time than the WT. These findings suggest that mechanisms other than mitochondrial dysfunction cause the impaired muscle performance of ATGL(-/-) mice.

[Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi infection in children from an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis in the São Luís Island-MA, Brazil]. / Infecção por Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi em crianças de uma área endêmica de leishmaniose visceral americana na Ilha de São Luis-MA, Brasil.

A prospective study was undertaken in 648 children with less than 6 years of age in the municipality of Raposa, Maranhão, Brazil, from June 1997 to June 1998, to evaluate the characteristics of the infection by L.(L.)chagasi and verify if there is an association between malnutrition and asymptomatic infection. A standardized questionnaire was used containing socioeconomic, environmental and behavioral data. Montenegro skin reaction (IDRM) with L. amazonensis and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test to detect infection, and anthropometric examination were performed. Initial and final prevalence and incidence of infection were 18.6%, 20.6% and 10.8% as measured by IDRM and 13.5%, 34.4% and 28% according to ELISA. The prevalence of chronic malnutrition was 26%. No association was detected between malnutrition and asymptomatic infection by L. (L.) chagasi. More effective control measures are needed in these areas since asymptomatic infection seems to be on the increase.

Parâmetros da degradação protéica ruminal de diferentes alimentos e rações estimados por técnica in vitro / Parameters of ruminal protein degradation of different feeds and diets estimated by an in vitro method

Foram realizados três experimentos para estudar os parâmetros de degradação protéica ruminal. No primeiro, foram incubadas, em líquido ruminal de bovinos, dietas isoprotéicas contendo capim-elefante, fubá de milho e farelo de soja, em cinco níveis de concentrado (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 e 100:0), adicionado ou não de monensina (5µM). Houve efeito linear decrescente do nível de concentrado sobre a concentração de amônia e degradabilidade da proteína bruta (DPB), e efeito cúbico sobre a concentração de proteína solúvel, com máximo valor em dieta com 25 por cento de concentrado. A monensina diminuiu a DPB e a concentração de proteína solúvel, sem afetar a produção de amônia. No segundo experimento, foram incubados cinco diferentes volumosos (silagens de milho - Zea mays L. e de capim-elefante - Pennisetum purpureum, silagem pré-secada de braquiária -Brachiaria decumbens, feno de Tifton 85 -Cynodon sp. amonizado e feno de Tifton 85). A silagem pré-secada de capim-braquiária e o feno de Tifton 85 amonizado apresentaram as maiores concentrações de amônia (8,7 e 5,3mg/dl) e proteína solúvel (5,4 e 7,0mg/dl), devido aos seus maiores teores de PB, seguidos da silagem de capim-elefante e feno de Tifton 85. A DPB variou de 29,6 a 80,6 por cento, para a silagem pré-secada de braquiária e para o feno de Tifton 85, e a degradabilidade potencial da matéria seca de 40,1 a 64,3 por cento, para a silagem de capim-elefante e silagem pré-secada de braquiária, respectivamente. A degradabilidade efetiva da proteína bruta apresentou baixos valores devido à baixa taxa de degradação da fração insolúvel. No terceiro experimento, foram incubados diferentes tipos de camas de frango (casca de café, capim-elefante seco picado, sabugo de milho ou cepilho), contendo ou não monensina (5µM). Não houve diferença nas concentrações de amônia entre as diferentes camas de frango, na ausência de monensina. Entretanto, com monensina, a cama de capim-elefante apresentou o...

Three experiments were carried out in order to study the parameters of ruminal protein degradation. In the first, isoproteic diets, constituted of elephant grass, ground corn and soybean meal, at five concentrate levels (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 e 100:0), with or without monensin (5µM), were incubated in ruminal fluid of bovines. There was a decreasing linear effect of the concentrate level on ammonia concentration and degradability of crude protein, and cubic effect in soluble protein concentration, with the largest value in the diet with 25 percent concentrate. Monensin decreased degradability of crude protein and soluble protein concentration with no effect on ammonia production. In the second, five different roughages (corn and elephant grass silage - Pennisetum purpureum, Brachiaria haylage - Brachiaria decumbens, ammoniated Tifton 85 hay - Cynodon sp. e Tifton 85 hay). The were incubated Brachiaria haylage and the ammoniated Tifton 85 hay showed the greatest concentrations of ammonia (8.7 and 5.3mg/dl) and soluble protein (5.4 and 7.0mg/dl), due to their higher crude protein content, followed by elephant grass silage and Tifton 85 hay. The degradability of crude protein ranged from 29.6 to 80.6 percent for Brachiaria haylage and Tifton 85 hay, and the degradability of dry matter ranged from 40.1 to 64.3 percent for elephant grass silage and Brachiaria haylage, respectively. The effective degradability of crude protein showed low values due to low degradation rate of the insoluble fraction. In the third, four different poultry litter (hulls coffee, shopped dry elephant grass, corn cobs and wood shavings) were incubated, with or without monensin (5µM). No difference in ammonia concentration among the poultry litter samples, was observed in the absence of monensin. However, when monensin was present, the grass poultry litter showed the lowest ammonia level and wood poultry litter the highest. The poultry litter influenced the soluble...