Temporal trend of mortality from infectious respiratory diseases in childhood in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2000-2020.

MAIN RESULTS: From 2000 to 2020, there was a downward trend in mortality due to infectious respiratory disease in children living in Minas Gerais - even in 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICES: There was a reduction in child deaths due to respiratory infections; health services should be alerted as to the considerable presence of ill-defined or inconclusive codes (garbage codes) on death certificates. PERSPECTIVES: It is necessary to maintain the effectiveness of health actions among the mother and child population and to improve the records held on the Mortality Information System, in order to enable better monitoring of mortality as well as to enable analytical studies to be conducted. OBJECTIVE: to analyze temporal trends in mortality due to infectious respiratory disease in children under 12 years old in Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2000 to 2020. METHODS: this was an ecological study using data on infectious respiratory disease in children under 12 years old registered on the Mortality Information System; the variables studied were etiological agent, anatomical site of infection and sex; trends were analyzed by joinpoint regression. RESULTS: of the 4,688 registered deaths, the etiological agent of the disease was unspecified for 84.5% of them, and 88% were due to lower respiratory tract infections; there was a decreasing trend in deaths and in the proportion of deaths due to unspecified etiologic agents; in 2020, there was an increase in deaths with viral etiology and systemic involvement. CONCLUSION: in addition to the change in the etiologic profile, there was a reduction in mortality due to infectious respiratory diseases in children, even considering 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Temporal trend of mortality from infectious respiratory diseases in childhood in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2000-2020 / Tendencia temporal de la mortalidad por enfermedades respiratorias infecciosas en la infancia en Minas Gerais, Brasil, 2000-2020 / Tendência temporal da mortalidade por doenças respiratórias infecciosas na infância, em Minas Gerais, 2000-2020

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze temporal trends in mortality due to infectious respiratory disease in children under 12 years old in Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2000 to 2020. Methods: this was an ecological study using data on infectious respiratory disease in children under 12 years old registered on the Mortality Information System; the variables studied were etiological agent, anatomical site of infection and sex; trends were analyzed by joinpoint regression. Results: of the 4,688 registered deaths, the etiological agent of the disease was unspecified for 84.5% of them, and 88% were due to lower respiratory tract infections; there was a decreasing trend in deaths and in the proportion of deaths due to unspecified etiologic agents; in 2020, there was an increase in deaths with viral etiology and systemic involvement. Conclusion: in addition to the change in the etiologic profile, there was a reduction in mortality due to infectious respiratory diseases in children, even considering 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESUMEN Objetivo: analizar las tendencias temporales de mortalidad por enfermedades respiratorias infecciosas en niños de hasta 12 años incompletos en Minas Gerais, Brasil, de 2000 a 2020. Métodos: estudio ecológico con datos de muertes en niños de hasta 12 años incompletos, registradas en el Sistema de Información de Mortalidad; las variables estudiadas fueron: agente etiológico, sitio anatómico de infección y género; las tendencias se analizaron mediante la regresión jointpoint. Resultados: de las 4.688 muertes registradas, el 84,5% tenía un agente etiológico de la enfermedad no especificado y el 88% se debía a infecciones de las vías respiratorias bajas; hubo una tendencia decreciente en las muertes y en la proporción de muertes por agente no especificado; en 2020, hubo un aumento en el número de muertes de etiología viral y acometimiento sistémico. Conclusión: además del cambio en el perfil etiológico, hubo una reducción de la mortalidad por enfermedades respiratorias infecciosas en niños, incluso considerando 2020, año de la pandemia de Covid-19.

RESUMO Objetivo: analisar as tendências temporais de mortalidade por doença respiratória infecciosa em crianças com até 12 anos incompletos, Minas Gerais, Brasil, de 2000 a 2020. Métodos: estudo ecológico dos óbitos por doença respiratória infecciosa em crianças com até 12 anos incompletos, registrados no Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade; as variáveis estudadas foram o agente etiológico, o sítio anatômico da infecção e o sexo; as tendências foram analisadas por regressão joinpoint. Resultados: dos 4.688 óbitos registrados, 84,5% tiveram agente etiológico não especificado e 88% decorreram de infecções nas vias aéreas inferiores; observou-se tendência decrescente nos óbitos e na proporção de óbitos provocados por agente etiológico não especificado; em 2020, houve incremento do número de óbitos de etiologia viral e de acometimento sistêmico. Conclusão: além da alteração no perfil etiológico, notou-se redução da mortalidade por doenças respiratórias infecciosas em crianças - mesmo em 2020, ano de pandemia de covid-19.

Growth inhibition of sourgrass as a function of period of darkness after diquat application

Photosystem-inhibiting herbicides, such as diquat, act by inducing oxidative stress. However, oxidative damage impairs translocation, resulting in regrowth of the plants. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of diquat in controlling the growth of sourgrass exposed to different periods of darkness after application of the herbicide, as well as to evaluate the photosynthetic activity and the production of reactive oxygen species. Two experiments (field and greenhouse) were conducted by applying diquat (200 g a.i. ha-1) on sourgrass plants at the 3 to 4 tiller stage. The treated plants were subjected to different periods of darkness after diquat application (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 h), in addition to the control treatment without any application. Growth inhibition and mass evaluations of the sourgrass plants were performed in both experiments, whereas photosynthetic activity and H2O2 accumulation in the leaves were evaluated in the greenhouse experiment. The results showed an increase in the sourgrass growth inhibition with an increase in the period of darkness after application. There was a need for a minimum of 6 h of darkness after diquat application to fully inhibit growth (100%) of the sourgrass, whereas plants that remained in the sun since application exhibited less than 50% inhibition. The increase in the period of darkness after diquat application resulted in a reduction in photosynthetic activity and, consequently, lower accumulation of H2O2. Thus, the maintenance of sourgrass in the dark for at least 6 h enables total control of the growth of the plants, preventing regrowth.

Epidemiologia da dengue em Minas Gerais de 2009 a 2019: uma análise descritiva / Epidemiology of dengue in Minas Gerais from 2009 to 2019: a descriptive analysis

Introdução: Atualmente, a dengue gera um importante impacto sobre o bem-estar dos pacientes e a economia do sistema público de saúde. Nesse sentido, evidencia-se a necessidade da realização de estudos epidemiológicos de modo a auxiliar nas análises acerca da realidade estadual. Objetivo: Caracterizar o perfil epidemiológico da dengue em Minas Gerais, de 2009 a 2019. Material e Métodos: Estudo observacional de caráter descritivo e quantitativo utilizando dados de notificações e internações obtidos do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação e do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares, a partir do TABNET. Calcularam-se taxas de letalidade, incidência e internação, utilizando dados demográficos do Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde para os cálculos de incidência e internação. As variáveis de estudo foram: ano de ocorrência, macrorregião de residência, faixa etária, evolução e classificação clínica da doença, sexo, escolaridade e raça. Resultados: A dengue possui um caráter cíclico de incidência, e as taxas de letalidade e internação oscilam anualmente. As macrorregiões Centro, Triângulo do Sul, Noroeste, Oeste, Triângulo do Norte e Vale do Aço obtiveram elevadas taxas de incidência, e a macrorregião Leste a maior taxa de internação. A maioria dos casos de dengue foram classificados como "dengue clássica", e a classificação "dengue grave" foi a de menor incidência. Em relação à faixa etária, o intervalo de 15 a 39 anos apresentou maior taxa de incidência e menores taxas de letalidade e de internação, quando comparado à população idosa. Ademais, a evolução a óbito ocorreu mais frequentemente em indivíduos analfabetos. Conclusão: Os achados desse estudo elucidam o perfil epidemiológico da dengue em Minas Gerais, que se caracteriza por apresentar um padrão nacional cíclico de casos, manifestando-se principalmente de forma branda, mas com um acréscimo da morbimortalidade em analfabetos e idosos.

Introduction: Currently, dengue has an important impact on the well-being of patients and the economy of the public health system. In this sense, the need to carry out epidemiological studies is highlighted in order to assist in the analysis of the state's reality. Objective: To characterize the epidemiological profile of dengue in Minas Gerais, from 2009 to 2019. Material and Methods: Observational descriptive and quantitative study based on data on notifications and admissions obtained from the Notifiable Diseases Information System and the Hospital Information System, from TABNET. Rates of lethality, incidence and hospitalization were calculated using demographic data from the information technology department of the Unified Health System to calculate incidence and hospitalization. The study variables were: the year of occurrence, macro-region of residence, age group, evolution and clinical classification of the disease, gender, education and race. Results: Dengue has a cyclical nature of incidence, and lethality and hospitalization rates fluctuate annually. The Central, Southern Triangle, Northwest, West, Northern Triangle and Vale do Aço macro-regions had high incidence rates, and the Eastern macro-region had the highest hospitalization rate. Most dengue cases were classified as 'classic dengue', and the classification 'severe dengue' had the lowest incidence. Regarding the age group, the 15 to 39-year age group had a higher incidence rate and lower mortality and hospitalization rates, when compared to the elderly population. Furthermore, the evolution to death occurred more frequently in illiterate individuals. Conclusion: The findings of this study elucidate the epidemiological profile of dengue in Minas Gerais, which is characterized by presenting a cyclical national pattern of cases, manifesting itself mainly in a mild form, but with an increase in morbidity and mortality in illiterate and elderly people.

Remediation of mining soils by combining Brassica napus growth and amendment with chars from manure waste.

Mining activities lead to important physical, chemical and biological effects on soil properties, generating severe impacts in the establishment and maintenance of vegetation. Assisted phytoremediation can be considered an environmentally friendly approach for soil remediation. In this study, two mining soils (PORT and GAM) were treated with 10%, by mass, of the following amendments: manure biochars prepared at 450 °C (BMW450) and 600 °C (BMW600), hydrochars prepared by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of manure at 190 °C (HWM190) and 240 °C (HMW240) and manure waste (MW). Brassica napus was used as a phytoextraction species. After 45 days of plant growth, soil samples were widely characterized, including microbial biomass carbon, enzymatic activity and metal content. In addition, plant biomass production, bioconcentration factor, translocation factor and metal uptake were determined. Experimental results showed that addition of biochars improved the As uptake by Brassica napus in both soils but just in the roots increasing bioconcentration factor between 22.1 and 39.5% for GAM soil and between 28.6 and 53.4% for PORT soil. Brassica napus cannot be considered as Zn accumulator in GAM soil samples and in the case of PORT samples, only the addition of BMW600 and HMW240 enhanced the phytoextraction process of Zn on the roots. Soil enzyme activity improved in hydrochar amended soils.

Enrichment diets of pigs with oil blends and its effects on performance, carcass characteristics and fatty acid profile / Dietas enriquecidas com blends de óleos para suínos em terminação e seus efeitos sobre o desempenho, as características de carcaça e o perfil de ácidos graxos

The addition of different oil blends in the feed of finishing pigs was evaluated. Twenty-four castrated male finishing pigs were used in a randomized block design containing four treatments and six replicates. The treatments consisted of: Reference ration (RR) - 100% soybean oil feed; and the combination of the different oils: Blend1 - 50.0% soybean oil (SO), 25.0% flaxseed oil (FO), 12.5% olive oil (OO) and 12.5% canola oil (CO); Blend2 - 25.0% SO, 50.0% FO, 12.5% OO and 12.5% CO; and Blend3 - 25.0% SO, 12.5% FO, 12.5% OO and 50.0% CO. The performance, quantitative and qualitative carcass parameters, fatty acids profile and economic feasibility of the diets were evaluated. The use of blends in the diets did not influence the performance or carcass quality, but increased marbling and carcass yield. The fatty acid profile of the loin presented greater amounts of stearic acid in Blend3 and higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in animals fed with Blend1. The fatty tissue presented greater amounts of myristic acid in Blend1 and oleic acid in Blend3. The reference ration was the most economic. The Blends did not affect performance or carcass characteristics and improved the fatty acid profile.(AU)

Foi avaliada a utilização de diferentes blends de óleo em dietas de suínos em terminação. Foram utilizados 24 suínos, machos, castrados, distribuídos em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos e seis repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram de: ração referência (RR) - 100% de ração com utilização de óleo de soja; e a combinação de diferentes óleos: Blend1 - 50,0% de óleo de soja (OS), 25,0% de óleo de linhaça (OL), 12,5% de óleo de oliva (OO) e 12,5% de óleo de canola (OC); Blend2 - 25,0% OS; 50,0% OL; 12,5% OO e 12,5% OC; e Blend3 - 25,0% OS; 12,5% OL; 12,5% OO e 50,0% OC. Foram avaliados os parâmetros de desempenho, a qualidade de carcaça, o perfil de ácidos graxos e a viabilidade econômica. O uso de blends nas dietas não influenciou o desempenho ou a qualidade da carcaça, mas aumentou o marmoreio e o rendimento de carcaça. O perfil de ácidos graxos do lombo apresentou maiores quantidades de ácido esteárico com a utilização do Blend3 e maior porcentagem de ácidos graxos insaturados nos animais alimentados com o Blend1. O tecido adiposo apresentou maiores quantidades de ácido mirístico quando se forneceu o Blend1 e de ácido oleico com o Blend3. A ração testemunha foi a mais econômica. As misturas não afetaram o desempenho e as características de carcaça e melhoraram o perfil de ácidos graxos da carne.(AU)

First Report on the Use of Larvae of Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae) for Wound Treatment in Veterinary Practice.

Factors contributing to the delay or prevention of the natural wound healing process include infection and ineffective conventional treatment. Alternative therapies, such as the maggot debridement therapy (MDT), may be helpful for successful treatment in these cases. Aiming to disseminate information about the possibility of using other species of flies for wound treatment, besides the best known Lucilia sericata Meigen, 1826 (Diptera, Calliphoridae), we report here a successful MDT case with the application of Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) larvae to treat an infected wound with extensive area of necrotic tissue in a dog. Five sterile larvae were applied to each square-cm of lesion and kept on the animal for only 48 h. The healing was successful, from both qualitative and quantitative points of view. The ratio of wound healing (RWH) reached almost 50% on the 5th day and 100% on the 14th day after MDT. Although the overall animal prognosis had been unfavorable, mainly due to the sepsis, the patient began to recover and had improved clinical condition from the fifth day after MDT. This study shows the importance and effectiveness of MDT in promoting faster and more complete healing of a complex wound.

Acute and Cumulative Effects With Whole-Body Vibration Exercises Using 2 Biomechanical Conditions on the Flexibility and Rating of Perceived Exertion in Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial Pilot Study.

This study evaluated the effects of 6 weeks of whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise on flexibility and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in metabolic syndrome (MetS) individuals using 2 biomechanical conditions (fixed frequency [FF] and variable frequency [VF]). Nineteen MetS individuals were randomly allocated in FF-WBV (n = 9, 7 women and 2 men) and VF-WBV (n = 10, 8 women and 2 men) groups. Anterior trunk flexion (ATF) and RPE were determined before and after each session. The acute cumulative exposure effects were analyzed. The FF-WBV group was exposed to 5 Hz on a side alternating vibrating platform (SAVP), exposed to 10 and 50 seconds with the SAVP turned off. The VF-WBV group individuals were intermittently exposed (1 minute WBV exercise/1 minute rest) to 5 to 16 Hz, increased by 1 Hz per session and the peak-to-peak displacement (PPD) were 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mm. Regarding to ATF, significant improvements (P < .05) were observed in the in the acute (VF group) and cumulative intervention (FF and VF-WBV groups). The RPE significantly (P < .05) improved only in VF-WBV (cumulative intervention). In conclusion, WBV exercise improved the flexibility and decreased the RPE in MetS individuals. These findings suggest that WBV exercise can be incorporated into physical activities for MetS individuals.

Linear and volumetric gain after vertical bone augmentation in the posterior mandible using an autologous cortical tenting method.

This study was performed to evaluate the linear and volumetric effects of a technique for reconstruction of the posterior atrophic mandible, including the final bone gain of the graft, by three-dimensional assessment. Thirteen individuals were recruited into the study and submitted to a total of 15 mandibular autogenous bone block surgeries. Cone beam computed tomography images were obtained at three different times. Bone graft length and thickness, and the volume, height, and width of the graft were measured. Data were compared statistically among the time points using the Friedman test, and cluster analysis was performed to identify the association between the study variables and the resorption rate (α = 0.05). Linear analysis of the width and height of the recipient area at the different time points revealed a statistically significant difference. The final average increase in height was 1.6 mm; all subjects showed an average volume gain of 3.412mm3, and 77% of the subjects showed an average graft resorption of 0.688mm3 construction of three-dimensional vertical defects of the posterior mandible resulted in good healing with minimal complications and minimal bone graft resorption, favouring vertical bone gain.

Substrates and irrigation levels for growing desert rose in pots / Substratos e níveis de irrigação no crescimento em vaso de rosa do deserto

ABSTRACT In the past decades, desert rose has become a very popular ornamental plant, especially among collectors, due to its exotic and sculptural forms. However, it has been grown on a commercial scale only recently, and little is known about how to best manage it as a container-grown plant, or even which potting medium (substrate) to recommend. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the interactions between potting media and irrigation levels for growing desert rose as a potted ornamental plant. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using a 6 x 2 factorial arrangement with six replications, six potting media and two irrigation levels. The mixes were characterized by measuring their physical properties, specifically the density and water retention capacity (WRC), as well as chemical properties, such as the pH and electrical conductivity (EC). After 210 days, plant growth and plant water consumption were evaluated and measured. A lower dry density for the vermiculite mixes was observed in comparison to that for the sand mixes. However, WRC ranged from 428 to 528 mL L-1 among the mixes, values considered close to ideal. In general, plant growth exhibited higher increases in mixes consisting of coconut fiber + sand or vermiculite, regardless of the irrigation level. Mixes of vermiculite + coconut fiber and sand + coconut fiber can be used to grow desert rose in pots, as long as irrigation is used to maintain the moisture content of the potting medium (mix) between 60-70% and 80-90% of the WRC.

RESUMO Na última década a rosa do deserto ganhou destaque no mercado de flores, principalmente entre colecionadores, devido às suas formas exóticas e esculturais; porém, o cultivo da espécie em escala comercial é bastante recente e pouco se sabe acerca do manejo da cultura, inclusive no que diz respeito à recomendação de substratos. Assim, objetiva-se nesse trabalho estudar a interação entre substratos e níveis de irrigação no desenvolvimento de rosa do deserto em vaso. Conduziu-se o experimento em casa de vegetação em esquema fatorial 6 x 2, com seis repetições, adotando-se seis substratos e dois níveis de irrigação. As misturas foram caracterizadas mensurando-se suas propriedades físicas (densidade e capacidade de retenção de água - CRA) e químicas (pH e condutividade elétrica - CE). Aos 210 dias de cultivo avaliou-se o crescimento das plantas; além do consumo de água pela cultura. Para as misturas compostas por vermiculita verificou-se menor densidade seca em relação às compostas por areia; no entanto, a CRA variou de 428 a 528 mL L-1 entre as misturas, valores próximos aos considerados ideais. De modo geral, o crescimento das plantas teve maiores incrementos nas misturas compostas por fibra de coco mais areia ou vermiculita, independente do nível de irrigação. As misturas vermiculita + fibra de coco e areia + fibra de coco podem ser empregadas para o cultivo em vaso de rosa do deserto, quando se mantiver os níveis de irrigação entre 60-70% e 80-90% da CRA das misturas.

Nanosilicalites as Support for ß-Glucosidases Covalent Immobilization.

Many different materials have been tested for ß-glucosidases immobilization. Such materials, however, often show a poor activity related to a low surface area of the support or even enzyme hindrance caused by entrapment inside porous matrix. In this context, the use of nanosized zeolites as enzymes support is quite new and may be an interesting alternative. The present work evaluates the immobilization of ß-glucosidases in nanosized silicalites by covalent coupling. The new biocatalyst was able to convert 100% of cellobiose into glucose in 18 h at 50 °C and pH 5, retaining 85% of its activity after five cycles of reuse. A detailed investigation of the published literature indicates that, apparently, this is the first work concerning the immobilization of ß-glucosidases on nanosized zeolites ever reported.

MARCOnI-ConvNet-Based MARker-Less Motion Capture in Outdoor and Indoor Scenes.

Marker-less motion capture has seen great progress, but most state-of-the-art approaches fail to reliably track articulated human body motion with a very low number of cameras, let alone when applied in outdoor scenes with general background. In this paper, we propose a method for accurate marker-less capture of articulated skeleton motion of several subjects in general scenes, indoors and outdoors, even from input filmed with as few as two cameras. The new algorithm combines the strengths of a discriminative image-based joint detection method with a model-based generative motion tracking algorithm through an unified pose optimization energy. The discriminative part-based pose detection method is implemented using Convolutional Networks (ConvNet) and estimates unary potentials for each joint of a kinematic skeleton model. These unary potentials serve as the basis of a probabilistic extraction of pose constraints for tracking by using weighted sampling from a pose posterior that is guided by the model. In the final energy, we combine these constraints with an appearance-based model-to-image similarity term. Poses can be computed very efficiently using iterative local optimization, since joint detection with a trained ConvNet is fast, and since our formulation yields a combined pose estimation energy with analytic derivatives. In combination, this enables to track full articulated joint angles at state-of-the-art accuracy and temporal stability with a very low number of cameras. Our method is efficient and lends itself to implementation on parallel computing hardware, such as GPUs. We test our method extensively and show its advantages over related work on many indoor and outdoor data sets captured by ourselves, as well as data sets made available to the community by other research labs. The availability of good evaluation data sets is paramount for scientific progress, and many existing test data sets focus on controlled indoor settings, do not feature much variety in the scenes, and often lack a large corpus of data with ground truth annotation. We therefore further contribute with a new extensive test data set called MPI-MARCOnI for indoor and outdoor marker-less motion capture that features 12 scenes of varying complexity and varying camera count, and that features ground truth reference data from different modalities, ranging from manual joint annotations to marker-based motion capture results. Our new method is tested on these data, and the data set will be made available to the community.

Outcome of bacteremia caused by extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae after solid organ transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: Although infection with extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) has been recognized as an important cause of morbidity after solid organ transplantation, there are limited data on the outcome of this complication among transplant recipients. The objective of this study was to describe the outcome and factors associated with mortality among recipients of abdominal solid organ transplants with bloodstream infection caused by ESBL-E. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis of a case series of patients who had bacteremia caused by ESBL-E after undergoing renal or liver transplantation between January 2000 and September 2008 at a university-affiliated hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The primary end point of the study was death within 30 days of the diagnosis of bacteremia. RESULTS: During the study period, 997 subjects underwent kidney (759 patients) or liver (238 patients) transplantation. Fifty-four episodes of bacteremia caused by ESBL-E were diagnosed in 39 patients (4%). Mortality after the first episode of ESBL-E bacteremia was 26% (10 deaths). In multiple logistic regression analysis, the Pitt bacteremia score (P = .005) and being on mechanical ventilation at the time of infection diagnosis (P = .02) were the only variables associated with mortality. Thirteen episodes of recurrent bacteremia occurred in 8 (28%) of the 29 patients who survived the first episode. Two (25%) of these 8 patients died during the course of a recurrent episode. CONCLUSIONS: Bacteremia caused by ESBL-E was associated with high mortality and high risk of recurrence. Factors associated with clinical severity at the time of infection diagnosis were the main predictors of mortality.

Comportamento ingestivo de ovinos alimentados com diferentes fontes de fibra / Ingestive behavior of sheep fed with different sources of fiber

Avaliou-se o efeito de dietas distintas sobre o comportamento ingestivo (alimentação, ruminação e ócio) em ovinos. Dezesseis carneiros, castrados, confinados em gaiolas de metabolismo, com peso médio de 45,1kg, foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em quatro tratamentos: T1- silagem de cana + concentrado; T2- silagem de cana + concentrado + 15% de caroço de algodão; T3- silagem de cana e T4- feno de Tifton 85. Os animais foram submetidos à observação visual durante 24 horas a intervalos de 10 minutos. Houve diferença entre os tratamentos com relação aos tempos despendidos com alimentação e ócio, sendo que o tratamento com feno de Tifton 85 apresentou os mais altos valores, 6,04 h/dia, para o tempo de alimentação, e os mais baixos valores para o tempo de ócio, 7,50 h/dia.

The effects of different diets on the ingestive feeding behavior in wethers (feeding, ruminating and idle) were evaluated. Sixteen wethers with an average weight of 45.1kg were housed in metabolic cages and were randomly assigned to four treatments (T1- sugarcane silage + concentrate; T2- sugarcane silage + concentrate + 15% whole cottonseed; T3- sugarcane and T4- hay Tifton 85). The ingestive behavior was assessed by visual observation at 10 minute intervals for 24 hours. There were differences between treatments for time spent feeding and idle, and the treatment with Tifton 85 hay showed the highest values for feeding time, 6.04 h/day, and lower values for idle time, 7.50h/day.

Prevalence of ERα-397 PvuII C/T, ERα-351 XbaI A/G and PGR PROGINS polymorphisms in Brazilian breast cancer-unaffected women

Polymorphisms of hormone receptor genes have been linked to modifications in reproductive factors and to an increased risk of breast cancer (BC). In the present study, we have determined the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the ERα-397 PvuII C/T, ERα-351 XbaI A/G and PGR PROGINS polymorphisms and investigated their relationship with mammographic density, body mass index (BMI) and other risk factors for BC. A consecutive and unselected sample of 750 Brazilian BC-unaffected women enrolled in a mammography screening program was recruited. The distribution of PGR PROGINS genotypic frequencies was 72.5, 25.5 and 2.0% for A1A1, A1A2 and A2A2, respectively, which was equivalent to that encountered in other studies with healthy women. The distribution of ERα genotypes was: ERα-397 PvuII C/T: 32.3% TT, 47.5% TC, and 20.2% CC; ERα-351 XbaI A/G: 46.3% AA, 41.7% AG and 12.0% GG. ERα haplotypes were 53.5% PX, 14.3% Px, 0.3% pX, and 32.0% px. These were significantly different from most previously published reports worldwide (P < 0.05). Overall, the PGR PROGINS genotypes A2A2 and A1A2 were associated with fatty and moderately fatty breast tissue. The same genotypes were also associated with a high BMI in postmenopausal women. In addition, the ERα-351 XbaI GG genotype was associated with menarche ≥12 years (P = 0.02). ERα and PGR polymorphisms have a phenotypic effect and may play an important role in BC risk determination. Finally, if confirmed in BC patients, these associations could have important implications for mammographic screening and strategies and may be helpful to identify women at higher risk for the disease.

Effects of swim training on liver carcinogenesis in male Wistar rats fed a low-fat or high-fat diet.

The present study aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of swim training on the promotion-progression stages of rat liver carcinogenesis. Male Wistar rats were submitted to chemically induced liver carcinogenesis and allocated into 4 major groups, according their dietary regimen (16 weeks) and swim training of 5 days per week (8 weeks): 2 groups were fed low-fat diet (LFD, 6% fat) and trained or not trained and 2 groups were fed high-fat diet (HFD, 21% fat) and trained or not trained. At week 20, the animals were killed and liver samples were processed for histological analyses; immunohistochemical detection of persistent or remodeling preneoplastic lesions (pPNL and rPNL) expressing placental glutathione S-transferase (GST-P) enzyme; or proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cleaved caspase-3, and bcl-2 protein levels by Western blotting or malonaldehyde (MDA) and total glutathione detection by HPLC. Overall analysis indicated that swim training reduced the body weight and body fat in both LFD and HFD groups, normalized total cholesterol levels in the HFD group while decreased the MDA levels, increased glutathione levels and both number of GST-P-positive pPNL and hepatocellular adenomas in LFD group. Also, a favorable balance in PCNA, cleaved caspase-3, and bcl-2 levels was detected in the liver from the LFD-trained group in relation to LFD-untrained group. The findings of this study indicate that the swim training protocol as a result of exercise postconditioning may attenuate liver carcinogenesis under an adequate dietary regimen with lowered fat intake.

Coffee and caffeine protect against liver injury induced by thioacetamide in male Wistar rats.

Coffee intake has been inversely related to the incidence of liver diseases, although there are controversies on whether these beneficial effects on human health are because of caffeine or other specific components in this popular beverage. Thus, this study evaluated the protective effects of coffee or caffeine intake on liver injury induced by repeated thioacetamide (TAA) administration in male Wistar rats. Rats were randomized into five groups: one untreated group (G1) and four groups (G2-G5) treated with the hepatotoxicant TAA (200 mg/kg b.w., i.p.) twice a week for 8 weeks. Concomitantly, rats received tap water (G1 and G2), conventional coffee (G3), decaffeinated coffee (G4) or 0.1% caffeine (G5). After 8 weeks of treatment, rats were killed and blood and liver samples were collected. Conventional and decaffeinated coffee and caffeine intake significantly reduced serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p < 0.001) and oxidized glutathione (p < 0.05), fibrosis/inflammation scores (p < 0.001), collagen volume fraction (p < 0.01) and transforming growth factor ß-1 (TGF-ß1) protein expression (p ≤ 0.001) in the liver from TAA-treated groups. In addition, conventional coffee and caffeine intake significantly reduced proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA) S-phase indexes (p < 0.001), but only conventional coffee reduced cleaved caspase-3 indexes (p < 0.001), active metalloproteinase 2 (p ≤ 0.004) and the number of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive preneoplastic lesions (p < 0.05) in the liver from TAA-treated groups. In conclusion, conventional coffee and 0.1% caffeine intake presented better beneficial effects than decaffeinated coffee against liver injury induced by TAA in male Wistar rats.

Prevalence of ERα-397 PvuII C/T, ERα-351 XbaI A/G and PGR PROGINS polymorphisms in Brazilian breast cancer-unaffected women.

Polymorphisms of hormone receptor genes have been linked to modifications in reproductive factors and to an increased risk of breast cancer (BC). In the present study, we have determined the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the ERα-397 PvuII C/T, ERα-351 XbaI A/G and PGR PROGINS polymorphisms and investigated their relationship with mammographic density, body mass index (BMI) and other risk factors for BC. A consecutive and unselected sample of 750 Brazilian BC-unaffected women enrolled in a mammography screening program was recruited. The distribution of PGR PROGINS genotypic frequencies was 72.5, 25.5 and 2.0% for A1A1, A1A2 and A2A2, respectively, which was equivalent to that encountered in other studies with healthy women. The distribution of ERα genotypes was: ERα-397 PvuII C/T: 32.3% TT, 47.5% TC, and 20.2% CC; ERα-351 XbaI A/G: 46.3% AA, 41.7% AG and 12.0% GG. ERα haplotypes were 53.5% PX, 14.3% Px, 0.3% pX, and 32.0% px. These were significantly different from most previously published reports worldwide (P < 0.05). Overall, the PGR PROGINS genotypes A2A2 and A1A2 were associated with fatty and moderately fatty breast tissue. The same genotypes were also associated with a high BMI in postmenopausal women. In addition, the ERα-351 XbaI GG genotype was associated with menarche ≥ 12 years (P = 0.02). ERα and PGR polymorphisms have a phenotypic effect and may play an important role in BC risk determination. Finally, if confirmed in BC patients, these associations could have important implications for mammographic screening and strategies and may be helpful to identify women at higher risk for the disease.

Prevalence of the STK15 F31I polymorphism and its relationship with mammographic density

Several studies have identified the single nucleotide polymorphism STK15 F31I as a low-penetrance risk allele for breast cancer, but its prevalence and risk association in the Brazilian population have not been determined. The goal of this study was to identify the frequency of this polymorphism in the Brazilian setting. Considering the high degree of admixture of our population, it is of fundamental importance to validate the results already reported in the literature and also to verify the relationship between this variant and breast cancer risk. A total of 750 women without breast cancer were genotyped using the TaqMan PCR assay for STK15 F31I polymorphism. Clinical information was obtained from review of the medical records and mammographic density from the images obtained using the BI-RADS System. The estimated risk of developing cancer was calculated according to the Gail model. The genotypic frequencies observed in this study were 4.5, 38.7, and 56.6 percent, respectively, for the STK15 F31I AA, AT and TT genotypes. The AT and AA genotypes were encountered significantly more often in premenopausal women with moderately dense, dense and heterogeneously dense breast tissue (P = 0.023). In addition, the presence of the TT genotype was significantly associated with age at menarche ≥12 years (P = 0.023). High mammographic density, associated with increased breast cancer risk, was encountered more frequently in premenopausal women with the risk genotypes STK15 F31I AA and AT. The genotypic frequencies observed in our Brazilian sample were similar to those described in other predominantly European populations.

Prevalence of the STK15 F31I polymorphism and its relationship with mammographic density.

Several studies have identified the single nucleotide polymorphism STK15 F31I as a low-penetrance risk allele for breast cancer, but its prevalence and risk association in the Brazilian population have not been determined. The goal of this study was to identify the frequency of this polymorphism in the Brazilian setting. Considering the high degree of admixture of our population, it is of fundamental importance to validate the results already reported in the literature and also to verify the relationship between this variant and breast cancer risk. A total of 750 women without breast cancer were genotyped using the TaqMan PCR assay for STK15 F31I polymorphism. Clinical information was obtained from review of the medical records and mammographic density from the images obtained using the BI-RADS System. The estimated risk of developing cancer was calculated according to the Gail model. The genotypic frequencies observed in this study were 4.5, 38.7, and 56.6%, respectively, for the STK15 F31I AA, AT and TT genotypes. The AT and AA genotypes were encountered significantly more often in premenopausal women with moderately dense, dense and heterogeneously dense breast tissue (P = 0.023). In addition, the presence of the TT genotype was significantly associated with age at menarche ≥12 years (P = 0.023). High mammographic density, associated with increased breast cancer risk, was encountered more frequently in premenopausal women with the risk genotypes STK15 F31I AA and AT. The genotypic frequencies observed in our Brazilian sample were similar to those described in other predominantly European populations.