Macro- and microstructural descriptions of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver.

The liver is an essential metabolically active organ, responsible for many vital life functions such as metabolism, synthesis, and storage. This study describes the macroscopic and microscopic zebrafish liver and its temporal changes during a period of 13 weeks. Forty-six adult zebrafish were used (46), of which 27 were females and were 19 males. Seven fish were euthanized initially for macroscopic evaluation and 3 fish were euthanized weekly for 13 weeks for microscopic evaluation. Routine histological technique was performed; the slides were stained with haematoxylin/eosin and periodic acid-Schiff. The volumetric (Vv(h)) and numerical (Nv(h)) densities of hepatocytes and vacuolation intensity were determined weekly. The liver was located in the coelomic cavity ventrally to the swim bladder, slightly brownish and divided into 3 hepatic lobes. Microscopically, it consisted of hepatocytes forming a muralium duplex around the sinusoids. The staining of the cytoplasm of hepatocytes was more eosinophilic and more basophilic in males and females, respectively. There was no formation of portal triads and phagocytic cells. The gallbladder had transitional epithelium, and the bile ducts had simple cuboidal epithelium. The volume and numerical density of hepatocytes during the 13 weeks was not statistically different, but these parameters displayed a positive correlation. The vacuolation was due to the presence of glycogen. The zebrafish liver has macro and micro structural particular features while, quantitatively, the volume and number of hepatocytes showed great capacity to respond to the physiological needs of the animal at the time.

Testosterone induces apoptosis in cardiomyocytes by increasing proapoptotic signaling involving tumor necrosis factor-α and renin angiotensin system.

Anabolic androgenic steroids lead to cardiac complications and have been shown to exhibit proapoptotic effects in cardiac cells; however, the mechanism involved in those effects is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess whether apoptosis and the activation of caspase-3 (Casp-3) induced by testosterone in high concentrations involves increments in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in cardiomyocytes (H9c2) cell cultures. Cardiomyocytes were treated with testosterone (5 × 10(-6) mol/L), doxorubicin (9.2 × 10(-6) mol/L), testosterone + etanercept (Eta; 6.67 × 10(-5) mol/L), testosterone + losartan (Los; 10(-7) mol/L), and testosterone + AC-DEVD-CHO (10(-5) mol/L; Casp-3 inhibitor). Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and by the proteolytic activity of Casp-3. We demonstrated that incubation of H9c2 cells for 48 h with testosterone causes the apoptotic death of 60-70% of the cells and co-treatments with Eta, Los, or AC-DEVD-CHO reduced this effect. Testosterone also induces apoptosis (concentration dependent) and increases the proteolytic activity of Casp-3, which were reduced by co-treatments. TNF-α and ACE activities were elevated by testosterone treatment, while co-treatment with Los and Eta reduced these effects. We concluded that an interaction between testosterone, angiotensin II, and TNF-α induced apoptosis and Casp-3 activity in cultured cardiomyocytes, which contributed to the reduced viability of these cells induced by testosterone in toxic concentrations.

[Culicidae of Itaipu lake, in the Paraná river, southern Brazil]. / Culicídeos do lago de Itaipu, no rio Paraná Sul do Brasil.

Mosquito catches were made in Guaíra county, Paraná State, southern Brazil, in the vicinity of Itaipu dam, from January to December 1991. The catches were made with a Shannon light trap and human bait. The Shannon light trap was installed beside the highway that used, formerly, to lead to the Sete Quedas cataracts and the human bait was used in the urban area. Data about the Culicidae fauna were obtained as to predominant species, seasonal variation, time of highest density and affinity with human host. Forty-one species were identified as belonging to the Anopheles, Aedes, Aedomyia, Coquillettidia, Culex, Mansonia, Psorophora and Uranotaenia genera. With the Shannon light trap 21,280 mosquitoes were caught and with human bait 1,010. In the catches made with the Shannon light trap, Coquillettidia shannoni, Mansonia humeralis, Anopheles trianulatus, Aedes scapularis and Anopheles albitarsis accounted for 82.78% of all mosquitoes taken. In the catches made on human bait the highest densities of these mosquitoes occurred between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Aedes scapularis, Mansonia humeralis and Anopheles albitarsis represented 91.21% of all mosquitoes caught with human bait. The highest densities of Aedes scapularis, on human bait, were found between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. and those of Mansonia humeralis and Anopheles albitarsis between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Among the genera caught with the Shannon light trap Coquillettidia shannoni, Mansonia humeralis and Anopheles albitarsis were most frequent in April, Anopheles triannulatus in January and Aedes scapularis in February.

[Mosquitos of peri and extradomiciliary environments in the southern region of Brazil]. / Mosquitos de ambientes peri e extradomiciliares na região sul do Brasil.

Mosquitoes were collected on Sonho Real farm, Querência do Norte county, Paraná State, Brazil, using human bait and Falcão traps between June 1989 and May 1990. The fauna composition, monthly density, hours of major density, human attraction and presence of mosquitoes in domestic animal shelters were investigated. 5,923 mosquitoes of the genera Aedes, Aedomyia, Anopheles, Coquillettidea, Culex, Mansonia, Psorophora, Sabethes and Uranotaenia were collected. 33 species of mosquitoes were identified and among them Aedes scapularis, Anopheles albitarsis, Aedomyia squamipennis, Coquillettidea lynchi, Mansonia titillans e Coquillettidea venezuelensis were predominant. All these species were captured mainly on human bait, except Aedomyia squamipennis that was captured in domestic animal shelters. With regard to all the mosquitoes captured (5,923), their major period of activity was between 18 and 19 hours and April was the month of greatest density.

[Phlebotomine behavior in forest and extraforest environments, in an endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in northern Paraná State, southern Brazil]. / Observações sobre o comportamento de flebotomíneos em ecótopos florestais e extraflorestais, em área endêmica de leishmaniose tegumentar americana, no norte do Estado do Paraná, sul do Brasil.

Between November 1988 and April 1990, 75,637 phlebotomines were captured with the use of Falcão light traps on Palmital farm in the north of Paraná State, Brazil. Fifteen species were represented. The percentage of 95.8% of the insects were captured within the domiciliary area and the remaining 4.2% in the forest environment. The percentage of 62 were captured in one single Falcão light trap installed in a henhouse, where Blancasmya migonei predominated. In all the other traps Psychodopygus whitmani was predominant. B. migonei, P. whitmani, Pintomyia pessoai, Pintomyia fischeri and Psychodopygus intermedius are highly significant vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis and represented 93.8% of all phlebotomines captured with 10 Falcão light traps. The monthly densities of these insects were obtained from one Falcão light trap installed in a henhouse and increased especially in the warmer and more humid months. In the forest environment the phlebotomines were captured principally in traps installed about 10 meters above the ground and P. whitmani, B. migonei, P. intermedius, Brumptomyia brumpti, Psychodopygus monticola and P. pessoai were the dominant species. The need for information about the epidemiology of American cutaneous leishmaniasis calls for further investigation with a view to clarifying the implications of the relationship between the phlebotomines and domestic animals in the Leishmania cycle of transmission in domiciliary areas.

[Adult culicidae captured in the southern region of Brazil]. / Nota sobre culicídeos adultos coletados na região sul do Brasil.

During the period from September 1988 to April 1990, mosquitoes were captured using Shannon light trap and Falcão light traps, in Terra Boa county, in the north of Paraná State, Brazil. The Shannon trap was installed in the outlying modified forest and Falcão traps were installed in the modified forest and domiciliary areas. The prevalence of species was verified and the methods of capture compared.

[Phlebotomines in an area of transmission of tegumentar leishmaniasis in the northern region of Parana State, Brazil: seasonal variation and nocturnal activity]. / Flebotomíneos em área de transmissão de leishmaniose tegumentar na região norte do Estado do Paraná-Brasil: Variação sazonal e atividade noturna.

In two years of phlebotomine captures in a modified forest an appreciable decrease in the size of this insect population has been observed when compared to previous data from the same locality. The captures with the Shannon light trap were made in the outlying forest of Palmital farm in Terra Boa county, Parana State, Brazil. The predominant species were Lutzomyia withmani, Lutzomyia migonei, Lutzomyia intermedius e Lutzomyia fischeri. These insects were active from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and the period of greatest activity varied according to the species. These species' densities were higher in the summer and autumn months. Environmental modifications may have influenced the observed changes in phlebotomine behavior.

[Necessity to adopt and disseminate therapeutic schemes for the treatment of American tegumentary leishmaniasis in Paraná]. / Da necessidade de se adotar e divulgar esquemas terapêuticos para tratamento de leishmaniose tegumentar no Paraná.

American cutaneous leishmaniasis has shown an endemic character in areas of North-North-west Paraná State, which were populated in 40's, where residual forests persist with intense modifications. The infection has been found mainly in males, but was found also in females and children and in many individuals of a same family. 513 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis notified to SUCAM by clinical diagnosis were investigated. Treatment was begun with Glucantime at State Health Centers or at SUCAM. Of 513 treated patients 260 (50.67%) were considered clinically cured. The remaining 253 (49.33%) abandoned treatment. The quantity of Glucantime supplied to the patients varied from 10 vials to more than 200, with or without intervals during the treatment. Two hundred and seventeen (85.46%) patients among 260 received from 10 to 75 vials. The occurrence of leishmaniasis in 163 (31.75%) women and in 34 (6.62%) children, of both sexes, up to 10 years old, suggests domiciliary transmission. It's not known if the 253 (49.33%) individuals who abandoned the treatment recovered. This high number shows the necessity of better knowledge of the consequences that can occur due to incomplete treatment.

[American cutaneous leishmaniasis: phlebotominae of the area of transmission in the north of Paraná, Brazil]. / Leishmaniose tegumentar americana: flebotomíneos de área de transmissão no Norte do Paraná, Brasil.

Most of the cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis diagnosed in the laboratory of the State University of Maringá, Paraná, Brazil, are related to areas of northern Paraná State, which have been settled since 40 years age, when the destructions of vast areas of forest in this region was begun. The native vegetation, already, in large part, destroyed is constituted of dense forest of the type found in the transition from tropical to subtropical regions. The landscape is constituted of plateau with a climate of transition from tropical to subtropical and annual mean temperatures of 20 degrees C to 22 degrees C, the mean of the hottest month being superior to 22 degrees C. The native forests are represented by small, sparse patches of vegetation, with some modification in the basins of the rivers Ivaí, Paranapanema and Paraná and their tributaries. In this environment 24 captures of phlebotomines were made--2 per month from October 1986 to September 1987, between 6 P.M. and 1 A.M. The captures with Shannon trap were made in the outlying forest of Palmital farm. The majority of the 16,496 phlebotomines were classified into 13 species. Lutzomyia whitmani was predominant with 11,188 (67.82%) specimens, followed by Lutzomyia intermedia with 2,900 (17.58%) and Lutzomyia migonei with 1,481 (9.03%). Lutzomyia whitmani and Lutzomyia intermedia have been manifesting great capacity of adaptation in modified environments, where they have played a significant role in transmission of leishmaniasis.