Anthropogenic organic matter inputs indicated by sedimentary fecal steroids in a large South American tropical estuary (Paranaguá estuarine system, Brazil).

Urban sewage is considered one of the most important sources of marine pollution in South America, because most coastal cities do not have proper facilities to treat and dispose of sewage. The Paranaguá estuarine system is an important estuarine environment of the South American coast where fishing, urban and tourist activities, industries and the main Brazilian grain shipping port are potential sources of pollution in this area. The anthropogenic input of sedimentary organic matter, represented by sewage contribution, was evaluated by fecal steroid concentrations. The coprostanol levels were comparatively low (<0.10 µg g(-1)), except at the sites close to Paranaguá city, where the coprostanol concentration reached 2.22 µg g(-1) showing strong sewage contamination. Fecal steroid levels were comparable to the lower to midrange concentrations reported for coastal sediments worldwide. The results of this work demonstrated that sewage pollution can be considered a problem for a small part of the Paranaguá estuary.

Avaliação do efeito do ibandronato na consolidação de fratura: estudo experimental em coelhos / Evaluation of ibandronate effects in bone healing: experimental study in rabbits

OBJETIVO: Determinar a presença de efeito favorável do ibandronato de sódio na consolidação óssea, contribuindo assim para estudos futuros visando sua utilização terapêutica no tratamento de fraturas e pseudartroses. MÉTODOS: Vinte coelhos da raça Nova Zelândia Albino foram submetidos à osteotomia transversa mediodiafisária da fíbula direita e divididos aleatoriamente em dois grupos com 10 animais cada. Os animais do grupo I receberam 2ml de solução contendo ibandronato de sódio e água destilada; os animais do grupo II receberam somente água destilada (grupo controle). Os coelhos foram sacrificados após 30 dias. Os calos ósseos formados no local das osteotomias foram avaliados por densitometria e histomorfometria. Utilizou-se na avaliação estatística dos resultados o teste t para a inferência sobre a diferença das médias de amostras paramétricas e a prova de Mann-Whitney para as amostras não paramétricas. Adotou-se o nível de significância de 5 por cento. RESULTADOS: Observou-se que a quantidade relativa de osso foi maior e a quantidade relativa de fibrose foi menor nos calos ósseos formados no grupo medicado com ibandronato do que no grupo controle. Não houve diferença na quantidade relativa de cartilagem e na densidade mineral dos calos ósseos comparando-se os dois grupos. CONCLUSÃO: Neste experimento a administração do ibandronato de sódio favoreceu a consolidação de osteotomias da fíbula em coelhos, aumentando a quantidade relativa de osso nos calos ósseos formados e diminuindo a quantidade de fibrose.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the presence of a favorable sodium ibandronate effect in bone healing, thus contributing for future studies of its clinical use in the treatment of fractures and pseudoarthroses. METHODS: 20 New Zealand white rabbits were submitted to transverse mid-diaphysis osteotomy of the right fibula and divided at random into two groups of 10 animals each. Animals in group I were given 2 ml of a solution containing sodium ibandronate and distilled water; animals in group II were given distilled water alone (control group). The rabbits were sacrificed after 30 days. Bone calluses found at the osteotomy site were evaluated by densitometry and histomorphometry. Statistical analysis of the results was made with the "t" test to make inferences about the mean differences of the parametric samples, and the Mann-Whitney for non-parametric samples. The significance level adopted was 5 percent. RESULTS: The relative amount of bone was greater and the relative amount of fibrosis was lesser in bone calluses formed in the group that was given sodium ibandronate than in the control group. There was no difference in the relative amount of cartilage and in mineral density of bone calluses between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In this experiment, the administration of sodium ibandronate favored the healing of fibula osteotomy in rabbits, as it increased the relative amount of bone in calluses formed and decreased the amount of fibrosis.