Productive performance, breast growth and digestive system development in European quail subjected to post-hatch fasting for different periods.

This study assessed the effect of different periods of post-hatch fasting on animal performance and breast and digestive system growth in European quail. Quail chicks were distributed in a completely randomized design, with four fasting periods (0, 24, 36, and 48 hs) and four replications of 40 birds per treatment. In 1 to 14-day-old chicks, weight gain decreased with increasing fasting time. Compensatory gain was observed from 15 days of age onward. Fasted quail had a lower length and relative weight of the digestive system than fed animals for up to 14 days. Histologically, the duodenal villus height was significantly lower in 3-day-old quail fasted for 36 hs than in those fasted for 48 hs, but this effect was not observed at 7 days. Scanning electron microscopy showed no differences in the small intestinal mucosa between fasted and fed birds at 3 days of age. Post-hatch fasting reduced the relative weight of the breast in quail aged 1 to 14 days but did not affect type IIa and IIb fiber diameter at 35 days. On the basis of these results, it is recommended that European quail raised for meat should not be fasted for more than 48 hs post-hatch.

Accuracy of High-resolution Small-volume Cone-Beam Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Vertical Root Fracture: An In Vivo Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this in vivo study was to evaluate the accuracy of small-volume cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging compared with conventional periapical radiography (CPR) in the diagnosis of vertical root fractures (VRFs) using exploratory surgery as the reference standard. METHODS: Eighty-two dental records of 85 teeth with suspected VRFs that underwent CPR, CBCT imaging, and exploratory surgery were included. Two observers assessed CPR and CBCT images independently for the presence or absence of root fractures, and findings from the exploratory surgery were considered the reference standard. Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the receiver operating characteristic curve values were obtained. The effect of single- and multirooted teeth on diagnostic accuracy as well as the association between clinical symptoms and the presence of VRFs were also assessed. RESULTS: VRFs were surgically detected in 64 of the 85 teeth (75.3%), of which 62.5% were multirooted and 76.6% had intracanal posts. CBCT imaging was more sensitive and accurate (65.6% and 64%) than CPR (27.3% and 40.5%). Both CPR and CBCT diagnostic accuracies were higher in single- than multirooted teeth. Pain on percussion, a localized periodontal pocket, and tooth mobility were associated with the presence of VRFs (P < .05; odds ratio = 4.15, 13.5 and 4.1, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of CBCT imaging for the diagnosis of VRFs was poor, although it was higher than with CPR. Multirooted teeth in the presence of intracanal posts may limit its diagnostic value.

Shelf life of meat from Boer-Saanen goats fed diets supplemented with vitamin E.

This work aims at evaluating shelf life of meat from Boer-Saanen cross goats fed on diets containing vitamin E. Thirty-five feedlot-fed goats with an initial body weight of 21.6±2.8kg were subjected to four treatments in a completely randomized design: a control treatment with vitamin E plus others containing 50, 150, and 450mg dl-α-tocopherol acetate/kg DM. Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle samples were stored at temperatures between 4 and 6°C during 15days, and evaluated for lipid peroxidation using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) method and for visual acceptance by consumers by different survival analysis techniques. The addition, vitamin E in diets influenced shelf life of LL muscle, indicating longer meat preservation as the levels of the vitamin in diet increased, as the results obtained in chemical and subjective visual assessments showed. TBARS analysis showed to be more accurate in predicting shelf life of meat than subjective visual assessment by consumers, which reached a saturation threshold of 2mg malonaldehyde/kg of meat earlier at all tested levels of vitamin E inclusion.

Effect of entomopathogens on Africanized Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effect of commercially used entomopathogens on Africanized Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Four bioassays were performed: 1) pulverized entomopathogens on A. mellifera; 2) entomopathogens sprayed on a smooth surface; 3) entomopathogens sprayed on soy leaves; and 4) entomopathogens mixed with candy paste (sugar syrup). Five treatments were prepared: sterile distilled water (control), distilled water sterilized with Tween® 80 (0.01%), and the commercial entomopathogens Metarhizium anisopliae E9 (1.0 × 109 conidia mL−1), Beauveria bassiana PL63 (1.0 × 108 conidia mL−1) and Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-1 (3.0 × 108 spores mL−1). Each treatment consisted of five repetitions, with 20 workers per repetition, which were stored in a plastic box and, later, in a biological oxygen demand (B.O.D.) incubator (27 ± 2 ºC, RH of 60% ± 10%, 12-h photophase). The mortality of the workers was evaluated from 1 h to 240 h, and the data were analyzed using Bayesian inference. The workers killed by the ingestion of candy paste contaminated with the pathogens (products) were randomly separated and selected for the removal of the midgut. Each midgut was fixed in Bouin's solution and prepared for histology. B. bassiana was verified to reduce the survival of A. mellifera workers in all bioassays. Moreover, M. anisopliae reduced the survival of A. mellifera workers directly sprayed, on a smooth surface and mixed with candy. B. thuringiensis reduced A. mellifera survival on a smooth surface and mixed with candy paste. However, its effects were lower than that observed by B. bassiana. The treatments with the biological products did not induce morphometric alterations in the midgut of A. mellifera.

Proposal for Classification of the Great Saphenous Vein Aplasia by the B-mode Ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: The lack of the great saphenous vein (GSV) in its compartment is rarely mentioned in literature, although it happens in individuals with or without insufficiency of it. With the help of the B-mode ultrasound examination this vein can be easily identified. The aim of this study was to propose a classification for the findings. METHODS: Prospective study carried out for a period of 6 months in a sample of 2,665 lower limbs with ages ranging from 17 to 85, being that 1,286 patients are female. These patients underwent B-mode ultrasound examination as recommended by the literature. This evaluation determined whether there was a GSV aplasia by the analysis of its location in the saphenous compartment. RESULTS: After images were taken they were classified as: type I-aplasia only along the thigh, type II-aplasia only along the calf, type III-aplasia in the distal section of the thigh and proximal calf, type IV-vein in the saphenous compartment in the thigh and aplasia in the whole calf, type V-vein in the saphenous compartment only in a short segment in the proximal thigh, and type VI-vein with short segment in the saphenous compartment in the distal calf. From the total of 2,665 limbs, aplasia was found in 442 (16.6%). CONCLUSIONS: These anatomic findings attain an important role in daily practice, influencing the surgical decision, particularly with the arrival of endovascular procedures, such as the use of laser and thermoablation.

Impact of control measures and dynamics of sand flies in southern Brazil.

We report the results of control measures introduced to reduce the density of sand flies in domiciles and subsequent monitoring of the effects of these measures on the sand fly populations. The most common species of sand flies were Nyssomyia neivai and Nyssomyia whitmani, which are naturally infected by Leishmania. A total of 268,382 (93.4%) sand flies were collected in ecotypes constructed with the aim of attracting sand flies, and 19,091 (6.6%) sand flies were collected in the ecotypes consisting of residences and other buildings. Human actions determine the growth or reduction of the sand fly population in human-occupied space. Understanding the dynamics of sand flies in this environment can substantially contribute to the prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis.