Gametogenesis and seminatural reproduction of the Amazon twospot astyanax Astyanax bimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758) cultivated in an enriched environment.

Environmental enrichment is used to provide well-being to the animals, such as fish, in captive conditions, mimicking their natural habitat. It may influence fish behavior, physiology, and survival. In terms of reproduction, however, the relationship between environment enrichment and successful reproduction in captivity is still poorly explored in fish species. Aiming to understand any possible benefits of structural enrichment on fish reproduction, 10-days-hatched larvae of the twospot astyanax Astyanax bimaculatus were raised for 18 weeks in tanks with different elements of structural environmental enrichment (PVC pipes, stones, and artificial plants). In the 5th month of life, those animals were hormonally induced to reproduce to assess gamete formation and offspring quality. Animals raised in a sterile-reared environment (non-enriched) showed earlier spawning than the enriched one, presenting significant quantities of Postovulatory follicle complexes (POCs) and cells in atresia in female ovaries, indicating possible reproductive dysfunction or stress, as well as a greater quantity of empty testicular lumen in males, indicating great release of sperm. On the contrary, animals cultivated in enriched environments showed gonads filled with semen in males and vitellogenic oocytes in females. Furthermore, offspring from the sterile-reared group presented significant rates of larval abnormality compared to the enriched group. In conclusion, the results of this study show that environmental enrichment can interfere with the reproduction of fish in captivity, mainly by preventing early maturation of gametes, which can result in low-quality offspring and, consequently, low production of fish species.

Dislipidemia e hipertensão arterial. uma relação nefasta / Dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension. a harmful relation

A relação maléfica entre hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) e dislipidemia torna-se explícita a partir da análise da progressão dessas comorbidades simultaneamente, agravando diretamente o risco cardiovascular. Se observa o aumento de espécies reativas do oxigênio gerando estresse oxidativo, a diminuição da biodisponibilidade de óxido nítrico promovendo disfunção endotelial, maior concentração de moléculas LDL oxidadas o que resulta na progressão de eventos ateroscleróticos. Somado a isto, se percebe que o tratamento em conjunto das duas doenças é mais eficaz quando comparado ao tratamento de cada uma delas isoladamente, demonstrando o efeito sinérgico do tratamento em conjunto. Concluindo então, que as comorbidades estão intimamente relacionadas e agravam o estado geral do paciente

The harmful relations systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) and dyslipidemia be comes explicit from the analysis of the progression of these comorbidities simultaneously, directly aggravating cardiovascular risk. There is an increase in reactive oxygen species generating oxidative stress, a decrease in the nitric oxide bioavailability promoting endothelial dysfunction, a higher concentration of oxidized LDL molecules which results in the progression of atherosclerotic events. In addition, it is clear that the joint treatment of the two diseases is more effective when compared to the treatment of each separately, demonstrating the synergistic effect of the joint treatment. In conclusion, then, that comorbidities are closely related and aggravate the patient's general condition

Informatics in radiology: use of a macro scripting editor to facilitate transfer of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry reports into an existing departmental voice recognition dictation system.

The process of verbally reporting or manually retyping numeric data generated at dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) involves numerous pitfalls. With use of a macro scripting editor, a customized macro was created to automate the transfer of data generated by a DXA scanner into a structured voice recognition dictation system without requiring radiologists to type in a medical record number or accession number to identify the study. A preliminary report is generated with use of software for a DXA unit and a customized template that includes numeric and qualitative assessments of osteoporosis as well as data from prior studies if available. A customized macro is then invoked by the macro scripting editor, which selectively transfers the report from the draft document into the voice recognition dictation system, thereby producing a final structured diagnostic report. All of the radiologists surveyed to evaluate this automated method reported ease of software use and greater efficiency in report production. In addition, a random audit of the 800 DXA scans that have been reported with this technique demonstrated no reports generated under an incorrect accession number and no incorrect transfer of data. Automated DXA reporting is now the preferred method of dictation at the authors' institution and represents an inexpensive, accurate, and customizable means of DXA reporting.