Eliminação de Dioctophyme renale pela urina em canino com dioctofimatose em rim esquerdo e cavidade abdominal - Primeiro relato no Rio Grande do Sul / Elimination of Dioctophyme renale to urine in canines with dioctophymosis in the left kidney and abdominal cavity - First report in Rio Grande do Sul

Dioctophyme renale é um parasito que afeta tanto animais como humanos e tem como órgão de eleição o rim direito. Relata-se o caso clínico-cirúrgico de um paciente canino com histórico de eliminação de três exemplares de D. renale pela urina e presença de parasitos no rim esquerdo e na cavidade abdominal. No Hospital de Clínicas Veterinárias da Universidade Federal de Pelotas, foram realizados exames pré-cirúrgicos, entre eles a ultrassonografia abdominal, que identificou a localização dos nematódeos, e o exame de Doppler pulsado dos vasos intrarrenais, que demonstrou aumento nos índices resistivos nas regiões avaliadas. O paciente foi conduzido para a realização de laparotomia exploratória, sendo removidos 23 parasitos da cavidade abdominal. A presença de D. renale causa graves lesões nos rins e nos demais órgãos da cavidade abdominal, sendo essencial o diagnóstico precoce e a remoção dos nematódeos para recuperação do paciente.(AU)

Dioctophyme renale is a parasite that attacks animals as well as humans and has the right kidney as a preferred target organ. This document reports the case of a clinical-chirurgical canine patient with a history of elimination of three D. renale samples through its urine and presence of parasites at its left kidney and abdominal cavity. Pre-cirurgical exams were performed at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Pelotas. Among these exams, abdominal ultrasonography identified the nematode's location and the Pulse-Doppler of the intrarenal vessels showed an increase in the resistive indices of the evaluated areas. An Exploratory Laparotomy was conducted with the patient who had 23 parasites removed from its abdominal cavity. The presence of D. renale causes severe lesions at kidneys and other organs of the abdominal cavity, for this reason early diagnosis and nematode´s removal are essential for the patient's recovery.(AU)

Studies on two ecdysone receptor isoforms of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana.

A full-length cDNA clone corresponding to the Choristoneura fumiferana ecdysone receptor-A isoform (CfEcR-A) was isolated. The deduced amino acid sequence of CfEcR-A differed from CfEcR-B in the NH2-terminal region of the A/B domain. The CfEcR-A-specific region showed high amino acid identity with EcR-A isoforms of Manduca sexta, Bombyx mori, Drosophila melanogaster and Tenebrio molitor. Isoform-specific probes were used to study the expression of EcR-A and EcR-B mRNAs. Both probes detected 6 kb mRNAs that were present in second-sixth larval instars and in the pupae. Both EcR-A and EcR-B mRNA levels increased during the molting periods. In the sixth instar larvae, the increase in EcR-A and EcR-B mRNA levels were more pronounced in the midgut than in epidermis and fat body. Both EcR-A and EcR-B mRNAs were induced in CF-203 cells (a cell line developed from C. fumiferana midgut) grown in the presence of 4 x 10(-6) M 20E. EcR-B specific mRNAs were induced within 1 h of exposure to 20E, but EcR-A specific mRNAs were induced only after 3 h of exposure to 20E. Induction of mRNAs for both isoforms was unaffected by the presence of a protein synthesis inhibitor, cyclohexamide, in the culture medium. RH-5992, a stable ecdysone agonist, caused a similar induction pattern of EcR-A and EcR-B mRNAs in the midgut, epidermis and fat body of sixth instar larvae. In vitro translated CfEcR-A, CfEcR-B and CfUSP proteins were used to study the DNA binding and ligand binding properties of EcR-A/USP and EcR-B/USP protein complexes. The Kd values indicated that both complexes have similar binding affinities for ecdysone response elements and ponasterone A.

The ultraspiracle gene of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana: cloning of cDNA and developmental expression of mRNA.

Cloning and characterization of a Choristoneura fumiferana ultraspiracle (Cfusp) cDNA are described. First, a PCR fragment and then a cDNA clone (4.4 kb) were isolated from spruce budworm cDNA libraries. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of this cDNA with the sequences in Genbank showed that this sequence had high homology with the ultraspiracle cDNAs cloned from Drosophila melanogaster (Dmusp), Bombyx mori (Bmusp), Manduca sexta (Msusp), and Aedes aegypti (Aausp). The Cfusp cDNA contained all the regions that are typical for a steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily member. The DNA binding domain or C region was the most conserved sequence among all the usps. The A/B, D, and E regions also showed high amino acid identity with the amino acid sequences of Dmusp, Msusp, Bmusp, and Aausp. The Cfusp 4.5-kb mRNA was present in the embryos, in all larval stages, and in the pupae. The Cfusp mRNA levels in the midgut increased during the sixth-instar larval development and reached peak levels during the ecdysteroid raises for the pupal molt. However, Cfusp mRNA levels remained unchanged in the midgut of fifth-instar larvae, and in the epidermis and fat body of sixth-instar larvae indicating both a tissue- and stage-specific regulation of Cfusp mRNA expression.