Monitoring of Leptospira in captive turtles by DNA analysis / [Monitoramento de Leptospira em quelônios mantidos em cativeiro pela análise de DNA]

Existem poucos estudos sobre doenças infecciosas em animais silvestres. O objetivo deste estudo foi pesquisar DNA de Leptospira spp. em sangue de tartarugas mantidas em cativeiro, pertencentes ao Bosque Rodrigues Alves (Jardim Zoobotânico da Amazônia). O DNA foi isolado das amostras de sangue coletadas de 148 tartarugas pertencentes a seis espécies diferentes. A reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) foi realizada utilizando-se iniciadores específicos para DNA de Leptospira spp. Nenhuma das amostras apresentou resultado positivo para Leptospira spp.(AU)

Cytotoxic activity of nepetin, a flavonoid from Eupatorium ballotaefolium HBK.

The present study evaluated the cytotoxic activity of nepetin and quercetin-3-O-glucoside, compounds isolated from the aerial parts of Eupatorium ballotaefolium. The antimitotic activity was determined as the ability to inhibit sea urchin eggs development and five tumor cells lines growth. Moreover, the activities of these compounds were compared to quercetin in the same models. Nepetin inhibited the proliferation of the five tumor cell lines, once quercetin-3-O-glucoside did not present any activity even at the highest tested concentration and quercetin only inhibited proliferation of the B16 cell line. On the sea urchin assay, nepetin and quercetin induced a dose-dependent inhibition on egg development, while quercetin-3-O-glucoside did not modify normalegg cleavage, even at the highest tested concentration (100 microg/ml).

Chylomicron metabolism in experimental cirrhosis and cholestasis.

Recently it has been demonstrated that artificial emulsions made of lecithin, cholesterol, cholesteryl-oleate and triolein simulate the metabolism of the natural chylomicra. Artificial-chylomicron delipidation and remnant disappearance from plasma were investigated in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic cirrhosis or with cholestasis due to bile-duct ligation. Artificial chylomicra were labelled simultaneously with glyceryl tri [9, 10 (N)-3H] oleate and cholesteryl [1-14C] oleate and injected intra-arterially. Simultaneous chylomicron delipidation and remnant removal by the liver were calculated from the plasma radioactivity decay curves: that of glyceryl tri [9, 10 (N)-3H] oleate signifying the combined delipidation and particle-removal processes, whereas that of cholesteryl [1-14C] oleate representing the particle disappearance rate from plasma. Particle delipidation was increased in cirrhosis and decreased in cholestasis, implying faster and slower lipolysis rates respectively. On the other hand, the remnant removal rate by the liver slowed down in both experimental pathologies.