Trematodes belonging to the family Eucotylidae are parasites of the kidney and ureter, and affect several bird species. However, psittacines have not been identified as hosts of these parasites. ...Three birds, an adult female blue and gold macaw (
Ara ararauna), an adult female blue-winged macaw (
Propyrrhura maracana) and an adult male white-eared parakeet (
Pyrrhura leucotis) were admitted at the Veterinary Hospital of the Fundação Zoo-Botânica de Belo Horizonte, Brazil (FZB/BH). All three birds had severe dehydration and cachexia. The blue and gold macaw presented with dyspneia, apathy, and incoordination. Blood cell counts indicated discrete anemia and leucopoenia. Blood biochemistry revealed significant increase in levels of uric acid (61
mg/dl) and blood urea nitrogen (22
mg/dl). The bird died within 24
h after admission. The other two birds were admitted with similar clinical signs, but died prior to a complete clinical examination. At the necropsy, in all the three birds, the kidneys were enlarged with brown-yellowish discoloration and irregular cortical surface. On the cut surface, there was a brown-yellowish material with few visible parasites flowing out of the parenchyma. When fragments of the kidneys were placed in 10% formalin, a large number of trematodes came out of the renal parenchyma. The parasites were identified as
Paratanaisia robusta infecting all three birds, and
P. bragai infecting the blue-winged macaw and the white-eared parakeet. Histologically, there was an interstitial, multifocal to coalescent, lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate with some epithelioid macrophages, and a few heterophils, characterizing a granulomatous nephritis. Adult worms and eggs were observed within dilated tubules and in the renal pelvis. In the blue and gold macaw, some parasite eggs were located interstitially associated with an intense adjacent granulomatous reaction.
ABSTRACT Native Seed Banks of Communities (SBC) are one of the important social technologies that enables the coexistence with the climate in the Semiarid region of Brazil. These banks can supply ...appropriate seeds due to the genetic improvement carried out by farmers over generations, in addition to the traditional knowledge associated with them. The poor water distribution in part of the states in the Northeast region of Brazil makes family farmers to depend on rainfall and adapted seeds to grow viable crops. In this sense, native seeds are the most suitable due to their robustness and ideal adaptation to the environment and cultivation systems used in the region. Moreover, the conservation of native seeds in germplasm banks is an important strategy for minimizing the impacts of conventional agriculture. Thus, the objective of this study was to map seed banks of communities within the Piemonte Norte do Itapicuru Territory, state of Bahia, Brazil. The research was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and presented a qualitative character through a study case methodology. The steps for data collection were: identification of SBC through information from technical advisory entities; georeferencing of the SBC locations; and description of SBC specificities. Eight seed banks were mapped, distributed in three municipalities: Antonio Gonçalves, Campo Formoso, and Pindobaçu. Although the territory is composed of nine municipalities, six of them do not have this technology.
RESUMO O uso de Bancos Comunitários de Sementes (BCS) crioulas constitui-se como uma das importantes tecnologias sociais determinantes para a convivência com o semiárido. Tal estratégia apoia-se no fato de que, tais bancos possibilitam a oferta de sementes apropriadas, em virtude da seleção realizada pelos agricultores ao longo de gerações, bem como de todo conhecimento tradicional associado. Considerando a má distribuição hídrica que acomete em parte dos estados da Região Nordeste do Brasil, os agricultores familiares dependem das chuvas, bem como de sementes adaptadas para viabilizar seus cultivos. Nesse cenário, em razão da rusticidade, as sementes crioulas, são as mais adequadas, pois elas são perfeitamente adaptadas ao clima e ao sistema de cultivo utilizado. Diante dessa problemática, visando minimizar os impactos ocasionados pela agricultura convencional, a citar: a redução da agrobiodiversidade, disponibilidade de sementes no momento adequado para a semeadura, uma das estratégias adotadas é a conservação do germoplasma em bancos ou casa de sementes. O presente estudo teve como objetivo mapear os Bancos Comunitários de Sementes no Território de Identidade Piemonte Norte do Itapicuru, localizado no estado da Bahia. A pesquisa foi realizada durante a pandemia da COVID-19 e apresentou caráter qualitativo, sendo utilizada como metodologia de investigação o estudo de caso. A coleta de dados foi realizada em três etapas e como resultado, foram mapeados oito bancos, distribuídos em três municípios sendo estes: Antônio Gonçalves, Campo Formoso e Pindobaçu. Apesar de o território ser composto por nove municípios percebe-se que seis destes não utilizam essa tecnologia.
The present study optimized the extraction process of bioactive compounds present in ginger (Zingiber officinale) dried at 80 °C, using ethanol:water 70:30 (v/v) as solvent. The extracts were ...evaluated for antioxidant activity by the 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical reduction methods and by the chelating activity of FeII ions. It was found that the extraction condition with a temperature of 60 °C and an extraction time of 12 h showed better responses to the tests. Then, the characterization of the compounds was carried out by mass spectrometry and thermal analysis (thermogravimetric (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)), identifying that the main compounds of ginger were gingerols and shogaols, being confirmed by the intensities and characteristics of the thermal graphs. The inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was evaluated using the Ellman test, which did not show an inhibitory action. Regarding cytotoxic activity, the free extract and encapsulated in liposomes were tested, showing antiproliferative effect at different concentrations for human kidney tumor cells (786-0), liver cells (HUH7.5), and Macaca mullata normal kidney cells (LLC-MK2). Given the results obtained, ginger presents itself as a renewable source of bioactive compounds and can be indicated for applications in the pharmaceutical industry
This study evaluated the inclusion of protein hydrolysates and a commercial product as a partial replacement for fish meals in the diet of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) during the grow-out ...phase. A recirculation system with 24 experimental units and a biological filter was used. The experimental design was completely randomized with six treatments: control; chicken protein hydrolysate (CPH); enzymatic hydrolysate of chicken feathers; Aquabitesup.® ; CPH + maltodextrin; CPH + yeast; and four replicates. After 50 days, the zootechnical performance and animal welfare parameters, centesimal carcass composition, digestive enzyme activity, and hemocyte count were evaluated. The treatments did not affect the zootechnical performance and total hemocyte count of the animals (p > 0.05). The evaluation of the antenna length indicated that all animals were in good health. The antenna length in treatment T5 was significantly greater (p > 0.05) than that in T4 and similar to that in treatments T3 and T6, demonstrating a positive influence of dietary protein hydrolysates. Concerning animal welfare, dietary protein hydrolysates influenced the length of the antenna (p < 0.05). The antenna length associated with different treatments indicated that the animals were in good welfare conditions in the production environment. With respect to body chemical composition, dry matter, ether extract, and ash were affected by the treatments (p < 0.05). Regarding the analysis of digestive enzymes, the treatments influenced the activities of amylase and trypsin (p < 0.05). The performance of the animals was satisfactory under all treatments, including enzymatic activity, demonstrating the possibility of using hydrolysates.
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection is responsible for causing a disease with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. Predisposition to thromboembolic disease due to excessive inflammation is also ...attributed to the disease. The objective of this study was to characterize the clinical and laboratory aspects of hospitalized patients, in addition to studying the pattern of serum cytokines, and associate them with the occurrence of thromboembolic events.
A retrospective cohort study with 97 COVID-19 patients hospitalized from April to August 2020 in the Triângulo Mineiro macro-region was carried out. A review of medical records was conducted to evaluate the clinical and laboratory aspects and the frequency of thrombosis, as well as the measurement of cytokines, in the groups that presented or did not present a thrombotic event.
There were seven confirmed cases of thrombotic occurrence in the cohort. A reduction in the time of prothrombin activity was observed in the group with thrombosis. Further, 27.8% of all patients had thrombocytopenia. In the group that had thrombotic events, the levels of IL1b, IL-10, and IL2 were higher (
< 0.05).
In the studied sample, there was an increase in the inflammatory response in patients with thrombotic events, confirmed by the increase in cytokines. Furthermore, in this cohort, a link was observed between the IL-10 percentage and an increased chance of a thrombotic event.
Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that reconstructs internal conductivity distributions of a body from electrical measurements taken on its boundary. This ...study contributes to the field by focusing on the technological intricacies of absolute EIT imaging, which is challenged by limitations such as the resolution capacity of the hardware and the complexities introduced by imaging capacitive bodies. The novel EIT system architecture proposed enhances the accuracy of measurement by integrating current sources and Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) closer to the electrodes, employing alternating current excitations to accurately capture phase information. This system uses a dynamic arrangement of surface electrodes that continuously alter their roles between current injection and voltage measurement, in a synchronized sequence, to ensure the accuracy of the measurements. The paper describes the design and implementation of both the excitation and measurement subsystems, highlighting the use of digital signal demodulation near the electrode to reduce data transfer issues. Experimental results confirm the system’s capability for real-time image reconstruction at 50 frames per second with precision in phase delay measurements, suggesting significant potential for clinical and industrial applications. Future work will aim to further refine signal generation with higher-speed DACs and expand to image reconstruction with more channels.
An 8-yr-old female paca (Agouti paca) was admitted at the Veterinary Hospital of the Belo Horizonte Zoo (Brazil) with an ulcerated cutaneous nodule of approximately 1.5 cm in diameter in the left ...ear. One week later, other cutaneous nodules were detected in various body locations. The animal died during a surgical procedure to remove the tumors. All cutaneous nodules were histologically similar with features of squamous cell carcinoma. Considering the predominant in situ nature of the lesion as well as its multicentric localization, the disease reported here closely resembles Bowen's disease, which has been described in humans and which has been identified as a rare neoplastic disease of cats, with one single report in a dog. This is the first report of a neoplastic disease in Agouti paca.
The relevance of using technology for the rational destination of waste from a wide range of human activities is imminently paramount. In this context, between September 2014 and January 2015, in ...Mossoro, RN, Brazil (5degrees 11' 31" S; 37degrees 20' 40" W), the present work was conducted to evaluate strategies for the utilization of landfill leachate as source of water and nutrients in agriculture. For this, castor bean plants (Ricinus communis L.), cv. BRS Energia, cultivated in eutrophic Red Yellow Argisol, were subjected to irrigation depth application strategies, namely: initial application of leachate corresponding to 20, 40, 60 and 80% of the irrigation depth and subsequent application of the remaining water depth percentage using public-supply water, plus one control, which consisted of irrigation with public supply water + mineral fertilization recommended for the crop. These treatments were set in randomized blocks, with four replicates, totalizing twenty experimental plots. Mineral fertilization resulted in more expressive biometric responses at the beginning of the cycle; however, at the end, treatments based on leachate led to results, including of production, compatible with the control, especially plants irrigated with the 20% irrigation depth. Key words: waste disposal irrigation oilseed crops A pertinencia do uso da tecnologia para destinacao racional dos residuos oriundos das mais diversas atividades humanas e iminentemente precipua. Neste contexto, entre setembro de 2014 e janeiro de 2015, em Mossoro, RN (5degrees 11' 31" Sul - 37degrees 20' 40" Oeste), desenvolveu-se o presente trabalho com o objetivo de avaliar o uso de estrategias com vistas ao aproveitamento do percolado de aterro sanitario como fonte de agua e nutrientes na agricultura. Para tal, submeteram-se plantas de mamona (Ricinus communis L.) cv. BRS Energia, cultivadas em Argissolo vermelho-amarelo Eutrofico, a estrategias de aplicacao da lamina de irrigacao, a saber, a aplicacao inicial do percolado de aterro sanitario correspondente a 20, 40, 60 e 80% da lamina e a posterior aplicacao do percentual restante da lamina de irrigacao em agua de abastecimento, mais uma testemunha que consistiu na irrigacao com agua de abastecimento + adubacao mineral recomendada para a cultura. Estes tratamentos foram alocados em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repeticoes, totalizando vinte parcelas experimentais. Verificou-se que a fertilizacao mineral resultou em respostas biometricas mais expressivas no inicio do ciclo, no entanto, ao final, os tratamentos a base de percolado proporcionaram resultados, inclusive de producao, compativeis com a testemunha, com destaque para as plantas irrigadas com 20% da lamina. Palavras-chave: destinacao de residuo liquido irrigacao oleaginosas
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