Use of intracage ventilation systems in animal facilities

The breeding and housing of animal species in intensive production systems require a higher control of the environmental variables inside the facilities, on behalf of an atmosphere that maintains a sanitary status and also promotes the well-being of the animals. The husbandry of laboratory animals is one of those productive systems in which the environmental control should be quite rigorous due to the maintenance of defined animals such as specific pathogen-free and gnotobiotics. For a long period, the control of ventilation and environmental factors of conventional animal facilities was achieved by using thermodynamic principles used for human comfort. However, in the last decades, new approaches to solve the environmental problem in animal rooms were studied, and the ventilation systems developed with base in forced convection of the air were the ones that presented the best results until the present time. Thus, this review presents, in an historical perspective, the evolution of alternative devices for caging of laboratory animals and their effects on the animals

A dramatização como ferramenta para abordagem sobre zoonoses no projeto Rondon

Trabalho apresentado no II Congresso Nacional do PROJETO RONDON, realizado em Florianópolis, SC, no período de 23 a 25 de setembro de 2015 - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.As zoonoses representam um grave risco à saúde pública e sempre é um desafio ao profissional da saúde abordar o tema, principalmente em comunidades rurais, onde o convívio com animais é muito próximo. As comunidades abrangidas pelo Projeto Rondon convivem com essa problemática e neste estudo de caso foi aplicada a técnica da dramatização como estratégia para conscientização sobre as zoonoses. O estudo de caso ocorreu durante a Operação Jenipapo, na cidade de Anajatuba, Estado do Maranhão em janeiro de 2015. As doenças abordadas foram: a raiva, a leptospirose, a toxoplasmose e dengue em quatro peças teatrais distintas envolvendo a etiologia, transmissão e prevenção de cada uma das doenças. As oficinas tiveram uma boa participação e interação em função da ludicidade em que o tema foi abordado. Ao final, as crianças foram motivadas a compor a “patrulha animal”, em que teriam de zelar pelos animais para assegurar a saúde de todos

Perfis hematológico e bioquímico de ratos (Rattus norvegicus) mantidos sob sistema de ventilação microambiental

Previous studies reported that rats (Rattus norvegicus) kept under microenvironmental ventilation systems (MEV) present better productive and health parameters when compared to animals kept under general diluting ventilation (GDV). The objective of the present research trial was to evaluate hematological and biochemical profiles of rats kept under MVS. In order to achieve this objective, two different trials were designed: Trail 1 (E1), in which it was evaluated the reproductive performance of males and females submitted to two different air speed limits - FV1, from 0.03 to 0.26 m / sec and FV2, from 0.27 to 0.80 m / sec. In Trial 2 (E2) it was evaluated different bed change intervals (3, 5, 7 and 9 days), for males kept under constant air speed (0.5 m / sec). Values for hemogram and biochemical patterns of these animals were compared to those of rats kept under GDV. Results show statistical differences in some of the studied parameters not only for the comparison between GVD and E1 and GVD and E2, but also between both groups submitted to MEV (E1 and E2). However, values found for all studied parameters are inside the normal range reported for this species, what indicates that MEV does not induce important changes in the physiological parameters evaluated.Em estudos anteriores, demonstrou-se que ratos mantidos em sistema de Ventilação Microambiental (VMA) apresentaram parâmetros de produtividade e padrão sanitário melhores do que aqueles mantidos em sistema de Ventilação Geral Diluidora (VGD). Outra etapa dos experimentos foi determinar os parâmetros fisiológicos destes animais. O presente estudo foi realizado para avaliar os perfis hematológico e bioquímico de ratos mantidos sob o sistema de VMA. Para tanto, foram realizados dois experimentos diferentes, com ratos mantidos em VMA, quais sejam: Experimento 1 (E1), no qual foi avaliado o desempenho reprodutivo de machos e fêmeas, sob duas faixas de velocidade de ar (FV1 - de 0,03 a 0,26 m/s, e FV2 - de 0,27 a 0,80 m/s); Experimento 2 (E2), no qual foram avaliados diferentes intervalos de troca de cama (3, 5, 7 e 9 dias), para ratos machos mantidos a uma velocidade de ar constante de 0,5 m/s. Os valores do hemograma e de parâmetros bioquímicos destes animais foram comparados com os valores encontrados em ratos mantidos sob VGD. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram diferenças estatísticas em alguns dos parâmetros observados, tanto entre os sistemas VGD e VMA, como entre os diferentes grupos de VMA. Contudo, os valores encontrados em todos os parâmetros avaliados encontram-se dentro de faixas de variação normal para a espécie estudada, como é descrito na literatura. Isto indica que o emprego do sistema de VMA não induz alterações relevantes nos parâmetros fisiológicos estudados

Use of intracage ventilation systems in animal facilities

The breeding and housing of animal species in intensive production systems require a higher control of the environmental variables inside the facilities, on behalf of an atmosphere that maintains a sanitary status and also promotes the well-being of the animals. The husbandry of laboratory animals is one of those productive systems in which the environmental control should be quite rigorous due to the maintenance of defined animals such as specific pathogen-free and gnotobiotics. For a long period, the control of ventilation and environmental factors of conventional animal facilities was achieved by using thermodynamic principles used for human comfort. However, in the last decades, new approaches to solve the environmental problem in animal rooms were studied, and the ventilation systems developed with base in forced convection of the air were the ones that presented the best results until the present time. Thus, this review presents, in an historical perspective, the evolution of alternative devices for caging of laboratory animals and their effects on the animals

Morphology of endothelial cells from different regions of the equine cornea

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphology of different regions of the equine cornea using optical microscopy. Both healthy eyes of eight horses, male or female, of different ages were evaluated. Corneas were stained with alizarin red vital dye and subsequently examined and photographed using optical microscopy. Corneal endothelial morphology of central, superior, inferior, temporal and nasal areas was assessed. One hundred endothelial cells from each corneal area were analyzed. The shape of the corneal endothelial cells of each corneal region was analyzed. Statistical data analysis was conducted using the Student's t test. Values of P<0.01 were considered significant. Regarding morphological analysis, no statistically significant differences were reported between the equine corneal regions analyzed. The present research suggested that there are no morphological differences between regions of the equine cornea. The values obtained in any region of the equine cornea can be extrapolated to other regions of the cornea and are representative of the cell morphology present in all regions of the cornea

The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI): validity, reliability and association with depressive symptoms and sleep-related outcomes

Objective: To translate the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) to Brazilian Portuguese, to describe its psychometric properties and to show its association with sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, risk for sleep apnea and depressive symptoms. Methods: Thirty subjects participated in the cultural adaptation and the item clarity evaluation. Twenty subjects answered the instrument in three different time-points for test-retest reliability. Eighty adult workers completed the SHI, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the STOP-BANG (S-B). Results: SHI shows an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.75), as well as a high reproducibility (intraclass correlation=0.972, p<0.01). The three final factors of confirmatory factor analysis extract an average of 48.22% of the total sample variance. Worse sleep hygiene (higher SHI score) correlated with poor sleep quality (r=0.398, p<0.001), excessive daytime sleepiness (r=0.406, p<0.001) and depressive symptoms (r=0.324, p=0.003). No correlations with S-B were found. Conclusions: SHI presents satisfactory-to-optimal psychometric properties. This instrument is useful for treatment planning and management of sleep hygiene practices. Thus, it represents a reliable way of assessing sleep hygiene quantitatively in both research and clinical settings

Hematological and biochemical profiles of rats (Rattus norvegicus) kept under microenvironmental ventilation system

Em estudos anteriores, demonstrou-se que ratos mantidos em sistema de Ventilação Microambiental (VMA) apresentaram parâmetros de produtividade e padrão sanitário melhores do que aqueles mantidos em sistema de Ventilação Geral Diluidora (VGD). Outra etapa dos experimentos foi determinar os parâmetros fisiológicos destes animais. O presente estudo foi realizado para avaliar os perfis hematológico e bioquímico de ratos mantidos sob o sistema de VMA. Para tanto, foram realizados dois experimentos diferentes, com ratos mantidos em VMA, quais sejam: Experimento 1 (E1), no qual foi avaliado o desempenho reprodutivo de machos e fêmeas, sob duas faixas de velocidade de ar (FV1 - de 0,03 a 0,26 m/s, e FV2 - de 0,27 a 0,80 m/s); Experimento 2 (E2), no qual foram avaliados diferentes intervalos de troca de cama (3, 5, 7 e 9 dias), para ratos machos mantidos a uma velocidade de ar constante de 0,5 m/s. Os valores do hemograma e de parâmetros bioquímicos destes animais foram comparados com os valores encontrados em ratos mantidos sob VGD. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram diferenças estatísticas em alguns dos parâmetros observados, tanto entre os sistemas VGD e VMA, como entre os diferentes grupos de VMA. Contudo, os valores encontrados em todos os parâmetros avaliados encontram-se dentro de faixas de variação normal para a espécie estudada, como é descrito na literatura. Isto indica que o emprego do sistema de VMA não induz alterações relevantes nos parâmetros fisiológicos estudados

Screening policies, preventive measures and in-hospital infection of COVID-19 in global surgical practices

Background In a surgical setting, COVID-19 patients may trigger in-hospital outbreaks and have worse postoperative outcomes. Despite these risks, there have been no consistent statements on surgical guidelines regarding the perioperative screening or management of COVID-19 patients, and we do not have objective global data that describe the current conditions surrounding this issue. This study aimed to clarify the current global surgical practice including COVID-19 screening, preventive measures and in-hospital infection under the COVID-19 pandemic, and to clarify the international gaps on infection control policies among countries worldwide.Methods During April 2-8, 2020, a cross-sectional online survey on surgical practice was distributed to surgeons worldwide through international surgical societies, social media and personal contacts. Main outcome and measures included preventive measures and screening policies of COVID-19 in surgical practice and centers' experiences of in-hospital COVID-19 infection. Data were analyzed by country's cumulative deaths number by April 8, 2020 (high risk, &gt;5000; intermediate risk, 100-5000; low risk, &lt;100).Results A total of 936 centers in 71 countries responded to the survey (high risk, 330 centers; intermediate risk, 242 centers; low risk, 364 centers). In the majority (71.9%) of the centers, local guidelines recommended preoperative testing based on symptoms or suspicious radiologic findings. Universal testing for every surgical patient was recommended in only 18.4% of the centers. In-hospital COVID-19 infection was reported from 31.5% of the centers, with higher rates in higher risk countries (high risk, 53.6%; intermediate risk, 26.4%; low risk, 14.8%; P&lt;0.001). Of the 295 centers that experienced in-hospital COVID-19 infection, 122 (41.4%) failed to trace it and 58 (19.7%) reported the infection originating from asymptomatic patients/staff members. Higher risk countries adopted more preventive measures including universal testing, routine testing of hospital staff and use of dedicated personal protective equipment in operation theatres, but there were remarkable discrepancies across the countries.Conclusions This large international survey captured the global surgical practice under the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted the insufficient preoperative screening of COVID-19 in the current surgical practice. More intensive screening programs will be necessary particularly in severely affected countries/institutions