Particularities in the chemical restraint and anesthesia of snakes

Atualmente observa-se um crescente aumento no interesse em répteis, seja como instrumentos de pesquisa ou animais de estimação. A contenção química e anestesia em serpentes é uma ciência pouco estudada, e sua utilização se faz necessária na maioria dos procedimentos clínicos e cirúrgicos, principalmente em espécies grandes e peçonhentas. É imprescindível um interesse especial pela anatomia e fisiologia desse grupo de répteis, uma vez que eles são delicados e vulneráveis aos efeitos adversos do uso inadequado da anestesia, não sendo possível, em muitos casos, extrapolar doses e resultados dos animais domésticos. A anestesia inalatória, principalmente com isoflurano, tem se tornado a prática padrão para serpentes, pois é mais segura e a recuperação do animal é mais rápida. Os agentes injetáveis, tais como fenotiazínicos, benzodiazepínicos, agonistas α2-adrenérgicos, opioides e propofol em associação com a cetamina também podem ser utilizados para a indução e manutenção da anestesia. Os agentes bloqueadores neuromusculares e o frio (hipotermia) são ainda utilizados por alguns profissionais para imobilização de serpentes, no entanto, esses não produzem qualquer efeito analgésico ou anestésico; sendo, hoje em dia, considerado inaceitável o seu uso para esses fins. A anestesia local pode ser utilizada em serpentes e proporciona uma analgesia adicional além de, reduzir a quantidade do agente anestésico utilizado. A escolha do protocolo anestésico depende de vários fatores, tais como o estado do animal, o tipo e a duração do procedimento a ser realizado e o custo dos agentes utilizados. Sem dúvida, os agentes de escolha para as serpentes (e répteis em geral) são os anestésicos que tenham metabolização rápida.Nowadays a crescent increase has been observed on the interest for reptiles such as instruments of survey or pets. Chemical restraint and anesthesia in snakes is a science a little studied, and its application is necessary in most of the clinical and surgical procedures, especially, in large and venomous species. It is indispensable an special interest for anatomy and physiology in this group of reptiles, once that they are delicates and vulnerable to adverse effects of inadequate anesthesia using, being not possible, to many cases, extrapolate doses and results from domestic animals. Inhalational anesthesia, mainly with isoflurane, has become standard practice to snakes, because it is safer and the animal recovery is faster. Injectables agents such as phenothiazine, benzodiazepines, alpha2-agonist, opioids, propofol associated also with ketamine should be used for anesthesia induction and maintenance. Neuromuscular blockers agents and cold (hypothermia) are still used by some professionals to snakes immobilization, however this doesn’t make whatever analgesic or anesthetic effects, being actually, considered unacceptable its use for such purposes. Local anesthesia can be performed in snakes and provides additional analgesia, beyond decrease the amount of anesthetic agent used. The choice of anesthetic protocol depend on many factors, such as animal status, the kind of procedure and the procedure time to be done and the cost of the used agents. No doubt, the chosen agents for snakes (and reptiles in general) are anesthetics that have fast metabolism

Sustainable Development of Tajikistan: Perspectives for Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO)

Energy efficiency is one the most pressing objectives of the XXI century. Energy efficiency is an intrinsic part of sustainable development of any country. But it is especially crucial for country like Tajikistan, which has an inefficient energy use pattern as a result of the legacy of Soviet era. Energy resources required for economic development can be obtained not only through increased extraction of raw materials, but also through improved energy efficiency at the demand side. Tajikistan imports about 35 percent of its energy needs, which makes the country extremely energy-dependent. That leads to an obvious inference that for Tajikistan to get on a sustainable development path, it is highly important to improve its energy efficiency and increase its energy security. The biggest energy consumer in Tajikistan is the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO). According to the World Bank Energy Audit estimates from 2012, TALCO is the single largest power end-user in the country, which consumes 39 percent of total electricity generated. This research will explore the energy efficiency potential of TALCO. The research will use a core set of Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development (EISD) developed by UNDESA, the IEA, Eurostat and the European Environment Agency (EEA) to measure selected aspects of production and use of energy in TALCO. In particular, the research will focus on two of three dimensions of the EISD: Economic and Environmental dimensions. The objective of the research is to define the progress or the lack of progress towards sustainable development in Tajikistan. The research will provide information on current energy-related trends in the selected country and will attempt to provide a set of recommendation on alternatives and strategies to promote efficient and sustainable energy development

Hipospadia em dois gatos : relato de caso

Hypospadias is an uncommon sexual development disorder in cats, in which the urethral opening is not in its anatomical location on the penis. The purpose of this report is to describe two cases of hypospadias in the feline species. The first cat was asymptomatic, had a history of bacterial cystitis, and was diagnosed with perineal hypospadias at an appointment for preoperative evaluation of orchiectomy. The second cat had clinical signs of dysuria and pollakiuria for 30 days and had glandular hypospadias. Both cats showed abnormalities in the urinalysis which were suggestive of lower urinary tract disease. For both cases, clinical treatment with antibiotic therapy was performed. In the first patient, surgical treatment consisted of orchiectomy, while in the second animal a perineal urethrostomy and orchiectomy were performed. The cats had a satisfactory recovery after the treatments. Performing a thorough physical examination is essential to diagnose cases of hypospadias and choose the best treatment for each patient.A hipospadia é uma desordem do desenvolvimento sexual pouco comum nos gatos, na qual a abertura uretral não está em sua localização anatômica do pênis. O objetivo do presente relato é descrever dois casos de hipospadia em felinos domésticos. O primeiro gato era assintomático, tinha histórico de cistite bacteriana prévio, e foi diagnosticado com hipospadia perineal em uma consulta para avaliação pré-cirúrgica de orquiectomia. O segundo gato apresentava sinais clínicos de disúria e polaquiúria há 30 dias e apresentava hipospadia glandular. A partir dos exames complementares, pôde-se observar que os animais, além do defeito anatômico, apresentavam alterações sugestivas de doença do trato urinário inferior. Para ambos os casos, foi realizado o tratamento clínico inicial com antibioticoterapia. No primeiro paciente, optou-se pelo procedimento de orquiectomia, enquanto no segundo animal foram realizadas as técnicas de uretrostomia perineal e orquiectomia. Os gatos mostraram recuperação satisfatória após os tratamentos instituídos. Dessa forma, pode-se observar a importância de se realizar um exame físico minucioso a fim de diagnosticar os casos de hipospadia e escolher o tratamento correto para cada paciente

Suíno como modelo experimental na pesquisa biomédica: valores fisiológicos normais

Background:   The use of animals in biomedical research is of great importance. It is fundamental for the development and improvement of new practices and technologies. The selection of the species must take into consideration the practicality of handling and the suitability for the experiment, and it must have low operational costs. Swine are important as an experimental model in several experiment areas, because the functionality of many of their organic systems is developed similarly as it is in humans. Swine are animals that become easily stressed. For that reason, their conditioning is necessary to allow the obtainment of data that is closer to normal parameters. This study aims at reporting the physiological values obtained from awake swine, under normal conditions and minimum stress. Materials, Methods & Results: The animals were maintained under ideal environmental conditions, and they were always handled and conditioned by the same persons. Twenty crossbred swine were evaluated, aged between 60 and 90 days and with a body mass ranging between 17 and 25 kg. The parameters considered were cardiac frequency (FC),  emoglobin oxygen saturation (pulse oxymetry – SPO2), respiratory frequency (fR), end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2), systolic (PAM), diastolic (PAD) and mean (PAM) arterial pressure and arterial blood gas values – pH, arterial pressure of CO2 (PACO2), arterial pressure of O2 (PAO2), total CO2 (TCO2), base excess (EB), bicarbonate (HCO3) and O2 saturation (SATO2). The experiment was developed in compliance with the Standards of Animal Ethics and Welfare recommended by the National Council on the Control of Animal Experiments and with Law 11.794 of October 2008, being further approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. To obtain the FC, fR, ETCO2 and SPO2 values, 20 animal samples were used. FC presented mean values (± standard deviation) of 134 ± 20.67 beats per minute (bpm), showing a maximum value of 180 bpm and a minimum of 103 bpm. The mean fR was 24.5 ± 5.61 breaths per minute (bpm), with a maximum value of 34 bpm and a minimum of 14 bpm, and SPO2 was 96 ± 2.10 %. Moreover, the values obtained in the analysis of exhaled gases showed a ETCO2 at 44.6 ± 5.41 mmHg, with a maximum value of 53 mmHg and minimum value of 34 mmHg. The arterial pressure was obtained from 19 animals, yielding the following values: 135.8 ± 16.29 mmHg for systolic pressure, 81.6 ± 14.10 mmHg for diastolic pressure and 103.3 ± 12.65 mmHg for mean pressure. Samples from 18 animals were used to measure the arterial blood gas. The values obtained were as follows: 7.497 ± 0.019 for Mean pH , 41.7 ± 6.95 mmHg for partial O2 pressure, 90.65 ± 2.5 mmHg for partial CO2 pressure, 32.8 ± 2.18 mmol/L for total CO2, 7.57 ± 1.9 mmol/L for base excess, 31.5 ± 2.12 mmol/L for bicarbonate and 97.55 ± 0.64 for oxygen saturation. Discussion: The animals seemed submissive and able to be conditioned and therefore it was easy to obtain basal values. These data were slightly different from the values obtained in other studies, thus becoming more reliable to be used as parameters in exsperiments employing this species. There seem to be interspecies differences when one intends to make a comparison with human beings. Values such as O2 concentration in arterial blood are normally lower in swine, possibly due to a lower hemoglobin concentration and a higher body temperature in the species. Despite some differences, there are many physiological similarities with human beings, which allows for the conclusion that swine is a great species to be employed in the biomedical research

Mesenchymal stem cells applied to the inflammatory and proliferative phases of wound healing

A cicatrização de feridas é um processo que requer a interação de várias células da derme e epiderme. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar qual o momento da aplicação das células das ADSCs em feridas cutâneas agudas que faria diferença na cicatrização nos primeiros sete dias da lesão. As células-tronco foram isoladas do tecido adiposo de camundongos C57Bl/6 GFP+. Para tanto, foram utilizados 49 camundongos C57Bl/6, divididos em quatro grupos: grupo I (GI/controle; n=14); grupo II (GII; n=14): ADSCs injetadas no d0; grupo III (GIII; n=14): ADSCs injetadas no terceiro dia; e Grupo IV (GIV; n=7): ADSCs injetadas no quinto dia. As avaliações clínicas ocorreram nos dias zero, três, cinco e sete, e as histopatológicas nos dias cinco e sete. Na metodologia proposta, foi observado que o uso de ADSCs aumenta a vascularização, a formação de tecido de granulação, a colagenização e incrementa o número de folículos pilosos em apenas sete dias de avaliação. Além disso, o momento da aplicação das células não repercutiu diferenças significativas nas fases inflamatória e proliferativa do processo de cicatrização das feridas cutâneas.Wound healing is a process that requires the interaction of various cells in the dermis and epidermis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the action of ADSCs in the treatment of acute wounds in order to understand if application time of the cells results in a difference in healing the first seven days of injury. The stem cells were isolated from adipose tissue of C57BL / 6 mice GFP +. Thus, we used 49 mice C57BL / 6 divided into four groups: Group I (GI / control, n=14); Group II (GII; n=14): ADSCs injected to the d0; Group III (GIII; n=14): ADSCs injected on the 3rd day, and Group IV (GIV; n=7): ADSCs injected day 5(d5). Clinical evaluations were performed on days 0, 3, 5 and 7 and the histopathology on days 5 and 7. In the proposed methodology, the use of ADSCs increased vascularization, formation of granulation tissue, collagen deposition and increases the number of hair follicles in just seven days of evaluation. In addition, the time of application of the cells did not affect significant differences in the inflammatory and the proliferative phase of wound healing skin