Conteúdo de noradrenalina do hipotálamo e tronco-encefálico de ratos inoculados com Trypanosoma Cruzi

Noradrenaline was assayed fluorimetrically in the hypothalamus and brainstem of rats killed 20 and 32 days after inoculation with the Y strain of T. cruzi (300,000 trypomastigotes i.p.). In these animals and their normal controls the right atrial appendages were submitted to the glyoxilic acid fluorescence technique for the demonstration of noradrenergic nerves. The noradrenaline content of the brain-stem and hypothalamus of the infected animals was not significantly different from that of controls. In the atrial appendages, however, an almost complete noradrenergic denervation was observed. This result indicates that the mechanism involved in neuronal lesion in Chagas'disease discriminates between peripheral and central noradrenergic neurons.O conteúdo de noradrenalina do hipotálamo e do tronco encefálico de ratos controle e inoculados com a cepa Y (300.000 tripomastigotas, i.p.) de Trypanosoma cruzi foi medido pela técnica fluorimétrica de Anton e Sayre. Os animais foram sacrificados 20 e 32 dias depois da inoculação. Para avaliação do grau de desnervação simpática do coração dos animais infectados, a aurícula direita foi observada com microscópio de fluorescência após tratamento histoquímieo pela técnica do ácido glioxílico. O conteúdo de noradrenalina do hipotálamo e do tronco encefálico dos animais infectados não diferiu do medido nos animais controle. Contudo, um quase completo desaparecimento das fibras adrenérgicas foi observado no coração dos animais chagásicos, sugerindo que o mechanismo envolvido na lesão discrimina neurônios adrenérgicos centrais e periféricos

Sistemas de irrigação para agricultura familiar em assentamento do semi-árido baiano.

Os custos iniciais de instalação de sistemas de irrigação para o pequeno produtor sem capital são relevantes e afasta-o de tecnologias que poderiam contribuir economicamente na sua produção. O trabalho objetivou avaliar sete sistemas de irrigação de baixo custo em área plantada com bananeira cultivar Grand Naine, em um assentamento no semi-árido da Bahia. Os sistemas de irrigação implantados foram: S1- canal revestido com bacias de distribuição, S2- microaspersão, S3 - xique-xique modificado 1, S4 - xique-xique modificado 2, S5 - gotejamento, S6 - Bubbler e S7 - aspersão convencional. O delineamento experimental considerado foi em blocos casualizados com sete tratamentos e quatro repetições. Os sistemas propostos para agricultura familiar apresentaram CV considerados elevados e EU abaixo do recomendado. Os sistemas propostos para agricultura familiar, exceto para o S4 resultaram em produtividades próprias de banana irrigada por sistemas comerciais. O sistema bubbler, o canal revestido associado a bacias, o gotejamento e o xique-xique 2 apresentaram produtividades que não diferiram entre si e acima de 26,33 tha-1

Fertirrigação com alternância de fontes de nitrogênio amídica e nítrica em bananeira Grand Naine.

Como todas as culturas, a bananeira necessita de condições favoráveis para se desenvolver e obter boa produtividade, exigindo calor constante, elevada umidade relativa (>80%) e precipitações bem distribuídas (100 a 180 mm/mês) de acordo com Silva et al., (2006). Além disso, é indispensável a aplicação de fertilizantes podendo-se fazer uso da fertirrigação em áreas com cultivo irrigado. O Nitrogênio é um dos nutrientes mais absorvidos e necessários para o crescimento e produção da bananeira, pela elevada quantidade absorvida e exportada desse nutriente pelos frutos (BORGES et al, 1997; SILVA et al., 1999). Na fertirrigação nitrogenada, as fontes mais utilizadas são sais inorgânicos de amônio, nitrato e uréia, (BARBOSA FILHO et al., 2004). Essas, comparadas ao nitrato de cálcio, são de menor custo financeiro para o produtor porém, causam efeitos indesejáveis no solo tais como diminuição do pH e salinização do solo (MALAVOLTA et al., 1989). O nitrato de cálcio apresenta um índice salino baixo comparado a outras fontes de nitrogênio. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar o efeito de diferentes alternâncias de aplicação de duas fontes nitrogenadas por fertirrigação sobre as variáveis de crescimento e de produção da bananeira cv. Grande Naine.pdf 219

Irrigation cutoff on 'BRS Clara' seedless grapevines during berry ripening stage.

The seedless table grape cultivar 'BRS Clara' (Vitis vinifera L.) presents yellowish-green berries and was developed for growing in tropical regions. In Brazilian tropical areas irrigation is usually an essential tool. Irrigation cutoff during berry ripening stage is sometimes adopted by grape growers to reduce water application and to increase water use efficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the response of 'BRS Clara' grapevines to irrigation cutoff during ripening stage. The experiment was carried out in Jales, SP, Brazil (20º16'S, 50º33'W, 483m), from June to October 2010, using ?BRS Clara? plants grafted on ?IAC-572? and conducted in a overhead trellis system. The vineyard was irrigated by microsprinklers and covered with polyethylene screen, that is a common practice in the region to protect the grapes against bat and bird attacks. The soil moisture conditions were monitored employing tensiometers installed at 15 cm and 45 cm deep. The experimental design was completely randomized with two treatments, with irrigation (CI) and without irrigation (SI) during fruit ripening. Production and fruit quality variables were evaluated including berry and bunch mass, yield per plant, diameter and length of berries, soluble solids and titratable acidity. There was no difference between treatments for all parameters evaluated. In irrigation treatment (CI) it was applied 41.9 mm during the ripening period, representing 16.1% of total irrigation. The soil water potential in the CI treatment stayed near field capacity, whereas the treatment without irrigation (SI) showed a decrease trend during part of the period, reaching values closed to 70kPa. This reduction did not affect subsequent culture performance. It must be considered, however, that rainfall occurrence was registered since the last week of September and during October, rewetting the soil and approaching the soil water potential values in both treatments.Resumo expandido apresentado no 18º Simpósio Internacional GiESCO, 7 a 11 de julho de 2013, Porto

Sistemas de irrigação de baixo custo para agricultura familiar de assentamentos ribeirinhos do Semiárido.

Introdução; Caracterização da agricultura familiar de assentamentos do semiárido; Sistemas de irrigação de baixo custo para agricultura familiar; Sistema "bubbler" adaptado; Microaspersão artesanal; Xique-xique; Xique-xique modificado; Gotejamento com uso de emissores artesanais ou comerciaisde baixo custo; Bacias abastecidas por canais elevados revestidos; Irrigação por mangueira perfurada; Sistemas de irrigação localizada "garrafas PET"; Avaliação hidráulica dos sistemas de baixo custo em condições de campo;Produtividade de culturas irrigadas por sistemas de baixo custo; Experiência de campo sobre uso de sistemas de baixo custo; Considerações finais; Referências bibliográficas

Dietary tryptophan deficiency and its supplementation compromises inflammatory mechanisms and disease resistance in a teleost fish

Tryptophan participates on several physiological mechanisms of the neuroendocrine-immune network and plays a critical role in macrophages and lymphocytes function. This study intended to evaluate the modulatory effects of dietary tryptophan on the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) immune status, inflammatory response and disease resistance to Photobacterium damselae piscicida. A tryptophan deficient diet (NTRP); a control diet (CTRL); and two other diets supplemented with tryptophan at 0.13% (TRP13) and 0.17% (TRP17) of feed weight were formulated. Fish were sampled at 2 and 4 weeks of feeding and the remaining were i.p. injected with Phdp (3 × 106 cfu/fish) at 4 weeks and the inflammatory response (at 4, 24, 48 and 72 hours post-infection) as well as survival were evaluated. Results suggest that fish immune status was not altered in a tryptophan deficient scenario whereas in response to an inflammatory insult, plasma cortisol levels increased and the immune cell response was compromised, which translated in a lower disease resistance. When dietary tryptophan was offered 30% above its requirement level, plasma cortisol increased and, in response to bacterial infection, a decrease in lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages and several immune-related genes was observed, also compromising at some degree fish disease resistance.This work was partially supported by Projects ALISSA (reference ALG-01-0247-FEDER-3520), IF/00197/2015 and INFLAMMAA (reference 02/SAICT/2017/032349), financed by Portugal and the European Union through FEDER, COMPETE 2020 and CRESC Algarve 2020, in the framework of Portugal 2020, and through the COMPETE and Operational Human Potential Programmes and national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal). M. Machado and B. Costas were supported by FCT, Portugal (SFRH/ BD/108243/2015 and IF/00197/2015, respectively). The authors also acknowledge Dr. Nuno Santos (i3S/IBMC) for critically reviewing the manuscript

Dietary methionine improves the european seabass (dicentrarchus labrax) immune status, inflammatory response, and disease resistance

Methionine presents a pivotal role in the regulation of many cellular events with crucial impact on the immune system, such as in processes involved in the control of inflammation and polyamines synthesis. Accordingly, the present study aimed to assess the modulatory effects of dietary methionine on the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) immune status, inflammatory response and disease resistance to Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp). For this purpose, fish were randomly distributed in three independent groups (three replicates per group) and each was fed the corresponding diet: a control diet (CTRL) formulated to meet the established amino acid requirements for the species; a diet supplemented with methionine at 0.5% of feed weight relative to the CTRL diet (8.2% of methionine concentration above CTRL); and one supplemented with methionine at 1% of feed weight to the CTRL diet (11.8% of methionine concentration above CTRL). To evaluate the immune status of fish fed with each of the diets before being submitted to bacterial infection fish were sampled from each group at 2 and 4 weeks after the beginning of feeding. Non- sampled fish were injected intraperitoneally with Phdp (5 × 103 cfu/fish) at 4 weeks after initiation of feeding and the inflammatory response (at 4, 24, and 48 h post-infection) and survival (lasting 21 days post-infection) evaluated. Fish hematological profile, peripheral cell dynamics, plasma humoral immune parameters, leucocyte migration to the inflammatory focus and head-kidney gene expression were evaluated. Results show that methionine dietary supplementation improves seabass cellular immune status without evidence of activation of pro-inflammatory mechanisms. Additionally, the observed enhanced immune status provided by methionine supplementation translated into an improved immune response to infection, as higher cellular differentiation/proliferation and recruitment toThis work was partially supported by Projects ALISSA (reference ALG-01-0247-FEDER-3520) and F/00197/2015, financed by Portugal and the European Union through FEDER, COMPETE 2020 and CRESC Algarve 2020, in the framework of Portugal 2020, and through the COMPETE and Operational Human Potential Programmes and national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal). MM and BC were supported by FCT, Portugal (SFRH/BD/108243/2015 and IF/00197/2015, respectively). The authors also acknowledge Dr. Nuno Santos and Dr. Ana do Vale (i3S/IBMC) support during the study and for critically reviewing the manuscript

Pet ownership during the first 5 years after breast cancer diagnosis in the NEON-BC cohort

Background Although human-animal interactions (HAI) have been associated with health benefits, they have not been extensively studied among cancer patients nor which factors may influence HAI during cancer survivorship. Therefore, this study aims to describe pet ownership in a breast cancer cohort within 5 years post-diagnosis and to identify associated factors. Methods Four hundred sixty-six patients from the NEON-BC cohort were evaluated. Four groups of pet ownership over the 5 years were defined: 'never had', 'stopped having', 'started having' and 'always had'. Multinomial logistic regression was used to quantify the association between the patient characteristics and the groups defined (reference: 'never had'). Results 51.7% of patients had pets at diagnosis, which increased to 58.4% at 5 years; dogs and cats were the most common. Women presenting depressive symptoms and poor quality of life were more likely to stop having pets. Older and unpartnered women were less likely to start having pets. Those retired, living outside Porto, having diabetes or having owned animals during adulthood were more likely to start having pets. Women with higher education and unpartnered were less likely to always have pets. Those living in larger households, with other adults or having animals throughout life, were more likely to always have pets. Obese women had lower odds of stopping having dogs/cats. Women submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and longer chemotherapy treatments were more likely to stop having dogs/cats. Conclusions Pet ownership changed over the 5 years and is influenced by sociodemographic, clinical and treatment characteristics, patient-reported outcomes and past pet ownership, reflecting the importance of HAI during cancer survivorship.This work was funded by FEDER through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization and national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology-FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education) under the project 'A five-year prospective cohort study on the neurological complications of breast cancer: frequency and impact in patient-reported outcomes' (POCI-01-0145-FEDER016867, Ref. PTDC/DTP-EPI/7183/2014), and national funding from FCT under the Unidade de Investigacao em Epidemiologia-Instituto de Saude Publica da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit) (UIDB/04750/2020). Individual grants attributed to NA (SFRH/BD/119390/2016) and FF (SFRH/BD/92630/2013) were funded by FCT and the 'Programa Operacional Capital Humano' (POCH/FSE). Data management activities up to the first year of follow-up were supported by the Chair on Pain Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto and by the Grunenthal Foundation-Portugal

Mudanças ocorridas na população de quatro espécies arbóreas da família Humiriaceae em consequência da exploração florestal de impacto reduzido, no Município de Paragominas, PA.

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