Programa Bolsa Família no Semiárido e análise dos discursos demonizadores construídos pela Igreja Católica

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar como se configura a ação dos discursos “demonizadores” construídos pela Igreja Católica em relação ao Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) na região semiárida da Paraíba. A metodologia é qualitativa, examinando-se discursos produzidos por representantes da Igreja Católica. Encontrou-se elementos de desqualificação e condenação ao mesmo tempo em que exaltam o tradicional mecanismo de assistencialismo católico – enunciado em torno do discurso da caridade. A perspectiva teórica adotada se inspira em Simmel ([1905]1998); Singer (2012; 2016) e Bello (2016). Dentre as conclusões destacamos: a) a articulação de um discurso avaliativo do PBF com efeitos negativos construídos por um ideário neoliberal, da caridade e de um assistencialismo reinventado; e b) a proposta de maior racionalização burocrática no processo de cadastramento e recadastramento das famílias a serem beneficiadas com o referido programa

Could heart rate variability be associated with weight bearing asymmetries in cerebrovascular diseases?

Introduction: Cerebrovascular diseases result in sensory-motor deficits disturbing postural control that is observed by weight-bearing asymmetries commonly named as hemiparesis. Besides hemiparetic impairments, first observed after stroke, many studies have pointed cardiac failure and risk of sudden death as the main factors responsible for death of stroke survivars. This case series characterized weight-bearing asymmetries and heart rate variability, and describes relationships between these parameters in hemiparesis. Case Series: Brazilian male subjects with chronic hemiparesis acquired after ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery. Five were selected to study heart rate variability obtained by Root Mean Square Successive Difference. Also, weight-bearing asymmetries were measured by Symmetry Ratio calculated by weight-bearing recorded between each foot. The Symmetry Ratio was 1.1±0.43 for all cases presenting a symmetry case (n = 1) and different types of asymmetries cases (n = 4) during upright position. Root Mean Square Successive Difference was 9.9±3.4, presenting strong and significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation with age and a strong but not significant (0.05 < p < 0.10) negative correlation with hemiparesis chronicity. A strong but not significant negative correlation was observed between the Root Mean Square Successive Difference and the Symmetry Rate values. Conclusion: A characteristic pattern of heart rate variability for patients with cerebrovascular disease was observed in these cases, associated significantly with age. Still, this behavior seems to be influenced by chronicity and by different types of asymmetries in the distribution of weight bearing that could be investigated in more appropriate clinical research designs

DÉFICIT NUTRICIONAL EM RATOS WISTAR

A desnutrição causa diversos tipos de alterações, síndromes e doenças, afetando de forma generalizada ou não, vários parâmetros do indivíduo. Diante disso, o presente estudo objetivou avaliar os efeitos da restrição alimentar, em curto prazo, sobre parâmetros físicos, bioquímicos, hematológicos e histológicos em ratos Wistar. Para isso, fêmeas adultas com aproximadamente 90 dias de idade foram submetidas ao processo de restrição alimentar utilizando uma dieta contendo 6% de proteína. Já os animais do grupo controle foram aqueles alimentados com dieta comercial padrão contendo 19% de proteína. Após o estabelecimento da desnutrição, indicada pela diferença entre as massas corpóreas dos animais estudados, estes foram submetidos à eutanásia, tendo sido avaliada a massa absoluta e relativa do fígado, baço, coração, pâncreas, cérebro, rins e pulmões e glândulas suprarrenais, parâmetros bioquímicos e hematológicos, assim como a histologia do baço, fígado e rins desses animais. Os animais do grupo desnutrição apresentaram diminuição da concentração de leucócitos, triglicérides e lipoproteínas de muito baixa densidade (VLDL) e maior massa relativa do fígado, com presença de alterações histopatológicas incipientes quando comparados com os respectivos controles. Estes dados sugerem que a restrição alimentar, em curto prazo, é capaz de induzir o quadro de desnutrição e ocasionar sinais de alterações no fígado, mas não ocasiona alterações bioquímicas e hematológicas generalizada

Polyethylene microplastics are ingested and induce biochemical changes in Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) freshwater insect larvae

Although microplastics’ (MPs) toxicity has been reported in several aquatic and terrestrial organisms, the knowledge about how these pollutants can affect insects at the early developmental stage remains incipient. Thus, the aim of this study was to use Culex quinquefasciatus larvae as a model system to test the hypothesis that, besides accumulating in animals, polyethylene microplastics (PE MPs) lead to biochemical changes predictive of nutritional impacts, as well as induce oxidative stress, redox state imbalance, and neurotoxicity in them. Our results have indicated that short exposure to PE MPs (5 days) at the environmental concentration of 4.24 x 106 particles m-3 induced changes suggesting damage to energy metabolism such as reduced total proteins, total soluble carbohydrates, and triglycerides levels. In addition, increased thiobarbituric acid reactive species, in association with reduced total glutathione and DPPH radical scavenging activity (%) have suggested an imbalance between oxide-reducing agents and antioxidant defense system, induced by pollutant. On the other hand, increased acetylcholinesterase activity has suggested the neurotoxic effect of PE MPs. Finally, PE MPs have accumulated in the larvae, and it may have been a triggering factor for the observed changes. Thus, our study has confirmed the potential of C. quinquefasciatus larvae to act as vector of MPs in different ecosystems and helped improving the knowledge about how PE MPs can affect their development and lead to losses in different ecological functions of this species

Toxicidade aguda em camundongos BALB/c expostos a efluentes de curtume

O processamento da pele bovina constitui uma das atividades industriais que geram resíduos altamente tóxicos, por conterem elevadas concentrações de metais pesados, como cromo, cádmio, níquel e chumbo. Sabe-se que o descarte inadequado desses efluentes no ambiente pode incorrer em consequências danosas aos organismos de magnitude complexa e pouco conhecida. Nesse contexto, objetivou-se com o presente estudo determinar doses potencialmente letais de efluentes de curtume, por meio da indução de toxicidade aguda em camundongos da linhagem BALB/c, acompanhada de uma avaliação de parâmetros físicos (massa corpórea e massa relativa de distintos órgãos), bioquímicos e comportamentais. 24 fêmeas de camundongos BALB/c foram distribuídas em grupos que receberam, pela via intraperitoneal, duas doses fracionadas de efluentes de curtume (wet blue), diluídos em água, que totalizaram as seguintes doses: 11,25%, 22,5% e 45%. O grupo controle recebeu apenas soro fisiológico. Os encontrados neste estudo não apontam para qualquer alteração física na massa corpórea dos animais, tampouco nas massas relativas do fígado, baço, timo e rins. Além disso, nenhuma mudança comportamental pelo screening hipocrático foi observada nos animais, com exceção de um animal do grupo 45% que foi a óbito no 3º dia de avaliação, o que corresponde para essa dose uma concentração de efluente de curtume que mata 16,66% dos animais, não sendo possível calcular a DL50. Em relação aos parâmetros bioquímicos, foi observada uma diminuição nas concentrações séricas da enzima fosfatase alcalina nos animais que receberam efluentes de curtume, em relação ao grupo controle. Logo, conclui-se que efluentes de curtume do tipo wet blue, administrados intraperitonealmente, em fêmeas de camundongos BALB/c não causam sinais evidentes de toxicidade aguda nos animais. A DL16,16 foi obtida apenas para a maior dose de efluente pré-estabelecida (45%)

Short-term grazing and its impacts on soil and pasture degradation

The objective was to verify possible modifications of the soil structure and the pattern of the spectral response of pasture vegetation cover to animal trampling. The study was carried out on a farm in the Agreste region of Pernambuco, Brazil in an area with continuous grazing by heifers. Soil samples were collected at 36 regular points, before and after the grazing period, where the physical properties of the soil were determined at a 0.00—0.10 m depth. Before and after grazing, images of the Sentinel-2A satellite were also obtained to observe the pasture vegetation response pattern over time through Vegetation Indexes. The soil attribute data were submitted to multivariate factorial analysis. The vegetation index maps were evaluated for spatial variability. The results showed that after the grazing, there was a significant change in soil attributes and pasture, which can indicate possible degradation processesEl objetivo fue verificar las posibles modificaciones de la estructura del suelo y el patrón de la respuesta espectral de la cubierta vegetal de los pastizales en función del pisoteo de los animales. El estudio se llevó a cabo en una granja en la región Agreste de Pernambuco, Brasil. En un área manejada bajo pastoreo continuo de vaquillas. Se recolectaron muestras de suelo en 36 puntos regulares, antes y después del período de pastoreo, donde se determinaron las propiedades físicas del suelo en la profundidad de 0.00-0.10 m. Antes y después del pastoreo, también se obtuvieron imágenes del satélite Sentinel-2A para observar el patrón de respuesta de la vegetación del pasto a lo largo del tiempo a través de los Índices de Vegetación. Los datos de los atributos del suelo se sometieron a análisis factorial multivariado. Los mapas del índice de vegetación se evaluaron para determinar la variabilidad espacial. Los resultados mostraron que después del pastoreo, hubo un cambio significativo en los atributos del suelo y el pasto, que puede indicar posibles procesos de degradació

ESTUDO PRELIMINAR DE PARADIGMA DE ESTRESSE PREDATÓRIO PARA INDUÇÃO DE ANSIEDADE EM CAMUNDONGOS SWISS

In this study we modified the predatory stress paradigms to determine if a simple and new predatory stress paradigm could produce anxiety-like behaviour  in  female Swiss  mice, exposed to male Wistar rat.  We hypothesized that the stressor employed would induce anxiety in the short-term in mice. In addition, we assessed the behavioral effects of the paradigm as much as 12 days after the conclusion of the stress exposure and demonstrate lasting effects of the predatory stress exposure on behavior.  Collectively, the data presented here demonstrate that the  rat-on-mouse predatory  stress  paradigm  causes  changes in behavior of female Swiss mice  following  a  12  day  exposure  to  the  chronic  stress paradigm

Histopathological assessment of C57Bl/J mice organs exposed to tannery effluents

Abstract The effluent produced in tanneries can cause environmental damage and public health problems when disposed of improperly. However, few toxicological studies have evaluated the effects of the intake of tannery wastewater by mammals. The objective of this study is the histological assessment of organs of C57Bl/J mice exposed to the intake of different concentrations of raw tannery effluents, beginning with the hypothesis that these effluents can cause damage to the histological structure of the organs. The animals were divided into the following groups: control (0% effluent) and exposed to 0.1%, 1%, and 5% raw tannery effluent diluted in water, for a period of 120 days. For the histopathological evaluations, samples of the liver, kidney, spleen, heart, and lung were collected, fixed, and stained by the hematoxylin and eosin staining techniques. No anomalies were observed in kidney, spleen, heart, and lung fragments. Alterations were observed only in liver fragments. Moderate hydropic degeneration was detected in animals exposed to tannery effluents, mainly in the periportal space. A large number of necrotic hepatocytes (p<0.05) were detected, especially in animals exposed to higher tannery effluent concentrations. Further, the largest number of hepatocytes with karyomegaly (p<0.05) was observed in animals exposed to the highest effluent concentrations. Our study suggests that the observed alterations are related to the intake of tannery effluents and that these effluents cause changes that lead to an increase of free radical production and direct aggressions to hepatocyte membranes as well as to the appearance of hepatocellular karyomegaly

Histopathological assessment of C57Bl/J mice organs exposed to tannery effluents

The effluent produced in tanneries can cause environmental damage and public health problems when disposed of improperly. However, few toxicological studies have evaluated the effects of the intake of tannery wastewater by mammals. The objective of this study is the histological assessment of organs of C57Bl/J mice exposed to the intake of different concentrations of raw tannery effluents, beginning with the hypothesis that these effluents can cause damage to the histological structure of the organs. The animals were divided into the following groups: control (0% effluent) and exposed to 0.1%, 1%, and 5% raw tannery effluent diluted in water, for a period of 120 days. For the histopathological evaluations, samples of the liver, kidney, spleen, heart, and lung were collected, fixed, and stained by the hematoxylin and eosin staining techniques. No anomalies were observed in kidney, spleen, heart, and lung fragments. Alterations were observed only in liver fragments. Moderate hydropic degeneration was detected in animals exposed to tannery effluents, mainly in the periportal space. A large number of necrotic hepatocytes (p<0.05) were detected, especially in animals exposed to higher tannery effluent concentrations. Further, the largest number of hepatocytes with karyomegaly (p<0.05) was observed in animals exposed to the highest effluent concentrations. Our study suggests that the observed alterations are related to the intake of tannery effluents and that these effluents cause changes that lead to an increase of free radical production and direct aggressions to hepatocyte membranes as well as to the appearance of hepatocellular karyomegaly

Determinação de doses letais de efluente de curtume em camundongos C57Bl/6J

A determinação de doses letais de substâncias é um importante parâmetro em estudos toxicológicos. Até então, não há na literatura conhecimento de estudos que tenham definido as doses letais de efluentes de curtume em modelos experimentais mamíferos. Assim, objetivou-se com este estudo determinar doses letais de efluentes de curtume em camundongos C57Bl/6J, considerando completa ausência de estudos dessa natureza em modelos experimentais mamíferos. Para isso, camundongos receberam, intraperitonealmente, por 5 dias consecutivos, injeções de concentrações de 100%, 75%, 50% e 25% de efluentes de curtume, diluídas em água (para as fêmeas); e 44%, 38%, 32% e 26% de efluentes de curtume (para os machos). Verificou-se que a concentração de 25% de efluentes de curtume administradas intraperitonealmente mostra-se inócuas a fêmeas de camundongos C57Bl/6J e que doses de até 44% de efluentes de curtume, não evidenciam sinais de toxicidade aguda em camundongos machos da mesma linhagem. Este estudo tem caráter incipiente e, portanto, sugere-se a realização de novas investigações, envolvendo diferentes vias de administração do resíduo, diferentes tipos de efluentes de curtume (brutos ou tratados) e variadas espécies de animais, considerando que xenobióticos podem ter diferentes mecanismos de ação em diferentes espécies e linhagens de roedores avaliadas