A list of land plants of Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Brazil, highlights the presence of sampling gaps within this protected area

Brazilian protected areas are essential for plant conservation in the Atlantic Forest domain, one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. A major challenge for improving conservation actions is to know the plant richness, protected by these areas. Online databases offer an accessible way to build plant species lists and to provide relevant information about biodiversity. A list of land plants of “Parque Nacional do Caparaó” (PNC) was previously built using online databases and published on the website "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil." Here, we provide and discuss additional information about plant species richness, endemism and conservation in the PNC that could not be included in the List. We documented 1,791 species of land plants as occurring in PNC, of which 63 are cited as threatened (CR, EN or VU) by the Brazilian National Red List, seven as data deficient (DD) and five as priorities for conservation. Fifity-one species were possible new ocurrences for ES and MG states

"Mini-hospital Veterinário"

O objetivo é transmitir de forma lúdica os conhecimentos de guarda responsável, cuidados com os animais e zoonoses ao público infantil. Esse projeto é articulado através de modelos didáticos, que simulam um animal doméstico ou selvagem, para que as crianças tenham contato direto com os problemas rotineiros que os afetam, e as possíveis soluções que devem ser tomadas para o bem estar do animal. São simulados alguns ambientes internos do hospital veterinário (por isso o apelido "mini-hospital veterinário"), como o setor de isolamento de doenças infecciosas, o setor de cirurgia, o setor de clínica médica, e um laboratório para realização de exames. As crianças têm participação direta na execução das tarefas e resolução dos problemas. Os participantes são divididos em grupos de 5 e as atividades são posicionadas de um modo que possa ser realizado um rodízio adequado para a resolução dos casos clínicos. Para que o rodízio ocorra como planejado, é fornecida para as crianças uma ficha de controle de atividades. Os modelos didáticos foram confeccionados pelos alunos do projeto. Para as crianças se sentirem como médicos veterinários foram também confeccionadas vestimentas em TNT, e são utilizadas toucas e máscaras descartáveis e luvas de procedimento. A maioria das crianças que participam se mostra muito empolgada e, durante cada atividade, surgem diversas perguntas por parte delas, mostrando que o interesse pelo tema é despertado. Com os ensinamentos ao público infantil, além de garantir uma geração mais consciente e madura a respeito dos temas abordados, é possível melhorar a conduta de quem realmente pode mudar o presente, os adultos, pois as crianças transmitem o que aprendem a seus familiares. Os professores dessas crianças, mesmo não sendo o público alvo, também se interessam em aprender, pois muitos dos temas são importantes e de baixa divulgação popular. Ao fim, a análise da última atividade proposta, que consiste na pergunta sobre o que elas mais gostaram e na elaboração de um desenho, possibilita perceber o que mais chama a atenção do público alvo, que são as atividades com mais atrativos, ou seja, que permitem maior participação ativa. Assim, podemos melhorar nossos modelos e a forma como os conceitos são transmitidos, a cada grupo de crianças que participa. O objetivo de se colocar esta atividade no REA é o "Mini-hospital" possa servir de base para outras Universidades que queiram desenvolver projetos semelhantes

Vasovagal tonus index in dog with myxomatous mitral valve disease

ABSTRACT: The vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) is a useful and assessable index, obtained from standard ECG recordings, that is used to estimate heart rate variability (HRV), and may provide valuable information regarding the likelihood of progression into congestive heart failure (CHF). In this paperwork, we investigated how the vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) behaves in dogs with naturally-occurring myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) Electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings and echocardiographic data of 120 patients diagnosed with MMVD were reviewed. The VVTI was calculated from twenty consecutive RR intervals for each dog enrolled in the study. Lower VVTI values were found in MMVD patients in American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) stage C compared with stages B1 and B2. Values were also lower in patients with severe cardiac remodeling. When a cut-off value of 6.66 is used, VVTI was able to discriminate MMVD patients in stage C from B1 and B2 dogs with a sensitivity of 70 per cent and a specificity of 77 per cent. MMVD dogs in which VVTI is lower than 6.66 are 30% more likely to develop congestive heart failure (CHF)

P wave dispersion in obese dogs with and without mitral valve disease

ABSTRACT: Pwave dispersion (Pd) is an electrocardiographic index defined as the difference between the minimum and maximum Pwave duration in multiple leads. The augmentation of Pd reflects the discontinuous and inhomogeneous atrial depolarization resulting from cardiac and non-cardiac conditions. In humans, an increased Pd is associated with the development of cardiac arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation. To investigate Pd in obese dogs, we enrolled 76 dogs, which were classified in four distinct categories according to body condition and the existance of valve insufficiency: obese dogs (O), dogs with both obesity and cardiac disease (O+CD), lean dogs with cardiac disease (CD) and healthy controls (H). To be included in the study, all dogs underwent an electrocardiographic and echocardiographic assessment. We reported significantly higher Pd in the animals included in categories O, O+CD and CD (18.0±7.6ms, 16.1±4.4ms, 12.1±4.3ms, respectively) as compared to the healthy subjects (7.3±2.2ms). Also, significant correlations between Pd and both the body mass index and body fat percentage were documented for the obese dogs. However, no association between Pd and LA/Ao could be identified in patients belonging to the O, O+CD and H categories. Thus, we have demonstrated that obese dogs, regardless of their valvular competency status, present high Pd values, suggesting an impaired propagation of atrial electrical impulse

Matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 in rabbits with doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy

ABSTRACT: Some studies have shown the role played by matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. In this study, we sought to investigate how plasma and myocardial MMP 2 and 9 perform in rabbits with doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy, searching for a correlation between the activity of these collagenases and cardiac remodeling. Cardiomyopathy was induced by doxorubicin given intravenously twice a week for six consecutive weeks. Plasma MMP activity and the echocardiogram were assessed at baseline, and at 15 and 45 days after first injection of doxorubicin. The myocardial activity of these enzymes was solely evaluated in nine rabbits at 45 days, and results were compared with nine healthy controls. We only identified the full-length forms of both MMP 2 and 9 throughout the study. The plasma pro-MMP 2 reduced along the deterioration of cardiac function, while the pro-MMP 9 increased significantly at T45 as compared to baseline and T15. A negative significant correlation was found to exist between the plasma activity of pro-MMP 2 and mitral E-to-mitral septal annular early diastolic velocity ratio, which is an estimate of mean left atrial pressure and congestion. Only pro-MMP 2 was found in myocardial samples, and mean activity of such enzyme was statistically lower than that recorded for healthy controls. Although no active form was documented for either collagenase, the duration of the treatment with doxorubicin played a role in the alteration of plasma pro-forms activity. However, these changes could not be associated with most echocardiographic parameters that are supportive of cardiac remodeling