Animal influence on water, sanitation and hygiene measures for zoonosis control at the household level: A systematic literature review

Neglected zoonotic diseases (NZDs) have a significant impact on the livelihoods of the world’s poorest populations, which often lack access to basic services. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes are included among the key strategies for achieving the World Health Organization’s 2020 Roadmap for Implementation for control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). There exists a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of animals on the effectiveness of WASH measures. This review looked to identify how animal presence in the household influences the effectiveness of water, hygiene and sanitation measures for zoonotic disease control in low and middle income countries; to identify gaps of knowledge regarding this topic based on the amount and type of studies looking at this particular interaction

A História da Alimentação: balizas historiográficas

Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da História da Alimentação, não como um novo ramo epistemológico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de práticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicações, associações, encontros acadêmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condições em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biológica, a econômica, a social, a cultural e a filosófica!, assim como da identificação das contribuições mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histórica, foi ela organizada segundo critérios morfológicos. A seguir, alguns tópicos importantes mereceram tratamento à parte: a fome, o alimento e o domínio religioso, as descobertas européias e a difusão mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rápido balanço crítico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema

Characterization of nociceptin/orphanin FQ binding sites in dog brain membranes

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is the endogenous ligand for the N/OFQ receptor (NOP), whose characteristics in the dog are unknown. We therefore compared [3H]N/OFQ binding in dog and rat brain membranes. Radioligand saturation/competition studies with these membranes and leucyl-[3H]N/OFQ(1– 17)OH or the novel radioligand [3H]N/OFQ(1–13)NH2 were performed to determine receptor density and ligand affinity. The density of classic opioid receptors was determined by using [3H]diprenorphine. Leucyl- [3H]N/OFQ(1–17)OH binding was concentration dependent and saturable in dog (maximum binding capacity [Bmax], 28.7 2.8 fmol/mg of protein; equilibrium dissociation constant as negative log [pKd], 10.27 0.11) and rat (Bmax, 137.0 12.9 fmol/mg of protein; pKd, 10.410.05). In comparison, the Bmax and pKd of [3H]diprenorphine were, respectively, 77.75.3 fmol/mg of protein and 9.74 0.09 in dog and 79.1 18.2 fmol/mg of protein and 9.51 0.04 in rat. In dog, [3H]N/OFQ(1–13)NH2 binding to NOP receptors was also saturable (Bmax, 23.7 2.0 fmol/mg of protein; pKd, 10.16 0.12). In both species, leucyl-[3H]N/ OFQ(1–17)OH was displaced by various NOP ligands. Dynorphin A, N/OFQ(1–5)NH2, and nocistatin were essentially inactive. There was a significant positive correlation (r2 0.95; P 0.0001) between pKi values (an estimate of affinity) obtained in displacement studies in rat and dog. We have demonstrated a low density of NOP receptors, measured with two radioligands, in dog, and these receptors display a high degree of pharmacological similarity with those natively expressed in the rat

Growth of functional cranial components in rats submitted to intergenerational undernutrition

The aim of the present study was to discover how intergenerational undernutrition affects the growth of major and minor functional cranial components in two generations of rats. Control animals constituted the parental generation (P). The undernourished generations (F1 and F2) were fed 75% of the control diet. Animals were X-rayed every 10 days from 20 to 100 days of age. The length, width and height of the major (neurocranium and splanchnocranium) and minor (anterior-neural, middle-neural, posterior-neural, otic, respiratory, masticatory and alveolar) cranial components were measured on each radiograph. Volumetric indices were calculated to estimate size variations of these components. Data were processed using the Kruskal–Wallis and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests for two samples. Impairment in splanchnocranial and neurocranial growth was found, the latter being more affected than the former in F1. Comparison between F2 and F1 animals showed cumulative effects of undernutrition in both major and minor components (anterior-neural, respiratory, masticatory and alveolar in males, and middle-neural and respiratory in females). Such differential effects on minor components may reflect a residual mechanical strain resulting from the linkage between components. This phenomenon was clearly observed in the neurocranium and could be understood as an adaptive response to the demands of the associated functional matrices