Prevalence and Clinical Aspects of Otodectes cynotis Infestation in Dogs and Cats in the Semi-arid Region of Paraíba, Brazil

Background: Infestation by Otodectes cynotis is one of the main causes of external otitis in small animals, causing great disconfort and predisposition to secondary bacterial or fungal infections, with relevant importance in the small animal medicine. In dogs, a small number of this parasite in the ears may cause inflammation, while in cats, otoacariasis accounts for half of the external otitis cases. Due to the insufficiency of data about the prevalence of this disease in the Northeast region of Brazil, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical aspects of O. cynotis in dogs and cats from the Semi-arid region of Paraíba, Brazil.Material, Methods & Results: The research was conducted in the municipality of Sousa, Paraíba State, Brazil. A total of 102 dogs and 152 cats had their external ear canals examined by bilateral otoscopy, using an otoscope with a veterinary cone that allows inspection of the external ear canal. Parasitological swabs were also used to determine the prevalence of parasitism by O. cynotis. Samples collected in swabs were stored in a 70% alcohol preservative solution and sent to the Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, in wich were examinated on direct research, using microscopes in the 10x objective (magnification of 100x). In all animals, clinical examinations were performed and their owners answered an epidemiological questionnaire to collect information about food and sanitary management. During the clinical examination, characteristics such as otopodal reflex, and the presence of pruritus and/or cerumen were also evaluated.  The prevalence of dogs and cats positive for O. cynotis was 33.3% (34/102) and 52.6% (80/152), respectively. Bilateral infestations occurred in 52.9% (18/34) of the positive dogs. Most of the positive animals showed evidence of the mite in both tests, Otoscopy + Swab (dogs: 58.8% - 20/34, cats: 66.2% - 53/80).Discussion: A high prevalence of O. cynotis infestation was observed in dogs (33.3%) and even higher prevalence in cats (52.6%), both are higher than it was expected. The diagnosis methods were effective for detecting infestation by this parasite, and the parasitological swab resulted in higher diagnosis rate than the otoscopy. The use of two diagnosis methods resulted in a greater number of positive diagnoses, explaining the high prevalence found in the present study. A higher prevalence was observed for animals that had contact with other animals. The direct form is the most accepted mode of transmission of Otodectes sp. and close confinement of animals was considered the main associated factor for frequent reinfestation by the mite.  For dogs, the presence of cerumen and pruritus were seen as O. cynotis infestation factors. Considering dogs, in the clinical examination, the presence of pruritus was significantly associated with the occurrence of parasitism. This association can be explained because O. cynotis is very active within the ear canals of parasitized animals, causing great annoyance and pruritus. No statistically significant risk factors were found for cats, but it was observed that adults had higher levels of infestation when compared to young cats, wich was not expected, as the literature commonly reports that young cats have higher levels of infestation. This can be explained by the confinement and the usual direct contact by different cats, increasing the occurrence of the parasite. In cats, the clinical examinations showed that the presence of otopodal reflex was significantly associated (p<0.2) with the parasitism occurrence (55.4%; 66/119). The evaluation of this reflex has been considered as one of the symptoms of otocariosis

High performance of metallic thin films for resistance temperature devices with antimicrobial properties

Titanium-copper alloy films with stoichiometry given by Ti1−xCux were produced by magnetron co-sputtering technique and analyzed in order to explore the suitability of the films to be applied as resistive temperature sensors with antimicrobial properties. For that, the copper (Cu) amount in the films was varied by applying different DC currents to the source during the deposition in order to change the Cu concentration. As a result, the samples showed excellent thermoresistivity linearity and stability for temperatures in the range between room temperature to 110 °C. The sample concentration of Ti0.70Cu0.30 has better characteristics to act as RTD, especially the αTCR of 1990 ×10−6°C−1. The antimicrobial properties of the Ti1−xCux films were analyzed by exposing the films to the bacterias S. aureus and E. coli, and comparing them with bare Ti and Cu films that underwent the same protocol. The Ti1−xCux thin films showed bactericidal effects, by log10 reduction for both bacteria, irrespective of the Cu concentrations. As a test of concept, the selected sample was subjected to 160 h reacting to variations in ambient temperature, presenting results similar to a commercial temperature sensor. Therefore, these Ti1−xCux thin films become excellent antimicrobial candidates to act as temperature sensors in advanced coating systems.This work was supported by FCT-UIDB/04650/2020. A.L.R.S. thanks CAPES (88887.572905 /2020-00) and CNPq. M.A.C. thanks CAPES (8887.573100/2020-00) and CNPq. A.F. thanks the FCT (CTTI-31/18-C.F. (2) junior researcher contract)

INDO ÀS RUAS PARA EDUCAR : EXTENSÃO, EDUCADORES SOCIAIS E UNIVERSIDADE

This article shows the importance of University Extension to communities at situations of social vulnerability in East Fluminense. This material constitutes the articulation between a theoretical discussion of Social Pedagogy and an experience report, using as an example the social educators of the Catholic Mission Disciples of Assis and their work with the homeless population at Niteroi’s city, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The methodology used was the observation based on the phenomenology from Edmund Husserl (1975), which helps to organization this research object in three components of analysis: noema, noesis and eidetic variation. As a result, we get a brief articulation of the concepts of Hospitality Pedagogy, by Isabel Baptista (2005; 2008), with the elements observed throughout the educators' experience.&nbsp; This enabled a dialogue about the socio-educational practices that were developed with the concepts of hospitality, coexistence, dialogue and solidarity established between educators and students in situations of social vulnerability.Este artigo tem como objetivo notar a importância da Extensão Universitária às comunidades em situação de vulnerabilidade social no Leste Fluminense. Desse modo, o presente material constitui-se na articulação entre uma discussão teórica sobre Pedagogia Social e um relato de experiência, utilizando como exemplo os educadores sociais da Missão Católica Discípulos de Assis – projeto religioso socioeducativo que articulava ações em diversos setores institucionais – e seu trabalho com a população em situação de rua do município de Niterói, no Rio de Janeiro. A metodologia usada para a observação de campo baseia-se numa releitura da fenomenologia do filósofo Edmund Husserl (1975), a qual possibilita a descrição do objeto de pesquisa em três componentes de análise, a saber: noema, noese e variação eidética. A partir dos dados, busca-se uma breve articulação dos conceitos da Pedagogia da Hospitalidade, de Isabel Baptista (2005; 2008), com os elementos observados ao longo da experiência dos educadores sociais de diversos campos do conhecimento que realizam práticas de educação social no referido projeto, possibilitando, assim, um diálogo a respeito das práticas socioeducativas que se desenvolveram a partir dos conceitos de hospitalidade, convivência, diálogo e solidariedade estabelecidos entre os educadores e os educandos em situação de vulnerabilidade social

Spiritual experiences of a seriously ill elderly: a case report

Objetivo: Relatar as experiências espirituais de uma idosa internada em uma enfermaria de cuidados paliativos. Método: As informações foram estruturadas a partir de revisão de prontuário, entrevista com a paciente e acompanhante e revisão de literatura. Conclusão: O caso relatado sinaliza a importância de maior discussão sobre a atenção aos aspectos espirituais dos pacientes no fim da vida. Neste caso, por apresentar-se de forma controlada, positiva e com insight presente, entende-se o exposto como uma experiência espiritual, livre de psicopatologia. Logo, observa-se a necessidade de pesquisas futuras que objetivem o incremento da abordagem espiritual com o intuito de instrumentalizar o profissional para a sua prática.Objective: To report spiritual experiences of an elderly woman admitted to a palliative care ward. Method: Information was structured from review of medical charts, interview with the patient and her caregiver, and literature review. Conclusion: The reported case highlights the importance of having a greater discussion on the attention to spiritual aspects of patients at end of life. In this case, due to the fact of presenting herself in a controlled manner, positive and with actual insight, one should understand the exposed as a spiritual experience, free of psychopathology. Therefore, one should observe the need for future surveys aimed at enhancing the spiritual approach with the purpose of training professionals for its practice

Percepção sobre qualidade da arborização urbana da cidade de Pombal, Paraíba

A arborização de cidades apresenta inúmeras vantagens dentre as quais melhoria do microclima e bem estar populacional. No entanto, a falta de planejamento e conhecimento do poder público responsável por esse processo pode provocar efeitos contrários aos desejados. Com isso, o objetivo com este trabalho consistiu em avaliar a percepção da população local quanto a qualificação da arborização na cidade de Pombal, Paraíba, no intuito de coletar informações necessárias ao futuro e correto planejamento arbóreo deste centro urbano. Para isso, foram aplicados questionários semiestruturados contendo 11 perguntas objetivas, onde quatro eram para caracterizar o perfil dos entrevistados em relação ao sexo, idade, nível de escolaridade e atividade principal, e as sete restantes abrangiam as questões referentes à arborização do município, atingindo desta forma um público de 200 pessoas. A cidade de Pombal - PB encontra-se razoavelmente arborizada e ainda apresenta problemas com redes elétricas e telefônicas devido a falta de correto planejamento pelos órgãos públicos responsáveis. A população percebe os benefícios da arborização afirmando que as arbóreas existentes favorecem em especial a sombra e redução de temperatura

Yield parameters and water productivity of tropical and overseeded winter forages

Intensive pasture exploitation with tropical forages is one of the most efficient forms ruminant production. However, the results depends on the knowledge about these forages and the experience in its management. The objective of this work was to evaluate water productivity (WP) and yield parameters of Megathyrsus maximum cv. Mombaça “Guinea grass” and Cynodon spp. “Bermuda grass”, in single culture and overseeded with oats + ryegrass in autumn/winter period. Irrigation management was done considering a depletion factor of 0.3 (70% of the humidity the field capacity). The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications, in which the forages are the treatments with evaluation at the time of the cycles. For all evaluated parameters, the best results were obtained with the Guinea grass in exclusive cultivation. The TFP (Total Forage Productivity) of Guinea grass was superior to Bermuda grass (59.3 and 30.2 Mg ha-1, respectively), in accordance with its average LAI (Leaf area index) values of 4.8 and 2.5, respectively. The most efficient use of water occurred for Guinea grass in exclusive cultivation, and the intercropped crops did not present increases in the WP. In the autumn/winter period, the accumulated TFP of the exclusive crop of Guinea grass was higher than the other crops. However, the SDM of Bermuda grass was higher than the other crops. In winter, the highest LAI occurred in Guinea grass in exclusive cultivation, followed by the overseeded Guinea grass, 4.8 and 4.5, respectively. Consortia did not increase forage yield during the winter. The consortiums did not increase forage yield during the winter

Meningitis caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus in a COVID-19 patient: a rare complication of dog bites

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a gram-negative rod that is part of the commensal microbiota of dogs’ and cats’ mouths. In this case, we report an 85-year-old man with COVID-19 who had his right arm bitten by a dog. His symptoms were impaired consciousness, agitation and aggressive behavior. Physical examination revealed neck stiffness and Brudzinski’s sign. The cerebrospinal fluid culture was compatible with Capnocytophaga canimorsus. He required intensive care and received a 14-day prescription of meropenem. After 40 days of hospitalization, the patient was fully recovered and was discharged. This case highlights the importance of physician and microbiologist be awareness of this disease, mainly in patients with neurological symptoms after a dog or cat bite

The Influence of Religiosity/Spirituality on Mental Health

Health care workers and researchers are increasingly recognizing the religiosity/spirituality great dimension in health

Perfuração gastrointestinal relacionada a Granulomatose Eosinofílica com Poliangiíte pós-Covid-19 – um relato de caso

Introdução: A Granulomatose eosinofílica com poliangiíte (GEPA), anteriormente conhecida como Síndrome de Churg Strauss, é considerada uma doença rara e se caracteriza por uma vasculite necrotizante disseminada, associada com o anticorpo anticitoplasma do neutrófilo (ANCA)4,5. Ocorre infiltração eosinofílica, o qual pode acometer pulmões, coração, rins, tecido nervoso e trato gastrointestinal (TGI) 1, 2, 3 , e que o prognóstico varia de acordo com o sistema acometido 6. Relato do caso: Trata-se de paciente do sexo masculino, 58 anos, que deu entrada em pronto socorro com quadro de abdome perfurativo. O paciente possuía história de asma iniciada na vida adulta, além de internação recente por COVID-19. Os exames laboratoriais demonstravam eosinofilia importante (75% da contagem leucocitária), e o estudo anatomopatológico demonstrou enterite eosinofílica com focos de vasculite eosinofílica. Conclusão: A possibilidade de um diagnóstico de GEPA sempre deve suspeitado em pacientes que apresentam eosinofilia exuberante, principalmente quando associado com história de asma, polipose nasal e parestesias. Um diagnóstico precoce possibilita o início de uma abordagem terapêutica, o que gera significante melhora na qualidade de vida desses pacientes, bem como em seu prognóstico

Association of skeletal muscle and serum metabolites with maximum power output gains in response to continuous endurance or high-intensity interval training programs: The TIMES study - A randomized controlled trial

Recent studies have begun to identify the molecular determinants of inter-individual variability of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in response to exercise training programs. However, we still have an incomplete picture of the molecular mechanisms underlying trainability in response to exercise training. Objective We investigated baseline serum and skeletal muscle metabolomics profile and its associations with maximal power output (MPO) gains in response to 8-week of continuous endurance training (ET) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programs matched for total units of exercise performed (the TIMES study). Methods Eighty healthy sedentary young adult males were randomized to one of three groups and 70 were defined as completers (> 90% of sessions): ET (n = 30), HIIT (n = 30) and control (CO, n = 10). For the CO, participants were asked to not exercise for 8 weeks. Serum and skeletal muscle samples were analyzed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The targeted screens yielded 43 serum and 70 muscle reproducible metabolites (intraclass > 0.75; coefficient of variation < 25%). Associations of baseline metabolites with MPO trainability were explored within each training program via three analytical strategies: (1) correlations with gains in MPO; (2) differences between high and low responders to ET and HIIT; and (3) metabolites contributions to the most significant pathways related to gains in MPO. The significance level was set at P < 0.01 or false discovery rate of 0.1. Results The exercise programs generated similar gains in MPO (ET = 21.4 +/- 8.0%; HIIT = 24.3 +/- 8.5%). MPO associated baseline metabolites supported by all three levels of evidence were: serum glycerol, muscle alanine, proline, threonine, creatinine, AMP and pyruvate for ET, and serum lysine, phenylalanine, creatine, and muscle glycolate for HIIT. The most common pathways suggested by the metabolite profiles were aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Conclusion We suggest that MPO gains in both programs are potentially associated with metabolites indicative of baseline amino acid and translation processes with additional evidence for carbohydrate metabolism in ET142CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP149201/2015-0; 140302/2018-288881.135219/2016-012018/24108-9; 2016/057417Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [2018/24108-9, 2016/057417]; Support Fund for Teaching, Research and Extension (FAEPEX) [2021/16]; National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [149201/2015-0, 140302/2018-2]; Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (PDSE-CAPES) [88881.135219/2016-01]; COBRE center grant from the U.S.A. National Institutes of HealthUnited States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA [NIH8 1P30GM118430-02]; NIH-funded COBRE grantUnited States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA [NIH 8P30GM118430-01]; National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of HealthUnited States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USANIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) [2 U54 GM104940