Avaliação da toxicidade pré-natal: estudo de teratogenicidade do inseticida piriproxifeno em ratos Wistar

RESUMO Este estudo investigou a toxicidade pré-natal do inseticida piriproxifeno em ratos Wistar, de forma a detectar possíveis alterações no desenvolvimento fetal da progênie exposta durante o período organogênico. Três doses de piriproxifeno (100, 300 e 500mg.kg-1) foram administradas por via oral às progenitoras, do sexto ao 15º dia de gestação. Os fetos foram submetidos à técnica de diafanização modificada descrita por Taylor e Van Dyke, para avaliação de malformações e alterações esqueléticas. Os resultados não demonstraram a ocorrência de toxicidade materna sistêmica ou alterações nos índices reprodutivos avaliados. Malformações ou alterações teratogênicas não foram detectadas, no entanto alterações esqueléticas sugestivas de retardo no desenvolvimento foram observadas especialmente nas doses mais altas testadas (300mg.kg-1 e 500mg.kg-1). Considerando-se a situação complexa de risco para a saúde humana, mostra-se importante a execução de investigações adicionais, de modo a contribuir para a adequada avaliação de risco do piriproxifeno em água potável.</jats:p

Paid employment in subjects with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in five Latin American cities: the PLATINO study

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a costly condition that frequently causes permanent work disabilities. Little information exists regarding the impact of COPD on work force participation and the indirect costs of the disease in developing countries.OBJECTIVE: To examine the frequency of paid employment and factors influencing it in a Latin-American population-based study.METHODS: Post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC < 0.70 (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity) was used to define COPD. Information regarding paid work was assessed by the question 'At any time in the past year, have you worked for payment?'RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 5571 subjects; 5314 (759 COPD and 4554 non-COPD) subjects underwent spirometry. Among the COPD subjects, 41.8% reported having paid work vs. 57.1% of non-COPD (P < 0.0001). The number of months with paid work was reduced in COPD patients (10.5 +/- 0.17 vs. 10.9 +/- 0.06, P < 0.05). The main factors associated with having paid work in COPD patients were male sex (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.23-0.47), higher education level (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09) and younger age (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.88-0.92). COPD was not a significant contributor to employment (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-1.00, P = 0.054) in the entire population.CONCLUSIONS: Although the proportion of persons with paid work is lower in COPD, having COPD appears not to have a significant impact on obtaining paid employment in the overall population of developing countries.Boehringer Ingelheim Gmb

Causes of rejection of beef bulls in breeding soundness evaluation

The objective of this study was to analyze the rates of rejection in the different steps of the breeding soundness evaluation of beef bulls in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The breeding soundness of 22,113 young and mature bulls of 14 beef breeds, participating in the Program of Reproductive Evaluation (PARTO) was evaluated in the experiment. Data concerning to the causes of rejection in the four steps of the breeding soundness evaluation (general physical examination, genital tract examination, semen evaluation and sexual behavior assessment) were analyzed by the Chi-square test and univariate regression analysis. According to year, general physical examination, genital tract examination and semen evaluation determined the rejection of 0.9% to 2.5%, 5.1% to 7.7%, 1.8% to 5.3%; and 4.2% to 6.7%, 7.3 to 9.3%, and 2.5% to 5.5% of young and mature bulls, respectively. Mature bulls presented higher chances of rejection than young bulls in the general physical examination in every year evaluated; as to the genital tract examination, their chances of rejection were higher in years I and II, but not in year III. In the semen evaluation, there was no difference between the ages assessed in any of the three years evaluated. Sexual behavior assessment accounted for the rejection of 1.9 to 6.0% of the young bulls and 2.9% to 3.9% of mature bulls, in accordance with the years evaluated; in years I and II, mature bulls presented higher rejection rates than young bulls. These results confirm the importance of performing all steps of the breeding soundness evaluation, including the sexual behavior assessment as a work routine, rather than an additional, optional stage of the evaluation, which should be carried out before the breeding season. The results indicate the relationship between bull age and rejection rate in the breeding soundness evaluation