"Ictioproveta" para a biometria indireta do peso de surubins (pintado e cachara) utilizando seu volume e densidade.

Atualmente o Brasil é considerado como o país de maior potencial para a aqüicultura no mundo. Contribuem, para isso, o clima quente o ano todo na maior parte do país, os abundantes recursos hídricos, as grandes safras de graãos e a grande diversidade de espécies com potencial para criação, dentre as quais se destacam o pintado (Pseudophatystoma corruscans) e o cachara (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum), pertencentes à ordem Siluriformes e amplamente conhecidos como surubins. Com ocorrência no Pantanal e em outras bacias hidrográficas do território brasileiro, os surubins são os peixes de água doce de maior valor comercial, devido a carne saborosa sem espinhos intramusculares. Também são muito apreciados pela pesca esportiva e reúnem atributos favoráveis para a criação de forma industrial: crescimento rápido, eficiente conversão alimentar, alto valor econômico, grande aceitação no mercado nacional, filé sem espinhos e com padrão para exportação. Entretanto, mesmo possuindo grande importância econômica, os sistemas de produção destes peixes ainda são pouco estudados. Para o sucesso no cultivo destas espécies é preciso buscar maiores informações sobre o crescimento e desenvolvimento em cativeiro a fim de se conhecer o seu potencial produtivo em termos econômicos e ambietais. Para tanto, torna-se necessária a utilização de equipamentos adequados nas medições a campo devido à nova tendência das pesquisas serem de caráter mais aplicado e realizadas em parceria com a iniciativa privada, principalmente nas áreas de produção e manejo, não admitindo, portanto, perdas significativas dos peixes devido ao manuseio realizado no acompanhamento e mensuração durante os experimentos, conciliando, assim, dois aspectos importantes, que são a precisão e a praticidade. Certamente, para que estes aspectos possam ser agrupados, será necessário um menor rigos nas biometrias para a obtenção das medidas de campo (p. ex.: peso e comprimento), pois as mensurações mais precisas necessitam de equipamentos eleétricos e/ou eletrônicos, que geralmente não são a prova d´água, e um manuseio mais intenso, podendo prejudicar a produção devido às injúrias provocadas nos peixes. Além desses aspectos, é necessaria a redução dos riscos de acidentes relacionados ao uso de equipamentos elétricos dentro da água ou em locais úmidos, devido à possibilidade de choque elétrico pelo operador. Este aparelho também pode ser amplamente utilizado nas biometrias das diferentes fases de produção, tanto nas pisciculturas de reprodução como das de engorda, facilitando a obtenção do peso para o cálculo da biomassa, da quantidade de alimento a ser fornecido e da capacidade de suporte do ambiente de cultivo. Assim, este Comunicado Técnico tem por objetivo divulgar aos pisciculturores, pesquisadores e estudiosos da área da piscicultura um novo e prático equipamento que visa auxiliar na medição indireta do peso de surubins, promovendo um melhor desempenho e padroinização do procedimento de biometria quando realizado a campo.bitstream/item/79522/1/COT42.pd

Humor appreciation of captionless cartoons in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: It seems that the core neural regions and cognitive processes implicated in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) pathophysiology may overlap with those involved in humor appreciation. However, to date, there have been no studies that have explored humor appreciation in OCD. The purpose of the present work was to investigate humor appreciation in a group of patients with OCD.Methods: We examined 25 patients with OCD and 25 healthy controls, matched by age, education, and gender. We administered Penn's Humor Appreciation Test (PHAT), a computerized test comprising captionless cartoons by Mordillo. Each set of stimuli consisted of two almost identical drawings, one of which was funny due to the alteration of a detail in the cartoon, whereas the other was not funny. Severity of psychopathology was evaluated with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).Results: No significant effect for group, gender or group × gender interaction was found on the PHAT scores. In OCD patients, humor appreciation was not significantly associated with age of onset, duration of illness, and obsessions, but correlated significantly with compulsions.Conclusions: Humor appreciation, based on captionless cartoons in OCD, does not seem to be deficient compared to healthy subjects but may be related to illness characteristics. © 2011 Bozikas et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of three current guidelines for the evaluation of asymptomatic pancreatic cystic neoplasms.

Asymptomatic pancreatic cysts are a common clinical problem but only a minority of these cases progress to cancer. Our aim was to compare the accuracy to detect malignancy of the 2015 American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the 2012 International Consensus/Fukuoka (Fukuoka guidelines [FG]), and the 2010 American College of Radiology (ACR) guidelines.We conducted a retrospective study at 3 referral centers for all patients who underwent resection for an asymptomatic pancreatic cyst between January 2008 and December 2013. We compared the accuracy of 3 guidelines in predicting high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or cancer in resected cysts. We performed logistic regression analyses to examine the association between cyst features and risk of HGD or cancer.A total of 269 patients met inclusion criteria. A total of 228 (84.8%) had a benign diagnosis or low-grade dysplasia on surgical pathology, and 41 patients (15.2%) had either HGD (n = 14) or invasive cancer (n = 27). Of the 41 patients with HGD or cancer on resection, only 3 patients would have met the AGA guideline\u27s indications for resection based on the preoperative cyst characteristics, whereas 30/41 patients would have met the FG criteria for resection and 22/41 patients met the ACR criteria. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of HGD, and/or cancer of the AGA guidelines were 7.3%, 88.2%, 10%, and 84.1%, compared to 73.2%, 45.6%, 19.5%, and 90.4% for the FG and 53.7%, 61%, 19.8%, and 88% for the ACR guidelines. In multivariable analysis, cyst size \u3e3 cm, compared to ≤3 cm, (odds ratio [OR] = 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 4.2) and each year increase in age (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.11) were positively associated with risk of HGD or cancer on resection.In patients with asymptomatic branch duct-intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms or mucinous cystic neoplasms who underwent resection, the prevalence rate of HGD or cancer was 15.2%. Using the 2015 AGA criteria for resection would have missed 92.6% of patients with HGD or cancer. The more inclusive FG and ACR had a higher sensitivity for HGD or cancer but lower specificity. Given the current deficiencies of these guidelines, it will be important to determine the acceptable rate of false-positives in order to prevent a single true-positive

Identification of Genes Associated with Water Restriction Expressed in the Renal Cortex and Hypothalamus in Cattle

The short-term objective of this study is to discover genes associated with water restriction expressed in the renal cortex and hypothalamus in beef calves. The long-term goal is to understand genes and pathways important for thirst response in cattle. This knowledge may lead to discovery of genetic variants associated with water intake. Identification of animals with genetic potential to grow and thrive under drought conditions would be an asset to beef producers and communities which rely on beef production for a large part of their livelihoods. Both selected tissue types are known to be involved in response to hypertonicity (e.g., water restriction or dehydration)

Influence of Maternal Protein Restriction in Primiparous Heifers During Mid- and/or Late Gestation on Progeny Feedlot Performance and Carcass Characteristics

Maternal nutrient restriction in beef cows impacts developmental processes in the fetus that may influence lifetime performance. This study investigated impacts of metabolizable protein (MP) restriction in primiparous heifers during mid- and/or late-gestation on progeny feedlot performance and carcass characteristics

Influence of Maternal Protein Restriction in Primiparous Heifers During Mid- and/or Late-gestation on Dam and Suckling Calf Performance

Nutrient status in gestating beef cows has been shown to impact performance of the dam and offspring; however, most research has focused on energy or a total diet restriction and a single period of gestation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal metabolizable protein (MP) restriction in primiparous heifers during mid- and/or late gestation on dam and suckling calf performance through weaning

Mediators in the Association Between Affective Temperaments and Suicide Risk Among Psychiatric Inpatients

BACKGROUND: Affective temperaments have been shown to be related to psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviors. Less is known about the potential contributory role of affective temperaments on suicide risk factors. In the present study, we investigated whether the effect of affective temperaments on suicide risk was mediated by other variables, such as hopelessness, mentalization deficits, dissociation, psychological pain, and depressive symptoms. METHODS: Several assessment instruments, including the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI); the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A); the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS); the Gotland Male Depression Scale (GMDS); the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES); the Psychological Pain Assessment Scale (PPAS); and the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ), were administered to 189 psychiatrically hospitalized patients (103 women, 86 men) in Rome, Italy. RESULTS: In single-mediator models, hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and mentalization, but not psychological pain or dissociation, were significant mediators in the association between prevalent temperament and suicide risk. In a multiple-mediator model, a significant indirect effect was found only for depression. Results demonstrated that patients with negative temperaments reported higher suicide risk, psychological pain, hopelessness, and depression, and less mentalization than patients with no prevalent temperament or hyperthymic temperaments. CONCLUSIONS: Hopelessness, depression, and mentalization are all factors that mediate the relation between affective temperaments and suicide risk. Identifying factors that mediate the effects of affective temperamental makeup on suicide risk should enhance screening and intervention efforts

Gastrointestinal endoscopy during the coronavirus pandemic in the New York area: results from a multi-institutional survey.

Background and study aims  The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and measures taken to mitigate its impact, have profoundly affected the clinical care of gastroenterology patients and the work of endoscopy units. We aimed to describe the clinical care delivered by gastroenterologists and the type of procedures performed during the early to peak period of the pandemic. Methods  Endoscopy leaders in the New York region were invited to participate in an electronic survey describing operations and clinical service. Surveys were distributed on April 7, 2020 and responses were collected over the following week. A follow-up survey was distributed on April 20, 2020. Participants were asked to report procedure volumes and patient characteristics, as well protocols for staffing and testing for COVID-19. Results  Eleven large academic endoscopy units in the New York City region responded to the survey, representing every major hospital system. COVID patients occupied an average of 54.5 % (18 - 84 %) of hospital beds at the time of survey completion, with 14.5 % (2 %-23 %) of COVID patients requiring intensive care. Endoscopy procedure volume and the number of physicians performing procedures declined by 90 % (66 %-98 %) and 84.5 % (50 %-97 %) respectively following introduction of restricted practice. During this period the most common procedures were EGDs (7.9/unit/week; 88 % for bleeding; the remainder for foreign body and feeding tube placement); ERCPs (5/unit/week; for cholangitis in 67 % and obstructive jaundice in 20 %); Colonoscopies (4/unit/week for bleeding in 77 % or colitis in 23 %) and least common were EUS (3/unit/week for tumor biopsies). Of the sites, 44 % performed pre-procedure COVID testing and the proportion of COVID-positive patients undergoing procedures was 4.6 % in the first 2 weeks and up to 19.6 % in the subsequent 2 weeks. The majority of COVID-positive patients undergoing procedures underwent EGD (30.6 % COVID +) and ERCP (10.2 % COVID +). Conclusions  COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the operation of endoscopy units in the New York region. Our data show the impact of a restricted emergency practice on endoscopy volumes and the proportion of expected COVID positive cases during the peak time of the pandemic