Morphological characterization of vaginal epithelial cells of santa inês ewes subjected to estrus synchronization

Vaginal cytology analysis has been used to evaluate the different stages of estrous cycle of several species; it presents a direct correlation with the animal’s hormonal state and provides essential information about the female reproductive tract conditions. Two staining methods were tested to evaluate the vaginal epithelial cell morphology of nulliparous and multiparous ewes during the estrus period. An intravaginal device impregnated with medroxyprogesterone acetate was kept into 10 nulliparous and 10 multiparous ewes for 14 days for estrus synchronization. Then, the progesterone device was withdrawn, and 300 IU of eCG was administered intramuscularly. Vaginal smears were prepared for posterior staining with Panotico or Giemsa stains when estrus was detected. The cells were classified into nucleated superficial, anucleate superficial, intermediate, parabasal, and basal. The Panotico and Giemsa staining of the different cell types studied were satisfactory. A predominance of intermediate epithelial cells (p<0.05) was found after staining. No difference in percentages of the different types of vaginal epithelial cells between nulliparous and multiparous ewes were found. Therefore, both staining methods were efficient, and a predominance of intermediate cells is found in nulliparous and multiparous ewes during the estrus period.Vaginal cytology analysis has been used to evaluate the different stages of estrous cycle of several species; it presents a direct correlation with the animal’s hormonal state and provides essential information about the female reproductive tract conditions. Two staining methods were tested to evaluate the vaginal epithelial cell morphology of nulliparous and multiparous ewes during the estrus period. An intravaginal device impregnated with medroxyprogesterone acetate was kept into 10 nulliparous and 10 multiparous ewes for 14 days for estrus synchronization. Then, the progesterone device was withdrawn, and 300 IU of eCG was administered intramuscularly. Vaginal smears were prepared for posterior staining with Panotico or Giemsa stains when estrus was detected. The cells were classified into nucleated superficial, anucleate superficial, intermediate, parabasal, and basal. The Panotico and Giemsa staining of the different cell types studied were satisfactory. A predominance of intermediate epithelial cells (p<0.05) was found after staining. No difference in percentages of the different types of vaginal epithelial cells between nulliparous and multiparous ewes were found. Therefore, both staining methods were efficient, and a predominance of intermediate cells is found in nulliparous and multiparous ewes during the estrus period

Selection and characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis strains effective to control the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella

O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar e caracterizar, no Banco de Germoplasma de Bacillus spp., da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, as estirpes de Bacillus thuringiensis mais tóxicas à Plutella xylostella, por métodos morfológicos, bioquímicos e moleculares. Das 203 estirpes testadas, sete causaram 100% de mortalidade e foram semelhantes à estirpe padrão utilizada, B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki. Elas apresentaram proteínas de 130 kDa e 65 kDa, presença de genes cry1 e cry2 e cristais bipiramidais, cubóides e redondos. As estirpes selecionadas oferecem novas perspectivas de controle de P. xylostella.The aim of this work was to select and characterize the most toxic Bacillus thuringiensis strains, from the Germplasm Bank of Bacillus spp. of Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, against Plutella xylostella. Strains were characterized by morphological, biochemical and molecular methods. It was observed that seven out of the 203 strains tested showed high toxicity compared to the standard used B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (HD-1), which showed 100% mortality. Selected strains showed features described for lepidoptera regarding the protein of 130 kDa and 65 kDa; profile and features were obtained through the PCR reactions, making possible to identify the presence of cry1 and cry2 genes. Moreover, the scanning electron microscopy showed the bipiramydal, cubed and round crystal forms. The selected strains offer new perspectives to control P. xylostella

Improving the serodiagnosis of canine Leishmania infantum infection in geographical areas of Brazil with different disease prevalence

Serodiagnosis of Leishmania infantum infection in dogs relies on the detection of antibodies against leishmanial crude extracts or parasitic defined antigens. The expansion of canine leishmaniasis from geographical areas of Brazil in which the infection is endemic to regions in which the disease is emerging is occurring. This fact makes necessary the analysis of the serodiagnostic capabilities of different leishmanial preparations in distinct geographical locations. In this article sera from dogs infected with Leishmania and showing the clinical form of the disease, were collected in three distinct Brazilian States and were tested against soluble leishmanial antigens or seven parasite individual antigens produced as recombinant proteins. We show that the recognition of soluble leishmanial antigens by sera from these animals was influenced by the geographical location of the infected dogs. Efficacy of the diagnosis based on this crude parasite preparation was higher in newly endemic regions when compared with areas of high disease endemicity. We also show that the use of three of the recombinant proteins, namely parasite surface kinetoplastid membrane protein of 11 kDa (KMP-11), and two members of the P protein family (P2a and P0), can improve the degree of sensitivity without adversely affecting the specificity of the diagnostic assays for canine leishmaniasis, independently of the geographical area of residence. In addition, sera from dogs clinically healthy but infected were also assayed with some of the antigen preparations. We demonstrate that the use of these proteins can help to the serodiagnosis of Leishmania infected animals with subclinical infections. Finally, we propose a diagnostic protocol using a combination of KMP-11, P2a y P0, together with total leishmanial extractsThis work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Brazil) within the call“CNPq/MS/SCTIE/DECIT N° 32/2014 - Pesquisas sobre Leishmanioses”grant number reference 467389/2014-4. Institutional grants from the Fundación Ramón Areces and Banco de Santander to the CBMSO are also acknowledged. TC received scholarship from Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Santa Catarina–FAPES

AVASUS’ Contributions to Promoting Lifelong Learning in Health: Toward Achieving the SDGs and Strengthening Global Health Security

The Virtual Learning Environment of the Brazilian Health System (AVASUS) was developed by the Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Health (LAIS) and the Secretariat of Distance Education (SEDIS) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) in partnership with Brazil’s Ministry of Health (MoH). AVASUS provides open educational resources in the health field and has emerged as the third largest platform for massive health education globally, with more than one million students. Among the various learning pathways AVASUS offers, some specifically focus on meeting the educational needs to address public health emergencies and overlooked health contexts. The main argument in this study is that technology-mediated lifelong learning in health is an effective strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This chapter analyzes the pathways related to COVID-19, syphilis, and prison health, focusing on the contributions towards achieving SDGs 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17 and fulfilling the Global Health Security Agenda. Our analysis revealed two key findings. Lifelong learning in health (i) prompts decision-making on public health policies and (ii) contributes towards implementing the SDGs. Ultimately, AVASUS should be recognized as a tool to improve health services and support policy-making

O perfil semiológico do paciente portador de hemorragia digestiva alta

OBJETIVO: O seguinte estudo objetivou descrever a semiologia do paciente portador de hemorragia digestiva alta, considerando como determinante na avaliação de potencias focos hemorrágicos. METODOLOGIA: Foram realizadas buscas nas plataformas do SciELO, LILACS, PubMed, Scopus e Google Scholar,utilizando os descritores gastrointestinal bleeding, peptic ulcerous disease e varicose hemorrhage, sendo identificados 35 estudos, dos quais foram incluídos 13 artigos completos. Desses estudos, 5 avaliaram as principais etiologias, 2 o surgimento de novos testes diagnósticos, 2 analisaram os aspectos epidemiológicos e 1 a sintomatologia apresentada pelo acometimento da hemorragia digestiva alta. Observou-se inicialmente a abundâncias de informações conceituais sobre o sangramento, como um transtorno clínico comum, acompanhada de inúmeras manifestações, considerando que o foco hemorrágico pode ocorrer em qualquer porção do trato gastrointestinal. Neste estudo, todas as publicações eleitas apresentaram o quadro semiológico composto por algia abdominal, indícios de choque hipovolêmico e taquicardia, alguns exibiram quedas abruptas da pressão arterial, odinofagia, êmese, náuseas e estado ictérico. Os pacientes implicados, cronicamente, já manifestaram ocorrências prévias, devido ao caráter recidivante torna-se essencial investigar a existência de varizes, fístula aorto-entérica, angiodisplasia e doença ulcerosa. CONCLUSÃO: Elucida-se que a hemorragia digestiva alta representa a principal causa de sangramento do trato gastrointestinal, majoritamente manifesta-se como hematêmese ou melena e cursam com o quadro sintomatológico que auxilia na avaliação da gravidade deste e o embasamento de potenciais focos de sangramento e que contribuam para disseminação de informações e intervenções futuras

As características físico-químicas da manga espada (mangifera indica) e sua participação no mercado brasileiro de exportação

<p><strong>Resumo:</strong> O Brasil é reconhecido como um dos maiores produtores e exportadores de manga em todo o mundo, destacando-se pela alta qualidade de sua produção e pela extensa área dedicada ao cultivo. Nesse contexto, este estudo tem como objetivo geral analisar as propriedades físicas e químicas da manga espada, bem como identificar as principais oportunidades de sua comercialização no mercado internacional. Ao compreender as características físicas e químicas da manga espada, torna-se possível também refletir sobre o aprimoramento das técnicas e estratégias de comercialização, contribuindo assim para a consolidação da presença desse fruto nos mercados estrangeiros. A pesquisa baseou-se em uma revisão bibliográfica de materiais e publicações já existentes. De acordo com autores como Rocha et al. (2001), Benevides et al. (2008) e Soares e José (2013), foi possível constatar que a manga é rica em nutrientes essenciais para a saúde. E certamente  com o desenvolvimento de técnicas que permitam sua comercialização em regiões cada vez mais distantes, preservando a qualidade do fruto, a produção de manga poderá conquistar uma posição de destaque tanto no mercado nacional quanto no internacional.</p> <p> </p&gt

Eficiência de resfriamento de uma placa porosa umedecida construída com argila expandida

Objetivou-se com este presente trabalho, avaliar a eficiência de resfriamento de uma placa porosa umedecida construída com argila expandida em uma estufa, localizada no Departamento de Fitopatologia da UFLA. Foram coletados dados de temperatura do ar (tbs) e umidade relativa (UR), durante os dias 13 e 14 de setembro de 2018, com sensores/registradores portáteis (±3%) em intervalos de 2 segundos. A eficiência média apresentada no período de avaliação foi de 69,5%, caracterizando boa eficiência para este tipo de material empregado