Effects of the consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the oxidative status of adult dogs

The present study evaluated the alterations of the oxidative stress markers in adult dogs fed with high levels of PUFA from the mixture of soybean oil enriched with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and supplemented with a natural algae-based antioxidant (AOX). Twelve healthy adult (2 years old) Beagle dogs (6 males and 6 females, 11.20 ± 1.92 kg BW), were distributed in 2 completely randomized blocks design and fed with 4 experimental diets coated with 2 lipid sources: saturated (13% bovine tallow) or unsaturated (13% soybean oil enriched with DHA), supplemented or not with 500 mg of AOX for 4 wk, intercalated with a 4 wk adaptation period. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 15, and 30 of each block. Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), sulfhydryl group (SH), protein carbonylation, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP) were evaluated in the serum, while GSH-Px, SOD, glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), SH, and TBARS were measured in erythrocytes. There was no significant difference in most of the oxidative markers evaluated. In contrast, GST activity in erythrocytes was greater in the animals that consumed the diets coated with bovine tallow compared to dogs that consumed diets coated with soybean oil enriched with DHA (P < 0.05). Serum from dogs fed on diets supplemented with AOX presented greater TRAP values (P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that the concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids used in the diets for dogs were not sufficient to cause large changes in the oxidative status. It was not possible to evaluate the efficiency of the natural antioxidant in maintaining the oxidative balance of the animals as it appears that the oxidative status of the dogs was not challenged by the unsaturated diets. Our findings also suggest that dogs, as descendants from carrion carnivores, may have some natural protection against oxidatio

Reducing occurrence of Giardia duodenalis in children living in semiarid regions: impact of a large scale rainwater harvesting initiative.

BACKGROUND: In Brazil, about two million people living in rural semiarid regions were benefited with the construction of rainwater cement cisterns, as an initiative from the program "One Million Cisterns" (P1MC). Nevertheless, few epidemiological studies have been conducted to assess health risks or protection effects associated with consumption of this water source. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether access to rainwater harvesting cisterns is associated with the decrease in the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis infections in children, compared to other children living in households supplied by other water sources. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A quasi-experimental study with two concurrent cohorts was developed in two rural municipalities of the semiarid region of Brazil. A sample of 664 children, aged between 4 months and 5 years old, was followed up, of which 332 had access to rainwater cisterns (cistern group) and 332 did not, having water supplied from alternative sources (comparison group). In a period of approximately one year (2010) intestinal parasites were investigated in feces three times. The prevalence of G. duodenalis in children from the cistern group ranged from 4.8 to 10.5%, while the prevalence in the comparison group ranged from 7.6 to 16.7%. Multivariate analysis (GEE) showed a higher risk of G. duodenalis infection in children who did not have access to rainwater cisterns, when compared to children who did (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.14-2.59). The other variables associated with G. duodenalis infection were: number of rooms per house (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.80-0.99); family income (OR0.48; 95% CI 0.26-0.88); birth order (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.17-2.51); preterm children (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.19-2.43); and improper hand hygiene prior to food preparation (OR 4.78; 95% CI 1.95-11.76). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Ownership of a rainwater cistern is associated with a lower prevalence of G. duodenalis infection in children after adjustment for environmental and family-related factors. Nevertheless, the study suggests the necessity to complement physical interventions with actions related to personal and domestic hygiene to enable further reductions in parasite infections affecting mainly the underprivileged populations

Geração de energia elétrica por meio de placas solares fotovoltaicas / Electric power generation by means of photovoltaic solar panels

Este estudo compreende a implementação de um sistema fotovoltaico na unidade do Instituto Federal de Goiás – IFG, município de Jataí. Para a aquisição de dados da geração, utilizou-se plataforma eletrônica e sensores para obtenção do potencial energético produzido na unidade. Conjuntamente, implementou-se grupo de lâmpadas LEDs no corredor do bloco 500 do referido Câmpus para estudo da energia elétrica gerada diariamente. 

INTERVENÇÕES NO PROCESSO PARTURITIVO DE MULHERES DE RISCO HABITUAL E SEUS RECÉM-NASCIDOS

Eixo temático: Produção, publicação e utilização de evidências científicas.Introdução: O respeito à fisiologia do processo parturitivo e o uso das melhores evidências científicas a mulher no parto é importante para a redução de eventos adversos e desfechos desfavoráveis na prática clínica, potencializando o cuidado respeitoso e segurança do paciente. O uso rotineiro e desnecessário de intervenções altera o curso fisiológico do parto e pode desencadear uma cascata de eventos, em que uma intervenção condiciona a outra de maneira sucessiva, ocasionando um aumento no nível de complexidade dos procedimentos dessa forma elevando o risco dessa mulher e do neonato

ASSISTÊNCIA A PARTURIENTES DE RISCO HABITUAL E SEUS RECÉM-NASCIDOS

Eixo Temático: Produção, publicação e utilização de evidências científicasIntrodução: o respeito à fisiologia do processo parturitivo e o uso das melhores evidências cientificas a mulher no parto e seu recém-nascido é importante para a redução de eventos adversos e desfechos desfavoráveis na prática clínica, potencializando o cuidado respeitoso e a segurança do paciente

Euclidean Approach to the Entropy for a Scalar Field in Rindler-like Space-Times

The off-shell entropy for a massless scalar field in a D-dimensional Rindler-like space-time is investigated within the conical Euclidean approach in the manifold C_\be\times\M^N, C_\be being the 2-dimensional cone, making use of the zeta-function regularisation. Due to the presence of conical singularities, it is shown that the relation between the zeta-function and the heat kernel is non trivial and, as first pointed out by Cheeger, requires a separation between small and large eigenvalues of the Laplace operator. As a consequence, in the massless case, the (naive) non existence of the Mellin transform is by-passed by the Cheeger's analytical continuation of the zeta-function on manifold with conical singularities. Furthermore, the continuous spectrum leads to the introduction of smeared traces. In general, it is pointed out that the presence of the divergences may depend on the smearing function and they arise in removing the smearing cutoff. With a simple choice of the smearing function, horizon divergences in the thermodynamical quantities are recovered and these are similar to the divergences found by means of off-shell methods like the brick wall model, the optical conformal transformation techniques or the canonical path integral method.Comment: 17 pages, LaTex. A sign error corrected and few comments adde

Vivências de mães acompanhantes de crianças hospitalizadas na unidade de clínica pediátrica

OBJETIVO:&nbsp;compreender a vivência de mães acompanhantes de crianças hospitalizadas na Clínica Pediátrica de um hospital público do interior da Bahia.&nbsp;MÉTODOS:&nbsp;estudo descritivo, exploratório e qualitativo, que respeitou a Resolução 196/96 e foi realizado na unidade de Clínica Pediátrica, no período de setembro a dezembro de 2009 através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com onze mães acompanhantes.&nbsp;RESULTADOS:&nbsp;a doença e a hospitalização são processos que ocorrem de maneira abrupta, levando a família à reorganização de sua dinâmica interna, com vistas ao atendimento das demandas dos demais membros. À medida que a mãe acompanhante vai compreendendo a dinâmica dos trabalhadores da saúde, elas permanecem mais tranquilas, buscando entender a doença, o cuidado e suas responsabilidades.&nbsp;CONCLUSÕES:&nbsp;a mãe acompanhante precisa ser reconhecida como uma constante na vida da criança doente e dentro do seu contexto familiar, para que sejam compreendidas suas ações e reações durante a hospitalização infantil.&nbsp;Descritores:&nbsp;Enfermagem Pediátrica; Enfermagem Familiar; Família; Criança Hospitalizada

Marinha mercante: navegação de longo curso no Brasil

Periodicidade: Irregula