Análise de padrões comportamentais de frangos de corte em condições de estresse térmico por calor.

Resumo - Este trabalho apresenta uma abordagem baseada em padrões sequenciais para estimar o bem-estar de frangos de corte a partir de atributos ambientais e comportamentais. Foram utilizados dados tabulados de experimentos realizados em Câmara de Preferência Ambiental (CPA). Em seguida, o algoritmo Generalized Sequential Patterns (GSP) para mineração de padrões sequenciais foi utilizado para estudar o conforto térmico de frangos de corte. Os resultados mostraram que as temperaturas utilizadas para impor o estresse térmico por calor tiveram pouco efeito sobre o comportamento dos frangos de corte.Editores técnicos: Carla Geovana do Nascimento Macário, Carla Cristiane Osawa, Flávia Bussaglia Fiorini, Maria Fernanda Moura, Poliana Fernanda Giachetto

Design of a lipid nanovesicle system encasing bacteriophages for inhalational therapy : a proof-of-concept

Inflammatory diseases that occur in the pharynx and involving both the adenoids and tonsils are important not only for being very frequent, but also because they often require minor surgery for their resolution. These structures have immunological functions leading to production of antibodies, and work in the local immunity of the pharynx and protection of the entire body. The most common etiologic agent of sore throats is Streptococcus pyogenes, an important pathogen of the beta-hemolytic group A which causes streptococcal pharyngitis. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and the poor penetration of chemical antibiotics in bacterial biofilms raise the need for safe and effective options of antimicrobial treatment. The application of bacteriophages (or cocktails therefrom) has been proposed as an alternative (or complement) to conventional chemical antibiotics, allowing the release of natural predators of bacteria directly on these biofilms. The major advantage of bacteriophage-based antibiotherapy relative to its conventional chemical counterpart is that bacteriophages replicate at the site of infection, being available in abundance where they are needed the most. When compared with chemical antibiotics, bacteriophages have other important advantages: (i) strong tissue permeability, (ii) bacteriophage concentration remains high at the focus of infection, continuously increasing with bacterial (host) presence, (iii) elimination of the focus of infection occurs only after eradication of the host bacterium, (iv) bacteriophages are fully compatible with antibiotics and may act synergistically, (v) they are specific against the target bacteria, (vi) have a superior ability to penetrate bacterial biofilms, inducing production of enzymes that hydrolyze the biofilm polymeric matrix, (vii) although bacteria can develop resistance to bacteriophages, isolation of new lytic bacteriophages is much simpler and cheaper than developing a new chemical antibiotic. In this research effort, development of a biotechnological process for the inhalational administration of a bacteriophage cocktail (endotoxin free) was pursued, using strategies of nanoencapsulation within lipid nanovesicles (as forms of protection for the bacteriophage against the immune system) to treat infectious pathologies such as pharyngo-tonsillitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. This method of targeting may have a high potential for the treatment of bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, since inhalation therapy is considered to be favorable to certain respiratory infections because the aerosol is delivered directly at the site of infection, accelerating the action of bacterial predators. Additionally, a smaller amount of bioactive substance is needed, thus preventing or reducing possible side effects. As a proof of concept for the nanoencapsulation strategy, and since there is not yet available a strictly lytic bacteriophage cocktail for Streptococcus pyogenes, a well-defined and characterized bacteriophage was utilized, viz. bacteriophage T4. Water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) multiple emulsions are nanosystems in which dispersions of small water droplets within larger oil droplets are themselves dispersed in a continuous aqueous phase. Due to their compartimentalized internal structure, multiple emulsions present important advantages over simple O/W emulsions for encapsulation of biomolecules, such as the ability to carry both polar and non-polar molecules, and a better control over releasing of therapeutic molecules. T4 bacteriophage was entrapped within W/O/W multiple nanoemulsions, aiming at mimicking the multifunctional design of biology, optimized with several lipid matrices, poloxamers and stabilizing layer compositions. Physicochemical characterization of the optimized bacteriophage-encasing nanovesicle formulations encompassed determination of particle size, size distribution and particle charge, via Zeta potential analysis, surface morphology via CRYO-SEM, and thermal analysis via DSC, whereas antimicrobial activity of the nanoemulsions produced were evaluated via the “spot-test” using appropriate bacterial cultures

Capra hircus outliers markers in Brazil: searching for genomic regions under the action of natural selection.

Identifying genome regions subject to selection in local breeds of Brazil is an opportunity to elucidate the C. hircus genome plasticity, flowing the colonization history of the country. Using SNP Bead Chip Illumina 50K genotyping of Brazilian Anglo-Nubian (standardized breed) and Marota (local endangered population from the semiarid area of Brazil) to show outliers loci in genome regions subject to selection. After applying data quality control, 45,600 SNPs were included in this investigation. Principal component analysis (PCAdapt) and FDIST2 analysis signalized 14 genomic regions more affected by selection in the Brazilian dry zone environment. The genome study signalized regions that are close to the sequences of genes related to growth and embryonic skeletal development (FGF12, AMPD2, OSTN). In addition, flagged regions close to the genes UTSB2 and SLC5A2 contribute to research on functional adaptation with low water needs and poor nutritive diet to survive. Both genes encode proteins that act on osmotic pathways and avoid cell flooding on stress cell responses. Further studies on the genetic role and involvement of these outliers? genomic regions, building a robust conceptual high-resolution map of natural selection drives, help to achieve hardiness candidate genes linked to the evolutionary history of Capra hircus in the semiarid area of Brazil

Características químicas de frutos de maracujazeiro amarelo tratados com indutores de resistência.

A Resistência Sistêmica Adquirida envolve vários eventos bioquímicos e fisiológicos, compondo um mecanismo de resistência induzida contra a infecção e, em alguns casos, pode influenciar nas características químicas dos frutos produzidos. Objetivou-se avaliar as características químicas de frutos de plantas tratadas com diferentes indutores de resistência. Plantas de maracujazeiro clonadas, em campo, foram submetidas, por um ano, a pulverizações quinzenais com: água (testemunha), Cuprozeb® (fungicida padrão), Bion®, Agromos ®, Reforce®, Alliete®, gesso agrícola e CPACGE (produto em teste). O delineamento foi em DBC, com 4 repetições, sendo cada uma representada por 20 frutos. Com exceção do Cuprozeb®, que não diferiu significativamente da testemunha, todos os produtos testados proporcionaram incremento no teor de sólidos solúveis dos frutos. A maior acidez total titulável (ácido cítrico) foi obtida nos frutos cujas plantas foram tratadas com Cuprozeb®, gesso agrícola, Agro-mos®, Alliete® e Bion®. O maior ratio foi observado nos frutos tratados com Reforce®. Não foi constatada alteração no pH dos frutos com os tratamentos

Mode II fracture energy in the adhesive bonding of dissimilar substrates: carbon fibre composite to aluminium joints

The end-notched flexure (ENF) test calculates the value of mode II fracture energy in adhesive bonding between the substrates of same nature. Traditional methods of calculating fracture energy in the ENF test are not suitable in cases where the thickness of the adhesive is non-negligible compared with adherent thicknesses. To address this issue, a specific methodology for calculating mode II fracture energy has been proposed in this paper. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed method, the fracture energy was calculated by the ENF test for adhesive bonds between aluminium and a composite material, which considered two different types of adhesive (epoxy and polyurethane) and various surface treatments. The proposed calculation model provides higher values of fracture energy than those obtained from the simplified models that consider the adhesive thickness to be zero, supporting the conclusion that the calculation of mode II fracture energy for adhesives with non-negligible thickness relative to their adherents should be based on mathematical models, such as the method proposed in this paper, that incorporate the influence of this thickness

Mídia, saúde e poder: um jogo de representações sobre dengue

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi construir discursos que representem como a primeira epidemia de dengue em Ribeirão Preto-SP foi abordada pela mídia impressa e trazer para reflexão desdobramentos sobre mídia e poder. Foram reunidas 126 reportagens de novembro de 1990 a março de 1991 dos jornais Folha de S. Paulo, O Estado de S. Paulo e A Cidade, e das revistas Veja e Revide. Utilizou-se o método do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo, fundamentado na Teoria das Representações Sociais. A mídia polemizou com a discussão sobre quem seria o grande vilão da epidemia em vez de esclarecer sobre a epidemia em si. Comprovou-se a defasagem da informação disponibilizada. O jogo de representações e a relação mídia/poder ficaram nítidas. Temos como problema não somente a possibilidade de acesso adequado e suficiente às informações produzidas, mas, também, a dificuldade de decidir o que deve ser discutido nos jornais diários para enriquecer, de fato, o arcabouço informacional da população. Para isso, os profissionais que lidam com informação e comunicação em saúde, na mídia impressa, precisam ser capacitados para provocar a aproximação da linguagem técnica à linguagem popular. Para que haja circulação e apropriação da informação em Saúde Pública, é necessário abrir a discussão para a comunidade e capacitá-la para que consiga se expressar. É importante discutir a qual tipo de informação o cidadão tem acesso durante os processos epidêmicos: Informação política ou epidemiológica? Questões políticas não podem se sobrepor a questões prioritárias de saúde nos meios de comunicação presentes no cotidiano das famílias brasileiras