Peritoneal Cryptococcosis in a Dog

Background: Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic, systemic mycotic disease caused by a yeast of Cryptococcus neoformans. These pathogens cause serious public health problems, as they can be transmitted to humans, domestic and wild animals. In cats and dogs, the main site of infection is the upper lower respiratory tract, however, the infection can extend and affect other sites in the organism, however, the peritoneal manifestation of the disease is rare. Thus, the present work aims to report a case of cryptococcosis in a canine, mixed breed, female, adult, from the Metropolitan Region of Belém.Case: A mixed breed dog, female, adult was admitted in a veterinary hospital at Belém, presenting abdominal discomfort and, after the clinical examination, emergency exploratory laparotomy was indicated, and it were observed disseminated lesions in the abdominal cavity, with multiple nodules attached to the peritoneum and intestinal serosa and bladder, uterus, among other organs. Fragments from the surgical biopsy were fixed, and processed routinely according to the techniques for histological tissue processing. Histological examination revealed a predominance of granulomatous lesions in peritoneum and mesentery organs. It was observed a discrete inflammatory reaction of macrophages, epithelioid cells and giant cells, many in phagocytosis of spherical or ovoid organisms, with a thick capsule and a clear perinuclear halo. In the PAS staining, the Cryptococcus conidia presented eosinophilic characteristics and some of them had the capsule well demarcated, which was shown to be radiated. Also it was possible to see the budding yeast and in the Grocott stain, the Cryptococcus stained in black.Discussion: Cryptococcosis with peritoneal involvement in animals is rarely reported in the literature. Cryptococcus is an agent that presents tropism by the central nervous system and nasal cavity, however atypical presentations have been reported, especially at the level of the abdominal cavity (intestines and mesentery). It is believed that the gastrointestinal tract is the gateway for ascending contamination, or that the contamination can occur by fungal ingestion. The lesions presented a multiple distribution, with isolated and coalescent nodules adhered to the peritoneum and adjacent structures. The literature reports two cases of dogs with intra-abdominal cryptococcosis, in which, macroscopically, granulomatous formations were observed in the jejunum, with lymph nodes and mesentery. Microscopically, a discrete inflammatory infiltrate of macrophages and lymphocytes were observed. Some areas with granulomatous reaction, lymphocytes, epithelioid macrophages and giant cells and, in other areas, yeasts in the cytoplasm were observed. The yeasts were spherical or ovoid, surrounded by a thick capsule of polysaccharide. The periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and silver impregnation (Grocott) staining were used to highlight structures of the Cryptococcus wall which were presented by a strong stained polysaccharide capsule. It must be emphasized the zoonotic potential of cryptococcosis, a disease that can affect both animals and humans. Cryptococcosis in humans normally occurs when the fungus accesses the airways through inhalation and ranges from asymptomatic pulmonary colonization to compromised meninges, causing the human patient's life-threatening condition. In the present report, the diagnosis of cryptococcosis was established through histopathological and histochemical examination of the fungal structure, which were determinant in the etiological diagnosis of cryptococcosis

Citalopram administration does not promote function or histological recovery after spinal cord injury

Citalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and although widely used as an antidepressant, this drug has also demonstrated interesting repairing properties leading to motor recovery and pathology amelioration in animal models of stroke and degeneration. Here, we tested the efficacy of both 7-day and 8-week citalopram treatment in a contusive spinal cord injury (SCI) rat model. A combination of behavioral tests, histological and serum cytokine analysis was used to assess overall recovery. Despite promoting a mild reduction of inflammatory cells as well as an early, but transient increase of specific serum cytokines, citalopram administration showed no overall beneficial effects on motor performance or lesion extension. Our results do not support citalopram treatment as a therapeutic strategy for SCI.This research was funded by Prémios Santa Casa Neurociências—Prize Melo e Castro for SpinalCord Injury Research, Grant Number MC-04/17 and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology(FCT) through the Scientific Employment Stimulus to N. Silva and S. Monteiro (CEECIND/04794/2017 and CEECIND/01902/2017) and fellowships to RL (PD/BDE/127836/2016); EDG (SFRH/BD/103075/2014);NLV (SFRH/BD/136952/2018) and R.AS (PDE/BDE/113596/2015).This work was also funded by FEDER,through the Competitiveness Internalization Operational Program (POCI) and by National funds, throughthe Foundation for Sciences and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038,POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029206, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029751 and PTDC/BTM-MAT/29968/2017. This work hasbeen funded by ICVS Scientific Microscopy Platform, member of the national infrastructure PPBI - PortuguesePlatform of Bioimaging (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122; by National funds, through the Foundationfor Science and Technology (FCT) - project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020; and by the projectsNORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Systemic interleukin-4 administration after spinal cord injury modulates inflammation and promotes neuroprotection

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) causes dramatic disability and dysfunction in the motor, sensory and autonomic systems. The severe inflammatory reaction that occurs after SCI is strongly associated with further tissue damage. As such, immunomodulatory strategies have been developed, aimed at reducing inflammation, but also at shaping the immune response in order to protect, repair and promote regeneration of spared neural tissue. One of those promising strategies is the intraspinal administration of the cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4) that was shown to promote a phenotype on specific immune cells associated with neuroprotection and repair. In this work, we evaluated if a systemic delivery of IL-4 for a 7-days period was also capable of promoting neuroprotection after SCI by analyzing different neural cells populations and motor recovery. IL-4 treatment promoted an elevation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the serum both at 24 h and 7 days after injury. Locally, treatment with IL-4 led to a reduction on cells expressing markers associated with inflammation, CD11b/c and iNOS. Importantly, IL-4 treatment increased the neuronal markers beta III-tubulin and NeuN, and the oligodendrocyte marker O4, suggesting a neuroprotective effect. Moreover, 100% of the animals treated with IL-4 were able to recover weight support against only 33% of saline treated animals. Overall, these results show that systemic administration of IL-4 positively impacts different aspects of spinal cord injury, creating a more favorable environment for recovery to take place.Prémios Santa Casa Neurociências—Prize Melo e Castro for Spinal Cord Injury Research; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Financiado no âmbito do Projecto 3599—Promover a Produção Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e a Constituição de Redes Temáticas (3599-PPCDT), project: PTDC/DTP-FTO/5109/2014; Post-Doctoral fellowship—SFRH/BPD/97701/2013—to N.A. Silva; IF Development Grant to A. J. Salgado; fellowships—PD/BDE/127836/2016—to R. Lima; SFRH/BD/103075/2014—to E. D. Gomes; PDE/BDE/113596/2015—to R. C. Assunção-Silva; SFRH/BD/88825/2012—to M. Morais); This article is a result of the project (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER); This work has been funded by FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Physico-chemical characteristics and productivity of tomato plants in function of nitrogen sources and doses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen sources and rates on the physicochemical characteristics and yield of tomato plants. Forty hybrids were cultivated at 100 and 400 kg ha-1 of N, combined with four sources (urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and calcium), plus a treatment without N application in a randomized complete block design four replicates. Size, stem diameter, number of leaves, SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development), leaf nitrogen, number of fruits / plants, fruit firmness, bark thickness and average fruit size, ° BRIX, pH, calcium, potassium and sodium in fruits. There was an increase in SPAD index, Brix and longitudinal diameter of fruits as a function of the N dose. The use of ammonium nitrate and calcium provided stronger fruits. Urea and ammonium nitrate provided the highest pH value in tomato fruits. The application of the 100 kg ha-1 dose of N resulted in the highest potassium content in fruits. The highest productivity was obtained with the application of sources containing ammonium and the lowest in the control treatment. Sources and doses of nitrogen fertilizers influenced growth, productivity and parameters related to tomato quality

Bioengineered cell culture systems of central nervous system injury and disease

Cell culture systems, either 2D or explant based, have been pivotal to better understand the pathophysiology of several central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Recently, bioengineered cell culture systems have been proposed as an alternative to the traditional setups. These innovative systems often combine different cell populations in 3D environments that more closely recapitulate the different niches that exist within the developing or adult CNS. Given the importance of such systems for the future of CNS-related research, we discuss here the most recent advances in the field, particularly those dealing with neurodegeneration, neurodevelopmental disorders, and trauma.Financial support is acknowledged from Prémios Santa Casa Neurociências – Prize Melo e Castro for Spinal Cord Injury Research; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [Doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BD/103075/2014) to E.D.G.; IF Development Grant to A.J.S.; Starting Grant to F. Marques; PostDoctoral fellowship SFRH/BPD/97701/2013 to N.A.S.]; this work was co-funded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), ao abrigo do Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN), através do Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Corticosteroides como terapêutica para covid-19: uma revisão de literatura / Corticosteroides as a therapeutic for covid-19: a review of the literature

Investigar as evidências científicas no contexto atual sobre o uso de corticosteroides para tratamento contra a Covid-19. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva do tipo revisão integrativa da literatura, que busca evidências sobre o uso de corticosteroides no combate a Covid-19. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio de bases de dados PubMed, MEDLINE, Scielo, CDSR, Google Scholar, BVS e EBSCO. Tendo como critérios de inclusão, os artigos originais que abordam a relação corticosteroides e a Covid-19 no período de 2020 a 2021. Dessa maneira, totalizaram-se 27 produções científicas para a revisão integrativa da literatura. O uso adequado de corticosteroides foi associado a uma redução de mortalidade e da internação de pacientes infectados pelo SARS-CoV2, sendo preferível a utilização em um curto prazo, para assim, diminuir a necessidade de oxigenoterapia. Em contrapartida, com a introdução precoce do fármaco, implica na inibição da cascata inflamatória que pode ocasionar à insuficiência respiratória e consequentemente, ao aumento das evoluções para UTI e para o suporte ventilatório. Tais medicamentos, não são recomendados corriqueiramente para Covid-19 sem indicação de alternativa. Com isso, não devem ser administrados em indivíduos que não requerem suplementação de oxigênio. Os corticosteroides, portanto, precisam ser usados com cautela, considerando a relação risco-benefício, como uma abordagem terapêutica de curto prazo, para apresentarem evidências de sobrevida. No entanto, o uso prolongado de esteroides pode ser prejudicial, assim como, não obtêm indícios de que o manejo a longo prazo aos infectados por Covid-19 previnem o paciente de não evoluir para complicações.

VIOLÊNCIA DOMÉSTICA E OS MAUS TRATOS AOS ANIMAIS

Introdução: Nas últimas décadas, surge o conceito de família multiespécie, que significa incluir um animal de estimação na família, tornando-o membro dela. Diante disso, este animal passa a estar submetido à configuração da família que o adotou. Dentre as várias particularidades que compõem o ambiente familiar, sabe-se da violência doméstica, que na pandemia obteve um aumento de incidências. Este tipo de violência, pode afetar o animal de estimação, e até fazer dele um alvo para que se violente o cônjuge de alguma maneira. Objetivo: Verificar a relação entre os maus tratos aos animais e a violência doméstica, e também o papel do médico veterinário neste contexto. Metodologia: Foi realizada uma revisão literária exploratória nas bases de dados Scielo e Lilacs, com as palavras chave: “Violência doméstica”, “Maus tratos animais” e leituras que contemplam os temas de tipos de violência, direitos humanos e bem-estar animal. Considerações: A violência doméstica é entendida como aquela que causa algum tipo de dano a qualquer membro da família. Nesta pandemia provocada pela COVID-19, houve um aumento de casos com violência doméstica, incluindo os maus tratos aos animais. Observa-se também, que em alguns casos, o animal pode ser maltratado com o objetivo de atingir algum membro da família – o tutor dele. Neste ponto, entra o trabalho do médico veterinário, que pode constatar a violência desferida contra o animal e até investigar como é a organização no lar que ele reside. Por fim, o papel do médico veterinário nestes casos de maus tratos aos animais, é de investigação e denúncia, para que os agressores sejam penalizados, o que poderá impactar positivamente na redução da violência doméstica

Flumioxazin selectivity to wheat

O controle químico de plantas daninhas é um importante manejo para se manter a alta produtividade na cultura do trigo. Devido à escassez de produtos registrados para a cultura, objetivou-se avaliar a seletividade do herbicida flumioxazin ao trigo, aplicado em pós-emergência. O experimento foi realizado a campo e o delineamento experimental utilizado foi de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram aplicados no estádio V3 da cultura do trigo e consistiram de seis doses de flumioxazin: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 g ha-1. Foram realizadas avaliações de índice SPAD, de intoxicação e de controle de plantas daninhas aos 15, 21, 28 e 35 dias após a aplicação. Ao final do experimento, 109 dias após a semeadura, as plantas foram trilhadas para determinação do peso de mil grãos, peso hectolitro e produtividade de grãos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que apesar de causar redução do índice SPAD de até 20% e intoxicação de até 34% na maior dose aplicada, o flumioxazin proporcionou seletividade à cultura do trigo por não interferir nas demais variáveis avaliadas, principalmente na produtividade de grãos.The chemical control of weeds is an important management to keep high productivity in the wheat crop. Due to the scarceness of registered products for the crop, the goal of this work was to evaluate the selectivity of the flumioxazin herbicide to wheat, applied in post-emergence. The experiment was conducted on the field and the used experimental design was the randomized block one, with four replications. The treatments were applied on stage V3 of the wheat crop and consisted in six flumioxazin doses: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 g ha-1. Evaluations were performed on SPAD index, intoxication and weed control on day 15, 21, 28 and 35 after application. At the end of the experiment, 109 days after seeding, plants were tracked to determine the one thousand grain weight, hectoliter weight and grain productivity. The obtained results showed that in spite of causing an up to 20% SPAD index and up to 34% intoxication reduction in the highest applied dose, flumioxazin provided selectivity to the wheat crop, since it did not interfere in the other evaluated variables, mainly in grain productivity

Tecnologias em Saúde: Aperfeiçoar o Processo de Trabalho Pautado na Gestão da Clínica e do Cuidado/ Health Technologies: Improve the Work Process Based on Clinical and Care Management

Objetivo: descrever as formas de aplicação e desenvolvimento das tecnologias relacionais durante o curso de Aperfeiçoamento para Gestores de Unidades Básicas de Saúde, Gestão da Clínica e do Cuidado. Métodos: pesquisa descritiva, do tipo relato de experiência sobre o uso das tecnologias relacionais por gestores do Estado do Amapá durante um curso semipresencial. Resultados: no curso foram apresentadas e utilizadas diversas tecnologias, como o círculo de diálogo, que despertou um olhar mais sensível dos profissionais à assistência prestada aos usuários e para si; o fluxograma descritor que ensinou como organizar a entrada e saída de usuários, solucionando os problemas de fluxo dentro dos serviços; o Sistema KANBAN que serviu para o gerenciamento do estoque de materiais, pois este foi um problema recorrente relatado pelos gestores; e o Projeto Terapêutico Singular (PTS) que foi colocado como uma ferramenta resolutiva na aplicação dos princípios do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), necessitando, porém de incentivo para ser implementado pelos profissionais. Conclusão: As tecnologias relacionais são instrumentos eficazes na prática clínica e do cuidado podendo ser utilizadas pela equipe multidisciplinar e ser aplicadas interdisciplinarmente no cotidiano do processo de trabalho para melhorar a assistência em saúde

Comparison of epidemiological profile of leprosy from 2010 to 2020 in the city of Alfenas, state of Minas Gerais, with Brazil

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a mycobacterium that affects skin cells and peripheral nerves and, when not treated properly, can cause skin lesions with loss of local sensitivity. Its study is still of great importance, as it is a stigmatizing disease, with impacts on public health in emerging countries such as Brazil, and prevalent cities such as the Alfenas city in Minas Gerais. Objective: To compare the epidemiological profile of patients affected by leprosy from 2010 to 2020 in Alfenas city, state of Minas Gerais, with Brazil. Method: This is a transversal and descriptive study with collected data for the period of 2010 to 2020 available in the DATASUS system. Result: The observed profile was characterized by men, aged over 15 years, incomplete Elementary School I and multibacillary type of the disease, however there was divergence in relation to the race/color of individuals affected by leprosy comparing the national scope with the municipal scope of Alfenas. This difference in data is due to the socioeconomic development process in the city of Alfenas since its population composition is similar to that of west Paulista by virtue of the coffee labor in the colonial period. The statistical analysis indicated a varied prevalence coefficients for Brazil and Alfenas, and a dependence between both variables, although relatively weak. Conclusion: With the high prevalence of leprosy cases and its consequences, such as skin lesions, it is of great importance to understand this disease, as well as its epidemiological patterns