Andrological, pathologic, morphometric, and ultrasonographic findings in rams experimentally infected with Brucella ovis

AbstractBrucella ovis is considered the most important infectious cause of reproductive disorders in sheep. The disease is characterized by epididymitis, subfertility and infertility in rams. B. ovis occasionally results in abortion in ewes, as well. The aim of this study was to evaluate kinetic changes in the reproductive organs of rams experimentally infected with B. ovis. Nine rams were experimentally inoculated intrapreputially with 2mL of a suspension containing 1.2×109CFU (colony-forming units)/mL of B. ovis (strain ATCC25840). In addition, 50μL of a suspension containing 1.2×1010CFU/mL of the same B. ovis strain was inoculated into each conjunctival sac, resulting in 3.6×109CFU total per ram. Six of nine infected rams had developed clinical changes in the tail of the epididymis at 30 days post-infection (dpi), but these changes regressed in 50% of these rams. Ultrasound demonstrated an increase in the area of the tail of the epididymis (P<0.001), reduction in the area of the testes (P<0.001), and an increased length and width of the seminal vesicles (P<0.001) during the course of infection. A sperm granuloma was diagnosed on the basis of ultrasonography findings. Microscopically, there was epididymitis, testicular degeneration, and seminal vesiculitis. Inflammatory cells were detected in the semen even before the development of epididymitis. Moreover, inflammatory cells were also found in the semen of asymptomatic rams, indicating that the presence of leukocytes in the ejaculate is a valuable method for screening potential carriers of infections in the genital tract

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

Estudos sobre a nutrição mineral do milho: II. efeito de doses crescentes de N, R e K no crescimento, produção e composição mineral da variedade Piranão em condições controladas

Maize plants, Piranão cultivar, were grown in nutrient solution with 5 levels each of N, R and K till harvest. Nitrate reductase activity and putrescine level were determined in leaves of plants in the N and K series, respectively, at silking stage. Upper and lower leaves were analysed for N, R and K in the corresponding treatments at the end of the life cycle. The main conclusions were the following : 5.1 There was a linear effect of level of N in the substrate on dry matter production. 5.2. High activities of nitrate reductase suggest that under natural conditions the variety should be very responsive to N fertilization. 5.3. An asymptotic response curve was found in the treatments with increasing levels of R in the medium, as well as in the case of the K treatments. 5.4. Curves of response of roots (dry matter) showed a tendency to level of as a function of increasing levels of element at lower concentrations than the components aeral part of the plant (leaves, stems, ears). 5.5. Determination of leaf putrescine did not of prove a better indicator of the K status leaf K. 5.6. The variety under study seems to be relatively more efficient in the utilization of N for yield components; the efficiency for utilization of K, is rather low and that for R is intermediate, findings that should have a bearing on the fertilization in field conditions.O milho, var. Piranão, foi cultivado em solução nutritiva com níveis crescentes de N, R e K. Houve resposta linear à adição de N e assintótica às doses de R e de K. A determinação da atividade da reductase de nitrato se correlacionou melhor com a produção da matéria seca que a do N total nas folhas. O teor de potássio total nas folhas, por sua vez refletiu melhor o estado nutricional que a determinação de putrescina nas folhas