Cell-derived microvesicles in infective endocarditis: Role in diagnosis and potential for risk stratification at hospital admission

Objectives: To characterize the plasmatic profile of cell-derived microvesicles (MVs) at diagnosis and during the treatment of patients with infective endocarditis (IE). Methods: Blood samples from 57 patients with IE were obtained on 3 consecutive moments: upon admission (T0), at 2 weeks (T1), and at the end of treatment (T2), and were compared with 22 patients with other bacterial infections. MPs were measured by flow cytometry and labeled for specific cell markers of CD45 (leukocytes), CD66b (neutrophils), CD14 (monocytes), CD41a (platelets), CD51 (endothelial cells), CD3 (T lymphocyte) and CD235a (erythrocytes). Results: MVs from platelets (pltMVs), leukocytes (leukMVs), neutrophils (neutMVs), monocytes (monoMVs) and lymphocytes (lymphMVs) were significantly more elevated in the patients with IE, compared to the patients with other bacterial infections, despite comparable age, sex, blood counts and C-reactive protein levels. MVs values revealed a relatively stable pattern over time in IE, except for a significant increase in leukMVs and neutMVs in T1. LeukMVs (p = 0.011), neutMVs (p = 0.010), monoMVs (p = 0.016) and lymphMVs (p = 0.020), measured at admission, were significantly higher in IE patients that died during hospitalization in comparison with those that survived. In a multivariable analyses, the levels of neutMVs remained as an independent factor associated with mortality (odds ratio 2.203; 95% confidence interval 1.217 - 3.988; p = 0.009), adjustment for heart failure during the treatment. Conclusions: Plasma levels of pltMVs, leukMVs, neutMVs, monoMVs and lymphMVs were significantly more elevated in patients with IE than in patients with other bacterial infections at hospital admission. Furthermore, neutMVs at admission have been identified as an independent predictor of mortality in patients with IE. Thus, cell derived MPs may become an important tool in the differential diagnosis and mortality risk assessment early in the course of IE suspected cases

Suplementos para ovinos mantidos em pastos de capim-marandu

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da suplementação na resposta produtiva, no pH e no nitrogênio amoniacal ruminal, e no custo de produção de ovinos em pastagem de capim-marandu no período da seca. O experimento teve a duração de 84 dias. Utilizaram-se 20 cordeiros não castrados com idade e peso corporal inicial médios de quatro meses e 24,20 kg, respectivamente, para avaliação do desenvolvimento, distribuídos em cada um dos tratamentos que são os suplementos, mineral, energético, proteico e múltiplo, com cinco animais por tatamento, em área de 0,1 ha. Para avaliação dos parâmetros nutricionais, foram utilizados quatro ovinos fistulados no rúmen com 12 meses e 55 kg de peso corporal foram distribuídos em quatro piquetes de 0,1 ha. Avaliaram-se os suplementos mineral, energético, múltiplo e proteico. Os ganhos de peso foram de 0,017, -0,008, 0,024 e 0,077 kg por dia para os suplementos mineral, energético, múltiplo e proteico, respectivamente. Quatro horas após suplementação, os valores de pH ruminal foram de 6,30, 6,40, 6,18 e 6,24 para os suplementos mineral, energético, múltiplo e proteico, respectivamente. Os valores para nitrogênio amoniacal do líquido ruminal foram de 10,57, 7,36, 21,58 e 24,50 mg dL-1 para os suplementos mineral, energético, múltiplo e proteico, respectivamente. Os suplementos mineral e proteico produziram o ganho de peso com o menor custo. O uso de suplemento energético para cordeiros submetidos à forragem com baixo teor de proteína reduz o ganho de peso