Uso de dardos anestésicos para a captura de veados campeiros (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) no Pantanal.

Existem poucos relatos sobre a captura de cervídeos na América do Sul. Até hoje, a captura do veado campeiro (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) em vida livre foi feita principalmente com uso de redes, seguida de contenção química. Neste trabalho, avaliou-se a viabilidade de captura de indivíduos da espécie utilizando dardos anestésicos, lançados à distância. Essa técnica, também conhecida como ?darting?, nunca havia sido reportada para captura de O. bezoarticus na natureza, pois se acreditava que os animais morreriam em fuga, devido ao estresse relacionado ao tiro. A fim de evitar tal possibilidade, a técnica apresentada incluiu uma fase longa de abordagem dos animais. No geral, a trajetória descrita durante a aproximação teve formato de espiral em torno dos alvos e, via de regra, o atirador adotou ângulos oblíquos para aproximar-se, até alcançar a condição de tiro (<20 m). Entre os anos de 2005 e 2006, foram realizadas 23 capturas de veados campeiros com uso de Zolazepan + Tiletamina (1:1), na dosagem de 10 mg/kg ou Telazol + Xilazina (2:1), na dosagem de 3 a 4,5 mg/kg e 1,5 a 2,25 mg/kg, respectivamente. Os dardos foram lançados com de pistola de gás comprimido ?dartgun? ou zarabatana. Todos os animais capturados recuperam-se após a captura e nenhuma injúria visível foi registrada. Apenas uma mortalidade foi observada durante o estudo. O método mostrou-se eficaz e pode substituir com vantagens o anterior, uma vez que a equipe necessária é menor e o risco de mortalidade mais baixo. A alternativa apresentada é recomendada para futuras capturas de O. bezoarticus. A experiência do atirador é um fator limitante ao método.bitstream/CPAP/55937/1/BP71.pdfFormato eletrônic

A bird’s eye view on the use of whole exome sequencing in rare congenital ophthalmic diseases

Phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity in congenital ocular diseases, especially in anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD), have created challenges for proper diagnosis and classification of diseases. Over the last decade, genomic research has indeed boosted our understanding in the molecular basis of ASD and genes associated with both autosomal dominant and recessive patterns of inheritance have been described with a wide range of expressivity. Here we describe the molecular characterization of a cohort of 162 patients displaying isolated or syndromic congenital ocular dysgenesis. Samples were analyzed with diverse techniques, such as direct sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, and whole exome sequencing (WES), over 20 years. Our data reiterate the notion that PAX6 alterations are primarily associated with ASD, mostly aniridia, since the majority of the cohort (66.7%) has a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in the PAX6 locus. Unexpectedly, a high fraction of positive samples (20.3%) displayed deletions involving the 11p13 locus, either partially/totally involving PAX6 coding region or abolishing its critical regulatory region, underlying its significance. Most importantly, the use of WES has allowed us to both assess variants in known ASD genes (i.e., CYP1B1, ITPR1, MAB21L1, PXDN, and PITX2) and to identify rarer phenotypes (i.e., MIDAS, oculogastrointestinal-neurodevelopmental syndrome and Jacobsen syndrome). Our data clearly suggest that WES allows expanding the analytical portfolio of ocular dysgenesis, both isolated and syndromic, and that is pivotal for the differential diagnosis of those conditions in which there may be phenotypic overlaps and in general in ASD

CD1A-positive cells and HSP60 (HSPD1) levels in keratoacanthoma and squamous cell carcinoma

CD1a is involved in presentation to the immune system of lipid antigen derived from tumor cells with subsequent T cell activation. Hsp60 is a molecular chaperone implicated in carcinogenesis by, for instance, modulating the immune reaction against the tumor. We have previously postulated a synergism between CD1a and Hsp60 as a key factor in the activation of an effective antitumor immune response in squamous epithelia. Keratoacantomas (KAs) are benign tumors that however can transform into squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), but the reasons for this malignization are unknown. In a previous study, we found that CD1a-positive cells are significantly more numerous in KA than in SCC. In this study, we analyzed a series of KAs and SCCs by immunohistochemistry for CD1a and Hsp60. Our results show that the levels of both are significantly lower in KA than in SCC and support the hypothesis that KA may evolve towards SCC if there is a failure of the local modulation of the antitumor immune response. The data also show that immunohistochemistry for CD1a and Hsp60 can be of help in differential diagnosis between KAs and well-differentiated forms of SCC

Pain in cancer. An outcome research project to evaluate the epidemiology, the quality and the effects of pain treatment in cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Management of pain related to advanced or metastatic cancer, although the availability of several pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and the existence of well-known guidelines and protocols, is often difficult and inadequate. Evidence of the relative effectiveness of current options for treating cancer pain from comparative randomized studies is scanty. METHODS: In the context of a wider project, a multicenter, open label, prospective Outcome Research study will be launched in Italy in 2006 to investigate the epidemiology of cancer pain and of its treatments, the quality of analgesic-drug therapy and the effectiveness of alternative analgesic strategies in a large, prospective, unselected cohort of cancer patients using the state-of-the art of patient-reported-outcomes. About 100 Italian centers will recruit 2500 patients with advanced/progressive/metastatic cancer with pain (related to the cancer disease) requiring analgesic treatments. Each center is expected to recruit 25 consecutive and eligible patients during the study inception period. Approximately two months will be allowed for subject recruitment and enrollment. Subject evaluation and follow-up will be for 3 months. The effect on outcomes of various therapeutic analgesic options administered by physicians, given the observational approach where patients are not assigned at random to different treatments, will be compared using the propensity score approach, allowing the adjustment for treatment selection bias. Later, after the launch of the observational study and on the basis of results, in specific subsamples of patients and in select centers of the network, a Randomized Controlled Trial will be carried out to formally compare the efficacy of alternative analgesic strategies, with particular emphasis on oral morphine (as comparator) and buprenorphine patch (as experimental arm). Results from the outcome (cohort) and experimental (Randomized Controlled Trial) studies will ensure both the external and internal validity

Fasting Plasma C-Peptide and Micro- and Macrovascular Complications in a Large Clinic-Based Cohort of Type 1 Diabetic Patients

OBJECTIVE—A protective effect of residual β-cell function on microvascular complications of type 1 diabetes has been suggested. Our aim was to retrospectively evaluate the association of fasting plasma C-peptide values with micro- and macrovascular complications