Recent evidence suggests that cell-derived circulating miRNAs may serve as biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases. However, a few studies have investigated the potential of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). In this study, we aimed to characterize the miRNA profiles that could distinguish hypertensive patients with LHV, hypertensive patients without LVH and control subjects, and identify potential miRNAs as biomarkers of LVH. LVH was defined by left ventricular mass indexed to body surface area >125 g/m2 in men and >110 g/m2 in women and patients were classified as hypertensive when presenting a systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or more, or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or more. We employed miRNA PCR array to screen serum miRNAs profiles of patients with LVH, essential hypertension and healthy subjects. We identified 75 differentially expressed miRNAs, including 49 upregulated miRNAs and 26 downregulated miRNAs between LVH and control patients. We chose 2 miRNAs with significant differences for further testing in 59 patients. RT-PCR analysis of serum samples confirmed that miR-7-5p and miR-26b-5p were upregulated in the serum of LVH hypertensive patients compared with healthy subjects. Our findings suggest that these miRNAs may play a role in the pathogenesis of hypertensive LVH and may represent novel biomarkers for this disease.

A total of 76 samples of Streptococcus suis isolated from meningitis cases in pigs from 2005 to 2009 were evaluated. The samples were collected from 3 to 21-week-old pigs raised in 30 farms located in Paraná state, Brazil. The samples of S. suis were obtained as part of routine procedures and were serotyped by coagglutination test using rabbit hyperimmune sera for the serotypes 1 to 9 and ½. S. suis type 2 was the most frequent, followed by serotypes 1, ½ and 3.

Biliary atresia, the most common cause of liver transplantation in children, remains a challenge for clinicians and investigators. The development of new therapeutic options, besides the typical hepatoportoenterostomy, depends on a greater understanding of its pathogenesis and how it relates to the clinical phenotypes at diagnosis and the rate of disease progression. In this review, we present a perspective of how recent research has advanced the understanding of the disease and has improved clinical care protocols. Molecular and morphological analyses at diagnosis point to the potential contributions of polymorphism in the CFC1 and VEGF genes to the pathogenesis of the disease, and to an association between the degree of bile duct proliferation and long-term outcome. In experimental models, cholangiocytes do not appear to have antigen-presenting properties despite a substantial innate and adaptive immune response that targets the biliary epithelium and produces duct obstruction. Initial clinical trials assessing the efficacy of corticosteroids in decreasing the inflammation and improving outcome do not show a superior effect of corticosteroids as an adjuvant treatment following hepatoportoenterostomy. The best outcome still remains linked to an early diagnosis and surgical treatment. In this regard, the Yellow Alert campaign by the Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria and the inclusion of the Stool Color Card in the health booklet given to every neonate in Brazil have the potential to decrease the age of diagnosis, shorten the time between diagnosis and surgical treatment, and improve the long-term outcome of children with this devastating disease.

As famílias Convolvulaceae e Euphorbiaceae possuem diferentes espécies que infestam os canaviais de forma rápida e agressiva, especialmente em áreas cobertas pela palha remanescente da colheita que não foram queimadas. Essa infestação, associada às extensas áreas de cultivo, tem dificultado a operacionalidade do manejo químico exclusivamente durante a estação chuvosa do ano, levando aos produtores a necessidade de aplicar os herbicidas também no período de estiagem. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho objetivou estudar a persistência dos herbicidas aplicados durante o período de estiagem em resistir às intempéries climáticas até o início da estação chuvosa, avaliando-se o controle sobre as espécies dos gêneros de Ipomoea, Merremia e Euphorbia. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados com 42 tratamentos, distribuídos em esquema de parcelas subdivididas com seis repetições. Os herbicidas amicarbazone (1.050 g ha-1), imazapic (1.22,5 g ha-1), sulfentrazone (600 g ha-1) e as associações clomazone (1.000 g ha-1) + hexazinone (250 g ha-1), sulfentrazone (600 g ha-1) + diurom (936 g ha-1) + hexazinone (264 g ha-1), sulfentrazone (500 g ha-1) + amicarbazone (700 g ha-1) e testemunha foram alocados nas parcelas. As espécies Ipomoea nil, I. hederifolia, I. quamoclit, I. grandifolia, Merremia aegyptia e Euphorbia heterophylla foram semeadas diretamente no solo, cobertas com o equivalente a 15 t ha-1 de palha de cana-de-açúcar e alocadas nas subparcelas. Após a aplicação dos herbicidas, registraram-se 70 dias de ausência de chuvas e o estresse hídrico impossibilitou a avaliação de controle, devido à não emergência das plantas daninhas em todos os tratamentos. Entretanto, com o início da estação chuvosa aos 90 dias após o tratamento, iniciaram-se as avaliações de eficácia devido à emergência das plantas daninhas. Aos 150 DAT (dias após os tratamentos) os herbicidas sulfentrazone e sulfentrazone associado a amicarbazone foram os mais persistentes e apresentaram média de eficácia de controle superior a 85%, considerando todas as espécies, quando comparada à da testemunha.

Different species of the Convolvulaceae and Euphorbiaceae family infest sugarcane culture rapidly and aggressively, especially in areas covered by the unburned straw remaining from the harvest. This infestation, combined with extensive cultivation areas, have made it difficult to manage the chemical application exclusively during the rainy season of the year, forcing producers to apply the herbicides also during the drought period. Within this context, this work aimed to study the persistence of the herbicides applied during drought in resisting bad weather until the start of the rainy season, by evaluating the control over the species of the genera Ipomoea, Merremia and Euphorbia. The experimental design was a randomized block with 42 treatments distributed in a split-plot with six replications. The herbicides amicarbazone (1050 g ha-1 ); imazapic (122,5 g ha-1 ); sulfentrazone (600 g ha-1 ) and associations clomazone (1000 g ha-1 ) + hexazinone (250 g ha-1 ); sulfentrazone (600 g ha-1 ) + diurom (936 g ha-1 ) + hexazinone (264 g ha-1 ); sulfentrazone (500 g ha-1) + amicarbazone (700 g ha-1 ) and control were allocated to the plots. The species Ipomoea nil, I. hederifolia, I. quamoclit, I. grandifolia, Merremia aegyptia and Euphorbia heterophylla were sown directly into the soil, covered with the equivalent of 15 t ha-1 sugarcane straw and allocated to the sub-plots. After herbicide application, 70 days without rain were recorded, with water stress rendering evaluation impossible, since no weed emergence occurred in all treatments. However, in the beginning of the rainy season 90 days after treatment, evaluations on the effectiveness of weed emergence could be carried out. At 150 DAT (days after treatments), the herbicides sulfentrazone and sulfentrazone, associated with amicarbazone, were the most persistent and presented an effective control mean over 85%, considering all species when compared with the control.

Estudaram-se os aspectos epidêmicos das infecções de suínos causadas por Streptococcus suis, enfocando, principalmente, a ocorrência de diferentes sorotipos. Foram analisadas 323 amostras isoladas de animais clinicamente doentes, as quais foram sorotipadas de acordo com o procedimento de co-aglutinação. Foi verificado que S. suis está presente em vários estados brasileiros e o maior número de isolados originou-se dos estados de Minas Gerais (62,5%), São Paulo (10,8%) e Paraná (9,3%). O sorotipo 2 foi o mais freqüente (61.0%), seguido pelos sorotipos 1, 3, 4, 7 e 8. Os isolamentos foram obtidos principalmente de cérebro (60,1%) e pulmões (10,4%). Os casos de septicemia representaram 9,4%.

The epidemic aspects of swine infections caused by Streptococcus suis were studied, focusing mainly on the occurrence of several serotypes. A total of 323 samples of S. suis were isolated from clinically ill animals, serotyped according to the co-agglutination procedure, and analyzed. The serotyping revealed that S. suis was present in several Brazilian states. The largest number was isolated from the states of Minas Gerais (62.5%), São Paulo (10.8%), and Paraná (9.3%). Serotype 2 was the most frequent (61.0%), followed by the serotypes 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8. The largest number of isolations was obtained from the brain (60.1%), followed by the lungs (10.4%). About 9.4% of the cases were due to septicemia.

In recent years the need to monitor different parameters has led to the development of several architectures able to make real time, un-attended measurements. Particularly in regard to environmental issues, it is very important that the equipment and measuring systems be small and light to avoid maximum interference of the ecosystems studied. In this context, optical fibre sensors have become extremely attractive for use in natural environments to monitor different parameters of biological interest, due to their intrinsic small weight and size and low reactivity to chemical and biological parameters. In this paper we present an innovative and technologically advanced system for the simultaneous measurement of temperature and salinity based on optical fibre Bragg grating sensors and on an optical sensing cable especially designed for large-scale and distributed or quasi-distributed measurements. A prototype of this optical cable was installed in the Mira Channel at Ria de Aveiro, Portugal. Temperature variation during three weeks from 4 to 23 June 2002 is investigated and presented here.

En años recientes la necesidad de monitorear diferentes parámetros condujo al desarrollo de diversas arquitecturas capaces de hacer mediciones en tiempo real, de manera automatizada. Particularmente cuando se trata de parámetros ambientales es muy importante que equipos y sistemas de medición sean pequeños y ligeros para evitar al máximo la interferencia con los ecosistemas estudiados. En este contexto, los sensores de fibra óptica han resultado muy atractivos para monitorear diferentes parámetros de interés biológico en ambientes naturales gracias a sus reducidos peso y tamaño, y a su baja reactividad hacia parámetros químicos y biológicos. En este artículo se presenta un sistema innovador y tecnológicamente avanzado para la medición simultánea de temperatura y salinidad, basado en sensores de fibra óptica con rejillas de Bragg y un cable de fibra óptica especialmente diseñado para mediciones a gran escala y distribuidas o quasi-distribuidas. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos de investigar la variabilidad térmica mediante un prototipo de este cable óptico que fue instalado en el Canal de Mira de la Ría de Aveiro (Portugal) durante tres semanas entre el 4 y el 23 de junio de 2002.

Avaliou-se a técnica da imunoperoxidase como método auxiliar para a detecção de Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae em suínos naturalmente infectados. Foram colhidos 80 fragmentos de pulmões de 40 animais provenientes de granjas consideradas negativas e 40 de granjas com diagnóstico positivo de pneumonia enzoótica. Com a utilização de soro policlonal específico (IgG de coelho anti- M. hyopneumoniae) observou-se correlação positiva de 77% entre os diagnósticos microscópicos e imunoistoquímicos, enquanto que a correlação entre os diagnósticos macroscópico e imunoistoquímico foi de 49%. Nas granjas consideradas negativas observou-se presença de discreta imunorreação em 22,5% dos casos, o que poderia indicar a existência de reação cruzada com outros microrganismos. Nas granjas com diagnóstico positivo para pneumonia enzoótica a técnica da peroxidase-anti-peroxidase (PAP) revelou diferentes graus de intensidade, variando de fraca imunomarcação até espesso depósito amarronzado no epitélio ou na luz das vias aéreas, ou ainda no interior de macrófagos, com relação direta entre a intensidade das lesões e da imunorreação. A técnica imunoistoquímica possui sensibilidade de 95% e especificidade de 77,5%, podendo ser recomendada como ferramenta auxiliar, rápida e de baixo custo para o diagnóstico de pneumonia enzoótica suína em laboratórios de rotina em histopatologia.

The immunoperoxidase technique as an auxiliary method for the detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in naturally infected pigs was evaluated. Eighty lung fragments of which 40 from animals of farms considered negatives and 40 of farms with positive diagnosis of enzootic pneumonia were collected. The results obtained with polyclonal specific serum (IgG of rabbit anti - M. hyopneumoniae) evidentiated a positive correlation of 77% between microscopic and immunohistochemical diagnoses, while the correlation between the macroscopic and immunohistochemical diagnoses was of 49%. In the farms considered negatives the presence of discrete immunoreaction in 22.5% of the cases, what could indicate the existence of cross reaction with other microorganisms, was observed. In the farms with positive diagnosis for enzootic pneumonia the peroxidase-anti peroxidase technique revealed different degrees of intensity, varying from weak immunomarcation to thick brownish deposit in the epithelium or in the light of the airways, or still inside macrophages, with a direct relationship among the intensity of the lesions and the immunoreaction. It was also verified that the immunohistochemistry technique presented 95% of sensibility and 77.5% of specificity, being recommended as auxiliary, fast and of low cost tool for the diagnosis of swine enzootic pneumonia in routine laboratories of histopathology.

Diarrhea in suckling piglets caused by Clostridium perfringens type A was diagnosed in industrial (technified) swine farms of the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo (Brazil), based on isolation and identification of bacterium by biochemical tests, detection of alpha toxin in animal bioassays, and PCR. This seems to be the first report of clostridial enterotoxaemia in piglets by C. perfringens type A in Brazil and allowed specific procedures to control the disease.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a influência da simulação de orvalho na eficiência do herbicida glyphosate sobre Brachiaria decumbens. Para isso, foram realizados dois ensaios simultâneos. No primeiro, os tratamentos foram constituídos pela combinação de duas doses de glyphosate (270 e 540 g ha-1), três intervalos de tempo entre a pulverização do herbicida e a simulação de orvalho (0,0; 4,0 e 8,0 horas) e cinco volumes de orvalho (250, 500, 750, 1.000 e 2.000 mL m-2), além de três testemunhas adicionais, dispostos em esquema fatorial (2x3x5)+3, com quatro repetições. No segundo ensaio, os tratamentos foram constituídos pela combinação da aplicação do orvalho simulado em cinco volumes (250, 500, 750, 1.000 e 2.000 mL m-2) com a pulverização do glyphosate, logo após o orvalho simulado, em duas doses (270 e 540 g ha-1), dispostos em esquema fatorial (5x2), com quatro repetições. A dose de 270 g ha-1 de glyphosate, independentemente do intervalo de tempo entre a pulverização do herbicida e a aplicação do orvalho simulado ou dos volumes de orvalho, não proporcionou controle de B. decumbens. Os volumes crescentes de orvalho sobre o glyphosate pulverizado na dose de 540 g ha-1 interferiram no controle de B. decumbens, sendo necessário intervalo de oito horas entre a aplicação do glyphosate e a ocorrência do orvalho para se obter controle satisfatório da planta daninha. Aplicações de glyphosate sobre plantas de B. decumbens na presença do orvalho resultaram em baixos níveis de controle na dose de 540g ha-1, não apresentando qualquer controle na dose menor. Embora tenha havido interferência do volume de orvalho simulado na eficácia do herbicida, o controle de B. decumbens pelo glyphosate pareceu estar mais relacionado com o tempo de ocorrência do orvalho após as pulverizações.

The present work was aimed to evaluate the influence of dew simulation on the efficacy of glyphosate on Brachiaria decumbens. For this purpose, two greenhouse assays were accomplished simultaneously. In the first experiment, treatments consisted of the combination of two glyphosate rates (270 and 540 g ha-1), three intervals between the spraying of the herbicide and dew simulation (0.0; 4.0 and 8.0 hours), and five volumes of dew, besides three additional checks, disposed in a factorial scheme (2x3x5)+3, with four replicates. In the second experiment, the treatments were constituted by the combination of simulated dew at five volumes (250, 500, 750, 1000 and 2000 mL m-2) and the spraying of glyphosate, immediately after the simulated dew, at two rates (270 and 540 g ha-1), disposed in factorial scheme (5x2), with four replicates. The rate of 270 g ha-1 of glyphosate did not provide control of B. decumbens, despite either the period of time between the spraying of the herbicide and application of simulated dew or volumes of dew. The increased levels of dew over glyphosate sprayed at 540 g ha-1 interfered with B. decumbens control, being necessary at least eight hours between glyphosate spraying and dew simulation for adequate weed control. Spraying of glyphosate over plants of B. decumbens when the dew was already present resulted in poor weed control at 540 g ha-1 and did not provide any control at 270 g ha-1. Although the simulation of dew interfered with glyphosate efficacy over B. decumbens, weed control seems to be more related to the period of time of dew occurrence after spraying.

The histopathology of the liver is fundamental for the differential diagnosis between intra- and extrahepatic causes of neonatal cholestasis. However, histopathological findings may overlap and there is disagreement among authors concerning those which could discriminate between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis. Forty-six liver biopsies (35 wedge biopsies and 11 percutaneous biopsies) and one specimen from a postmortem examination, all from patients hospitalized for neonatal cholestasis in the Pediatrics Service of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, were prospectively studied using a specially designed histopathological protocol. At least 4 of 5 different stains were used, and 46 hepatic histopathological variables related to the differential diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis were studied. The findings were scored for severity on a scale from 0 to 4. Sections which showed less than 3 portal spaces were excluded from the study. Sections were examined by a pathologist who was unaware of the final diagnosis of each case. Bile tract permeability was defined by scintigraphy of the bile ducts and operative cholangiography. The F test and discriminant analysis were used as statistical methods for the study of the hepatic histopathological variables. The chi-square method with Yates correction was used to relate the age of the patients on the date of the histopathological study to the discriminatory variables between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis selected by the discriminant function test. The most valuable hepatic histopathological variables for the discrimination between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis, in decreasing order of importance, were periportal ductal proliferation, portal ductal proliferation, portal expansion, cholestasis in neoductules, foci of myeloid metaplasia, and portal-portal bridges. The only variable which pointed to the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis was myeloid metaplasia. Due to the small number of patients who were younger than 60 days on the date of the histopathological study (N = 6), no variable discriminated between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis before the age of 2 months and all of them, except for the portal expansion, were discriminatory after this age. In infants with cholestasis, foci of myeloid metaplasia, whenever present in the liver biopsy, suggested intrahepatic cholestasis. Periportal ductal proliferation, portal ductal proliferation, portal expansion, cholestasis in neoductules, portal cholestasis and portal-portal bridges suggested extrahepatic obstructive cholestasis.