ABSTRACT. The objective was to evaluate fertility, cyclicality behavior, and sexual performance of Pantaneiro sheep throughout the year’s photoperiods in Mato Grosso do Sul - Brazil. Two experiments were conducted. In experiment one, the ewes used aged between 2 and 4 years, distributed in three homogeneous groups of 54 animals and subjected to reproductive evaluation in three different predefined luminosity periods, consisting of autumn (11h 45 min.), spring (12h 30 min.), and summer (12h 55 min.). The characteristics studied were body weight (BW), body condition score (BCC), estrus distribution (EST), percentage of pregnant females per cycle (%P), plasma progesterone (PP), and fertility (F) in the three predefined seasons. The mating system used was controlled natural nocturnal and lasted for 45 days. Experiment two, evaluated the ram sexual activity. The males (10) were individually exposed to four ovariectomized ewes. The ewes cycled during evaluated seasons, and the highest fertility was observed in animals with BCC >2.75. The PP concentration differed among periods, and higher conception rates (F) were observed in autumn and spring. The rams (75%) had a medium of sexual performance when they performed more than two ejaculations in 20 min throughout the seasons. Pantaneiro sheep of both genders had a similar fertility index, with early and constant activity throughout the year, displaying no photoperiodism or seasonality.

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the dietary supplementation of ginger Zingiber officinale essential oil for the Neotropical catfish Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum, its effects on fish hematology, immunology, the response of these variables to induction of stress (exposition to air for 3 min), and a bacterial challenge with Aeromonas hydrophila, and the effects on liver histomorphometry. Three levels of the ginger essential oil were evaluated (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%) in addition to a control group (0%) in a feeding trial for 65 days in triplicate. Fish hematology and immunology were assessed at five different moments: after the feeding trial (0), after the stress induction (stress), and three points after the bacterial challenge (3, 6 and 24 h post-challenge). Fish fed the ginger essential oil supplemented diets did not exhibit significant differences between the hematocrit at the 0-sample point and the 24 h post-challenge point (P ≥ 0.05), while fish fed the control diet presented significantly lower values for the hematocrit when comparing those same two moments (P < 0.05). The thrombocytes count for fish fed the 0.5% essential oil supplemented diet was significantly higher than all other groups after the feeding trial (P < 0.05), and their total leukocytes count after the stress induction was also significantly higher than the other treatments (P < 0.05). Although the results mentioned above indicate that the ginger essential oil had positive health effects on the fish, no significant differences in survival after the challenge with A. hydrophila were observed (P ≥ 0.05). Lastly, histomorphometry suggests that the essential oil did not negatively impact fish hepatocytes.

Abstract Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has considerable tropism for epithelial and mucosal tissues and can therefore be found in several anatomical sites, including the oral cavity. This study aimed to investigate the presence of HPV-DNA and the most frequent viral types in patients using full dentures, compare to patients not using full dentures and to associate its presence with socio-epidemiological and behavioral factors. The study consisted of 90 patients with or without full dentures at the time of collection, treated at a public dental clinic. The samples were obtained by exfoliating the oral cavity, and analyzed for HPV-DNA using the nested PCR with PGMY09/11 (450-bp), and general primers GP5+/GP6+ (150-bp). Genotyping was performed by specific-type PCR to HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, and 45; and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). Pearson’s Chi-square test (x 2 ) or Fisher’s exact test were applied and significant variables in these tests were analyzed by multinomial logistic regression analysis to estimate odds ratio (OR). HPV-DNA was detected in 27.7% of samples and, among those obtained from patients using full dentures, positivity for HPV-DNA was 41.9% (p = 0.025). The most frequent viral types were low-risk HPV 6 and 11, and high-risk HPV 31 and 45. Patients who used full dentures had an odds ratio of 2.1 to be positive for HPV DNA. Our results indicate the need for periodic dental follow-up of patients with full dentures in order to preserve the basic conditions of oral health, and also to monitor the appearance of lesions with malignant potential.

SUMMARY The Aquidauana municipality is considered an endemic area of leishmaniasis and an important tourist site in Mato Grosso do Sul State. The aim of this study was to investigate the sand fly fauna in the city of Aquidauana. Captures were carried out twice a month, from April 2012 to March 2014 with automatic light traps and active aspiration, in the peridomicile and domicile of six residences. A total of 9,338 specimens were collected, 3,179 and 6,159 using light traps and active aspiration, respectively. The fauna consisted of: Brumptomyia brumpti, Evandromyia aldafalcaoae, Ev. evandroi, Ev. lenti, Ev. orcyi, Ev. sallesi, Ev. termitophila, Ev. walkeri, Lutzomyia longipalpis and Psathyromyia bigeniculata. The most abundant species captured was Lutzomyia longipalpis, present in all the ecotopes, predominantly in peridomicile areas, and mainly males. Leishmania DNA was not detected in the insects. It was observed the abundance of the sand fly fauna in the region, as well as the high frequency of Lu. longipalpis, the main vector of L. infantum. The results of this study show the need to increase the monitoring and more effective control measures. It is noteworthy that the studied region presents several activities related to tourism and recreation, increasing the risk of transmission of leishmaniasis to this particular human population.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To understand the evolution of AIDS over time in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, using incidence, lethality, and mortality coefficients. METHODS: A descriptive epidemiological study based on time series analysis of secondary data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System reported between 1985 and 2012. RESULTS: The prevalence of AIDS was higher among men, with evidence of feminization during the first 14 years of the epidemic. There was no statistically significant sex difference in AIDS lethality. Women were 1.3 times more likely to survive than men. CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences must be considered when designing new HIV/AIDS prevention strategies.

Women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) are at a higher risk of developing cervical lesions. In the current study, self and clinician-collected vaginal and cervical samples from women were processed to detect HPV DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with PGMY09/11 primers. HPV genotypes were determined using type-specific PCR. HPV DNA detection showed good concordance between self and clinician-collected samples (84.6%; kappa = 0.72). HPV infection was found in 30% women and genotyping was more concordant among high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) than low-risk HPV (HR-HPV). HPV16 was the most frequently detected among the HR-HPV types. LR-HPV was detected at a higher frequency in self-collected; however, HR-HPV types were more frequently identified in clinician-collected samples than in self-collected samples. HPV infections of multiple types were detected in 20.5% of clinician-collected samples and 15.5% of self-collected samples. In this study, we demonstrated that the HPV DNA detection rate in self-collected samples has good agreement with that of clinician-collected samples. Self-collected sampling, as a primary prevention strategy in countries with few resources, could be effective for identifying cases of HR-HPV, being more acceptable. The use of this method would enhance the coverage of screening programs for cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify highly oncogenic forms of human papillomavirus in the oral mucosa of asymptomatic men.METHODS: In this study, we analyzed samples of exfoliated cells from the oral cavity of 559 asymptomatic men. DNA-human papillomavirus was detected using the consensus primers PGMY09/11; viral genotyping was performed using type-specific PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism.RESULTS: DNA-human papillomavirus was detected in 1.3% of the study participants and of those 42.8% were infected by more than one type of virus. Viral types included HPV6, 11, 89 (low oncogenic risk), and HPV52, 53 (high oncogenic risk). Increased vulnerability to human papillomavirus infection was observed in individuals aged over 26 years, among those who reported oral sex practices, and in those who have had more than 16 sexual partners since first engaging in sexual intercourse.CONCLUSIONS: There was a low prevalence of human papillomavirus detection in the oral mucosa of asymptomatic men. Highly oncogenic human papillomavirus types and infection by more than one viral type was observed. Oral sex practices and a large number of sexual partners may increase the risk of acquiring human papillomavirus infection.

Introduction The progression of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the anogenital tract has been associated with the involvement of cells with regulatory properties. Evidence has shown that glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR) is an important surface molecule for the characterization of these cells and proposes that GITR ligand may constitute a rational treatment for many cancer types. We aimed to detect the presence of GITR and CD25 in cervical stroma cells with and without pathological changes or HPV infection to better understand the immune response in the infected tissue microenvironment. Methods We subjected 49 paraffin-embedded cervical tissue samples to HPV DNA detection and histopathological analysis, and subsequently immunohistochemistry to detect GITR and CD25 in lymphocytes. Results We observed that 76.9% of all samples with high GITR expression were HPV-positive regardless of histopathological findings. High GITR expression (77.8%) was predominant in samples with ≥1,000 RLU/PCB. Of the HPV-positive samples negative for intraepithelial lesion and malignancy, 62.5% had high GITR expression. High GITR expression was observed in both carcinoma and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) samples (p = 0.16). CD25 was present in great quantities in all samples. Conclusions The predominance of high GITR expression in samples with high viral load that were classified as HSIL and carcinoma suggests that GITR+ cells can exhibit regulatory properties and may contribute to the progression of HPV-induced cervical neoplasia, emphasizing the importance of GITR as a potential target for immune therapy of cervical cancer and as a disease evolution biomarker.

The relationships between environmental exposure to risk agents and health conditions have been studied with the aid of remote sensing imagery, a tool particularly useful in the study of vegetation cover. This study aims to evaluate the influence of environmental variables on the spatial distribution of the abundance of Lutzomyia longipalpis and the reported canine and human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases at an urban area of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The sandfly captures were performed in 13 residences that were selected by raffle considering four residences or collection station for buffer. These buffers were generated from the central house with about 50, 100 and 200 m from it in an endemic area of VL. The abundance of sandflies and human and canine cases were georreferenced using the GIS software PCI Geomatica. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and percentage of land covered by vegetation were the environmental variables extracted from a remote sensing IKONOS-2 image. The average NDVI was considered as the complexity of habitat and the standard deviation as the heterogeneity of habitat. One thousand three hundred sixty-seven specimens were collected during the catch. We found a significant positive linear correlation between the abundance of sandflies and the percentage of vegetation cover and average NDVI. However, there was no significant association between habitat heterogeneity and the abundance of these flies.

INTRODUÇÃO: Alguns tipos de papilomavirus humano (HPV) estão envolvidos em processos malignos no epitélio cervical, com 99% dos casos atribuídos à infecção por HPV oncogênico. O objetivo deste estudo foi detectar a proteína S100, CD68 e moléculas de MHC-II (complexo principal de histocompatibilidade classe II) em amostras de epitélio cervical uterino, de pacientes com lesões de alto e baixo grau induzidas pelo HPV. MÉTODOS: Cinquenta e oito amostras de pacientes positivos ou negativos, confirmados, para DNA de HPV de alto ou baixo risco oncogênico, e que tiveram diagnóstico histopatológico de neoplasia intraepithelial cervical (NIC) de graus I, II ou III ou foram negativas para lesão intraepithelial e malignidade (NILM), foram submetidas à reação de imunohistoquímica (IHQ) para proteína S100, CD68 e MHC-II (HLA-DR cadeia alfa). RESULTADOS: A presença da molécula MHC-II predominou em amostras exibindo alterações histopatológicas (p < 0,05). A detecção de S100+ foi mais numerosa em amostras com carcinoma (NIC III) (75%). A presença dessa proteína correlacionou-se significantemente (p < 0,05) com achados histopatológicos e a carga viral. CONCLUSÕES: Pequena expressão CD68+ foi observada, uma possível explicação seria que em nosso estudo as observações foram feitas em campo microscópicos aleatórios e não em áreas específicas. Os achados como a presença de S100 e a expressão de MHC-II, em amostras com alterações histológicas, podem sugerir que o sistema imune falha em controlar a replicação do HPV nas fases iniciais da infecção. Maiores estudos, com mais dados prospectivos, são necessários para confirmar esses resultados.

INTRODUCTION: Some human papillomavirus (HPV) types are involved in malignant processes in the cervical epithelium, with 99% of cases attributed to oncogenic HPV infection. This study aimed to detect S100, CD68, and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules in cervical uterine epithelial samples in patients with high- and low-grade lesions induced by HPV. METHODS: Fifty-eight samples from patients who were confirmed positive or negative for high-risk oncogenic HPV DNA, had histopathological diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of grades I, II, or III, or were negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy were subjected to immunohistochemistry reaction to S100 protein, CD68, and MHC-II (HLA-DR alpha chain). RESULTS: The presence of MHC-II predominated in samples exhibiting histopathological alterations (p < 0.05). S100 detection was more numerous in carcinoma samples (CIN III) (75%). Presence of this protein correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with histopathological findings and viral load. CONCLUSIONS: A small expression of CD68 was observed, which may be explained by the observation in our study having been made on random microscopic fields and not on specific areas. The findings, such as the presence of S100 protein and MHC-II expression in samples with histological alterations, could suggest that the immune system fails to control HPV replication at the early stages of infection. Further studies with larger prospective data are necessary to confirm this result.

Foi realizado estudo experimental de intoxicação por Brachiaria decumbens em ovinos confinados que receberam apenas esta forrageira como alimento. Os animais foram avaliados em três períodos do ano, com duração de 60 dias cada. As análises incluíram exame clínico e amostras de sangue para mensuração da atividade sérica das enzimas gama glutamiltransferase e aspartato aminotransferase com o objetivo de avaliar sua importância e utilidade no diagnóstico de fotossensibilização hepatógena causada pela planta. Foram descritos ainda, achados de necropsia e histopatológicos. Dos vinte e quatro animais confinados, cinco morreram no primeiro período (fevereiro a abril), quatro no segundo (junho a agosto) e dois no terceiro (outubro a dezembro), tendo como principais sinais clínicos anorexia, icterícia, fotofobia, dermatite leve, além de desidratação e apatia. Nos achados de necropsia foram constatados icterícia generalizada, vesícula biliar repleta e distendida, padrão lobular hepático evidente e, em dois casos, opacidade de córnea. As alterações microscópicas foram mais significativas no fígado com bilestase, tumefação e vacuolização de hepatócitos, sinusóides com macrófagos, proliferação de ductos e dúctulos biliares com infiltração linfocítica, que variaram na sua severidade conforme o tempo decorrido da ingestão da planta, além de imagens negativas de cristais no citoplasma de macrófagos presentes nos sinusóides hepáticos e no espaço periportal e cristais refringentes oticamente ativos, ocluindo a luz de ductos biliares. Os achados foram característicos de fotossensibilização hepatógena por B. decumbens, principalmente pela presença de fotofobia, mesmo quando os animais não apresentaram fotodermatite. O aumento da atividade sérica da gama glutamiltransferase teve alta correlação com a morte dos animais. O surgimento da elevação da atividade sérica de gama glutamiltransferase foi, em média, 11 dias antes da constatação dos sinais clínicos, validando sua importância no diagnóstico e na prevenção. A aspartato aminotransferase teve resultados inconsistentes. Treze animais não apresentaram sinais clínicos, apesar de serem constatadas significativas elevações nos níveis séricos das enzimas em questão, sugerindo a existência de indivíduos tolerantes/resistentes dentro do intervalo estabelecido. O modelo experimental foi adequado na caracterização da intoxicação de ovinos por B. decumbens, oferecendo subsídios para estimar preventivamente o risco de morte de ovinos intoxicados pela planta, além de ser útil para a realização de novos estudos da intoxicação por B. decumbens.

Brachiaria decumbens was fed as exclusive source of food to feedlot sheep. Sheep were evaluated in three periods of the year, of 60 days each, regarding their clinical status and was performed collection of blood samples to measure enzymatic activity of gamma glutamyltransferase and aspartate aminotransferase to evaluate their diagnostic importance and usefulness besides the clinical signs, necropsy and histopathology finds in hepatogenous photosensitization Brachiaria related. Out of 24 feedlot sheep, five died in the first period (February-April), four in the second (June-August) and two in the third (October-December). Main clinical signs were anorexia, jaundice, photophobia and two cases of slight dermatitis, besides dehydration, apathy and corneal opacity. Necropsy revealed generalized jaundice, distended gall bladder and liver with evident lobular pattern. The histological changes varied in severity according the time after the beginning of the plant ingestion; they were more significant in the liver and included bilestasis, swelling and vacuolation of hepatocytes, foammy macrophages, bile duct proliferation and mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration, further crystal negative images were found within cytoplasm of macrophages present inside of hepatic sinusoid and in the periportal space and also optically active refringent crystal in the lumen of bile tubules. These finds are characteristic of hepatogenous photosensitization, mainly by presence of photophobia, even when the sheep did not present photodermatitis. The results of serum biochemistry activity, during the course of poisoning with strong relation between increased gamma glutamyltransferase activity, and lethality. Onset of arising gama glutamyltransferase activity was 11 days, in average, before beginning of clinical signs. Aspartate aminotransferase had increased activity only close to the beginning of clinical signs. Serum biochemistry results of GGT suggest that they are useful for a precocious diagnosis preventing deaths caused by ingestion of B. decumbens. Thirteen sheep didn't show clinical signs despite significant increases on serum enzyme activity, suggesting the existence of tolerant/resistant individuals. The experimental model of feedlot was adequate to study B. decumbens toxicosis in sheep.