Abstract Many cities are impacted by the effect of heat islands. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of urban heat islands and the influence of green areas on the formation of urban microclimates in the city of Rio de Janeiro. As a result, it was observed that Rio de Janeiro city is under heat islands influence, in which the oldest and most urbanized areas of the city are the most affected by high temperatures. It was possible to verify the role of vegetation in the formation of urban microclimates through the negative correlation coefficient between surface temperature (Ts) and vegetation indexes (NDVI and EVI), along with the positive correlation coefficient between surface temperature (Ts) and the Index of Areas Built by Normalized Difference (NDBI), what demonstrates the influence of urbanization on the increase of temperature.

Resumen Muchas ciudades se ven afectadas por el efecto de las islas de calor. En este contexto, el objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la distribución espacial y temporal de las islas de calor urbanas y la influencia de las áreas verdes en la formación de los microclimas urbanos en el municipio de Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Como resultados, se observó que Río de Janeiro está influenciada por las islas de calor, siendo las áreas más antiguas y urbanizadas las más afectadas por altas temperaturas. Se pudo constatar el papel de la vegetación en la formación de los microclimas urbanos mediante el coeficiente de correlación negativo entre la temperatura de la superficie (Ts) y los índices de vegetación (NDVI) y (EVI), así como un coeficiente de correlación positivo entre la temperatura de la superficie (Ts) y el Índice de Áreas Construidas por Diferencia Normalizada (NDBI), lo que demuestra la influencia de la urbanización en el aumento de la temperatura.

Resumo Muitas cidades são impactadas pelo efeito das ilhas de calor. Neste contexto, objetivou-se com esse analisar a distribuição espacial e temporal das ilhas de calor urbanas e a influência das áreas verdes na formação dos microclimas urbanos no município do Rio de Janeiro. Como resultados, observou-se que Rio de Janeiro encontra-se sob influência das ilhas de calor, as áreas mais antigas da cidade e sobretudo mais urbanizadas são as mais acometidas pelas altas temperaturas. Foi possível constatar o papel da vegetação na formação dos microclimas urbanos por meio do coordenador de psicologia negativa entre a temperatura da superfície (Ts) e os índices de vegetação (NDVI) e (EVI), e ainda um coeficiente de transferência positiva entre Temperatura da Superfície (Ts) e Índice de Áreas Construídas por Diferença Normalizada (NDBI), demonstrando a influência da urbanização no aumento da temperatura.

Abstract In this study, we developed and validated a chromatographic method by High-performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Diode-Array Ultraviolet Detector for quantification of acetaminophen in small volumes of plasma. This analytical method is particularly suitable for studies of gastric emptying time and pharmacokinetics in small rodents. Orally administered acetaminophen is promptly and completely absorbed in the intestines, with negligible absorption from the stomach. Owing to these kinetic features, acetaminophen can be used to study gastric emptying. The newly-validated analytical method was employed to investigate whether plants used as anti-dyspeptics in the Brazilian traditional medicine affect the gastric emptying. Lyophilized aqueous extracts from leaves of Baccharis trimera (Less) DC., Asteraceae (carqueja), Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. Ex Reissek, Celastraceae (espinheira-santa) and Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br. ex Britton & P. Wilson, Verbenaceae (erva-cidreira) were administered by gavage to female Wistar rats 30 min before a single oral dose of acetaminophen (50 mg/kg). L. alba extract (50 mg/kg) did not alter acetaminophen plasma concentration versus time curve an indication that it has no effect on gastric emptying. Extracts of B. trimera (50 mg/kg) and M. ilicifolia (30 and 50 mg/kg, but not 10 mg/kg), however, slightly delayed gastric emptying. M. ilicifolia given by intraperitoneal route (30 mg/kg) also retarded gastric emptying. In conclusion, the newly-validated analytical method is adequate for studying the effects of medicinal plants on gastric emptying.

RESUMO O insulinoma é um tumor das células β do pâncreas, que têm a função de produzir e secretar insulina e, geralmente são malignos em cães. O presente trabalho descreve o diagnóstico e o manejo terapêutico de três casos de insulinoma. Os sinais clínicos dos animais relatados variaram de acordo com a severidade e a duração da hipoglicemia. O diagnóstico presuntivo se deu através dos sinais clínicos e da dosagem de insulina sérica no momento de mais intensa hipoglicemia e, o diagnóstico definitivo foi obtido por meio de exame histopatológico nos três casos relatados. O tratamento realizado variou de acordo com a intensidade dos sinais clínicos.

ABSTRACT Insulinoma is a tumor of the β cells of the pancreas, which have the function to produce and secrete insulin and are usually malignant in dogs. This paper describes the diagnosis and therapeutic management of three cases of insulinoma. The clinical signs reported animals varied according to the severity and duration of hypoglycemia. The presumptive diagnosis was based on clinical signs and serum insulin dosage at the time of hypoglycemia and more intense, the definitive diagnosis was made by histopathological examination in three of the reported cases. The treatment was varied according to the severity of clinical signs.

RESUMO O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o equilíbrio dos cascos de equídeos. Foram utilizados 60 animais, sendo estes: 20 equinos da raça Crioula, 20 muares e 20 asininos da raça Pêga. O peso vivo foi estimado por meio de equações de correlação com o perímetro torácico específico a cada espécie. Utilizando-se paquímetro, fita métrica e podogoniômetro, foram mensurados comprimento e largura da ranilha e do casco, altura e ângulo dos talões medial e lateral, comprimento dorsal e ângulo da pinça e perímetro da banda coronária dos cascos dos membros torácicos e pélvicos. Dentro de cada grupo, observou-se que os cascos dos membros pélvicos exibem-se mais estreitos que os cascos dos membros torácicos, e não houve diferença entre o ângulo das pinças de ambos os grupos de membros. A conformação dos cascos dos asininos mostra-se substancialmente divergente do observado nos equinos, estando os muares numa condição intermediária, sendo aqueles menores, mais angulados e com ranilha robusta e proporcionalmente mais desenvolvida. Da mesma forma, os cascos dos asininos proporcionam maior área de apoio em relação aos muares e equinos, em ordem decrescente, mesmo sendo dimensionalmente menores. Conclui-se que os cascos de equinos, muares e asininos apresentam padrões de equilíbrio geométrico específicos, que devem ser levados em consideração no momento do casqueamento e na inferência de desequilíbrios.

ABSTRACT Differences in hoof balance between horses, mules and donkeys were identified in order to form more specific considerations for proper management of the animals. Measurements of the natural dimensions of hooves in sixty animals were used: 20 horses from the Crioulo breed, 20 mules and 20 donkeys from the Pêga breed. Liveweight was estimated using the correlation equations in each species by heart girth. Using a caliper rule, tape measure and hoof gauge, measurements of the length and width of the frog, hoof height, angle of heel, medial and lateral dorsal length, angle of the toe and crown circumference of the hooves of forelimbs and hindlimb were taken. Within each group the hooves of the hindlimbs exhibited narrower measurements than the hooves of the forelimbs and no difference was observed between the hoof angle of both members of groups. The conformation of the hooves of donkeys is shown to be substantially different from that observed in horses, the mules being in an intermediate condition, being smaller, angled and robust frog and proportionally more developed. Similarly, the hooves of donkeys provide greater support area compared to mules and horses, in descending order, even being dimensionally smaller. We conclude that the hooves of horses, mules and donkeys, have specific patterns of geometric balance that must be taken into consideration at the time of trimming and imbalance inferences.

In the European Union, traditional herbal medicines that are regarded as "acceptably safe, albeit not having a recognized level of efficacy" fit into a special category of drugs ("traditional herbal medicine products") for which requirements of non-clinical and clinical studies are less rigorous. A regulation proposal published by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance (Anvisa) defines a similar drug category ("traditional phytotherapeutic products") for registration purposes. Regarding herbal medicines, both agencies seem to be lenient regarding proof of efficacy, and consider long-standing folk use as evidence of safety and a waiver of a thorough toxicological evaluation. Nonetheless, several herbal products and constituents with a long history of folk usage are suspected carcinogenic and/or hepatotoxic. Herbal products have also been shown to inhibit and/or induce drug-metabolizing enzymes. Since herbal medicines are often used in conjunction with conventional drugs, kinetic and clinical interactions are a cause for concern. A demonstration of the safety of herbal medicines for registration purposes should include at least in vitroand in vivogenotoxicity assays, long-term rodent carcinogenicity tests (for drugs intended to be continuously used for > 3 months or intermittently for > 6 months), reproductive and developmental toxicity studies (for drugs used by women of childbearing age), and investigation of the effects on drug-metabolizing enzymes.

Lactobacillus spp. isolados de diferentes porções do trato gastrintestinal de frangos foram testados quanto à capacidade de se manterem viáveis em uma emulsão água/óleo (A/O) contendo óleos de gergelim e de girassol. Após sessenta dias de estocagem sob refrigeração, três de cinco linhagens testadas sobreviveram em concentração igual ou superior a 10 6 UFC/g. Lactobacillus reuteri 2M14C, que apresentou maior capacidade de sobrevivência na emulsão desenvolvida (10 7 UFC/g), foi testado quanto à sua capacidade de sobreviver às condições do trato gastrintestinal in vivo em camundongos gnotobióticos. Após dez dias de monoassociação com L. reuteri 2M14C, foi testada também a capacidade de estimulação da atividade fagocítica de macrófagos peritoneais. A linhagem permaneceu em número superior a 10 9 UFC/g de conteúdo fecal durante os dez dias de monoassociação, e os camundongos monoassociados apresentaram atividade fagocítica maior (P<0,05) que a do grupo controle isento de germe. Os resultados sugerem que a formulação proposta é capaz de manter a viabilidade de células de lactobacilos para adição em ração animal, necessitando, no entanto, de um acompanhamento dessa viabilidade por tempo maior de estocagem. Além disso, os resultados demonstram que Lactobacillus reuteri 2M14C é um forte candidato a ser adicionado em formulações probióticas para uso em frangos.

Lactobacillus spp. isolated from different portions of chickens' gastrointestinal tract were evaluated concerning their ability to survive in a water-in-oil (W/0) emulsion containing sesame and sunflower oil. After sixty days of emulsion storage under refrigeration, three of five strains tested survived in number equal to or higher than 10(6)cfu/g. Lactobacillus reuteri 2M14C, which presented the highest survival in W/O emulsion (10(7)cfu/g), was tested for its capacity to resist throughout the passage through gnotobiotic mice gastrointestinal tract and for the ability to stimulate murine peritoneal macrophages phagocytosis. This strain remained at a number above 10(9)cfu/g feces during ten days of monoassociation, and monoassociated mice showed phagocytic activity significantly greater than the germ-free controls (P<0.05). The results suggest that the formulation can be used to incorporate viable Lactobacillus spp. cells in animal feed. Moreover, the results suggest that L. reuteri 2M14C is a strong candidate to be incorporated in probiotic formulations for use in chicken.

O tamanduá-mirim (Tamandua tetradactyla) é um xenartro da família Myrmecophagidae, encontrado da Venezuela ao sul do Brasil. Estudos apontam que essa é uma das espécies de animais selvagens mais vitimadas em número de atropelamentos, e, muitas vezes, o atendimento clínico adequado aos indivíduos feridos é dificultado pela carência de informações acerca dos mesmos. Visando contribuir com o conhecimento dessa espécie, este estudo teve como objetivo descrever seu plexo lombossacral. Para tanto, foram utilizados quatro cadáveres de Tamandua tetradactyla adultos e de ambos os sexos. O plexo lombossacral dessa espécie é formado pelos ramos ventrais dos nervos espinhais T18, L1, L2, L3, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5. Os nervos integrantes do plexo lombossacral do T. tetradactyla com suas formações mais frequentes foram os seguintes: genitofemoral (T18), cutâneo femoral lateral (T18-L1), femoral (T18, L1-L3), obturador (T18, L1-L3), glúteo cranial (L3-S1), isquiático (L3-S3), pudendo (S3-S4 ou S4-S5), retal caudal (S4 ou S5) e cutâneo femoral caudal (S4-S5). O plexo lombar e sacral dessa espécie é unido, sendo L3 o ponto de união entre eles. Devido ao pequeno número de vértebras lombares, a composição dos nervos do plexo lombossacral do T. tetradactyla apresenta características peculiares que se diferem das características das demais espécies já estudadas, quais sejam, a ausência dos nervos ílio-hipogástrico e ilioinguinal e participação de nervos torácicos na composição dos nervos do plexo lombar, presença de contribuição sacral na composição do nervo obturador e ausência de contribuição lombar na composição do nervo isquiático e um limite mais caudal na extensão do plexo sacral.

The lesser anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla) is a xenarthra of the Myrmecophagidae family found from Venezuela to southern Brazil. Studies have shown that this is one of the most numerous wildlife species victims of car collisions on roads, and often the appropriate clinical care to injured animals is hindered by the lack of information about them. In order to contribute to the knowledge of this species, this study aimed to describe its lumbosacral plexus. For this purpose, four cadavers of adult specimens of both sexes of T. tetradactyla were used. The lumbosacral plexus of the T. tetradactyla is formed by the ventral rami of spinal nerves T18, L1, L2, L3, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5. The lumbosacral plexus nerves with their most common formations in this species were as follows: genitofemoral (T18), lateral femoral cutaneous (T18-L1), femoral (T18, L1-L3), obturator (T18, L1-L3), cranial gluteal (L3-S1), ischiatic (L3-S3), pudendus (S3-S4 or S4-S5), caudal retal (S4 or S5), and caudal femoral cutaneous (S4-S5). The lumbar and sacral plexus of this species is joined, L3 being the link between them. Due to the small number of lumbar vertebrae, the arrangement of the lumbosacral plexus nerves of the T. tetradactyla showed peculiar characteristics that differ it from that of other previously studied species, such as the absence of iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves and contribution of thoracic nerves in the formation of all the nerves of the lumbar plexus, presence of sacral contribution in the formation of the obturator nerve, and the lack of lumbar contribution for sciatic nerve formation and a most caudal extent of the sacral plexus.

Puba or carimã is a Brazilian staple food obtained by spontaneous submerged fermentation of cassava roots. A total of 116 lactobacilli and three cocci isolates from 20 commercial puba samples were recovered on de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe agar (MRS); they were characterized for their antagonistic activity against foodborne pathogens and identified taxonomically by classical and molecular methods. In all samples, lactic acid bacteria were recovered as the dominant microbiota (7.86 ± 0.41 log10 CFU/g). 16S-23S rRNA ARDRA pattern assigned 116 isolates to the Lactobacillus genus, represented by the species Lactobacillus fermentum (59 isolates), Lactobacillus delbrueckii (18 isolates), Lactobacillus casei (9 isolates), Lactobacillus reuteri (6 isolates), Lactobacillus brevis (3 isolates), Lactobacillus gasseri (2 isolates), Lactobacillus nagelii (1 isolate), and Lactobacillus plantarum group (18 isolates). recA gene-multiplex PCR analysis revealed that L. plantarum group isolates belonged to Lactobacillus plantarum (15 isolates) and Lactobacillus paraplantarum (3 isolates). Genomic diversity was investigated by molecular typing with rep (repetitive sequence)-based PCR using the primer ERIC2 (enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus). The Lactobacillus isolates exhibited genetic heterogeneity and species-specific fingerprint patterns. All the isolates showed antagonistic activity against the foodborne pathogenic bacteria tested. This antibacterial effect was attributed to acid production, except in the cases of three isolates that apparently produced bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances. This study provides the first insight into the genetic diversity of Lactobacillus spp. of puba.

Lactobacilli isolated from the vaginal tract of women with and without bacterial vaginosis (BV) were identified and characterized for the production of antagonists. Bacterial samples were isolated from healthy women (N = 16), from patients with clinical complaints but without BV (N = 30), and from patients with BV (N = 32). Identification was performed using amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. Production of antagonistic compounds was evaluated by the double-layer diffusion technique using Gram-positive (N = 9) and Gram-negative bacteria (N = 6) as well as yeast (N = 5) as indicator strains. Of a total of 147 isolates, 133 were identified as pertaining to the genus Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus crispatus was the species most frequently recovered, followed by L. johnsonii and L. jensenii. Statistical analysis showed that L. crispatus was more frequent in individuals without BV (P < 0.05). A higher production of antagonists was noted in L. crispatus isolates from healthy women (P < 0.05). More acidic local pH and higher H2O2 production by isolated lactobacilli from healthy women suggest these mechanisms as the possible cause of this antagonism. In conclusion, a significant correlation was detected between the presence and antagonistic properties of certain species of Lactobacillus and the clinical status of the patients.

Exposure to stress induces a cluster of physiological and behavioral changes in an effort to maintain the homeostasis of the organism. Long-term exposure to stress, however, has detrimental effects on several cell functions such as the impairment of antioxidant defenses leading to oxidative damage. Oxidative stress is a central feature of many diseases. The lungs are particularly susceptible to lesions by free radicals and pulmonary antioxidant defenses are extensively distributed and include both enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems. The aim of the present study was to determine lipid peroxidation and total radical-trapping potential (TRAP) changes in lungs of rats submitted to different models of chronic stress. Adult male Wistar rats weighing 180-230 g were submitted to different stressors (variable stress, N = 7) or repeated restraint stress for 15 (N = 10) or 40 days (N = 6) and compared to control groups (N = 10 each). Lipid peroxidation levels were assessed by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and TRAP was measured by the decrease in luminescence using the 2-2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane)-luminol system. Chronic variable stress induced a 51% increase in oxidative stress in lungs (control group: 0.037 ± 0.002; variable stress: 0.056 ± 0.007, P < 0.01). No difference in TBARS was observed after chronic restraint stress, but a significant 57% increase in TRAP was presented by the group repeatedly restrained for 15 days (control group: 2.48 ± 0.42; stressed: 3.65 ± 0.16, P < 0.05). We conclude that different stressors induce different effects on the oxidative status of the organism.

Topoisomerase inhibitors are agents with anticancer activity. 7"-O-Methyl-agathisflavone (I) and amentoflavone (II) are biflavonoids and were isolated from the Brazilian plants Ouratea hexasperma and O. semiserrata, respectively. These biflavonoids and the acetyl derivative of II (IIa) are inhibitors of human DNA topoisomerases I at 200 µM, as demonstrated by the relaxation assay of supercoiled DNA, and only agathisflavone (I) at 200 µM also inhibited DNA topoisomerases II-alpha, as observed by decatenation and relaxation assays. The biflavonoids showed concentration-dependent growth inhibitory activities on Ehrlich carcinoma cells in 45-h culture, assayed by a tetrazolium method, with IC50 = 24 ± 1.4 µM for I, 26 ± 1.1 µM for II and 10 ± 0.7 µM for IIa. These biflavonoids were assayed against human K562 leukemia cells in 45-h culture, but only I showed 42% growth inhibitory activity at 90 µM. Our results suggest that biflavonoids are targets for DNA topoisomerases and their cytotoxicity is dependent on tumor cell type.

An apparently paradoxical role for IFN-<FONT FACE="Symbol">g</font> in human Chagas' disease was observed when studying the pattern of cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from two groups of chagasic patients after specific stimulation with Trypanosoma cruzi-derived antigens. The groups studied were 1) patients treated with benznidazole during the acute phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection and 2) chronically infected untreated patients. In the treated group, higher levels of IFN-<FONT FACE="Symbol">g</font> were produced by PBMC from individuals cured after treatment when compared to non-cured patients. In contrast, in the chronically infected group (not treated) higher levels of IFN-<FONT FACE="Symbol">g</font> were produced by PBMC from cardiac patients in comparison with asymptomatic (indeterminate) patients. This apparently paradoxical role for IFN-<FONT FACE="Symbol">g</font> in human Chagas' disease is discussed in terms of the possibility of a temporal difference in IFN-<FONT FACE="Symbol">g</font> production during the initial stages of the infection (acute phase) in the presence or absence of chemotherapy. The maintenance of an immune response with high levels of IFN-<FONT FACE="Symbol">g</font> production during the chronic phase of the infection may favor cure or influence the development of the cardiac form of the disease

Crotoxin has been detoxified with gamma radiation in order to improve crotalic antiserum production. Nevertheless, present knowledge of the biological characteristics of irradiated crotoxin is insufficient to propose it as an immunizing agent. Crotoxin is known to increase the emotional state of rats and to decrease their exploratory behavior (Moreira EG, Nascimento N, Rosa GJM, Rogero JR and Vassilieff VS (1996) Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 29: 629-632). Therefore, we decided 1) to evaluate the effects of crotoxin in the social interaction test, which has been widely used for the evaluation of anxiogenic drugs, and 2) to determine if irradiated crotoxin induces behavioral alterations similar to those of crotoxin in the social interaction, open-field and hole-board tests. Male Wistar rats (180-220 g) were used. Crotoxin (100, 250, and 500 µg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 2 h before the social interaction test. Similarly, irradiated crotoxin (2000 Gy gamma radiation from a 60Co source) was administered at the doses of 100, 250, and 500 µg/kg for the hole-board test, and at the doses of 1000 and 2500 µg/kg for the open-field and social interaction tests. ANOVA complemented with the Dunnett test was used for statistical analysis (P<0.05). Crotoxin decreased the social interaction time (s) at the doses of 100, 250 and 500 µg/kg (means ± SEM) from 51.6 ± 4.4 to 32.6 ± 3.7, 28.0 ± 3.6 and 31.6 ± 4.4, respectively. Irradiated crotoxin did not induce behavioral alterations. These results indicate that 1) crotoxin may be an anxiogenic compound, and 2) in contrast to crotoxin, irradiated crotoxin was unable to induce behavioral alterations, which makes it a promising compound for the production of crotalic antiserum

Bulbos de 2° ciclo, tipo jumbo, com 84 g/unidade e tipo 1, com 35 g/unidade, foram comparados. Verificou-se que: o tipo jumbo teve melhor rendimento de: peso de bulbos; número de bulbos; comprimento da haste floral; comprimento da espiga floral e hastes florais de melhor qualidade. Otipo 1 apresentou melhor rendimento para peso de bulbos plantados por peso de bulbos e cormilhos colhidos.

Corms of 2nd cycle, type jumbo with 84 g/unity and type 1 with 35 g/unity were compared. It was verified that: type jumbo had better profit in the production of: weight of corms, number of corms, lenght of stipe, lenght of spike and stipe of better quality. The type number 1 showed better profit for weight of corms planted by weight of corms and cormels harvest.