RESUMO Entre outubro de 2016 e outubro de 2017, 63 urólitos felinos foram analisados na Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), usando-se tanto análise química quanto espectroscopia por energia dispersiva (EDS). O tipo de mineral mais encontrado foi o estruvita (53,9%), seguido pelo urato (39,7%), oxalato de cálcio (30,1%) e fosfato de cálcio (25,3%). Cálculos contendo xantina, cistina e sílica não foram observados. Urólitos classificados como simples comprometeram um total de 34/63. Entre os 42 animais presentes no estudo, 26 eram machos e 16 eram fêmeas. Dos animais comprometidos, 14,4% eram de raças puras, sendo observadas as raças Persa, Himalaio, Siamês e Angorá. Gatos com idade entre 25-72 meses foram mais frequentemente diagnosticados com urólitos. Os sinais clínicos variaram entre sinais sistêmicos e urinários, sendo anorexia, vômito, hematúria e disúria os mais encontrados. Todos os pacientes eram castrados, e 34 deles não tinham acesso à rua. Histórico familiar era desconhecido em quase 100% dos casos. Os resultados observados no presente estudo servem como base para comparações futuras relacionadas à epidemiologia da litíase urinária no Brasil, especialmente em espécies felinas.

ABSTRACT Between October 2016 and October 2017, 63 feline uroliths were analyzed at Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG) by using both chemical analysis and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The most frequent mineral type found was struvite (53.9%), followed by urate (39.7%), calcium oxalate (30.1%) and calcium phosphate (25.3%). Calculus containing xanthine, cystine and silica were not observed. Uroliths classified as simple, comprised a total of 34/63. Amongst the 42 animals present in the study, 26 were male and 16 were female. Pure breed animals comprised 14.4% of the total, and the breeds observed within the study were the Persian, Himalayan, Siamese, and Angora. Cats between 25-72 months old were more frequently diagnosed with uroliths. The clinical signs varied between systemic and urinary signs and the most found were anorexia, vomiting, hematuria and dysuria. All patients were either spayed or neutered and 34 patients had no outdoor access. Familial information was unknown in almost 100% of the cases. The results observed in the present study serve as a basis for future comparisons related to the epidemiology of urinary lithiasis in Brazil, especially for the feline species.

Effects of protected sodium butyrate (PSB) in broiler diets with reduced metabolizable energy (ME) content on production performance, intestinal histomorphometry and nutrient metabolizability were evaluated in two experiments. In one experiment, 384 one-day-old male chicks with an average weight of 44 ± 0.2 g were distributed into four treatment groups in a completely randomized design with six replications of 16 birds. The treatments consisted of i) a basal diet without reduced ME or PSB (BD); ii) BD with a 100 kcal/kg reduction in ME, without PSB; iii) BD with a 100 kcal/kg reduction in ME + 105 g/t PSB; and iv) BD with a 100 kcal/kg reduction in ME + 225 g/t PSB. Performance and carcass yield were evaluated. In the second experiment, 280 one-day-old male chicks were also distributed into four treatment groups in a completely randomized design with seven replications of 10 birds to evaluate metabolizability coefficients and intestinal development. The birds that received diet 3 had the best feed conversion ratio (FCR), final weight (FW) and weight gain (WG). Inclusion of PSB (105 and 225 g/t) in reduced-ME diets increased the metabolizability of crude protein coefficient at 35 days old. Birds that received diet 3 also had greater jejunal villus height at 21 and 35 days old. It is recommended to feed 105 g/t of PSB with a 100 kcal/kg reduction in ME until broilers were 35 days old.

RESUMO Quinze coelhos da raça Nova Zelândia foram alocados em três grupos: instrumentado (grupo A), isquemia e reperfusão (grupo B) e solução de Carolina rinse (CRS) (grupo C). Os grupos B e C foram submetidos a uma hora de isquemia e a duas horas de reperfusão. No grupo C, 10 minutos antes da reperfusão, o segmento isolado foi imerso e teve seu lúmen preenchido com CRS. Os grupos B e C apresentaram necrose e perda progressiva da integridade das vilosidades. Foi observado edema na submucosa e na camada muscular circular em todos os grupos. Nos grupos B e C, foi observada hemorragia em diferentes camadas, mas, no grupo C, a hemorragia foi mais intensa durante a reperfusão. Todos os grupos apresentaram infiltrado de PMN na base da mucosa, na submucosa e na camada muscular longitudinal e marginação de PMN nos vasos da mucosa e da submucosa. Durante a reperfusão, foi observada necrose dos enterócitos, das camadas musculares, das criptas de Lieberkühn e do plexo mioentérico nos grupos B e C. O uso tópico e intraluminal de CRS não atenuou os efeitos da isquemia e da reperfusão no intestino delgado de coelhos.

ABSTRACT Fifteen New Zealand adult rabbits were randomly allocated into three groups: Sham-operated (group A), Ischemia and Reperfusion (group B) and Carolina Rinse Solution (CRS) (group C). Groups B and C were subjected to one hour of ischemia and two hours of reperfusion. In group C, ten minutes before reperfusion, the bowel lumen was filled with CRS, and the segment immersed in CRS. Necrosis and loss of integrity of the villi were visible in groups B and C. Edema of the submucosa and circular muscle was observed in all groups. Hemorrhage was observed in different layers for groups B and C, but group C showed more severe hemorrhage in different layers during reperfusion. All groups showed polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration on the base of the mucosa, submucosa, and longitudinal muscle, in addition to polymorphonuclear leukocytes margination in the mucosal and submucosal vessels. Necrosis of enterocytes, muscles, crypts of Lieberkühn and myenteric plexus was observed in groups B and C during reperfusion. Topical and intraluminal Carolina Rinse Solution did not attenuate the effects of ischemia and reperfusion in the small intestine of rabbits.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of including protected sodium butyrate (PSB) in the diets of laying hens of advanced age on productive performance and egg quality. In experiment 1, a total of 320 Dekalb White 61-week-old laying hens were distributed in a randomized block design to four treatments (0, 105, 210, and 300 g/ton of PSB) with eight replicates of 10 birds. The experiment was conducted over 112 days, divided into four periods of 28 days each. Productive performance and egg quality were evaluated. In experiment 2, a total of 58 000 Dekalb White 70-week-old laying hens were assigned to diets containing either 0 or 105 g/ton of PSB with two replicates of 14 500 birds. The experiment was conducted on a commercial poultry farm. Egg production and the percentages of broken eggs and dirty eggs were evaluated. The PSB levels did not influence the productive performance of laying hens. A quadratic effect was observed for eggshell thickness, percentage of eggshell and eggshell strength, reaching maxima at 193, 136 and 198 g/ton of PSB, respectively. A quadratic effect on yolk index reached a minimum at 181 g/ton of PSB. The percentages of dirty eggs and broken eggs were lower in laying hens fed 105 g/ton of PSB. In conclusion, the addition of PSB to the diets of old laying hens improved the eggshell quality and decreased the percentage of broken and dirty eggs.

The addition of protease to broiler diets may complement the action of endogenous enzymes and improve protein digestibility. Here, the authors evaluated the effect of adding protease to broiler diets that contained animal-based meal on bird performance, digestibility, and biometry of digestive tract organs. Four treatments, which contained animal- or plant-based meals with or without supplementary protease were compared, namely basal vegetable feed (BVF), BVF + protease (BFP), basal vegetable feed + animal byproduct meal (BFA), and BFA + protease. In the first experiment, 320 one-day-old Cobb 500® chicks were allocated to eight replicates with 10 birds per replicate. The experimental period was seven days, and nutrient metabolizability was evaluated. In the second experiment, 720 one-day-old Cobb 500® chicks were assigned to treatments in a similar manner, with six replicates and 30 birds per replicate, but the experimental period was 42 days. Significant differences (P <0.05) were observed between treatments for nutrient digestibility, weight gain, feed consumption, average final weight, food conversion, viability, and biometry of the pancreas. Treatments with animal-based meals had the highest digestibility. Birds fed these meals grew faster in the pre-starter phase and consumed less feed between 1 and 21 days. However, between 1 and 42 days old, broilers fed plant-based diets had better feed conversion, and the group that did not receive protease supplementation had a better liveability rate.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of guava extract as a dietary supplement for Japanese quail hens on incubation parameters, intestinal development, and the quality of newly hatched chicks. Six hundred and forty-eight eggs were collected from Japanese quail hens fed diets with 0.0, 3.0, 6.0, and 9.0 g/kg-1 of guava extract. The study consisted of four treatments, six replicates, and 27 eggs per replicate. The guava extract contained 2% ellagic acid. The eggs were incubated at 37.5 °C and 65% relative air humidity. The hatch window, hatchability, embryo development in unhatched eggs, quality of newly hatched quails, and intestinal histomorphometry of a duodenum segment were evaluated. Differences among the treatments in hatchability and the hatch window were not significant. The guava extract did not affect mortality rate, live pecking, dead pecking, and contaminated and inverted eggs. The number of infertile eggs was lower in the groups that received 3.0 and 9.0 g/kg of extract in their diets. Use of up to 3.0 g/kg of guava extract in the diet increased the weight of both eggs and newly hatched chicks. The quality score of newly hatched quail was similar across treatments. The inclusion of 3.0 g/kg of guava extract in the diet of Japanese quail breeder hens increased the hatchling weight of the chicks and improved the villus to crypt ratio of their duodenum.

This study presents the characterization of an X-ray irradiator through dosimetric tests, which confirms the actual dose rate that small animals and cells will be exposed to during radiobiological experiments. We evaluated the linearity, consistency, repeatability, and dose distribution in the positions in which the animals or cells are placed during irradiation. In addition, we evaluated the performance of the X-ray tube (voltage and tube operating current), the radiometric survey (leakage radiation) and safety devices. The irradiator default setting was established as 160 kV and 25 mA. Tests showed that the dose rate was linear overtime (R2=1) and remained stable for long (constant) and short (repeatability) intervals between readings. The mean dose rate inside the animal cages was 1.27±0.06 Gy/min with a uniform beam of 95.40% (above the minimum threshold guaranteed by the manufacturer). The mean dose rate inside the cell plates was 0.92±0.19 Gy/min. The dose rate dependence with tube voltage and current presented a quadratic and linear relationship, respectively. There was no observed mechanical failure during evaluation of the irradiator safety devices and the radiometric survey obtained a maximum ambient equivalent dose rate of 0.26 mSv/h, which exempts it from the radiological protection requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The irradiator characterization enables us to perform radiobiological experiments, and assists or even replaces traditional therapy equipment (e.g., linear accelerators) for cells and small animal irradiation, especially in early research stages.

Radiotherapy is one of the main approaches to cure prostate cancer, and its success depends on the accuracy of dose planning. A complicating factor is the presence of a metallic prosthesis in the femur and pelvis, which is becoming more common in elderly populations. The goal of this work was to perform dose measurements to check the accuracy of radiotherapy treatment planning under these complicated conditions. To accomplish this, a scale phantom of an adult pelvic region was used with alanine dosimeters inserted in the prostate region. This phantom was irradiated according to the planned treatment under the following three conditions: with two metallic prostheses in the region of the femur head, with only one prosthesis, and without any prostheses. The combined relative standard uncertainty of dose measurement by electron spin resonance (ESR)/alanine was 5.05%, whereas the combined relative standard uncertainty of the applied dose was 3.35%, resulting in a combined relative standard uncertainty of the whole process of 6.06%. The ESR dosimetry indicated that there was no difference (P>0.05, ANOVA) in dosage between the planned dose and treatments. The results are in the range of the planned dose, within the combined relative uncertainty, demonstrating that the treatment-planning system compensates for the effects caused by the presence of femur and hip metal prostheses.

Gliomas are the most common and malignant primary brain tumors in humans. Studies have shown that classes of kaurene diterpene have anti-tumor activity related to their ability to induce apoptosis. We investigated the response of the human glioblastoma cell line U87 to treatment with ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (kaurenoic acid, KA). We analyzed cell survival and the induction of apoptosis using flow cytometry and annexin V staining. Additionally, the expression of anti-apoptotic (c-FLIP and miR-21) and apoptotic (Fas, caspase-3 and caspase-8) genes was analyzed by relative quantification (real-time PCR) of mRNA levels in U87 cells that were either untreated or treated with KA (30, 50, or 70 µM) for 24, 48, and 72 h. U87 cells treated with KA demonstrated reduced viability, and an increase in annexin V- and annexin V/PI-positive cells was observed. The percentage of apoptotic cells was 9% for control cells, 26% for cells submitted to 48 h of treatment with 50 µM KA, and 31% for cells submitted to 48 h of treatment with 70 µM KA. Similarly, in U87 cells treated with KA for 48 h, we observed an increase in the expression of apoptotic genes (caspase-8, -3) and a decrease in the expression of anti-apoptotic genes (miR-21 and c-FLIP). KA possesses several interesting properties and induces apoptosis through a unique mechanism. Further experiments will be necessary to determine if KA may be used as a lead compound for the development of new chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of primary brain tumors.