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Rural electrification in isolated areas of developing countries can be considered a pivotal factor for economic and social growth, moreover the absence of electricity grid in villages leads to an elevated usage of diesel generators that entails large costs and high CO 2 emissions. This paper presents a design methodology and economical evaluation to implement a hybrid power system composed of a photovoltaic power plant, electrical storage and a backup system of diesel generators in an isolated village in Uganda named Ntoroko. Results show that the usage of battery storage is economically crucial, particularly in areas with a low daily electrical consumption and peak loads increasing in the early morning and late evening when the solar radiation is lower and PV array has a reduced power production. Results disclose that the optimal configuration of the hybrid system (PV-storage-diesel generators), despite its high investment cost, presents an economic benefit of 25.5 and 22.2% compared to the usage of only PV array and diesel generators and only diesel generators and a reduction of fuel consumption equal to 74.7 and 77%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine mastitis is a multifactorial disease, caused mainly by bacteria, whose most traditional method of treatment is the use of antibiotics. However, incorrect administration of these drugs may lead to the emergence of resistant strains. The objective of this study was to identify the most common pathogens causing subclinical mastitis in the northwest State of Paraná, Brazil and establish their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles. A total of 507 foremilk samples were collected in 13 municipalities. Bacteria were identified and their profile of antimicrobial susceptibility were tested. The distribution of positive samples was not homogeneous among the cities. Streptococci were the most frequently genus observed (61%), followed by staphylococci (28%) and other genera (11%). Among streptococci and staphylococci, Streptococcus uberis and Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequently identified species, respectively. Overall, 40% of the isolates showed resistance to at least one of the antibiotics used in this study. A high proportion of cefoperazone resistant Staphylococcus spp. and bacitracin resistant Streptococcus were observed. The isolated microorganisms showed little resistance to enrofloxaxin. The results obtained show the importance of isolating the microorganism causing mastitis and testing its resistance to antibiotics before performing the treatment of the disease.

Considering the high prevalence of subclinical mastitis and its impacts on milk production, thematic studies are need to provide strategic data for its control. This study aimed at investigating the most frequent microorganisms associated with subclinical mastitis in dairy cows in Brazil through compiling the occurrence of the etiological agents and their sensitivity to antibiotics. The systematic review includes articles published between 2009 and 2019. Fiftyseven articles evaluating 22,287 milk samples were selected. The number of publications and the sample size were not homogeneous among Brazilian regions. Most of the studies and sampling were conducted in Rio Grande do Sul, whereas no studies were found in some states in the north and mid‑west regions. The most frequent pathogen was Staphylococcus spp. It was isolated in all studies and had an average prevalence of 49% in the analyzed samples. Resistance to penicillin was the most frequent microbial resistance found in Brazil, with an average of 66% among the isolates evaluated. Moreover, bacterial resistance to cephalexin, cefoperazone, erythromycin, gentamicin, neomycin, penicillin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim increased over the research period. Given the territorial extension, the etiological diversity, and the lack of studies with a representative sample, the compilation of scientific data must be interpreted with caution. Regions where a greater number of studies were conducted and with numerous samples, such as the South, provided a comprehensive scenario that is closer to reality. Nevertheless, although decision making on the farm cannot be replaced by scientific studies, it can be supported by such efforts.

The objective of this research was to determine the frequency for the occurrence of MS in dogs, using the criteria determined, and to correlate the criteria of dogs that would characterize the MS with different body condition score (BCS). 271 dogs with different body scores were studied, with 101 dogs with BCS 4-5; 101 dogs with BCS 6-7; and 69 dogs with BCS 8-9. Among the dogs studied, 62 (22,87%) had two or more inclusion criteria for MS. Of these, 28 had BCS 6-7, while 34 dogs had BCS 8-9. Therefore, 27,72% of overweight dogs had inclusion criteria for MS and 49,27% of obese ones had two or more inclusion criteria for MS. When only overweight and obese dogs were considered as a total population, it was observed that 36,47% got inclusion criteria for the MS. No dog with BCS 4-5 showed two or more inclusion criteria for MS. The metabolic syndrome, according to the parameters for inclusion defined in the literature, was observed in 22,87% of the animals studied and in 36% of dogs overweight or obese. Furthermore, MS was most common in obese (49%) compared to overweight dogs (27%)., Competing Interests: The authors disclose no conflict of interests.

The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of occurrence and variety of intestinal parasites among free-living wild animals. Fecal samples from wild mammals and birds at rehabilitation centers in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo were analyzed by sedimentation and flotation-centrifugation methods. Parasite eggs, oocysts, cysts and/or trophozoites were found in 71% of the samples. Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts were detected in fecal samples from oncillas (Leopardus tigrinus) and scaly-headed parrots (Pionus maximiliani). Giardia cysts were identified in the feces of a gray brocket (Mazama gouazoubira). Among the most common parasites found, there were eggs from Toxocara cati, Toxascaris leonina and Ancylostoma tubaeforme, and from Cestoda. Several Enterobius sp. eggs were found in the feces of red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus). It can be concluded from this study that despite the small number of samples, the diversity of parasites found was noteworthy. Additional information about parasite endofauna in wild animals is needed, since their presence might suggest that there could be proximity to and interactions with domestic animals and/or humans. In addition, further studies on parasites from free-living wild animals are of prime importance for understanding the intensity of anthropic changes in wild environments.

Introduction: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) can colonize or cause infections in high-risk patients and contaminate the environment. Our objective was to describe the epidemiological investigation of an outbreak of VRE, the interventions made, and their impact on its control., Methods: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive, non-comparative study by reviewing the charts of patients with a VRE-positive culture in the University Hospital of Campinas State University, comprising 380 beds, 40 of which were in intensive care units (ICUs), who were admitted from February 2008-January 2009. Interventions were divided into educational activity, reviewing the workflow processes, engineering measures, and administrative procedures., Results: There were 150 patients, 139 (92.7%) colonized and 11 (7.3%) infected. Seventy-three percent were cared for in non-ICUs (p = 0.028). Infection was more frequent in patients with a central-line (p = 0.043), mechanical ventilation (p = 0.013), urinary catheter (p = 0.049), or surgical drain (p = 0.049). Vancomycin, metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, and third-generation cephalosporin were previously used by 47 (31.3%), 31 (20.7%), 24 (16%), and 24 (16%) patients, respectively. Death was more frequent in infected (73%) than in colonized (17%) patients (p < 0.001). After the interventions, the attack rate fell from 1.49 to 0.33 (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Classical risk factors for VRE colonization or infection, e.g., being cared for in an ICU and previous use of vancomycin, were not found in this study. The conjunction of an educational program, strict adhesion to contact precautions, and reinforcement of environmental cleaning were able to prevent the dissemination of VRE.

Background: This study was performed to determine whether antibodies against the amino-terminus of the beta-chain of fibrin (anti-beta) could noninvasively distinguish actively enlarging thrombi from thrombi stabilized with anticoagulants., Methods and Results: Dogs with unilateral femoral vein thrombi were allocated into three groups: (1) no anticoagulation, (2) intravenous heparin maintained in the "therapeutic" range (0.2 to 0.5 U/mL plasma), and (3) "excess" heparin, maintained at >1.0 U/mL plasma. Thrombolysis was suppressed with tranexamic acid. (111)In-labeled anti-beta was infused, and gamma scans of the legs were performed at regular intervals for 24 hours. Scans were interpreted in a blinded fashion. In addition, for each scan, the number of gamma counts from the femoral area on the thrombosed side was compared with the contralateral side. Clot/blood isotope density was determined postmortem. Leg thrombi in the no-anticoagulation group were 100% detectable, mean (+/-SD) relative count in the thrombosed femoral area was 186% (+/-30%) of the contralateral side, and clot/blood ratio was 14.7 (+/-2.0). Thrombi in the therapeutic heparin group were only 75% detectable, relative counts in the thrombosed femoral areas decreased to 125% (+/-20%), and clot/blood ratio declined to 11.3 (+/-3.5). In the "excess heparin" group, leg thrombi were only 50% detectable, the thrombosed femoral area had relative counts of 118%+/-17%, and the clot/blood ratio fell to 7.8+/-1.9., Conclusions: Radiolabeled anti-beta noninvasively distinguishes propagating thrombi from those stabilized by anticoagulants. They may be useful for detecting thrombosis clinically as well as for monitoring the efficacy of anticoagulation.

This communication describes the covalent modification of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies with oxidized dextrans of low molecular weight to generate conjugates having low immunogenicity in vivo. Conjugation conditions were optimized to generate monomeric, dextran-modified antibodies, free of both high-molecular-weight polymeric aggregates and unmodified antibodies. Conjugates could be prepared with varying levels of dextran substitution. These conjugates retained optimal immunoreactivity as well as in vivo pharmacokinetics and tumor-localization properties. In addition, multiple i.v. administrations of dextran-modified antibodies in animals did not elicit a measurable immune response to either the antibody or the dextran portion of these conjugates.