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The aim of this study was to determine the effect on the quality of life of two non-pharmacological interventions isolated or in combination: (i) passive whole-body vibration exercise (WBVE), and (ii) auriculotherapy (AT). One hundred three participants with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) were allocated to: (a) a vibration group (WBVEG, n = 17) that performed WBVE (peak-to-peak displacement: 2.5 to 7.5 mm, frequency: 5 to 14 Hz, Peak acceleration: 0.12 to 2.95 g), two days/weekly for five weeks, (b) an AT group (ATG, n = 21), stimulation of three specific auriculotherapy points (Kidney, Knee and Shenmen) in each ear pavilion, (c) WBVE + AT (WBVE + AT, n = 20) and (d) respective control groups (WBVE_CG, n = 15, AT_CG, n = 12, WBVE + AT_CG, n = 18). The participants filled out the WHOQOL-bref Questionnaire before the first and after the last sessions. Statistical differences in the various domains of the WHOQOL-bref were not found. In conclusion, WBVE or AT alone or combined did not contribute in altering the quality of life of individuals exposed to these interventions.

Contamination of cocoa and its derived products by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may occur due to high roasting temperatures and/or the presence of smoke during drying. Some PAHs are considered carcinogenic and genotoxic. Thirteen PAHs were investigated during cocoa processing. Two cocoa beans samples were used, with and without presence of smoke during drying. In both, an initial contamination was detected, 1.78 μg/kg for non-smoked beans and 66 μg/kg for smoked cocoa beans. After roasting, a decrease in contamination was observed. Levels detected in derived products were from not detected (shell) to 2.08 μg/kg (cocoa butter) for non-smoked beans and 5.2 μg/kg (cocoa powder) to 136 μg/kg (shell) for smoked beans. Mass balance showed that, for non-smoked cocoa beans, PAHs were transferred after pressing in equal proportions to cocoa butter (34%) and powder (37%). Smoked samples presented a large portion of PAHs in the shells (31%) and, after pressing, compounds remained mainly in the cocoa butter (43%). A tendency for PAHs to migrate to cocoa butter was observed. Drying cocoa beans without contact with smoke could reduce contamination and, therefore, human exposition to potentially carcinogenic and genotoxic compounds. Fapesp 135

The aim of this study was to quantify Cd and Pb levels in cocoa beans from three cocoa producing regions of the world, along with their derived products (liquor, cocoa powder and cocoa butter). The contaminants were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and two sample preparation procedures were evaluated: microwave assisted acid digestion and dry ashing. The limits of detection and quantification for Cd and Pb were 0.5 and 1.5 μg kg−1 and 7.0 and 22 μg kg−1, respectively. The study examined 90 samples of cocoa beans and the concentration range found for Cd was

The objective of this work is to describe the distribution of outbreaks of vaccinia virus (VACV), pseudocowpox virus (PCPV), and bovine papular stomatitis virus (BSPV) in Brazil. The Official Laboratory of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture received 89 samples from different locations in Brazil in 2015 and 2016 for diagnosis of vesicular and exanthematous disease. Poxvirus coinfections occurred in 11 out of 33 outbreaks, including the first reported triple infection by BPSV, PCPV, and VACV. This occurrence may be associated with the circulation of these viruses in Brazilian cattle.

Background: Parapoxviruses are zoonotic viruses that infect cattle, goats and sheep; there have also been reports of infections in camels, domestic cats and seals. Objective: The objective of this report was to describe a case of vesicular disease caused by pseudocowpox virus (PCPV) in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Brazil. Animals: Sixty buffalo less than 6 months old exhibited ulcers and widespread peeling of the tongue epithelium. There were no cases of vesicular disease in pigs or horses on the same property. Methods: Samples were analysed by PCR and sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis in MEGA 7.01 was reconstructed using major envelope protein (B2L) by the Tamura three-parameter nucleotide substitution model and the maximum likelihood and neighbor joining models, both with 1000 bootstrap replicates. The genetic distance between the groups was analysed in MEGA using the maximum composite likelihood model. The rate variation among sites was modeled using gamma distribution. Results: The presence of PCPV in the buffalo herd could be demonstrated in epithelium and serum. The minimum genetic distance between the isolated PCPV strain (262-2016) and orf virus and bovine papular stomatitis virus was 6.7% and 18.4%, respectively. The maximum genetic distance calculated was 4.6% when compared with a PCPV detected in a camel. Conclusions/Clinical Importance: The peculiar position of the isolated strain in the phylogenetic trees does not necessarily indicate a different kind of PCPV that infects buffalo. More samples from cattle and buffalo in Brazil must be sequenced and compared to verify if PCPV from buffalo are genetically different from samples derived from cattle.

Bovine tuberculosis is an infectious disease with a high impact on the cattle industry, particularly in developing countries. PCR is a very sensitive method for detection of infectious agents, but the sensitivity of molecular diagnosis is largely dependent on the efficiency of the DNA extraction methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate DNA extraction methods for direct detection of Mycobacterium bovis in bovine tissue. Nine commercial kits for DNA extraction were evaluated when combined with two real time PCRs. The DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit from QIAGEN showed better performance and sensitivity followed by the DNA Mini Kit RBC and FTA Elute Micro Card. Results suggested that, even when the analytical sensitivity of the qPCR is very high, the extraction method can influence the diagnostic sensitivity. RESUMO: A tuberculose bovina é uma doença infecciosa com um alto impacto na pecuária, particularmente em países em desenvolvimento. A PCR é um método muito sensível para a detecção de agentes infecciosos, mas a sensibilidade do diagnóstico molecular é em grande parte dependente da eficiência dos métodos de extração de DNA. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar métodos de extração de DNA para detecção direta de Mycobacterium bovisem tecido bovino. Nove kits comerciais para extração de DNA foram avaliados, quando combinados com duas PCRs em tempo real. O Kit Dneasy Blood & Tissue da Qiagen apresentou melhor desempenho e sensibilidade, seguido dos kits DNA Mini RBC e FTA Elute Micro Card (protocolo modificado com digestão enzimática prévia). Os resultados sugerem que, mesmo quando a sensibilidade analítica do qPCR é muito elevada, o método de extração pode influenciar na sensibilidade de diagnóstico.

O gato doméstico (Felis catus L.) exibe uma grande flexibilidade em seu comportamento social e no seu estilo de vida. Isto é devido a vários fatores, entre eles, disponibilidade de alimento e refúgio, mudanças ambientais, interação com o homem, composição dos grupos, características genéticas e a castração. Os animais machos e fêmeas não castrados e de vida livre exibem um repertório comportamental distinto, os machos tendem a ter uma vida mais solitária vagando por amplas extensões territoriais, enquanto que as fêmeas exibem uma vida mais gregária. O objetivo deste trabalho foi examinar o comportamento social de gatos domésticos castrados, machos e fêmeas, em confinamento com a intenção de se verificar os efeitos da castração no comportamento e se o repertório comportamental de ambos é sexualmente dimórfico, através das análises de freqüência e seqüência das categorias comportamentais. Foram levantadas 18 categorias comportamentais sociais e 12 categorias não sociais e foi observado o comportamento de 40 gatos domésticos machos (n=18) e fêmeas (n=22) num ambiente confinado (gatil) com área total de 19,2 metros quadrados, durante um período de 11 meses totalizando 160 horas de observação. Cada animal foi observado durante 15 minutos em cada sessão de observação, utilizando-se o método de amostra focal do comportamento. A análise de freqüência das categorias comportamentais sociais e não socais foram feitas através do teste estatístico não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney com nível de 5% de significância (p=0,05). Os resultados do teste não mostraram diferenças significativas entre os grupos de machos e fêmeas, indicando, assim, existir influência da castração nos comportamentos de ambos os grupos, ainda que preservando a individualidade dos animais. Contudo a análise seqüencial do comportamento mostrou uma mínima diferença entre os machos e fêmeas castrados mesmo na ausência da regulação hormonal do comportamento. Portanto conclui-se que parte do comportamento dos gatos não sofre influência hormonal e que o método de análise seqüencial do comportamento é refinado o suficiente para mostrar características comportamentais que não foram mostradas pela análise de freqüência. The domestic cat (Felis catus L.) exhibits a great flexibility in its social behavior and lifestyle. This can be due to several factors, among them, food and refuge availability, environmental changes, interaction with humans, group composition, genetic characteristics and castration. Literature states that non neutered male and female animals of free life exhibit distinct behavioral repertoires. Males tend to have a more solitary life moving throughout wide territorial extensions, while females exhibit a more gregarious life. The aim of this work was to examine the social behavior of castrated domestic cats, males and females, in confinement, to verify the effects of neutering on the behavioral repertoire, through the frequency and sequence analyses of behavior. 18 social and 12 non social behavioral categories were selected. 40 domestic cats, males (n=18) and females (n=22), were observed in an indoor confined context with 19,2 square meters in area, for a period of 11 months and 160 hours of observation. Each animal was observed for 15 minutes in each observation session, being used the focal sample method. Statistical analysis for the frequency of each behavioral category, done using the non parametric test of Mann-Whitney with 5% (p=0,05) of significance, didn\'t show any significant gender difference, suggesting that castration change natural behavior, possibly because of a probable absence of sexual hormones. Sequential analysis, however, did show subtle gender differences, possibly raised by different environmental -- i.e. \'cultural\' -- influences in both male and female cats.

summary Background & aims: Many trace elements are nutrients essential to humans, acting in the metabolism as constituents or as enzymatic co-factors. The iron, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium contents of hospital diets (regular, blend and soft) and of oral food complement (OFC) were determined, evaluating the adequacy of each element in relation to the nutritional recommendations (DRIs) and the percent contribution alone and with OFC. Methods: Duplicate samples were taken of six daily meals and of the OFC on two non-consecutive days from a hospital in Belo Horizonte (MG, Brazil) in May and September of 2010 and January of 2011. The elements were determined by ICP OES. Results: Of the diets, the soft diet showed the highest elements content. Offering the OFC was insufficient to provide adequate levels of the trace elements. Conclusion: The oral hospital diets were inadequate in relation to the RDAs for the trace elements studied and the use of the OFCs was insufficient to compensate the values.

A raça crioula Pé-duro do Piauí (Bos taurus) é extremamente bem adaptada às condições ambientais desfavoráveis da zona semi-árida do Nordeste Brasileiro e está em risco de extinção. Neste trabalho foi caracterizada geneticamente, por microssatélites, uma amostra (n=126) originária da Fazenda Experimental Octavio Domingues, da Embrapa Meio-Norte, no município de São João do Piauí. A variabilidade genética foi estimada através de freqüências gênicas, diversidade gênica, heterozigose esperada e observada, riqueza alélica, valor do Pic (conteúdo de informação de polimorfismo), coeficiente de endogamia e verificação do equilíbrio de Hardy-Weinberg. Os locos analisados foram SPS115, BM1824, BM2113, BMS4049, TGLA122, ETH225, ETH10, INRA23, UWCA46 e BMS348, identificando-se um total de 101 alelos. A diversidade gênica média foi de 75,6%, com valores extremos verificados nos locos TGLA122 (91,3%) e BMS4049 (45,4%). O valor médio da heterozigose esperada foi 75,5%, observada 60,0%, e Pic 72,3%. O coeficiente de endogamia Fis foi estatisticamente significativo (Fis=0,206; P