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ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolic response of native lambs fed Tifton 85 hay (Cynodon dactylon) or Maniçoba hay (Manihot pseudoglaziovii) associated with spineless cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dyck). Sixteen Morada Nova lambs were used, with a mean initial weight of 19.36±1.48kg, distributed in a randomized block design, with two treatments and eight replications. Dry matter intake was higher for lambs fed Maniçoba hay compared to Tifton hay, while the body weight at slaughter was not influenced by diets. Regarding the blood metabolites, only the serum concentration of urea was influenced, with higher value observed in the lambs that fed the diet containing Tifton hay. When analyzing blood biomarkers, in the different biweekly collections, a linear increase in the blood concentration of urea, glucose, fructosamine, alkaline phosphatase and sodium was observed, as well as a quadratic effect for serum potassium. The other blood metabolites were not influenced in function of the collection days. The replacement of Tifton 85 hay for Maniçoba hay does not cause negative changes in the dynamics of different biomarkers and presents itself as a promising forage resource.

Crude glycerin (CG) is a biodiesel byproduct that has been tested as an alternative feed additive for use in beef production. After being absorbed, it is used in the liver to produce glucose, an important precursor of intramuscular fat in ruminants. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of CG (439 g/kg glycerol) on the performance and meat quality of crossbred heifers finished in Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. Thirty-six heifers with an initial BW of 301.5 ± 23.02 kg were used. They were supplemented for 154 days with the following levels of CG: mineral mixture (without CG), 33.3, 66.6 and 99.9 g/kg CG in the DM of the supplement. Supplement or pasture DM intakes, slaughter BW and carcass traits were not influenced (P > 0.05) by increasing levels of CG. The total fat content of the meat, the vaccenic (18:1 n-7t) and conjugated linoleic acid (18:2 c9-t11) increased with the addition of CG in the diet (P

The signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM), present on the surface of hematopoietic cells, can regulate some events of the immune responses. This modulatory action is associated with the capacity of SLAM to interact with an intracytoplasmic adapter, such as SLAM-associated protein (SAP). SLAM is constitutively expressed in most of these cells, is rapidly induced after antigenic or inflammatory stimuli, and participates in the immunological synapse. Defects in the function of the SLAM-SAP pathway contribute to immunological abnormalities, resulting in autoimmune diseases, tumors of the lymphoid tissues and inadequate responses to infectious agents. Initially, the role of SLAM was investigated using an anti-SLAM monoclonal antibody (α-SLAM mAb) identified as an agonist of the SLAM-SAP pathway, which could induce the production of interferon-γ and could redirect the immune response to a T helper 1 (Th1) cell profile. However, in this review we postulate that the SLAM-SAP pathway primarily induces a Th2 response and secondarily suppresses the Th1 response.

A espinheira-santa (Maytenus muelleri - Celastraceae) é a planta medicinal nativa do Sul do Brasil, cujas folhas são tradicionalmente utilizadas pela medicina popular para o tratamento de úlceras e outros problemas gástricos. Existem poucos trabalhos publicados sobre a produção de mudas e técnicas de propagação vegetativa da espécie. A propagação de espinheira-santa por estaquia poderia ser um método eficiente para obtenção de material homogêneo, com características genéticas desejáveis, produzido a partir de plantas matrizes selecionadas. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo estudar os efeitos da aplicação de ácido indol butírico (AIB), em solução e em pó, no enraizamento de estacas de espinheira-santa coletadas nas quatro estações do ano (abril/2005 a janeiro/2006), bem como averiguar, por meio de análises anatômicas e histoquímicas das estacas, a presença de possíveis impedimentos à iniciação do enraizamento adventício. Estacas provenientes de ramos de plantas matrizes de seis anos cultivadas da Estação Experimental do Canguiri, Pinhais, PR, foram coletadas e tratadas com AIB (0, 1500, 3000 mg L-1 ou mg kg-1), em solução alcoólica (50% v/v) e em talco. Aos 365 dias foram avaliadas as porcentagens de estacas enraizadas e mortas, número e comprimento médio de raízes formadas por estaca. Análises anatômicas e histoquímicas com lugol e cloreto férrico foram realizadas. A estação mais promissora para o enraizamento foi o verão/2006 com 62,50% para o tratamento controle, devido à menor lignficação dos ramos no período de intenso crescimento vegetativo. O número médio de raízes formadas por estaca foi de 6,94 (solução) e o comprimento médio de raízes formadas/estaca chegou a 4,82 cm nesta mesma estação. As concentrações de AIB aplicadas não foram eficientes na indução radicial, independentemente do modo de aplicação. Foi detectada a presença de uma camada quase contínua de fibras e braquiesclereídes, a qual constitui barreira anatômica à indução radicial. Os testes histoquímicos revelaram a presença de amido e de compostos fenólicos nas estacas, em todas as estações do ano. A dificuldade ou demora no enraizamento não pode ser justificada pela falta de reservas de amido nos tecidos das estacas, mas pode ser justificada pela presença de compostos fenólicos, possivelmente do grupo dos monofenóis, que causam a degradação do AIA, interferindo negativamente na indução do enraizamento."Espinheira-santa" (Maytenus muelleri - Celastraceae) is a medicinal plant native to Southern Brazil, the leaves of which are traditionally used in popular medicine for the treatment of stomach ulcers and other gastric problems. There are few published studies about seedling production and vegetative propagation techniques for this species. The propagation of "espinheira-santa" by cuttings could be an efficient method to obtain homogeneous material, with desirable genetic characteristics, produced from selected mother plants. This paper aimed to study the effects of indolebutyric acid (IBA) application, in solution and in powder, on the rooting of "espinheira-santa" cuttings, collected in four seasons (April/2005 to January/2006), as well as to investigate, by means of cutting anatomical and histochemical analyses, the presence of possible impediments to adventitious rooting initiation. Cuttings from branches of six-year mother plants grown at "Estação Experimental do Canguiri", Pinhais, Paraná State, Brazil, were collected and treated with IBA (0, 1500, 3000 mg L-1 or mg kg-1) in alcoholic solution (50% v/v) and in powder. After 365 days, the percentages of rooted and dead cuttings, the number and mean length of roots/cutting were evaluated. Anatomical and histochemical analyses were performed with lugol and ferric chloride. The most promising season for rooting was Summer/2006, with 62.50% of rooting for the control treatment, due to the lesser lignification degree of branches in intense vegetative growth period. The mean number of roots/cutting was 6.94 (solution) and the mean length of roots/cutting was 4.82 cm in that same season. The applied IBA concentrations were not efficient in inducing root growth, regardless of the application method. An almost continuous layer of fibers and stone cells was detected, constituting an anatomical barrier for rooting induction. The histochemical tests revealed the presence of starch and phenolic compounds in cuttings, in all seasons. The difficulty or delay in rooting cannot be justified by the absence of starch reserve in the cutting tissues but by the presence of phenolic compounds, possibly of the group of monophenols, which cause IAA degradation, negatively affecting rooting induction.

O jambolão propaga-se normalmente por sementes o que acarreta variabilidade nas plantas descendentes e um problema quando o objetivo é a formação de pomar comercial. O desenvolvimento de protocolo de propagação vegetativa por meio da estaquia possibilitaria a reprodução de todas as características da planta matriz, uniformidade nas populações e facilidade de propagação. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar o efeito dos ácidos naftaleno acético (ANA) e indolilbutírico (AIB) no enraizamento de estacas de jambolão. Estacas da região mediana dos ramos foram confeccionadas com 12 cm de comprimento, cortadas em bisel na base e reto acima da última gema axilar, mantendo-se um par de folhas reduzidas à metade. As bases das estacas foram imersas por 10 segundos em soluções aquosas contendo ANA ou AIB nas concentrações de 0, 500, 1.000 e 1.500 mg L-1. Para o plantio foram utilizadas bandejas plásticas contendo areia de granulometria média. As estacas foram mantidas em casa-de-vegetação com nebulização intermitente e após 120 dias do plantio, foram avaliadas as variáveis: porcentagem de estacas enraizadas, com calos, vivas (não enraizadas e sem calos) e mortas, comprimento das três maiores raízes (cm) e número de raízes formadas por estaca. Os melhores resultados de enraizamento foram verificados com 1.000 mg L-1 para ambos os fitorreguladores testados. A porcentagem de enraizamento foi ligeiramente superior com a utilização de ANA quando comparada ao AIB.Jambul usually propagates by seeds, which causes variability in the descendant plants and represents a problem in the formation of commercial orchards. The development of a protocol for vegetative propagation by cuttings would enable the reproduction of all features of the Mother plant, uniformity in populations and easy propagation. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and indolebutyric acid (IBA) on rooting of jambul cuttings. Twelve-cm-long cuttings from the median region of branches were prepared through bevel cut in the base and right cut above the last axillary bud, keeping one pair of halved leaves. Cutting bases were immersed for 10s in aqueous solutions containing NAA or IBA at 0, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg L-1 concentrations. Plastic trays containing medium sand were used in the planting. The cuttings were kept in a greenhouse under intermittent nebulization and, at 120 days after planting, the following variables were evaluated: percentage of rooted, with calluses, alive (not-rooted and without calluses) and dead cuttings; length of the three largest roots (cm); and number of roots per cutting. The best rooting was observed by using 1000 mg L-1 of both tested plant growth regulators. Rooting percentage was slightly higher under NAA relative to IBA.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that in recent decades has become a major international public health concern. Epidemic dengue fever reemerged in Brazil in 1981. Since 1990 more than one dengue virus serotype has been circulating in this tropical country and increasing rates of dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome have been detected every year. Some evidence supports the association between the introduction of a new serotype and/or genotype in a region and the appearance of dengue hemorrhagic fever. In order to study the evolutionary relationships and possible detection of the introduction of new dengue virus genotypes in Brazil in the last years, we analyzed partial nucleotide sequences of 52 Brazilian samples of both dengue type 1 and dengue type 2 isolated from 1988 to 2001 from highly endemic regions. A 240-nucleotide-long sequence from the envelope/nonstructural protein 1 gene junction was used for phylogenetic analysis. After comparing the nucleotide sequences originally obtained in this study to those previously studied by others, and analyzing the phylogenetic trees, we conclude that, after the initial introduction of the currently circulating dengue-1 and dengue-2 genotypes in Brazil, there has been no evidence of introduction of new genotypes since 1988. The increasing number of dengue hemorrhagic fever cases seen in Brazil in the last years is probably associated with secondary infections or with the introduction of new serotypes but not with the introduction of new genotypes.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produção diária, a qualidade microbiológica e físico-químicas do leite das cabras participantes de Torneios Leiteiros no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. Foram analisadas 111 amostras de leite de 106 cabras (39 Saanen, 6 Toggenburg e 61 mestiças) agrupadas em categorias pela ordem de parto (primíparas e pluríparas) e estágio de lactação [inicial (0 a 30 dias), pico (30 a 45 dias) e pós-pico (mais de 45 dias)], utilizando o delineamento inteiramente casualisado. As cabras pluríparas apresentaram maiores médias de produção no início (4,41 kg/dia) e no pico (5,42 kg/dia) de lactação. Entre raças não houve diferença para produção media (4,62 kg/dia), ponto de congelamento (-0,488º C), pH (6,64), densidade (1,030 g/L), gordura (3,60%), proteína (2,90%), lactose (4,89%), extrato seco desengordurado (8,41%) e extrato seco total (12,06%). As análises microbiológicas revelaram a presença de mesófilos e coliformes fecais, sem diferença entre as ordens de parto ou entre raças. Cabras pluríparas apresentaram maiores produções de leite, mas não diferiram das primíparas quanto à composição, características físicas e microbiota do leite. As amostras de leite dos três genótipos (Saanen, Toggenburg e mestiças) analisados mostraram características físico-químicas, microbiológicas e de produção semelhantes.