Abstract:This work aimed at investigating whether the liver glucose metabolism could have a role in any change of glucose homeostasis that might exist in the reduced-litter rat at the age of 60 days. Additionally, post-weaning caloric restriction and its hepatic effects were explored, as this intervention is reported as a useful measure against obesity and its related disturbances. The animals were raised in litters of nine (control, CG) or three pups during lactation. These small-litter pups were FG (fed freely) or subjected to 30% RG (caloric restriction) after weaning until 60 days of age. The increased adiposity induced by lactational overfeeding was not reversed by caloric restriction. Hepatocyte glucose metabolism and glucose tolerance test were not affected by litter size, but caloric restriction increased liver basal glucose release, diminished gluconeogenesis and retarded the glycemic decay during the insulin tolerance test. Liver glucose metabolism of young adult rats was not affected by lactational overfeeding. Up to this age, however, moderate caloric restriction had a potent influence that might compromise whole-body glucose homeostasis and prompt to insulin resistance.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are the main etiologies of waterborne outbreaks caused by protozoa. These parasites are commonly detected in wastewater; however, there is little knowledge about the concentration of viable forms in treated sewage, mainly in small communities. To understand more about the presence of viable oocysts and cysts in domestic sewage, we monitored the affluent and effluent of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the inner city of Brazil. Ten samplings and seven follow-ups were performed in 2020. Samples were concentrated by centrifugation, filtration and purified by fluctuation. Viability was accessed by propidium-monoazide (PMA) associated with nPCR and qPCR. Both viable protozoa were detected in all raw sewage samples (average: 438.5 viable oocysts/L). Regarding treated sewage, Cryptosporidium was detected in all of the samples (average: 92.8 viable oocysts/L) and Giardia was detected in 70% with viable cysts in 30%. Considering the follow-ups, 31.17% of Cryptosporidium viable oocysts remained in the effluent after the treatment. High amounts of Cryptosporidium and a high frequency of Giardia were detected, therefore both arrived at WWTP and were discharged into the river. These alert the presence of agro-industrial effluents into domestic sewages and demonstrated the effectiveness of the concentration technique for monitoring protozoa in wastewater.