Resumo

Litomosoides chagasfilhoi is a filariid nematode parasite of the abdominal cavity of the wild rodent Akodon cursor (Winge, 1887), that has been described and used in Brazil as a new model for human filariasis. The fine structure of the intestine of this nematode was analyzed based on observations made by light and transmission electron microscopies of serial sections along the body. Cytochemical analysis was carried out to investigate the composition of the intestinal wall. This structure consisted of a basal lamina and an epithelium of variable thickness, composed of cells that have an irregular shape. The cytoplasm of intestinal cells contains few organelles: vacuoles, lysosomal bodies, spheroid bodies, endoplasmic reticulum, and many large lipid droplets. In the anterior portion of the intestine, the lysosomal bodies, spheroid bodies, and vacuoles presented positive reaction for acid phosphatase, and carbohydrates were detected in lysosomal bodies. The midbody and posterior regions presented less organelles and lipid droplets, and nuclei were more abundant. Residues of L-fucose were detected by Ulex europaeus lectin binding in the midbody sections. Basic proteins were associated to lipid droplets, in the posterior region. In the whole extension of the intestine, carbohydrates were detected on tight junctions. These results indicate that the metabolized material in the epithelium can contribute to the microfilariae development and also probably can be involved with the excretory/secretory mechanism of these nematodes.

The ovarian stimulation has been applied in order to increase the number of oocytes to compensate for the poor results of in vitro fertilization, allowing the selection of one or more embryos to be transferred. Our aim is to compare the results obtained in IVF/ICSI cycles using the short protocol for controlled ovarian stimulation to the results from the modified mild protocol used in our department. A total of 240 cycles were conducted from January 2010 to December 2011. When comparing both protocols, it could be observed that there was a significant difference in the quantity of gonadotropins doses in the mild protocol and in the short protocol. No significant difference was observed regarding pregnancy rates per cycle, 22% and 26.2%, in short and mild protocols, respectively. The protocols of controlled ovarian stimulation are often associated with high risk of complications such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, excessive emotional stress, high rates of treatment dropouts, and abdominal discomfort. With the data obtained in this study, one can conclude that there are less risks and complications for the patient when using the mild stimulation protocol. It was also observed that in this group there was a slightly higher rate.

The objective was to verify the antibacterial activity of lemongrass and clove oils against Escherichia coli isolated from poultry feces, Staphylococcus aureus isolated from swine and poultry feces and Salmonella sp. isolated from swine and bovine feces. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the disc diffusion test using different concentrations of the oils: 160, 80, 40, 20 and 10 ?l ml -1. The multi-resistance of strains relative to that of conventional antimicrobials was also evaluated by the disk diffusion technique, using Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) index. The oils were characterized based on the results of chromatographic analyses, of which, analysis of lemongrass has been previously published (AZEVEDO et al., 2016). Lemongrass and clove essential oils presented citral and eugenol as the major compound, respectively. The concentrations of the essential oils had a significant effect on the extent of the growth inhibition halo and the coefficient of determination (r²) was higher than 0.80. Clove essential oil generated the largest zone of inhibition when tested against Escherichia coli and S. aureus from poultry feces and Salmonella sp. from the feces of swine, while lemongrass essential oil presented better results against S. aureus isolated from swine feces and Salmonella sp. from bovine feces. S. aureus and Salmonella sp. were multi-resistant to the antimicrobials tested. It is concluded that the essential oils tested have antimicrobial activity against bacteria isolated from bovine, swine, and poultry feces and that this activity is proportional to the concentration of oils and the microorganisms studied.

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