ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of purified lignin on the performance, relative organ weights, serum metabolites, and gene expression profiles of broiler chickens subjected to cyclic heat stress (HS). At 22 days old, 280 broilers were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments, ten repetitions, and seven birds per experimental unit. The birds were subjected to daily cyclic HS. A high temperature of 32±1 °C was maintained for 10 h/day (08:00–18:00 h), while a temperature of 22±1 °C was maintained for the remaining time. Treatments were a basal diet or basal diet with the addition of 5, 10, or 15 g of purified lignin/kg of diet. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and means were compared by Tukey's test at 0.05 significance. There was no effect of lignin supplementation on performance, carcass yield, relative weights of the bursa, spleen, and liver, or serum levels of glucose, triglycerides, uric acid, malondialdehyde, triiodothyronine, or tetraiodothyronine. The abundance of mRNA of heat shock protein 70, nuclear factor-κB, glutathione peroxidase, and Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase in the liver was similarly unaffected by treatments. Purified lignin supplementation does not improve performance or the antioxidant response of broiler chickens subjected to HS.

The objective of this study was to evaluate accuracy, precision and robustness of two methods to obtain silage samples, in comparison with extraction of liquor by manual screw-press. Wet brewery residue alone or combined with soybean hulls and citrus pulp were ensiled in laboratory silos. Liquor was extracted by a manual screw-press and a 2-mL aliquot was fixed with 0.4 mL formic acid. Two 10-g silage samples from each silo were diluted in 20 mL deionized water or 17% formic acid solution (alternative methods). Aliquots obtained by the three methods were used to determine the silage contents of fermentation end-products. The accuracy of the alternative methods was evaluated by comparing mean bias of estimates obtained by manual screw-press and by alternative methods, whereas precision was assessed by the root mean square prediction error and the residual error. Robustness was determined by studying the interaction between bias and chemical components, pH, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and buffer capacity. The 17% formic acid method was more accurate for estimating acetic, butyric and lactic acids, although it resulted in low overestimates of propionic acid and underestimates of ethanol. The deionized water method overestimated acetic and propionic acids and slightly underestimated ethanol. The 17% formic acid method was more precise than deionized water for estimating all organic acids and ethanol. The robustness of each method with respect to variation in the silage chemical composition, IVDMD and pH is dependent on the fermentation end-product at evaluation. The robustness of the alternative methods seems to be critical at the determination of lactic acid and ethanol contents.

A comunicação direta entre a artéria pulmonar direita e o átrio esquerdo é uma condição rara, tendo sido relatados menos de 40 casos em toda a literatura. Apresentação clínica é variável, podendo o paciente mostrar-se com quadro de cianose, dispnéia ou insuficiência cardíaca. No entanto, o diagnóstico pode ser facilmente feito com métodos de imagem. O tratamento cirúrgico oferece a cura completa com baixa morbi-mortalidade. Sem o mesmo, sérias complicações podem advir como embolia ou abscesso cerebral. Os autores apresentam dois casos de comunicação direta entre artéria pulmonar direita e átrio esquerdo. São discutidas as teorias embriogênicas e as variantes anatômicas desta anomalia congênita.

The right pulmonary artery and left atrium direct communication is a rare anomaly. There are no more than 40 cases reported worldwide. Clinical presentation is variable, and patients can exhibit cyanosis, respiratory distress or heart failure. However, diagnosis can be easily made by image tests. Surgical treatment offers total healing with a few complications and mortality. Clinical follow-up without surgery can lead to remarkable complications such as brain abscess. Two cases on direct communication between right pulmonary artery and left atrium are reported. The embryogenic theories and anatomic varieties of this congenital abnormality will be discussed.

Atualmente, na constante busca de minimizar o tempo de intemação hospitalar e melhorar a recuperação no pós-operatório, várias altemativas cirúrgicas têm sido aventadas. Iniciamos o uso da estemotomia parcial como acesso para diversos tipos de operações cardíacas. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar a evolução hospitalar dos pacientes operados através desta técnica. No período de novembro de 1996 a março de 1997, estudamos 51 pacientes operados através da esternotomia parcial. A idade média foi de 46,8 anos, sendo 26 pacientes do sexo feminino. Os procedimentos mais realizados foram o tratamento cirúrgico valvar e as revascularizações miocárdicas. O acesso utilizado para os pacientes com lesões valvares foi a esternotomia parcial em "T" invertido no segmento superior do esterno; para outras lesões, uma esternotomia em "T" no segmento inferior e, pela dificuldade técnica imposta nas re-operações e nos procedimentos múltiplos, utilizou-se uma terceira variação, que foi a esternotomia parcial em "H" deitado, estendendo-se no corpo esternal do primeiro ao quarto espaço intercostal. O comprimento médio da incisão de pele foi de 9,9 cm. Foram realizadas 19 incisões em "T", 17 em "T" invertido e 15 em "H" deitado. O tempo médio de ventilação mecânica foi de 2,8 horas, de permanência na UTI de 31,5 horas e de internação hospitalar de 5,9 dias. Não houve complicação diretamente relacionada com o acesso e em apenas 1 caso foi necessária a conversão para a esternotomia total. Analisando a evolução destes 51 pacientes, pudemos concluir que a esternotomia parcial é um acesso seguro para o tratamento cirúrgico de diversas cardiopatias, isoladas, associadas ou re-operações. Traz um resultado estético favorável e facilita a recuperação no pós- operatório, devendo fazer parte do repertório de todo o cirurgião cardiovascular.

Recently, in the constant search for shortening hospital stay and emproving postoperative recovery, many surgical alternatives have been used. We started the use of a partial sternotomy as an approach to different types of cardiac operations. This paper aims to show the hospital outcome of patients submitted to this technique. From November 1996 to March 1997, 51 patients who underwent partial sternotomy were studied. The mean age of the patients was 46.8 years with 26 females. The most common procedures were valve surgeries followed by myocardial revascularization. The approach used in the patients with valve pathologies was a partial sternotomy in an inverted "T" incision in the superior segment of the sternum, for other pathologies a sternotomy in a "T" incision in the inferior segment was the choice and due to technical difficulties imposed by reoperations and in multiple procedures a third variation, partial sternotomy in an "H" incision was used. In the latter, the sternum was cut from the first to the fourth intercostal spaces. The average size of the skin incision was 9.9 cm. There have been 19 "T" incisions, 17 inverted "T" incisions and 15 "H" incisions. The average assisted ventilation time was 2.8 hours, the average ICU stay was 31.5 hours and the average hospital stay was 5.9 days. No complications resulted directly from the approach itself and in only one case was conversion to total sternotomy necessary. After analyzing the outcome of these 51 patients, we can conclude that partial sternotomy is a safe approach for the treatment of several isolated or associated heart diseases reoperations. It achieves a favorable aesthetic result and achieves postoperative recovery. Therefore, it should be part of every heart-surgeon's repertoire.

The life cycle of ear mites of the genus Raillietia Trouessart consists of egg, larva, proto-and deutonymph and adult. The proto-and deutonymph are free living, non feeding instars. The teneral adult is the transfer stage. The minimum period required for completion of the life cycle is approximately eight days.

Raillietia flechtmanni sp. n. is described from the ear canal of its type host the domestic buffalo. The new species parasitizes cattle as well in Brazil.

In vivo flushing of the ear canals with 50 to 100 ml collected all larvae in 100% of infested cattle. All adult mites were collected from 22 ou 27 parasitized ears (81.5%). Both stages adult and larva were collected from 18 out 22 parasitized ears (82%). The technique is adequate as a measure of prevalence, incidence, density/intensity of infestation as well as in vivo diagnosis. No damage to the host ear has been noticed.