ABSTRACT: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) have been showing a considerable potential for regenerative medicine. Pulps were collected from lower incisors (n=2) through direct access of the tooth pulp chamber. The isolated cells were cultured in alfa-MEM 10% FBS, in standard culture conditions. At the third passage, DPSC were characterized by flow cytometry (MHCI, CD54, CD73, CD90, CD45, CD11 and CD34); RT-PCR for Nanog gene; and their differentiation capacity in osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic cell lines. Isolated cells exhibited adhesion capacity to plastic; fusiform morphology, and 80% confluence reached in approximately 3 days. These cells have also revealed positive expression for CD54, CD73 and CD90 markers; and negative expression for CD11, CD34 and CD45. Nanog expression was detected by RT-PCR, expected for a mesenchymal stem cell profile. DPSC chondrogenic differentiation was confirmed by positive staining in Alcian Blue; lipidic droplets stained with oil red confirmed their capacity to differentiate in adipogenic fate; while mineralized beads, stained with alizarin red, confirmed their differentiation in osteogenic phenotype. These results indicate the viability of the isolation and expansion of rat DPSC following this method, and osteogenic differentiation potential opens new perspectives for in vivo studies and the use of these cells in cellular therapies and tissue bioengineering, aiming bone repair.

OBJECTIVE: Compare the anti-T. gondii IgG titer between HIV-1 infected and non HIV-1 infected pregnant women and report three cases of congenital toxoplasmosis resulting from reactivation of infection during pregnancy of HIV-1 infected women. METHODS: This study was conducted among 2,270 pregnant women with chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection (absence of IgM and presence of IgG), including 82 HIV-1 infected and 2,188 non-infected women. RESULTS: The average anti-T. gondii IgG titer was 127 for the 2,188 non-HIV-1 infected women, and 227 for the 82 HIV-1-infected women (p = 0,007). These results suggested that higher anti-T. gondii IgG titers in HIV-1-infected pregnant women may not be indicative of an elevated risk for fetal infection. In this study three cases of congenital toxoplasmosis that resulted from infection reactivation during pregnancy of HIV-1-infected women were manifested by fetal death, symptomatic infection, and infant without symptoms, respectively. In two of these women, a ten-fold increase in IgG levels above used cutoff was observed (2,320 UI/mL and 3,613 UI/mL, respectively). In the third pregnant women anti-T. gondii IgG titers during pregnancy did not rise despite the occurrence of congenital toxoplasmosis (204; 198; 172 UI/mL). CONCLUSIONS: Congenital toxoplasmosis resulting reactivation of infection during pregnancy in the studied group leads us to believe that it is a public health problem, especially in our population, in which seroprevalence of T. gondii infections is high. These findings also suggest that special attention is necessary during pregnancy, because the serologic diagnosis may not be indicative of toxoplasmosis reactivation.

No presente trabalho foram analisados aspectos legais concernentes à invasão de áreas de preservação permanente pela mineração de areia. Escolheu-se como estudo de caso a mineração de areia no médio Iguaçu, especificamente na região do município de União da Vitória, Estado do Paraná, onde há concentração de empresas mineradoras que foram objeto de procedimentos investigatórios do Ministério Público Estadual. A invasão de APPs (áreas de preservação permanente) ocorre em todos os areais instalados na região, sob todas as formas de exploração, ou seja, nas explorações do leito do rio, nas planícies de aluvião e nas encostas de morro. Esse problema é tratado como de menor importância em todos os trabalhos técnicos, relatórios e planos de recuperação ambiental das áreas degradadas apresentados ao órgão ambiental estadual, sendo desconsiderado, em todos eles, que a invasão de APP é crime ambiental. Os Procedimentos Investigatórios do Ministério Público do Estado do Paraná foram pesquisados pelos autores, principalmente em seus aspectos técnicos relativos à degradação e recuperação dos solos, com o objetivo de discutir soluções para o problema.

This study analyzed legal aspects concerning the invasion of permanent preservation areas by sand mining. A sand mine in the middle Iguaçu river, more exactly in the region of the county of União da Vitória, state of Paraná, was chosen as study case. In this region there is a concentration of mining companies that had been under investigation on behalf of the Ministry for Environment. The invasion of APPs (permanent preservation areas) occurs in all "areais" (sand depositions) in the region, using all forms of exploitation, in other words, mining in the river bed, alluvial plains and hill slopes. In all technical studies, reports and plans of environmental recovery of the degraded areas presented before the Ministry for Environment, the problem is understated. The fact that the invasion of an APP is an environmental crime is not taken into consideration by any of them. The Proceedings of investigation of the Ministry for Environment of the state of Paraná were scrutinized by the authors, mainly in the technical aspects related to soil degradation and recovery, with the objective of discussing solutions to the problem.

Avaliou-se o efeito da deficiência de PB na dieta sobre o consumo e as digestibilidades total, ruminal e intestinal dos nutrientes em novilhos mestiços. Os tratamentos consistiram de dietas compostas de feno de tifton 85 (FN) suplementadas com uréia (FNUR), farelo de soja (FNFS) e farelo de glúten de milho-60 (FNGL). Foram utilizados oito novilhos canulados no rúmen e no duodeno, distribuídos em dois quadrados latinos 4 x 4. As digestibilidades ruminal e intestinal dos nutrientes, a produção fecal e o fluxo duodenal de MS foram estimados utilizando-se a fibra em detergente ácido indigestível (FDAi) como indicador, enquanto a digestibilidade total foi determinada pelo método de coleta total de fezes. Os consumos de nutrientes (MS, MO, PB, CT, FDN, FDA e EB) não foram afetados pelos teores de PB das dietas. A digestibilidade aparente total da FDA foi superior para a dieta FNGL (55,48%) em relação à FNFS (41,29%). As digestibilidades ruminais dos nutrientes, à exceção da PB, não diferiram significativamente entre as dietas, mas a digestibilidade intestinal da PB nas dietas FNFS (66,70%) e FNGL (80,25%) foi superior à observada na dieta FNUR (57,61%). O teor de PB das dietas não alterou o consumo (exceto de PB e CNF) e as digestibilidades parciais dos nutrientes (exceto de PB).

Eight crossbred steers fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were randomly assigned to two replicated 4 x 4 Latin squares to evaluate the effects of crude protein (CP) levels on intake and total, ruminal and intestinal digestibility of nutrients. Animals were fed a control diet containing Tifton 85 bermudagrass hay or the control diet supplemented with urea (NPN diet), soybean meal (SBM diet) or corn gluten meal-60 (CGM diet). Indigestible acid detergent fiber was used as the internal marker for measuring duodenal flow of dry matter, ruminal and intestinal digestibility, and fecal output of nutrients. Total fecal collection was used to determine total tract digestibility of nutrients. Nutrient intakes (DM, OM, CP, TC, NDF, ADF, and GE) did not differ among diets. However, apparent total tract digestibility of acid detergent fiber was greater on CGM (55.48%) than on SBM diet (41.29%). Except for CP, ruminal digestibilities of all remaining nutrients were similar across diets. Intestinal digestibility of CP on SBM (66.70%) and CGM diets (80.25%) were higher than that on the NPN diet (57.61%). It can be concluded that supplementation with different protein sources did not change intake (except for CP and nonfiber carbohydrates) and the partial digestibility of nutrients (except for CP).