scholarly journals Response of estuarine meiofauna assemblage to effects of fertilizer enrichment used in the sugar cane monoculture. Pernambuco, Brazil

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo J. P. Santos ◽  
Mônica L. Botter-Carvalho ◽  
Ananias B. do Nascimento-Júnior ◽  
Raquel G. C. Marinho ◽  
Paulo V. V. C. Carvalho ◽  
...  

In situ application of inorganic fertilizer was used to simulate environmental eutrophication associated with the sugar cane monoculture. Meiofauna community structure is herein used to assess this experimental impact. Nine quadrangular areas (4m² each) were randomly defined in the midlittoral estuarine area. Three of these areas received a high dose of sugar cane fertilizer (375 g/m² Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium), three areas received a low dose of the fertilizer (187.5 g/m²) and the other three areas represented the control. The fertilizer was applied every week. Environmental parameters and meiofauna were sampled using three-to-four week intervals. Six samplings were subsequently performed maintaining this interval. Meiofauna was counted and identified to major taxonomic groups. Meiofauna community structure varied throughout the experimental areas. Control areas maintained their abundance values during the study period, but within the enriched areas meiofauna abundance decreased greatly. MDS and ANOSIM analysis showed significant variation in the meiofauna community structure among experimental areas and also along the experimental period in the enriched areas.

Author(s):  
G.A. Miranda ◽  
M.A. Arroyo ◽  
C.A. Lucio ◽  
M. Mongeotti ◽  
S.S. Poolsawat

Exposure to drugs and toxic chemicals, during late pregnancy, is a common occurrence in childbearing women. Some studies have reported that more than 90% of pregnant women use at least 1 prescription; of this, 60% used more than one. Another study indicated that 80% of the consumed drugs were not prescribed, and of this figure, 95% were “over-the-counter” drugs. Acetaminophen, the safest of all over-the-counter drugs, has been reported to induce fetal liver necrosis in man and animals and to have abortifacient and embryocidal action in mice. This study examines the degree to which acetaminophen affects the neonatal liver and kidney, when a fatty diet is simultaneously fed to the mother during late pregnancy.Timed Swiss Webster female mice were gavaged during late pregnancy (days 16-19) with fat suspended acetaminophen at a high dose, HD = 84.50 mg/kg, and a low dose, LD = 42.25 mg/kg; a control group received fat alone.


Author(s):  
A.M. Andrews ◽  
S.W. Wilson ◽  
A.C. Scallet ◽  
S.F. Ali ◽  
J. Bailey ◽  
...  

Exposure of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to marijuana via inhalation or to intravenous delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), reportedly caused ultrastructural evidence of increased synaptic width. Chronic marijuana smoke in a single rhesus monkey examined after a six month withdrawal time caused ultrastructure changes in the septal, hippocampal and amygdala regions; the synaptic cleft was widened, electron opaque material was found in the cleft and in the pre- and postsynaptic regions, with some clumping of the synaptic vesicles. The objective of our study was to assess neuropathological alterations produced by chronic inhalation of marijuana smoke.Nineteen male rhesus monkeys, 3-5 years of age and weighing 3-8 kg, were divided into four treatment groups: a) sham control, b) placebo smoke (7 days/ week) c) low dose marijuana (2 times/week with 5 days/week sham) and d) high dose marijuana (7 times/week). A smoke exposure consisted of smoke from one cigarette (2.6% THC) burned down to 10 mm butt length. Smoke was administered via smoke generator (ADL II, Arthur D. Little, Inc. Cambridge, MA) and nose-mouth only masks (local production) equipped with one-way valves.


1991 ◽  
Vol 65 (05) ◽  
pp. 504-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele De Caterina ◽  
Rosa Sicari ◽  
Walter Bernini ◽  
Guido Lazzerini ◽  
Giuliana Buti Strata ◽  
...  

SummaryTiclopidine (T) and aspirin (ASA) are two antiplatelet drugs both capable of prolonging bleeding time (BT), with a different mechanism of action. A synergism in BT prolongation has been reported and is currently considered an argument for not recommending their combination. However, a profound suppression of platelet function might be a desirable counterpart of a marked prolongation of BT, with a possible use in selected clinical situations. We therefore studied ex vivo platelet function (aggregation by ADP 0.5-1-2.5 μM; adrenaline 0.75-2.5 μM; collagen 1.5-150 μg/ml; arachidonic acid 1 mM; PAF 1 μM; adrenaline 0.17 μM + ADP 0.62 μM; serum thromboxane ([TX]B2 generation) and BT (Mielke) in 6 patients with stable coronary artery disease receiving such combination. Patients underwent sequential laboratory evaluations at baseline, after 7 days of T 250 mg b.i.d., before and after the intravenous administration of ASA 500 mg, respectively, and, finally, after a minimum of 7 days of sole ASA oral administration (50 mg/day). The experimental design, therefore, allowed a comparison of T and ASA effects (2nd and 4th evaluation), and an assessment of the combination effect (3rd evaluation). Platelet aggregation in response to all doses of ADP was depressed more by T than by ASA. Conversely, responses to adrenaline, and arachidonate were affected more by ASA than by T. For all other agents, differences were not significant. T + ASA combination was more effective (p <0.05) than either treatment alone in depressing responses to high-dose collagen (% over control, mean ± SEM: T: 95 ± 3; ASA: 96 ± 5; T + ASA: 89 ± 4). Serum TXB2 (basal, ng/ml: 380 ± 54) did not change with T (372 ± 36), dropped to <1 ng/ml on ASA injection and slightly re-increased to 9.1 ± 3.1 ng/ml on oral low-dose ASA. BT (basal 7.4 ± 0.6 min) was affected similarly by T (9.2 ± 0.8) or ASA (9.7 ± 0.9) alone, but increased to 15.0 ± 0.7 min on combination treatment (106% increase over control). Thus, the strong synergism in BT prolongation by ASA-T combination has a counterpart in the inhibition of platelet function in response to strong stimuli such as high-dose collagen, not otherwise affected significantly by single-drug treatment. This effect is a possible rationale for the clinical evaluation of T + ASA combination.


1984 ◽  
Vol 52 (03) ◽  
pp. 276-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Schulman ◽  
Dieter Lockner ◽  
Kurt Bergström ◽  
Margareta Blombäck

SummaryIn order to investigate whether a more intensive initial oral anticoagulation still would be safe and effective, we performed a prospective randomized study in patients with deep vein thrombosis. They received either the conventional regimen of oral anticoagulation (“low-dose”) and heparin or a more intense oral anticoagulation (“high-dose”) with a shorter period of heparin treatment.In the first part of the study 129 patients were randomized. The “low-dose” group reached a stable therapeutic prothrombin complex (PT)-level after 4.3 and the “high-dose” group after 3.3 days. Heparin was discontinued after 6.0 and 5.0 days respectively. There was no difference in significant hemorrhage between the groups, and no clinical signs of progression of the thrombosis.In the second part of the study another 40 patients were randomized, followed with coagulation factor II, VII, IX and X and with repeated venograms. A stable therapeutic PT-level was achieved after 4.4 (“low-dose”) and 3.7 (“high-dose”) days, and heparin was discontinued after 5.4 and 4.4 days respectively. There were no clinical hemorrhages, the activity of the coagulation factors had dropped to the same level in both groups at the time when heparin was discontinued and no thromboembolic complications occurred.Our oral anticoagulation regimen with heparin treatment for an average of 4.4-5 days seems safe and reduces in-patient costs.


1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
J McDonald ◽  
A Cerskus ◽  
M Ali

Arachidonic acid (AA) or collagen were infused into rabbits causing intravascular platelet aggregation with thrombocytopenia, hypotension and death. Thromboxane and prostacyclin synthesis were measured by radioimmunoassay of plasma TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1α. The effects of pretreatement with aspirin (ASA) or sulfinpyrazone(SPZ) were assessed.Death in drug-treated rabbits was always associated with elevations of plasma TXB2(1-40 ng/ml) and of 6-keto-PGF1α(1-20 ng/ml). Collagen produced only small elevations of plasma TXB2 compared to AA but protection by ASA correlated better with inhibition of TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1α synthesis than with inhibition of aggregation. Low dose ASA produced less inhibition of prostacyclin synthesis than high dose ASA but was less effective in preventing thromboxane synthesis and death.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-64
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman Chowdhury ◽  
Rifat Zaman ◽  
Md Amanur Rasul ◽  
Akm Shahadat Hossain ◽  
Shafiqul Alam Chowdhury ◽  
...  

Introduction and objectives: Congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is the most common cause of hydronephrosis. Management protocols are based on the presence of symptoms and when the patient is asymptomatic the function of the affected kidney determines the line of treatment. Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) became a widely accepted procedure in children in the 1990s. The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of performing percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) in all patients with UPJO and split renal function (SRF) of less than 10% in the affected kidney, because the management of such cases is still under debate. Methods:This prospective clinical trial was carried out at Dhaka Medical College Hospital from January 2014 to December 2016. Eighteen consecutive patients who underwent PCN for the treatment of unilateral UPJO were evaluated prospectively. In these children, ultrasonography was used for puncture and catheter insertion. Local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia was used for puncture. Pig tail catheters were employed. The PCN remained in situ for at least 4 weeks, during which patients received low-dose cephalosporin prophylaxis. Repeat renography was done after 4 weeks. When there was no significant improvement in split renal function (10% or greater) and PCN drainage (greater than 200 ml per day) then nephrectomies were performed otherwise pyeloplasties were performed. The patients were followed up after pyeloplasty with renograms at 3 months and 6 months post operatively. Results: All the patients had severe hydronephrosis during diagnosis and 14 patients with unilateral UPJO were improved after PCN drainage and underwent pyeloplasty. The rest four patients that did not show improvement in the SRF and total volume of urine output underwent nephrectomy. In the patients with unilateral UPJO who improved after PCN drainage, the SRF was increased to 26.4% ±8.6% (mean± SD) after four weeks and pyeloplasty was performed. At three and six months follow-up, SRF value was 29.2% ±8.5% and 30.8.2% ±8.8% respectively. Conclusion: Before planning of nephrectomy in poorly functioning kidneys (SRF < 10%) due to congenital UPJO, PCN drainage should be done to asses improvement of renal function. Bangladesh Journal of Urology, Vol. 20, No. 2, July 2017 p.61-64


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document