Effects of voluntary running on the skeletal muscle of rats with pulmonary artery hypertension.

The effects of voluntary running on the skeletal muscle of rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were tested in the present study. PAH was induced in rats by a single injection of monocrotaline (MCT, 60 mg/kg). Rats in the sedentary hypertension (HS) group had their tolerance to physical exertion reduced throughout the experiment, while those in the sedentary control (SC), exercise control (EC), exercise hypertension (EH) and median exercise (EM) groups maintained or increased.

Skeletal muscle dysfunctions in pulmonary arterial hypertension: Effects of aerobic exercise training.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is associated with skeletal muscle myopathy and atrophy and impaired exercise tolerance. Aerobic exercise training has been recommended as a non-pharmacological therapy for deleterious effects imposed by pulmonary arterial hypertension. Aerobic physical training induces skeletal muscle adaptations reduced inflammation, improved anabolic processes, decreased hypoxia and regulation of mitochondrial function.

Distribution pattern of ZO-1 and claudins in the epididymis of vampire bats.

Epithelial cells connect with each other by tight junctions (TJs) in several tissues. In epididymides, TJs proteins form the blood-epididymis barrier (BEB), which is crucial for male fertility. However, little is known about BEB morphological and physiological aspects in wild animals.

Effects of exercise training and stem cell therapy on the left ventricle of infarcted rats.

Introduction And Objectives: Stem cell therapy and aerobic exercise are non-pharmacological therapies following myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to test whether aerobic exercise training enhances the benefits of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy on remodeling of the extracellular matrix and fetal gene expression in the left ventricle of infarcted rats.

Methods: Myocardial infarction was surgically induced in six-week old male Wistar rats.

Kefir reduces insulin resistance and inflammatory cytokine expression in an animal model of metabolic syndrome.

There is growing evidence that kefir can be a promising tool in decreasing the risk of many diseases, including metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of kefir supplementation in the diet of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) in which MetS was induced with monosodium glutamate (MSG), and to determine its effect on metabolic parameters, inflammatory and oxidation marker expression and glycemic index control. Thirty animals were used in this experiment.

Modulation of inflammatory and oxidative status by exercise attenuates cardiac morphofunctional remodeling in experimental Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Aims: The rational basis that explains the benefits of exercise therapy on Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC) is poorly understood. This study investigated the impact of an exercise program on exercise performance, heart parasitism, immunoinflammatory response, fibrogenesis, oxidative damage, and cardiomyocytes contractility in experimental ChC.

Main Methods: Wistar rats were subjected to a 9-week treadmill running training and challenged with Trypanosoma cruzi.

Enalapril in Combination with Benznidazole Reduces Cardiac Inflammation and Creatine Kinases in Mice Chronically Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.

The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi triggers an inflammatory process in mammalian heart causing events such as fibrosis, changes in the architecture and functionality in this organ. Enalapril, an angiotensin II-converting enzyme inhibitor, is a drug prescribed to ameliorate this heart dysfunction, and appears to exert a potential role in immune system regulation. Our aim was to evaluate the chronic cardiac inflammatory parameters after therapeutic treatment with enalapril and benznidazole in C57BL/6 mice infected with the VL-10 strain of T.

Sperm storage in Hemidactylus mabouia: Morphological and ultrastructural aspects of a reproductive strategy.

Sperm storage is a common phenomenon in most female reptiles. Evidence of sperm storage is based on the observation that female fertilization occurs even when females are separated from males, as well as the presence of agglomerates of spermatozoa in specific regions of the oviducts. Lizards are capable of storing sperm in the uterine tube, vagina, or in both regions.

Endocrine and regenerative cells in the midgut of Chagas' disease vector Triatoma vitticeps during different starvation periods.

The midgut of an insect has three main cell types, viz., digestive, endocrine and regenerative cells, and a relationship between cell morphology and blood meal has been suggested. This study evaluated the occurrence of the regenerative and endocrine cells in different regions of the midgut of female and male Triatoma vitticeps during different periods after a blood meal.

Basal and β-adrenergic cardiomyocytes contractility dysfunction induced by dietary protein restriction is associated with downregulation of SERCA2a expression and disturbance of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ regulation in rats.

Background: The mechanisms responsible for the cardiac dysfunction associated with dietary protein restriction (PR) are poorly understood. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the effects of PR on calcium kinetics, basal and β-adrenergic contractility in murine ventricular cardiomyocytes.

Methods: After breastfeeding male Fisher rats were distributed into a control group (CG, n = 20) and a protein-restricted group (PRG, n = 20), receiving isocaloric diets for 35 days containing 15% and 6% protein, respectively.

Aedes aegypti midgut remodeling during metamorphosis.

The Aedes aegypti midgut is restructured during metamorphosis; its epithelium is renewed by replacing the digestive and endocrine cells through stem or regenerative cell differentiation. Shortly after pupation (white pupae) begins, the larval digestive cells are histolized and show signs of degeneration, such as autophagic vacuoles and disintegrating microvilli. Simultaneously, differentiating cells derived from larval stem cells form an electron-dense layer that is visible 24h after pupation begins.

Protein restriction after weaning modifies the calcium kinetics and induces cardiomyocyte contractile dysfunction in rats.

Protein restriction (PR) is associated with cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on single ventricular cardiomyocyte contractile function of a short-term PR after weaning. Male Fischer rats that were 28 days old were randomly divided into a control group (CG, n = 16) and a protein-restricted group (PRG, n = 16).

Trypanosoma cruzi infection induces morphological reorganization of the myocardium parenchyma and stroma, and modifies the mechanical properties of atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes in rats.

Background: This study investigates morphofunctional adaptations of the heart stroma and parenchyma in rats that are chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.

Methods: Four-month-old male Wistar rats were randomized into control (n=14) and infected (n=14) groups. Infected animals were inoculated with T.

Safety evaluation of the antimicrobial peptide bovicin HC5 orally administered to a murine model.

Background: Bovicin HC5 is an antimicrobial peptide that shows a broad spectrum of activity and potential for biotechnological and therapeutic applications. To gain insight about the safety of bovicin HC5 application, the histological and immunostimulatory effects of orally administrated bovicin HC5 to BALB/c mice were evaluated. BALB/c mice were divided into three groups: negative control (NC group); mice given purified bovicin HC5 (Bov group); mice given ovalbumin (positive control, PC group; a murine model of enteropathy).

Effects of the oral administration of viable and heat-killed Streptococcus bovis HC5 cells to pre-sensitized BALB/c mice.

Antimicrobial peptides have been suggested as an alternative to classical antibiotics in livestock production and bacteriocin-producing bacteria could be added to animal feeds to deliver bacteriocins in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of ruminant and monogastric animals. In this study, viable (V) and heat-killed (HK) Streptococcus bovis HC5 cells were orally administered to pre-sensitized mice in order to assess the effects of a bacteriocin-producing bacteria on histological parameters and the immune response of the GI tract of monogastric animals. The administration of V and HK S.

Endocrine cells and nerve ganglia of the small intestine of the Opossum Didelphis aurita Wied-Neuwied, 1826 (Mammalia: Didelphidae).

The nervous and endocrine systems jointly control intestinal movements, secretions of their glands and also participate of the processes of nutrient digestion and absorption. Therefore, the central objective of this study was to verify the existence of a possible relationship between the number of nervous cells and ganglia of the submucosal and myenteric plexuses and the number of endocrine cells in the small intestine of adult D. aurita.

Trypanosoma cruzi infection alters glucose metabolism at rest and during exercise without modifying the morphology of pancreatic islets in rats.

This study investigated the effects of Trypanosoma cruzi infection on pancreatic morphology and glucose metabolism at rest and during exercise. Wistar rats were randomized into control (CG=10) and infected (IG=10) groups. The IG animals were inoculated with T.

Fish oil improves the lipid profile and reduces inflammatory cytokines in Wistar rats with precancerous colon lesions.

A fatty diet is regarded as one of the most important risk factors related to the etiology of colorectal cancer, and this effect is linked to the quantity and principal types of fatty acids consumed. In this study, the chemopreventive effects of different oils on rats were investigated. Forty Wistar rats received 1,2-dimetilhidrazine (DMH) and were divided into 4 groups fed normal lipid diets to which 4% olive, fish, flaxseed, or soybean oils (control) were added.

Bark extract of Bathysa cuspidata attenuates extra-pulmonary acute lung injury induced by paraquat and reduces mortality in rats.

This study investigated the effect of the bark extract of Bathysa cuspidata on paraquat (PQ)-induced extra-pulmonary acute lung injury (ALI) and mortality in rats. ALI was induced with a single dose of PQ (30 mg/kg, i.p.

Use of fluorescence in a modified disector method to estimate the number of myocytes in cardiac tissue.

Background: Conventional disector methods currently require considerable financial, technical and operational costs to estimate the number of cells, including cardyomyocytes, in a 3D area.

Objective: To use fluorescence microscopy in a modified disector method to determine the number of myocytes in cardiac tissue in normal and pathological conditions.

Methods: The study employed four-month-old male Wistar rats with weight of 366.

Effects of Trypanosoma cruzi infection on myocardial morphology, single cardiomyocyte contractile function and exercise tolerance in rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection on myocardial morphology, single cardiomyocyte contractile function and exercise tolerance in rats. Adult Wistar rats were randomized into control (n = 14) and infected (n = 14) groups.

Oviductal structure and ultrastructure of the oviparous gecko, Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau De Jonnès, 1818).

Lizards of the family Gekkonidae display a variety of reproductive patterns, as evidenced by the presence of viviparous and oviparous species. The species Hemidactylus mabouia is oviparous. We examined, in vitellogenic females, oviductal structure by light microscopy after routine histological and histochemical techniques, as well as by scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

Phagocytosis of spermatozoa by epithelial cells in the vagina of the lizard Hemidactylus mabouia (Reptilia, Squamata).

Hemidactylus mabouia is an Africa oviparous lizard that is now distributed on other continents and has been introduced to Brazil. In the majority of reptiles, the females have the ability to store spermatozoa in specialized regions of the genital tract. Considering that in H.

Morphology of male reproductive system of two solitary bee species (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Bees can form all levels of social organization, from solitary to advanced eusocial societies. Although 80% of the species exist as solitary species, most researches emphasize social species. This study focuses on the description of the male reproductive system of the solitary beesThygater analis (Lepeletier) and Melitoma segmentaria (Fabricius) and searches for traits that support behavioral and phylogenetic studies.