Synergistic Effects of Fumonisins B1 and B2 in Pigs:A Review

The productivity of swine farming depends on the large amount of nutrients that may contain mycotoxins.This review addresses the main smoke functions in food,its physical-chemical characteristics,metabolization,immunological factors and preventive measures.Fungal contamination can occur during virtually all stages of the development of the plant organism.The clinical results in animals are dependent on the amount of mycotoxins in their organism associated with the mycotoxin type,leading to pulmonary edema,decreased food intake and weight gain,and reduced ability to move.Pulmonary edema caused by fumonisin(FUMO)is the cause of the disease,but the definitive diagnosis is based on the observation of the lesions and the presence of FUMO in the raw materials of the diet.Prevention can be by use of additives as an adsorbent that can decrease or control existing toxins in the identified diet.It is necessary to have a careful assessment of the benefits of the more stringent prevention standards on the contamination of fumes,as well as their economic losses in the food chain.

Surface Temperature and Heat Transfer between Body Regions of Africanized Honeybees(Apis mellifera L.)in Hives under Sun and Shade Conditions in the Northeastern Semi-arid Region of Brazil

This work was done at the experimental station of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-arid Region （UFERSA） in Mossoró, Brazil. This work aimed to evaluate the surface temperature of the bees and heat transfer between body regions of Africanized honeybees （Apis mellifera L.） in hives under sun and shade conditions in the northeastern semi-arid region of Brazil. Twelve colonies of Africanized honeybees housed in Langstroth hives were used. The body surface temperature of the bees was measured using a mini infrared thermometer （Fluke model 62）. The climatological data were obtained through a meteorological station. The comparison of means was performed by the Tukey-Kramer test （p 〈 0.01）, and data analysis using the Statistical Analysis System software. The body temperatures of the bees are not homogeneous and fluctuate throughout the day, in accordance with the environmental variations. The temperature of the thorax is generally higher, followed by the head and abdomen. The head and the abdomen are parts of the body for which the excess temperature of the thorax is transferred, with the head being the main one. The bees that were in the shade, managed to keep their body temperatures at relatively normal levels, while the bees that were in the sun, had a considered increase of its surface body temperatures higher than 2 °C, being necessary the activation of mechanisms of heat loss, and consequently there is a deviation of energy that could be used for other activities within the colony.

A new animal model for uterine torsion and uterine ischemia-reperfusion studies, but not fetal hypoxia studies

The aim of the present study was to develop a new animal model for use in uterine torsion, uterine ischemia-reperfusion, and fetal hypoxia studies in rats. A total of 14 pregnant rats on their 18 th-19 th gestational days were used. The animals were randomly divided into two groups: those undergoing the shame operation(group 1),and those in which a 360 uterine torsion was performed using a novel technique,which was corrected 6 hours later(group 2). Subsequently, seven female and seven male rat pups aged 1 month were separated from the mothers in each group. The female rats were monitored until puberty via measuring the vaginal apertures. The 1-month old male rats and the female rats on reaching puberty were decapitated and histopathological tests were performed on the dissected organs, including the cerebral, visceral and genital organs. At the end of the study, no differences were observed between the groups with regard to abortions, offspring death rates and congenital abnormalities. It was observed that the time to reach puberty in female rats born from mothers with uterine torsion was longer, but the difference was statistically insignificant. No microscopic lesions were detected in the cerebral, visceral or genital organs of the offspring. Accordingly, it was concluded that offspring of mothers with the uterine torsion were not affected, at least in the short term. It was generally concluded that this animal model is appropriate for use in uterine torsion and ischemia-reperfusion studies, but is not appropriate for fetal hypoxia studies.