Use of moxibustion as an auxiliary treatment in wound healing of the snake ABSTRACTLarge snakes of the Boidae family, such as Eunectes murinus, require special techniques to facilitate their care when they are sick. Thus, an acupuncture technique called moxibustion was applied that utilizes burning of the weed Artemisia vulgaris for heating at specific points on the skin without handling the animals. The objective of this case report was to describe the use of moxibustion acupuncture as an auxiliary treatment for snakes. A female, 4.0 meters long and weighing about 30 kg, belonging to a Biological Museum of the Butantan Institute, showed symptoms of weight loss, anorexia and hyperemia in the ventral region. The snake was examined and treated with ciprofloxacin antibiotics and a month showed an area of necrosis that exposed the muscles in the dorsal cranial region. The female was treated with moxibustion and application of silver sulfadiazine cream at the site of the lesion. After seven months of treatment, the animal showed signs of good healing with complete wound closure. This technique of moxibustion could be easily applied without restraint, an important detail given the size of the snake, and with successful closure of the lesion. Keywords: snake, acupuncture, moxibustion, Artemisia vulgaris, Eunectes murinus RESUMO Grandes serpentes da família
Aquatic environments are especially susceptible to microplastic contamination. This is mainly because these water bodies serve as a transport route for these particles from the terrestrial environment until they reach the oceans. Also, there is a lack of available data about the effects of this pollutant on freshwaters making difficult the conservation of these environments. Benthic species, such as the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca, have been superficially studied so far. Considering its essential role in the trophic chain as a primary consumer, it becomes a topic of great relevance to investigate the responses triggered by microplastics in these organisms. In this study, we analyzed whether polyethylene terephthalate microplastics could lead to reduced survival of H. azteca or changes in biochemical markers (SOD, CAT, MDA, and GST) at environmentally relevant concentrations (60 and 600 particles per treatment) after 7 days of exposure. The results showed that there was no significant mortality at any of the concentrations tested. The enzyme CAT showed no variation compared to the control group at any of the concentrations. SOD, MDA, and GST were statistically different (p < 0.05). Our study demonstrates that although there was no significant mortality after exposure at an environmentally realistic concentration, the macrobenthic invertebrate community may be under threat in environments where there is microplastic pollution since biochemical changes may be detected at such concentrations as low as 60 particles.
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