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Background The diseases for which Aedes aegypti is a vector are worrisome. The high vector competence of this mosquito, as well as its anthropophilia and ability to adapt to the urban environment, allows it to exploit many habitats, making its prevention an arduous task. Despite current disease control measures focused on the mosquito, the effectiveness in containing its dispersion still requires improvement; thus greater knowledge about this insect is fundamental. Methods Aedes aegypti egg morphology and embryonic development were analyzed from eggs of the insectary of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of São Paulo. Optical (light and confocal) and electronic (transmission and scanning) microscopy were used to analyze the morphological and ultrastructural features of the eggs. Embryos were observed in the initial (0–20.5 h after egg-laying), intermediate (20.6–40.1 h after egg-laying), and final (40.2–61.6 h) stages of development, and kept at a temperature of 28 °C ± 1 °C until collection for processing. Results Eggs of Ae. aegypti were whitish at the time of oviposition, and then quickly became black. The egg length was 581.45 ± 39.73 μm and the width was 175.36 ± 11.59. Access to the embryo was difficult due to the egg morphology, point of embryonic development, and difficult permeability of the exochorion (mainly in fixation). Only about 5% of the collected eggs were successfully processed. In the initial stage of embryonic development, characteristics suggestive of intense cellular activity were found. In the intermediate stage, the beginning of the segmentation process was evident. In the final phase, it was possible to differentiate the cephalic region and the thoracic and abdominal segments. Conclusion The chorion was found to be an important protective barrier and a limiting factor for the evaluation of the embryos and mosquito embryonic cells, indicating that further studies need to be carried out to identify the reason that this occurs. Graphical abstract

Racehorses are constantly exposed to stress. Aiming to verify the state of blood components and cortisol alterations during their routine and after races, phagocytosis and oxidative neutrophil burst assays, serum cortisol determination, erythrocytes apoptosis evaluation, lymphoproliferation assays, and blood count tests were performed in thirty Thoroughbred racehorses, which were divided in two groups. The samples were taken right after races (moment 0 d), during rest periods (−11 d, +1 d, +3 d), and after training (−8, +2, +5). In both groups, the phagocytosis showed a decrease in percentage and intensity immediately after the race when comparing samples collected during rest or training periods. In the mean values of oxidative burst on samples collected immediately after the race, group I animals demonstrated a decrease (524.2 ± 248.9) when compared with those samples collected in other moments. No significant differences were found between the results of different moments regarding the apoptotic cells and lymphoproliferation assays. The mean values of serum cortisol levels were increased immediately after racing. There was an increase in the percentage of neutrophils found immediately after the race. It was possible to conclude that, although a transient reduction was found in the number of neutrophils, the horses’ adaptive function was not affected.

The anatomy of the stomatognathic system is important for both clinical evaluations and surgical approaches in all animal species. The aim of this study was to describe the innervation and vascularization of the stomatognathic system of the dog. Twelve dogs without a history of disease or cranial malformation were used: 4 brachycephalic, 4 mesocephalic, and 4 dolichocephalic. The dogs were dissected, and arteries, veins, and nerves related to the masticatory and swallowing components were identified. The distribution pattern of these structures in the 3 different skull types were observed. The entire blood supply of the stomatognathic system is derived from the external carotid artery, which originates from the common carotid artery, and terminates as it branches into the superficial temporal and maxillary arteries. The other main branches of the common carotid artery are the occipital, cranial laryngeal, ascending pharyngeal, lingual, facial, caudal auricular, and parotid arteries. Blood drainage was achieved via the external jugular vein, which originates from the union of the linguofacial and maxillary veins. Brachycephalic dogs had blood vessels with greater sinuosity (more deviations) when compared to dolichocephalic and mesocephalic dogs. The stomatognathic system innervation of brachycephalic skull dogs showed differences in the distribution of the facial nerve in the labial commissure and maxillary and mandibular regions. The cranial conformation of dogs demonstrated anatomical variations of the vascular and neural structures of the stomatognathic system. This data may be useful to improve clinical practice, surgical planning, and interpretation of clinical dysfunctions.

The anatomy study is part of the basic cycle of disciplines that composes Veterinary Medicine college curriculum, and its comprehension is essential for other courses subject understanding. However, the current student's profile, the reduced time frame of superior education programs, and the multidisciplinary approach nowadays have made anatomy teaching method outdated and ineffective. Addressing the problem we developed an interactive and multidisciplinary platform based on the blended learning methodology, which could serve as a valuable tool for bovine neuroanatomy comprehension. To produce a new study tool, photos from bovine specimens fixed in formaldehyde, platinated brain pieces sectioned in a metameric order, as well as histological slides of the bovine central nervous system were used. These materials were applied to photos and schemes production, that were correlated with image exams correlation, as well as written content and videotaped classes. The obtained content was compiled into a digital platform, that can serve as an effective additional method to bovine central nervous system study. Furthermore, our results serve as a guide for the development of other blended learning methodologies in veterinary medicine and anatomy teaching. The platform provides a great tool for those who wish to accomplish a better understanding of bovine neuroanatomy and its clinical, surgical and image diagnosis correlations.

Background: Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) has great relevance in public health worldwide due to its performance as a vector of arboviruses, which makes the knowledge about its cycle fundamental. It is known that the acquaintance of embryonic kinetics has great potential to assist in the development of new vector control technologies and, consequently, in the control of arboviruses. Methods: This research proposes to analyze the egg morphology and embryonic development of Aedes aegypti. Eggs from the insectary of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of São Paulo (n = 46) were used. The methodological procedure involved morphological and ultrastructural analyzes using equipment for optical microscopy (light and confocal) and electronic (scanning). Eggs and embryos were observed in initial, intermediate and final thirds of development, kept at a temperature of 28°C, 1°C until collection for processing. Results: The embryos had different morphological characteristics according to the stage of gestation, in the initial and intermediate stages of development. In the initial third, the presence of primordial epithelium and characteristics suggestive of intense cellular activity were found. Conclusion: According to the results obtained in the eggs, it is concluded that the great resistance of the chorion in the embryo is a factor that generates difficulties for microscopic analysis of the embryo (mainly in fixation), with a strong protective barrier.

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Complex wounds in dogs are a recurrent problem in veterinary clinical application and can compromise skin healing; in this sense, tissue bioengineering focused on regenerative medicine can be a great ally. Decellularized and recellularized skin scaffolds are produced to be applied in different and complex canine dermal wounds in the present investigation. Dog skin fragments are immersed in a 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution at room temperature and overnight at 4 °C for 12 days. Decellularized samples are evaluated by histological analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gDNA quantification. Some fragments are also recellularized using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Eight adult dogs are divided into three groups for the application of the decellularized (Group I, n = 3) and recellularized scaffolds (Group II, n = 3) on injured areas, and a control group (Group III, n = 2). Wounds are evaluated and measured during healing, and comparisons among the three groups are described. In 30- and 60-day post-grafting, the histopathological analysis of patients from Groups I and II shows similar patterns, tissue architecture preservation, epithelial hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis, edema, and mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate. Perfect integration between scaffolds and wounds, without rejection or contamination, are observed in both treated groups. According to these results, decellularized skin grafts may constitute a potential innovative and functional tool to be adopted as a promising dog cutaneous wound treatment. This is the first study that applies decellularized and recellularized biological skin grafts to improve the healing process in several complex wounds in dogs, demonstrating great potential for regenerative veterinary medicine progress.