O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade da água em função da ocorrência de indicadores de contaminação fecal (coliformes e enterococcus) foram analisadas 18 amostras quinzenais de 8 nascentes da cidade de Piracicaba-SP, num total de 144 amostras, utilizando-se a metodologia da companhia de tecnologia de saneamento ambiental-CETESB (1991) os padrões utilizados para avaliação da qualidade da água foram aqueles estabelecidos pela legislação brasileira Federal, estadual e pela Internacional (OMS). Com os resultados vê-se que a água de 7 das 8 nascentes analisadas estão impróprias para o consumo humano, algumas com índice de contaminação maiores, como por ex. as nascentes de números 1, 2, 5e 7 onde 100% das amostras analisadas apresentaram-se contaminadas por coliformes totais. A nascente 3 foi a única que não apresentou contaminação por coliformes fecais e por enterococcus, apresentando contaminação por coliformes totais em apenas 2 das 18 coletas e com menos de 10 coliformes totais/100 ml de água em coletas não consecutivas o que enquadra a água desta nascente como potável. A presença de enterococcus nas mesmas 7 das 8 nacentes que haviam apresentado contaminação por coliformes, vem confirmar a não potabilidade bacteriológica da água das mesmas. Em algumas amostras não se detectou enterococcus ou vice-versa, mostrando que a análise simultânea para os dois grupos de indicadores é importante / not available

An extensive 10 year monitoring project was initiated in 1986 to examine the effects of a combination of BMPs on surface water quality within a watershed with complex land use. This research specifically examined bacteriological water quality and BMP impacts. Bimonthly grab samples were collected from four surface water monitoring stations, including the watershed outlet, and analyzed for fecal coliform, total coliform, and fecal streptococcus bacteria. Other data compiled from the watershed included hydrologic, meteorologic, geologic and land use data, also collected on a regular basis. Data were collected continuously throughout the project, and thus included both pre- and post-BMP monitoring data. BMP implementation included animal waste storage facilities, nutrient management plans, conservation tillage, alternative water sources for livestock, fences, vegetative filter strips, runoff diversions, and others. Statistical analysis of the monthly precipitation data indicated no significant difference in rainfall quantity between the pre-BMP and post-BMP monitoring periods. Monthly runoff totals increased 39% from the pre- to the post-BMP periods at the watershed outlet. Increases at all of the subwatershed outlets occurred as well (B, 40%; C, 38%; D, 16%). Statistical analysis did not show a significant difference in runoff between the two monitoring periods, except at station C, where post-BMP runoff was significantly greater than the values measured during the pre-BMP period. Overall reductions in the mean (geometric) levels of total coliform, fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus bacteria observed at the watershed outlet were 81%, 30% and 76%, respectively. Both parametric and nonparametric statistical analysis techniques were applied to the bacteriological data. Regression analysis of the fecal coliform data showed an increase during the pre-BMP period followed by a decrease post-BMP and a statistically significant difference between the two periods (p=0.004). No trends were evident. Only one of the four stations had a statistical difference between pre- and post-BMP fecal streptococcus data, however, a downward trend was present at every station. No statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-BMP total coliform bacteria was evident, although a downward trend was present at the watershed outlet. These findings indicate that the combination of BMPs implemented in the watershed were effective in reducing the loss of fecal bacteria to receiving streams via overland flow. / Master of Science

BACKGROUND: Early identification of pediatric patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease, is important to help clinicians design optimal treatment regimens. Existing endoscopic techniques are effective in identifying disease activity. However, these methods are invasive, expensive, and less amenable to serial measurement. Recent studies have identified potential serologic and fecal biomarkers that may have the potential to provide clinicians with a more objective evaluation of disease activity. In the case of ulcerative colitis (UC), in which disease is confined to the large intestine, the information provided by fecal biomarkers is likely to be more specific than that provided by serologic biomarkers. Fecal lactoferrin (FLA) is one such biomarker that has shown to be useful not only in identifying levels of colonic inflammation, but also for use as a predictor of disease relapse and treatment efficacy. Measurement of fecal lactoferrin, in conjunction with information provided by other diagnostic modalities could expedite patient assessment and treatment. Additionally, it has been suggested that fecal lactoferrin levels may also provide prognostic information about response to treatment and disease outcome in pediatric patients with UC. The goal of this study is to explore the relationship between changes in FLA levels and response to medical therapy in hospitalized pediatric patients with UC. METHODS: Serial stool samples were collected daily from 10 patients admitted for management of severe active UC. Of these 10 patients, 3 responded favorably to standard treatment with intravenous corticosteroid therapy and were discharged to complete a course of oral steroids. 7 were unresponsive to steroid therapy and went on to require rescue (more intensive) medical therapy. Changes in FLA were correlated with steroid response and medical disposition at the time of discharge. RESULTS: A t-test was performed to determine the significance of the differences in percent change in FLA levels between patients discharged on steroids and patients discharged on rescue therapy. Patients discharged on steroids demonstrated a net decrease in FLA levels over the course of the first three days of steroid treatment while patients ultimately requiring rescue medical therapy demonstrated a net increase in FLA levels (mean values = -64.4% and +203.8%, respectively). A difference was found between the averages; however, this value did not reach statistical significance when analyzed with a t-test (p = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that quantitative FLA levels may prove useful in predicting clinical course and discharge outcome in pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis. Future research in this field should seek larger sample sizes, increased longitudinal sample collection, and the potential for a composite assessment that will yield additional objective measures of disease activity.

No description available.

No description available.

A marker model of fecal kinetics using chromic oxide (Cr) or ytterbium chloride (Yb) is being developed for grazing horses. The model consists of removal of feces at a constant rate from a single compartment, the prefecal mass. It was tested in experiments on stall-fed horses in the context of digestion balance trials. Following the preliminary work of Holland et al., (1998), three improvements in experimental design were tested. First, the rate constants were determined from both the administration and post-administration curve of the one-compartment model. Second, markers were administered three times a day to reduce diurnal variation in fecal marker concentration. Third, yttrium (Y) and Yb were tested were tested as internal markers, for the estimation of digestibility of hay and supplements, respectively. Eight horses were fed Diet 1 (orchardgrass/alfalfa mixed, OG) or Diet 2 (tall fescue/alfalfa mixed, TF) in Exp.1, and Diet 3 (OG plus fat-and-fiber supplement, OGFF) or Diet 4 (OG plus sugar-and-starch supplement, OGSS) in Exp.2. Balance-marker experiments were conducted for 17 and 20 d, with 7 and 10 d of dietary accommodation in Exp.1 and 2, respectively. Chromic oxide and Yb were administered orally and fecal samples were collected every 8 h for 8 d. Dry matter, Cr, Yb and Y were measured in feeds and feces. In balance experiments, estimates of DMD (D_E) using Y, were determined precisely (SE 1 to 3 %) for hay and hay and supplement diets. Linear relationships, correlations and calibration curves were determined, validating Y as a marker. Mean daily fecal Cr data (C_t) at time t (days) including a delay (d) were fitted to a single exponential, with one rate constant (k), rising to an asymptote (C_a): C_t = C_a - C_a·e^-k(t-d) Diets 1 and 2 had two sets of C_tdata, total collection (a) and fecal grab data (b), and each set was used in model development. Diets 3 and 4 had two sets of C_t data (both using fecal grab data), Cr marker dilution (3Cr and 4Cr) and Yb marker dilution (3Yb and 4Yb). For pooled data, delays of 3 to 6 h (Diets 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b) and delays of 5 to 7 h (Diets 3Cr, 4Cr, 3Yb and 4Yb) gave best fits (highest estimates of R²). The delays introduced to the Cr model for both 3Cr and 4Cr diets did not correspond to the preliminary study (Holland et al., 1998), where a 2 h delay gave the best fit in the model for horses fed hay and supplement. The present estimates may more realistically relate to mouth-to-cecum transport times, because the marker was administered three times a day instead of once, and the initial part of the tracer curve was more precisely defined. The results showed that fecal Cr kinetics could be calibrated precisely (SE 1 to 3 %) to predict fecal DM output of horses fed Diets 1b, 2b, 3a but not 4a. Similarly, fecal Yb kinetics could be calibrated to predict fecal DM output of horses fed Diet 3b but not 4b. The rate constants yielded turnover times (TT) that were longer with hay and supplement diets, than with hay alone, and which contrast with previous findings in the horse. However, the longer TT were similar to slower rates of marker excretion in sheep fed concentrates instead of all-roughage diets, suggesting that the lower fiber content retarded the rate of propulsion of digesta through the digestive tract. For two of the eight models of fecal kinetics, the rate constants of the post-administration curve were not well determined by the data, and rate constants from the administration curve were used. In future experiments, more frequent fecal sample collection during the post-administration period may improve rate constant determination. Improvements in diurnal variation of fecal marker concentration were obtained by dosing three times a day. But discrepancies between Cr and Yb concentration means of diurnal samples and combined samples showed incomplete mixing, the major source of tracer error. Therefore more frequent marker administration and fecal samples should be tested in future experiments to achieve more thorough mixing in the prefecal mass for modeling fecal kinetics, and in the small intestine for estimating digestibility. / Master of Science

Bioretention cells (BRCs) are low-impact development stormwater management structures that integrate water quantity and quality management. Although BRCs have a predicted design life of about 25 years, most current research focuses on performance of cells less than two years old. This project evaluated the effectiveness of a BRC installed in 2007 to treat a 0.16-ha parking lot in Blacksburg, VA. After installation, this BRC was monitored for five months to determine initial flow reduction and total suspended solids, and nutrient removal. By monitoring for the same parameters, changes in cell performance since installation were quantified. ISCO automated stormwater samplers collected inflow and outflow composite samples from the cell, which were then analyzed for fecal indicator bacteria (total coliforms, E. coli, and enterococci), total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). To determine if denitrification is occurring within the BRC, media samples taken throughout the cell were analyzed using qPCR. The bioretention media was also sampled to quantify changes in media nutrient content and particle size over the past seven years. Results indicate the bioretention media has not accumulated nitrogen and phosphorus since installation, and that the BRC remains effective at reducing flow volume and peak flow rates, as well as TSS, TN, TP, total coliforms, E. coli, and enterococci loads. Bacterial analysis of the media show most of the denitrifiers are present in the top layers of the bioretention media, despite an internal water storage layer and the bottom of the cell designed specifically for denitrification. / Master of Science

Sources of E. coli were determined from impaired waterways in the Appomattox River watershed (in the lower Piedmont and South-Central Virginia) for the development of bacterial Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The Appomattox River watershed is primarily undeveloped with 70.8% of the land forested, 17.0% used for agriculture (mainly livestock production), and 7.7% classified as water, wetland or barren land. The remaining 4.5% is developed for residential, commercial, and industrial land uses (mainly within the city of Petersburg). Using Antibiotic Resistance Analysis, a known source library of 1,280 E. coli isolates (320 isolates per source) was constructed. Water samples were collected monthly for between eleven and fourteen months (11/02-12/03) from 40 locations throughout the Appomattox watershed and analyzed for fecal coliforms, E. coli, and resistance to 7 antibiotics of varying concentrations. A total of 486 water samples (9,907 isolates) were analyzed during the study. The objectives of this study were verify that each sampling site exceeded state bacterial count standards (using fecal coliform data), to compare the Discriminate Analysis and Logistic Regression statistical models for use in the classification of isolates, and finally to determine the source of contamination at each site. The fecal coliform and E.coli data was used to determine if each site exceeded state standards during the assessment period. Thirty-eight of the sites exceeded the fecal coliform standard at least 10% of the time, and thirty-three exceeded the E.coli standard at least 10% of the time. Discriminate Analysis (DA) is typically used to classify isolates, but the results obtained from the DA model were unrealistic based on the watershed land uses. By statistically analyzing the original 1,280 E.coli isolates six different ways, a more appropriate classification of isolates was determined. The six analyzing methods were Regular DA and Logistic Regression (LR); DA and LR where each isolate whose probability fell below 80% was deleted; DA and LR where each isolate whose probability fell below 80% was used to create an Unknown category. The Logistic Regression model with an Unknown category proved to be the most appropriate. By using the Logistic Regression model, with Unknown category, to classify isolates, twenty five of the forty sites were discovered to be contaminated predominately with Livestock and fourteen of the sites predominately by Wildlife. One site was equally divided between these two categories. Human and Pet contamination were not dominant at any of the forty sites. This comparison of the DA and LR statistical methods could change the analysis standard for Bacterial Source Tracking and suggests that the model required to classify isolates depends on the watershed characteristics. / Master of Science

INTRODUÇÂO: Alguns fatores como paridade, cirurgias pélvicas e hipoestrogenismo têm uma relação direta e bem estabelecida com disfunções da musculatura do assoalho pélvico. Outros fatores como o aumento da pressão intra-abdominal, tal como o que ocorre na obesidade, também podem se associar às disfunções do assoalho pélvico. No entanto, distúrbios da defecação e da continência fecal não são muito bem estudados nesse grupo de pacientes. Assim, a manometria anorretal pode avaliar as disfunções do assoalho pélvico nesse grupo. Logo, o objetivo do presente estudo é comparar resultados clínicos e manométricos em obesos graus II e III, com indicação de cirurgia bariátrica, com pessoas não obesas. MÉTODOS: Estudo caso-controle entre pacientes obesos graus II e III, com indicação de cirurgia bariátrica, e pessoas não obesas, sem sintomas anorretais, pareados por idade e sexo. O número de 26 pacientes em cada grupo foi previamente calculado, através de análise estatística. Os critérios de inclusão foram sexo masculino, mulheres nulíparas e ausência de cirurgia abdominal e anorretal prévias. O grupo de pessoas não obesas se compôs de pessoas sem sintomas de constipação intestinal, ou de distúrbios do assoalho pélvico, acrescido aos mesmos já estabelecidos no grupo de obesos. Realizou-se a manometria anorretal com a técnica estacionária e com cateter de oito canais radiais. RESULTADOS: A média de idade no grupo de obesos foi de 44,8 anos (±12,48 desvio padrão) e de 44,1(±11,78) anos no grupo de não obesos (p=0,829). A média de índice de massa corpórea foi de 48,79 (±8,53) no grupo de obesos e 25,08 (±2,84) nas pessoas não obesas (p=0). A incidência de sintomas de incontinência anal no grupo de obesos foi de 65,4% (17 pacientes). Através da manometria anorretal verificou-se uma redução significativa das pressões de contração voluntária no grupo de obesos (155,55 mmHg e 210,06 mmHg, p=0,004) e uma tendência de redução das pressões de repouso nesse grupo (63,66 mmHg e 74,06 mmHg, p=0,051), em comparação com o dos não obesos. A sensibilidade e a capacidade retal mostraram-se similares entre os grupos de obesos e não obesos. Não se verificou diferença estatisticamente significativa nos resultados da manometria anorretal entre obesos com e sem sintomas de incontinência anal. Além disso, a idade também não demonstrou relação com a incontinência anal nos pacientes obesos. A consistência das fezes, que poderia ser um viés para incontinência anal, foi similar entre os grupos (p=0,953). CONCLUSÃO: Nos pacientes obesos graus II e III, com indicação de cirurgia bariátrica, em relação aos não obesos, as pressões de contração anal voluntária são significativamente menores, com uma tendência de redução das pressões de repouso. Além disso, nesse grupo de pacientes, a prevalência de incontinência anal de qualquer tipo é elevada, independente da idade, do sexo e do índice de massas corpórea - o que não se conhecia previamente / Some factors such as parity, pelvic surgeries and hypoestrogenism are well established to have a direct relation to dysfunction of pelvic floor muscles in women. Other factors related with higher intra-abdominal pressure such as morbid obesity and constipation to be also related with pelvic floor dysfunction. Morbid obesity is configured nowadays as a public health problem due to its increasing incidence. However defecation disturbance and fecal continence are not very well studied in this group of patients. Anorectal manometry could objectively represent anorectal dysfunction in this group of patients. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to compare manometric and clinical results of morbid obese and non obese patients. A case-matched study between morbid obese patients, elective to bariatric surgery, and non obese patients without anorectal complaints was conducted. The groups were paired by age and gender. The number of patients in each group of 26 patients was previously calculated with a power analysis. Inclusion criteria was male sex, nuliparous women, absence of abdominal and anorectal surgeries. Non obese group was comprised by patients without any symptoms of constipation or pelvic floor dysfunction. Anorectal manometry was performed with an eight radial channels catheter water perfused and stationary technique. The mean age was 44.8 years (±12.48) in the morbid obese group and 44.1 years (±11.78) in the non obese group (p=0,829). The mean body mass index was 48.79 (±8.53) in the morbid obese group and 25.08 (±2.84) in the non obese group (p=0). The incidence of any degree of fecal incontinence in the morbid obese group was 65.4% (17 patients); besides a significant reduction of mean squeeze pressure (155.55mmHg vs. 210.06mmHg, p=0.004) and a tendency of reduction of mean rest pressures (63.66mmHg vs. 74.06mmHg, p=0.051) in comparison to non obese. The rectal sensibility and maximum capacity were similar comparing morbid obese and non obese patients. There was no significant difference when comparing manometric results of obese patients with and without symptoms of fecal incontinence. Also, older patients did not have relation to fecal incontinence. Fecal consistency that could be a bias for fecal incontinence was similar for the groups studied. Anal squeeze pressures are significantly lower in morbid obese patients and there is a tendency of reduction of rest pressure in this group of patients in comparison to the non obese population. Furthermore, in this group of patients, the prevalence of anal incontinence of any type is high, independently of age, sex and body mass index- what was not known previously

Dois conjuntos comerciais, o \'ImmuChem Doubly Antibody Corticosterona 125I RIE\' da ICN \'Biomedicals\' e o \'Coat-a-count Cortisol 125I RIE\' da DPC foram utilizados na mensuração dos metabólitos de glicocorticóides de fezes de jaguatiricas (Leopardus pardalis) desafiadas com ACTH com o objetivo de comparar os resultados obtidos por cada um dos conjuntos. Paralelamente foram mensuradas as progestinas dos animais desafiados visando detectar fontes extra-gonadais de progesterona. Dois tipos de extração de metabólitos fecais também foram testados. O conjunto comercial da ICN provou ser mais confiável na detecção de metabólitos fecais de glicocorticóides. As duas técnicas de extração obtiveram resultados semelhantes, demonstrando ser indiferente a escolha da técnica para a extração de metabólitos de glicocorticóides em fezes de jaguatirica. Existem fortes indícios da produção de progesterona pela adrenal de jaguatiricas submetidas ao desafio com ACTH. / Two commercial kits, the ImmuChem Doubly Antibody Corticosterona 125I RIE from ICN Biomedicals and Coat-a-count Cortisol 125I RIE from DPC were used on fecal glucocorticoids measurement of ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) submitted to ACTH challenge aiming to compare the performance of both kits. In another way progestins from the same animals submitted to ACTH challenge were measured aiming to find progesterone from extra gonadal sources. Two different fecal metabolites extraction protocols were tested as well. The ICN commercial kit had better results on glucocorticoids metabolites measurement. Both extraction protocols had similar performance and this data indicates that any both can be used for this purpose. There are strong evidences of adrenal secretion of progesterone after ACTH challenge.