Os estudos relacionados ao coração têm sido realizados ao longo dos anos de forma bastante comum, tendo em vista a grande importância que este órgão tem na medicina. Problemas relacionados ao mesmo são uma das principais causas de mortes e internações no Brasil e no mundo, por causa disso, avanços no que diz respeito a inovações tecnológicas e novas metodologias de estudo tem sido propostas cada vez com mais freqüência, e, o suíno tem se mostrado um modelo bastante útil, pois apresenta diversas similaridades em relação ao ser humano.O uso da estereologia se encaixa nesta nova busca, pois através de suas ferramentas nos proporciona excelentes resultados a níveis de mensuração, e quantificação de estruturas microscópicas. O objetivo desse estudo foi obter valores referentes à quantificação de cardiomiócitos do ventrículo esquerdo em suínos normais. Utilizaram-se 3 suínos fêmeas pesando em torno de 25kg, os quais após serem eutanasiados tiveram o coração retirado e suas câmaras separadas. Em seguida lâminas referentes a esse material foram preparadas e fotografadas, para serem analizadas utilizando-se o disector e o nucleator como ferramentas estereologicas. Os resultados nos mostram que a média de peso do ventrículo esquerdo dos animais foi de 660 mg, o volume médio dos cardiomiócitos foi de 16.32 µm³, a média do numero de cardiomiócitos foi de 3,91x108, enquanto que a média do volume de cardiomiócitos que ocupam o ventrículo esquerdo foi de 3,32x106. / Investigations involving the heart have been largely carried out all over the years due to its importance in medicine. Heart diseases are the one of the major causes of deaths and hospitalizations in Brazil and worldwide. In this context, technological innovations and progresses in methodological investigation have been frequently proposed; Swine has been shown as a useful model due to similarities to human. The application of stereological tools for investigations in the morphology of the heart has been intensely applied based on the reliability on the results for measuring and quantification. This study aimed to evaluate morphological and quantitative aspects of cardiomyocytes in the left ventricle in healthy swine. Three female swine, averaging 25 kg were euthanasiated and have the hearth chambers separated. Left ventricles were fixed and slides obtained. Images were acquired and analyzed by dissector and nucleator. The results showed us that the average weight of the left ventricle of the animals was 660 mg, the mean volume of cardiomyocytes was 16:32 µm3, the average number of cardiomyocytes was 3.91 x108, while the average volume of cardiomyocytes that occupy the left ventricle was 3.32 x106.

Os estudos relacionados ao coração têm sido realizados ao longo dos anos de forma bastante comum, tendo em vista a grande importância que este órgão tem na medicina. Problemas relacionados ao mesmo são uma das principais causas de mortes e internações no Brasil e no mundo, por causa disso, avanços no que diz respeito a inovações tecnológicas e novas metodologias de estudo tem sido propostas cada vez com mais freqüência, e, o suíno tem se mostrado um modelo bastante útil, pois apresenta diversas similaridades em relação ao ser humano.O uso da estereologia se encaixa nesta nova busca, pois através de suas ferramentas nos proporciona excelentes resultados a níveis de mensuração, e quantificação de estruturas microscópicas. O objetivo desse estudo foi obter valores referentes à quantificação de cardiomiócitos do ventrículo esquerdo em suínos normais. Utilizaram-se 3 suínos fêmeas pesando em torno de 25kg, os quais após serem eutanasiados tiveram o coração retirado e suas câmaras separadas. Em seguida lâminas referentes a esse material foram preparadas e fotografadas, para serem analizadas utilizando-se o disector e o nucleator como ferramentas estereologicas. Os resultados nos mostram que a média de peso do ventrículo esquerdo dos animais foi de 660 mg, o volume médio dos cardiomiócitos foi de 16.32 µm³, a média do numero de cardiomiócitos foi de 3,91x108, enquanto que a média do volume de cardiomiócitos que ocupam o ventrículo esquerdo foi de 3,32x106. / Investigations involving the heart have been largely carried out all over the years due to its importance in medicine. Heart diseases are the one of the major causes of deaths and hospitalizations in Brazil and worldwide. In this context, technological innovations and progresses in methodological investigation have been frequently proposed; Swine has been shown as a useful model due to similarities to human. The application of stereological tools for investigations in the morphology of the heart has been intensely applied based on the reliability on the results for measuring and quantification. This study aimed to evaluate morphological and quantitative aspects of cardiomyocytes in the left ventricle in healthy swine. Three female swine, averaging 25 kg were euthanasiated and have the hearth chambers separated. Left ventricles were fixed and slides obtained. Images were acquired and analyzed by dissector and nucleator. The results showed us that the average weight of the left ventricle of the animals was 660 mg, the mean volume of cardiomyocytes was 16:32 µm3, the average number of cardiomyocytes was 3.91 x108, while the average volume of cardiomyocytes that occupy the left ventricle was 3.32 x106.

<p>The means by which cells, tissues, and organisms undergo morphogenesis are variable and highly regulated, and the mechanisms that govern cellular changes in response to signaling cues are poorly understood. This study seeks to address the role of a newly characterized protein in zebrafish in translating signaling cues into physical changes within a cell.</p><p>The <italic>Cordon&ndash;bleu (Cobl)</italic> gene is widely conserved in vertebrates, with developmentally regulated axial and epithelial expression in mouse and chick embryos. <italic>In vitro</italic>, Cobl can bind monomeric actin and nucleate formation of unbranched actin filaments, while in cultured cells it can modulate the actin cytoskeleton. However, an essential role for Cobl <italic>in vivo</italic> has yet to be determined. We have identified the zebrafish <italic>cobl</italic> ortholog and have used zebrafish as a model to assess the requirements for Cobl in embryogenesis. We find that cobl shows enriched expression in ciliated epithelial tissues during zebrafish organogenesis. The utilization of antibodies developed against Cobl shows that the protein is concentrated along the apical domain of ciliated cells, in close proximity to the apical actin cap. </p><p>Reduction of <italic>cobl</italic> by antisense morpholinos reveals an essential role in embryonic morphogenesis and organ development. A requirement for Cobl was shown for the proper function of various and ciliated epithelial organs. Cobl appears to direct the elongation of motile cilia in organs such as Kupffer&rsquo;s vesicle and the pronephros. In Kupffer&rsquo;s vesicle, the reduction in Cobl coincides with a reduction in the amount of apical F-actin. Additionally, Cobl may play a role during gastrulation cell movements and convergence and extension morphogenesis during early embryonic development. Thus, Cobl may represent a molecular activity that couples developmental patterning signals with local intracellular cytoskeletal dynamics to support elongation of motile cilia and tissue morphogenesis.</p> / Dissertation

Stereology supplies image sampling rules to estimate geometric quantities such as volume, surface area, feature length and number. The method is well suited to non-invasive image acquisition methods such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Meanwhile, in Magnetic Resonance (MR) images analysis area, automated software packages have been continuously developed and become well-established tools especially in human brainMR images processing. The aims of the thesis are (1) to combine proper rules to sample MR images with automated or semi-automated data acquisition methods, in order to implement four different design unbiased stereological volume estimators in the study of the human brain, and (2) to compare volume estimates with those obtained from automated software packages.