Universidade Federal Do Para

Adolescence is a period of profound behavioral changes associated with high brain vulnerability to negative stimuli including psychotropic drugs misuse which may contribute to the development of psychiatric disorders. Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, is an anesthetic agent used in a recreational manner in night clubs and raves, especially by intranasal route. The psychedelic effects of ketamine include euphoria, reward and mood swings, leading to an altered state of consciousness. Ketamine use has increased among adolescents and young adults, becoming a relevant global public health concern. At these events, drug consumption is often episodic but intense, which may disrupt diverse neuromodulation processes leading to behavioral impairments. Here, we investigated the mnemonic consequences of ketamine withdrawal following recreational exposure in adolescent female rats. To mimic weekend recreational use, adolescent female Wistar rats (n = 8 animals per group) received intranasal ketamine or saline (10 mg/kg/day) for three consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last ketamine administration, animals were submitted to a battery of behavioral tasks including novel object recognition, social recognition and Y-maze paradigms to assess episodic, social and working memories. Hippocampal and prefrontal cortex samples were collected for neurochemical analysis. Early ketamine withdrawal following acute exposure impaired all memory types evaluated in the current study. Additionally, a significant reduction in serotonin and norepinephrine levels were observed in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of ketamine exposure rats. These findings indicated cognitive and monoaminergic impairments in adolescent female rats at early ketamine withdrawal periods following acute exposure.

In the context of Brazilian equestrian sports, the Quarter Horse (QH) breed has the third largest population of registered horses and stands out for its numerous abilities in various disciplines. Studies on equine health and athletic performance parameters are scarce, especially involving molecular markers.

This study aimed to investigate the differential expression of microRNAs and target genes involved in metabolic pathways of exercise and to assess hematological and clinical changes in 10 horses (Equus caballus Linnaeus) of the QH breed under different physiological conditions. Horses of both sexes, aged 6 years, weighing between 400 and 513 kg (442,3 kg Mean), with the same housing, feeding, and training management throughout the experiment. The horses were subjected to a race with obstacle deviation.

The results of clinical, hematological, and molecular parameters showed significance (p < 0.05) after exercise. These bioindicators demonstrate that equine physiology is modulated after training, with an increase in oxygen transport, oxygen metabolism for energy conversion, and post-training recovery induced by the inflammatory response to aerobic exercise.

The revealed data should be considered important parameters for animal health management and for assessing the physiological performance of horses during training, especially for athletic QH horses raised in the Amazon region.

Aquaculture production is often linked to improper use of chemotherapeutic agents for pathogen control, leading to adverse effects in organisms and environment. As an alternative over these toxicological agents, in this study we propose the development of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles using ethanolic extract of red Aroeira (Schinus terebinthifolia) (EERA) and tested them against fish pathogens. Green synthesized ZnO nanoparticles had a mean hydrodynamic diameter of ca. 150 nm, and showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, as well as antifungal and antiparasitic activities against Saprolegnia parasitica and Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, at the highest tested concentrations (10 and 15 mg/mL). The extract alone showed antibacterial activity against Aeromonas hydrophila, but not against Streptococcus agalactiae, suggesting a synergistic effect between EERA and ZnO nanoparticles. These findings demonstrate that green ZnO nanoparticles hold significant potential as a multifunctional antimicrobial agent for managing various pathogens in aquaculture, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemotherapeutics.