Subchronic 3, 4-methylenedioximethamphetamine (mdma) reverts anxiety induced by chronic mild stress

Here we report the effects of subchronic 3, 4-Methylenedioximethamphetamine (MDMA) on the elevated plus-maze, a widely used animal model of anxiety. Rats exposed to a mild chronic stress (MCS) protocol received intracerebroventricular microinjections of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) – fluoxetine (2.0ug/ul) or 3, 4-Methylenedioximethamphetamine (MDMA, 2.0ug/ul) for seven days. On the eighth day rats were tested in the elevated plus-maze. Our results showed that sub-chronic MDMA interacted with MCS leading to a decrease in anxiety-related behaviors including: percentage of open arms entries (F[2,26]=4.00; P=0.031), time spent in the open arms (F[2,26]=3.656; P=0.040) and time spent in the open arms extremities (F[2,26]=5.842; P=0.008). These results suggest a potential effect of MDMA in the reversion of the emotional significance of aversive stimuli.

Efecto de la frecuencia léxica y silábica en afasia anómica

Objetivo: este estudio compara el desempeño de dos grupos de participantes con y sin afasia anómica en tareas de decisión léxica (TDL) y de deletreo en relación con el efecto de las variables de frecuencia léxica y silábica. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio prospectivo con un diseño 2x2x2, donde se administraron la TDL, en la cual cada participante debía decidir si el estímulo presentado correspondía a palabra o pseudopalabra y la tarea de deletreo, donde los participantesdebían deletrear de forma oral cada una de las palabras presentadas auditivamente. Resultados: para la TDL, el grupo experimental presentó mayor porcentaje de error en los estímulos de alta frecuencia silábica, mientras que el control tuvo más errores en aquellos de baja frecuencia silábica. En cuanto a los tiempos de reacción, el grupo experimental tardó más que los controles en resolver la tarea. La tarea de deletreo no mostró diferencia de ejecución por grupos ni condiciones(frecuencia léxica y silábica). Conclusiones: los resultados del presente estudio demuestran el efecto de facilitación de la frecuencia léxica y la inhibición que genera la frecuencia silábica alta, ampliamente soportada por la investigación en población normatizada mediante diferentes lenguajes.

Prevalence and factors associated with dysmenorrheal in health science students

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea has a prevalence between 60 and 93%. Different factors have been associated with it, such as age at menarche, body mass index, exercise, smoking and maternal history of dysmenorrhea, among others. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, based on an anonymous survey applied to a random sample of 127 women from the school of medicine and psychology at the Universidad Del Rosario. Results: The prevalence of  dysmenorrhea was 73%. 67% of participants presenting with menstrual pain, reported having taken pain relief medication (66.7% self medicated). 32.5% of respondents with dysmenorrhea were absent from their academic or social work, with a percentage of school absenteeism due to pain of 74.5% in at least one day. The risk of dysmenorrhoea was 2.36 times higher in women who had mothers with this history (OR = 2.36, 95% CI 1.03 to 5.40). No associations with other factors were found. Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea is a disease with a high prevalence and significant impact on school absenteeism. Maternal history of dysmenorrhea was the only factor positively associated in this study.