Vulnerabilidade ao HIV em estudantes de ensino médio de uma escola pública do interior de São Paulo

Introduction: sexuality is an inherent dimension in the human being, which is present in all stages of his development. However, it becomes relevant during the adolescence as it often sets the beginning of the individuals` sexual life. Objective: this study aimed at identifying the behaviors of adolescents regarding the HIV vulnerability, considering the differences between genders. Methods: it was used a structured questionnaire proposed by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education of Brazil with the title “Do I need to text for HIV?” Sample included 136 high school students in the inner state of São Paulo. Results: the results showed an increase in adolescents’ vulnerability to HIV, that is: 59.5% of the participants are in a vulnerable situation. Regarding the gender, research showed that women (33.1%) are more vulnerable than men (26.5%). Conclusion: it is observed that the lack of information is a reality that increases the vulnerability of adolescents, but it is also observed that the mere acquisition of information does not necessarily guarantee behavior change nor HIV prevention.

Serotonergic neurons in the median raphe nucleus regulate inhibitory avoidance but not escape behavior in the rat elevated T-maze test of anxiety

Rationale: A wealth of evidence supports the involvement of the serotonergic neurons of the median raphe nucleus (MRN) in anxiety. However, it is presently unclear whether serotonergic pathways arising from this nucleus play distinguishing regulatory roles in defensive behaviors that have been associated with specific subtypes of anxiety disorders. Objectives: To evaluate the role of the MRN serotonergic neurons in the regulation of two defensive behaviors, inhibitory avoidance and escape, which have been related, respectively, to generalized anxiety and panic disorders. Methods: Male Wistar rats were submitted to the elevated T-maze test of anxiety after intra-MRN administration of drugs that either non-selectively or selectively change the activity of the serotonergic neurons. Results: Intra-MRN injection of FG 7142 (0.04 and 0.08 nmol) and kainic acid (0.03 and 0.06 nmol), drugs that non-selectively stimulate the MRN serotonergic neurons, facilitated inhibitory avoidance acquisition, but impaired escape performance. Microinjection of muscimol (0.11 and 0.22 nmol), a compound that non-selectively inhibits the activity of the MRN serotonergic neurons, impaired inhibitory avoidance and facilitated escape performance. Both kainic acid and muscimol also changed rat locomotion in the open-field test. Intra-MRN injection of 8-OH-DPAT (0.6-15 nmol) and WAY-100635 (0.18-0.74 nmol), respectively an agonist and an antagonist of somatodendritic 5-HT1A receptors located on serotonergic neurons of the MRN, only affected inhibitory avoidance-while the former inhibited the acquisition of this behavior, the latter facilitated it. Conclusion: MRN serotonergic neurons seem to be selectively involved in the regulation of inhibitory avoidance in the elevated T-maze. This result supports the proposal that 5-HT pathways departing from this nucleus play an important role in anxiety processing, with implications for pathologies such as generalized anxiety disorder.

Role of nitric oxide in the periaqueductal gray in defensive behavior in mice: influence of prior local N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation and aversive condition

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Population dynamics, structure and behavior of Anopheles darlingi in a rural settlement in the Amazon rainforest of Acre, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Theoretical study of omeprazole behavior: Racemization barrier and decomposition reaction

omeprazole is a substituted benzimidazole which suppresses gastric-acid secretion by means of H+, K+-ATPase inhibition. It is an optically active drug with the sulfur of the sulfoxide being the chiral center. This pro-drug can be easily converted into its respective sulfenamide at low pH. In this work, omeprazole has been studied in relation to racemization barrier and decomposition reaction. Quantum chemistry coupled to PCA chemometric method were used to find all minimum energy structures. Conformational analysis and calculation of racemization barriers were carried out by PM3 semiempirical method (Gaussian 98). The average racemization energy barrier for all minimum energy structures (43.56 kcal mol(-1)) can be related to the velocity constant in Eyring's equation. The enormous half-life time at 100 degrees C (9.04 x 10(4) years) indicates that the process cannot be observed in human time scale. on the other hand, the difference of free energy change (Delta(Delta G) = -266.78 kcal mol(-1)) for the decomposition reaction shows that the process is favorable to the sulfenamide formation. The highly negative Delta(Delta G) obtained for the decomposition reaction shows that this process is extremely exothermic. This result explains why omeprazole decomposes and does not racemize. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The role of counterion on the thermotropic phase behavior of DODAB and DODAC vesicles

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Low dimensional behavior in three-dimensional coupled map lattices

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Sudden change in quantum and classical correlations and the Unruh effect

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of oscillatory behavior of the dipole function on the dissociation dynamics of the classical driven Morse oscillator

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Sexual behavior and fertility of male rats submitted to prolonged immobilization-induced stress

In order to investigate whether prolonged stress interferes with the onset of sexual behavior at puberty and with fertility at adulthood, prepubertal male Wistar rats (40 days of age) were immobilized 6 h a day for 15 days (up to early puberty) or for 60 days (until sexual maturity). Pubertal stressed rats showed a two-fold increase in the latency for the first mount (probably due to repeated aversive experience in which a change of environment was always followed by immobilization) and a 2.5-fold increase in the frequency of thrusting (indicative of enhanced sexual performance). The apparently stimulatory effect of prolonged stress on the onset of sexual behavior is discussed in terms of increased testosterone level and interference with the complex interchanges between the neurotransmitters/neuropeptides involved in the central control of male sexual activity. Adult stressed animals were mated with normal females, which became pregnant but exhibited a more than two-fold increase in both pre-implantation and post-implantation loss, probably due to a smaller rate of fertilization and/or fertilization with damaged spermatozoa.

Behavior of plant tissue in osmotic solutions

The effect of the concentration of sucrose solutions on the cellular structure of potato tissue in equilibrium at 27 degreesC was Studied. Two different methods of investigation were used to determine the volume of the different phases composing the cellular tissue of the potato when in equilibrium with the solutions. one based on data of the concentration itself and the overall volume of 2 mm slices after 48 h at equilibrium, and the other on microscopic images of cells in thin slices of fresh tissue stained with neutral red after an hour in equilibrium to show protoplasts, vacuoles and plasmolysis spaces. The results of these methods were compared with those obtained by a predictive thermodynamic approach considering the semipermeability of cell membranes. Phase volume data obtained from microscopic analysis were more similar to what was predicted by the theoretical model than those obtained by means of composition measurement. where the long equilibrium time apparently led to the loss of semi permeability of the cell membranes, since total volumes calculated without consideration of the cell membranes were similar to those measured. This suggests that the length of time of osmotic dehydration brings about a change in cell structure and the consequent involvement of a different mechanism in mass transfer. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

EFFECTS OF 2,4-DICHLOROPHENOXYACETIC ACID (2,4-D) ON OPEN-FIELD BEHAVIOR AND NEUROCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF RATS

The effects of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on the central nervous system (CNS) were studied in rats. Behavioural and neurochemical studies were performed. Results show that acute and oral administration of dimethylamine 2,4-D was able to decrease locomotion and rearing frequencies and to increase immobility duration of rats observed in an open-field test. Treatment of rats with p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) was unable to change rat's open-field behaviour; 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) administration not only increased locomotion and rearing frequences but also decreased immobility duration. Pretreatment of the rats with PCPA and 5-HTP decreased and increased dimethylamine 2,4-D effects, respectively. The herbicide was not able to change the striatal levels of dopamine and homovanilic acid but decreased the striatal levels of serotonin (5-HT), as observed for the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg and increased those of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) as measured after the 200 mg/kg dose treatment. When the levels of serotonin and 5-HIAA were measured at the brain stem level, only those of 5-HIAA were modified, being increased by diethylamine 2,4-D (60; 100 and 200 mg/kg); this increment on 5-HIAA levels was observed even 1 hr after pesticide administration. Further analysis showed that 2,4-D concentrations chromatographycally detected both in serum and brain of the intoxicated animals were dose-dependent, being found as early as 1 hr after the smaller dose of the herbicide used (10 mg/kg). The results suggest that diethylamine 2,4-D modify 5-HT functional activity within the CNS. Thus, the effects of the herbicide on open-field behaviour of rats could be attributed to a direct or indirect pesticide action on serotoninergic systems.

Thermal behavior of the Cu-22.55 at.%Al alloy with small Ag additions

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Direct and indirect top-down effects of previous contact with an enemy on the feeding behavior of blowfly larvae

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Prenatal testosterone supplementation alters puberty onset, aggressive behavior, and partner preference in adult male rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)