Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, laser therapy and LED therapy on the masticatory system and the impact on sleep variables in cerebral palsy patients: a randomized, five arms clinical trial

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION IN Coats of arms of LATIN AMERICA

This article seeks to reflect on geographic representation in the coats of arms of countries in Latin America, showing how the physical, aspects of the landscape, the elements of the economy and the republican symbols were used by local elites to compose an imaginary nation in the nineteenth century. This process of "naturalization of territory" was used as an important feature in the national discourse, because this time, in most cases, the Latin American nations were composed of multi-ethnic states, with strong differences of class and a large illiterate population plus a very tenuous territory from the point of view of national integration. Thus, the elements related to geographic image through the use of coats of arms, conveyed strong messages to citizens, showing how these heraldic symbols can become an important source of research to unravel the process of building the imaginary nation.

Uso de reguladores de crescimento para a superação da dormência e sua influência na brotação, no florescimento e na produção da amoreira-preta

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

Longitudinal study of daily variation of rats' behavior in the elevated plus-maze

We conducted a longitudinal study about daily variation of Wistar male rats' behavior in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) evaluated in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 18th months of life. Animals were submitted to the plus-maze in 12 sessions at 2-h intervals (n=72, 6 per time point). Spontaneous rest-activity rhythm of four animals was assessed by observation of 24-h videotape records. Time series were analyzed by Cosinor method. Behavioral rates on the six occasions and in light and dark phases were compared by means of two-way ANOVA with repeated measures. Exploratory behavior in EPM was smaller in the light phase and in older animals. Higher values of open and closed arms exploration were observed in the first and third months of the dark phase, and in the first month of the light phase. Adjustment to the 24-h period was significant at all stages for rest-activity data, number of entries in closed arms, and time on center, and for three to five stages for open-arm exploration. In general, 24 h variability was more pronounced in younger animals compared with older ones. The present study showed that: (1) a significant amount of total variability of the behavioral indexes analyzed could be attributed to 24 h variation, (2) light/dark phases differences in EPM exploration were present at all developmental stages, (3) older Wistar rats explored less the EPM and were less active in their home cage compared with younger ones, and (4) behavioral indexes (EPM) decrease was phase related and partially related to a reorganization of rest-activity rhythm. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The dorsal raphe nucleus exerts opposed control on generalized anxiety and panic-related defensive responses in rats

It has been proposed that the ascending dorsal raphe (DR)-serotonergic (5-HT) pathway facilitates conditioned avoidance responses to potential or distal threat, while the DR-periventricular 5-HT pathway inhibits unconditioned flight reactions to proximal danger. Dysfunction on these pathways would be, respectively, related to generalized anxiety (GAD) and panic disorder (PD). To investigate this hypothesis, we microinjected into the rat DR the benzodiazepine inverse receptor agonist FG 7142, the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT or the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol. Animals were evaluated in the elevated T-maze (ETM) and light/dark transition test. These models generate defensive responses that have been related to GAD and PD. Experiments were also conducted in the ETM 14 days after the selective lesion of DR serotonergic neurons by 5,7-dihydroxytriptamine (DHT). In all cases, rats were pre-exposed to one of the open arms of the ETM 1 day before testing. The results showed that FG 7142 facilitated inhibitory avoidance, an anxiogenic effect, while impairing one-way escape, an anxiolytic effect. 8-OH-DPAT, muscimol, and 5,7-DHT-induced lesions acted in the opposite direction, impairing inhibitory avoidance while facilitating one-way escape from the open arm. In the light/dark transition, 8-OH-DPAT and muscimol increased the time spent in the lighted compartment, an anxiolytic effect. The data supports the view that distinct DR-5-HT pathways regulate neural mechanisms underlying GAD and PD. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Social separation and diazepam withdrawal increase anxiety in the elevated plus-maze and serotonin turnover in the median raphe and hippocampus

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

Efeitos do apoio dos membros superiores sobre a força muscular respiratória e função pulmonar de pacientes com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica

Objective: To analyze the effect of arm bracing posture on respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Methods: 20 patients with COPD (11 male; 67 +/- 8 years; BMI 24 +/- 3 Kg . m(-2)) were submitted to assessments of Maximal Inspiratory and Expiratory Pressures (MIP and MEP, respectively) and spirometry with and without arm bracing in a random order. The assessment with arm bracing was done on standing position and the height of the support was adjusted at the level of the ulnar styloid process with elbow flexion and trunk anterior inclination of 30 degrees promoting weight discharge in the upper limbs. Assessment without arm bracing was also performed on standing position, however with the arms relaxed alongside the body. The time interval between assessments was one week.Results: MIP, MEP and maximal voluntary ventilation (MW) were higher with arm bracing than without arm bracing (MIP 64 +/- 22 cmH(2)O versus 54 +/- 24 cmH(2)O, p = 0,00001; MEP 104 +/- 37 cmH(2)O versus 92 +/- 37 cmH(2)O, p = 0,00001 and MW 42 +/- 20 L/min versus 38 +/- 20 L/min, p = 0,003). Other variables did not show statistical significant difference.Conclusion: The arm bracing posture resulted in higher capacity to generate force and endurance of the respiratory muscles in patients with COPD. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. on behalf of Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. All rights reserved.

Anxiety-induced antinociception in mice: effects of systemic and intra-amygdala administration of 8-OH-DPAT and midazolam

Rationale: Mice exhibit antinociception after a single experience in the elevated plus maze (EPM), an animal model of anxiety. Objective: This study investigated the mechanisms involved in this form of anxiety-induced antinociception. Methods: Nociception was evaluated by means of the writhing test in mice confined either to the open or enclosed arms of the EPM. The effects of systemic (naloxone, midazolam and 8-OH-DPAT) or intra-amygdala (8-OH-DPAT. NAN-190 and midazolam) drug infusions were investigated in mice previously treated i.p. with 0.6% acetic acid, an algic stimulus that induces abdominal contortions. The effects of these drugs on conventional measures of anxiety (% entries and % time in open arms) in a standard EPM test were also independently investigated. Results: Open-arm confinement resulted in a high-magnitude antinociception (minimum 85%, maximum 450%) compared with enclosed arm confinement. The opiate antagonist naloxone (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) neither blocked this open arm-induced antinociception (OAIA) nor modified indices of anxiety in EPM. Administration of midazolam (0.5-2 mg/kg, s.c.) increased OAIA and produced antinociception in enclosed confined animals, as well as attenuating anxiety in the EPM. The 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (0.05-1 mg/kg, s.c.) had biphasic effects on OAIA, antagonising the response at the lowest dose and intensifying it at the highest dose. In addition, low doses of this agent reduced anxiety in the EPM. Although bilateral injections of 8-OH-DPAT (5.6 nmol/0.4 mu l) or NAN-190 (5.6 nmol and 10 nmol/0.4 mu l) into the amygdala did not alter OAIA, increased anxiety was observed in the EPM. In contrast, intra-amygdala administration of midazolam (10 nmol and 30 nmol/0.4 mu l) blocked both OAIA and anxiety. Conclusions: These results with systemic and intracerebral drug infusion suggest that 5-HT(1A) receptors localised in the amygdala are not involved in the pain inhibitory processes that are recruited during aversive situations. However, activation of these receptors does phasically increase anxiety. Although the intrinsic antinociceptive properties of systemically administered midazolam confounded interpretation of its effects on OAIA, intra-amygdala injections of this compound suggest that benzodiazepine receptors in this brain region modulate both the antinociceptive and behavioural (anxiety) responses to the EPM.

Components of Turnera diffusa Willd. var. afrodisiaca (Ward) Urb. essential oil

Turnera diffusa Willd. var. afrodisiaca (Ward) Urb. (syn. T aphrodisiaca) (Turneraceae) is a common aromatic plant growing wild in the subtropical regions of America and Africa. Its essential oil was studied by GC and GC-MS. Fifty-four components were characterized and identified, the most abundant being 1,8-cineol (11.4%), opoplenone (10.3%) cadalene (5.1%) and epi-cubenol (4.1%). Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of the elevated T-maze as an animal model of anxiety in the mouse

The elevated T-maze has been developed as an animal model of anxiety to generate both conditioned and unconditioned fears in the same rat. This study explores a version of the elevated T-maze fit for mice. Inhibitory (passive) avoidance-conditioned fear-is measured by recording the latency to leave the enclosed arm during three consecutive trials. One-way escape-unconditioned fear-is measured by recording the time to withdraw from open arms. The results showed that mice do not appear to acquire inhibitory avoidance in the standard T-maze, since their latencies to leave enclosed arm did not increase along trials. Nevertheless, the open arms seemed to be aversive for mice, because the latency to leave the enclosed arm after the first trial was lower in a T-maze with the three enclosed arms than in the standard elevated T-maze, In agreement, the exposure of mice to an elevated T-maze without shield, that reduces the perception of openness, increased significantly the latencies to leave the enclosed arm, However, the absence of the shield also increased the time taken to leave the open arms when compared to that recorded in standard T-maze. Systematic observation of behavioral items in the enclosed arm has shown that risk assessment behavior decreases along trials while freezing increases. In the open arms, freezing did not appear to influence the high latency to leave this compartment, since mice spend only about 8% of their time exhibiting this behavior, These results suggest that mice acquire inhibitory avoidance of the open arms by decreasing and increasing time in risk assessment and freezing, respectively, along three consecutive trials, However, one-way escape could not be characterized. Therefore, there are important differences between mice (present results) and rats (previously reported results) in the performance of behavioral tasks in the elevated T-maze. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V.

Structural and functional evidence that a B chromosome in the characid fish Astyanax scabripinnis is an isochromosome

Astyanax scabripinnis possesses a widespread polymorphism for metacentric B chromosomes as large as the largest chromosome pair in the A complement. on the basis of C-banding pattern, it was hypothesized that these B chromosomes are isochromosomes that have arisen by means of centromere misdivision and chromatid nondisjunction. In the present paper we test this hypothesis by analysing (i) the localization of a repetitive DNA sequence on both B chromosome arms, and (ii) synaptonemal complex formation, in order to test the functional homology of both arms. Genomic DNA digested with KpnI and analysed by gel electrophoresis showed fragments in a ladder-like pattern typical of tandemly repetitive DNA. These fragments were cloned and their tandem organization in the genome was confirmed. A 51-bp long consensus sequence, which was AT-rich (59%) and contained a variable region and two imperfect reverse sequences, was obtained. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) localized this repetitive DNA into noncentromeric constitutive heterochromatin which encompasses the terminal region of some acrocentric chromosomes, the NOR region, and interstitial polymorphic heterochromatin in chromosome 24. Most remarkably, tandem repeats were almost symmetrically placed in the two arms of the B chromosome, with the exception of two additional small clusters proximally located on the slightly longer arm. Synaptonemal complex (SC) analysis showed 26 completely paired SCs in males with 1B. The ring configuration of the B univalent persisting until metaphase I suggests that the two arms formed chiasmata. All these data provided strong support for the hypothesis that the B chromosome is an isochromosome.

Concurrent nociceptive stimulation impairs the anxiolytic effect of midazolam injected into the periaqueductal gray in mice

This study investigated whether the opportunity to avoid or escape the open arms of an elevated plus-maze (EPM) affects the antinociceptive response observed when mice are subjected to open arm confinement. Furthermore, in order to better characterize the relationship between emotion and antinociception in the EPM, we examined the behavioral effects of midazolam injection into the midbrain periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). As our main aim was to evaluate the relevance of different levels of approach-avoid conflict (i.e. The presence of open and closed arms) to maze-induced antinociception, mice were exposed to one of three types of EPM-a standard EPM (sEPM), an open EPM (oEPM: four open arms) or, as a control condition, an enclosed EPM (eEPM: four enclosed arms). Nociception was assessed using the formalin test. Twenty minutes after formalin injection (50 mu l, 2.5% formalin) into the dorsal right hind paw, mice received an intra-PAG injection of saline or midazolam (10-20 nmol). Five minutes later, they were individually exposed to one of the mazes for 10 min (25-35 min after formalin injection). Videotapes of the test sessions were scored for a variety of behavioral measures including time spent licking the formalin-injected paw. To examine whether the effects of midazolam on anxiety-like behavior may have been influenced by concurrent nociceptive stimulation (i.e. formalin pretreatment), naive mice were submitted to a similar procedure to that described above for the sEPM test but without formalin pretreatment. Results showed that mice exposed to the oEPM spent significantly less time licking the injected paw compared to groups exposed to either the sEPM or eEPM. Although exposure to the sEPM induced anxiety-like behaviors (i.e. open arm avoidance), it did not result in antinociception. Intra-PAG infusions of midazolam failed to block oEPM-induced antinociception or to alter sEPM-induced anxiety in mice that had received formalin injection. However, under normal test conditions (i.e. in the absence of formalin-induced nociceptive stimulation), intra-PAG midazolam produced clear anti-anxiety effects in mice exposed to the sEPM. Findings are discussed in terms of different emotional states induced by the oEPM and sEPM and the influence of concurrent nociceptive stimulation on the anti-anxiety effect of intra-PAG midazolam. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activation of 5-HT2C receptors in the dorsal periaqueductal gray increases antinociception in mice exposed to the elevated plus-maze

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Fos-like immunoreactivity in central nervous system of mice simultaneously exposed to the elevated plus-maze and nociception

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