Isokinetic dynamometry of knee flexors and extensors: comparative study among non-athletes, jumper athletes and runner athletes

Participation in intensive sports activities leads to muscular specializations that may generate alterations in involved articular forces and cause static (posture) and dynamic changes (alterations of articular stability, coordination, etc.). Prevention of injury requires specific functional muscular evaluation in all athletes and for any kind of sport. OBJECTIVE: To dynamically evaluate, through isokinetic tests, the peak torque, total work, and average power of the knee flexor and extensor muscles of jumper and runner athletes and compare them to those of a non-athletic population, evaluating dominance and balance between agonistic and antagonistic muscle groups. RESULTS: In the non-athlete group, we noted a higher asymmetry between the dominant and nondominant members. The jumpers had the highest values of the evaluated parameters of all groups, whereas parameters for the runners were intermediate between non-athletes and jumpers.

Sexing the human skull through the mastoid process

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance for sex determination of the measurement of the area formed by the xerographic projection of 3 craniometric points related to the mastoid process: the porion, asterion, and mastoidale points. METHOD: Sixty skulls, 30 male and 30 female, were analyzed. A xerographic copy of each side of the skull was obtained. On each xerographic copy, the craniometric points were marked to demarcate a triangle. The area (mm²) of the demarcated triangle for each side of the skull (right (D) and left (E) sides) was determined, and the total value of these measures (T) was calculated. RESULTS: Concerning the right area of the male and female skulls, 60% of the values overlapped; for the left area, 51.67% overlapped, and for the total area, 36.67% overlapped. The analysis of the differences between the sexes in the areas studied was significant for the 3 areas. Regarding the total area, which is the preferred measurement because of the asymmetry between the sides of the skull, the value of the mean was 1505.32 mm² for male skulls, which was greater than the maximum value obtained in the female skulls. The value of the mean for female skulls was 1221.24 mm², less than the minimum value obtained for the male skulls. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a significant result in the 3 studied areas, (D), (E), and (T). The total area values show less overlapping of values between the sexes, and therefore can be used for sexing human skulls. For the population studied, values of the total area that were greater than or equal to 1447.40 mm² belonged to male crania (95% confidence). Values for this area that were less than or equal to 1260.36 mm² belonged to female crania (95% confidence).

Estresse ortostático ativo e arritmia sinusal respiratória em chagásicos com função sistólica global do ventrículo esquerdo preservada

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a utilização do teste de estresse ostostático ativo na detecção de disfunção vagal em chagásicos com função sistólica global preservada, comparando-o ao teste da arritmia sinusal respiratória. MÉTODO: Foram selecionados 61 chagásicos (Ch) e 38 não-chagásicos (NCh) sem evidências significativas de cardiopatia ou doenças sistêmicas, submetidos ao ecodopplercardiograma e às provas autonômicas. O teste da arritmia sinusal respiratória foi realizado através do registro eletrocardiográfico enquanto o paciente respirava profundamente, a 6 irpm, calculando-se a razão E:I (média das razões entre os maiores intervalos RR expiratórios e os menores RR inspiratórios a cada ciclo). O eletrocardiograma foi registrado enquanto o paciente se levantava e nos 30s seguintes (teste do estresse ortostático ativo), calculando-se a razão RR máx./RR min (maior e menor intervalo RR logo após a mudança postural). Os índices foram ajustados para covariáveis significativas. RESULTADOS: A razão RR max:min (NCh: 1,52 [1,44-1,74] x Ch: 1,43 [1,33-1,51], p < 0,001) e a razão E:I (NCh: 1,38±0,02 x Ch: 1,25±0,02, p<0,001) foram menores entre os chagásicos. Houve elevada correlação entre a razão RR max:min e a razão E:I ajustadas (r = 0,628, p < 0,001), mas ambas não se correlacionaram significativamente com a fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo. CONCLUSÃO: Chagásicos com função sistólica global do ventrículo esquerdo preservada apresentam redução significativa de índices vagais obtidos por provas curtas, quando comparados a controles normais. O teste de estresse ortostático ativo apresentou boa correlação com a manobra de arritmia sinusal respiratória, constituindo-se opção válida na avaliação ambulatorial do controle vagal.

Treinamento Físico Aeróbico como Tratamento não Farmacológico da Síncope Neurocardiogênica

Fundamento: Caracterizada por perda súbita e transitória da consciência e do tônus postural, com recuperação rápida e espontânea, a síncope é causada por uma redução aguda da pressão arterial sistêmica e, por conseguinte, do fluxo sanguíneo cerebral. Os resultados insatisfatórios com o uso de fármacos permitiu que o tratamento não farmacológico da síncope neurocardiogênica fosse contemplado como primeira opção terapêutica. Objetivos: Comparar, em pacientes com síncope neurocardiogênica, o impacto do Treinamento Físico Aeróbico (TFA) de moderada intensidade e de uma intervenção controle, na positividade do Teste de Inclinação Passiva (TIP) e no tempo de tolerância ortostática. Métodos: Foram estudados 21 pacientes com história de síncope neurocardiogênica recorrente e TIP positivo. Esses foram aleatorizados em: Grupo Treinado (GT), n = 11, e Grupo Controle (GC), n = 10. O GT foi submetido a 12 semanas de TFA supervisionado, em cicloergômetro, e o GC, a um procedimento controle que consistia na realização de 15 minutos de alongamentos e 15 minutos de caminhada leve. Resultados: O GT apresentou efeito positivo ao treinamento físico, com aumento significativo do consumo de oxigênio-pico. Já o GC não apresentou nenhuma mudança estatisticamente significante, antes e após a intervenção. Após o período de intervenção, 72,7% da amostra do GT apresentou resultado negativo ao TIP, não apresentando síncope na reavaliação. Conclusão: O programa de treinamento físico aeróbico supervisionado por 12 semanas foi capaz de reduzir o número de TIP positivos, assim como foi capaz de aumentar o tempo de tolerância na posição ortostática durante o teste após o período de intervenção.

4-Second Exercise Test: Reference Values for Ages 18–81 Years

Background: Physiological reflexes modulated primarily by the vagus nerve allow the heart to decelerate and accelerate rapidly after a deep inspiration followed by rapid movement of the limbs. This is the physiological and pharmacologically validated basis for the 4-s exercise test (4sET) used to assess the vagal modulation of cardiac chronotropism. Objective: To present reference data for 4sET in healthy adults. Methods: After applying strict clinical inclusion/exclusion criteria, 1,605 healthy adults (61% men) aged between 18 and 81 years subjected to 4sET were evaluated between 1994 and 2014. Using 4sET, the cardiac vagal index (CVI) was obtained by calculating the ratio between the duration of two RR intervals in the electrocardiogram: 1) after a 4-s rapid and deep breath and immediately before pedaling and 2) at the end of a rapid and resistance-free 4-s pedaling exercise. Results: CVI varied inversely with age (r = -0.33, p < 0.01), and the intercepts and slopes of the linear regressions between CVI and age were similar for men and women (p > 0.05). Considering the heteroscedasticity and the asymmetry of the distribution of the CVI values according to age, we chose to express the reference values in percentiles for eight age groups (years): 18–30, 31–40, 41–45, 46–50, 51–55, 56–60, 61–65, and 66+, obtaining progressively lower median CVI values ranging from 1.63 to 1.24. Conclusion: The availability of CVI percentiles for different age groups should promote the clinical use of 4sET, which is a simple and safe procedure for the evaluation of vagal modulation of cardiac chronotropism.

Heart Rate and Systolic Blood Pressure Variability on Recently Diagnosed Diabetics

Background:Diabetes affects approximately 250 million people in the world. Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes that leads to severe postural hypotension, exercise intolerance, and increased incidence of silent myocardial infarction.Objective:To determine the variability of heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in recently diagnosed diabetic patients.Methods:The study included 30 patients with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes of less than 2 years and 30 healthy controls. We used a Finapres® device to measure during five minutes beat-to-beat HR and blood pressure in three experimental conditions: supine position, standing position, and rhythmic breathing at 0.1 Hz. The results were analyzed in the time and frequency domains.Results:In the HR analysis, statistically significant differences were found in the time domain, specifically on short-term values such as standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and number of pairs of successive NNs that differ by more than 50 ms (pNN50). In the BP analysis, there were no significant differences, but there was a sympathetic dominance in all three conditions. The baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) decreased in patients with early diabetes compared with healthy subjects during the standing maneuver.Conclusions:There is a decrease in HR variability in patients with early type 2 diabetes. No changes were observed in the BP analysis in the supine position, but there were changes in BRS with the standing maneuver, probably due to sympathetic hyperactivity.

A atitude do cão na micção e os hormônios sexuais

Neste trabalho foi estudada a influência dos hormônios sexuais sôbre a atitude do cão no ato de urinar. Enquanto nos machos castrados depois de quarto mês de idade não é evitado o aparecimento da atitude característica de elevação de uma das patas traseiras durante a emissão da urina, os castrados antes de segundo mês, em regra, conversam na idade adultao tipo infantil, isto é, afastamento das patas posteriores e leve abaixamento da bacia. A castração precoce, entretanto, não impede as tentativas copulatórias como a monta e os movimentos pélvicos. Cães castrados na infância e mantendo na idade afulta o comportamento infantil de micção começam a elevar uma das patas trazeiras depois do tratamento pela testosterona. O tratamento de machos castrados com estrogênicos não provocou o aparecimento da atitude urinária feminina, que é caracterizada pela flexão das patas traseiras, e abaixamento muito acentuado do trem posterior. Também a administração de testosterona a cadelas normais ou castradas, em regra, não fez, com que elas exibissem a postura masculina, esboçada apenas num único caso. A importância dos fatôres hormonais e nervosos envolvidos no mecanismo regulador foi comentada e discutida. Do exposto, pode-se concluir que o dimorfismo postural do cão no ato de urinar é um caráter sexual secundário e, pelo menos no macho, dependente da testosterona.

Bioquímica da esquistossomose mansônica: VII. Alterações lipídicas das membranas lisossômicas durante a faze inicial da agressão hepática

Com o intuito de se estudarem as alterações nos teores lipídicos, constituintes das membranas lisossômicas, em fígados, durante a fase inicial da agressão esquistossomótica, foram utilizados camundongos infectados com 30 cercárias e 30 dias de infecção. Os triaglicerídios passaram de 200 ± 48 µg/mg de proteínas totais nos controles, para 165 ± 22 µg/mg, nos infectados. Na mesma ordem também diminuiram o colesterol livre de 539 ± 80, para 396 ± 54 µg/mg; os ésteres do colesterol de 270 ± 35, para 216 ± 36 µg/mg e os colinafosfatídios de 44 ± 5,7 para 31 ± 4,9 µg/mg. Os serinafosfatídios, os etanolaminafosfatídios e os esfingofosfatídios aumentaram, respectivamente de 58 ± 9,7 para 60 ± 8,5, de 72 ± 7,8 para 111 ± 15,7 e de 36 ± 4,9 para 63 7,1 µg/mg. Os ácidos graxos livres não se alteram significativamente, passaram de 1,7 ± 0,35 µEq/g, nos controles, para 1,8 ± 0,29 Eq/g nos animais infectados. Esses resultados padecem indicar que na fase inicial de esquistossomose mansônica hepática, antes da formação dos granulomas, são detectadas alterações importantes na constituição lipídica das membranas do compartimento lisossônico. Elas, talvez, sejam devidas a produtos catabólicos, excretados por vermes imaturos ou adultos, presentes em vasos do sistema portal.

Seasonal analysis of the number of aeropiles in Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) (Acari: Ixodidae) from the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Variation between aeropile numbers of the right and left peritrematic plate in male and female Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) is reported from a site in Brazil. From January to December 1998, 146 males and 247 females of A. nitens were recovered from Equus caballus L. in Silva Jardim District, State of Rio de Janeiro. Asymmetry of numbers of aeropiles between right and left plates occurred in 83.6% of the males and 82.2% of the females. Differences in the number of aeropiles between the sexes were not significant. Quantitative variation of aeropiles was correlated to the period of recovery, with significant asymmetry detected in August-September and November-December, mainly in males. Results suggest an adaptation, especially in the male ticks, that expresses itself as greater variation in the number of aeropiles in some periods of the year.

Morphometric analysis of Triatoma dimidiata populations (Reduviidae:Triatominae) from Mexico and Northern Guatemala

Triatoma dimidiata is one of the major vectors of Chagas disease in Latin America. Its range includes Mexico, all countries of Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador. In light of recent genetic analysis suggesting that the possible origin of this species is the Yucatan peninsula, we have analyzed populations from the state of Yucatan, San Luis Potosi, and Veracruz in Mexico, and a population from the southern region of the Yucatan peninsula located in Northern Guatemala, the region of El Peten. Classical morphometry including principal component, discriminant, sexual dimorphism, and wing asymmetry was analyzed. San Luis Potosi and Veracruz populations were indistinguishable while clearly separate from Yucatan and Peten populations. Despite important genetic differences, Yucatan and Peten populations were highly similar. Yucatan specimens were the smallest in size, while females were larger than males in all populations. Only head characters were necessary to distinguish population level differences, although wing fluctuating asymmetry was present in all populations. These results are discussed in light of recent findings suggesting genetic polymorphism in most populations of Triatoma dimidiata south of Chiapas to Ecuador.

Schistogram changes after administration of antischistosomal drugs in mice at the early phase of Schistosoma mansoni infection

Mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni were treated with oxamniquine, praziquantel, artesunate at the pre-patent phase, aiming at observing schistogram alterations. Half of the animals were perfused five days post-treatment for counting and classification of immature worms, based on pre-established morphological criteria (schistogram); the remaining animals were evaluated 42 or 100 days after infection and perfusion of the portal-system was performed for collection and counting of adult worms and oogram. It was observed that oxamniquine and artesunate treatment administered at the pre-postural phase causes significant reduction in the number of immature and adult worms. However, there was little reduction with praziquantel when used at the dose of 400 mg/kg for treatments administered 14, 15, 21 or 23 days post-infection. Artesunate was responsible for significant alterations in development of young worms, as well as for a higher number of worms presenting intestinal damages. Immature adult worms were detected in mice treated with artesunate or oxamniquine at the pre-patent phase of infection and recovered by perfusion 100 days after infection. Schistogram proved to be a very useful tool for experimental evaluation of the activity of antischistosomal drugs and a good model to identify the most sensitive stages to drugs.

Heterozigosidade e assimetria do número de hâmulos em operárias adultas de Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Heterozygosity and hammuli number asymmetry in adult workers of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Relationship between individual heterozygosity at particular loci (Mdh-1, Hk-1 ou Pgm-1) or average heterozygosity of the colony and asymmetry of the hammuli number of right and left wings was verified on adult workers of five Africanized and five European colonies of Apis mellifera. Our results demonstrated the importance of statistical tests to verify the type of asymmetry of the character studied and they did not validate the assumption that uni or multiloci heterozygosity has a positive effect on developmental stability.

Residence advantage in heterospecific territorial disputes of Erythrodiplax Brauer species (Odonata, Libellulidae)

Residence advantage in heterospecific territorial disputes of Erythrodiplax Brauer species (Odonata, Libellulidae). Territories are the outcome of interactions determining where and how long individuals settle. To odonate species, aggressive disputes are not so common since the outcome can be predetermined by advantages such as residency, age, and body size. However, it is possible to predict that at heterospecific disputes, larger body-sized or more aggressive species have some profits overcoming these individual advantages, generating patterns of species hierarchy. Here, I studied the aggressiveness of five Erythrodiplax species (Odonata, Libellulidae) during territorial disputes and verified if larger body-sized species are more aggressive than smaller ones or if the residence advantage prevails on the heterospecific disputes. Larger species were not more aggressive than smaller ones and winners of intra- and interspecific territorial disputes were defined mainly by the residence. So, the residence advantage between heterospecific opponents appears to prevail over any other asymmetry among these species. This pattern may occur because, despite the territorial behaviour in dragonfly males, heterospecific disputes may not increment male reproductive success because it may not increase their access to females.

Are larger and/or more symmetrical Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera, Drosophilidae) males more successful in matings in nature?

Are larger and/or more symmetrical Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera, Drosophilidae) males more successful in matings in nature? Sexual selection in Drosophila melanogaster, related to body size and fluctuating asymmetry in wing length and number of sex comb teeth in males, was tested in natural conditions. Males collected in copula were significantly larger than those collected as a single, while no difference in mean number of sex comb teeth between copulating and single males was observed. On the other hand, single males had greater asymmetry both for wing length and number of sex comb teeth than their mating counterparts. It looks like that symmetry of these bilateral traits also may play a role in sexual selection in this dipteran species in nature.

Register of a gynandromorph of Euglossa pleosticta Dressler (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Register of a gynandromorph of Euglossa pleosticta (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Here we provide a description of a gynandromorph of Euglossa pleosticta with partial bilateral phenotypic asymmetry. The specimen was collected by cineol baittrap at Parque Estadual São Camilo, a conservation unit in western Paraná. The bee has mostly a female phenotype, except by the right half of its head, including the presence of 11 flagellomeres, ivory markings on scape and parocular area, by the pilosity of the right galea, and by deformed male characteristics on mid and hind tibiae of right legs.