Alterações de fluxos sanguíneos cerebrais regionais (FSCr) avaliados através de SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) em pacientes com câncer de mama submetidas à quimioterapia adjuvante

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Infusão contínua de propofol ou de etomidato em cães normocapneicos: efeitos intracranianos e hemodinâmicos

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

Glioma misto em um cão: relato de caso

Intracranial neoplasms are common causes of neurological disorders in middle-aged and elderly dogs. With the feasibility of computed tomography, it is now possible to determine the extent and exact location of brain tumors, identifying them ante mortem in dogs and cats. This paper aims to report the occurrence of a mixed glioma in a Boxer dog examined at the Veterinary Hospital of Unesp, Botucatu Campus. The animal presented with a brain syndrome of acute onset and progressive course. CT scan showed the presence of a mass in the right cerebral hemisphere extending from the frontal to the parietal region and involving the basal ganglia. Given the gravity of the neurological disorder, the owner chose to perform euthanasia. Microscopic analysis of the mass allowed the diagnosis of mixed glioma.

Using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale to Predict Dysphagia in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose: Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a common manifestation in acute stroke. Aspiration resulting from difficulties in swallowing is a symptom that should be considered due to the frequent occurrence of aspiration pneumonia that could influence the patient's recovery as it causes clinical complications and could even lead to the patient's death. The early clinical evaluation of swallowing disorders can help define approaches and avoid oral feeding, which may be detrimental to the patient. This study aimed to create an algorithm to identify patients at risk of developing dysphagia following acute ischemic stroke in order to be able to decide on the safest way of feeding and minimize the complications of stroke using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NHISS). Methods: Clinical assessment of swallowing was performed in 50 patients admitted to the emergency unit of the University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke, within 48 h after the beginning of symptoms. Patients, 25 females and 25 males with a mean age of 64.90 years (range 26-91 years), were evaluated consecutively. An anamnesis was taken before the patient's participation in the study in order to exclude a prior history of deglutition difficulties. For the functional assessment of swallowing, three food consistencies were used, i.e. pasty, liquid and solid. After clinical evaluation, we concluded whether there was dysphagia. For statistical analysis we used the Fisher exact test, verifying the association between the variables. To assess whether the NIHSS score characterizes a risk factor for dysphagia, a receiver operational characteristics curve was constructed to obtain characteristics for sensitivity and specificity. Results: Dysphagia was present in 32% of the patients. The clinical evaluation is a reliable method of detection of swallowing difficulties. However, the predictors of risk for the swallowing function must be balanced, and the level of consciousness and the presence of preexisting comorbidities should be considered. Gender, age and cerebral hemisphere involved were not significantly associated with the presence of dysphagia. NIHSS, Glasgow Coma Scale, and speech and language changes had a statistically significant predictive value for the presence of dysphagia. Conclusions: The NIHSS is highly sensitive (88%) and specific (85%) in detecting dysphagia; a score of 12 may be considered as the cutoff value. The creation of an algorithm to detect dysphagia in acute ischemic stroke appears to be useful in selecting the optimal feeding route while awaiting a specialized evaluation. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel

Isolated Rosai-Dorfman disease of intracranial meninges

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a non-neoplastic proliferative histiocytic disorder that primarily affects lymph nodes (sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy). Primary RDD of the central nervous system is most uncommon. We report on a 35-year-old man with isolated RDD of the meninges overlying the left cerebral hemisphere. Presenting signs and symptoms included severe progressive ipsilateral headaches of 4 months duration, as well as laboratory evidence of mild non-specific systemic inflammatory reaction. On magnetic resonance imaging, the lesion was seen as a contrast-enhancing, plaque-like thickening of the dura mater over the left convexity,without impinging on adjacent bone or cerebral parenchyma. Meningeal biopsy revealed a mixed mononuclear infiltrate dominated by CD68(+), S100(+), CD1a(-) non-Langerhans type histiocytes on a background of fibrosis. Bacteria, in particular mycobacteria, and fungi were excluded with special stains. Extensive clinical workup, encompassing computed tomography of thoracal and abdominal organs, bone marrow biopsy, and bronchoalveolar lavage failed to reveal any extracranial involvement. Laboratory tests for autoimmunity, including C- and P-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, antinuclear antibody, and serum rheumatoid factor, were negative. Methylprednisolone therapy induced complete remission of symptoms, with the neuroradiologic status remaining unchanged on follow-up after 2 months. We discuss the complex clinicopathologic differential diagnosis and therapeutic issues of this rare condition. While the correct diagnosis of central nervous system RDD is unlikely to be established without invasive procedures (biopsy), a conservative therapeutic approach may be considered a legitimate option.

Wavelet-denoising of electroencephalogram and the absolute slope method: a new tool to improve electroencephalographic localization and lateralization

OBJECTIVE: In ictal scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) the presence of artefacts and the wide ranging patterns of discharges are hurdles to good diagnostic accuracy. Quantitative EEG aids the lateralization and/or localization process of epileptiform activity. METHODS: Twelve patients achieving Engel Class I/IIa outcome following temporal lobe surgery (1 year) were selected with approximately 1-3 ictal EEGs analyzed/patient. The EEG signals were denoised with discrete wavelet transform (DWT), followed by computing the normalized absolute slopes and spatial interpolation of scalp topography associated to detection of local maxima. For localization, the region with the highest normalized absolute slopes at the time when epileptiform activities were registered (>2.5 times standard deviation) was designated as the region of onset. For lateralization, the cerebral hemisphere registering the first appearance of normalized absolute slopes >2.5 times the standard deviation was designated as the side of onset. As comparison, all the EEG episodes were reviewed by two neurologists blinded to clinical information to determine the localization and lateralization of seizure onset by visual analysis. RESULTS: 16/25 seizures (64%) were correctly localized by the visual method and 21/25 seizures (84%) by the quantitative EEG method. 12/25 seizures (48%) were correctly lateralized by the visual method and 23/25 seizures (92%) by the quantitative EEG method. The McNemar test showed p=0.15 for localization and p=0.0026 for lateralization when comparing the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: The quantitative EEG method yielded significantly more seizure episodes that were correctly lateralized and there was a trend towards more correctly localized seizures. SIGNIFICANCE: Coupling DWT with the absolute slope method helps clinicians achieve a better EEG diagnostic accuracy.

Temporal lobe white matter asymmetry and language laterality in epilepsy patients.

Recent studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have advanced our knowledge of the organization of white matter subserving language function. It remains unclear, however, how DTI may be used to predict accurately a key feature of language organization: its asymmetric representation in one cerebral hemisphere. In this study of epilepsy patients with unambiguous lateralization on Wada testing (19 left and 4 right lateralized subjects; no bilateral subjects), the predictive value of DTI for classifying the dominant hemisphere for language was assessed relative to the existing standard-the intra-carotid Amytal (Wada) procedure. Our specific hypothesis is that language laterality in both unilateral left- and right-hemisphere language dominant subjects may be predicted by hemispheric asymmetry in the relative density of three white matter pathways terminating in the temporal lobe implicated in different aspects of language function: the arcuate (AF), uncinate (UF), and inferior longitudinal fasciculi (ILF). Laterality indices computed from asymmetry of high anisotropy AF pathways, but not the other pathways, classified the majority (19 of 23) of patients using the Wada results as the standard. A logistic regression model incorporating information from DTI of the AF, fMRI activity in Broca's area, and handedness was able to classify 22 of 23 (95.6%) patients correctly according to their Wada score. We conclude that evaluation of highly anisotropic components of the AF alone has significant predictive power for determining language laterality, and that this markedly asymmetric distribution in the dominant hemisphere may reflect enhanced connectivity between frontal and temporal sites to support fluent language processes. Given the small sample reported in this preliminary study, future research should assess this method on a larger group of patients, including subjects with bi-hemispheric dominance.

Semantic, perceptual and number space: relations between category width and spatial processing.

Coarse semantic encoding and broad categorization behavior are the hallmarks of the right cerebral hemisphere's contribution to language processing. We correlated 40 healthy subjects' breadth of categorization as assessed with Pettigrew's category width scale with lateral asymmetries in perceptual and representational space. Specifically, we hypothesized broader category width to be associated with larger leftward spatial biases. For the 20 men, but not the 20 women, this hypothesis was confirmed both in a lateralized tachistoscopic task with chimeric faces and a random digit generation task; the higher a male participant's score on category width, the more pronounced were his left-visual field bias in the judgement of chimeric faces and his small-number preference in digit generation ("small" is to the left of "large" in number space). Subjects' category width was unrelated to lateral displacements in a blindfolded tactile-motor rod centering task. These findings indicate that visual-spatial functions of the right hemisphere should not be considered independent of the same hemisphere's contribution to language. Linguistic and spatial cognition may be more tightly interwoven than is currently assumed.

A INFLUÊNCIA DAS PRÁTICAS PEDAGÓGICAS DOCENTES E DAS BARREIRAS DISCENTES SOBRE O DESENVOLVIMENTO DA CRIATIVIDADE DO FUTURO ADMINISTRADOR

As empresas que almejam garantir e melhorar sua posição dentro de em um mercado cada vez mais competitivo precisam estar sempre atualizadas e em constante evolução. Na busca contínua por essa evolução, investem em projetos de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento (P&D) e em seu capital humano para promover a criatividade e a inovação organizacional. As pessoas têm papel fundamental no desenvolvimento da inovação, mas para que isso possa florescer de forma constante é preciso comprometimento e criatividade para a geração de ideias. Criatividade é pensar o novo; inovação é fazer acontecer. Porém, encontrar pessoas com essas qualidades nem sempre é tarefa fácil e muitas vezes é preciso estimular essas habilidades e características para que se tornem efetivamente criativas. Os cursos de graduação podem ser uma importante ferramenta para trabalhar esses aspectos, características e habilidades, usando métodos e práticas de ensino que auxiliem no desenvolvimento da criatividade, pois o ambiente ensino-aprendizagem pesa significativamente na formação das pessoas. O objetivo deste estudo é de identificar quais fatores têm maior influência sobre o desenvolvimento da criatividade em um curso de graduação em administração, analisando a influência das práticas pedagógicas dos docentes e as barreiras internas dos discentes. O referencial teórico se baseia principalmente nos trabalhos de Alencar, Fleith, Torrance e Wechsler. A pesquisa transversal de abordagem quantitativa teve como público-alvo os alunos do curso de Administração de uma universidade confessional da Grande São Paulo, que responderam 465 questionários compostos de três escalas. Para as práticas docentes foi adaptada a escala de Práticas Docentes em relação à Criatividade. Para as barreiras internas foi adaptada a escala de Barreiras da Criatividade Pessoal. Para a análise da percepção do desenvolvimento da criatividade foi construída e validada uma escala baseada no referencial de características de uma pessoa criativa. As análises estatísticas descritivas e fatoriais exploratórias foram realizadas no software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), enquanto as análises fatoriais confirmatórias e a mensuração da influência das práticas pedagógicas e das barreiras internas sobre a percepção do desenvolvimento da criatividade foram realizadas por modelagem de equação estrutural utilizando o algoritmo Partial Least Squares (PLS), no software Smart PLS 2.0. Os resultados apontaram que as práticas pedagógicas e as barreiras internas dos discentes explicam 40% da percepção de desenvolvimento da criatividade, sendo as práticas pedagógicas que exercem maior influencia. A pesquisa também apontou que o tipo de temática e o período em que o aluno está cursando não têm influência sobre nenhum dos três construtos, somente o professor influencia as práticas pedagógicas.

Ectopic bone morphogenetic proteins 5 and 4 in the chicken forebrain lead to cyclopia and holoprosencephaly

Proper dorsal–ventral patterning in the developing central nervous system requires signals from both the dorsal and ventral portions of the neural tube. Data from multiple studies have demonstrated that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and Sonic hedgehog protein are secreted factors that regulate dorsal and ventral specification, respectively, within the caudal neural tube. In the developing rostral central nervous system Sonic hedgehog protein also participates in ventral regionalization; however, the roles of BMPs in the developing brain are less clear. We hypothesized that BMPs also play a role in dorsal specification of the vertebrate forebrain. To test our hypothesis we implanted beads soaked in recombinant BMP5 or BMP4 into the neural tube of the chicken forebrain. Experimental embryos showed a loss of the basal telencephalon that resulted in holoprosencephaly (a single cerebral hemisphere), cyclopia (a single midline eye), and loss of ventral midline structures. In situ hybridization using a panel of probes to genes expressed in the dorsal and ventral forebrain revealed the loss of ventral markers with the maintenance of dorsal markers. Furthermore, we found that the loss of the basal telencephalon was the result of excessive cell death and not a change in cell fates. These data provide evidence that BMP signaling participates in dorsal–ventral patterning of the developing brain in vivo, and disturbances in dorsal–ventral signaling result in specific malformations of the forebrain.

Subdivisions of auditory cortex and processing streams in primates

The auditory system of monkeys includes a large number of interconnected subcortical nuclei and cortical areas. At subcortical levels, the structural components of the auditory system of monkeys resemble those of nonprimates, but the organization at cortical levels is different. In monkeys, the ventral nucleus of the medial geniculate complex projects in parallel to a core of three primary-like auditory areas, AI, R, and RT, constituting the first stage of cortical processing. These areas interconnect and project to the homotopic and other locations in the opposite cerebral hemisphere and to a surrounding array of eight proposed belt areas as a second stage of cortical processing. The belt areas in turn project in overlapping patterns to a lateral parabelt region with at least rostral and caudal subdivisions as a third stage of cortical processing. The divisions of the parabelt distribute to adjoining auditory and multimodal regions of the temporal lobe and to four functionally distinct regions of the frontal lobe. Histochemically, chimpanzees and humans have an auditory core that closely resembles that of monkeys. The challenge for future researchers is to understand how this complex system in monkeys analyzes and utilizes auditory information.

Selective attention to stimulus location modulates the steady-state visual evoked potential.

Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) were recorded from the scalp of human subjects who were cued to attend to a rapid sequence of alphanumeric characters presented to one visual half-field while ignoring a concurrent sequence of characters in the opposite half-field. These two-character sequences were each superimposed upon a small square background that was flickered at a rate of 8.6 Hz in one half-field and 12 Hz in the other half-field. The amplitude of the frequency-coded SSVEP elicited by either of the task-irrelevant flickering backgrounds was significantly enlarged when attention was focused upon the character sequence at the same location. This amplitude enhancement with attention was most prominent over occipital-temporal scalp areas of the right cerebral hemisphere regardless of the visual field of stimulation. These findings indicate that the SSVEP reflects an enhancement of neural responses to all stimuli that fall within the "spotlight" of spatial attention, whether or not the stimuli are task-relevant. Recordings of the SSVEP provide a new approach for studying the neural mechanisms and functional properties of selective attention to multi-element visual displays.

Bi-sensory, striped representations: comparative insights from owl and platypus

Bi-sensory striped arrays are described in owl and platypus that share some similarities with the other variant of bi-sensory striped array found in primate and carnivore striate cortex: ocular dominance columns. Like ocular dominance columns, the owl and platypus striped systems each involve two different topographic arrays that are cut into parallel stripes, and interdigitated, so that higher-order neurons can integrate across both arrays. Unlike ocular dominance stripes, which have a separate array for each eye, the striped array in the middle third of the owl tectum has a separate array for each cerebral hemisphere. Binocular neurons send outputs from both hemispheres to the striped array where they are segregated into parallel stripes according to hemisphere of origin. In platypus primary somatosensory cortex (SI), the two arrays of interdigitated stripes are derived from separate sensory systems in the bill, 40,000 electroreceptors and 60,000 mechanoreceptors. The stripes in platypus SI cortex produce bimodal electrosensory-mechanosensory neurons with specificity for the time-of-arrival difference between the two systems. This thunder-and-lightning system would allow the platypus to estimate the distance of the prey using time disparities generated at the bill between the earlier electrical wave and the later mechanical wave caused by the motion of benthic prey. The functional significance of parallel, striped arrays is not clear, even for the highly-studied ocular dominance system, but a general strategy is proposed here that is based on the detection of temporal disparities between the two arrays that can be used to estimate distance. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A INFLUÊNCIA DAS PRÁTICAS PEDAGÓGICAS DOCENTES E DAS BARREIRAS DISCENTES SOBRE O DESENVOLVIMENTO DA CRIATIVIDADE DO FUTURO ADMINISTRADOR

As empresas que almejam garantir e melhorar sua posição dentro de em um mercado cada vez mais competitivo precisam estar sempre atualizadas e em constante evolução. Na busca contínua por essa evolução, investem em projetos de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento (P&D) e em seu capital humano para promover a criatividade e a inovação organizacional. As pessoas têm papel fundamental no desenvolvimento da inovação, mas para que isso possa florescer de forma constante é preciso comprometimento e criatividade para a geração de ideias. Criatividade é pensar o novo; inovação é fazer acontecer. Porém, encontrar pessoas com essas qualidades nem sempre é tarefa fácil e muitas vezes é preciso estimular essas habilidades e características para que se tornem efetivamente criativas. Os cursos de graduação podem ser uma importante ferramenta para trabalhar esses aspectos, características e habilidades, usando métodos e práticas de ensino que auxiliem no desenvolvimento da criatividade, pois o ambiente ensino-aprendizagem pesa significativamente na formação das pessoas. O objetivo deste estudo é de identificar quais fatores têm maior influência sobre o desenvolvimento da criatividade em um curso de graduação em administração, analisando a influência das práticas pedagógicas dos docentes e as barreiras internas dos discentes. O referencial teórico se baseia principalmente nos trabalhos de Alencar, Fleith, Torrance e Wechsler. A pesquisa transversal de abordagem quantitativa teve como público-alvo os alunos do curso de Administração de uma universidade confessional da Grande São Paulo, que responderam 465 questionários compostos de três escalas. Para as práticas docentes foi adaptada a escala de Práticas Docentes em relação à Criatividade. Para as barreiras internas foi adaptada a escala de Barreiras da Criatividade Pessoal. Para a análise da percepção do desenvolvimento da criatividade foi construída e validada uma escala baseada no referencial de características de uma pessoa criativa. As análises estatísticas descritivas e fatoriais exploratórias foram realizadas no software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), enquanto as análises fatoriais confirmatórias e a mensuração da influência das práticas pedagógicas e das barreiras internas sobre a percepção do desenvolvimento da criatividade foram realizadas por modelagem de equação estrutural utilizando o algoritmo Partial Least Squares (PLS), no software Smart PLS 2.0. Os resultados apontaram que as práticas pedagógicas e as barreiras internas dos discentes explicam 40% da percepção de desenvolvimento da criatividade, sendo as práticas pedagógicas que exercem maior influencia. A pesquisa também apontou que o tipo de temática e o período em que o aluno está cursando não têm influência sobre nenhum dos três construtos, somente o professor influencia as práticas pedagógicas.

ANALISANDO A RELAÇÃO DOS VOLUMES DE EXPORTAÇÃO E DE IMPORTAÇÃO, PIB, TAXAS DE CÂMBIO E INFLAÇÃO NO PERÍODO DE 2004 A 2014. SÃO BERNARDO DO CAMPO 2015

As empresas que almejam garantir e melhorar sua posição dentro de em um mercado cada vez mais competitivo precisam estar sempre atualizadas e em constante evolução. Na busca contínua por essa evolução, investem em projetos de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento (P&D) e em seu capital humano para promover a criatividade e a inovação organizacional. As pessoas têm papel fundamental no desenvolvimento da inovação, mas para que isso possa florescer de forma constante é preciso comprometimento e criatividade para a geração de ideias. Criatividade é pensar o novo; inovação é fazer acontecer. Porém, encontrar pessoas com essas qualidades nem sempre é tarefa fácil e muitas vezes é preciso estimular essas habilidades e características para que se tornem efetivamente criativas. Os cursos de graduação podem ser uma importante ferramenta para trabalhar esses aspectos, características e habilidades, usando métodos e práticas de ensino que auxiliem no desenvolvimento da criatividade, pois o ambiente ensino-aprendizagem pesa significativamente na formação das pessoas. O objetivo deste estudo é de identificar quais fatores têm maior influência sobre o desenvolvimento da criatividade em um curso de graduação em administração, analisando a influência das práticas pedagógicas dos docentes e as barreiras internas dos discentes. O referencial teórico se baseia principalmente nos trabalhos de Alencar, Fleith, Torrance e Wechsler. A pesquisa transversal de abordagem quantitativa teve como público-alvo os alunos do curso de Administração de uma universidade confessional da Grande São Paulo, que responderam 465 questionários compostos de três escalas. Para as práticas docentes foi adaptada a escala de Práticas Docentes em relação à Criatividade. Para as barreiras internas foi adaptada a escala de Barreiras da Criatividade Pessoal. Para a análise da percepção do desenvolvimento da criatividade foi construída e validada uma escala baseada no referencial de características de uma pessoa criativa. As análises estatísticas descritivas e fatoriais exploratórias foram realizadas no software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), enquanto as análises fatoriais confirmatórias e a mensuração da influência das práticas pedagógicas e das barreiras internas sobre a percepção do desenvolvimento da criatividade foram realizadas por modelagem de equação estrutural utilizando o algoritmo Partial Least Squares (PLS), no software Smart PLS 2.0. Os resultados apontaram que as práticas pedagógicas e as barreiras internas dos discentes explicam 40% da percepção de desenvolvimento da criatividade, sendo as práticas pedagógicas que exercem maior influencia. A pesquisa também apontou que o tipo de temática e o período em que o aluno está cursando não têm influência sobre nenhum dos três construtos, somente o professor influencia as práticas pedagógicas.