Performance humana: contribuição para o estudo da influência de um agente de stress e de substâncias psicoactivas nas funções psicomotoras

Universidade de Extremadura

Teste do desenho da figura humana: validação e aferição do sistema de Wechsler à população portuguesa “madeirense”

O desenho da figura humana é um tipo de desenho realizado espontaneamente pelas crianças de diferentes culturas. Este pode ser encarado como medida não verbal da maturidade conceptual da criança. Ao longo dos tempos, na tentativa de construir um instrumento mais eficaz, vários autores desenvolveram diferentes sistemas de avaliação do Teste do Desenho da Figura Humana (TDFH). Assim, o objectivo desta investigação consiste na aferição e validação do TDFH à população portuguesa madeirense, utilizando o sistema de avaliação de Solange Wechsler (2003). Este teste propõe a aplicação de dois desenhos, uma figura masculina e outra feminina, que são cotados independentemente ao longo de 18 itens e 17 itens subdivididos respectivamente. Neste estudo participaram 489 sujeitos, 50,3% do sexo masculino e 49,7% do sexo feminino, com idades compreendidas entre os 5 e os 13 anos de idade da Região Autónoma da Madeira no ano lectivo 2009/2010. Os resultados mostram diferenças significativas na forma de desenhar a figura humana, entre os sexos, as faixas etárias e os anos escolares. Assim, as raparigas apresentam valores superiores aos dos rapazes; à medida que a idade avança os valores obtidos aumentam; e por fim à medida que as crianças progridem na escolaridade os resultados são superiores. Verificou-se ainda que alunos de escolas públicas apresentam resultados mais elevados do que os alunos de escolas privadas, sendo que alunos de escolas rurais expressam valores superiores aos das escolas urbanas. Os dados do TDFH apresentaram correlações positivas significativas com os das Matrizes Progressivas Coloridas de Raven, bem como com as classificações de Português e Matemática. Ao nível da consistência interna, o instrumento apresenta alphas de Cronbach entre os 0,80 e os 0,924, o que lhe confere fiabilidade. Globalmente, o TDFH apresenta bons valores de validade mostrando ser uma boa medida desenvolvimental e conceptual.

Novas propriedades do SKTI (Inibidor de tripsina de soja): inibição para elastase neutrofílica humana e efeitos no processo de injúria pulmonar aguda

Seeds from legumes including the Glycine max are known to be a rich source of protease inhibitors. The soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (SKTI) has been well characterised and has been found to exhibit many biological activities. However its effects on inflammatory diseases have not been studied to date. In this study, SKTI was purified from a commercial soy fraction, enriched with this inhibitor, using anion exchange chromatography Resource Q column. The purified protein was able to inhibit human neutrophil elastase (HNE) and bovine trypsin. . Purified SKTI inhibited HNE with an IC50 value of 8 µg (0.3 nM). At this concentration SKTI showed neither cytotoxic nor haemolytic effects on human blood cell populations. SKTI showed no deleterious effects on organs, blood cells or the hepatic enzymes alanine amine transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) in mice model of acute systemic toxicity. Human neutrophils incubated with SKTI released less HNE than control neutrophils when stimulated with PAF or fMLP (83.1% and 70% respectively). These results showed that SKTI affected both pathways of elastase release by PAF and fMLP stimuli, suggesting that SKTI is an antagonist of PAF/fMLP receptors. In an in vivo mouse model of acute lung injury, induced by LPS from E. coli, SKTI significantly suppressed the inflammatory effects caused by elastase in a dose dependent manner. Histological sections stained by hematoxylin/eosin confirmed this reduction in inflammation process. These results showed that SKTI could be used as a potential pharmacological agent for the therapy of many inflammatory diseases

Simulador radiográfico antropomórfico de mama humana

Mammography is a diagnostic imaging method in which interpretation depends on knowledge of radiological aspects as well as the clinical exam and pathophysiology of breast diseases. In this work a mammography phantom was developed to be used for training in the operation of mammographic x-ray equipment, image quality evaluation, self-examination and clinical examination of palpation. Polyurethane was used for the production of the phantoms for its physical and chemical properties and because it is one of the components normally used in prostheses. According to the range of flexibility of the polyurethane, it was possible to simulate breasts with higher or lower amount of adipose tissue. Pathologies such as areolar necrosis and tissue rejection due to surgery reconstruction after partial mastectomy were also simulated. Calcifications and nodules were simulated using the following materials: polyethylene, poly (methyl methacrylate), polyamide, polyurethane and poly (dimethyl silicone). Among these, polyethylene was able to simulate characteristics of calcification as well as breast nodules. The results from mammographic techniques used in this paper for the evaluation of the phantoms are in agreement with data found in the literature. The image analyses of four phantoms indicated significant similarities with the human skin texture and the female breast parenchyma. It was possible to detect in the radiographic images produced regions of high and low radiographic optical density, which are characteristic of breasts with regions of different amount of adipose tissue. The stiffnesses of breast phantoms were adjusted according to the formulation of the polyurethane which enabled the production of phantoms with distinct radiographic features and texture similar to human female breast parenchyma. Clinical palpation exam of the phantoms developed in this work indicated characteristics similar to human breast in skin texture, areolar region and parenchyma

Determinantes envolvidos na resposta imune celular humana à infecção por Leishmania infantum chagasi

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a disease caused by protozoa of the Leishmania donovani complex, whose infection has clinical spectrum ranging from asymptomatic infection to active disease characterized by fever, cachexia, hepatosplenomegaly, and immunosuppression. The healing or protective immunity require an antigen-specific type 1. The Montenegro skin test (DTH) has been interpreted as a marker of protective immunity. However, there is no known correlation between the DTH response to type 1 and DTH and immunity of type 1 are maintained in the long term. Thus, a longitudinal study of 8 years, nested in a cohort family held in Brazil, documented the status of DTH and cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to antigen-specific stimulation. This study was the interdisciplinary approach of physicians, biochemists, nutritionists, veterinary medicine, biology and statistics. The results show that 46.2% of subjects were analyzed DTH positive at baseline. The prevalence of positive and DTH induration size increased with age (p = 0.0021). 15.7% of individuals positive DTH "retro-converted" the negative and 50.4% (64) of individuals negative DTH became positive. The size of DTH induration was correlated significantly with the antigen-induced production of IFN-γ (r = 0.6186, p = 0.0001). IL-6 was secreted at higher levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of individuals who "retro-converted" DTH positive to negative than individuals who remained stable DTH status (p = 0.005). Thus, IFN-γ produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells, may be a surrogate marker for protective immunity instead of the DTH response. In addition, differences in innate immune response may determine whether individuals maintain or eliminate the infection by Leishmania infantum chagasi in asymptomatic patients