Avaliação dos efeitos do extrato de Passiflora cincinnata Masters em camundongos: efeito na ansiedade e potencial neuroprotetor

Anxiety disorders and Parkinson’s disease (PD) affect a large portion of the world population. Indeed, therapeutic alternatives available do not contribute to improve most clinical conditions and/or are linked with undesirable side effects. Thus, there is a great demand for the development of new drugs to treatment of these diseases. Passiflora cincinnata Mast. is a native species present in several Brazilian states, popularly known as “maracujá do mato”, “maracujá tubarão” or “maracujá mochila”. Additionally, species of Passiflora genus are traditionally known for their exotic flowers, edible fruits with pronounced flavor and for their sedative, tranquilizer and anxiolytic properties reported by folk medicine. These plants possess important organic compounds such as phenols, cyanogenic glycosides, flavonoids and alkaloids, which are responsible for the anxiolytic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic, among others activities when tested in mammals. Despite this fact, only a few studies have been conducted to investigate the possible in vivo biological effects of Passiflora cincinnata Mast extracts. Thereby, in this study we evaluated the effects of the alcoholic extract of this plant in anxiety and PD animal model. Mice acutely or chronically administered with ethanolic extract of P. cincinnata do not showed any anxiogenic- or anxyolitic-like effect in elevated plus maze (EPM). In order to reproduce PD symptom’s in mice, we administered repeated injections of reserpine which progressively induced motor impairments such as increase in catalepsy, oral movements, and reduction of the average speed of the animals in the open field, as well as depleted dopamine prodution in SNpc cells. Furthermore, this treatment resulted in the loss of aversive memory recall in mice when undergoing PMDAT. Yet, passiflora group also show this amnesic profile. However, animals treated concomitantly with the alcoholic extract of Passiflora cincinnata Mast. showed higher latency for the onset of motor impairment evaluated by catalepsy. Thus, our results shows that the alcoholic extract of the plant P. cincinnata was able to delay the onset of the catalepsy induced by reserpine administration, plus reverted the depletion of dopamine production in SNpc cells.

Desenvolvimento de um exoesqueleto para movimentação/reabilita-ção de paraplégicos

People bedridden by paralysis/motor disability are subject to several problems due to lack of movement. Then, it is necessary to use equipments that enable the people bedridden stand up and walk, so as to reduce the problems due to lack of movement and the time of rehabilitation, impacting directly on its quality of life. The aim of this work is the development of an exoskeleton to make the movement of people with paralysis / motor impairment in the lower limbs, without help of third parties, to be activated by the user. To provide support, stability and security to the deficient, it was decided to use a structure formed by four legs, being each leg consisting of a parallel chain. The gait was obtained by combining the movement of two mechanisms: crank/rocker, responsible for oscillatory motion of the leg, and cam/follower, responsible for the foot motion on the desired trajectory. To achieve the aim of this work was conducted a study about the types of exoskeletons for locomotion/rehabilitation of people with lower limb paralysis and presented a study on the movement of the lower limb joints. It also presented a mathematical model to obtain the desired path to the foot of the exoskeleton, the static model and the design of the structure elements. In the sequence is presented the simulation of movements of a people during the human gait, experimental tests and the comparison with the human gait developed by a people without disabilities.

Fadiga e conforto do quadricípite femoral gerados por estimulação eléctrica neuromuscular com modulação da forma de onda

Mestrado em Fisioterapia

Atividade física e saúde:benefícios de um programa combinado de exercício com visualização mental em doentes com Parkinson

Projeto de Investigação apresentado para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Psicologia do Desporto e do Exercício

Atividade física e saúde:benefícios de um programa combinado de exercício com visualização mental em doentes com Parkinson

Projeto de Investigação apresentado para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Psicologia do Desporto e do Exercício

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in experimental stroke and its effects on infarct size and functional outcome: a systematic review

Background Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) shows promise as a treatment for stroke. This systematic review assesses G-CSF in experimental ischaemic stroke. Methods Relevant studies were identified with searches of Medline, Embase and PubMed. Data were extracted on stroke lesion size, neurological outcome and quality, and analysed using Cochrane Review Manager using random effects models; results are expressed as standardised mean difference (SMD) and odds ratio (OR). Results Data were included from 19 publications incorporating 666 animals. G-CSF reduced lesion size significantly in transient (SMD -1.63, p<0.00001) but not permanent (SMD -1.56, p=0.11) focal models of ischaemia. Lesion size was reduced at all doses and with treatment commenced within 4 hours of transient ischaemia. Neurological deficit (SMD -1.37, p=0.0004) and limb placement (SMD -1.88, p=0.003) improved with G-CSF; however, locomotor activity (>4 weeks post ischaemia) was not (SMD 0.76, p=0.35). Death (OR 0.27, p<0.0001) was reduced with G-CSF. Median study quality was 4 (range 0-7/8); Egger’s test suggested significant publication bias (p=0.001). Conclusions G-CSF significantly reduced lesion size in transient but not permanent models of ischaemic stroke. Motor impairment and death were also reduced. Further studies assessing dose-response, administration time, length of ischaemia and long-term functional recovery are needed.

Desordem coordenativa no desenvolvimento (DCD): Incidência em crianças do concelho de Santarém e influência na dinâmica do equilíbrio estático unipedal

As crianças que apresentam uma função motora significativamente abaixo da sua idad cronológica, com comprometimento motor, que interfere significativamente com as atividade da vida diária, o qual não esteja relacionado com uma condição médica, são diagnosticada com tendo “desordem coordenativa no desenvolvimento” (DCD) (APA, 1994). Pretendemos realizar um despiste de crianças com provável DCD e em risco de DCD nos jardin de infância do concelho de Santarém, analisar a prevalência de lateralidade, bem com analisar o padrão de equilíbrio nestas crianças. Foi empregue a banda 1 do teste MABC-2 (Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2) e método de análise de recorrência (RQA) (Riley, Balasubramaniam, & Turvey, 1999). A nossa amostra foi constituída por 239 crianças e apresentou uma percentagem de 8,4 crianças com provável DCD, mostrou que a maior incidência recaí nos rapazes, 65%. Est mesmo grupo, crianças com provável DCD, é o que apresenta maior número de sinistrómana com uma percentagem de 7,7% para os rapazes e de 28,6% nas raparigas. A criança com provável DCD, no somatório da pontuação da bateria de testes MABC-2 criança apresenta-se como provável DCD, no entanto quando foi avaliada apenas no teste d equilíbrio não manifestou problemas.

Desordem coordenativa no desenvolvimento (DCD): Incidência em crianças do concelho de Santarém e influência na dinâmica do equilíbrio estático unipedal

As crianças que apresentam uma função motora significativamente abaixo da sua idad cronológica, com comprometimento motor, que interfere significativamente com as atividade da vida diária, o qual não esteja relacionado com uma condição médica, são diagnosticada com tendo “desordem coordenativa no desenvolvimento” (DCD) (APA, 1994). Pretendemos realizar um despiste de crianças com provável DCD e em risco de DCD nos jardin de infância do concelho de Santarém, analisar a prevalência de lateralidade, bem com analisar o padrão de equilíbrio nestas crianças. Foi empregue a banda 1 do teste MABC-2 (Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2) e método de análise de recorrência (RQA) (Riley, Balasubramaniam, & Turvey, 1999). A nossa amostra foi constituída por 239 crianças e apresentou uma percentagem de 8,4 crianças com provável DCD, mostrou que a maior incidência recaí nos rapazes, 65%. Est mesmo grupo, crianças com provável DCD, é o que apresenta maior número de sinistrómana com uma percentagem de 7,7% para os rapazes e de 28,6% nas raparigas. A criança com provável DCD, no somatório da pontuação da bateria de testes MABC-2 criança apresenta-se como provável DCD, no entanto quando foi avaliada apenas no teste d equilíbrio não manifestou problemas.

Investigation of language and motor skills in Serbian speaking children with specific language impairment and in typically developing children

Specific language impairment (SLI) is usually defined as a developmental language disorder which does not result from a hearing loss, autism, neurological and emotional difficulties, severe social deprivation, low non-verbal abilities. Children affected with SLI typically have difficulties with the acquisition of different aspects of language and by definition, their impairment is specific to language and no other skills are affected. However, there has been a growing body of literature to suggest that children with SLI also have non-linguistic deficits, including impaired motor abilities. The aim of the current study is to investigate language and motor abilities of a group of thirty children with SLI (aged between 4 and 7) in comparison to a group of 30 typically developing children matched for chronological age. The results showed that the group of children with SLI had significantly more difficulties on the language and motor assessments compared to the control group. The SLI group also showed delayed onset in the development of all motor skills under investigation in comparison to the typically developing group. More interestingly, the two groups differed with respect to which language abilities were correlated with motor abilities, however Imitation of Complex Movements was the unique skill which reliably predicted expressive vocabulary in both typically developing children and in children with SLI.

More severe functional impairment in dementia with Lewy bodies than Alzheimer disease is related to extrapyramidal motor dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to compare functional impairments in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer disease (AD) and their relationship with motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms. METHODS The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of 84 patients with DLB or AD in a secondary care setting. Patients were diagnosed according to published criteria for DLB and AD. The Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADLS) was used to assess functional impairments. Participants were also assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (motor section), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and the Mini-Mental Status Examination. RESULTS Patients with DLB were more functionally impaired and had more motor and neuropsychiatric difficulties than patients with AD with similar cognitive scores. In both AD and DLB, there were correlations between total BADLS scores and motor and neuropsychiatric deficits. There was more impairment in the mobility and self-care components of the BADLS in DLB than in AD, and in DLB, these were highly correlated with UPDRS score. In AD, orientation and instrumental BADLS components were most affected. CONCLUSION The nature of functional disability differs between AD and DLB with additional impairments in mobility and self-care in DLB being mainly attributable to extrapyramidal motor symptoms. Consideration of these is important in assessment and management. Activities of daily living scales for use in this population should attribute the extent to which functional disabilities are related to cognitive, psychiatric, or motor dysfunction.

Perfil antropometrico e desempenho fisico-motor de crianças e jovens com deficiencia visual participantes do atletismo nos 1. Jogos Escolares da Confederação Brasileira de Desportos para Cegos

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Prenatal lipopolysaccharide reduces motor activity after an immune challenge in adult male offspring

Prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure causes reproductive, behavioral and neurochemical injuries in both the mother and pups. Previous investigations by our group showed that prenatal LPS administration (100 mu g/kg, i.p.) on gestational day 9.5 impaired the male offspring`s social behavior in infancy and adulthood. In the present study, we investigated whether these social behavioral changes were associated with motor activity impairment. Male rat pups treated prenatally with LPS or not were tested for reflexological development and open field general activity during infancy. In adulthood, animals were tested for open field general activity, haloperidol-induced catalepsy and apomorphine-induced stereotypy; striatal dopamine levels and turnover were also measured. Moreover, LPS-treated or untreated control pups were challenged with LPS in adulthood and observed for general activity in the open field. In relation to the control group, the motor behavior of prenatally treated male pups was unaffected at basal levels, both in infancy and in adulthood, but decreased general activity was observed in adulthood after an immune challenge. Also, striatal dopamine and metabolite levels were decreased in adulthood. In conclusion, prenatal LPS exposure disrupted the dopaminergic system involved with motor function, but this neurochemical effect was not accompanied by behavioral impairment, probably due to adaptive plasticity processes. Notwithstanding, behavioral impairment was revealed when animals were challenged with LPS, resulting in enhanced sickness behavior. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crianças com défices no controlo motor: contributo para a elaboração do core set da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF)

A CIF é um sistema de classificação adotado pela OMS, que serve de referência universal para descrever, avaliar e medir saúde e incapacidade, a nível individual e ao nível da população. Contudo, apesar do interesse internacional gerado em torno da CIF, esta é considerada uma classificação complexa e extensa, fato que despoletou a criação de core sets – listas de itens da CIF especificamente selecionados pela sua relevância na descrição e qualificação de uma determinada condição de saúde – como resposta a esta problemática. Até à data, foram desenvolvidos core sets para várias patologias comuns. Contudo, apesar do controlo motor ser uma área de investigação muito reconhecida nos últimos 20 anos, ainda não possui um core set próprio. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo é contribuir para o desenvolvimento de um core set, com base na CIF-CJ, dirigido para uma descrição abrangente das competências inerentes a crianças, dos 6 aos 18 anos de idade, com défices no controlo motor. Deste modo, recorreu-se a uma revisão da literatura sobre a temática em estudo, de modo a reunir informação para a construção de uma proposta a core set, posteriormente sujeita ao escrutínio de peritos, através do recurso ao método de Delphi. Após várias rondas, foi alcançado um consenso acerca da lista final de códigos CIF que constituem o core set final.

Avaliação por fMRI do córtex visual, motor e auditivo através de estimulação sensoriomotora e sonora em desportistas invisuais e desportistas sem deficiência visual

Mestrado em Radiações Aplicadas às Tecnologias da Saúde - Ramo de especialização: Imagem por Ressonância Magnética

Exploring motor neuron degeneration in ALS - prevention by glycoursodeoxycholic acid and signaling to microglia

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Genética Molecular e Biomedicina