Gamma-band oscillations in fronto-central areas during performance of a sensorimotor integration task: A qEEG coherence study

This study aimed to elucidate electrophysiological and cortical mechanisms involved in anticipatory actions when 23 healthy right-handed subjects had to catch a free falling object by qEEG gamma-band (30-100 Hz). It is involved in cognitive processes, memory, spatial/temporal and proprioceptive factors. Our hypothesis is that an increase in gamma coherence in frontal areas will be observed during moment preceding ball drop, due to their involvement in attention, planning, selection of movements, preparation and voluntary control of action and in central areas during moment after ball drop, due to their involvement in motor preparation, perception and execution of movement. However, through a paired t-test, we found an increase in gamma coherence for F3-F4 electrode pair during moment preceding ball drop and confirmed our hypothesis for C3-C4 electrode pair. We conclude that gamma plays an important role in reflecting binding of several brain areas in a complex motor task as observed in our results. Moreover, for selection of movements, preparation and voluntary control of action, motor preparation, perception and execution of movement, the integration of somatosensory and visual information is mandatory. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alpha- and gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormones in obesity. A study of the key central areas of metabolic regulation

The melanocortin system is an important regulator of feeding, energy metabolism,and cardiovascular function and it consists of the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) derived melanocyte stimulating hormones (α-, β- and γ-MSH) and their endogenous melanocortin receptors, MC1R to MC5R. In the hypothalamus, α-MSH reduces food intake, and increases energy expenditure and sympathetic tone by binding to MC4R. Mutations affecting the MC4R gene lead to obesity in mammals. On the other hand, the metabolic effects of MC3R stimulation using agonists such as the endogenously expressed γ-MSH have been less extensively explored. The main objective of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of increased melanocortin tone in key areas of metabolic regulation in the central nervous system (CNS) in order to investigate the sitespecific roles of both α-MSH and γ-MSH. The aim was to stereotaxically induce local overexpression of single melanocortin peptides using lentiviral vectors expressing α-MSH (LVi-α-MSH-EGFP) and γ-MSH (LVi-γ-MSH-EGFP). The lentiviral vectors were shown to produce a long-term overexpression and biologically active peptides in cell-based assays. The LVi-α-MSHEGFP was targeted to the arcuate nucleus in the hypothalamus of diet induced obese mice where it reduced weight gain and adiposity independently of food intake. When the nucleus tractus solitarus in the brainstem was targeted, the LVi-α-MSH-EGFP treatment was shown to cause a small decrease in adiposity, which did not impact weight development. However, the α-MSH treatment increased heart rate, which was attenuated by adrenergic receptor blockade indicative of increased sympathetic activity. The LVi-γ-MSH-EGFP was targeted to the hypothalamus where it decreased fat mass in mice eating the standard diet, but the effect was abated if animals consumed a high-fat Western type diet. When the diet induced obese mice were subjected again to the standard diet, the LVi-γ-MSH-EGFP treated animals displayed increased weight loss and reduced adiposity. These results indicate that the long-term central anti-obesity effects of α-MSH are independent of food intake. In addition, overexpression of α-MSH in the brain stem efficiently blocked the development of adiposity, but increased sympathetic tone. The evidence presented in this thesis also indicates that selective MC3R agonists such as γ-MSH could be potential therapeutics in combination with low fat diets.

Effects of photoperiod and feeding regimes on Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and Agouti-related Protein (AgRP) expression in central areas of senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis

In the present study, we have tried to expand our knowledge about the endocrine mechanisms that regulate feeding and growth in cultured fish, which could be relevant for the improvement of fish farming conditions and feeding strategies. In order to reach this goal, we have investigated some orexigenic hormones, Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the paralogues of Agouti-related protein, (AgRP1, AgRP2) in Solea senegalensis, an important species for Mediterranean aquaculture. We focused on hormones synchronization to different feeding regimes (diurnal vs nocturnal and random feeding) and photoperiod (light-dark cycle vs constant darkness). Therefore, the achieved results could also be relevant from a chronobiological perspective. Solea senegalensis specimen were reared in two different photoperiods, i.e.LD Light-Dark conditions as well as in DD conditions (constant darkness) along with different feeding regimes (fed at ML, Med and RND times), so to determine if mRNA expression of orexigenic hormones (NPY, AgRP1 and AgRP2) are entrained by feeding time and/or photoperiod. Our results show an independence of npy mRNA expression from the feeding time and suggest an endogenous control of npy expression in telencephalon of sole, while in optice tectum, npy expression could be entrained by the light-dark cycle. Our results on Senegalese sole AgRP1 and AgRP2 showed the same pattern of expression, indicating that expression of AgRPs is related to photoperiod in optic tectum, instead to feeding time. However the involvement of AgRP1 and AgRP2 in feeding behaviour should not be discarded in sole, as further research will be carried out with specimens maintained under different fasting conditions. our results reinforce the role of the telencephalon as the main neural area involved in the neuroendocrine control of food intake in fish, where endogenous NPY rhythms have been found, while diencephalon statistical variations weren’t observed suggesting that this brain area could be less involved in the neuroendocrine control of food intake in fish than previously thought.

Effects of bariatric surgery on the central nervous system and eating behavior in humans: a systematic review on the neuroimaging studies

INTRODUCTION: Neuroimaging studies suggest that obese people might show hyperactivity of brain areas regarding reward processing, and hypoactivity of brain areas concerning cognitive control, when exposed to food cues. Although the effects of bariatric surgery on the central nervous system and eating behavior are well known, few studies have used neuroimage techniques with the aim of investigating the central effects of bariatric surgery in humans. OBJECTIVES: This paper systematically and critically reviews studies using functional neuroimaging to investigate changes on the patterns of activation of central areas related to the regulation of eating behavior after bariatric surgery. METHOD: A search on the databases Medline, Web of Science, Lilacs and Science Direct on Line, was conducted in February 2013, using the keywords "Neuroimaging", "Positron-Emission Tomography", "Magnetic Resonance Imaging", "Gastric Bypass", "Gastroplasty", "Jejunoileal Bypass", "Bariatric Surgery". RESULTS: Seven manuscripts were included; the great majority studied the central effects of Roux en Y gastric bypass, using positron emission tomography or functional magnetic resonance. CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric surgery might normalize the activity of central areas concerned with reward and incentive salience processing, as the nucleus accumbens and mesencephalic tegmental ventral area, as well as circuitries processing behavioral inhibition, as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Cardiovascular and autonomic modulation by the central nervous system after aerobic exercise training

The autonomic nervous system plays a key role in maintaining homeostasis under normal and pathological conditions. The sympathetic tone, particularly for the cardiovascular system, is generated by sympathetic discharges originating in specific areas of the brainstem. Aerobic exercise training promotes several cardiovascular adjustments that are influenced by the central areas involved in the output of the autonomic nervous system. In this review, we emphasize the studies that investigate aerobic exercise training protocols to identify the cardiovascular adaptations that may be the result of central nervous system plasticity due to chronic exercise. The focus of our study is on some groups of neurons involved in sympathetic regulation. They include the nucleus tractus solitarii, caudal ventrolateral medulla and the rostral ventrolateral medulla that maintain and regulate the cardiac and vascular autonomic tonus. We also discuss studies that demonstrate the involvement of supramedullary areas in exercise training modulation, with emphasis on the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, an important area of integration for autonomic and neuroendocrine responses. The results of these studies suggest that the beneficial effects of physical activity may be due, at least in part, to reductions in sympathetic nervous system activity. Conversely, with the recent association of physical inactivity with chronic disease, these data may also suggest that increases in sympathetic nervous system activity contribute to the increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Increased implantation and pregnancy rates obtained by placing the tip of the transfer catheter in the central area of the endometrial cavity

The influence of endometrial cavity length (ECL) on implantation and pregnancy rates after 400 embryo transfers was studied prospectively in a population with the indication of IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The tip of the transfer catheter was placed above or below the half point of the ECL in a randomized manner. Two analyses were performed: (i) absolute position (AP); embryo transfers were divided into three groups according to the distance between the end of the fundal endometrial surface and the catheter tip (DTC - distance tip catheter): AP 1 (n = 212), 10-15 mm; AP 2 (n = 158), 16-20 mm; and AP 3 (n = 30), ≥21 mm. (ii) relative position (RP) - embryo transfers were divided into four groups according to their RP [RP = (DTC/ECL) × 100]: RP 1 (n = 23), ≤40%; RP 2 (n = 177), 41-50%; RP 3 (n = 117), 51-60%; and RP 4 (n = 83), ≥61%. Analysis based on relative distance revealed significantly higher implantation and pregnancy rates (P < 0.05) in more central areas of the ECL. However, analysis based on absolute position did not reveal any difference. In conclusion, the present results demonstrated that implantation and pregnancy rates are influenced by the site of embryo transfer, with better results being obtained when the catheter tip is positioned close to the middle area of the endometrial cavity. In this respect, previous analysis of the ECL is the fundamental step in establishing the ideal site for embryo transfers.

Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) on plants of the central region of the Brazilian cerrado

Four surveys of Phytoseiidae species associated with native plants were conducted in ten fragments of Cerrado sensu stricto to determine the species associated with the plants of this region. Twelve of the most common plant species were sampled in each fragment. Twenty six phytoseiid species were recorded during the surveys. Stryphnodendron adstringens was the host plant that had the highest number of species (eight species). Amblyseius neochiapensis Lofego, Moraes and McMurtry 2000 and Neoseiulus tunus (De Leon) 1967 were the most common phytoseiid species. These species occurred on 24 and 20 host species, respectively. Approximately 76 % of the phytoseiids found belonged to the subfamily Amblyseiinae Muma, 1961. Almost 27 % of phytoseiid species recorded were associated with only one plant species. In addition, approximately two thirds of species found in this study also occur in the Atlantic Forest. The comparison of our results from the central areas with previous surveys in peripheral areas of the Cerrado showed that only 12 phytoseiid species were common to both areas.

Reestruturação urbana e transformações na área central em cidades médias: o caso de São José do Rio Preto - SP

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Importance of the central nucleus of the amygdala on sodium intake caused by deactivation of lateral parabrachial nucleus

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

Historia holocena de los pinares montanos de los sistemas Central y Cantábrico: Un objetivo con dos enfoques, biogeográfico y dendroecológico

Los estudios paleoecológicos holocenos basados en macro- y megafósiles encierran un gran valor debido a que su información tiene generalmente carácter local, su origen es conocido, pueden ser datados directamente mediante el método radiocarbónico, y pueden identificarse a un nivel taxonómicamente preciso. Sin embargo son pocas las áreas del Sur de Europa en las que sea conocida una alta densidad de yacimientos con restos leñosos de gran tamaño. En esta tesis, se presentan datos de 53 yacimientos de la sierra de Gredos y de la cordillera Cantábrica (Península Ibérica). Los restos fueron hallados en ambientes variados, como zonas higroturbosas, turberas erosionadas o lagos, y fueron identificadas mediante el estudio de la anatomía de la madera o mediante rasgos morfológicos. En la sierra de Gredos, la evidencia paleobotánica indica la existencia de un panorama relativamente estable a lo largo del Holoceno medio y principio del Holoceno final y sugiere la persistencia, a lo largo de milenios, de un piso de pinares ampliamente distribuído en cotas altas de la sierra. La información obtenida de piñas y frutos mejoran la información taxonómica disponible y revelan la existencia tanto de Pinus sylvestris como de Pinus nigra en estas sierras durante el Holoceno. La datación radiocarbónica, medición de anillos de crecimiento y sincronización preliminar de 26 secciones de troncos de subfósiles demuestran el potencial de este material de las montañas de Iberia central en la obtención de cronologías holocenas de pino. En la cordillera Cantábrica, los datos aportan información espacialmente precisa de distribuciones de ciertas especies arbóreas durante el Holoceno. En las zonas centrales de la cordillera, han sido hallados fundamentalmente restos de pino, mientras que en las zonas más occidentales los pinos estás ausentes y los restos encontrados corresponden a otras especies de caducifolios (Betula, Salix, Quercus) y arbustos (Erica, Fabaceae) Esta información paleobiogeográfica constrasta con la distribución natural actual de Pinus sylvestris y Pinus nigra en el área de estudio. En la sierra de Gredos, la naturalidad de las escasos rodales de pinos que aún persisten ha sido discutida, mientras que en la cordillera Cantábrica, la única especie del grupo que persiste es P. sylvestris y está localizada en unos pocos relictos. El clima pudo haber jugado un papel importante en una primera fase de declive de los pinares durante el Holoceno inicial, mostrado en numerosos registros polínicos de manera casi sincrónica y asociada a una expansión de frondosas. Sin embargo la información histórica disponible y la comparación entre las áreas de distribución de los pinares en el presente, modelizada y en momentos anteriores a la la generalización de la presión antrópica sugiere que durante los últimos dos milenios, la actividad humana ha sido responsable de la desaparición de estas especies como árboles naturales en áreas extensas. ABSTRACTMacro- and megafossil studies provide information of great value in palaeoecology because such evidence is spatially precise, directly radiocarbon dated and usually taxon-specific. However, few areas of southern Europe have a high density of sites with Holocene woody remains. Here, local data from 53 sites in the Gredos Mountains and the Cantabrian Range (Iberian Peninsula) is presented. Woody remains were recovered from mires, eroded peat bogs and lakes and were identified by their wood anatomy or morphological traits. In the Gredos Mountains, palaeobotanical evidence portrays a relatively stable picture of tree distribution over the mid- and beggining of the late-Holocene, and suggests the persistence of a widespread belt of pinewoods. Cones and fruits enlarge the taxonomic information available and reveal that both Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra were present locally during the Holocene. Radiocarbon dating, tree ring measurement and preliminary cross-dating of 26 pine sub-fossil logs demonstrate the potential of obtaining a long pine chronology from subfossil wood from the mountains of Central Iberia. In the Cantabrian Range the data provide spatially precise evidence of tree distribution in the region during the Holocene. Pines were mostly identified in the central areas, whereas at the western edge no pine evidence was detected and deciduous trees (Betula, Salix, Quercus) and shrubs (Erica, Fabaceae) were identified. This palaeoecological information contrasts with the current natural distribution ranges of P. sylvestris and P. nigra in the study area. In the Gredos Mountains, the naturality of the few pine stands currently growing has been heavily debated. In the Cantabrian Range P. sylvestris is the only pine species that is today present, and its natural presence is now limited to a few enclaves. Climate may have played a key role in the early-Holocene, as pollen archives document a pine demise that is synchronous with the spread of broadleaved taxa. However, available historical data and the comparison of the reconstructed distribution of pinewoods before extensive human forest disturbance with both present and modelled distributions suggests that during the last two millennia, anthropogenic activity may have removed these species as native trees from a large territory.

Fitossociologia de um Cerrado denso em área de influência de torre de fluxo de carbono, Pé-de-Gigante, Parque Estadual de Vassununga, SP

O domínio do Cerrado compreende uma área contínua nos estados centrais do Brasil e áreas disjuntas em outros estados, incluindo São Paulo. Essa vegetação ocupava originalmente 21% do território brasileiro, restando atualmente apenas 21,6% de sua extensão original. A área recoberta por essa vegetação em São Paulo cobria 14% de sua área total e seus remanescentes recobrem menos de 1% da ocorrência original dessa vegetação. Estudos recentes indicam que o valor da produtividade líquida no Cerrado Pé-de-Gigante (SP) constitui um pequeno dreno de carbono e indicou que a sazonalidade foi o fator determinante do valor observado. Os estudos dos fluxos de carbono em ecossistemas terrestres são raramente acompanhados de abordagens ecofisiológicas de modo a explorar a relação funcional das espécies que compõem o ecossistema e os valores líquidos obtidos para o mesmo. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar estruturalmente a vegetação presente na área de maior influência da torre de fluxo instalada no Cerrado Pé-de-Gigante, visando possibilitar estudos relacionados à quantificação em longo prazo da dinâmica dos fluxos de água, energia e CO2 na vegetação de Cerrado. Para isso foram levantadas 20 parcelas (10 x 10 m) em 0,2 ha de Cerrado, e amostraram-se todas as plantas com perímetro ao nível do solo >6 cm (exceto lianas e árvores mortas). A distribuição das classes de diâmetro e estrutura vertical, assim como os parâmetros fitossociológicos foram analisados. Encontramos 1451 indivíduos, distribuídos em 85 espécies, 52 gêneros e 31 famílias. A densidade absoluta e área basal foram de 7255 ind. ha-1 e de 7,9 m².ha-1, respectivamente. A família Leguminosae apresentou o maior número de espécies (13). O Índice de diversidade de Shannon (H') foi 3,27 nats.ind-1. A distribuição em classes de diâmetro mostrou uma curva de "J" invertido, estando a maioria dos indivíduos na primeira classe. Concluímos que a área deve ser classificada como Cerrado denso, devido principalmente à dominância pela espécie arbórea Anadenanthera falcata, cuja ocorrência no estado foi relatada apenas em locais com solos ricos em saturação de bases na região das Cuestas Basálticas, devido também à maior área basal dos indivíduos, comparando com outros fragmentos de Cerrado. Além da espécie citada, Myrcia lingua e Xylopia aromatica, apresentaram os maiores IVI (Valor de importância).

Spatial distribution of dengue in the city of Cruzeiro, São Paulo State, Brazil: use of geoprocessing tools

The aim of this article is to identify patterns in spatial distribution of cases of dengue fever that occurred in the municipality of Cruzeiro, State of São Paulo, in 2006. This is an ecological and exploratory study using the tools of spatial analysis in the preparation of thematic maps with data from Sinan-Net. An analysis was made by area, taking as unit the IBGE census, the analysis included four months in 2006 which show the occurrence of the disease in the city. The thematic maps were constructed by TerraView 3.3.1 software, the same software provided the values of the indicators of Global Moran (I M) every month and the Kernel estimation. In the year 2006, 691 cases of dengue were georeferenced (with a rate of 864.2 cases/100,000 inhabitants); the indicators of Moran and p-values obtained were I M = 0.080 (March) p = 0.11; I M = 0.285 (April) p = 0.01; I M = 0.201 (May) p = 0.01 and I M = 0.002 (June) p = 0.57. The first cases were identified in the Northeast and Central areas of Cruzeiro and the recent cases, in the North, Northeast and Central. It was possible to identify census tracts where the epidemic began and how it occurred temporally and spatially in the city.

Regeneração urbana de centros históricos : o caso do Alentejo Litoral

As problemáticas do espaço urbano têm suscitado uma maior atenção nos últimos anos. Após uma época de crescimento que levou à expansão das cidades para a periferia, a crise financeira afectou o sector imobiliário e permitiu um novo despertar para as questões de regeneração e reabilitação das áreas centrais das cidades. É aqui realizada uma reflexão à Regeneração Urbana e seus conceitos associados, particularmente no que concerne à sua aplicação em Centros Históricos. É feita uma retrospectiva às políticas de intervenção urbana nos Centros Históricos portugueses e são analisadas três intervenções diferentes no âmbito do programa Parcerias para a Regeneração Urbana que tiveram lugar no Alentejo Litoral, mais concretamente nas cidades de Alcácer do Sal, Santiago do Cacém e Sines.

In situ stromal expression of the urokinase/plasmin system correlates with epithelial dysplasia in colorectal adenomas.

An increase of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and a decrease of tissue-type PA (tPA) have been associated with the transition from normal to adenomatous colorectal mucosa. Serial sections from 25 adenomas were used to identify PA-related caseinolytic activities by in situ zymography, blocking selectively uPA or tPA. The distribution of uPA, tPA, and type 1 PA inhibitor mRNAs was investigated by nonradioactive in situ hybridization, and the receptor for uPA was detected by immunostaining. Low- and high-grade epithelial cell dysplasia was mapped histologically. Results show that 23 of 25 adenomas expressed uPA-related lytic activity located predominantly in the periphery whereas tPA-related activity was mainly in central areas of adenomas. In 15 of 25 adenomas, uPA mRNA was expressed in stromal cells clustered in foci that coincided with areas of uPA lytic activity. The probability of finding uPA mRNA-reactive cells was significantly higher in areas with high-grade epithelial dysplasia. uPA receptor was mainly stromal and expressed at the periphery. Type 1 PA inhibitor mRNA cellular expression was diffuse in the stroma, in endothelial cells, and in a subpopulation of alpha-smooth muscle cell actin-reactive cells. These results show that a stromal up-regulation of the uPA/plasmin system is associated with foci of severe dysplasia in a subset of colorectal adenomas.