Administration of hCG on the seventh day after initiation of estrus may circumvent negative effects of cervical relaxation protocol in sheep: Preliminary results.

Cervical relaxation with association of estradiol benzoate, cloprostenol and oxytocin allows a cervical transposition and embryo collection in sheep by the non-surgical method (Fonseca et al., Theriogenology, 86: 144-151, 2016). However, in recipients, the use of this protocol becomes impracticable due to the use of cloprostenol, which is a luteolytic agent. Sheep are known to form accessory luteal bodies after hCG administration seven days after the onset of estrus (Castro et al., Anim. Reprod., 12: 148, 2015). Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a cervical relaxation protocol in embryo recipient ewes without compromising future gestation. The data were presented in a descriptive way. Thirteen ewes were observed in estrus out of 24 females submitted to the synchronization protocol. The pregnancy rate were 75.0% (3/4) in G1, 0.0% in G2 (0/5) and 50.0% in G3 (2/4). Preliminary results suggest that the association of estradiol benzoate and oxytocin may compromise the onset of pregnancy and that the use of hCG at the end of the protocol in D7 can circumvent partially these negative effects, allowing the establishment of pregnancy

Hyperbaric oxygen prevents early death caused by experimental cerebral malaria

Background: Cerebral malaria (CM) is a syndrome characterized by neurological signs, seizures and coma. Despite the fact that CM presents similarities with cerebral stroke, few studies have focused on new supportive therapies for the disease. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy has been successfully used in patients with numerous brain disorders such as stroke, migraine and atherosclerosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: C57BL/6 mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) were exposed to daily doses of HBO (100% O-2, 3.0 ATA, 1-2 h per day) in conditions well-tolerated by humans and animals, before or after parasite establishment. Cumulative survival analyses demonstrated that HBO therapy protected 50% of PbA-infected mice and delayed CM-specific neurological signs when administrated after patent parasitemia. Pressurized oxygen therapy reduced peripheral parasitemia, expression of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-10 mRNA levels and percentage of gamma delta and alpha beta CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes sequestered in mice brains, thus resulting in a reduction of blood-brain barrier (BBB)dysfunction and hypothermia. Conclusions/Significance: The data presented here is the first indication that HBO treatment could be used as supportive therapy, perhaps in association with neuroprotective drugs, to prevent CM clinical outcomes, including death39CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPsem informaçãosem informação2004/00638-

Effects of two d-cloprostenol administrations given at different intervals on estrus and ovulation in cyclic dairy goats.

Abstract: Goats are seasonal breeders depending on breed and latitude. Among the hormonal methods used in controlled reproduction programs, there are those that mimic the activity of the corpus luteum and those that inhibit it. Prostaglandin (PGF2?) fits the latter, with the advantage of having a better cost-benefit, since it is cheaper and more natural method, as it has fewer side effects than progestin devices. In addition, the literature is incipient regarding follicular and ovulatory data in goats subjected to PGF2? or its analogues. This study aimed to check in dairy goats the efficiency of estrus synchronization treatment using two doses of d-cloprostenol administered in different intervals, during the natural breeding season. The results quoted above suggest that the administration of dcloprostenol in cyclic dairy goats can efficiently synchronize estrus and ovulation and this fact encourages further studies using these protocols in association with Fixed Time Artificial Insemination in goats. [Efeitos de duas administrações de d-cloprostenol feitas em diferentes intervalos no estro e na ovulação em cabras leiteiras cíclicas].Edição dos resumos do XXIII Congresso Brasileiro de Reprodução Animal, Gramado, RS, Brasil, 15 a 17 de maio 2019

Altered Effective Connectivity Network of the Amygdala in Social Anxiety Disorder: A Resting-State fMRI Study

The amygdala is often found to be abnormally recruited in social anxiety disorder (SAD) patients. The question whether amygdala activation is primarily abnormal and affects other brain systems or whether it responds “normally” to an abnormal pattern of information conveyed by other brain structures remained unanswered. To address this question, we investigated a network of effective connectivity associated with the amygdala using Granger causality analysis on resting-state functional MRI data of 22 SAD patients and 21 healthy controls (HC). Implications of abnormal effective connectivity and clinical severity were investigated using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Decreased influence from inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) to amygdala was found in SAD, while bidirectional influences between amygdala and visual cortices were increased compared to HCs. Clinical relevance of decreased effective connectivity from ITG to amygdala was suggested by a negative correlation of LSAS avoidance scores and the value of Granger causality. Our study is the first to reveal a network of abnormal effective connectivity of core structures in SAD. This is in support of a disregulation in predescribed modules involved in affect control. The amygdala is placed in a central position of dysfunction characterized both by decreased regulatory influence of orbitofrontal cortex and increased crosstalk with visual cortex. The model which is proposed based on our results lends neurobiological support towards cognitive models considering disinhibition and an attentional bias towards negative stimuli as a core feature of the disorder

Segurança do paciente no uso de medicamentos após a alta hospitalar: estudo exploratório1

No Brasil, são escassos os estudos sobre estratégias para a segurança do paciente no processo de uso de medicamentos após a alta hospitalar, o que dificulta o conhecimento sobre a atuação de hospitais brasileiros nessa área. Neste artigo, buscou-se compreender a dinâmica e os desafios do cuidado fornecido ao paciente pela equipe hospitalar, visando à segurança no processo de uso de medicamentos após a alta hospitalar. Realizou-se pesquisa exploratória por meio de entrevistas com médicos, enfermeiros, farmacêuticos e assistentes sociais do Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo. Foram pesquisadas as atividades de cuidado com a farmacoterapia durante e após a hospitalização, incluindo o acesso a medicamentos após alta, a existência de articulação do hospital com outros serviços de saúde, e barreiras para desenvolver essas atividades. A principal estratégia adotada é a orientação de alta, realizada de forma estruturada, principalmente para cuidadores de pacientes pediátricos. Em situações específicas, ocorre mobilização da equipe para viabilização do acesso a medicamentos prescritos na alta. Reconciliação medicamentosa está em fase de implantação, e visita domiciliar é realizada apenas para pacientes críticos com problemas de locomoção. As principais barreiras identificadas foram insuficiência de recursos humanos e falta de tecnologias de informação. Conclui-se que são desenvolvidas algumas estratégias, porém com limitações e sem articulação adequada com outros serviços de saúde para a continuidade do cuidado. Isto sugere a necessidade de concentração de esforços para transpor as barreiras identificadas, contribuindo para a segurança do paciente na interface entre hospital, atenção básica e domicílio