Intervención cognitivo conductual para la reducción de la ansiedad en adolescentes de un centro psicológico privado

La adolescencia es una época de cambios a nivel físico, neurológico, cognitivo y conductual, considerada como una época de crisis, con mayor vulnerabilidad a desarrollar problemas de salud mental como la ansiedad. Esto supone consecuencias en los diversos planos de su vida, como bajo rendimiento académico, dificultades en habilidades sociales, baja autoestima, problemas familiares y mayor propensión a desarrollar trastornos depresivos. En el último año, los niveles altos de ansiedad han sido el problema más encontrado en el centro terapéutico a trabajar. Por consiguiente, se plantea un programa de intervención cognitivo conductual, en el cual participaron cinco adolescentes de 13 a 15 años de edad. Su objetivo fue reducir los niveles de ansiedad, a través de tres módulos, con un total de 14 sesiones. Se abordaron los síntomas fisiológicos, distorsiones cognitivas y conductas disfuncionales, enmarcándose en el modelo cognitivo de la ansiedad de Beck. Se ejecutaron tres sesiones, aplicando el Inventario de Ansiedad de Beck en la evaluación de línea base y de proceso. Los niveles de ansiedad se mantuvieron en un nivel moderado después de la ejecución de las sesiones; además, se encontraron descensos en los índices de malestar subjetivo (SUDS) al realizar las técnicas de respiración y relajación.Adolescence is a time of changes at physical, neurological, cognitive and behavioral level, considered as a time of crisis, with vulnerability to develop mental health problems such as anxiety. This implies consequences in various levels of their lives, such as poor academic performance, difficulties in social skills, low self-esteem, family problems and a greater propensity to develop depressive disorders. In the last year, high levels of anxiety have been the most common problem in the therapeutic center in which we worked. Therefore, a cognitive behavioral intervention program is proposed, in which five adolescents aged 13 to 15 years participated. Its objective was to reduce anxiety levels, through three modules, with a total of 14 sessions. Physiological symptoms, cognitive distortions and dysfunctional behaviors were addressed, being framed in Beck's cognitive model of anxiety. Three sessions were run, applying Beck's Anxiety Inventory in the baseline and process evaluation. Anxiety levels remained at a moderate level after the execution of the sessions; In addition, there were decreases in the rates of subjective discomfort (SUDS) when performing breathing and relaxation techniques

Eosinophilic Meningomyelitis Probably Associated with Toxoplasmosis in a Cat

Background: The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of healthy cats presents up to 5 cells/µL, with predominance of mononuclear cells and the presence of more than 1% eosinophils is rare and should always be considered an abnormal finding. There is no consensus on the term eosinophilic pleocytosis, as it is used to indicate the presence of more than 10 eosinophils/µL or more than 10% of the total neutrophils. The increase in eosinophils in the CSF may result from infectious, inflammatory, neoplastic and idiopathic diseases. The objective of this paper is to report a case of marked pleocytosis in CSF, with 84% eosinophils, probably due to toxoplasmosis, in a cat with paraparesis and diffuse spinal pain.Case: A mixed breed female cat, neutered, adult and domiciled in a rural area was presented due to gait abnormalities in the pelvic limbs that started one day before presentation. The general physical examination was unremarkable. On neurological examination it was observed asymmetric deficit of postural reactions in pelvic limbs, patellar reflex normal to increased and pain elicited on palpation of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Based on these findings, the neurological syndrome was classified as thoracolumbar, but with diffuse pain, and the main differential diagnoses were inflammatory/infectious and neoplastic diseases. The leukogram showed eosinophilia and the serum biochemistry showed no significant changes. Serological assays for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus were negative. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) identified marked pleocytosis with 84% eosinophils and increase in protein concentration. Myelography showed no compressive or expansive changes. Fungal culture for CSF cryptococcosis was negative. Serum immunofluorescence antibody titer for Toxoplasma gondii (IgG) was 1:256. There was a marked improvement after treatment with sulfametoxazole/trimethoprim and pyrimethamine and after 3 weeks of treatment, there was almost complete recovery of neurological signs and after 9 months the cat was neurologically normal.Discussion: The most common causes of acute-onset thoracolumbar spinal cord syndrome in cats, with diffuse pain on spinal palpation, are meningomyelitis of inflammatory/infectious origin, such as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and neoplasms such as lymphoma. Other meningomyelitis of inflammatory origin, such as infectious and immune-mediated meningomyelitis of unknown origin are considered uncommon in cats. Although the clinical, systemic and neurological signs of FIP and toxoplasmosis may have similarities, in the present case FIP was not considered responsible for the observed signs, as the evolution of the case and the analysis of the CSF tend to be different. The peripheral eosinophilia, the cytological analysis of the CSF, characterized by marked eosinophilic pleocytosis, associated with a positive titer for toxoplasmosis, good response to treatment and improvement in the neurological condition, with survival for more than 9 months after treatment, rules out the possibility of FIP. Neurological signs observed in the absence of systemic signs are more common in cases of protozoan reactivation, which probably occurred in the present case. The possibility of toxoplasmosis in the patient in this report was reinforced by the fact that the animal came from a rural area. Eosinophilia of CSF is most commonly associated with parasitic infections, although it can be caused by a variety of infectious agents, but in the cat of the present report, the marked eosinophilic pleocytosis was likely due to toxoplasmosis, which is a rare occurrence in this specie. In conclusion, toxoplasmosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of focal spinal cord lesions in cats. The identification of laboratory findings as well as the appropriate therapy favored the good evolution of the condition.Keywords: eosinophilic pleocytosis, feline, Toxoplasma gondii, cerebrospinal fluid.Descritores: pleocitose eosinofílica, felino, Toxoplasma gondii, líquido cerebroespinhal.

Metabolic Impact of Flavonoids Consumption in Obesity: From Central to Peripheral

The prevention and treatment of obesity is primary based on the follow-up of a healthy lifestyle, which includes a healthy diet with an important presence of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols. For many years, the health benefits of polyphenols have been attributed to their anti-oxidant capacity as free radical scavengers. More recently it has been described that polyphenols activate other cell-signaling pathways that are not related to ROS production but rather involved in metabolic regulation. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge in this field by focusing on the metabolic e ects of flavonoids. Flavonoids are widely distributed in the plant kingdom where they are used for growing and defensing. They are structurally characterized by two benzene rings and a heterocyclic pyrone ring and based on the oxidation and saturation status of the heterocyclic ring flavonoids are grouped in seven di erent subclasses. The present work is focused on describing the molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic impact of flavonoids in obesity and obesity-related diseases. We described the e ects of each group of flavonoids in liver, white and brown adipose tissue and central nervous system and the metabolic and signaling pathways involved on them

Forage Yields and Structure of Moringa oleifera cv Nicaragua at Different Cutting Frequencies

The effect of the cutting frequency (45 and 60 days) on the morphological and productive behavior of Moringa oleifera Lam vc Nicaragua with irrigation and organic fertilization, on little differentiated fluvisols in Cauto Valley, in 2012. A randomized block design with four repetitions was applied. The cutting frequency affected the morphological variables (P≤ 0.001), but not DM from leaves, stems, and total yields (P≥ 0.05). The cutting times for both frequencies predisposed great variability between the first (February-March) and the third (June-July) cuts. The best plant height values were achieved in 60 days (P≤0.001), in comparison to 45 days, whereas the number and thickness of leaves per shoots varied (P≤ 0.001) at different cutting times based on innate plant features, not on the cutting frequency. Leaf proportion was higher (P≤0.001) in the 45-day frequency, and the DM yields ha-1 from leaves and DM ha-1 only differed in the first 45-day cut, in comparison to the other averages within the same cutting frequency, and the 60-day cut. The structure and productive behavior of Moringa were influenced by the cutting frequencies and times, whereas the cutting frequency alone just modified the structural variables

Effect of Ecotype and Cutting Frequency on Forage Yields of Moringa oleifera Lam in the Cauto Valley

The study took place at the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages to evaluate the effect of the cut frequency (45 and 60 days) on forage yields of Moringa oleifera ecotypes Nicaragua and Criolla, with irrigation and organic fertilization, on fluvisol, in the Cauto Valley. A randomized block design with 2x2 factorial design and four replicas was used. The plants were cut 10 cm high from the ground, and variables plant height, shoot amount and thickness, number of leaves, leaf/stem ratio, total dry matter (DM) yields, and dry leaves and stems, were determined. Except for the number of shoots, all the variables were significant for the cutting frequency (P < 0.001). The number of leaves was the only variable with a difference for the ecotype factor (P < 0.05). The highest yields in total dry matter were achieved at 60 days (3.8 t.ha-1). However, the experiment only lasted 180 days with gradual reduction in production, caused by the competition between M. oleifera and invading graminaceae. The study concluded that the cutting frequency of 60 days produced increased yields of DM. However, the cutting height favored the presence of invading plants, with decreasing yields and sustainability of forage production

Estudio epidemiológico sociocultural de las prácticas frente al dolor en pacientes odontológicos de sector urbano vulnerable

157 p.Esta investigación busca comprender desde la epidemiología sociocultural cómo la cultura condiciona la experiencia del proceso salud-enfermedad de los sujetos, analizando la influencia de la información en la relación entre prácticas de salud bucodental y el dolor dental en pacientes odontológicos del Centro de Salud Familiar (CESFAM) Carlos Trupp de la ciudad de Talca y cómo influye ésta en la subvaloración de la salud bucodental y el acceso a la atención odontológica. Para esto se utilizó un enfoque epidemiológico sociocultural cualitativo, que considera el contexto social y la experiencia odontológica de los sujetos fundamentándose en la alta demanda de las atenciones dentales de urgencia en el país, las que tienen al dolor como principal motivo de consulta. En nuestro país, un gran porcentaje del conjunto de atenciones odontológicas, son realizadas en los centros de atención primaria de salud. La población de estudio se caracteriza por ser un sector social vulnerable en que los sujetos representan una población de riesgo y cuyo estudio podrá contribuir a disminuir las brechas sociales de atención en salud dental. MATERIALES Y MÉTODO: La estrategia metodológica cualitativa consideró un diseño exploratorio descriptivo que aplica entrevistas cualitativas semiestructuradas a una muestra intencionada de 24 usuarios que recibieron o reciben atención dental primaria, pertenecientes al CESFAM Carlos Trupp de la ciudad de Talca. El plan de análisis está basado en los principios de la Teoría Fundamentada de Glasser y Strauss. La validez del estudio está dada por la saturación empírica y la triangulación. Este considera explicar por cada objetivo, que es lo que interesa como información y para qué. RESULTADOS: 1) El dolor dental es un fenómeno de intensidad incomparable para los individuos. 2) El dolor dental impacta en la calidad de vida de quien lo padece. 3) El contexto sociocultural, en el que se desenvuelven los individuos, es un agente que dificulta el acceso al cuidado odontológico; miedo, mala calidad de la atención y altos costos. 4) Los individuos perciben que no se entrega suficiente información sobre el cuidado bucodental en el centro de salud donde acuden con frecuencia. 5) La información en salud bucodental es percibida como importante para mejorar el autocuidado y prevenir enfermedades bucodentales. 6) La falta de información es referida como un agente que promueve la subvaloración de las enfermedades orales. 7) Las enfermedades orales y la falta de cuidado dental son naturalizadas por los individuos. 8) Las enfermedades orales y el dolor dental son percibidos con menor severidad frente a las patologías no orales. 9) Los usuarios relatan la salud bucodental con una visión marcadamente estética.CONCLUSIÓN: La subvaloración de la salud bucodental en la sociedad está directamente relacionada con el contexto social de cada individuo, en donde la influencia de la información es determinante para una construcción social de una nueva visión de ella. Sin embargo, la instauración de la importancia de las patologías orales en las personas depende de nuevas políticas públicas ya sea en torno a la promoción, prevención o tratamiento oportuno, como también mejoramiento del acceso, para así aumentar la capacidad funcional y el bienestar de las personas. Palabras Claves: Dolor dental, conocimientos en salud bucodental, contexto cultural, prácticas de salud bucodental, acceso a la atención odontológica, género, epidemiologia sociocultural

Efecto del ecotipo y la frecuencia de corte en el rendimiento forrajero de Moringa oleifera Lam, en el Valle del Cauto

El estudio se realizó en la Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes, con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de la frecuencia de corte (45 y 60 días) en el rendimiento forrajero de los ecotipos Nicaragua y Criolla de Moringa oleifera, en condiciones de riego y fertilización orgánica, en un suelo fluvisol del Valle del Cauto. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques al azar con arreglo factorial 2 x 2, con cuatro réplicas. Las plantas se cortaron a 10 cm y se determinaron las variables altura de la planta, cantidad y grosor de brotes, número de hojas, relación hoja/tallo y los rendimientos de materia seca total (MS) y materia seca de hojas y tallos. Excepto la cantidad de brotes, todas las variables analizadas mostraron ser significativas para la frecuencia de corte (P < 0,001), y el número de hojas fue la única variable que mostró diferencia para el factor ecotipo (P < 0,05). Los mayores rendimientos de materia seca total se obtuvieron en la frecuencia de corte cada 60 días con 3,8 t.ha-1 pero debido a la competencia que se creó entre la M. oleifera y gramíneas invasoras, el experimento solo se extendió por 180 días con reducción paulatina de la productividad. Se concluye que la frecuencia de corte cada 60 días mostró mayores rendimientos de MS; sin embargo, la altura de corte empleada favoreció la presencia de plantas invasoras, lo que disminuyó los rendimientos y la sostenibilidad de producción de forrajes del cultivo. ABSTRACT The study took place at the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages to evaluate the effect of the cutting frequency (45 and 60 days) on forage yields of Moringa oleifera ecotypes Nicaragua and Criolla, with irrigation and organic fertilization, on fluvisol, on the Cauto Valley. A randomized block design with 2x2 factorial design and four replicas was used. The plants were cut 10 cm from the ground, and variables plant height, shoot amount and thickness, number of leaves, leaf/stem ratio, total dry matter (DM) yields, and dry leaves and stems, were determined. Except for the number of shoots, all the variables were significant for the cutting frequency (P < 0.001). The number of leaves was the only variable with a difference for the ecotype factor (P < 0.05). The greatest yields in total dry matter were achieved at 60 days (3.8 t.ha-1). However, the experiment only lasted 180 days with gradual reduction in pro-duction, caused by the competition between M. oleifera and invading graminaceae. The study concluded that the cutting frequency of 60 days produced increased yields of DM. However, the cutting height favored the presence of invading plants, with decreasing yields and sustainability of forage production.

Estructura y rendimiento forrajero de Moringa oleifera cv Nicaragua en diferentes frecuencias de corte

The effect of the cutting frequency (45 and 60 days) on Moringa oleifera Lam vc Nicaragua forage morphology and yields with irrigation and organic fertilization was studied on little differentiated fluvisols, in Cauto Valley, in 2012. A randomized block design with four repetitions was applied. The cutting frequency affected the morphological variables (P ≤ 0.001), but not DM from leaves, stems, and total yields (P ≥ 0.05). The cutting times for both frequencies predisposed great variability between the first (February-March) and the third (June-July) cuts. The best plant height values were achieved in 60 days (P ≤ 0.001), in comparison to the 45-day frequency, whereas the number, and thickness and number of leaves per shoots were variable (P ≤ 0.001) at different cutting times based on innate plant features and not the cutting frequency. Leaf proportion was higher (P ≤ 0.001) in the 45-day frequency; the DM yields ha-1 from leaves and DM ha-1 only differed in the first 45-day cut, in comparison to the other averages within the same cutting frequency and the 60-day cut. The cutting frequencies and times had a significant influence on the structural and productive behavior of Moringa, whereas the cutting frequency alone only modified the structural variables.Se evaluó el efecto de la frecuencia de corte (45 y 60 días) en el comportamiento morfológico y productivo de Moringa oleifera Lam cv Nicaragua, en condiciones de riego y fertilización orgánica en un suelo Fluvisol poco diferenciado del Valle del Cauto, durante 2012. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques al azar con cuatro réplicas. La frecuencia de corte afectó las variables morfológicas (P ≤ 0,001), pero no los rendimientos de MS de hojas, tallos y total (P ≥ 0,05). Los momentos en que se efectuaron los cortes en ambas frecuencias predispusieron gran variabilidad entre el primero (febrero-marzo) y el tercero (junio-julio), en 60 días se obtuvieron los mayores valores de altura de la planta (P ≤ 0,001) con respecto a los 45 días; mientras que el número, grosor y número de hojas por brotes se mostraron variables (P ≤ 0,001) en los diferentes momentos del corte en función de características intrínsecas de la planta y no de la frecuencia de corte. La proporción de hojas se mantuvo superior (P ≤ 0,001) en la frecuencia de 45 días, y el rendimiento de MS ha-1 de hojas y MS ha-1 solo difirieron en el primer corte de 45 días, respecto al resto de los promedios de esta misma frecuencia de corte y a los de 60 días. Las frecuencias de corte y el momento en que se realiza intervienen significativamente en el comportamiento estructural y productivo de la Moringa; mientras que la frecuencia de corte de forma independiente solo modifica las variables estructurales

Expression analysis and in silico characterization of intronic long noncoding RNAs in renal cell carcinoma: emerging functional associations

Abstract Background Intronic and intergenic long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging gene expression regulators. The molecular pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still poorly understood, and in particular, limited studies are available for intronic lncRNAs expressed in RCC Methods Microarray experiments were performed with custom-designed arrays enriched with probes for lncRNAs mapping to intronic genomic regions. Samples from 18 primary RCC tumors and 11 nontumor adjacent matched tissues were analyzed. Meta-analyses were performed with microarray expression data from three additional human tissues (normal liver, prostate tumor and kidney nontumor samples), and with large-scale public data for epigenetic regulatory marks and for evolutionarily conserved sequences. Results A signature of 29 intronic lncRNAs differentially expressed between RCC and nontumor samples was obtained (false discovery rate (FDR) <5%). A signature of 26 intronic lncRNAs significantly correlated with the RCC five-year patient survival outcome was identified (FDR <5%, p-value ≤0.01). We identified 4303 intronic antisense lncRNAs expressed in RCC, of which 22% were significantly (p <0.05) cis correlated with the expression of the mRNA in the same locus across RCC and three other human tissues. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of those loci pointed to 'regulation of biological processes’ as the main enriched category. A module map analysis of the protein-coding genes significantly (p <0.05) trans correlated with the 20% most abundant lncRNAs, identified 51 enriched GO terms (p <0.05). We determined that 60% of the expressed lncRNAs are evolutionarily conserved. At the genomic loci containing the intronic RCC-expressed lncRNAs, a strong association (p <0.001) was found between their transcription start sites and genomic marks such as CpG islands, RNA Pol II binding and histones methylation and acetylation. Conclusion Intronic antisense lncRNAs are widely expressed in RCC tumors. Some of them are significantly altered in RCC in comparison with nontumor samples. The majority of these lncRNAs is evolutionarily conserved and possibly modulated by epigenetic modifications. Our data suggest that these RCC lncRNAs may contribute to the complex network of regulatory RNAs playing a role in renal cell malignant transformation.We would like to thank Helder I Nakaya and Tarik A El-Jundi for help with the 44 k microarray experiments and, together with Rodrigo Louro, for helpful discussions. This work was supported by grants from Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) and from Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Oncogenômica to SVA and EMR, and by fellowships from FAPESP to AAF, ACT, SAVA and VMC. SVA and EMR received research fellowship awards from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Brazil