Involvement of amygdalar protein kinase A, but not calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, in the reconsolidation of cocaine-related contextual memories in rats

Contextual control over drug relapse depends on the successful reconsolidation and retention of context-response-cocaine associations in long-term memory stores. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a critical role in cocaine memory reconsolidation and subsequent drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior; however, less is known about the cellular mechanisms of this phenomenon

Suffering and work in times of pandemic: an enlarged clinical intervention with educators

Com base em um projeto de intervenção social clínica, fundamentado na psicanálise e dirigido ao atendimento de professores do ensino básico da rede municipal do Rio de Janeiro, são analisados neste artigo aspectos envolvidos em sua experiência subjetiva. É priorizada a questão de sua relação com a esfera do trabalho, tendo como foco central as ressonâncias psíquicas do confronto sofrido por eles com a situação da pandemia da Covid-19. Trata-se de abordar seu impacto na rotina das atividades de trabalho desses sujeitos, na área da Educação, já marcadas pela precariedade social, fonte de vulnerabilidade psíquica. O isolamento social imposto pela pandemia, aliado a outras consequências, evidenciou, e mesmo acentuou esse quadro, objeto de especial atenção na proposta clínica, cujas linhas mestras são brevemente trazidas no texto.Basado en un proyecto de intervención social clínica, apoyado en la psicoanálisis y dirigido a la asistencia a profesores de la enseñanza de la red municipal en Rio de Janeiro, analizamos aspectos envueltos en su experiencia subjetiva. La cuestión de su relación con la esfera del trabajo es priorizada, habiendo como foco central las resonancias psíquicas del confronto que ellos sufren con la situación de la pandemia de Covid-19. Es cuestión de abordar su impacto en la rutina de las actividades de trabajo de esos sujetos, en el área de la Educación, ya marcadas por la precariedad social, fuente de vulnerabilidad psíquica. El aislamiento social impuesto por la pandemia ha evidenciado tal cuadro, objeto de atención en la propuesta clínica, cuyas líneas maestras están brevemente expuestas en el texto.En tenant comme base un projet d’intervention social clinique, en ayant comme fondement la psychanalyse, projet consacré au soin de professeurs de l’enseignement assuré par le reseau municipal de Rio de Janeiro, dans cet article des aspects liés à leur expérience subjective seront analysés.  La question de leur relation avec le champs du travail sera privilegiée dont l’axe central sont les ressonances psychiques de la confrontation de ces sujets avec la pandémie du Covid 19. Il s’agit d’aborder son impact sur leur quotidien de travail, dans le champs de l’Education, déjà marqué par la precarité social, source de vulnérabilité psychique. L’isolement social, imposé par la pandémie a evidentié et a aussi acentué ce cadre, objet d’attention dans la proposition clinique dont les grandes lignes sont syntétiquement presentées dans ce texte.Based on a project of social clinical intervention, founded on psychoanalysis and addressed to the assistance of teachers of basic education in the local network in Rio de Janeiro, we examine in this article some features involved in their subjective experience. The issue of their relation to the sphere of work is prioritized, having as a central focus the psychic resonances of the confrontation they endured in the situation of Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a matter of approaching its impact on the routine of work of these individuals in the area of education, already marked by social precariousness, source of psychic vulnerability. The social isolation imposed by the pandemic highlighted and even reinforced such picture, object of attention in the clinical proposition whose guidelines are briefly developed in the text

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Correlation between routine personal dosimetry reading and the dose to the brain of interventional staff

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the brain absorbed dose and personal dosimetry readings in interventional cardiologists. Interventional procedures were replicated using Monte Carlo simulations (MCNP 6) with anthropomorphic phantoms representing both operator and patient. Absorbed doses were evaluated for 10 predefined regions of the operator’s brain as well as for dosemeters at chest and neck level. One beam quality (HVL = 6.2 mm Al) and nine beam projections were considered. A significant bias in the laterality of brain dose was found with doses at the left side of the brain being up to 2.8 times higher compared with the right. The correlation between brain dose and dosemeter reading was found to be dependent on beam projection. Yet, a generalized conversion factor (brain dose normalized by Hp(10)), averaged over all considered beam projections, could be proposed for (retrospective) brain dose estimation from routinely measured dosimetry data

Structural Dynamics of DPP-4 and Its Influence on the Projection of Bioactive Ligands

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) is a target to treat type II diabetes mellitus. Therefore, it is important to understand the structural aspects of this enzyme and its interaction with drug candidates. This study involved molecular dynamics simulations, normal mode analysis, binding site detection and analysis of molecular interactions to understand the protein dynamics. We identified some DPP-4 functional motions contributing to the exposure of the binding sites and twist movements revealing how the two enzyme chains are interconnected in their bioactive form, which are defined as chains A (residues 40–767) and B (residues 40–767). By understanding the enzyme structure, its motions and the regions of its binding sites, it will be possible to contribute to the design of new DPP-4 inhibitors as drug candidates to treat diabetes

Is one better than another?: A randomized clinical trial of manual therapy for patients with chronic neck pain

Our purpose was to compare the effectiveness of three manual therapy techniques: high velocity, low amplitude (HVLA), mobilization (Mob) and sustained natural apophyseal glide (SNAG) in patients with chronic neck pain (CNP). The randomized controlled trial included patients with mechanically reproducible CNP, who were randomized to the treatment group. Outcome measures were the Visual Analogue scale (VAS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), Global Rating of Change (GROC) and Cervical Range of Motion (CROM). Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance compared outcomes at baseline, at the end of treatment and 1, 2 and 3 months after treatment. A total of 51 subjects completed the trial. No significant differences were found between HVLA, Mob and SNAG at the end of treatment and during the follow-up in any of the analysed outcomes. There were no differences in satisfaction for all techniques. The results lead to the conclusion that there is no long-term difference between the application of HVLA, Mob and SNAG in pain, disability and cervical range of motion for patients with CNP.1.714 JCR (2014) Q2, 22/64 RehabilitationUE

Involvement of amygdalar protein kinase A, but not calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, in the reconsolidation of cocaine-related contextual memories in rats

RATIONALE: Contextual control over drug relapse depends on the successful reconsolidation and retention of context-response-cocaine associations in long-term memory stores. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a critical role in cocaine memory reconsolidation and subsequent drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior; however, less is known about the cellular mechanisms of this phenomenon. OBJECTIVES: The present study evaluated the hypothesis that protein kinase A (PKA) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) activation in the BLA is necessary for the reconsolidation of context-response-cocaine memories that promote subsequent drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior. METHODS: Rats were trained to lever-press for cocaine infusions in a distinct context, followed by extinction training in a different context. Rats were then briefly re-exposed to the previously cocaine-paired context or an unpaired context in order to reactivate cocaine-related contextual memories and initiate their reconsolidation or to provide a similar behavioral experience without explicit cocaine-related memory reactivation, respectively. Immediately after this session, rats received bilateral microinfusions of vehicle, the PKA inhibitor, Rp-Adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphorothioate triethylammonium salt (Rp-cAMPS), or the CaMKII inhibitor, KN-93, into the BLA or the posterior caudate putamen (anatomical control region). Rats were then tested for cocaine-seeking behavior (responses on the previously cocaine-paired lever) in the cocaine-paired context and the extinction context. RESULTS: Intra-BLA infusion of Rp-cAMPS, but not KN-93, following cocaine memory reconsolidation impaired subsequent cocaine-seeking behavior in a dose-dependent, site-specific, and memory reactivation-dependent fashion. CONCLUSIONS: PKA, but not CaMKII, activation in the BLA is critical for cocaine memory re-stabilization processes that facilitate subsequent drug context-induced instrumental cocaine-seeking behavior

Aproximaciones a la frontera

Esta publicación busca cuestionar y problematizar desde el análisis de distintas problemáticas que se evidencian en la frontera que compartimos con Colombia, al rol de los Estados ecuatoriano y colombiano, en el tratamiento de la seguridad en el que la soberanía territorial ha sido el elemento central de las políticas públicas, sin tomar en cuenta la complejidad que configura a esta zona fronteriza

The Changing Landscape for Stroke Prevention in AF Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Thrombosis and Hemostasi