Pasture Dynamics after Sodseeding Cool Season Species with or without Glyphosate in Subtropical Natural Grasslands

This trial was conducted to evaluate vegetation dynamics of natural grasslands fertilized and sodseeded with the cool season species Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), white clover (Trifolium repens) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) with or without glyphosate. Treatments that included herbicide spraying on natural vegetation caused a substitution of perennial grasses by undesirable species, and did not show a significant contribution of introduced species. Andropogon lateralis, Paspalum notatum, Paspalum dilatatum and Paspalum plicatulum almost disappeared, and were replaced by Chaptalia nutans and Apium spp, among others

Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) supplementation in diabetic rats: effects on the proximal colon

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuropathy is one of the complications caused by diabetes mellitus which is directly related to the gastrointestinal manifestations of the disease. Antioxidant substances, such as vitamin E, may play an important role in the reduction of the neurological damage caused by diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to determine whether vitamin E (α-tocopherol) at different concentrations induces any effects on the morphology of the intestinal wall and intrinsic innervation in the proximal colon of diabetic rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty rats (90-day-old) were assigned to the following groups: N (normoglycemic), NE1 (normoglycemic supplemented with vitamin E 0.1%), NE2 (normoglycemic supplemented with vitamin E 2%), D (diabetic), DE1 (diabetic supplemented with vitamin E 0.1%), and DE2 (diabetic supplemented with vitamin E 2%). Animals received vitamin E supplementation for 120 days and were sacrificed when they were 210 days old. The proximal colon of each animal was subjected to histology to study the intestinal wall and goblet cells and processed for whole-mount preparations to morphoquantitatively determine the total myenteric population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Supplementation with vitamin E significantly reduced glycemia and glycated hemoglobin values and preserved the number of myenteric neurons in group DE2, without affecting intestinal area or thickness of the intestinal wall or muscular tunic.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Vitamin E (2%) influenced the glycemic parameters and had a neuroprotective effect on the total myenteric population, but the morphometric characteristics of the intestinal wall were unaffected.</p

Perfil sorológico do vírus John Cunningham (JCV) em pacientes com esclerose múltipla

Treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS) have changed over the last few years, bringing about a new category of drugs with more efficient profiles. However, these drugs have come with a whole new profile of potential adverse events that neurologists have to learn well and quickly. One of the most feared complications of these MS treatments is progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy caused by the reactivation of the John Cunningham virus (JCV). Objective: To identify the serologic profile of JCV in patients with MS. Methods: Data on serum antibodies for JCV were obtained using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay provided by the STRATIFY-JCV program. Results: A total of 1,501 blood tests were obtained from 1,102 patients with MS. There were 633 patients (57.1%) who were positive for antibodies for JCV and 469 patients who were negative (42.9%). Twenty-three patients became positive after initially having negative JCV antibody status. The rate of seroconversion was 18.5% over 22 months. Conclusion: The JCV serologic profile and seroconversion in Brazilian patients were similar to those described in other countries.As opções terapêuticas para esclerose múltipla (EM) modificaram-se ao longo dos últimos anos, trazendo uma nova categoria de drogas com melhor perfil de eficácia. No entanto, estas drogas vieram com um novo perfil de potenciais eventos adversos que exigem que o neurologista os reconheça bem e rapidamente. Uma das complicações mais temidas destes tratamentos para a EM é a leucoencefalopatia multifocal progressiva (LEMP), causada pela reativação do vírus John Cunningham (JCV). Objetivo: Identificar o perfil sorológico de JCV em pacientes com EM. Métodos: Dados sorológicos de JCV foram obtidos através do ensaio por enzimas imuno-adsorvidas (ELISA) fornecido pelo programa STRATIFY-JCV. Resultados: Um total de 1.501 testes sanguíneos foram obtidos de 1.102 pacientes com EM. O grupo teve 633 pacientes (57,1%) soropositivos para anticorpos anti-JCV e 469 pacientes negativos (42,9%). Vinte e três pacientes se tornaram posivitos após resultados iniciais negativos para anticorpos anti-JCV. A taxa de soroconversão foi 18,5% em 22 meses. Conclusão: O perfil sorológico do JCV e a soroconversão nos pacientes brasileiros foi semelhante àquela descrita em outros países

Vítimas de bullying: Proposta de tratamento utilizando técnicas da terapia cognitivo-comportamental

Bullying is today one of the biggest problems regarding physical and mental health of children and adolescents. We can see in the news programs a growing number of cases of bullying in the world. In most cases, the consequences generated by this act of violence accompanies the subject for much of his life, affecting their men­tal development and their quality of life. A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is now one of the most effective forms of therapy, in which a collaborative work between patient and therapist, seeks to restore the quality of life of the subject in the shortest time pos­sible. This paper aims to present a proposal for clinical treatment to victims of bullying through the theoretical framework of cogni­tive-behavioral therapy.O bullying é hoje um dos grandes problemas no que tange a saúde física e psíquica de crianças e adolescentes, pois observamos nos noticiários um número crescente de casos de bullying em todo o mundo. Na grande maioria dos casos, as consequências geradas por esse ato de violência acompanha o sujeito durante boa parte de sua vida, afetando o seu de­senvolvimento psíquico e sua qualidade de vida. A Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental (TCC), atualmente, é uma das formas mais eficazes de terapia para esse tipo de problema que, em um trabalho colaborativo entre paciente e terapeuta, busca restaurar a qualidade de vida do sujeito no menor tempo possível. Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar uma proposta de tratamento clínico à vítimas de bullying através do referen­cial teórico da terapia cognitivo-comportamental

Memory complaints and test performance in healthy elderly persons

In order to compare the use of a structured self-report questionnaire with direct questioning about memory problems, 71 healthy and independent aged individuals (63 women) from the community without risk factors for cognitive deficits were objectively asked about subjective memory complaints (SMC), given the Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q) and then submitted to the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). SMC positively correlated with higher scores on MAC-Q, although a significant percentage of the sample had SMC and lower scores on MAC-Q and also no SMC and higher scores on MAC-Q. Performance on RAVLT was significantly worse (p<0.05) for the group presenting SMC but not for the group with higher scores on the MAC-Q. We conclude that direct questioning maybe more clinically significant than a self report questionnaire, at least for elderly persons from the community without risk factors for cognitive decline or depression

Neuropsicologia dos transtornos alimentares: revisão sistemática da literatura Neuropsychology of eating disorders: a systematic review of the literature

ANTECEDENTES: A etiologia dos transtornos alimentares (TA) ainda não se encontra estabelecida. Dentre os diversos fatores envolvidos, a hipótese de uma disfunção do sistema nervoso central tem sido explorada de diversas maneiras. Assim, a avaliação neuropsicológica de pacientes com TA tem por finalidade investigar a ocorrência de déficits cognitivos associados a estas patologias. OBJETIVOS: O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar o estado atual das investigações sobre a avaliação neuropsicológica em pacientes com TA. MÉTODOS: Foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica - utilizando as seguintes bases de dados como estratégias de procura: MedLINE, PsychoINFO, LILACS e Cochrane Data Bank -, procurando artigos relacionados ao tema e publicados até o ano de 2004. RESULTADOS: A anorexia nervosa é o transtorno alimentar que conta com mais estudos neuropsicológicos e, de uma forma geral, os resultados apontam para déficits de atenção, déficits viso-espaciais e de viso-construção. Na bulimia nervosa, as alterações mais encontradas são déficits de atenção seletiva e das funções executivas. O transtorno da compulsão alimentar periódica ainda não conta com estudos neuropsicológicos até o momento. Após um tratamento bem-sucedido do transtorno alimentar, embora haja uma diminuição dos déficits cognitivos, algumas alterações cognitivas parecem persistir. CONCLUSÕES: Os transtornos alimentares parecem estar associados a algum grau de disfunção neuropsicológica, muito embora as funções específicas que se apresentam deficitárias variem entre os estudos encontrados, talvez em decorrência de variações metodológicas. O fato de que, após o tratamento, alguns pacientes apresentem uma melhora no funcionamento cognitivo poderia indicar que, em alguns casos, os déficits seriam funcionais. A ausência de melhora no funcionamento cognitivo de alguns pacientes, após diversas formas de intervenção, pode sugerir que estes déficits antecederiam o desenvolvimento dos transtornos alimentares, podendo, assim, contribuir para seu desenvolvimento ou para um pior prognóstico. O melhor delineamento do perfil cognitivo dos pacientes com transtorno alimentar torna-se importante para orientar abordagens terapêuticas mais seletivas.BACKGROUND: The pathophysiology of eating disorders is still unknown, with many factors possibly involved. The existence of a central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction is being investigated with particular interest. One of the most employed strategies to reach this goal is the evaluation of cognitive functioning of patients with eating disorders with neuropsychological tests. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the current knowledge about the neuropsychology of ED. METHODS: We performed a review of several data bases (including MedLINE, PsychoINFO, LILACS and Cochrane Data Bank), using terms related to main theme of interest. The review comprised articles published up to January, 2004. RESULTS: Anorexia Nervosa (AN) was t­ ­ he most studied ED from the neuropsychological point-of-view, with studies tending to elicit attentive, visuo-spatial, and visuo-constructive deficits among such patients. On the other side, patients with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) exhibited déficits in the selective aspects of attention and in executive functions. As yet, there is no study covering the neuropsychological aspects of binge-eating disorder. After successful treatment, individuals show improvement of some cognitive deficits, while other seem to persist. CONCLUSIONS: The ED are possibly associated with a certain degree of neuropsychological dysfunction, even though there is no consesus with regard to which function is particularly impaired. The fact that some cognitive dysfunction tend to disappear after treatment argues in favor of the hypothesis that these are functional deficits. Other deficits, however, tend to persist, suggesting that they may precede the development of eating disorders or even contribute to their development or to a worse prognosis. The study of the neuropsychological aspects of ED may help tailoring more selective therapeutic approaches to patients suffering from these disorders

Desempenho de pastagem nativa e pastagem sobre-semeada com forrageiras hibernais com e sem glifosato Performance of native pasture and pasture sodseeded with winter species with or without glyphosate

O experimento foi desenvolvido em Bagé-RS, visando avaliar a produção de matéria seca (MS), taxa de lotação (kg de PV ha-1), ganho de peso vivo por animal (GMD, kg an-1 dia-1) e ganho por hectare (GPV ha-1) em: T1-pastagem nativa (testemunha); T2-pastagem nativa sobre-semeada com azevém (Lolium multiflorum), trevo branco (Trifolium repens) e cornichão (Lotus corniculatus); T3- semelhante ao anterior, mais aplicação de glifosato; T4- semelhante ao anterior, porém com adubação dobrada. Foram utilizados novilhos Braford. O sistema de pastejo foi o contínuo com ajustes na lotação para manter um nível de oferta de forragem de 10% (10kg de MS 100kg PV-1 dia-1). Para a determinação da MS da pastagem, utilizou-se o método da dupla amostragem com uso de disco e para a determinação da taxa de acúmulo de MS, utilizou-se o método da gaiola de exclusão. As análises estatísticas foram feitas no programa SAS (1997). O delineamento experimental foi blocos inteiramente casualizados, tendo dois blocos e quatro tratamentos. A introdução de espécies hibernais em pastagem nativa com ou sem uso de glifosato contribuiu para aumentar a produtividade do campo nativo. A sobre-semeadura de espécies hibernais permitiu maior carga e ganho por animal e por área comparados com a pastagem nativa.<br>The experiment was developed in Bagé-RS, Brazil, to evaluate the dry matter production (DM), stocking rate (kg LW ha-1), live weight gain per animal (ADG, kg head-1 day-1) and gain per area (GPA, kg LW ha-1) in: T1-native pasture (control); T2-native pasture sodseeded with Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), white clover (Trifolium repens) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus); T3-similar to anterior, plus glyphosate spraying; T4-similar to anterior, but with double fertilization. It were utilized Braford steers. The grazing method was the continuous stocking, with stocking adjustments to maintain a level of forage on offer of 10% (10kg of DM 100kg LW-1 day-1). To determine the DM of pasture, it was utilized the double sample method with a disc meter and the cage method for the pasture accumulation rate. The experimental design was a complete randomized blocks, with two blocks and four treatments. The introduction of cool season species in native pasture, with or without glyphosate spraying, contributes to increase native pasture productivity. Over-seeding cool season species allowed a higher stocking rate and animal production per animal and per area as compared to natural pasture