A INFLUÊNCIA DA ATIVIDADE MUSICAL EM PESSOAS COM PARALISIA CEREBRAL NO MUNICÍPIO DE SANTANA DE PARNAÍBA

A paralisia cerebral (PC) foi descrita pela primeira vez pelo ortopedista inglêsWilliam John Little no ano de 1843. PC se refere a um conjunto de lesões que acometem océrebro não sendo progressivas, e que tem em comum os distúrbios motores, cognitivos,na postura, na fala e aprendizagem. O objetivo foi estudar as causas de paralisia cerebralem assistidos pela "Rainha da Paz" – Santana de Parnaí­ba e verificar a contribuiçãodas atividades musicais na sua qualidade de vida. Os métodos empregados consistemna pratica clí­nica da anamnese, pesquisa de dados em prontuário e a avaliação pelaescala em IMTAP (Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile) que foi realizadapor um musicoterapeuta. Foram selecionados onze assistidos; e uma assistida teve umacompanhamento individualizado, participando de dez encontros musicais, trinta minutoscada, com o instrumento musical violino. Cada encontro foi filmado e avaliado segundoa escala IMTAP, onde se avaliou a motricidade ampla e fina, comparando a evolução daassistida. As principais causas de PC encontradas tiveram a prevalência de prematuridadee anóxia, gestação prolongada e meningite. O resultado da avaliação pela escala emIMTAP, na assistida selecionada, indicou uma melhora do total do domí­nio de motricidadeampla igual a 10,7% e fina de 29,8%. A música contribuiu para que os portadores deparalisia cerebral assistidos na instituição tivessem momentos de alegria, reabilitação eaprimoramento motor dos membros superiores. Cabe salientar que toda terapia deve sercontí­nua e sem data de encerramento.Palavras-chave: Paralisia cerebral. Motricidade. Música

A INFLUÊNCIA DA ATIVIDADE MUSICAL EM PESSOAS COM PARALISIA CEREBRAL NO MUNICÍPIO DE SANTANA DE PARNAÍBA

A paralisia cerebral (PC) foi descrita pela primeira vez pelo ortopedista inglês William John Little no ano de 1843. PC se refere a um conjunto de lesões que acometem o cérebro não sendo progressivas, e que tem em comum os distúrbios motores, cognitivos, na postura, na fala e aprendizagem. O objetivo foi estudar as causas de paralisia cerebralem assistidos pela “Rainha da Paz” – Santana de Parnaíba e verificar a contribuição das atividades musicais na sua qualidade de vida. Os métodos empregados consistem na pratica clínica da anamnese, pesquisa de dados em prontuário e a avaliação pela escala em IMTAP (Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile) que foi realizada por um musicoterapeuta. Foram selecionados onze assistidos; e uma assistida teve um acompanhamento individualizado, participando de dez encontros musicais, trinta minutos cada, com o instrumento musical violino. Cada encontro foi filmado e avaliado segundo a escala IMTAP, onde se avaliou a motricidade ampla e fina, comparando a evolução daassistida. As principais causas de PC encontradas tiveram a prevalência de prematuridade e anóxia, gestação prolongada e meningite. O resultado da avaliação pela escala em IMTAP, na assistida selecionada, indicou uma melhora do total do domínio de motricidade ampla igual a 10,7% e fina de 29,8%. A música contribuiu para que os portadores deparalisia cerebral assistidos na instituição tivessem momentos de alegria, reabilitação e aprimoramento motor dos membros superiores. Cabe salientar que toda terapia deve ser contínua e sem data de encerramento.Palavras-chave: Paralisia cerebral. Motricidade. Música

Osteopenia, decreased bone formation and impaired osteoblast development in Sox4 heterozygous mice

The transcription factor Sox4 is vital for fetal development, as Sox4–/– homozygotes die in utero. Sox4 mRNA is expressed in the early embryonic growth plate and is regulated by parathyroid hormone, but its function in bone modeling/remodeling is unknown. We report that Sox4+/– mice exhibit significantly lower bone mass (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) from an early age, and fail to obtain the peak bone mass of wild-type (WT) animals. Microcomputed tomography (μCT), histomorphometry and biomechanical testing of Sox4+/– bones show reduced trabecular and cortical thickness, growth plate width, ultimate force and stiffness compared with WT. Bone formation rate (BFR) in 3-month-old Sox4+/– mice is 64% lower than in WT. Primary calvarial osteoblasts from Sox4+/– mice demonstrate markedly inhibited proliferation, differentiation and mineralization. In these cultures, osterix (Osx) and osteocalcin (OCN) mRNA expression was reduced, whereas Runx2 mRNA was unaffected. No functional defects were found in osteoclasts. Silencing of Sox4 by siRNA in WT osteoblasts replicated the defects observed in Sox4+/– cells. We demonstrate inhibited formation and altered microarchitecture of bone in Sox4+/– mice versus WT, without apparent defects in bone resorption. Our results implicate the transcription factor Sox4 in regulation of bone formation, by acting upstream of Osx and independent of Runx2

Rights, shares and claims: realizing women's rights in South Asia, donor and resource mapping for promoting women's human rights in Bangladesh

"The post-independence era in Bangladesh, beginning in the early seventies, gave rise to international aid received, in funds, commodity and human resources by CSOs in the country. Bangladesh receives aid from both, multilaterals and bilateral sources. Taking into account the information given by the respondent organisations and key informants, VAW and gender justice, trafficking, political participation, legal services/intervention, sexuality and sexual rights, reproductive health, governance and infrastructure, along with overhead costs for the organisation programmes, are the most under-funded sections of women's rights work. Moreover, the structure and relationships that exist between the donors and the agencies that implement and monitor aid disbursement and programme management complicate the situation further.

Rights, Shares, and Claims: Realizing Women's Rights in South Asia

"SAWF is a regional women’s Fund, committed to supporting women-led interventions to enhance and strengthen access to women’s human rights and countering violations thereof. It has worked closely with partners to support human rights in the context of conflict, identity, socio-economic deprivations and in relation to violence against women. In its present phase, it is committed to supporting the emergence of a regional human rights movement, which would address national and regional concerns. Its work is focused on developing a regional mandate that is informed by national realities, and is responsive to the rights and needs of the individual woman. The organisation, currently works in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Rights, Shares, and Claims: Realizing Women's Rights in South Asia

"SAWF is a regional women’s Fund, committed to supporting women-led interventions to enhance and strengthen access to women’s human rights and countering violations thereof. It has worked closely with partners to support human rights in the context of conflict, identity, socio-economic deprivations and in relation to violence against women. In its present phase, it is committed to supporting the emergence of a regional human rights movement, which would address national and regional concerns. Its work is focused on developing a regional mandate that is informed by national realities, and is responsive to the rights and needs of the individual woman. The organisation, currently works in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The fungicide mancozeb induces toxic effects on mammalian granulosa cells

The ethylene-bis-dithiocarbamate mancozeb is a widely used fungicide with low reported toxicity in mammals. In mice, mancozeb induces embryo apoptosis, affects oocyte meiotic spindle morphology and impairs fertilization rate even when used at very low concentrations. We evaluated the toxic effects of mancozeb on the mouse and human ovarian somatic granulosa cells. We examined parameters such as cell morphology, induction of apoptosis, and p53 expression levels. Mouse granulosa cells exposed to mancozeb underwent a time- and dose-dependent modification of their morphology, and acquired the ability to migrate but not to proliferate. The expression level of p53, in terms of mRNA and protein content, decreased significantly in comparison with unexposed cells, but no change in apoptosis was recorded. Toxic effects could be attributed, at least in part, to the presence of ethylenthiourea (ETU), the main mancozeb catabolite, which was found in culture medium. Human granulosa cells also showed dose-dependent morphological changes and reduced p53 expression levels after exposure to mancozeb. Altogether, these results indicate that mancozeb affects the somatic cells of the mammalian ovarian follicles by inducing a premalignant-like status, and that such damage occurs to the same extent in both mouse and human GC. These results further substantiate the concept that mancozeb should be regarded as a reproductive toxicant. © 2012

Differences in the Endocannabinoid System of Sperm from Fertile and Infertile Men

Male infertility is a major cause of problems for many couples in conceiving a child. Recently, lifestyle pastimes such as alcohol, tobacco and marijuana have been shown to have further negative effects on male reproduction. The endocannabinoid system (ECS), mainly through the action of anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) at cannabinoid (CB(1), CB(2)) and vanilloid (TRPV1) receptors, plays a crucial role in controlling functionality of sperm, with a clear impact on male reproductive potential. Here, sperm from fertile and infertile men were used to investigate content (through LC-ESI-MS), mRNA (through quantitative RT-PCR), protein (through Western Blotting and ELISA) expression, and functionality (through activity and binding assays) of the main metabolic enzymes of AEA and 2-AG (NAPE-PLD and FAAH, for AEA; DAGL and MAGL for 2-AG), as well as of their binding receptors CB(1), CB(2) and TRPV1. Our findings show a marked reduction of AEA and 2-AG content in infertile seminal plasma, paralleled by increased degradation: biosynthesis ratios of both substances in sperm from infertile versus fertile men. In addition, TRPV1 binding was detected in fertile sperm but was undetectable in infertile sperm, whereas that of CB(1) and CB(2) receptors was not statistically different in the two groups. In conclusion, this study identified unprecedented alterations of the ECS in infertile sperm, that might impact on capacitation and acrosome reaction, and hence fertilization outcomes. These alterations might also point to new biomarkers to determine male reproductive defects, and identify distinct ECS elements as novel targets for therapeutic exploitation of ECS-oriented drugs to treat male fertility problems