A Case of Oral-contraceptive Related Ischemic Colitis in Young Woman

Ischemic colitis is generally considered a disease of the elderly. The causes of ischemic colitis include low-flow states due to cardiac dysfunction or hypovolemia and certain medications including estrogen. Here we report a case of ischemic colitis in a 26-year-old woman. She had no specific medical history except taking oral-contraceptives for a long time. The mechanism of estrogen-induced ischemic colitis is not clearly understood. But we recommend that oral-contraceptives should be considered as a cause of ischemic colitis in young women

Uma experiência de resgate da memória da saúde mental do Paraná

O objetivo deste trabalho é contextualizar sobre a importância da preservação da memória institucional da saúde mental e a implantação do espaço memorial em um hospital psiquiátrico que compõe a Rede de Unidades Hospitalares Próprias da Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Paraná. Parte-se do pressuposto que além de viabilizar o acesso a objetos e documentos do hospital, o espaço do memorial contribui de forma significativa para a reflexão sobre a evolução dessa instituição, que é o único hospital público especializado em psiquiatria, do Paraná. Assim, entende-se que preservar a memória institucional não é só resgatar o passado. É, sobretudo, contribuir para a percepção das diferenças e reconhecimento dos limites de cada período

Diabetes Alters Intracellular Calcium Transients in Cardiac Endothelial Cells

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a diabetic complication, which results in myocardial dysfunction independent of other etiological factors. Abnormal intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) homeostasis has been implicated in DCM and may precede clinical manifestation. Studies in cardiomyocytes have shown that diabetes results in impaired [Ca2+]i homeostasis due to altered sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) and sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) activity. Importantly, altered calcium homeostasis may also be involved in diabetes-associated endothelial dysfunction, including impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation and a diminished capacity to generate nitric oxide (NO), elevated cell adhesion molecules, and decreased angiogenic growth factors. However, the effect of diabetes on Ca2+ regulatory mechanisms in cardiac endothelial cells (CECs) remains unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of diabetes on [Ca2+]i homeostasis in CECs in the rat model (streptozotocin-induced) of DCM. DCM-associated cardiac fibrosis was confirmed using picrosirius red staining of the myocardium. CECs isolated from the myocardium of diabetic and wild-type rats were loaded with Fura-2, and UTP-evoked [Ca2+]i transients were compared under various combinations of SERCA, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) and NCX inhibitors. Diabetes resulted in significant alterations in SERCA and NCX activities in CECs during [Ca2+]i sequestration and efflux, respectively, while no difference in PMCA activity between diabetic and wild-type cells was observed. These results improve our understanding of how diabetes affects calcium regulation in CECs, and may contribute to the development of new therapies for DCM treatment

Consensus guidelines for the use and interpretation of angiogenesis assays

The formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, is a complex process that plays important roles in growth and development, tissue and organ regeneration, as well as numerous pathological conditions. Angiogenesis undergoes multiple discrete steps that can be individually evaluated and quantified by a large number of bioassays. These independent assessments hold advantages but also have limitations. This article describes in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro bioassays that are available for the evaluation of angiogenesis and highlights critical aspects that are relevant for their execution and proper interpretation. As such, this collaborative work is the first edition of consensus guidelines on angiogenesis bioassays to serve for current and future reference