Effects of reversible inactivation of the dorsomedial hypothalamus on panic- and anxiety-related responses in rats

The medial hypothalamus is part of a neurobiological substrate controlling defensive behavior. It has been shown that a hypothalamic nucleus, the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), is involved in the regulation of escape, a defensive behavior related to panic attacks. The role played by the DMH in the organization of conditioned fear responses, however, is less clear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of reversible inactivation of the DMH with the GABA A agonist muscimol on inhibitory avoidance acquisition and escape expression by male Wistar rats (approximately 280 g in weight) tested in the elevated T-maze (ETM). In the ETM, inhibitory avoidance, a conditioned defensive response, has been associated with generalized anxiety disorder. Results showed that intra-DMH administration of the GABA A receptor agonist muscimol inhibited escape performance, suggesting an antipanic-like effect (P < 0.05), without changing inhibitory avoidance acquisition. Although a higher dose of muscimol (1.0 nmol/0.2 µL; N = 7) also altered locomotor activity in an open field when compared to control animals (0.2 µL saline; N = 13) (P < 0.05), the lower dose (0.5 nmol/0.2 µL; N = 12) of muscimol did not cause any motor impairment. These data corroborate previous evidence suggesting that the DMH is specifically involved in the modulation of escape. Dysfunction of this regulatory mechanism may be relevant in the genesis/maintenance of panic disorder

Interventions To Improve Patients' Compliance With Therapies Aimed At Lowering Glycated Hemoglobin (hba1c) In Type 1 Diabetes: Systematic Review And Meta-analyses Of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials Of Psychological, Telecare, And Educational Interventions

Brazilian records on glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes show treatment efficacy. Poor patient adherence to therapeutic proposals influences these results and can be associated with social, psychological, and economic aspects, besides others factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of psychological, telecare, and educational interventions to improve treatment compliance among patients with type 1 diabetes. Compliance was assessed indirectly using reduction of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as the principal outcome measure. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) were performed using Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Scopus databases up to April 2015. The following medical subject headings were used: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Patient Compliance or Adherence, Hemoglobin A, glycated, and Randomized Controlled Trial. The principal outcome was change in HbA1c between baseline and follow-up. Where appropriate, trials were combined in meta-analysis using fixed effects models. Results: From 191 articles initially identified, 57 were full text reviewed, and 19 articles met the inclusion criteria providing data from 1782 patients (49.4 % males, age 18 years). The RCTs (2 to 24 months in duration) were divided into four groups according to type of intervention: psychology (seven studies; 818 patients), telecare (six studies; 494 patients); education (five studies; 349 patients), and psychoeducation (one study; 153 patients). All studies reported some type of adherence measurement of the interventions. Decrease in HbA1c was observed after psychology (MD -0.310; 95 % CI, -0.599 to -0.0210, P = 0.035) but not after telecare (MD -0.124 %; 95 % CI, -0.268, 0.020; P = 0.090) or educational (MD -0.001; 95 % CI, -0.202, 0.200; P = 0.990) interventions. Conclusion: Psychological approaches to improve adherence to diabetes care treatment modestly reduced HbA1c in patients with type 1 diabetes; telecare and education interventions did not change glycemic control. However, the limited number of studies included as well as their methodological quality should be taken into account. © 2016 Viana et al.17

Laboratory estimation of black carbon emissions from cookstoves

Recent estimations show that residential solid fuel combustion accounts for 25% of global black carbon (BC) emissions (Lamarque et al., 2010). Thus, the control of these emissions through the implementation of cleaner cooking technologies could be crucial for climate change mitigation (Venkataraman et al., 2005). However, BC emission factors for biofuel cooking stoves have been poorly estimated due to the wide distribution and remote location of the stoves and the relatively complex existing assessment methods. This work presents results on BC emission factors (EF) estimation from combustion of biomass cooking systems in Western Africa (in Senegal). Three stones fire (traditional stove), Noflaye Jegg (rocket stove), Jambaar bois (ceramic improved stove) and a gasifier were analysed under laboratory conditions at the Centre de Recherche sur les Energies Renouvelables (CERER) in Dakar. Two types of fuels (wood species) were tested: Casuarina Equisetifolia (Filao) and Cordyla Pinnata (Dimb). Three replicates of the standardized Water Boiling Test with two phases (cold start and simmer) were conducted at the laboratory to test each cooking system. PM2.5 emissions were collected on quartz fibre filters, and BC content was subsequently analysed using three analytical methods: i) Nexleaf system, in which a photograph of the filter is compared with a calibrated reference scale; ii) the EEL43 Smoke Stain Reflectometer; and iii) the Sunset Laboratory OCEC Analyzer. The two first were compared with the third one, considered the internal reference