Effect of low-calcium diet and grind diet on bone turnover of ovariectomized female rats

Objective: The variety of methodologies used to investigate ovariectomized female rats shows different results, which makes a clinical application of these results difficult. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of masticatory effort reduction and of low-calcium diet on maxillary bone turnover of ovariectomized female rats. Study Design: Eighty-four female rats were divided into four groups of 21 animals each as follows: SHAM - sham-operated; OVZ - ovariectomized and fed a standard commercial diet; LCD - fed a low calcium diet, and GCD - fed a grind commercial diet. The inferior first molars were extracted bilaterally 15 days after the ovariectomy, and the animals were euthanized 3, 5 and 8 weeks after ovaries removal. The maxillae were embedded in methylmetacrilate. The results were submitted to analysis of variance. Results: The daily mineral apposition rate lowered with time and was not different between SHAM and OVZ groups. The trabecular bone volume of SHAM and OVZ animals was similar and decreased with time. The GCD animals presented the lowest means and the LCD the highest in comparison to the OVZ group. Conclusion: It was concluded that ovariectomy and a low calcium diet did not cause significant maxillary bone loss in the first molar region, and even in the absence of the antagonist tooth, they did not cause maxillary bone turnover. The grind commercial diet is a good alternative for the study of maxillary bone loss in ovariectomized female rats. © Medicina Oral S. L

Evaluation of Electrocardiographic Parameters, Thoracic Morphometry and Vertebral Heart Size in Clinically Normal Dogs

Background: The Vertebral Heart Size (VHS) method sets standards for the evaluation of dog’s heart size from the comparison of the cardiac dimension with the length of the thoracic vertebrae through radiographic study. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is widely used in veterinary medicine for the evaluation of electrical conduction system of the heart; however, the increase of duration and amplitude of the ECG waves can suggest the increase of cardiac chambers in dogs. The scientific literature presents electrocardiographic and VHS values for dogs of different breeds and sizes; however, there is little information on the correlation of these parameters. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the amplitude and duration of ECG waves, thoracic morphometry and VHS values, in order to correlate these parameters in clinically normal dogs.Materials, Methods & Results: Twenty healthy dogs (11 females and 9 males), without breed distinction, medium sized (14.46 ± 2.92 kg) and aged between 1 and 8 years, were evaluated through physical examination, digital ECG (frontal and precordial leads) and thorax X-ray in right lateral (RL), left lateral (LL) and ventrodorsal (VD) projections. Thoracic morphometry and VHS measurements were determined as previously described. Clinical and ECG parameters were compatible with the references in all dogs evaluated. Dogs (75%) presented thorax intermediate with the depth and width ratio (D/W ratio) > 1.0. Some individual VHS values were higher than the references and the mean VHS values in VD projection was higher than in RL and LL projections (n = 20; P < 0.05). Female and male dogs did not differ among the evaluated parameters. A positive correlation was observed between thoracic morphometry and body weight (r ≥ +0.70; P < 0.001) and a negative correlation was found between the D/W ratio and VD VHS (r = -0.62; P < 0.05). No significant correlations were observed between the age, ECG parameters, thoracic morphometry and VHS measurements.Discussion: The majority of dogs presented intermediate thorax, a common characteristic for healthy dogs of different breeds. Some dogs had higher VHS values in different projections, when compared to references. The same has been reported by others authors for diferent breeds. However, there is no consensus about VHS values for all sexes, breeds and physical conformations in dogs. In agreement with other authors, the mean value of VD VHS was higher in relation to RL and LL VHS; however, RL and LL VHS did not differ. Positive and significative correlations were observed between body weight and thorax depth, and between body weight and thorax width, confirming that larger dogs had greater thoracic measurements. The thorax type could influence the VHS, when this parameter is determined by VD projection, because was observed a negative and significative correlation between the D/W ratio and VD VHS. So, the dogs with a deeper thorax may have lower VHS values. The correlation between VHS measurements and duration and amplitude of the ECG waves was weak, possibly because the dogs evaluated had no clinical and radiographic signs of cardiomegaly. The results of this work indicated that dogs of medium size, without signs of cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, may have higher values for VHS; besides that, thoracic morphometry may alter VHS measurement obtained from the VD projection. In addition, ECG parameters were not influenced by thoracic morphometry and had no correlation with VHS measurements

Educação ambiental: a inserção do tema meio ambiente nas séries iniciais

Muitas são as possibilidades de entendimento dos conceitos associados à Educação Ambiental. Mediante esta afirmação propõem-se uma pesquisa de cunho qualitativo em três escolas do Distrito Federal, com o objetivo de problematiza e destacar alguns desses conceitos, com ênfase, na educação, participação e transformação da realidade de vida. A principal função do trabalho com o tema meio ambiente é contribuir para a formação de cidadãos conscientes. É necessário que a escola se proponha a trabalhar com atitudes, com formação de valores, com o ensino e o desenvolvimento de habilidades e procedimentos mais do que informações e conceitos. Esse vem sendo um desafio para a Educação. Comportamentos ambientalmente corretos serão adquiridos na prática do cotidiano escolar. Para que as questões ambientais façam parte dos currículos da educação superior e em conseqüência, assim como propõe esta pesquisa, sejam incluídas no currículo do ensino fundamental de 1º a 4º séries, o processo de formação profissional deve possibilitar aos professores a elaboração do saber pedagógico a partir da interação entre o conhecimento específico disciplinar e o saber ambiental, possibilitando assim, ao professor, construir e reconstruir num processo de ação e reflexão, no sentido de superar a visão fragmentada sobre a educação ambiental

Evaluation of Coagulation Parameters in Dogs with Overweight or Obesity

Background: Hemostatic alterations have already been well characterized in humans with body fat excess, being included in the list of obesity related comorbidities. Overweight and obesity are common in dogs; however, there is little information about the blood coagulation parameters in dogs with these conditions. The aim of this study was to compare hematological and coagulation parameters between lean dogs and overweight or obese dogs, including platelets count; prothrombin time (PT); activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), coagulation time (CT) and plasma fibrinogen concentration.Materials, Methods & Results: A total of 22 dogs (aged 1 to 10 years, neutered) were evaluated, 10 of them presented ideal body condition score (BCS 4-5) and formed the group 1 (control) and 12 were overweight or obese (BCS 7-9) and formed the group 2. The dogs were submitted to clinical evaluation and then to blood collection for the following laboratory tests: blood count (performed on automatic analyzer), quantification of plasma proteins by refractometry, determination PT, aPTT and plasma fibrinogen concentration using specific commercial kits, and CT by Lee-White method. Compared to group 1, group 2 presented a lower leukocytes and lymphocytes counts (P < 0.05) and a higher concentration of plasma fibrinogen (P = 0,026), but compatible with reference values. No difference was observed in the erythrogram, platelets count, total plasma protein concentration, PT, aPTT and CT between the groups. BCS was negatively correlated with leukocytes (r = -0.45) and lymphocytes (r = -0.60) counts and positively with plasma fibrinogen concentration (r = +0.56).Discussion: The reduction in lymphocytes led to a lower leukocytes count in the dogs of group 2. The migration of peripheral blood lymphocytes to adipose tissue has been reported in the early phase of the inflammatory process induced by obesity and could justify the reduction of circulating lymphocytes in overweight or obese dogs evaluated in this study; however, cytopathological assessment of adipose tissue was not performed. Fibrinogen has to be converted to fibrin for clot formation, so the concentration of this plasma protein is an important parameter for the evaluation of hemostasis. However, there are reports of increase in plasma fibrinogen as a result of infammatory processes. In group 2, formed by dogs with overweight or obese, the higher value of plasm fibrinogen concentration, associated with lower lymphocyte count, may suggest an early-stage inflammatory process. Similar results were described in obese humans, but also evidenced in obese dogs. Supporting this suggestion, the correlation analysis indicates that the higher the body fat excess (estimated by the BCS), the higher the fibrinogen concentration and the lower the lymphocyte count in evaluated dogs. Despite the higher concentration of plasma fibrinogen in group 2, no change was observed in the hemostasis of overweight or obese dogs, due to the normal values for platelets count, PT, aPTT and CT, excluding a hypercoagulability condition as already hypothesized by other authors for dogs and obese humans. The difference between our findings and the literature may be in the time of evolution of the disease, since we evaluated younger dogs. In conclusion, the body fat excess did not alter the erythrogram and the activity of the clotting factors, estimated by PT, aPTT and CT, but it interfered in the leukogram and increased the plasma concentration of fibrinogen in the evaluated dogs

SITUAÇÕES PROBLEMA COM AS QUATRO OPERAÇÕES

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo desenvolver por meio de atividade com potencial lúdico, habilidades lógicas nos educandos, demonstrando toda importância que as quatro operações exercem no seu cotidiano, através de situações problema. Porém para trabalhar o tema em questão, seria necessário revisar todas as propriedades que envolvem as quatro operações com números naturais e inteiros. A metodologia foi dividida em etapas que teriam jogos de fixação, dinâmica e revisão do conteúdo, contudo a oficina ainda se encontra em andamento, por esse motivo obtivemos apenas resultados parciais que são: resolver problemas contextualizados, criar estratégias de resolução de situações problema a partir de atividades lúdicas e identificar diferentes situações nas quais são utilizadas as quatro operações. Com todas as dificuldades encontradas podemos justificar que, a aprendizagem só acontece à medida que buscamos meios para sana-los, intervindo com atividades extraclasse e principalmente dedicando tempo para a pratica, pois a partir dela conseguimos analisar os erros que estão sendo cometidos. &nbsp

SITUAÇÕES PROBLEMA COM AS QUATRO OPERAÇÕES

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo desenvolver por meio de atividade com potencial lúdico, habilidades lógicas nos educandos, demonstrando toda importância que as quatro operações exercem no seu cotidiano, através de situações problema. Porém para trabalhar o tema em questão, seria necessário revisar todas as propriedades que envolvem as quatro operações com números naturais e inteiros. A metodologia foi dividida em etapas que teriam jogos de fixação, dinâmica e revisão do conteúdo, contudo a oficina ainda se encontra em andamento, por esse motivo obtivemos apenas resultados parciais que são: resolver problemas contextualizados, criar estratégias de resolução de situações problema a partir de atividades lúdicas e identificar diferentes situações nas quais são utilizadas as quatro operações. Com todas as dificuldades encontradas podemos justificar que, a aprendizagem só acontece à medida que buscamos meios para sana-los, intervindo com atividades extraclasse e principalmente dedicando tempo para a pratica, pois a partir dela conseguimos analisar os erros que estão sendo cometidos. &nbsp

IMPACT OF NIGHT SHIFT ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF NURSES IN PUBLIC HOSPITALS

Introduction: Nurses are professionals who face great stress during their workday, making them more susceptible to developing mental disorders. This situation is further complicated for nurses who work night shifts in hospitals. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression in nurses who work night shifts in public hospitals. Material and methods: For this, a sociodemographic information questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used. Results: The sample consisted of 85 permanent nurses from four public hospitals, located in the city of Aracaju, Sergipe. Of the participating nurses, 83.5% were women. The average age was 35.7 years and the number of hours worked per week was 36.7. 69.4% had two or more jobs and 97.3% expressed unsatisfaction with their salary. Only 36.5% had a postgraduate degree. The average length of service in the hospitals surveyed was 90.5 months. It was found that 42.4% of nurses had anxiety, with the majority experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, and 34.1% had symptoms of depression. Most nurses with symptoms of anxiety and depression were between 25 and 39 years old, with anxiety being more prevalent between 25 and 29 years old (22.2%) and depression between 30 and 34 years old (24.1%). Nurses worked 20 to 44 hours a week, with the majority working 36 hours (57.6%), and this group had higher levels of anxiety (25.9%) and depression (21.2%). Nurses with two or more jobs had higher rates of anxiety (69.4%) and depression (30.5%). Conclusion: This study observed that most nurses were young females. The combination of age and low salary likely resulted in longer working hours and a reduced pursuit of specialization. The number of night shift workers who presented symptoms of anxiety and depression was high, indicating a need to improve working conditions and wages, as well as greater attention from the government to this part of society.Introduction: Nurses are professionals who face great stress during their workday, making them more susceptible to developing mental disorders. This situation is further complicated for nurses who work night shifts in hospitals. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression in nurses who work night shifts in public hospitals. Material and methods: For this, a sociodemographic information questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used. Results: The sample consisted of 85 permanent nurses from four public hospitals, located in the city of Aracaju, Sergipe. Of the participating nurses, 83.5% were women. The average age was 35.7 years and the number of hours worked per week was 36.7. 69.4% had two or more jobs and 97.3% expressed unsatisfaction with their salary. Only 36.5% had a postgraduate degree. The average length of service in the hospitals surveyed was 90.5 months. It was found that 42.4% of nurses had anxiety, with the majority experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, and 34.1% had symptoms of depression. Most nurses with symptoms of anxiety and depression were between 25 and 39 years old, with anxiety being more prevalent between 25 and 29 years old (22.2%) and depression between 30 and 34 years old (24.1%). Nurses worked 20 to 44 hours a week, with the majority working 36 hours (57.6%), and this group had higher levels of anxiety (25.9%) and depression (21.2%). Nurses with two or more jobs had higher rates of anxiety (69.4%) and depression (30.5%). Conclusion: This study observed that most nurses were young females. The combination of age and low salary likely resulted in longer working hours and a reduced pursuit of specialization. The number of night shift workers who presented symptoms of anxiety and depression was high, indicating a need to improve working conditions and wages, as well as greater attention from the government to this part of society

Direct action of aldosterone on bicarbonate reabsorption in in vivo cortical proximal tubule

Pergher PS, Leite-Dellova D, de Mello-Aires M. Direct action of aldosterone on bicarbonate reabsorption in in vivo cortical proximal tubule. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 296: F1185-F1193, 2009. First published February 18, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.90217.2008.-The direct action of aldosterone (10(-12) M) on net bicarbonate reabsorption (J(HCO3)(-)) was evaluated by stationary microperfusion of an in vivo middle proximal tubule (S2) of rat kidney, using H ion-sensitive microelectrodes. Aldosterone in luminally perfused tubules caused a significant increase in J(HCO3)(-) from a mean control value of 2.84 +/- 0.08 [49/19 (n degrees of measurements/n degrees of tubules)] to 4.20 +/- 0.15 nmol.cm(-2).s(-1) (58/10). Aldosterone perfused into peritubular capillaries also increased J(HCO3)(-), compared with basal levels during intact capillary perfusion with blood. In addition, in isolated perfused tubules aldosterone causes a transient increase of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)), monitored fluorometrically. In the presence of ethanol ( in similar concentration used to prepare the hormonal solution), spironolactone (10(-6) M, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist), actinomycin D (10(-6) M, an inhibitor of gene transcription), or cycloheximide (40 mM, an inhibitor of protein synthesis), the J(HCO3)(-) and the [Ca(2+)](i) were not different from the control value; these drugs also did not prevent the stimulatory effect of aldosterone on J(HCO3)(-) and on [Ca(2+)](i). However, in the presence of RU 486 alone [10(-6) M, a classic glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist], a significant decrease on J(HCO3)(-) and on [Ca(2+)](i) was observed; this antagonist also inhibited the stimulatory effect of aldosterone on J(HCO3)(-) and on [Ca(2+)](i). These studies indicate that luminal or peritubular aldosterone (10(-12) M) has a direct nongenomic stimulatory effect on J(HCO3)(-) and on [Ca(2+)](i) in proximal tubule and that probably GR participates in this process. The data also indicate that endogenous aldosterone stimulates J(HCO3)(-) in middle proximal tubule