Synthesis, solid state characterization, theoretical and experimental spectroscopic studies of the new lanthanide complexes.

Three new complexes Na[Ln(pic)]ּ⋅2.5HO (Ln = Tb, Eu or Gd; pic = picolinate) were synthesized and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analyses. The molecular structures of the complexes have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Impact of restriction of over-the-counter sales of antimicrobials on antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli from community-onset urinary tract infections in inner São Paulo State, Brazil.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance in community-associated infections is an increasing worldwide concern. In low-to-middle income countries, over-the-counter (OTC) sales of antimicrobials without medical prescription have been blamed for increasing consumption and resistance. We studied the impact of restriction of OTC sales of antimicrobials in Brazil (instituted in October 2010) on resistance trends of Escherichia coli from community-onset urinary tract infections.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN CLINICAL AND ANATOMOPATHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSES IN PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE.

Objective: Although autopsy is deemed the gold standard for diagnosis, its performance has been decreasing while adverse events have been increasing, of which 17% consist in diagnostic errors. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of diagnostic errors based on anatomopathological diagnosis in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, retrospective study on 31patients who died between 2004 and 2014.

Sustained glial reactivity induced by glutaric acid may be the trigger to learning delay in early and late phases of development: Involvement of p75 receptor and protection by N-acetylcysteine.

Degeneration of striatal neurons and cortical atrophy are pathological characteristics of glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I), a disease characterized by accumulation of glutaric acid (GA). The mechanisms that lead to neuronal loss and cognitive impairment are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to verify if acute exposure to GA during the neonatal period is sufficient to trigger apoptotic processes and lead to learning delay in early and late period.

Social support favors extinction and impairs acquisition of both short- and long-term contextual fear conditioning memory.

Fear memory has an essential role on animal's survival once it induces defensive behavior in response to threats. Among other factors, social support is known to down-regulate the expression of fear conditioned response, representing an important modulator of fear memories. Here we studied the effects of social support during acquisition, retrieval and extinction of contextual fear conditioning (CFC) memory in rats, by exposing the animals to the CFC task either in the absence or in the presence of a conspecific during the training, extinction and/or test sessions.

Involvement of the Cholinergic Parameters and Glial Cells in Learning Delay Induced by Glutaric Acid: Protection by N-Acetylcysteine.

Dysfunction of basal ganglia neurons is a characteristic of glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I), an autosomal recessive inherited neurometabolic disease characterized by deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) and accumulation of glutaric acid (GA). The affected patients present clinical manifestations such as motor dysfunction and memory impairment followed by extensive striatal neurodegeneration. Knowing that there is relevant striatal dysfunction in GA-I, the purpose of the present study was to verify the performance of young rats chronically injected with GA in working and procedural memory test, and whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) would protect against impairment induced by GA.

Behavioural, metabolic and neurochemical effects of environmental enrichment in high-fat cholesterol-enriched diet-fed mice.

While chronic high-fat feeding has long been associated with the rising incidence of obesity/type 2 diabetes, recent evidence has established that it is also associated with deficits in hippocampus-dependent memory. In this regard, environmental enrichment (EE) is an animal housing technique composed of increased space, physical activity, and social interactions, which in turn increases sensory, cognitive, motor, and social stimulation. EE leads to improved cerebral health as defined by increased neurogenesis, enhanced learning and memory and resistance to external cerebral insults.

Ammonia role in glial dysfunction in methylmalonic acidemia.

Hyperammonemia is a common finding in patients with methylmalonic acidemia. However, its contribution to methylmalonate (MMA)-induced neurotoxicity is poorly understood. The aim of this study was evaluate whether an acute metabolic damage to brain during the neonatal period may disrupt cerebral development, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders, as memory deficit.

Methylmalonate Induces Inflammatory and Apoptotic Potential: A Link to Glial Activation and Neurological Dysfunction.

Methylmalonic acid (MMA) accumulates in tissues in methylmalonic acidemia, a heterogeneous group of inherited childhood diseases characterized by neurological dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation; it is associated with degeneration of striatal neurons and cerebral cortical atrophy. It is presently unknown, however, whether transient exposure to MMA in the neonatal period is sufficient to trigger inflammatory and apoptotic processes that lead to brain structural damage. Here, newborn mice were given a single intracerebroventricular dose of MMA at 12 hours after birth.

A neuronal disruption in redox homeostasis elicited by ammonia alters the glycine/glutamate (GABA) cycle and contributes to MMA-induced excitability.

Hyperammonemia is a common finding in children with methylmalonic acidemia. However, its contribution to methylmalonate-induced excitotoxicty is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanisms by which ammonia influences in the neurotoxicity induced by methylmalonate (MMA) in mice.

[Change in the socio-demographic profile of consumers of organic produce].

The scope of this study was to establish the socio-demographic profile, health status and the relationship with the consumption of organic produce among consumers who frequent different agroecological street markets in Pelotas in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. A questionnaire was given to the consumers of organic produce while shopping in the agroecological street markets. It was found that the consumers with lower education levels and lower income began to frequent the agroecological street markets more often and consume more organic foods.

Ants in a hospital environment and their potential as mechanical bacterial vectors.

Introduction: We studied the richness and abundance of ant species, their bacteria and the bacteria isolated from patient clinical samples.

Methods: Ants were collected with baited traps at 64 sites in a public hospital in São Luis, State of Maranhão, Brazil.

Results: In total, 1,659 ants from 14 species were captured.

N-acetylcysteine prevents spatial memory impairment induced by chronic early postnatal glutaric acid and lipopolysaccharide in rat pups.

Background And Aims: Glutaric aciduria type I (GA-I) is characterized by accumulation of glutaric acid (GA) and neurological symptoms, such as cognitive impairment. Although this disease is related to oxidative stress and inflammation, it is not known whether these processes facilitate the memory impairment. Our objective was to investigate the performance of rat pups chronically injected with GA and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in spatial memory test, antioxidant defenses, cytokines levels, Na+, K+-ATPase activity, and hippocampal volume.

HOE-140, an antagonist of B2 receptor, protects against memory deficits and brain damage induced by moderate lateral fluid percussion injury in mice.

Rationale: There are evidences indicating the role of kinins in pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury, but little is known about their action on memory deficits.

Objectives: Our aim was to establish the role of bradykinin receptors B₁ (B₁R) and B₂ (B₂R) on the behavioral, biochemical, and histologic features elicited by moderate lateral fluid percussion injury (mLFPI) in mice.

Methods: The role of kinin B₁ and B₂ receptors in brain damage, neuromotor, and cognitive deficits induced by mLFPI, was evaluated by means of subcutaneous injection of B₂R antagonist (HOE-140; 1 or 10 nmol/kg) or B₁R antagonist (des-Arg9-[Leu8]-bradykinin (DAL-Bk; 1 or 10 nmol/kg) 30 min and 24 h after brain injury.

The effect of NADPH-oxidase inhibitor apocynin on cognitive impairment induced by moderate lateral fluid percussion injury: role of inflammatory and oxidative brain damage.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating disease that commonly causes persistent mental disturbances and cognitive deficits. Although studies have indicated that overproduction of free radicals, especially superoxide (O2(-)) derived from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase is a common underlying mechanism of pathophysiology of TBI, little information is available regarding the role of apocynin, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, in neurological consequences of TBI. Therefore, the present study evaluated the therapeutic potential of apocynin for treatment of inflammatory and oxidative damage, in addition to determining its action on neuromotor and memory impairments caused by moderate fluid percussion injury in mice (mLFPI).

Antioxidant activity elicited by low dose of caffeine attenuates pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures and oxidative damage in rats.

Although caffeine supplementation has a beneficial effect on people with neurological disorders, its implications for oxidative damage related to seizures are not well documented. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two weeks caffeine supplementation (6mg/kg; p.o.

Pilot study: Investigating the effects of Kinesio Taping® on functional activities in children with cerebral palsy.

Objective: To investigate the immediate effects of Kinesio Taping® (KT) on sit-to-stand (STS) movement, balance and dynamic postural control in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: Four children diagnosed with left hemiplegic CP level I by the Gross Motor Function Classification System were evaluated under conditions without taping as control condition (CC); and with KT as kinesio condition. A motion analysis system was used to measure total duration of STS movement and angular movements of each joint.

[Ectoparasitic flies (Diptera: Streblidae) of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil: infestation rates and the host-parasite association].

This study reports the first records of the parasitism rates of the association among ectoparasitic flies of the family Streblidae found in phyllostomid bats in the state of Maranhão. Specimens were collected in patches of secondary forest and borders of mangrove in the village of Quebra Pote, located in the south portion of the island of São Luís. A total of 201 flies of 15 species and eight genera [Aspidoptera falcata Wenzel, A.