Evaluation of the Behavioral Effect of Psychostimulants in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often accompanied by comorbid conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy. In this context, patients are often treated with psychostimulants in an attempt to control behavioral symptoms. This study aims to understand the behavioral effects of psychostimulants in children with ASD and investigate if interictal epileptiform discharges on electroencephalogram (EEG) can act as a modifying factor in this behavior.

The role of the adrenalectomy in the management of pheochromocytoma: the experience of a Portuguese referral center.

Purpose: Pheochromocytoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor. Despite the low incidence, these tumors are of indisputable importance. This study aimed to analyze the management of pheochromocytoma in a referral center, with an emphasis on the minimally invasive adrenalectomy, which is the preferred therapeutic approach.

A reservoir of foraging decision variables in the mouse brain.

In any given situation, the environment can be parsed in different ways to yield decision variables (DVs) defining strategies useful for different tasks. It is generally presumed that the brain only computes a single DV defining the current behavioral strategy. Here to test this assumption, we recorded neural ensembles in the frontal cortex of mice performing a foraging task admitting multiple DVs.

Phasic Activation of Dorsal Raphe Serotonergic Neurons Increases Pupil Size.

Transient variations in pupil size (PS) under constant luminance are coupled to rapid changes in arousal state, which have been interpreted as vigilance, salience, or a surprise signal. Neural control of such fluctuations presumably involves multiple brain regions and neuromodulatory systems, but it is often associated with phasic activity of the noradrenergic system. Serotonin (5-HT), a neuromodulator also implicated in aspects of arousal such as sleep-wake transitions, motivational state regulation, and signaling of unexpected events, seems to affect PS, but these effects have not been investigated in detail.

Bacterial cellulose nanocrystals produced under different hydrolysis conditions: Properties and morphological features.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a polymer with interesting physical properties owing to the regular and uniform structure of its nanofibers, which are formed by amorphous (disordered) and crystalline (ordered) regions. Through hydrolysis with strong acids, it is possible to transform BC into a stable suspension of cellulose nanocrystals, adding new functionality to the material. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of inorganic acids on the production of BC nanocrystals (BCNCs).

Improvement of polyvinyl alcohol properties by adding nanocrystalline cellulose isolated from banana pseudostems.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) isolated from banana pseudostems fibers (BPF) of the Pacovan variety were used as fillers in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) matrix to yield a nanocomposite. The fibers from the external fractions of the BPF were alkaline bleached and hydrolyzed under acidic conditions (H2SO4 62% w/w, 70 min, 45 °C) to obtain CNCs with a length (L) of 135.0 ± 12.

A novel green approach for the preparation of cellulose nanowhiskers from white coir.

The aim of this work was to optimize the extraction of cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) from unripe coconut husk fibers (CHF). The CHF was delignified using organosolv process, followed by alkaline bleaching (5% (w/w) H2O2+4% (w/w) NaOH; 50°C, 90 min). The CHF was subsequently hydrolyzed with 30% (v/v) sulfuric acid (60°C, 360 min).

Extraction and characterization of nanocellulose structures from raw cotton linter.

This study aimed to characterize nanocellulose extracted from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) linters. The nanocellulose was subjected to electronic microscopy, thermal analysis, X-ray diffractometry, light scattering, and contact angle. The properties of the nanocellulose are considerably different from the linter.

Prevalence of smoking and its association with the use of other drugs among students in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of smoking, as well as to determine the association between smoking and the use of other drugs, among middle and high school students in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil.

Methods: Epidemiological study involving a reference population of students in the District. Our sample comprised 2,661 students from 9 to 19 years of age, in all middle and high school grades.