Nerve growth factor serum levels in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients following electroconvulsive therapy.

Background: Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) has been widely applied to treat schizophrenia (SCZ) in the presence of resistance to pharmacotherapy. The mechanism of action of ECT in schizophrenia has not been fully clarified, though its intrinsic mechanism presents analogies with some neurobiological processes mediated by nerve growth factor (NGF).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) the effect of ECT on acute and long-term NGF serum levels and the association with the clinical outcomes.

Simulation-based Training for Pelvic and Breast Physical Examination: Effect on the Anxiety and Self-confidence of Medical Students.

Objective:  To evaluate factors associated with anxiety and the effect of simulation-based training (SBT) on student anxiety, self-confidence and learning satisfaction in relation to pelvic and breast examination.

Methods:  A longitudinal study was conducted with 4 year medical students at the Universidade José do Rosário Vellano. A 12-item, self-report questionnaire on student anxiety at performing gynecological examinations was applied before and after SBT, with answers being given on a Likert-type scale.

Highly effective fibrin biopolymer scaffold for stem cells upgrading bone regeneration.

Fibrin scaffold fits as a provisional platform promoting cell migration and proliferation, angiogenesis, connective tissue formation and growth factors stimulation. We evaluated a unique heterologous fibrin biopolymer as scaffold to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat a critical-size bone defect. Femurs of 27 rats were treated with fibrin biopolymer (FBP); FBP + MSCs; and FBP + MSC differentiated in bone lineage (MSC-D).

Effect of Camellia sinensis teas on left ventricular hypertrophy and insulin resistance in dyslipidemic mice.

The control of dyslipidemia using plants is an important subject of studies since it has numerous benefits in cardiovascular protection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three Camellia sinensis L. teas (green, red, and white) on left ventricular hypertrophy and insulin resistance in low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (LDLr-/-) mice fed a high-fat diet.