Publications by authors named "Sandra Regina Mota-Ortiz"

This retrospective cohort study described the obstetric and neonatal outcomes, antiseizure medication (ASM) use, and types of seizures in pregnant women with epilepsy (PWWE). Data collected from the medical records of 224 PWWE aged < 40 years with controlled or refractory seizures and 492 pregnant women without epilepsy (PWNE) control group from high-risk maternity hospitals in Alagoas between 2008 and 2021 were included in this study. The obstetric and neonatal outcomes observed in PWWE were pregnancy-related hypertension (PrH) (18.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Physical distancing was used to prevent transmission of COVID-19, however there are concerns that this may promote harmful impacts on health, such as reduced levels of physical practice and changes in food intake and gut microbiota composition. This study evaluated the impacts of 6 months physical distancing on Brazilian older women upon body mass index (BMI), strength, physical activity level (IPAQ), eating habits, neurological markers (brain-derived neurotrophic factor-BDNF and cortisol), cytokines (IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, interferon-IFN-γ, tumor necrosis factor-TNF-α), aging-associated markers (vascular endothelial growth factor-VEGF, insulin-like growth factor-IGF-1, klotho and thymic stromal lymphopoietin-TSLP), besides specific groups of fecal microbiota. Fifteen women, over 60 years old, residents of São Paulo state (Brazil), were evaluated in March and in September 2020.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19 is an acute respiratory illness with higher mortality in older adults. This condition is spread person-to-person through close contact, and among policies employed to decrease transmission are the improvement of hygiene habits and physical distancing. Although social distancing has been recognized as the best way to prevent the transmission, there are concerns that it may promote increased depression symptoms risk and anxiety, mainly in older adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to develop a model to simulate neurological impairment caused by star fruit intoxication, enabling a deeper understanding of its pathophysiology.
  • Twenty-five Wistar rats were divided into different groups, including those with nephropathy, and were administered either water or star fruit juice to assess the resulting effects on their neurological functions.
  • The findings revealed that rats in the nephropathic group that ingested star fruit juice experienced epileptic seizures, validating the model as a crucial tool for studying the neurological toxicity associated with star fruit consumption.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Star fruit consumption can cause severe neurotoxic effects in nephropathic patients, potentially leading to convulsions or death.
  • The study involved nephropathic rats receiving star fruit juice after surgery, with electroencephalograms confirming seizures and brain activity mapping revealing increased neuronal activity in regions linked to epilepsy.
  • Findings indicate that star fruit exacerbates neurotoxicity in nephropathic conditions, confirming its harmful effects on the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A few studies have evaluated the behavioral roles of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in animals facing ethologically relevant threats. Exposure to a live cat induces striking activation in the rostrodorsal and caudal ventral PAG. In the present investigation, we first showed that cytotoxic lesions of the rostrodorsal and caudal ventral PAG had similar effects on innate fear responses during cat exposure, practically abolishing freezing and increasing risk assessment responses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study aimed to evaluate the precision of the torque applied by 0.022" self-ligating brackets of different brands, the precision of parallelism between the inner walls of their slots, and precision of their slot height. Eighty brackets for upper central incisors of eight trademarked models were selected: Abzil, GAC, American Orthodontics, Morelli, Orthometric, Ormco, Forestadent, and Ortho Organizers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ventrolateral caudoputamen (VLCP) is well known to participate in the control of orofacial movements and forepaw usage accompanying feeding behavior. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that insect hunting is associated with a distinct Fos up-regulation in the VLCP at intermediate rostro-caudal levels. Moreover, using the reversible blockade with lidocaine, we have previously suggested that the VLCP implements the stereotyped actions seen during prey capture and handling, and may influence the motivational drive to start attacking the roaches, as well.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous studies using morphine-treated dams reported a role for the rostral lateral periaqueductal gray (rlPAG) in the behavioral switching between nursing and insect hunting, likely to depend on an enhanced seeking response to the presence of an appetitive rewarding cue (i.e., the roach).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Animals faced with conflicting cues, such as predatory threat and a given rewarding stimulus, must make rapid decisions to engage in defensive versus other appetitive behaviors. The brain mechanisms mediating such responses are poorly understood. However, the periaqueductal gray (PAG) seems particularly suitable for accomplishing this task.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous studies have shown that a particular site in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the rostrolateral PAG, influences the motivation drive to forage or hunt. To have a deeper understanding on the putative paths involved in the decision-making process between foraging, hunting, and other behavioral responses, in the present investigation, we carried out a systematic analysis of the neural inputs to the rostrolateral PAG (rlPAG), using Fluorogold as a retrograde tracer. According to the present findings, the rlPAG appears to be importantly driven by medial prefrontal cortical areas involved in controlling attention-related and decision-making processes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF