bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Defence Participation through Pre-Trial Disclosure: Issues and Implications
Authors: Owusu-Bempah Abenaa
Published: April 2013

The Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 imposed, for the first time in the history of English criminal procedure, a general duty on the defence to disclose the details of its case ahead of trial. These disclosure requirements have been augmented by the case management provisions of the Criminal Procedure Rules and judicial responses to the perceived need to tackle ambush defences. The defence disclosure regime has changed the role of the defence as a participant in the criminal process. It raises issues of principle in terms of its effect on fair trial rights and has implications for the nature of English criminal procedure. This article examines these issues and implications; it reveals that the defence disclosure regime has caused a shift in the English criminal process further away from an adversarial style contest towards a participatory model of procedure.
Condom Use, Viral Load and the Type of Sexual Activity as Defences to the Sexual Transmission of HIV
Authors: Hughes David
Published: April 2013

This article considers the position regarding the criminal transmission of HIV in English and Canadian law. It considers the use of condoms, viral loads and types of sexual activity and whether they can be used as defences in such cases. The article will look at the current position in England and also focus on recent decisions that have originated from the Canadian courts. It is argued that the recent Canadian Supreme Court judgment of R v Mabior is not in the public's interest and that the position should be that of the cases that were decided before that decision. It is also argued that the defences regarding the criminalisation of the sexual transmission of HIV are in need of a statutory footing.
The Queen v Getachew: Rethinking DPP v Morgan
Authors: Arenson Kenneth J.
Published: April 2013

In The Queen v Getachew, a recent decision of the High Court of Australia that was soon followed by the Victorian Court of Appeal, the High Court correctly noted that there is a fine line between the mens reas of belief and knowledge which turns upon the degree of conviction with which a belief is held. In particular, the court emphasised that a belief in the existence of a fact or circumstance that contemplates a real possibility or perhaps a higher degree of doubt as to the existence of that fact or circumstance is tantamount to knowledge or awareness that such fact or circumstance may not exist. When applied to the principle enunciated in DPP v Morgan, that type of belief would not be mutually exclusive with the alternative mens reas that require the Crown to prove that the accused was aware that the complainant was not or might not be consenting to the penetration at issue. In Getachew, the High Court merely pointed out that the mens reas of knowledge and belief, though similar in certain respects, are separate and distinct mental states that were incorrectly and inexplicably treated as though they were identical in Morgan and innumerable decisions that have followed and relied upon Morgan since it was decided by the House of Lords in 1976. In the aftermath of Getachew, therefore, the principle that an accused can act with a mental state that is mutually exclusive of the mens rea for rape remains intact. What has changed is that it is knowledge, rather than a mere belief that the complainant is not or might not be consenting, that is mutually exclusive of the requisite mens rea for rape.
A Sensitive Period for GABAergic Interneurons in the Dentate Gyrus in Modulating Sensorimotor Gating
Authors: Guo Nannan , Yoshizaki Kaichi , Kimura Ryuichi , Suto Fumikazu , Yanagawa Yuchio , Osumi Noriko
Published: April 2013

Developmental perturbations during adolescence have been hypothesized to be a risk factor for the onset of several neuropsychiatric diseases. However the physiological alterations that result from such insults are incompletely understood. We investigated whether a defined perturbation during adolescence affected hippocampus-dependent sensorimotor gating functions, a proposed endophenotype in several psychiatric diseases, most notably schizophrenia. The developmental perturbation was induced during adolescence in mice using an antimitotic agent, methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), during postnatal weeks (PW) 4–6. MAM-treated mice showed a decrease in hippocampal neurogenesis immediately after treatment, which was restored by PW10 in adulthood. However, the mice treated with MAM during adolescent stages exhibited a persistent sensorimotor gating deficiency and a reduction in prepulse inhibition-related activation of hippocampal and prefrontal neurons in adulthood. Cellular analyses found a reduction of GABAergic inhibitory neurons and abnormal dendritic morphology of immature neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG). Interestingly, bilateral infusion of muscimol, a GABAAreceptor agonist, into the DG region reversed the prepulse inhibition abnormality in MAM-treated mice. Furthermore, the behavioral deficits together with the decrease in the number of GABAergic neurons in this MAM model were rescued by exposure to an enriched environment during a defined critical adolescent period. These observations suggest a possible role for GABAergic interneurons in the DG during adolescence. This role may be related to the establishment of neural circuitry required for sensorimotor gating. It is plausible that changes in neurogenesis during this window may affect the survival of GABAergic interneurons, although this link needs to be causally addressed.
Odor-Specific, Olfactory Marker Protein-Mediated Sparsening of Primary Olfactory Input to the Brain after Odor Exposure
Authors: Kass Marley D. , Moberly Andrew H. , Rosenthal Michelle C. , Guang Stephanie A. , McGann John P.
Published: April 2013

Long-term plasticity in sensory systems is usually conceptualized as changing the interpretation of the brain of sensory information, not an alteration of how the sensor itself responds to external stimuli. However, here we demonstrate that, in the adult mouse olfactory system, a 1-week-long exposure to an artificially odorized environment narrows the range of odorants that can induce neurotransmitter release from olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and reduces the total transmitter release from responsive neurons. In animals heterozygous for the olfactory marker protein (OMP), this adaptive plasticity was strongest in the populations of OSNs that originally responded to the exposure odorant (an ester) and also observed in the responses to a similar odorant (another ester) but had no effect on the responses to odorants dissimilar to the exposure odorant (a ketone and an aldehyde). In contrast, in OMP knock-out mice, odorant exposure reduced the number and amplitude of OSN responses evoked by all four types of odorants equally. The effect of this plasticity is to preferentially sparsen the primary neural representations of common olfactory stimuli, which has the computational benefit of increasing the number of distinct sensory patterns that could be represented in the circuit and might thus underlie the improvements in olfactory discrimination often observed after odorant exposure (Mandairon et al., 2006a). The absence of odorant specificity in this adaptive plasticity in OMP knock-out mice suggests a potential role for this protein in adaptively reshaping OSN responses to function in different environments.
Differential Contribution of Cortical and Subcortical Visual Pathways to the Implicit Processing of Emotional Faces: A tDCS Study
Authors: Cecere Roberto , Bertini Caterina , Làdavas Elisabetta
Published: April 2013

The visual processing of emotional faces is subserved by both a cortical and a subcortical route. To investigate the specific contribution of these two functional pathways, two groups of neurologically healthy humans were tested using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In Experiment 1, participants received sham and active cathodal-inhibitory tDCS over the left occipital cortex, while, in control Experiment 2, participants received sham and active cathodal-inhibitory tDCS over the vertex, to exclude any unspecific effect of tDCS. After tDCS, participants performed a go/no-go task responding to happy or fearful target faces presented in the left visual field, while backwardly masked faces (emotionally congruent, incongruent, or neutral) were concurrently displayed in the right visual field. After both suppressing activity in the vertex (Experiment 2) and sham stimulation (Experiment 1 and 2) a reduction of reaction times was found for pairs of emotionally congruent stimuli. However, after suppressing the activity in the left occipital cortex, the congruency-dependent response facilitation disappeared, while a specific facilitative affect was evident when masked fearful faces were coupled with happy target faces. These results parallel the performances of hemianopic patients and suggest that when the occipital cortex is damaged or inhibited, and the visual processing for emotional faces is mainly dependent on the activation of the “low road” subcortical route, fearful faces represent the only visually processed stimuli capable of facilitating a behavioral response. This effect might reflect an adaptive mechanism implemented by the brain to quickly react to potential threats before their conscious identification.
Diversity of Neural Responses in the Brainstem during Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements Constrains the Circuit Mechanisms of Neural Integration
Authors: Joshua Mati , Medina Javier F. , Lisberger Stephen G.
Published: April 2013

Neural integration converts transient events into sustained neural activity. In the smooth pursuit eye movement system, neural integration is required to convert cerebellar output into the sustained discharge of extraocular motoneurons. We recorded the expression of integration in the time-varying firing rates of cerebellar and brainstem neurons in the monkey during pursuit of step-ramp target motion. Electrical stimulation with single shocks in the cerebellum identified brainstem neurons that are monosynaptic targets of inhibition from the cerebellar floccular complex. They discharge in relation to eye acceleration, eye velocity, and eye position, with a stronger acceleration signal than found in most other brainstem neurons. The acceleration and velocity signals can be accounted for by opponent contributions from the two sides of the cerebellum, without integration; the position signal implies participation in the integrator. Other neurons in the vestibular nucleus show a wide range of blends of signals related to eye velocity and eye position, reflecting different stages of integration. Neurons in the abducens nucleus discharge homogeneously in relation mainly to eye position, and reflect almost perfect integration of the cerebellar outputs. Average responses of neural populations and the diverse individual responses of large samples of individual neurons are reproduced by a hierarchical neural circuit based on a model suggested the anatomy and physiology of the larval zebrafish brainstem. The model uses a combination of feedforward and feedback connections to support a neural circuit basis for integration in monkeys and other species.
HDAC3 Is a Negative Regulator of Cocaine-Context-Associated Memory Formation
Authors: Rogge George A. , Singh Harsimran , Dang Richard , Wood Marcelo A.
Published: April 2013

Cocaine-induced neuroplasticity mediated by histone acetylating and deacetylating enzymes may contribute to addiction-like behaviors. For example, overexpression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) 4 or 5 in the nucleus accumbens suppresses cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) acquisition in mice. HDAC4 and HDAC5 are known to interact with HDAC3, but the role of HDAC3 in cocaine-induced behaviors has never been examined. In this study, we address the hypothesis that HDAC3 is a negative regulator of cocaine-context-associated memory formation in mice. We examined the role of HDAC3 during the conditioning phase of CPP, when the mouse has the opportunity to form an associative memory between the cocaine-paired context and the subjective effects of cocaine. To address this hypothesis,Hdac3flox/floxandHdac3+/+mice (generated from a C57BL/6 background) were infused into the nucleus accumbens with adeno-associated virus expressing Cre recombinase to create focal, homozygousHdac3deletions.Hdac3flox/floxmice exhibit significantly enhanced CPP acquisition, which is correlated with increased gene expression during the consolidation phase of acquisition. Increased gene expression ofc-FosandNr4a2is correlated with decreased HDAC3 occupancy and increased histone H4 lysine 8 acetylation at their promoters. The results from this study demonstrate that HDAC3 negatively regulates cocaine-induced CPP acquisition.
Increases in cAMP, MAPK Activity, and CREB Phosphorylation during REM Sleep: Implications for REM Sleep and Memory Consolidation
Authors: Luo Jie , Phan Trongha X. , Yang Yimei , Garelick Michael G. , Storm Daniel R.
Published: April 2013

The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) transcriptional pathway is required for consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memory. In mice, this pathway undergoes a circadian oscillation required for memory persistence that reaches a peak during the daytime. Because mice exhibit polyphasic sleep patterns during the day, this suggested the interesting possibility that cAMP, MAPK activity, and CREB phosphorylation may be elevated during sleep. Here, we report that cAMP, phospho-p44/42 MAPK, and phospho-CREB are higher in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep compared with awake mice but are not elevated in non-REM sleep. This peak of activity during REM sleep does not occur in mice lacking calmodulin-stimulated adenylyl cyclases, a mouse strain that learns but cannot consolidate hippocampus-dependent memory. We conclude that a preferential increase in cAMP, MAPK activity, and CREB phosphorylation during REM sleep may contribute to hippocampus-dependent memory consolidation.
Distributed Patterns of Activity in Sensory Cortex Reflect the Precision of Multiple Items Maintained in Visual Short-Term Memory
Authors: Emrich Stephen M. , Riggall Adam C. , LaRocque Joshua J. , Postle Bradley R.
Published: April 2013

Traditionally, load sensitivity of sustained, elevated activity has been taken as an index of storage for a limited number of items in visual short-term memory (VSTM). Recently, studies have demonstrated that the contents of a single item held in VSTM can be decoded from early visual cortex, despite the fact that these areas do not exhibit elevated, sustained activity. It is unknown, however, whether the patterns of neural activity decoded from sensory cortex change as a function of load, as one would expect from a region storing multiple representations. Here, we use multivoxel pattern analysis to examine the neural representations of VSTM in humans across multiple memory loads. In an important extension of previous findings, our results demonstrate that the contents of VSTM can be decoded from areas that exhibit a transient response to visual stimuli, but not from regions that exhibit elevated, sustained load-sensitive delay-period activity. Moreover, the neural information present in these transiently activated areas decreases significantly with increasing load, indicating load sensitivity of the patterns of activity that support VSTM maintenance. Importantly, the decrease in classification performance as a function of load is correlated with within-subject changes in mnemonic resolution. These findings indicate that distributed patterns of neural activity in putatively sensory visual cortex support the representation and precision of information in VSTM.
Circuits That Innervate Excitatory-Inhibitory Cells in the Inferior Colliculus Obtained with In Vivo Whole Cell Recordings
Authors: Li Na , Pollak George D.
Published: April 2013

Neurons excited by stimulation of one ear and suppressed by the other, called excitatory/inhibitory (EI) neurons, are sensitive to interaural intensity disparities, the cues animals use to localize high frequencies. EI neurons are first formed in lateral superior olive, which then sends excitatory projections to the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus and the inferior colliculus (IC), both of which contain large populations of EI cells. We evaluate herein the inputs that innervate EI cells in the IC of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasilensis mexicana) within vivowhole-cell recordings from which we derived excitatory and inhibitory conductances. We show that the basic EI property in the majority of IC cells is inherited from lateral superior olive, but that each type of EI cell is also innervated by the ipsilateral or contralateral dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, as well as additional excitatory and inhibitory inputs from monaural nuclei. We identify three EI types, each of which receives a set of projections that is different from the other types. To evaluate the role that the various projections played in generating binaural responses, we used modeling to compute a predicted response from the conductances. We then omitted one of the conductances from the computation to evaluate the degree to which that input contributed to the binaural response. We show that the formation of the EI property in the various types is complex, and that some projections exert such subtle influences that they could not have been detected with extracellular recordings or even from intracellular recordings of postsynaptic potentials.
Apoptosis of Glutamatergic Neurons Fails to Trigger a Neurogenic Response in the Adult Neocortex
Authors: Diaz Frank , McKeehan Nicholas , Kang Wenfei , Hébert Jean M.
Published: April 2013

Adult neurogenesis is actively studied in part because of the potential to manipulate endogenous neural stem and progenitor cells for tissue repair. Although constitutive generation of neurons in the adult rodent olfactory bulb and hippocampal dentate gyrus is widely accepted and stroke-induced generation of striatal inhibitory neurons consistently observed, evidence supporting the generation of neurons in the neocortex after neuronal loss remains slim. Nevertheless, a few studies suggested that targeted apoptosis of neocortical glutamatergic neurons could trigger the generation of new ones in the adult brain. In light of such studies, we tested whether apoptosis of glutamatergic cortical neurons using two novel transgenic approaches in mice, an inducible Caspase-8 protein and an inducible diphtheria toxin gene, results in new neurons. After a thorough analysis, no new neurons were detected in the neocortex. Interestingly, an increase in the expression of the neuroblast marker DCX was observed in both models, in some cases in cells with morphologies previously associated with poststroke neuroblasts, but DCX+cells coexpressed the oligodendrocyte precursor marker Olig2, suggesting caution when using DCX as a marker for neuroblasts after injury. Given that the adult neocortex lacks an innate potential to regenerate lost glutamatergic neurons, future strategies should concentrate on manipulating the differentiation potential of endogenous or exogenous precursor cells.
Can Musicians Track Two Different Beats Simultaneously?
Authors: Poudrier Ève , Repp Bruno H.
Published: April 2013

The simultaneous presence of different meters is not uncommon in Western art music and the music of various non-Western cultures. However, it is unclear how listeners and performers deal with this situation, and whether it is possible to cognitively establish and maintain different beats simultaneously without integrating them into a single metric framework. The present study is an attempt to address this issue empirically. Two rhythms, distinguished by pitch register and representing different meters (2/4 and 6/8), were presented simultaneously in various phase relationships, and participants (who were classically trained musicians) had to judge whether a probe fell on the beat in one or both rhythms. In a selective attention condition, they had to attend to one rhythm and to ignore the other, whereas in a divided attention condition, they had to attend to both. In Experiment 1, participants performed significantly better in the divided attention condition than predicted if they had been able to attend to only one rhythm at a time. In Experiments 2 and 3, however, which used more complex combinations of rhythms, performance did not differ significantly from chance. These results suggest that in Experiment 1 participants relied on the composite beat pattern (i.e., a nonisochronous sequence corresponding to the serial ordering of the two underlying beats) rather than tracking the two beats independently, while in Experiments 2 and 3, the level of complexity of the composite beat pattern may have prevented participants from tracking both beats simultaneously.
Sleep Duration and Adolescent Obesity
Authors: Mitchell Jonathan A. , Rodriguez Daniel , Schmitz Kathryn H. , Audrain-McGovern Janet
Published: April 2013

OBJECTIVES:

Short sleep has been associated with adolescent obesity. Most studies used a cross-sectional design and modeled BMI categories. We sought to determine if sleep duration was associated with BMI distribution changes from age 14 to 18.

METHODS:

Adolescents were recruited from suburban high schools in Philadelphia when entering ninth grade (n = 1390) and were followed-up every 6 months through 12th grade. Height and weight were self-reported, and BMIs were calculated (kg/m2). Hours of sleep were self-reported. Quantile regression was used to model the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th BMI percentiles as dependent variables; study wave and sleep were the main predictors.

RESULTS:

BMI increased from age 14 to 18, with the largest increase observed at the 90th BMI percentile. Each additional hour of sleep was associated with decreases in BMI at the 10th (–0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: –0.11, 0.03), 25th (–0.12; 95% CI: –0.20, –0.04), 50th (–0.15; 95% CI: –0.24, –0.06), 75th (–0.25; 95% CI: –0.38, –0.12), and 90th (–0.27; 95% CI: -0.45, -0.09) BMI percentiles. The strength of the association was stronger at the upper tail of the BMI distribution. Increasing sleep from 7.5 to 10.0 hours per day at age 18 predicted a reduction in the proportion of adolescents >25 kg/m2 by 4%.

CONCLUSIONS:

More sleep was associated with nonuniform changes in BMI distribution from age 14 to 18. Increasing sleep among adolescents, especially those in the upper half of the BMI distribution, may help prevent overweight and obesity.
Early Readmission of Newborns in a Large Health Care System
Authors: Young Paul C. , Korgenski Kent , Buchi Karen F.
Published: April 2013

BACKGROUND:

Early readmissions of apparently healthy newborns after discharge from well baby nurseries (WBN) may reflect an inadequate assessment of the newborn’s readiness for discharge.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the frequency, causes, costs, and variations in rates of early rehospitalization of newborns discharged from 21 WBNs in 1 health care system.

METHODS:

We queried the Enterprise Data Warehouse of Intermountain Healthcare (IH), a large Utah health care system, to identify newborns with gestational ages of 34 to 42 weeks discharged from an IH WBN between 2000 and 2010. We identified all newborns admitted to an IH hospital within 28 days of discharge and recorded their birth hospital, age, reason(s) for admission, length of stay, and inpatient costs.

RESULTS:

During the study period, 296 114 infants were discharged from IH hospital WBNs. Of these, 5308 (17.9/1000) were readmitted within 28 days of discharge. Of the 5308 infants who were readmitted, 41% had feeding problems, 35% had jaundice, and 33% had respiratory distress. The majority of newborns with feeding problems and jaundice were admitted in their first 2 weeks of life. Late preterm and early term newborns had higher rates of readmission than term infants. There were significant variations in readmission rates of newborns born at the 21 hospitals in the IH system.

CONCLUSIONS:

Potentially preventable conditions, including feeding problems and jaundice, account for most early readmissions of newborns. Late preterm and early term newborns have higher rates of readmission and should be assessed for other factors associated with early readmission.
Clinical Application of Micro-Implant Anchorage in Initial Orthodontic Retraction
Authors: Wahabuddin Shaji , Mascarenhas Rohan , Iqbal Mahamad , Husain Akhter
Published: April 2013

Micro-implant is a device that is temporarily fixed to bone for the purpose of enhancing orthodontic anchorage either by supporting the teeth of the reactive unit or by obviating the need for the reactive unit altogether, and which is subsequently removed after use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficiency of micro-implants in reinforcing anchorage during the initial retraction of anterior teeth, check the rate of initial retraction for 8 weeks, and assess the stability of micro-implants during this period. Eighteen micro-implants were placed (10 in the maxilla and 8 in the mandible) and immediately loaded with 200–250 g of force using 9-mm closed coil Nitinol springs. The amount of space closure was measured every 2 weeks until the eighth week. Cephalometric measurements were made at the end of the study to evaluate anchor loss, if any. Micro-implant stability was also assessed. The rate of initial retraction in the maxilla at the end of 8 weeks was 1.65 mm/quadrant and 1.51 mm/quadrant in the mandible. The amount of retraction on the left side of the arches was 1.66 mm/quadrant and 1.49 mm/quadrant on the right side. The average initial retraction for both arches per month was 0.78 mm. An anchor loss of 0.1 mm (0.06%) was observed in the maxilla while no mandibular anchor loss was recorded. The rate of initial retraction observed in the maxilla was more than that achieved in the mandible. Initial retraction was also more on the left side of the arches. There was no anchor loss in the mandible. The micro-implant-reinforced anchorage was helpful in minimizing anchor loss and accepted heavy traction forces but did not bring about a faster rate of retraction.
The 2-Visit CAD-CAM Implant-Retained Overdenture: A Clinical Report
Authors: Bidra Avinash S.
Published: April 2013

Recently, computer-aided technology has become commercially available in the United States for fabrication of complete dentures. Manufacturers offering this technology require exclusive clinical and laboratory protocols that sharply contrast with the traditional paradigms of complete denture therapy. These protocols allow fabrication of complete dentures in only 2 clinical appointments. Currently, there are no clinical reports in the scientific literature describing the use of this technology for overdentures. This article describes the successful use of computer aided design-computer aided machining (CAD-CAM) technology for prosthodontic phase of fabrication of a mandibular implant-retained overdenture in only 2 clinical appointments. A discussion of the techniques, rationale, indications, advantages, and disadvantages of using CAD-CAM technology for complete dentures and overdentures are described in this article.
Paraplegia and intracranial hypertension following epidural anesthesia: report of four cases
Authors: Kliemann Frederico A. D.
Published: April 2013

Four patients who received epidural anesthesia presented sustained myelopathy; three of them had complete paraplegia and one a lumbo-sacral myelopathy with urinary retention. All four patients complained of very intense radicular pains immediately after the analgesic effect of Lidocaine was over. Two patients in whom lumbar puncture was done in the first 24 hours presented an aseptic meningitic reaction in CSF. Paraplegia completed in two to ten months in three patients and in two of them severe intracranial hypertension developped at this time. It is proposed that the disease runs a two-stages course, at least in some cases, characterized by an aseptic meningitis, followed, after a silent period of some months, by signs of adhesive spinal and intracranial arachnoiditis. Intracranial hypertension was controlled by ventriculo-peritoneal shunt; in two patients a transitory effect of intrathecal injections of methyl-prednisolone acetate was observed. Two patients recovered almost completely from paraplegia.
Síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida: descrição anátomo-patológica de dois casos de necropsia
Authors: Delmonte Vera L. C. , Tuder Rubin M. , Vieira Wilma T. T. , Cunha Vilna M. S. , Nakaguma Iraci S. , Bonasser Filho Francisco , Capitani Carlos de Melo
Published: April 2013

Os Autores apresentam dois casos de Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida com ênfase aos achados de necropsia. A criptococose generalizada de padrão miliar, infreqüente, e a pneumocistose foram infecções oportunísticas de curso fatal pela destruição parenquimatosa de órgãos vitais que acarretaram. É destacado o papel etiopatogênico do citomegalovírus, pela concomitância de infecção em ambos os casos e associação aos órgãos mais afetados. Extensa necrose de supra-renal foi constatada, possivelmente secundária à destruição celular viral pelo CMV.
Registro de um caso de paracoccidioidomicose no Japão
Authors: Chikamori Taishiro , Saka Satoshi , Nagano Hiroshi , Saeki Shigeru , Lacaz Carlos da Silva , Rodrigues Maria Conceição , Cassaguerra Cintia Marzagão , Braccialli Maria Luisa
Published: April 2013

Os Autores descrevem um caso de paracoccidioidomicose em Tóquio, o segundo observado no Japão. A paciente residiu cerca de cinco anos na zona urbana de São Paulo, onde provavelmente adquiriu a primo-infecção. Não tomou corticóides, nem teve história de outras afecções que justificassem a paracoccidioidomicose. Após três anos do retorno ao Japão apresentou linfadenopatia, comprometimento hepatesplênico e ausência de lesões pulmonares. O presente caso, com exame histopatoló-gico e cultivo positivos para Paracoccidioides brasiliensis também apresentou quadro soroló-gico compatível. O aspecto blástico das lesões ósseas, raro em arcos costáis nesta micose, bem como a linfadenopatia generalizada são discutidos. Tratamento à base de anfotericina B e ketoconazol ofereceu resultados favoráveis. Neste trabalho os Autores discutem o problema de "patologia de importação", com suas implicações.
Schistosoma mansoni: níveis de infecciosidade para os moluscos hospedeiros intermediários do Brasil
Authors: Souza Cecília Pereira de , Jannotti-Passos Liana K. , Vieira Iaci Belo de F. , Sampaio Ivan Barbosa Machado
Published: April 2013

Os níveis de infecciosidade de Schistosoma mansoni para as três espécies de Biomphalaria, hospedeiras intermediárias do parasita no Brasil, foram pesquisados após exposições conjuntas dos moluscos a miracídios, no laboratório e no campo. Foram utilizadas as cepas LE e SJ de S. mansoni, mantidas no laboratório e WVS e RFS obtidas de fezes de escolares de Belo Horizonte, MG. Os resultados mostraram a infecciosidade maior de S. mansoni para B. glabrata, com taxas de infecção de 4, 7 a 85,5%. A B. straminea foi suscetível às cepas LE, SJ e WVS, com taxas de infecção de 11,0 a 24,6%. A B. tenagophila foi suscetível a LE e Sj com taxas de infecção de 2,5 a 6,5%. As médias de cercárias da cepa WVS, eliminadas por dia por B. straminea e B. glabrata variaram de 93 ± 59 e 782 ± 1.120, respectivamente.
A clinico-pathological study of 163 untreated cases of chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Graf Joachim , Toriyama Kan , Itakura Hideyo
Published: April 2013

We performed a clinico-pathological study of 163 untreated cases of chronic hepatitis C. Eighty five percent of the patients were clinically asymptomatic and their physical examinations sbowed unremarkable or minimal changes at the time of the liver biopsy Liver function tests tended to present slight abnormalities, involving mild elevations of the activity of the aminotransferases and gamma-glutamil transferase levels. In spite of these mild abnormalities advanced chronic liver disease ivas histologically detected in eighty nine percent of the patients, mainly showing chronic active hepatitis. The most characteristic histological finding ivas an interlobular bile duct damage which correlated with the presence of tymphoid aggregates in the portal tracts and with the development of fibrosis.
Emprego de quatro exames imunológicos na determinação da prevalência da doença de chagas nos garis do serviço de limpeza urbana do distrito federal
Authors: Tinoco Douglas L. , Garcia Mônica P. , Lauria-Pires Liana , Santana Jaime M. , Teixeira Antonio R. L.
Published: April 2013

A prevalência da infecção chagásica em 368 garis do Serviço de Limpeza Urbana (SLU) do Distrito Federal foi inicialmente indicada pelos exames de hemaglutinação e imunofluorescência, quando encontrou-se 32,1% e 47,6% de resultados positivos, respectivamente, para cada exame. Em vista das discrepâncias obsevadas. utilizou-se o teste cutâneo com o antígeno T12E para esclarecimento do diagnóstico em 15,5% dos que tinham apenas um teste sorológico positivo. O teste cutâneo foi positivo em 38,6% dos garis. A análise dos resultados de 183 garis mostrou 47% dos casos com três exames concordantes positivos. Mais 19, 7% tiveram dois exames concordantes positivos. Porém, 33,3% dos garis tinham apenas um dos três exames positivo. Empregou-se também o "immunoblot" na tentativa de esclarecer o diagnóstico nos 61 casos com apenas um resultado positivo. Foram encontrados 37,5% (3/8) dos casos positivos pela hemaglutinação, 11,5% (3/26) pelo teste cutâneo, e apenas 3,7% (1/27) pela imunofluorescência. Após a adição desses casos positivos pelo "immunoblot", o total de chagásicos passou a ser de 129, ou seja, 35%/ dos garis da amostra estudada.
A febre amarela na região de Ribeirão Preto durante a virada do século XIX: importância científica e repercussões econômicas
Authors: Figueiredo Luiz Tadeu Moraes
Published: April 2013

Nesta revisão histórica, descreve-se a situação precária da saúde pública no Brasil durante o século XIX devido as múltiplas epidemias de febre amarela. Descreve-se, também, os precários conhecimentos que haviam, à época, sobre a enfermidade. Faz- se um breve histórico sobre a Região de Ribeirão Preto, situada no Nordeste do Estado de São Paulo, seus desbravadores, imigrantes e fazendeiros de café pioneiros, incluindo-se Luiz Pereira Barreto. Relatam-se as 3 epidemias de febre amarela ocorridas na cidade de São Simão, nos anos de 1896. 1898, 1902 e uma ocorrida em Ribeirão Preto, no ano de 1903. Mostra-se que as medidas de saúde pública tomadas para o controle dos surtos mostraram-se eficientes quando Emílio Ribas promoveu, de forma pioneira, o combate ao mosquito transmissor, o Aedes aegypti. Descrevem-se os experimentos efetuados por Emílio Ribas, com a participação de Adolpho Lutz e de Luiz Pereira Barreto, visando confirmar a transmissão vetorial da febre amarela e afastar outras formas de contágio. Obseva-se que as epidemias de febre amarela causaram prejuízo ao desenvolvimento da Cidade de São Simão, colaborando para a transferência do polo econômico regional para Ribeirão Preto. Ressalta-se a importância das medidas de controle vetorial e a dos experimentos sobre o mecanismo de transmissão da febre amarela, no desenvolvimento da ciência médica, e da saúde pública no Brasil.
Morbidade da doença de Chagas em áreas do Sertão da Paraíba e da Caatinga do Piauí
Authors: Coura José Rodrigues , Borges-Pereira José , Alves Filho Francisco Itamar , Castro José Adail Fonseca de , Cunha Rivaldo Venâncio da , Costa Walfredo , Junqueira Angela Cristina Veríssimo
Published: April 2013

Foram estudados 186 pares de indivíduos sorologicamente positivos e negativos para infecção chagásica, da mesma idade e sexo, do Sertão da Paraíba e 200 indivíduos também sorologicamente positivos nos municípios de Oeiras e Colônia do Piauí. Depois de confirmados por pelo menos dois outros testes sorológicos: imunofluorescência indireta quantitativa, ELISA, hemaglutinação ou fixação do complemento,foi feito o exame clínico, eletrocardiográfico e radiológico nos indivíduos selecionados para o estudo exenodiagnóstico, hemocultura e PCR em amostras representativas dos casos soropositivos. As manifestações clínicas predominantes entre os soropositivos em ambas as áreas foram palpitações, dispnéia aos esforços, disfagia, odinofagia, pirose e obstipação. As freqüências das alterações eletrocardiográficas sugestivas da doença de Chagas foram, respectivamente, na Paraíba e no Piauí: BAV = 3,8 % e 2 %, BRD III = 6,4 % e 7 %, BRD III + HBAE = 10,7 % e 10,5 % e extra-sístoles ventriculares complexas = 2,7 % e 3,% . O xenodiagnóstico foi positivo em 13 % dos casos soropositivos da Paraíba e em 34 % dos casos do Piauí, enquanto que o PCR foi positivo, respectivamente, em 44,6 e 59,5 %. A hemocultura realizada apenas no Piauí foi positiva em 25,7 % dos casos estudados. Foram realizados inquéritos triatomínicos em 132 domicílios e peridomicílios no Sertão da Paraíba e em 159 na Caatinga do Piauí, sendo capturados 16 exemplares de T. brasiliensis não infectados no peridomicílio na Paraíba e 750 exemplares no Piauí, dos quais 625 foram examinados: 49 de T. pseudomaculata não infectados com T. cruzi (19 no intradomicílio e 30 no peridomicílio) e 576 de T. brasiliensis (371 no intradomicílio e 205 no peridomicílio) entre os quais 32 (5,5% ) estavam infectados com T. cruzi (31 no intradomicílio e um no peridomicílio).
Polycystic hydatid disease in Brazil: report of five new human cases and a short review of other published observations
Authors: D'Alessandro A. , Moraes M.A.P. , Raick A.N.
Published: April 2013

This paper describes five additional Brazilian human cases of polycystic hydatid disease due to Echinococcus vogeli, reviews the previous cases reported in Brazil, including one report of E. oligarthus (20 in total), and some epidemiological aspects of this disease which is no longer a curiosity but rather a problem that is not medically easy to handle. Its presence should be expected in any rural area of the New World where humans have not eliminated wild felids/canids, bush dogs, pacas, agoutis and other wild rodents.
Feo-hifomicose subcutânea no Estado do Pará: relato de três casos
Authors: Arnaud Maria Vanda Catão , Vieira Tatihane Lamarão , Moraes Mário A. P.
Published: April 2013

São descritos três casos de feo-hifomicose subcutânea, os primeiros encontrados no Estado do Pará, todos oriundos de localidades situadas a leste de Belém, nas micron-regiões do Salgado e Bragantina. O diagnóstico teve por base o reconhecimento dos parasitos em cortes histológicos, sem identificação de espécie, uma vez que todo o material disponível para exame - compreendendo as lesões completamente excisadas -, ao ser recebido, já estava fixado em formol e imprestável, portanto, para qualquer tentativa de estudo micológico. A abmidância de elementos fúngicos verificada nos tecidos, após impregnação pela prata (métodos de Grocott e de Fontana-Masson), contrastava com a dificuldade para visualizá-los em cortes não-corados ou corados por hematoxilina-eosina, fato devido certamente ao aspecto das hifas neles existentes: delgadas, de paredes finas e cor quase imperceptível.
Abscesso piogênico do fígado e esquistossomose mansônica: observações no Estado do Espírito Santo
Authors: Musso Carlos , Pereira Fausto E.L. , Dettogni Roberto V. , Ferreira Marco A.B.
Published: April 2013

Recentemente, foi demonstrado que a forma toxêmica da esquistossomose mansônica em crianças pode serfator predisponente para abscesso piogênico do fígado (APF). Como no Estado do Espírito Santo, a esquistossomose é endêmica em grande parte do estado e os APF são freqüentemente diagnosticados no Hospital Infantil Nossa Senhora da Glória de Vitória, realizou-se revisão dos casos de APF diagnosticados entre maio de 1991 e abril de 1994, com a finalidade de identificar-se os casos com infecção esquistossomótica e a sua procedêitcia. Identificaram-se 65 casos de APF e 39 apresentavam exame de fezes registrado no prontuário, sendo 3 positivos para Schistosoma mansoni e 29 positivos para outros helmintos intestinais, principalmente áscaris e tricocéfalo. A procedência dos pacientes mostrou que 7 (10,6%) eram provenientes de zona endêmica da esquistossomose. A associação APF e esquistossomose mostrou-se pequena e não há grande sobreposição na distribuição geográfica das duas doenças. Por outro lado a alta prevalência de infecção por outros helmintos intestinais e o grande número de abscessos piogênicos criptogenéticos diagnosticados, faz pensar que as infecções helmínticas com larvas que podem migrar para o fígado e formar granulomas, possam também ser um fator predisponente para o abscesso hepático em crianças.
Larva migrans visceral: forma mista de apresentação em adulto - aspectos clínicos e laboratoriais
Authors: Barra LA. Costa , Santos W. Ferreira dos , Chieffi P.P. , Bedaque E.A. , Salles P.S. Campos , Capitão C.G. , Vianna S. , Hanna R. , Pedretti Júnior L.
Published: April 2013

Relatamos o caso de um paciente do sexo mascidino, dezoito anos de idade, procedente de Xapuri no Estado do Acre (Brasil), com história de episódios repetidos de meningoencefalites (três num ano), acompanhadas no local de origem. Em nosso serviço, no Instituto de Infectologia Emílio Ribas, obsewamos um quadro de poliartralgias, alterações radiológicas e broncoscópicas pulmonares e sinais neurológicos de irritação tneníngea e de comprometimento do tronco-encefãlico (com tomografia axial de crânio e exames liquóricos normais), acompanhando-se de eosinofilia periférica e títulos sorológicos elevados para Toxocara canis (EIISA). Consubstanciada a hipótese diagnostica de toxocaríase (larva migrans visceral - IMV), procedeu-se ao tratamento com tiabendazol, ocorrendo remissão clínica e laboratorial completa. Um mês após, ocorreu novo episódio de cefaléia acompanhada por rigidez de nuca (que remitiu em três dias com dexametasona) e, a partir daí, não mais obsewamos quaisquer alterações clínicas ou laboratoriais em cerca de três anos e meio de acompanhamento ambulatorial.
Avaliação do risco cardiovascular de pacientes renais crônicos segundo critérios de Framingham
Authors: Cesarino Cláudia Bernardi , Borges Patricia Peruche , Ribeiro Rita de Cássia Helú Mendonça , Ribeiro Daniele Fávaro , Kusumota Luciana
Published: April 2013

OBJETIVO: Identificar o perfil do paciente com doença renal crônica em um serviço de hemodiálise, e a probabilidade do risco de futuros eventos cardiovascular no período de dez anos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com amostra de 242 pacientes com doença renal crônica. A avaliação do risco cardiovascular foi através do Escore de Risco de Framingham. RESULTADOS: Os fatores de risco para doenças cardiovasculares mais prevalentes foram: hipertensão arterial (90,49%), sedentarismo (80,16%), tabagismo (51,23%). O risco cardiovascular em relação às variáveis gênero e renda familiar apresentou diferença estatística (p<0,05). Apenas 0,8% dos pacientes apresentaram alto risco de doença cardiovascular, 28,8% médio risco e 70,2% baixo risco cardiovascular. CONCLUSÃO: Os dados apontaram para baixo risco cardiovascular nos pacientes renais crônicos.
Crescimento de mudas de Corymbia citriodora em função do uso de hidrogel e adubação
Authors: Bernardi Marlon Rodrigo , Sperotto Junior Maurício , Daniel Omar , Vitorino Antônio Carlos Tadeu
Published: April 2013

Corymbia citriodora, o eucalipto cheiroso, é uma das espécies mais cultivadas para extração de óleo essencial. A produção de mudas, no entanto, é mais difícil do que para outras espécies, considerando o seu menor crescimento, maior susceptibilidade a doenças e necessidades nutricionais. Para a adubação de cobertura, especialmente, ainda não se dispõe de rotina que garanta economia de fertilizantes e bom desenvolvimento das plântulas. O lento crescimento das mudas reduz a sua capacidade de reter nutrientes antes que lixiviem e, uma das alternativas pode ser a adição de polímeros hidrorretentores ao substrato que possam contribuir para a absorção dos fertilizantes aplicados e sua lenta liberação em tubetes. Neste trabalho, objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de doses de adubação, aplicadas em substratos contendo polímeros hidrorretentores, no crescimento de mudas de Corymbia citriodora. Um tratamento controle, com o substrato e adubação de rotina de um viveiro comercial, mais cinco, variando de 80% a 20% da dose comercial em cobertura, mais a adição de polímero (6 g L-1), em quatro repetições, compuseram um delineamento inteiramente ao acaso. Aos 126 dias foram avaliadas a altura, o diâmetro de colo e a razão altura/diâmetro de colo das mudas. Após análises, concluiu-se que houve efeito positivo para altura, diâmetro de colo e razão altura da parte aérea/diâmetro de colo, com uso de polímero hidrorretentor e, que o uso do polímero promoveu a redução em pelo menos 20% da adubação rotineira utilizada pelo viveiro comercial, tanto na adubação de base como na de cobertura.
Produção de serapilheira em diferentes fases sucessionais de uma floresta subtropical secundária, em Antonina, PR
Authors: Dickow Kauana Melissa Cunha , Marques Renato , Pinto Carolina Benghi , Höfer Hubert
Published: April 2013

O presente estudo foi realizado na Reserva Natural Rio Cachoeira, em Antonina (PR), e teve como objetivo principal avaliar a produção de serapilheira em áreas de floresta secundária em diferentes fases de sucessão (fases inicial, média e avançada). As coletas foram realizadas a cada 3 semanas, durante quatro anos (2004 a 2007), em coletores circulares de 0,25 m², distribuídos em número de dois em cada parcela de 100m². No total foram utilizados 60 coletores em uma área total de 3000 m². A serapilheira coletada foi secada e triada em frações (folhas, ramos, órgãos reprodutivos e miscelânea). Dentro da fração folhas, foram selecionadas algumas espécies para estudo específico da contribuição destas à serapilheira total. A produção anual média da serapilheira total foi de 5201, 5399 e 5323 kg.ha-1.ano-1 e a contribuição da fração folhas foi de 77, 75 e 68%, nas fases sucessionais inicial, média a avançada, respectivamente. Na serapilheira foliar da fase inicial predominou a espécie Tibouchina pulchra (jacatirão) (75%), sendo que nas fases média e avançada não ocorreu o predomínio de apenas uma espécie. A produção de ramos e órgãos reprodutivos não diferiu estatisticamente entre as diferentes fases sucessionais. A produção da fração miscelânea foi maior na fase avançada e não diferiu entre as fases inicial e média. Em geral, foram pequenas as diferenças na produção de serapilheira ao longo do processo sucessional na área do estudo.
Mapeamento do risco de incêndios florestais no município de Novo Mundo, Mato Grosso, Brasil
Authors: Ribeiro Luciene , Soares Ronaldo Viana , Bepller Michele
Published: April 2013

Neste trabalho, objetivou-se elaborar um mapa de zoneamento de risco de incêndios florestais para o município de Novo Mundo, Mato Grosso. O estudo abrangeu todo o território do município, que está localizado entre as coordenadas 09º09'29"S, 49°58'59"W e 10°29'28"S e 48º55'52"W. Utilizando-se técnicas de Geoprocessamento foram elaborados mapas individuais do risco de incêndios florestais referentes à influência da hidrografia, da rede viária, da declividade do terreno e do uso e cobertura do solo. O risco foi classificado em seis níveis, que variaram de zero a cinco: nulo, baixo, moderado, alto, muito alto e extremo, respectivamente. Posteriormente, os mapas individuais foram sobrepostos por meio da técnica de Overlay, resultando no mapa final de zoneamento do risco de incêndio. Os resultados indicaram que 95% da área do município encontravam-se sob risco alto e muito alto. As variáveis que mais contribuíram para a obtenção desses níveis de risco foram as fronteiras entre estradas e florestas, estradas e áreas de pastagem e pastagens com florestas.