Binge drinking and insomnia in students from health sciences at one university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In spite of the many studies examining alcohol consumption, recent reviews have indicated that binge drinking has not been extensively studied. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that sleep is associated with many physiological functions and to drug addictions. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between alcohol binge drinking and insomnia in college students of health sciences. All first-year health sciences students (n=286) were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Envelopes containing the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), and questions capturing sociodemographic data were distributed and collected in classes. It was found that most non-drinkers were female (70.6%), although there were no sex-related differences in the number of binge drinkers (more than 5 drinks on each occasion at least once a week), allowing statistical comparison. The Mann-Whitney U test indicated that the ISI scores were significantly greater in female than male binge drinkers (P=0.014). Moderate or severe insomnia was reported by 23% of the sample, with alcohol being the most frequently associated substance. A specialized intervention was suggested by ASSIST: brief for marijuana (19.2%) and tobacco (23.3%) use, and moderate (31.5%) or intensive (1.4%) for alcohol consumers. The data highlighted the need to pay attention to the habits of college students beyond obtaining scientific information. New data suggesting the influence of genetics on insomnia may be of importance when performing additional studies on the sex differences in alcohol binge drinking.

Binge drinking and insomnia in students from health sciences at one university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In spite of the many studies examining alcohol consumption, recent reviews have indicated that binge drinking has not been extensively studied. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that sleep is associated with many physiological functions and to drug addictions. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between alcohol binge drinking and insomnia in college students of health sciences. All first-year health sciences students (n=286) were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Envelopes containing the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), and questions capturing sociodemographic data were distributed and collected in classes. It was found that most non-drinkers were female (70.6%), although there were no sex-related differences in the number of binge drinkers (more than 5 drinks on each occasion at least once a week), allowing statistical comparison. The Mann-Whitney U test indicated that the ISI scores were significantly greater in female than male binge drinkers (P=0.014). Moderate or severe insomnia was reported by 23% of the sample, with alcohol being the most frequently associated substance. A specialized intervention was suggested by ASSIST: brief for marijuana (19.2%) and tobacco (23.3%) use, and moderate (31.5%) or intensive (1.4%) for alcohol consumers. The data highlighted the need to pay attention to the habits of college students beyond obtaining scientific information. New data suggesting the influence of genetics on insomnia may be of importance when performing additional studies on the sex differences in alcohol binge drinking.

Adsorption of Dicamba herbicide onto a carbon replica obtained from a layered double hydroxide.

In this work, a carbon replica derived from a vinylbenzenesulfonate-intercalated layered double hydroxide (CR-LDH) was applied to remove the Dicamba organochlorine herbicide from aqueous solution. The samples were characterized by several experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry and mass spectrometry (TGA-DSC-MS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption/desorption and zeta potential analysis. The CR-LDH sample presents a very high specific surface area (2345 m2 g-1). The adsorption experiment typically followed the Langmuir isotherm model and the adsorption kinetics was best fitted with a pseudo second-order model. The maximum adsorption capacity of Dicamba herbicide onto CR-LDH was 279 mg g-1. CR-LDH presented a higher adsorption capacity than other carbon adsorbent materials reported in the literature.

Influence of oestrogen deficiency on the development of apical periodontitis.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of a long period of oestrogen deficiency on the development of apical periodontitis in rats. METHODOLOGY: Wistar rats (n = 24), 3 months old, evaluated by vaginal cytology, were included in the study. Twelve animals were ovariectomized (OVX group) and the other 12 were sham operated (control group). One hundred and twenty days after castration, the pulps of the left mandibular first molars were exposed to induce the development of apical periodontitis. Body mass was verified on a weekly basis. Following 21 and 40 days of lesion induction, the animals were sacrificed. Blood was collected for biochemical analysis, and mandibles were removed for radiographic analysis. Comparative analysis of the data was performed by the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's multiple-comparisons tests. The t-test was applied to compare the oestrogen levels between control and OVX groups. RESULTS: Radiographs revealed that apical periodontitis lesions were significantly larger in the 40-day OVX group when compared with both 40-day (P < 0.05) and 21-day (P < 0.001) control groups. Serum oestrogen levels were significantly lower in the OVX group (P < 0.01), confirming the efficacy of castration. Oestrogen deficiency resulted in significantly greater body mass gain (P < 0.01) in 40-day OVX group when compared with 40-day control group. Serum concentrations of calcium were similar between groups (P > 0.05). Alkaline phosphatase levels, although higher in the OVX groups (21 and 40 days), were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Ovariectomized rats had significantly larger apical periodontitis lesions after 40 days of pulp exposure when compared with controls. These findings suggest that bone alterations as a result of long periods of oestrogen deficiency can influence the progression of apical periodontitis.

Thyroid and pituitary thyroxine-5'-deiodinase activity and thyrotrophin secretion in lithium-treated rats.

Some authors have reported increased serum thyrotrophin (TSH) in animals chronically treated with lithium, suggesting that lithium might decrease pituitary thyroxine (T(4))-5'-deiodinase activity. On the other hand, the effect of lithium treatment on thyroidal T(4)-5'-deiodinase activity is also unknown. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of lithium treatment on pituitary and thyroid T(4)-5'-deiodinase activity. Serum and pituitary TSH levels and thyroidal and pituitary T(4)-5'-deiodinase activities were determined in 3-month-old isogenic male Dutch-Miranda rats treated with lithium for 8 weeks. Chronic lithium treatment produced a slight increase in pituitary TSH content, but no change in serum TSH, and a significant increase in the thyroidal T(4)-5'-deiodinase activity. However, the pituitary T(4)-5'-deiodinase activity was unaffected by lithium administration. As far as we know, the present data show for the first time that chronic lithium treatment can increase the thyroxine to tri-iodothyronine conversion in the murine thyroid gland, be it directly or indirectly.

Interaction between substance P and gastrin-releasing peptide on thyrotropin secretion by rat pituitary in vitro

The effect of substance P (SP) on thyrotropin (TSH) secretion is controversial. In this study we evaluated the effect of SP on TSH secretion by hemipituitaries of 3-month-old Wistar rats in vitro and its interaction with gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) at equimolar concentrations (1 µM and 10 µM). TSH release was measured under basal conditions and 30 min after incubation in the absence or presence of SP, GRP or both peptides. Pituitary TSH content was also measured in the pituitary homogenate after incubation. SP at both concentrations caused a significant (P<0.05) increase in TSH secretion compared with all other groups, which was approximately 60 percent (1 µM) and 85 percent (10 µM) higher than that of the control group (23.3 + or - 3.0 ng/ml). GRP at the lower concentration did not produce a statistically significant change in TSH secretion, whereas at the concentration of 10 µM it produced a 50 percent reduction in TSH. GRP co-incubated with substance P completely blocked the stimulatory effect of SP at both concentrations. Pituitary TSH content decreased in the SP-treated group compared to controls (0.75 + or - 0.03 µg/hemipituitary) at the same proportion as the increase in TSH secretion, and this effect was also blocked when GRP and SP were co-incubated. In conclusion, in an in vitro system, SP increased TSH secretion acting directly at the pituitary level and this effect was blocked by GRP, suggesting that GRP is more potent than SP on TSH secretion, and that this inhibitory effect could be the predominant effect in vivo