Nursing Interventions for Patients With Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Arising From Complete Spinal Cord Injury: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: We mapped key concepts and identified 4 fundamental nursing interventions for patients with neurogenic bowel dysfunction due to complete spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: A scoping review was conducted according to the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute. SEARCH STRATEGY: Searches were performed in PubMed, LILACS, CINAHL, COCHRANE, and SCOPUS electronic databases. We use searched the gray literature using the Google Scholar search engine. We formulated a question to guide the search, based on the participants, concept, and context format: "What are the key manual nursing interventions performed in patients with neurogenic bowel dysfunction resulting from complete spinal cord injury?" We included nursing intervention strategies that may be performed by health professionals, patients, or caregivers. Two reviewers independently participated in the selection; disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer and 5 experts. FINDINGS: Thirteen studies conducted between 1998 and 2019 were selected; 5 were randomized clinical trials. Four main interventions were identified for conservative management of neurogenic bowel dysfunction in patients with complete SCI. They were digital-anal stimulation, manual extraction of feces, abdominal massage, and strategies used to stimulate the gastrocolic reflex. CONCLUSIONS: Research suggests that each of these interventions, administered alone or in combination, supports bowel evacuation in patients with a complete SCI. Each of these interventions may be performed by a nurse, and taught to the patient and/or lay caregiver. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: An individualized bowel management program for patients with neurogenic bowel dysfunction due to SCI is necessary to ensure regular bowel evacuation, preserve fecal continence, and support dignity and health-related quality of life. The conservative interventions identified in this scoping review should be incorporated in protocols or guidelines for management of neurogenic bowel dysfunction in this vulnerable population.

p.G360R Is a Pathogenic GLA Gene Mutation Responsible for a Classic Phenotype of Fabry Disease.

The authors report the case of a classic phenotype of Fabry disease in a 60-year-old male patient presenting with left ventricular hypertrophy and stroke. Genetic analysis revealed 2 GLA-gene variants, i.e., p.R356Q and p.G360R. This clinical case highlights that the finding of 2 or more GLA gene variants in a Fabry patient should lead to a careful evaluation in order to determine their exact role in the condition. This case also provides the first clinical evidence that the p.G360R mutation is pathogenic and responsible for a classic phenotype of Fabry disease. The clinical improvement following the initiation of enzyme replacement therapy reinforces the importance of Fabry disease awareness and diagnosis in patients exhibiting red flags, such as left ventricular hypertrophy and stroke.

Highly selective water adsorption in a lanthanum metal-organic framework.

We present a new metal-organic framework (MOF) built from lanthanum and pyrazine-2,5-dicarboxylate (pyzdc) ions. This MOF, [La(pyzdc)1.5(H2O)2]⋅2 H2O, is microporous, with 1D channels that easily accommodate water molecules. Its framework is highly robust to dehydration/hydration cycles. Unusually for a MOF, it also features a high hydrothermal stability. This makes it an ideal candidate for air drying as well as for separating water/alcohol mixtures. The ability of the activated MOF to adsorb water selectively was evaluated by means of thermogravimetric analysis, powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction and adsorption studies, indicating a maximum uptake of 1.2 mmol g(-1) MOF. These results are in agreement with the microporous structure, which permits only water molecules to enter the channels (alcohols, including methanol, are simply too large). Transient breakthrough simulations using water/methanol mixtures confirm that such mixtures can be separated cleanly using this new MOF.

Maintenance of medium- and high-complexity health services in the context of high patient transition: a time series ecological study of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. / Manutenção dos serviços de média e alta complexidade em contexto de alta transição de usuários: um estudo ecológico de séries temporais no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

The study addresses the historical disparities in the distribution of the medium- and high-complexity health network and the limits to budget adjustments between the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and its neighboring municipalities of the Metropolitan region 1. An ecological study was conducted with data related to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, chosen because it has a large assistance network, while located on the borders of vulnerable and underprivileged areas, characterizing a locus that is representative of the situations faced throughout the country. A decrease in the gross values of the programmed quotas in all municipalities of Rio de Janeiro was observed from 2016 onwards. The temporal trend of the programmed quotas remained stable for all municipalities in the Metropolitan Region 1, even with significant increases in the accomplished quotas for neighboring municipalities. The resulting overload in local expenditure prevents the increase of capacity to anticipate fluctuations in demand, both known and unexpected ones, compromising the responsiveness of the health system regarding its regular operation, as well as the ability to adjust to cope with extraordinary events, essential characteristics of resilience.

O estudo explora as históricas disparidades regionais na distribuição da rede de média e alta complexidade e os limites impostos para a o remanejamento dos tetos de financiamento entre o município do Rio de Janeiro e municípios limítrofes da Região Metropolitana 1. Foi realizado um estudo ecológico com dados referentes à cidade do Rio de Janeiro, escolhido por ter uma grande rede de assistência e limites com territórios vulneráveis e carentes de serviços de saúde, caracterizando um lócus representativo das situações enfrentadas em todo o país. Foi observado um decréscimo dos valores brutos das cotas programadas em todos os municípios do Rio de Janeiro a partir de 2016. A tendência temporal das cotas programadas se manteve estacionária para todos os municípios da Região Metropolitana 1, mesmo com aumentos significativos nas cotas para municípios limítrofes. A resultante sobrecarga no aporte local de recursos impede o aumento da capacidade para antecipar flutuações de demanda, tanto conhecidas quanto inesperadas, comprometendo a responsividade do sistema de saúde no que respeita seu funcionamento regular, bem como a capacidade de ajuste para lidar com eventos extraordinários, características essenciais da resiliência.

Hunting for Genes Underlying Emotionality in the Laboratory Rat: Maps, Tools and Traps.

Scientists have systematically investigated the hereditary bases of behaviors since the 19th century, moved by either evolutionary questions or clinically-motivated purposes. The pioneer studies on the genetic selection of laboratory animals had already indicated, one hundred years ago, the immense complexity of analyzing behaviors that were influenced by a large number of small-effect genes and an incalculable amount of environmental factors. Merging Mendelian, quantitative and molecular approaches in the 1990s made it possible to map specific rodent behaviors to known chromosome regions. From that point on, Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) analyses coupled with behavioral and molecular techniques, which involved in vivo isolation of relevant blocks of genes, opened new avenues for gene mapping and characterization. This review examines the QTL strategy applied to the behavioral study of emotionality, with a focus on the laboratory rat. We discuss the challenges, advances and limitations of the search for Quantitative Trait Genes (QTG) playing a role in regulating emotionality. For the past 25 years, we have marched the long journey from emotionality-related behaviors to genes. In this context, our experiences are used to illustrate why and how one should move forward in the molecular understanding of complex psychiatric illnesses. The promise of exploring genetic links between immunological and emotional responses are also discussed. New strategies based on humans, rodents and other animals (such as zebrafish) are also acknowledged, as they are likely to allow substantial progress to be made in the near future.

High seroprevalence of Leishmania infantum is linked to immune activation in people with HIV: a two-stage cross-sectional study in Bahia, Brazil.

Visceral leishmaniasis is an opportunistic disease in HIV-1 infected individuals, unrecognized as a determining factor for AIDS diagnosis. The growing geographical overlap of HIV-1 and Leishmania infections is an emerging challenge worldwide, as co-infection increases morbidity and mortality for both infections. Here, we determined the prevalence of people living with HIV (PWH) with a previous or ongoing infection by Leishmania infantum and investigated the virological and immunological factors associated with co-infection. We adopted a two-stage cross-sectional cohort (CSC) design (CSC-I, n = 5,346 and CSC-II, n = 317) of treatment-naïve HIV-1-infected individuals in Bahia, Brazil. In CSC-I, samples collected between 1998 and 2013 were used for serological screening for leishmaniasis by an in-house Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) with SLA (Soluble Leishmania infantum Antigen), resulting in a prevalence of previous or ongoing infection of 16.27%. Next, 317 PWH were prospectively recruited from July 2014 to December 2015 with the collection of sociodemographic and clinical data. Serological validation by two different immunoassays confirmed a prevalence of 15.46 and 8.20% by anti-SLA, and anti-HSP70 serology, respectively, whereas 4.73% were double-positive (DP). Stratification of these 317 individuals in DP and double-negative (DN) revealed a significant reduction of CD4+ counts and CD4+/CD8+ ratios and a tendency of increased viral load in the DP group, as compared to DN. No statistical differences in HIV-1 subtype distribution were observed between the two groups. However, we found a significant increase of CXCL10 (p = 0.0076) and a tendency of increased CXCL9 (p = 0.061) in individuals with DP serology, demonstrating intensified immune activation in this group. These findings were corroborated at the transcriptome level in independent Leishmania- and HIV-1-infected cohorts (Swiss HIV Cohort and Piaui Northeast Brazil Cohort), indicating that CXCL10 transcripts are shared by the IFN-dominated immune activation gene signatures of both pathogens and positively correlated to viral load in untreated PWH. This study demonstrated a high prevalence of PWH with L. infantum seropositivity in Bahia, Brazil, linked to IFN-mediated immune activation and a significant decrease in CD4+ levels. Our results highlight the urgent need to increase awareness and define public health strategies for the management and prevention of HIV-1 and L. infantum co-infection.

Considerations for addressing anti-vaccination campaigns: How did we get here and what can we do about it?

A course on vaccine development asked students to write a blog addressing general anti-vaccination strategies and their significance today, in the context of the resistance seen against novel SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines. This perspective explores how and why these efforts are successful at reducing vaccine uptake and why, for the most part, efforts to combat the movement have been unsuccessful. This summary of the collective view of the class provides recommendations for combatting current and future campaigns of misinformation. It is hoped that this perspective will serve as a call to action for clinical pharmacologists and translational scientists to do their part to educate the lay community and promote the science in an open and transparent manner to ensure that current and future vaccines fulfill their potential.

The influence of sex and estrous cycle on QTL for emotionality and ethanol consumption.

The inbred rat strains Lewis (LEW) and Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) differ with respect to several emotionality- and ethanol intake-related behaviors, one of which (inner locomotion in the open field; OF) is strongly influenced by a locus (Anxrr16) on chromosome (Chr) 4. We aimed to further investigate the influence of Chr 4 on these behaviors and to evaluate the role of the estrous cycle in QTL expression. LEW females and SHR males were intercrossed to produce F1 and F2 rats (96-97/sex), which were then tested in the OF, light-dark box (LDB), forced swimming test (FST), and an ethanol consumption procedure (ECP). In addition, another group of 96 F2 females were tested in the OF and LDB according to their estrous cycle phase. All animals were genotyped for microsatellite markers located on Chr 4 and two QTL analyses were performed. A factor analysis of the F2 population produced five factors reflecting different behavioral dimensions. QTL analysis revealed five significant loci in males, some of which with pleiotropic effects on behaviors measured in the OF, LDB, and ECP. The second QTL analysis revealed two significant loci in females in diestrous-proestrous and one in females in estrous-metestrous that influence behaviors in the OF and LDB. Results revealed that Anxrr16 and four other new QTL influence emotionality- and ethanol-related behaviors in male rats, whereas Anxrr16 attained suggestive levels only in females in diestrous-proestrous, which raises the need for taking into account factors related to the sex and estrous cycle in behavioral QTL analysis.

Previne Brasil Program: the apex of threats to Primary Health Care? / Programa Previne Brasil: o ápice das ameaças à Atenção Primária à Saúde?

Since 2017, the Brazilian health system is facing a wave of counter-reforms in policies that have expanded coverage and access and intended to change the care model. Primary Health Care (PHC) has been substantially modified by synergistic and complementary federal official acts. The creation of federal autonomous social service for the provision of doctors; public consultation to institute basket of consumption in healthcare; the flexibility of the weekly workload of doctors and nurses, who may integrate more than one team; the non-setting of a minimum number of community health workers per team form the context in which the Previne Brasil Program was launched to be in force by 2020. The government's argument is to increase: flexibility and local autonomy to organize services, greater efficiency and valorization. of performance. Criticism from sanitarians, some state councils of municipal authorities and the National Health Council points to the privatizing, marketing, selective and focused character of the proposal that is moving towards universal health coverage. This paper analyzes the Previne Brazil Program which, among other things, alters funding and suggests increasing resources for PHC in a context of freezing social spending. Contradictions and alternatives are identified to minimize potential damage to existing policies.

Desde 2017, o sistema de saúde brasileiro enfrenta uma onda de contrarreformas em políticas que ampliaram cobertura e acesso e pretenderam mudar o modelo assistencial. A Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) tem sido atingida por atos oficiais, sinérgicos e complementares, que a alteram substancialmente. A criação de serviço social autônomo federal para provisão de médicos; a consulta pública para instituir cesta de serviços; a flexibilização da carga horária semanal de médicos e enfermeiros, que poderão integrar mais de uma equipe; a não fixação de quantitativo mínimo de agentes comunitários de saúde por equipe; formam o contexto em que o Programa Previne Brasil foi lançado para vigorar em 2020. O argumento do governo é de aumento de flexibilidade e autonomia local para organizar serviços, maior eficiência e valorização do desempenho. Críticas de sanitaristas, de alguns conselhos estaduais de gestores municipais e do Conselho Nacional de Saúde apontam o caráter privatizante, mercadológico, seletivo e focalizado da proposta que caminha na direção da cobertura universal em saúde. Este artigo analisa o Programa Previne Brasil que altera o financiamento e sugere aumento de recursos para APS numa conjuntura de congelamento do gasto social. Identificam-se contradições e alternativas.

Deep immune profiling of MIS-C demonstrates marked but transient immune activation compared to adult and pediatric COVID-19.

Pediatric COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with fewer hospitalizations and often milder disease than in adults. A subset of children, however, present with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) that can lead to vascular complications and shock, but rarely death. The immune features of MIS-C compared to pediatric COVID-19 or adult disease remain poorly understood. We analyzed peripheral blood immune responses in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected pediatric patients (pediatric COVID-19) and patients with MIS-C. MIS-C patients had patterns of T cell-biased lymphopenia and T cell activation similar to severely ill adults, and all patients with MIS-C had SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibodies at admission. A distinct feature of MIS-C patients was robust activation of vascular patrolling CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cells that correlated with the use of vasoactive medication. Finally, whereas pediatric COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) had sustained immune activation, MIS-C patients displayed clinical improvement over time, concomitant with decreasing immune activation. Thus, non-MIS-C versus MIS-C SARS-CoV-2 associated illnesses are characterized by divergent immune signatures that are temporally distinct from one another and implicate CD8+ T cells in the clinical presentation and trajectory of MIS-C.

Deep Immune Profiling of MIS-C demonstrates marked but transient immune activation compared to adult and pediatric COVID-19.

Pediatric COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with fewer hospitalizations and often milder disease than in adults. A subset of children, however, present with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) that can lead to vascular complications and shock, but rarely death. The immune features of MIS-C compared to pediatric COVID-19 or adult disease remain poorly understood. We analyzed peripheral blood immune responses in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected pediatric patients (pediatric COVID-19) and patients with MIS-C. MIS-C patients had patterns of T cell-biased lymphopenia and T cell activation similar to severely ill adults, and all patients with MIS-C had SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibodies at admission. A distinct feature of MIS-C patients was robust activation of vascular patrolling CX3CR1+ CD8 T cells that correlated with use of vasoactive medication. Finally, whereas pediatric COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) had sustained immune activation, MIS-C patients displayed clinical improvement over time, concomitant with decreasing immune activation. Thus, non-MIS-C versus MIS-C SARS-CoV-2 associated illnesses are characterized by divergent immune signatures that are temporally distinct and implicate CD8 T cells in clinical presentation and trajectory of MIS-C.

Animal models of anxiety: do I need multiple tests?

The combination of cutting-edge molecular technology and high-throughput phenotyping tools will not bring the expected contribution to the pre-clinical study of anxiety if not paralleled by an increase in our capacity to interpret behavioral data. Here, previous views about the multidimensional nature of emotional behaviors will be expanded and the psychological meaning and behavioral overlaps of widely used anxiety tests such as the open field, elevated plus maze and light-dark box will be discussed. It is proposed here that short-term, intra-individual variations in emotionality, although normally overlooked, constitute an important factor in the study of anxiety and can lead to unreliable estimates of the similarities between tests. The physical integration of different current tests in one single apparatus, in such a way that the emotional status of an animal becomes assessable through a series of distinct tasks, could contribute to increase reliability, rapidity and comprehensiveness in behavioral testing.

[Primary health care and Social Organizations in capitals in the Southeast Region of Brazil: 2009 and 2014]. / Atenção primária à saúde e Organizações Sociais nas capitais da Região Sudeste do Brasil: 2009 e 2014.

This study focuses on the primary health care (PHC) performance of the four capitals of the Southeast Region of Brazil in the years 2009 and 2014 in terms of the indicators of the 2013-2015 Guidelines and Goals Pact (PDM, in Portuguese). Two capitals turned to Social Organizations (OS, in Portuguese) and two kept the provision and administration of PHC through Direct Administration (AD, in Portuguese), configuring distinct management models. Freely accessible secondary data and research on websites subsidized the characterization of the cities and their PHC performance. The characterization was based on demographic and socioeconomic data, PHC management model, health and PHC spending, importance of the Municipal Participation Fund for the budget and percentage of Executive Branch spending on personnel. In order to measure PHC performance, we calculated 13 indicators for 2009 and 2014, in three PDM guidelines: (i) access, (ii) integral care for women and children's health and (iii) reduction of health risks and harms. The comparative performance analysis considered the year 2014 and each capital's evolution during the period we analyzed. The capitals São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, with OS management, did not have a better performance in the set of indicators than the capitals than maintained a direct administration. We highlight the rapid expansion in PHC coverage in Rio de Janeiro through OS. In the performance evolution, there was improvement in indicators such as child mortality and hospital admissions due to conditions sensible to PHC in all capitals. The cities are different with regard to many parameters that can influence PHC performance. We did not intend to establish a direct relationship between the administration model and performance.

Este estudo focaliza o desempenho das quatro capitais da Região Sudeste do Brasil na atenção primária à saúde (APS), nos anos de 2009 e 2014, em relação a indicadores do Pacto de Diretrizes e Metas (PDM) 2013-2015. Duas capitais recorreram a Organizações Sociais (OS) e duas mantiveram a prestação e a gerência da APS mediante a Administração Direta (AD), configurando modelos distintos de gestão. Dados secundários de acesso livre e pesquisa em sítios eletrônicos subsidiaram a caracterização das cidades e o seu desempenho em APS. A caracterização foi baseada em dados demográficos e socioeconômicos, modelo de gestão da APS, gastos com saúde e APS, importância do Fundo de Participação Municipal no orçamento e percentual de despesas do Poder Executivo com pessoal. Para medir o desempenho em APS, 13 indicadores foram calculados para 2009 e 2014, em três diretrizes do PDM: (i) acesso, (ii) atenção integral à saúde da mulher e da criança, e (iii) redução dos riscos e agravos à saúde. A análise comparativa do desempenho considerou o ano de 2014 e a evolução de cada capital no período analisado. As capitais São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro, de gestão por OS, não obtiveram melhor desempenho no conjunto de indicadores em relação às que mantiveram a gestão por AD. Destaca-se a rápida expansão de cobertura de APS no Rio de Janeiro mediante OS. Na evolução do desempenho houve melhoria em indicadores como mortalidade infantil e internações por condições sensíveis à APS em todas as capitais. As cidades são distintas em relação a diversos parâmetros que podem influenciar o desempenho em APS e não se pretendeu estabelecer relação direta entre o modelo de gestão adotado e o desempenho medido.

Este estudio se centra en el desempeño de las cuatro capitales de la región sudeste en lo que se refiere a la atención primaria de salud (APS), durante los años 2009 y 2014, respecto a los indicadores del Pacto de Directrices y Metas (PDM) 2013-2015. Dos capitales recurrieron a organizaciones sociales (OS) y dos mantuvieron la prestación y la gerencia de la APS, mediante la Administración Directa (AD), configurando modelos distintos de gestión. Los datos secundarios de acceso libre e investigación en sitios electrónicos ayudaron en la caracterización de las cedads y su desempeño en la APS. La caracterización se basó en datos demográficos y socioeconómicos, modelo de gestión de la APS, gastos de salud y APS, importancia del Fondo de Participación Municipal en el presupuesto y porcentaje de gastos del Poder Ejecutivo en personal. Para medir el desempeño de la APS, se calcularon 13 indicadores para 2009 y 2014, en tres directrices del PDM: acceso, atención integral a la salud de la mujer y del niño, así como reducción de riesgos y efectos dañinos para la salud. El análisis comparativo del desempeño consideró el año 2014 y la evolución de cada capital durante el período analizado. Las capitales São Paulo y Río de Janeiro, de gestión mediante OS, no obtuvieron mejor desempeño en el conjunto de indicadores referentes a las que mantuvieron la gestión vía AD. Se destacó la rápida expansión de cobertura de APS en Río de Janeiro mediante OS. En la evolución del desempeño hubo una mejoría en indicadores como mortalidad infantil e internamientos por condiciones sensibles a la APS en todas las capitales. Las cedads son distintas, en relación con diversos parámetros que pueden influenciar en el desempeño de la APS y no se pretendió establecer relación directa entre el modelo de gestión adoptado y el desempeño medido.

Manutenção dos serviços de média e alta complexidade em contexto de alta transição de usuários: um estudo ecológico de séries temporais no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil / Maintenance of medium- and high-complexity health services in the context of high patient transition: a time series ecological study of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Resumo O estudo explora as históricas disparidades regionais na distribuição da rede de média e alta complexidade e os limites impostos para a o remanejamento dos tetos de financiamento entre o município do Rio de Janeiro e municípios limítrofes da Região Metropolitana 1. Foi realizado um estudo ecológico com dados referentes à cidade do Rio de Janeiro, escolhido por ter uma grande rede de assistência e limites com territórios vulneráveis e carentes de serviços de saúde, caracterizando um lócus representativo das situações enfrentadas em todo o país. Foi observado um decréscimo dos valores brutos das cotas programadas em todos os municípios do Rio de Janeiro a partir de 2016. A tendência temporal das cotas programadas se manteve estacionária para todos os municípios da Região Metropolitana 1, mesmo com aumentos significativos nas cotas para municípios limítrofes. A resultante sobrecarga no aporte local de recursos impede o aumento da capacidade para antecipar flutuações de demanda, tanto conhecidas quanto inesperadas, comprometendo a responsividade do sistema de saúde no que respeita seu funcionamento regular, bem como a capacidade de ajuste para lidar com eventos extraordinários, características essenciais da resiliência.

Abstract The study addresses the historical disparities in the distribution of the medium- and high-complexity health network and the limits to budget adjustments between the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and its neighboring municipalities of the Metropolitan region 1. An ecological study was conducted with data related to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, chosen because it has a large assistance network, while located on the borders of vulnerable and underprivileged areas, characterizing a locus that is representative of the situations faced throughout the country. A decrease in the gross values of the programmed quotas in all municipalities of Rio de Janeiro was observed from 2016 onwards. The temporal trend of the programmed quotas remained stable for all municipalities in the Metropolitan Region 1, even with significant increases in the accomplished quotas for neighboring municipalities. The resulting overload in local expenditure prevents the increase of capacity to anticipate fluctuations in demand, both known and unexpected ones, compromising the responsiveness of the health system regarding its regular operation, as well as the ability to adjust to cope with extraordinary events, essential characteristics of resilience.

Integrating the open field, elevated plus maze and light/dark box to assess different types of emotional behaviors in one single trial.

Current anxiety tests do not provide, individually, a pure and complete picture of an animal's emotional profile. Therefore, many authors test their experimental hypotheses using a series of anxiety-related tests, which are thought to reflect different facets of emotionality. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential usefulness of integrating three widely used behavioral tests, the open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM), and light/dark box (LDB), to assess a wider range of emotional and non-emotional behaviors within one single trial. A protocol was developed where rats could freely explore an OF that was physically connected to an EPM and a LDB during 15min. Classical anxiety- and locomotion-related behaviors from each test were measured. Lewis and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) inbred strains, known to present genetic differences in each of the individual tests, differed for all anxiety-related behaviors from the combined apparatus. Factor analyses revealed that similar anxiety- and locomotion-related factors were produced by the three tests applied either separately or in combination. Under both conditions, each test produced its own anxiety-related factor. Two benzodiazepines, chlordiazepoxide (at 5 and 10mg/kg) and midazolam (at 0.75mg/kg), facilitated the approach towards the EPM open arms, whereas pentylenetetrazole (10mg/kg) specifically inhibited exploration of the three aversive areas (OF center, EPM open arms, LDB light compartment). Together, these results suggest that the new integrated apparatus may contribute to the study of anxiety, by providing a rapid, comprehensive and reliable method of assessing emotionality-related behaviors and its underlying components.

HIV-1 strains identified in Brazilian blood donors: significant prevalence of B/F1 recombinants.

In the Brazilian HIV-1 epidemic subtypes B, C, and F1 are cocirculating in the high risk population groups, and there is a high prevalence of intersubtype recombinant forms. The dynamic nature of the HIV epidemic in Brazil led us to study HIV-1 subtypes present in HIV-infected blood donations collected from 2001 to 2003. Donations from 91 seropositive donors were evaluated. Genetic subtype was obtained for 88 specimens based on sequence analysis of gag p24, pol IN, and env gp41 IDR. HIV-1 subtype B was the predominant strain present in the donor population (73.9%). A significant prevalence of intersubtype recombinants of subtypes B and F1 was found (22.7%). Subtype C (1.1%) and F1 (2.3%) were rare. None of the B/F1 recombinants is CRF28_BF or CRF29_BF. The high level of unique B/F1 recombinant strains in this population demonstrates the dynamic and complex nature of the HIV epidemic in Brazil.

Two inbred rat strains contrasting for anxiety-related behaviors show similar levels of defensive responses to cat odor.

Rodents are known to display fear-related responses when exposed to the odor of natural predators, such as cats, even when they are totally naïve to these stimuli. Based on that, a behavioral test in which rats are exposed to cat odor has been developed and proposed to model some forms of anxiety. The objective of the present study was thus to compare the LEW (Lewis) and SHR (spontaneously hypertensive rats) inbred rat strains, which display genetic differences in other classical models of anxiety, in the cat odor test. As expected, cat odor produced an increase in fear-related behaviors. However, no clear differences were found between the two strains tested. These results suggest that the type of stress experienced by LEW and SHR strains exposed to cat odor is different from that elicited by exposure to classical models of anxiety such as the elevated plus-maze, black/white box and open-field tests.

Positive association between ethanol consumption and anxiety-related behaviors in two selected rat lines.

The Floripa H and L rat lines were selectively bred, respectively, for high and low scores of locomotion in the central aversive area of an open field (OF), which is a putative index of experimental anxiety. In the present study, we used these lines to examine the relationship between anxiety-related behaviors and ethanol intake through the use of three animal tests used to investigate anxiety (OF, elevated plus maze, and black/white box) and one oral ethanol consumption procedure. Males and females of the Floripa L line were more anxious-like than their counterparts in the three behavioral tests. No line differences in the tests of taste control solutions (saccharin and quinine) and forced ethanol (10%) were found. However, Floripa L female rats consumed more ethanol than their Floripa H counterparts at concentrations of 6 and 10% in a two-bottle choice protocol. Moreover, Floripa L females showed a higher ratio of ethanol to total fluids consumed, regardless of the concentration offered, than all other subgroups (males of both lines and Floripa H females). Males showed no line differences for ethanol consumption. Taken together, the results of this study confirm that there are important sex differences in both anxiety-related behaviors and ethanol consumption. Accordingly, these data suggest a positive genetic relationship between anxiety-related behaviors and ethanol intake, at concentrations of 6 and 10%, in females but not in males. This supports the use of both sexes in animal experiments involving anxiety- and ethanol-related behaviors. Finally, the results and the existing literature indicate that selectively bred laboratory animals constitute a useful tool in the search for genes influencing both anxiety and ethanol consummatory behavior.