Bisphenol A Exposure Induces Sensory Processing Deficits in Larval Zebrafish during Neurodevelopment.

Because of their ex utero development, relatively simple nervous system, translucency, and availability of tools to investigate neural function, larval zebrafish are an exceptional model for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders and the consequences of environmental toxins. Furthermore, early in development, zebrafish larvae easily absorb chemicals from water, a significant advantage over methods required to expose developing organisms to chemical agents in utero Bisphenol A (BPA) and BPA analogs are ubiquitous environmental toxins with known molecular consequences. All humans have measurable quantities of BPA in their bodies. Most concerning, the level of BPA exposure is correlated with neurodevelopmental difficulties in people. Given the importance of understanding the health-related effects of this common toxin, we have exploited the experimental advantages of the larval zebrafish model system to investigate the behavioral and anatomic effects of BPA exposure. We discovered that BPA exposure early in development leads to deficits in the processing of sensory information, as indicated by BPA's effects on prepulse inhibition (PPI) and short-term habituation (STH) of the C-start reflex. We observed no changes in locomotion, thigmotaxis, and repetitive behaviors (circling). Despite changes in sensory processing, we detected no regional or whole-brain volume changes. Our results show that early BPA exposure can induce sensory processing deficits, as revealed by alterations in simple behaviors that are mediated by a well-defined neural circuit.

Efectividad de la magnetoterapia en pacientes con trastornos de la articulación temporomandibular / Effectiveness of magnetotherapy in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders

Introducción: Los trastornos temporomandibulares constituyen un conjunto de condiciones musculoesqueléticas que afectan la articulación temporomandibular, los músculos de la masticación y las estructuras anatómicas adyacentes. Objetivo: Evaluar la efectividad de la magnetoterapia en pacientes con trastornos de la articulación temporomandibular. Métodos: Se realizó una intervención terapéutica en la Clínica Estomatológica Provincial Docente Mártires del Moncada de Santiago de Cuba, desde junio de 2016 hasta febrero de 2019. La muestra quedó constituida por 132 pacientes distribuidos en 2 grupos: A (de estudio) y B (de control), quienes recibieron tratamientos con magneto (N=66) y convencional, respectivamente. Se analizaron variables, tales como sexo, edad, grado de trastorno de la articulación temporomandibular y efectividad terapéutica. Se empleó el porcentaje como medida de resumen y el estadígrafo de Ji al cuadrado con un nivel de significación de 0,05. Resultados: Predominaron el sexo femenino (69,7 %) y el grupo etario de 40 - 49 años (51,5 %). Al finalizar el tratamiento se observó que en el grupo A la respuesta fue efectiva en más de 90,0 % de los pacientes; sin embargo, en el grupo B solo se logró en un poco más de 70,0 %. Conclusiones: La magnetoterapia resultó efectiva en pacientes con trastornos de la articulación temporomandibular.

Introduction: The temporomandibular disorders constitute a group of musculo skeletal conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint, the masticatory muscles and the adjacent anatomical structures. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the magnetotherapy in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders. Method: A therapeutic intervention was carried out in Mártires del Moncada Teaching Provincial Stomatologic Clinic in Santiago de Cuba, from June, 2016 to February, 2019. The sample was constituted by 132 patients distributed in 2 groups: A (study) and B (control) who received treatments with magneto (N=66) and conventional, respectively. Some variables were analyzed, such as sex, age, degree of the temporomandibular joint disorder and therapeutic effectiveness. The percentage as summary measure and the chi-square test with a significance level of 0.05 were used. Results: There was a prevalence of the female sex (69.7 %) and the 40 - 49 age group (51.5 %). When concluding the treatment it was observed that in group A the response was effective in more than 90.0 % of the patients; however, in group B it was achieved just in a little more than 70.0 %. Conclusions: The magnetotherapy was effective in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders.