Clinical Trial for Stuttering Treatment: pilot study about dog participation in the therapy session. / Ensaio Clínico de Tratamento da Gagueira: estudo piloto com variável monitorada, participação do cão na sessão de terapia.

PURPOSE: To verify the effect of dog intervention on the regular session of speech therapy for developmental stuttering in adults. METHODS: The study involved young adults and adults with developmental stuttering. The study sample was composed of eight participants, six males and two females, ranging in age from 16 to 45 years. Participants were divided into two groups: G1 - those who underwent treatment for stuttering with the presence of a dog-therapist in the therapy room and G2 - those who underwent treatment for stuttering without the presence of the dog therapist. We included a control group, G3, composed of fluent participants, matched in age and sex to G1 and G2 to control the natural variability of speech fluency. RESULTS: Comparative results between the groups indicated that the group that performed the treatment without the presence of the dog achieved better performance, evolution and efficacy rates. CONCLUSION: for the population in this study, the dog intervention on speech therapy did not improve treatment.

OBJETIVO: Verificar o efeito da intervenção do cão na sessão regular de terapia fonoaudiológica para a gagueira do desenvolvimento em jovens adultos. MÉTODO: Foram selecionados jovens adultos e adultos com diagnóstico de gagueira do desenvolvimento. Concluíram o estudo oito participantes, seis do sexo masculino e dois do sexo feminino, com idades variando entre 16 e 45 anos. Os participantes foram divididos em dois grupos: G1 ­ que realizou o tratamento para gagueira com a presença de um cão terapeuta em sala de terapia e G2 ­ que realizou o tratamento para gagueira sem a presença do cão terapeuta. Foi incluído um grupo controle, G3 ­ composto por participantes fluentes, pareado em idade e sexo ao G1 e G2, para controle da variabilidade natural da fluência da fala. RESULTADOS: A análise comparativa entre os grupos indicou que o grupo que realizou o tratamento sem a presença do cão alcançou melhores índices de performance, evolução e eficácia. CONCLUSÃO: Para a população pesquisada neste estudo, não foi observado efeito da intervenção do cão na terapia fonoaudiológica.

Maternal high-fat diet induces sex-specific endocannabinoid system changes in newborn rats and programs adiposity, energy expenditure and food preference in adulthood.

Early life inadequate nutrition triggers developmental adaptations and adult chronic disease. Maternal high-fat (HF) diet promotes visceral obesity and hypothalamic leptin resistance in male rat offspring at weaning and adulthood. Obesity is related to over active endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS consists mainly of endogenous ligands, cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), and the enzymes fatty acid anandamide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). We hypothesized that perinatal maternal HF diet would regulate offspring ECS in hypothalamus and brown adipose tissue (BAT) at birth, prior to visceral obesity development, and program food preference and energy expenditure of adult offspring. Female rats received control diet (C, 9% fat) or isocaloric high-fat diet (HF, 28% fat) for 8 weeks before mating, and throughout gestation and lactation. We evaluated C and HF offspring at birth and adulthood. At birth, maternal HF diet decreased leptinemia and increased hypothalamic CB1, orexin-A, and proopiomelanocortin while it decreased thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Trh) in male pups. Differentially, maternal HF diet increased hypothalamic CB2 in female pups. In BAT, maternal HF diet decreased CB1 and increased CB2 in male and female pups, respectively. Besides presenting different molecular ECS profile at birth, HF adult offspring developed overweight, higher adiposity and high-fat diet preference, independently of the sex, but only males presented hyperleptinemia and higher energy expenditure. In conclusion, maternal HF diet alters ECS components and energy metabolism targets in hypothalamus and BAT of offspring at birth, in a sex-specific manner, which may contribute for hyperphagia, food preference and higher adiposity later in life.

Comparison of different speech tasks among adults who stutter and adults who do not stutter.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we compared the performance of both fluent speakers and people who stutter in three different speaking situations: monologue speech, oral reading and choral reading. This study follows the assumption that the neuromotor control of speech can be influenced by external auditory stimuli in both speakers who stutter and speakers who do not stutter. METHOD: Seventeen adults who stutter and seventeen adults who do not stutter were assessed in three speaking tasks: monologue, oral reading (solo reading aloud) and choral reading (reading in unison with the evaluator). Speech fluency and rate were measured for each task. RESULTS: The participants who stuttered had a lower frequency of stuttering during choral reading than during monologue and oral reading. CONCLUSIONS: According to the dual premotor system model, choral speech enhanced fluency by providing external cues for the timing of each syllable compensating for deficient internal cues.

Comparison of different speech tasks among adults who stutter and adults who do not stutter

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we compared the performance of both fluent speakers and people who stutter in three different speaking situations: monologue speech, oral reading and choral reading. This study follows the assumption that the neuromotor control of speech can be influenced by external auditory stimuli in both speakers who stutter and speakers who do not stutter. METHOD: Seventeen adults who stutter and seventeen adults who do not stutter were assessed in three speaking tasks: monologue, oral reading (solo reading aloud) and choral reading (reading in unison with the evaluator). Speech fluency and rate were measured for each task. RESULTS: The participants who stuttered had a lower frequency of stuttering during choral reading than during monologue and oral reading. CONCLUSIONS: According to the dual premotor system model, choral speech enhanced fluency by providing external cues for the timing of each syllable compensating for deficient internal cues.

Biochemical characterization of plasma in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: amino acid and protein composition.

In this work, we have studied the amino acid and protein composition of the plasma from a group of 32 ALS patients. As controls, groups of 10 healthy subjects (HC) and 32 patients with other neuromuscular disorders have been analysed. When the HC group was compared with the ALS group there were significant decreases of His (39+/-18 to 24+/-9 microM, p<0.01) and Ala (313+/-62 to 237+/-66 microM, p<0.05), and a significant increase of Asn (89+/-41 to 118+/-24 microM, p<0.05), for the ALS group. When the three groups were compared, we observed significant decreased concentrations of Ser, His, Thr, Ala, Arg, Tyr, Met, Cys, Ile, and significant increases of Asn, Phe and Lys. An increase of proteolytic products of alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2-M), an acute-phase serum glycoprotein that functions as a protease inhibitor, has been observed for a subgroup of ALS patients by Western blot. Furthermore, the detection of alpha2-M during disease progression has shown increases of the intact subunit and of a proteolytic product for two of the four patients analysed. Another acute-phase glycoprotein, haptoglobin, which regulates haemoglobin degradation, was not increased for the same group of patients. The results obtained suggested that diet supplementation with His and Ala and modulation of alpha2-M might have some beneficial effects on the course of ALS.