Major depression model induced by repeated and intermittent lipopolysaccharide administration: Long-lasting behavioral, neuroimmune and neuroprogressive alterations.

Major depressed patients show increased bacterial translocation with elevated plasma levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which may trigger immune-inflammatory and neuro-oxidative responses. Recently, an animal model based on chronic LPS administration was developed which was associated with long-lasting depressive-like and neuro-oxidative alterations in female mice. The aim of the current study was to investigate behavioral, neuroimmune and neuroprogressive alterations in female mice 6 weeks after LPS chronic exposure. Female mice received increasing doses of LPS during 5 days at one-month intervals repeated for 4 consecutive months. Six weeks after the last LPS-exposure, we assessed behavioral despair and anhedonia, microglial activation, alterations in tryptophan, 5-HT, kynurenine, quinolinic acid (QUIN) levels and spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SAT1) expression in the hippocampus, both with and without fluoxetine administration. Our results show that six weeks post-LPS, mice present behavioral despair and anhedonia in association with increased IBA1 expression (a microglia activation marker), NF-kB p65 and IL-1ß levels, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) mRNA expression, kynurenine, QUIN levels and QUIN/tryptophan ratio, and lowered tryptophan, 5-HT levels and SAT1 mRNA expression. Fluoxetine reversed the behavioral and neuroimmune alterations but had no effect in the reversal of IDO1 increased expression, QUIN levels and QUIN/tryptophan ratio. In conclusion, our results support the validity of the chronic LPS model of major depression and additionally shows its translational relevance with respect to neuroimmune and neuroprogressive pathways.

Intervenção educativa na equipe de enfermagem diante dos cuidados paliativos / Educational intervention in the nursing team beyond palliative care

Introdução: Estudos demonstram haver limitações acerca do conhecimento sobre Cuidados Paliativos (CP), bem como a existência de dificuldade em discutir sobre o assunto com os profissionais de enfermagem Objetivo: descrever a experiência, enquanto acadêmicas de enfermagem, durante o desenvolvimento e a implementação de uma atividade de intervenção educativa à equipe de enfermagem sobre CP. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo do tipo relato de experiência, realizado a partir do programa de iniciação científica de um centro universitário, como projeto de extensão acadêmica, no período de agosto de 2015 a julho de 2016. Resultados e Discussão: A atividade educativa possibilitou o desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico, tanto para as acadêmicas que realizaram o estudo e conduziram a intervenção, como para os participantes da pesquisa, que, durante toda a atividade, foram instigados a contribuir de forma ativa com o processo de aprendizagem. Essa intervenção educativa permitiu que os participantes se apropriassem de estratégias de planejamento, comunicação e organização do cuidado prestado ao paciente que necessita de CP. Acredita-se que a participação dos alunos de graduação em Enfermagem em projetos de iniciação científica favorece a formação de sujeitos capazes de reconhecer e intervir em problemas reais, em busca de transformações sociais que libertem e transformem o meio em que atuam. Conclusão: Conclui-se que, durante a formação acadêmica de enfermagem, a participação em projetos de iniciação científica, bem como o desenvolvimento de atividades que envolvem estratégias educativas dinâmicas pode propiciar um impacto positivo no conhecimento do aluno, favorecendo a formação de um profissional com pensamento crítico-reflexivo e influente em seu campo de atuação.

Introduction: Studies show that there are limitations of knowledge about Palliative Care (CP), as well as the difficulty of discussing this issue with nursing professionals. Objective: to describe the experience, as nursing students, during the development and implementation of an educational intervention activity to the nursing team about CP. Methods: This is a descriptive study of the type of experience report, carried out from the scientific initiation program of a University Center, as an academics extension project from August 2015 to July 2016. Results and Discussion: The activity Educational Development enabled the development of critical thinking, both for the students who conducted the study and led to the intervention, and for the participants in the research, who throughout the activity were encouraged to contribute actively to the learning process. This educational intervention allowed the participants to appropriate strategies for planning, communicating and organizing the care provided to the patient who needs CP. We believe that the participation of the Undergraduate Nursing students in scientific initiation projects favors the formation of subjects capable of recognizing and intervening in realistic problems in search for social transformations that will lead to liberate and transform the environment in which they act. Conclusion: during the academic nursing training, the participation in scientific initiation projects, as well as the development of activities involving dynamic educational strategies can provide a positive impact on the student's knowledge, favoring the formation of a professional with critical thinking -reflective and influential in his field of activity.

Effects of standard ethanolic extract from Erythrina velutina in acute cerebral ischemia in mice.

The objective of this study was to verify a possible neuroprotective effect of the ethanolic extract of Erythrina velutina (EEEV). Male Swiss mice were submitted to transient cerebral ischemia by occlusion of both carotid arteries for 30 min and treated for 5 days with EEEV (200 or 400 mg/kg) or Memantine (MEM) 10 mg/kg, with initiation of treatment 2 or 24 h after Ischemia. On the 6th day after the induction of ischemia, the animals were submitted to evaluation of locomotor activity and memory and then sacrificed. The brains were dissected for the removal of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus (HC) and striatum (ST) for determination of amino acid concentrations. In the step down and Y-maze tests, ischemia caused damage to the animals and treatment with EEEV or MEM reversed this effect. The animals submitted to ischemia also showed memory deficit in the object recognition test, an effect that was reverted by EEEV400 and MEM10. Amino acid dosage showed an increase in excitatory amino acid concentrations in the PFC of the ischemic animals and this effect was reversed by the treatment with EEEV400/24H. Regarding the inhibitory amino acids, ischemia caused an increase of taurine in the PFC while treatment with MEM10/24H or EEEV400/24H reversed this effect. In HC, an increase in excitatory amino acids was also observed in ischemiated animals having treatment with EEEV200/2H or EEEV400/24H reversed this effect. Similar effect was also observed in the same area in relation to the inhibitory amino acids with treatment with MEM10/24H or EEEV400/24H. In the ST, ischemia was also able to cause an increase in excitatory amino acids that was reversed more efficiently by the treatments with MEM10/24H and EEEV200. Also in this area, an increase of taurine and GABA was observed and only the treatment with EEEV200/2H showed a reversion of this effect. In view of these findings, EEEV presents a neuroprotective effect possibly due to its action on amino acid concentrations, and is therefore a potential therapeutic tool in reducing the damage caused by ischemia.

Central effects of lipoic acid associated with paroxetine in mice.

Antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are commonly prescribed for the treatment of affective disorders such as anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the central effects of acute administration of paroxetine (PXT) combined with lipoic acid (LA) on various behavioral models in mice. Paroxetine (10 and 20 mg/kg), LA (100 mg/kg), or vehicle was administered, intraperitoneally, 30 minutes before the tests. The results showed that PXT (10 mg/kg) alone and in combination with LA increased locomotor activity. In the anxiety models studied, an anxiolytic effect was observed after the administration of LA and PXT. In the tail suspension test, PXT at both doses and in combination with LA caused a significant decrease in immobility time. These results indicate possible anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of LA associated with PXT. These data suggest that coadministration of LA and PXT may improve anxiolytic and antidepressant responses, and being more effective than each drug alone. However, further studies are necessary to investigate the mechanism by which antioxidants exert antidepressant or anxiolytic action.

Monocrotaline: histological damage and oxidant activity in brain areas of mice.

This work was designed to study MCT effect in histopathological analysis of hippocampus (HC) and parahippocampal cortex (PHC) and in oxidative stress (OS) parameters in brain areas such as hippocampus (HC), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and striatum (ST). Swiss mice (25-30 g) were administered a single i.p. dose of MCT (5, 50, or 100 mg/kg) or 4% Tween 80 in saline (control group). After 30 minutes, the animals were sacrificed by decapitation and the brain areas (HC, PHC, PFC, or ST) were removed for histopathological analysis or dissected and homogenized for measurement of OS parameters (lipid peroxidation, nitrite, and catalase) by spectrophotometry. Histological evaluation of brain structures of rats treated with MCT (50 and 100 mg/kg) revealed lesions in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex compared to control. Lipid peroxidation was evident in all brain areas after administration of MCT. Nitrite/nitrate content decreased in all doses administered in HC, PFC, and ST. Catalase activity was increased in the MCT group only in HC. In conclusion, monocrotaline caused cell lesions in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex regions and produced oxidative stress in the HC, PFC, and ST in mice. These findings may contribute to the neurological effects associated with this compound.