Strategies for recruitment and retention of adolescent and young adult cancer patients in research studies.

We conducted a literature review to identify commonly used recruitment and retention strategies in research among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors 15-39 years of age and examine the effectiveness of these strategies based on the reported recruitment and retention rates. We identified 18 publications published after 2010, including 14 articles describing recruitment strategies and four articles discussing retention strategies and addressing reasons for AYA cancer patients dropping out of the studies. In terms of recruitment, Internet and social networking strategies were used most frequently and resulted in higher participation rates of AYA cancer survivors compared to other conventional methods, such as hospital-based outreach, mailings, and phone calls. In terms of retention, investigators used monetary incentives in all four studies and regular emails in two studies. There was no association between the number of strategies employed and the overall recruitment (p = 0.09) and retention rates (p = 0.33). Future research and planned studies testing recruitment and retention strategies are needed to identify optimal, modern communication procedures to increase AYA participation and adherence. More education should be provided to AYAs to increase their knowledge of research studies and strengthen the connection between AYA cancer survivors and their health providers.

Disdainful Hookups: a Powerful Social Determinant of Health.

The health consequences of gender violence, a global health and social problem, are increasingly studied. Among its roots, research has identified a coercive dominant discourse imposing the idea that masculinities and relationships marked by abuse and domination are more attractive than egalitarian ones. To prevent the health consequences of gender violence, it is necessary to understand the factors that lead many adolescents to fall into it. This study aims to identify the specific mechanisms by which the coercive dominant discourse manifests in the peer group and its consequences for adolescents. Forty-one 15- and 16-year-old female adolescents from three high schools in Barcelona participated in the study. Eight communicative discussion groups were conducted to deepen on participants' perceptions regarding how peer interactions promote the learning of attraction to violence in sexual-affective relationships. The results show that the participants perceived and experienced different types of coercion to have violent relationships in their peer group interactions. Those interactions fostered the reproduction of the association between sexual-affective attraction and males with aggressive attitudes and behaviors. Many peers coerce others to have disdainful hookups which have very negative health consequences for the victims, including suicidal ideation and committing suicide. Some peer groups become a risk developmental context for female adolescents as far as they foster the coercive dominant discourse, push some young women to engage in violent sporadic relationships, and even harass some others afterwards. This clarifies the importance of peer group-level interventions when addressing the health consequences of gender violence in adolescence.

How the Psychology of Education Contributes to Research With a Social Impact on the Education of Students With Special Needs: The Case of Successful Educational Actions.

One current challenge in the psychology of education is identifying the teaching strategies and learning contexts that best contribute to the learning of all students, especially those whose individual characteristics make their learning process more difficult, as is the case for students with special needs. One main theory in the psychology of education is the sociocultural approach to learning, which highlights the key role of interaction in children's learning. In the case of students with disabilities, this interactive understanding of learning is aligned with a social model of disability, which looks beyond individual students' limitations or potentialities and focuses on contextual aspects that can enhance their learning experience and results. In recent years, the interactive view of learning based on this theory has led to the development of educational actions, such as interactive groups and dialogic literary gatherings, that have improved the learning results of diverse children, including those with disabilities. The aim of this paper is to analyze the social impact achieved by a line of research that has explored the benefits of such successful educational actions for the education of students with special needs. National and European research projects based on the communicative methodology of research have been conducted. This methodology entails drawing on egalitarian dialogue with the end-users of research - including teachers, students with and without disabilities, students' relatives and other community members - to allow an intersubjective creation of knowledge that enables a deeper and more accurate understanding of the studied reality and its transformative potential. This line of research first allowed the identification of the benefits of interactive learning environments for students with disabilities educated in mainstream schools; later, it allowed the spreading of these actions to a greater number of mainstream schools; and more recently, it made it possible to transfer these actions to special schools and use these actions to create shared learning spaces between mainstream and special schools. The improvement of the educational opportunities for a greater number and greater diversity of students with special needs evidences the social impact of research based on key contributions of the psychology of education.

The effect of prioritization over cognitive-motor interference in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and healthy controls.

The cognitive-motor interference (CMI) produced by simultaneous performance of a cognitive and a motor task has been proposed as a marker of real-life impairment of people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS), yet there is no consensus on the dual task (DT) procedure. This study aimed to compare DT performance of pwMS and healthy controls (HC) under different instructions and to examine its association with neuropsychological and clinical variables. PwMS (N = 23; relapsing-remitting course) and HC (N = 24) completed the cognitive (Verbal Fluency) and motor (walking) tasks under three conditions: independently or as single task (ST), both tasks simultaneously at best capacity or double prioritization (DT-DP), and only the cognitive task at best capacity while walking at preferred speed or cognitive prioritization (DT-CP). Compared to HC, pwMS walked significantly slower and produced less correct words under all conditions. The distance walked by pwMS and HC significantly differed between conditions (DT-CP< DT-DP< ST). PwMS produced more words during ST respective to DT-DP and DT-CP, with no difference between both DT conditions. HC showed no differences in cognitive performance between conditions. Motor and cognitive dual-task costs (DTC) were similar between groups. Only in pwMS, the cognitive DTC of DT-DP was different from zero. CMI measures correlated with neuropsychological, symptomatic, physiological (cognitive event-related potentials) and clinical variables. These results suggest that cognitive performance while walking is impaired in pwMS, but not in HC. CMI over cognitive performance might be a potential early marker of cognitive decline in pwMS, which may be enhanced by the instruction to prioritize both tasks in DT.

Three new records of the genus Lutzomyia of the subgenus Helcocyrtomyia (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) from Southwestern Brazilian Amazonia.

The sand fly phlebotomine fauna of the Brazilian municipality of Assis Brasil, Acre was sampled between April 2013 and March 2014 using modified CDC light traps. A total of 22,334 sand flies were collected, 41 of them belonging to three species: Lutzomyia gonzaloi, Lu. kirigetiensis and Lu. munaypata, of the subgenus Helcocyrtomyia, which have previously only been recorded in Peru. This paper presents their first reported collection in Brazil.

FTIR spectroscopy of chronic venous leg ulcer exudates: an approach to spectral healing marker identification.

Chronic venous leg ulcer (CVLU) arises as a chronic venous insufficiency complication and is a major cause of morbidity throughout the world. Our hypothesis is that the CVLU exudate composition is a biochemical representation of the wound clinical state. Then, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy could be a useful and less-invasive technique to study the clinical state of the ulcer. For this, the aim of this work was to perform a spectral characterization of the exudate from CVLU using FTIR spectroscopy to identify potential healing markers. 45 exudate samples from CVLU, 95% of the strains isolated from CVLU in planktonic and biofilm phenotypes and other related biological samples such as human plasma, serum, urine, blood cells, urea, creatinine, glucose and albumin were studied by FTIR spectroscopy. According to the vibration frequency of biomolecules' (lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates) characteristic bonds in the infrared region, different spectral windows were selected and spectral areas of each window were measured. Besides, Savitzky-Golay second derivatives were obtained for all spectra and peaks from each standardized window were detected. FTIR spectroscopy allowed identification of sample types (exudate, plasma, serum, urine) as each one presents a unique relative composition and ratios range. Also, this technique could be useful to identify bacteria in the phenotypic-ulcer state and allows differentiation of whether bacteria are in the biofilm or planktonic form which is unlikely by conventional methods. In this work we found some spectral markers (areas, peaks) that allow identification of several parameters in the exudate such as (a) total cellularity, (b) inflammatory cell load, (c) bacterial load, (d) fibrin amount, and (e) inflammatory proteins. Because the measured areas or founded peaks are concentration-dependent this method could also serve to measure them. Therefore, FTIR spectroscopy could be useful to evaluate patient evolution as all these exudate parameters represent critical negative markers for wound healing.

First Record of Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) on the Trinational Frontier (Brazil-Peru-Bolivia) of South-Western Amazonia.

In South America, the main sand fly species involved in the transmission of Leishmania infantum chagasi (Cunha & Chagas, 1937), etiological agent of the visceral leishmaniasis (VL), is Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912). The species has been recorded in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil, where it is recorded in 24 of the 27 Brazilian states, except Acre, Amazonas, and Santa Catarina. Collections were carried out for one year (April 2013 to March 2014) using modified CDC light traps in different environments in Assis Brasil municipality, state of Acre. Two males of Lu. longipalpis were found in peridomiciliary location in a peri-urban area. This is the first record of the species in Acre. This finding may be considered by the health agencies located in the trinational frontier, and new collections are needed to evaluate the real distribution of the species.

Na América do Sul, a principal espécie de flebotomíneo envolvido na transmissão de Leishmania infantum chagasi , agente etiológico da Leishmaniose visceral (VL), é Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912). Esta espécie já foi registrada na Colômbia, Venezuela, Bolívia, Argentina, Paraguai, Uruguai e Brasil, onde foram registradas em 24 dos 27 estados brasileiros, com exceção do Acre, Amazonas e Santa Catarina. As coletas foram realizadas por um ano (abril de 2013 a março de 2014) utilizando-se armadilhas de luz tipo de CDC em diferentes ambientes no município de Assis Brasil, estado do Acre. Dois machos de Lu. longipalpis foram encontrados no peridomicílio de uma residência localizada na área periurbana, sendo o primeiro registro desta espécie no estado. Esse achado deve ser considerado pelas agências de saúde localizadas na fronteira trinacional. Novas capturas serão necessárias para avaliar a distribuição real da espécie.

Deletion of IQGAP1 promotes Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric dysplasia in mice and acquisition of cancer stem cell properties in vitro.

Helicobacter pylori infection is responsible for gastric carcinogenesis but host factors are also implicated. IQGAP1, a scaffolding protein of the adherens junctions interacting with E-cadherin, regulates cellular plasticity and proliferation. In mice, IQGAP1 deficiency leads to gastric hyperplasia. The aim of this study was to elucidate the consequences of IQGAP1 deletion on H. pylori-induced gastric carcinogenesis.Transgenic mice deleted for iqgap1 and WT littermates were infected with Helicobacter sp., and histopathological analyses of the gastric mucosa were performed. IQGAP1 and E-cadherin expression was evaluated in gastric tissues and in gastric epithelial cell lines in response to H. pylori infection. The consequences of IQGAP1 deletion on gastric epithelial cell behaviour and on the acquisition of cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties were evaluated. After one year of infection, iqgap1+/- mice developed more preneoplastic lesions and up to 8 times more gastro-intestinal neoplasia (GIN) than WT littermates. H. pylori infection induced IQGAP1 and E-cadherin delocalization from cell-cell junctions. In vitro, knock-down of IQGAP1 favoured the acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype and CSC-like properties induced by H. pylori infection.Our results indicate that alterations in IQGAP1 signalling promote the emergence of CSCs and gastric adenocarcinoma development in the context of an H. pylori infection.

Assessing Latin America's Progress Toward Achieving Universal Health Coverage.

Two commonly used metrics for assessing progress toward universal health coverage involve assessing citizens' rights to health care and counting the number of people who are in a financial protection scheme that safeguards them from high health care payments. On these metrics most countries in Latin America have already "reached" universal health coverage. Neither metric indicates, however, whether a country has achieved universal health coverage in the now commonly accepted sense of the term: that everyone--irrespective of their ability to pay--gets the health services they need without suffering undue financial hardship. We operationalized a framework proposed by the World Bank and the World Health Organization to monitor progress under this definition and then constructed an overall index of universal health coverage achievement. We applied the approach using data from 112 household surveys from 1990 to 2013 for all twenty Latin American countries. No country has achieved a perfect universal health coverage score, but some countries (including those with more integrated health systems) fare better than others. All countries except one improved in overall universal health coverage over the time period analyzed.

The role of small woodland remnants on ground dwelling insect conservation in Chaco Serrano, Central Argentina.

Many terrestrial ecosystems are changing due to extensive land use and habitat fragmentation, posing a major threat to biodiversity. In this study, the effects of patch size, isolation, and edge/interior localization on the ground dwelling insect communities in the Chaco Serrano woodland remnants in central Argentina were examined. Sampling was carried out in December 2003 and March 2004 in nine remnants (0.57 to 1000 hectares) using pitfall traps. In total, 7071 individuals representing 12 orders and 79 families were recorded. The taxonomic composition of these communities was linked to remnant size. Insect abundance increased (as did their richness, albeit marginally) as remnant area decreased, with no significant effects of isolation or edge/interior localization on abundance, richness, or diversity. No differential area effects were observed when abundance and richness of predators, scavengers, and herbivores were compared. Thus, ground insect communities in fragmented Chaco Serrano seem to respond mainly to patch level, rather than to within-patch (edge effects) or landscape (isolation) level variables. These results suggest that small Chaco Serrano remnants, by supporting larger ground-dwelling insect assemblages, may play an important role from a conservation viewpoint.

Enfermedad de Darier y acroqueratosis verruciforme de Hopf / Darier disease and acrokeratosis verruciformis of Hopf

La enfermedad de Darier y la acroqueratosis verruciforme de Hopf son disqueratosis cutáneas asociadas, debido a una mutacióndel gen ATP2A2. Se presenta un paciente con ambas patologías y sus opciones de tratamiento.

Is the Folstein's Mini-Mental test an aphasia test?

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is recognized as a valid screening for dementia. It consists of 29 verbal items from a total of 30. The Brief Aphasia Evaluation (BAE) includes 10 aphasia and 12 orientation items, which are similar to most of the MMSE items. It was studied whether those BAE items (MMSE-like): (a) correlate with the rest of the BAE items (BAE-rest), and (b) differentiate patients with left cerebral lesions (LC) from both patients with right cerebral lesions (RC) and healthy participants (HP). A sample of 109 right-handed volunteers (38 HP, 37 LC, and 34 RC) was studied. The three groups were matched according to gender, age, and education. Patients were similar in multiple variables. The correlation between MMSE-like and BAE-rest was .90. MMSE-like showed a sensitivity and specificity of .81 or above to identify the LC from the other two groups. There is a risk for misdiagnosing aphasia as dementia with the MMSE.

Brief aphasia evaluation (minimum verbal performance): concurrent and conceptual validity study in patients with unilateral cerebral lesions.

INTRODUCTION: Aphasia tests validated according to the brain injury side are necessary, especially for Spanish instruments. OBJECTIVES: To study the concurrent validity of this Brief Aphasia Evaluation (BAE) to differentiate patients with left cerebral lesions (LC) from patients with right cerebral lesions (RC) as well as LC from healthy participants (HP). To study, through an unrestricted-sub-test-factor analysis, the BAE conceptual and content validity to generate a verbal homogeneous construct. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were obtained from a sample of 109 right-handed volunteers: 37 LC, 34 RC and 38 HP. The three groups were matched according to gender, age and education. RESULTS: Both groups of patients were similar in type and site of lesion, time since onset of condition, risk factors, presence of hemianopsia and hemiparesis and number of hospital visits. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient indicated an internal consistency of 0.99 for the total score and 0.88 or above for any of the sub-tests. All sub-tests (with loadings of 0.65 or above) grouped in one factor which explained 78% of the variance. The BAE showed a sensitivity and specificity of 0.84 or above to identify the LC (median as cut-off point). CONCLUSIONS: This test of free distribution demonstrated a satisfactory validity.

Avaliação antropométrica de pré-escolares em Piracicaba, SP: da desnutrição para a obesidade / Anthropometric assessment of preschool in Piracicaba, SP: from malnutrition to obesity

Introdução: A situação nutricional das crianças é essencial para aferir a evolução das condições de saúde e de vida da população de um país, uma vez que ela pode causar a obesidade infantil capaz de perpetuar-se até a fase adulta. Objetivo: Avaliar o estado nutricional de 3.996 crianças matriculadas em Escolas Municipais de Educação Infantil (EMEI), no município de Piracicaba, SP. Método: Foi coletado peso, estatura e idade dos pré-escolares. Adotou-se a classificação com base nas unidades de desvio-padrão ou escore-z, utilizando os indicadores antropométricos de estatura-pela-idade (ZEI) e peso-pela-estatura (ZPE). Resultados: Verificou-se que 8,1% dos pré-escolares apresentam déficits de estatura (ZEI <-2), e 0,7%, desnutrição aguda (ZPE <-2). Foram identificados 15,6% de crianças na faixa de risco para obesidade (1<ZPE<2); 4,7%, com sobrepeso (2<ZPE<3), e 4,9%, com obesidade grave (ZPE>3). Conclusão: Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de implementar programas de intervenção nas EMEIs em Piracicaba, SP.

Introduction: The nutritional status of children is essential to assess the evolution of life and health conditions of a population in a country, since it can cause obesity in children which may perpetuate itself until adulthood. Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status of 3,996 children enrolled in public schools of early education (EMEI), in Piracicaba, SP. Method: Weight, height and age of preschoolers were collected. It was adopted the classification based on standard deviation units or z-score, using the anthropometric indicators of height-for-age (ZHA), weight-for-height (ZWH). Results: It was found that 8.1% of preschoolers showed deficits in stature (ZHA <-2), and 0.7% of children presented acute malnutrition (ZWH <-2). It was identified that 15.6% of children at risk for obesity (1 <ZWH <2); 4.7% were overweight (2 <ZWH <3), and 4.9%, severely obese (ZWH> 3). Conclusion: The results pointed to the need to implement intervention programs in EMEI Piracicaba, SP.

Predictive value of clinical risk indicators in child development: final results of a study based on psychoanalytic theory / Valor preditivo de indicadores clínicos de risco para o desenvolvimento infantil: um estudo a partir da teoria psicanalítica / Valor predictivo de indicadores clínicos de riesgo para el desarrollo infantil: un estudio a partir de la teoría psicoanalítica / Valeur prédictive d'indicateurs cliniques de risque pour le développement de l'enfant: une étude à partir de la théorie psychanalytique

We present the final results of a study using the IRDI (Clinical Risk Indicators in child Development). Based on a psychoanalytic approach, 31 risk signs for child development were constructed and applied to 726 children between the ages of 0 and 18 months. One sub-sample was evaluated at the age of three. The results showed a predictive capacity of IRDIs to indicate developmental problems; 15 indicators for the IRDI were also highlighted that predict psychic risk for the constitution of the subject.

No presente artigo, apresentam-se os resultados finais da Pesquisa IRFI. A partir da psicanálise, 31 indicadores clínicos de risco para o desenvolvimento infantil (IRDI) foram construídos e aplicados em 726 crianças entre 0 e 18 meses. Uma sub-amostra foi avaliada com a idade de 3 anos. Os resultados apontaram a capacidade dos IRDI para predizer problemas de desenvolvimento e destacaram ainda 15 indicadores do IRDI com capacidade para predizer risco psíquico para a constituição subjetiva.

El presente artículo presenta los resultados finales de la pesquisa IRDI. Desde el psicoanálisis, 31 signos de riesgo para el desarrollo infantil (IRDI) se han construido y aplicado a 726 niños entre 0 y 18 meses. Se evaluó una sub nuestra a los 3 años de edad. Los resultados muestran que los IRDI poseen una capacidad de predecir problemas de desarrollo 15 signos muestran una capacidad de predicción de riesgo psíquico para la constitución subjetiva.

Cet article présente les résultats de la recherche IRDI. A partir de la psychanalyse, 31 signes cliniques de risque pour le développement de l´enfant (IRDI) ont été développés et appliqués à 726 enfants à l'âge entre 0 et 18 mois. Un sous-échantillon a été évalué à l´âge de trois ans. Les résultats ont montré que les IRDI ont la capacité de prédire des problèmes de développement. Un groupe de 15 signes prévoit d'ailleurs le risque psychique de la constitution subjective.

Predictive value of clinical risk indicators in child development: final results of a study based on psychoanalytic theory / Valor preditivo de indicadores clínicos de risco para o desenvolvimento infantil: um estudo a partir da teoria psicanalítica

We present the final results of a study using the IRDI (Clinical Risk Indicators in child Development). Based on a psychoanalytic approach, 31 risk signs for child development were constructed and applied to 726 children between the ages of 0 and 18 months. One sub-sample was evaluated at the age of three. The results showed a predictive capacity of IRDIs to indicate developmental problems; 15 indicators for the IRDI were also highlighted that predict psychic risk for the constitution of the subject.AU

No presente artigo, apresentam-se os resultados finais da Pesquisa IRFI. A partir da psicanálise, 31 indicadores clínicos de risco para o desenvolvimento infantil (IRDI) foram construídos e aplicados em 726 crianças entre 0 e 18 meses. Uma sub-amostra foi avaliada com a idade de 3 anos. Os resultados apontaram a capacidade dos IRDI para predizer problemas de desenvolvimento e destacaram ainda 15 indicadores do IRDI com capacidade para predizer risco psíquico para a constituição subjetiva.AU

El presente artículo presenta los resultados finales de la pesquisa IRDI. Desde el psicoanálisis, 31 signos de riesgo para el desarrollo infantil (IRDI) se han construido y aplicado a 726 niños entre 0 y 18 meses. Se evaluó una sub nuestra a los 3 años de edad. Los resultados muestran que los IRDI poseen una capacidad de predecir problemas de desarrollo 15 signos muestran una capacidad de predicción de riesgo psíquico para la constitución subjetiva.AU

Angioqueratoma circunscripto de la lengua / Circumscribed angiokeratoma of the tongue

Los angioqueratomas incluyen un grupo de enfermedades raras caracterizadas por desórdenes vasculares en el plexo de la dermis e hiperqueratosis de la epidermis suprayacente. Clínicamente se presentan pápulas de color rojo-oscuro o negras que comprometen piel y menos frecuentemente mucosa. Existen descriptos diferentes tipos de angioqueratomas: los localizados que originan trastornos estéticos y los que tienen implicancia sistémica. Presentamos un caso en una adolescente de sexo femenino con angioqueratoma cirsunscrito en lengua.

Estudio multivariado del test de bebida en campo abierto con ratas hiponutridas y desipramina com droga antipánico / Open field drink test-multivaried study with undernourished rats and desipramine as an antipanic drug

Los modelos animales de aproximación-evitación son útiles para el estudio inicial de drogas con efecto sobre la ansiedad pero los componentes de la ansiedad valorados por estos modelos continúan pobremente definidos. Los modelos complejos de evaluación permiten inferencias más completas que aquellos que evalúan sólo una conducta. Estudios previos demuestran que el antidepresivo tricíclico desipramina ejerce un selectivo efecto anticonflicto sobre ratas adultas sometidas a un programa de privación proteica en edad perinatal, en parámetros de conducta espontánea (laberinto en cruz elevado) e ingesta condicionada (Geller-Seifter). Dichas ratas hiponutridas muestran alteraciones en la neurotransmisión noradrenérgica que se asemejan a la activación generalizada del sistema noradrenérgico que presentan los pacientes que sufren ataques de pánico. Se evaluó la actividad anticonflicto de la desipramina en una prueba de conflicto etológico: el test de bebida en campo abierto, sin descartar a priori ninguna conducta, bajo un enfoque multivariado. Este enfoque no ha sido considerado en estudios previos de campo abierto y drogas antipánico. Sobre cuatro variables seleccionadas por análisis factorial, la administración de desipramina a una dosis de 10mg/kg por sólo 7 días produjo una significativa interacción dieta × droga, consistente con estudios previos. La interacción fue independiente de los efectos de ambos tratamientos sobre el peso o la ingesta y se expresó, en las ratas hiponutridas, como un decremento en todas las conductas excepto en el tiempo de bebida con respecto a las ratas controles que mostraron, en general, un decremento en todas las conductas excepto en la frecuencia de acicalamiento.

A panic experimental model: validation of a complex operant behavioral method in undernourished rats, with desipramine to provide a template effect profile.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical studies have shown that some antidepressants may be more efficient than benzodiazepines to alleviate anxiety associated with panic disorders; however, operant conflict procedures in rats developed so far seem not particularly able to model human anxiety sensitive to antidepressant treatments. Previous panic models with learned responses did not statistically subtract the effect of confounding factors from the variable of interest. METHODS: Undernourished rats were selected due to their behavioral and neurobiological resemblance to human patients suffering from panic disorder. The Geller-Seifter paradigm represented the stressful environmental condition in adult life. Desipramine (10 mg/kg/day) or saline were administered IP during 7 days under a cross over design (N=10). Five daily 15 min-operant sessions were carried out on each experiment. Unpunished, unrewarded and punished operant behavioral periods were identical both in their duration and in their reward system (the FR1 schedule) in order to measure response suppression, which has not been considered in previous studies with the Geller-Seifter paradigm. The dependent variable was the difference between comparable unpunished and punished periods. RESULTS: A significant Diet x Drug interaction was observed in the dependent variable, which represented the level of "suppression/suppression release" induced by treatments. DISCUSSION: Compared to control rats, deprived rats showed a significant and selective anticonflict effect of desipramine on the stressful and complex operant performance. The animal model of perinatally protein-deprived rats along with the Geller-Seifter's operant behavioral paradigm may represent a more sensitive approach to model human anxiety sensitive to antidepressant treatments by considering the combined impact of both early biological trauma and adult learned experiences under the same design.

[Multivariate study of the Open Field Drink Test using undernourished rats and desipramine as an antipanic drug]. / Estudio multivariado del test de bebida en campo abierto con ratas hiponutridas y desipramina como droga antipánico.

Approach-avoidance animal models are useful as initial screens for drugs affecting anxiety, but the components of anxiety assessed by these models remain poorly defined. Complex models of evaluation allow more complete inferences than those which are obtained when only one behavior is evaluated. Previous studies demonstrate that the tricyclic-antidepressant desipramine exerts a selective anticonflict effect on adult rats submitted to a protein deprivation schedule at perinatal age, in parameters of spontaneous behavior (elevated plus-maze) and conditioned intake (Geller Seifter). These deprived rats show alterations in noradrenergic neurotransmission that resembled the generalized activation of noradrenergic system displayed by patients suffering from panic attacks. The desipramine anticonflict activity was evaluated by a test of ethological conflict: the Open Field Drink Test, without discarding any behavior a priori under a multivaried approach. This approach has not been considered in previous studies with the open field and antipanic drugs. Considering the four variables selected by factorial analysis, desipramine (10 mg/kg/day) administered IP during just 7 days produced a significant diet x drug interaction which was consistent with previous studies. That interaction was independent of the effects of both treatments on weight or intake and was expressed, on deprived rats, as a decrease in all the behaviors, except for the time of drinking, with respect to the control rats, which displayed, in general, a decrease in all the behaviors except for the frequency of grooming.