Stress resilience evidenced by grooming behaviour and dopamine levels in male mice selected for high and low immobility using the tail suspension test.

Grooming behaviour has different functions on many species during development and can be observed and affected during periods of stress. By selecting male mice with high (HI) and low (LI) immobility traits in the tail suspension test, a screening for antidepressant drugs, we investigate how these phenotypes associated with grooming behaviour may be influenced by the effects of repeated restraint stress. For this we used the sucrose preference test and the splash test in a novel and a familiar cage performed before and after exposure to 2 days of restraint stress. Animals were submitted to an additional day of restraint stress before the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex and midbrain extraction for dopamine activity analysis. Corticosterone analysis was made in three distinct moments: without stress (prior first restraint session), immediately after the last restrain, and 1 hr after the last restrain episode. Compared to LI group, HI animals exhibited an increased frequency and decreased time of grooming in the familiar cage. In the novel cage, stress increased frequency and time of grooming of HI animals compared to LI. Corticosterone levels were increased in HI animals after 3 days of stress. Lower hypothalamic dopaminergic activity without stress and decreased hypothalamic dopaminergic activity immediately after stress in HI group were observed. The HI group displayed decreased prefrontal cortex dopaminergic activity and increased activity in the mesolimbic area. We proposed that through the influence of stress the two phenotypes manifested as a resilient (LI) and a not resilient (HI) trait in response to restraint stress.

Presençca de condiloma lata em criançcas com síilis / Presence of condyloma lata in children with syphilis

Introdução: doenças sexualmente transmissíveis são verdadeiras epidemias e a sífilis vem causando danos ao longo da história, só se comparando com a aids. Objetivo: relatar três casos de sífilis em crianças, com manifestação clínica inicial de condiloma lata. Método: relato de caso por revisão de prontuários de crianças acompanhadas no Hospital Infantil Nossa Senhora da Glória. Caso 1: L, 9 anos, masculino, lesão em região anal sugestiva de condiloma lata. Avaliação médico-legal não evidenciou sinais de abuso sexual. VDRL 1:128, FTA-Abs IgG positivo e IgM negativo, líquor normal com VDRL não-reator. Mãe com VDRL 1:8, FTA-Abs IgG positivo e IgM negativo. Caso 2: G, 5 anos, feminino, lesão condilomatosa perianal, suspeita de abuso sexual não comprovada por avaliação médico-legal. VDRL 1:256, líquor normal com VDRL não-reator. Não foi realizada sorologia materna Caso 3: K, 4 anos, feminino, lesão condilomatosa perianal. Avaliação médico-legal não mostrou sinais de abuso sexual. VDRL 1:256, FTA-Abs IgM reagente, líquor normal com VDRL não-reator. Não foi realizada sorologia materna. Nos três casos não houve confirmação da classificação da doença, se congênita ou adquirida. Conclusão: há poucos dados na literatura sobre condiloma lata em crianças e o diagnóstico constitui um desafio para o pediatra, pois pode ser confundido com condiloma acuminado do papiloma vírus, por este ser mais comum. Além da importância de reconhecer a lesão condilomatosa da sífilis, é necessário dar ênfase à realização adequada da assistência pré-natal, visando reduzir os casos de sífilis congênita.

Introduction: sexually transmitted diseases are a real epidemic and Syphilis has been historically provoking terrible harm; perhaps as much harm asaids. Objective: present three cases of syphilis in children, with initial clinical manifestation caused by condyloma lata. Method: case report extracted from children's medical handbooks at Hospital Infantil Nossa Senhora da Gloria. Case 1: L, nine years old, male, lesion at anal region suggesting condyloma lata. Sexual molestation not present according to medical evaluation. VDRL 1:128, FTA-Abs IgG positive and IgM negative, normal liquor with non-reactive VDRL. Mother with VDRL 1:8, FTA-Abs IgG positive and IgM negative. Case 2: Gnb, five years old, female, Condylomatosa lesion at perianal region; sexual molestation suspicion not confirmed according to medical evaluation. VDRL, 1:256, normal liquor with nonreactive VDRL. Maternal sorology not undertaken. Case 3: K, four years old, female, aspects of Condylomatosa lesion at perianal region. Sexual molestation not present according to medical evaluation. VDRL 1:256, FTA-Abs IgG reactive, normal liquor with non-reactive VDRL. Maternal sorology not undertaken. In all three cases, the classification of the disease, congenital or acquired, was not confirmed. Conclusion: there is not many information on the medical literature regarding condyloma lata in children. Hence, it becomes a challenge to pediatricians when diagnosing such disease, mainly because it may be confused with condyloma acuminado of papiloma virus ? this being more frequent. Besides the importance of recognizing the condylomatosa lesion of syphilis, it is necessary to emphasize an adequate pre-natal assistance, aiming the reduction of congenital syphilis.

[Clinical and laboratory findings in a series of cases of infective endocarditis]. / Achados clínico-laboratoriais de uma série de casos com endocardite infecciosa.

OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical and laboratory data of infective endocarditis (IE) in 28 children from Vitória, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 28 children aged 18 years and under admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit of Nossa Senhora da Glória Children's Hospital with a diagnosis of IE from January 1993 to December 2001. The diagnosis of IE was based on the criteria established by the Duke Endocarditis Service (Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA): positive blood cultures and echocardiogram (primary criteria); and fever, history of heart disease, recent heart murmur, and vascular and immunological phenomena (secondary criteria). A specific protocol was filled out by interns and medical students and revised by physicians from the hospital medical team to obtain the following data: age, sex, clinical and laboratory findings, and results of transthoracic echocardiography. In all cases, three blood samples were collected under aseptic conditions and inoculated in aerobic and anaerobic environments. The samples were then incubated at 37 degrees C and tested with the VITEC SYSTEM automatized system (BIOLAB). RESULTS: Among 28 patients, 16 were boys. Age was between 3 and 180 months (mean 70.6 +/- 59.2 months). Most children (68%) came from the metropolitan area of Vitória, and half presented a history of cardiopathy. The most frequent clinical findings which led to suspicion of IE were: prolonged fever in all cases, new or changing regurgitant murmur (67.9%), dyspnea (57.1%), hepatomegaly (57.1%), vascular phenomena (32.2%), splenomegaly (28.6%), and Osler's nodes (7.1%). Blood cultures were positive in 16 patients (57.1%), and community-acquired S. aureus was the most frequently isolated pathogen (56.6%). Despite the treatment, fever persisted for 2.5 to 30 days (median=18.0 days). Mean leukocyte count at admission was 11,657 +/- 7,085 mm3. Transthoracic echocardiography showed endocardial lesion in all patients, evidencing vegetations in the tricuspid valve (25%), mitral valve (25%), and intraventricular communication border (28%). Thirteen (46.4%) children presented concomitant sepsis and three (10.7%) developed hospital-acquired infection. There was one death (3.6%). CONCLUSIONS: IE in our country is frequent among children younger than 2 years with congenital cardiopathy. Community-acquired S. aureus was the most frequently isolated microorganism in children with no previous cardiac lesion. Acute infective endocarditis, bacterial endocarditis, Staphylococcus aureus, transthoracic echocardiography.

Achados clínico-laboratoriais de uma série de casos com endocardite infecciosa / Clinical and laboratory findings in a series of cases of infective endocarditis

OBJETIVO: Descrever os achados clínico-laboratoriais da endocardite infecciosa (EI) em 28 crianças, em Vitória/ES. MÉTODO: Estudo retrospectivo dos prontuários de 28 crianças, com idade abaixo de 18 anos e diagnóstico de endocardite infecciosa, internadas no serviço de infectologia do Hospital Infantil Nossa Senhora da Glória, em Vitória - Espírito Santo, no período de janeiro de 1993 a dezembro de 2001. Os critérios para diagnóstico de endocardite infecciosa foram os do Duke Endocarditis Service (Duke University, Durham, North Carolina - USA): critérios maiores (hemoculturas e ecocardiograma positivos) e critérios menores (febre, doença cardíaca prévia, sopro cardíaco recente, fenômenos vasculares e imunológicos). Através de protocolo específico, preenchido pelos médicos-residentes e acadêmicos do serviço de infectologia, e revisados pelos médicos da equipe, foram anotadas as idades, sexo, achados clínicos e laboratoriais, e os resultados da ecocardiografia transtorácica das 28 crianças que preenchiam os critérios clínicos e laboratoriais. Em todos os casos, as hemoculturas foram realizadas com coleta do sangue (três amostras), sob condiçöes assépticas e com inoculaçäo em meios aeróbicos e anaeróbicos, incubados a uma temperatura de 37ºC e testados com sistema automatizado Vitec System« (Biolab). RESULTADOS: Das 28 crianças, 16 eram do sexo masculino, com idade entre 3 e 180 meses (média 70,6±59,2 m), e a maioria (68 por cento) era procedente da regiäo metropolitana de Vitória. Metade apresentava cardiopatia prévia. Os achados clínicos mais freqüentes que levaram à suspeita de EI foram: febre prolongada (100 por cento), sopro cardíaco (67,9 por cento), dispnéia (57,1 por cento), hepatomegalia (57,1 por cento), fenômenos vasculares (32,2 por cento), esplenomegalia (28,6 por cento) e nódulos de Osler (7,1 por cento). Foram colhidas hemoculturas dos 28 casos, sendo 16 (57,1 por cento) positivas. O S. aureus adquirido na comunidade foi o germe mais freqüentemente isolado (9/16-56,6 por cento). Houve persistência da febre, apesar do tratamento, duraçäo da febre de 2,5 a 30 dias, mediana de 18,0 dias. O valor médio de leucócitos à internaçäo foi de 11.657±7.085mm . O ecocardiograma transtorácico, realizado em todos os pacientes, evidenciou vegetaçöes, principalmente nas válvulas tricúspide (25,0 por cento), mitral (25,0 por cento) e na borda de CIV (28,6 por cento). Treze (46,4 por cento) crianças apresentaram sepse concomitante, e três (10,7 por cento)...