Ventromedial medullary pathway mediating cardiac responses evoked from periaqueductal gray.

Periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a midbrain region that projects to areas controlling behavioral and autonomic outputs and is involved in the behavioral and physiological components of defense reactions. Since Raphe Pallidus (RPa) is a medial medullary region comprising sympathetic premotor neurons governing heart function, it is worth considering the PAG-RPa path. We assessed: i) whether PAG projects to RPa; ii) the amplitude of cardiac responses evoked from PAG; iii) whether cardiovascular responses evoked from PAG rely on RPa. Experiments conducted in Wistar rats (±300 g) were approved by Ethics Committee CEUA-UFG (092/18). Firstly, (n = 3), monosynaptic retrograde tracer Retrobeads was injected into RPa; PAG slices were analyzed. Other two groups (n = 6 each) were anesthetized with urethane (1.4 g/kg) and chloralose (120 mg/kg) and underwent craniotomy, tracheostomy, catheterization of femoral artery and vein and of cardiac left ventricle. In one group, we injected the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline methiodide (BMI - 40 pmol/100 nL) into lateral/dorsolateral PAG. Another group was injected (100 nL) with the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol (20 mM) into RPa, 20 min before BMI into PAG. The results were: i) retrogradely labelled neurons were found in PAG; ii) PAG activation by BMI caused positive chronotropism and inotropism, which were accompanied by afterload increases; iii) RPa inhibition with Muscimol reduced heart rate, arterial and ventricular pressures; iv) the subsequent PAG activation still increased arterial pressure, cardiac chronotropy and inotropy, but these responses were significantly attenuated. In conclusion, PAG activation increases cardiac chronotropy and inotropy, and these responses seem to rely on a direct pathway reaching ventromedial medullary RPa neurons.

Confiabilidade de um modelo de avaliação para portadores de LER/DORT: a experiencia de um servico público de saúde / Reliability of an assessment model for patients with RSI/WRMDS: the experience of a public healthcare service

Lesoes por esforcos repetitivos (LER) ou disturbios osteomusculares relacionados ao trabalho (DORT) reunem um cnjunto de afeccoes musculoesqueleticas que muitas vezes apresentam dificil tratamento. Difrentes abordagens terapeuticas vem sendo oferecidas pelos servicos de saude e a necessidade de avalia-las torna essencial a adocao de instrumentos de avaliacao adequados. Objetivo: testar a confiabilidade interobservadores do exame fisico e verificar a correlacao entre os achados fisicos e a capacidade funcional dos pacientes avaliados. Metodo A ficha de avaliacao proposta foi aplicada a 25 portadores de LER/DORT e incluiu criterios classicos da avaliacao fisioterapeutica, indice de amplitude articular para a mensuracao funcional das amplitudes de movimento (ADM) e um questionario sobre atividades de vida diaria. A concordancia dos examinadores para os testes especiais foi analisada por meio de coeficiente de Spearman. Resultados verificou-se boa confiabilidade interobservadores para os testes especiais, exceto para o teste de Adson modificado, e para as mensuracoes da ADM. Correlacao moderada foi observada entre os achados fisicos e o grau de capacidade funcional. Conclusoes O modelo de avaliacao proposto reune testes especiais confiaveis, com excecao do teste de adson modificado, mensuracao de ADM mais rapidas em razoes do uso de estimativa visual e uma analise funcional que complementa oa achados do exame fisico, possibilitando avaliacao mais abrangente dos pacientes com dor cronica

Dengue type 2 outbreak in the south of the state of Bahia, Brazil: laboratorial and epidemiological studies.

During March 1994 cases of a exanthematic acute disease were reported in the municipalities of Itagemirim, Eunápolis and Belmonte, state of Bahia. Dengue fever was confirmed by serology (MAC-ELISA) and by dengue virus type 2 isolation, genotype Jamaica. Signs and symptoms of classic dengue fever were observed with a high percentual of rash (73.8%) and pruritus (50.5%). Major haemorrhagic manifestations were unfrequent and only bleeding gum was reported. Dengue virus activity spreaded rapidly to important tourism counties like Porto Seguro, Ilhéus, Santa Cruz de Cabrália, Prado, Alcobaça and others, representing a risk for the spreading of dengue virus into the country and abroad.