Calcium gluconate and sodium succinate for therapy of sodium fluoroacetate experimental intoxication in cats: clinical and electrocardiographic evaluation.

Sodium fluoroacetate (SFAC) or Compound 1080 is a potent rodenticide, largely used after 1946 for rodent and home pest control. The toxic effects of SFAC are caused by fluorocitrate action, a toxic metabolite, which has a competitive action with aconitase enzyme, leading to citrate accumulation and resulting in interference in energy production by Krebs cycle blockade. In the present study, domestic cats were intoxicated with oral doses of fluoroacetate (0.45 mg/kg). The intoxicated animals presented emesis, diarrhea with abdominal pain posture and an abdominal palpation, tachypnea, bilateral midriasis, hypothermia, hyperexcitability and convulsions. Blood gas analysis indicated decreased pH and bicarbonate levels. Serum ionized calcium was also decreased. ECG showed non-specific changes in ventricular repolarization and ventricular arrhythmias. The survival rate was 75% in the treated group with calcium gluconate and sodium succinate and 37.5% in the nontreated group.

Rapid phase-compositional assessment of lipid-based food products by time domain NMR.

In food science and technology, assessment of phase-compositional behaviour of lipids is critical for understanding many product properties and for effective process control. Time Domain NMR is a rapid and easy-to-handle technique, and is already well appreciated as a tool for phase-compositional assessment in foods. The phase-compositional detail that can be obtained with the established methodology is limited, however. In this work, we set out to obtain more phase-compositional details of lipids as currently feasible with the already established 'classical' NMR methods. We deployed a combined FID-CPMG experiment, and analyzed the Transversal Relaxation Decays by Deconvolution (TRDD) with semi-empirical mathematical functions for solid, semi-solid and liquid components. Within the solid component, different lipid crystal polymorphs can be discerned in a quantitative manner, i.e. alpha, beta and beta'. The TRDD method was validated against established NMR SFC methods, in terms of accuracy ('trueness') and precision. The solid fat content (SFC) of a large collection of fat blends was measured by the commonly employed NMR Direct and Indirect SFC methods and a good correlation with the results of the TRDD was observed, thereby demonstrating accuracy. Furthermore, TRDD was found to be equally precise as the established NMR SFC methods.

[Planning and execution of a course in puericulture in an ambulatory service]. / Planejmento e execução de curso de puericultura em ambulatório.

With a population of which 42.6% is under 14 years old, Brazil is especially in need of general practitioners with a good gourding in pediatrics. The fourth year of premedical training at the Botucatu Medical School at São Paulo, Brazil, includes a course in child care designed to help fill this need by giving the students their first contact with the problems of children. The course lasts 12 weeks and is given in the pediatric outpatient ward of the School's teaching hospital; its purpose is to accustom the student to dealing with members of the families of young patients while learning important aspects of clinical care at the early stages of his training, and using, in his contacts with patients, a vocabulary that the latter can understand. The course is designed to given the student not only theoretical knowledge, but also training for future practice, under the constant guidance of their instructors. A weekly evaluation of the progress of the course, in which the students participate, yields information for the ongoing improvement of the program, which has been conducted for almost ten years.

Auto-instrucao aplicada ao ensino de imunizacoes. / Self-instruction used to teach immunizations

Este estudo descreve os resultados de um experimento no ensino medico. Os sujeitos eram alunos do 3o. ano do curso de Medicina matriculados na disciplina de Pediatria O estudo foi desenvolvido utilizando-se uma adaptacao do modelo de grupo de controle somente pos-testagem. Alunos do grupo experimental (GE) foram submetidos a um modulo auto-instrucional sobre imunizacoes; alunos do Grupo-Controle (GC) assistiram a uma aula expositiva sobre o mesmo conteudo. Os resultados das pos-testagens mostraram que os alunos no GE obtiveram um rendimento significativamente superior ao dos alunos do GC. Estudantes no GE demonstraram opiniao altamente favoravel a nova estratesia instrucional. Esses resultados sugerem que a estratesia autoinstrucional e valida e apropriada para o ensino de imunizacoes e deveria ser testada em outras areas do ensino medico

Planejamento e execucao de curso de puericultura em ambulatorio. / The planning and conduct of a course in child care in an outpatient ward

Com 42,6% da sua populacao com menos de 14 anos de idade, o Brasil tem especial necessidade de medicos gerais que tenham bons fundamentos de Pediatria. A inclusao de um curso de puericultura no quarto ano da graduacao medica da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (Sao Paulo, Brasil), visa facilitar o atendimento dessa necessidade ao proporcionar aos alunos o primeiro contato com os problemas da crianca. O curso, que tem doze semanas de duracao, e desenvolvido no ambulatorio de Pediatria do hospital de ensino daquela faculdade, e tem por finalidade, entre outras, acostumar o aluno ao contato com os familiares de pacientes menores, absorvendo aspectos do atendimento clinico relevantes na fase inicial do aprendizado e utilizando, no trato com os pacientes, um vocabulario que lhes seja acessivel. O curso empenha-se em dar ao aluno nao apenas conhecimentos teoricos, mas tambem capacitacao para a pratica futura, com a constante orientacao dos docentes. Uma avaliacao semanal do andamento do curso, realizada com a participacao dos alunos, proporciona subsidios para o constante apefeicoamento do programa, que vem sendo aplicado ha cerca de dez anos