Epilepsy-induced electrocardiographic alterations following cardiac ischemia and reperfusion in rats

The present study evaluated electrocardiographic alterations in rats with epilepsy submitted to an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model induced by cardiac ischemia and reperfusion. Rats were randomly divided into two groups: control (n=12) and epilepsy (n=14). It was found that rats with epilepsy presented a significant reduction in atrioventricular block incidence following the ischemia and reperfusion procedure. In addition, significant alterations were observed in electrocardiogram intervals during the stabilization, ischemia, and reperfusion periods of rats with epilepsy compared to control rats. It was noted that rats with epilepsy presented a significant increase in the QRS interval during the stabilization period in relation to control rats (P<0.01). During the ischemia period, there was an increase in the QRS interval (P<0.05) and a reduction in the P wave and QT intervals (P<0.05 for both) in rats with epilepsy compared to control rats. During the reperfusion period, a significant reduction in the QT interval (P<0.01) was verified in the epilepsy group in relation to the control group. Our results indicate that rats submitted to an epilepsy model induced by pilocarpine presented electrical conductivity alterations of cardiac tissue, mainly during an AMI episode.

Lack of evidence for regulation of cardiac P-type ATPases and MAP kinases in transgenic mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of constitutively active á1B-adrenoceptors

The regulatory function of á1B-adrenoceptors in mammalian heart homeostasis is controversial. The objective of the present study was to characterize the expression/activity of key proteins implicated in cardiac calcium handling (Na+/K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPases) and growth (ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and p38) in mice with cardiac-selective overexpression of constitutively active mutant á1B-adrenoceptor (CAMá1B-AR), which present a mild cardiac hypertrophy phenotype. Immunoblot assays showed that myocardial plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) expression was increased by 30 percent in CAMá1B-AR mice (N = 6, P < 0.05), although there was no change in sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2) expression. Moreover, total Ca2+-ATPase activity was not modified, but a significant increase in the activity of the thapsigargin-resistant (PMCA) to thapsigargin-sensitive (SERCA) ratio was detected. Neither Na+/K+-ATPase activity nor the expression of á1 and á2 subunit isoforms was changed in CAMá1B-AR mouse hearts. Moreover, immunoblot assays did not provide evidence for an enhanced activation of the three mitogen-activated protein kinases studied in this stage of hypertrophy. Therefore, these findings indicate that chronic cardiac á1B-AR activation in vivo led to mild hypertrophy devoid of significant signs of adaptive modifications concerning primary intracellular calcium control and growth-related proteins, suggesting a minor pathophysiological role of this adrenergic receptor in mouse heart at this stage of development.

Audiometric findings in petrochemical workers exposed to noise and chemical agents.

This study investigated the occurrence of hearing loss among workers of a petrochemical industry during a period of five years. The records of environmental noise and solvents measurements and the results of annual audiometry performed by the company were examined. The audiometric results of workers from olefin operational areas 1 and 2 and aromatic plant areas exposed to solvents and noise and utility area workers exposed only to noise were analyzed for the standard threshold shift (STS). Despite the low exposures to solvents and a moderate exposure to noise, 45.3% of workers had hearing losses and 29.6% had STS.

Comparison of the effect of calcium withdrawal from the medium and of blockade of extracellular calcium entry by isradipine on the contractile responses of the isolated rat stomach

The role of calcium in drug-induced contractions of rat gastric fundus strips was evaluated by determining the effect of two procedures on the dose-respponse curves of agonists: a) removal of calcium from the nutrient solution and b) blockade of calcium channels with the dihydrophydine isradipine. Gastric strips were obtanied from adult Wistar rats and suspended in Tyrode solution at 37-C for contraction studies. Dose-response curves for carbachol (CCh), serotonin (5-HT), KCl and BaCl2 were constructed under the two conditions descrived above. A complete blockade of contractile effects was observed for 5-HT and KCl 60 min after calcium withdrawal of after using 3 mM (45 min) of the calcium antagonist. A lower dose of antagonist or a shorter incubation in calcium-free solution caused a partial decrease of dose-response curves, added to a 30-fold shift to the right after the calcium antagonist (1mM), or a larger than 100-fold shift 3 min after calcium removal. In contrast, dose-response curves for CCh and BaCl2 were not significantly affected by either type of treatment. It is concluded that 5-HT and KCl utilize extracellular sources of calcium, whereas CCh or BaCl2 depends on a tightly-bound calcium pool in this preparation

A importância das tributárias e anastomoses das veias testiculares principal e acessória na etiopatogenia da varicocele / Importance of tributaries and main and acessorias testicular veins anatomoses in etiopathogeny of varicocele

Ao dissecarem, em 18 cadáveres, a parece abdominal posterior, as fáscias renais, as regiöes para e perirrenais e os pedículos renais, os autores descrevem os tipos de tributárias e anastomoses das veias testiculares e cometam esses achados com a etiopatogenia da varicocele. Os autores concluem que o excesso, a escassez ou a ausência de tributárias e anastomoses pode ser benéfico ou maléfico, onde o fundamento é o equilíbrio hemodinâmico intra e perirrenal

Etiopatogenia da varicocele, modo e locais de termino das veias testiculares principais. / Etiopathogenesis of varicocele, mode and sites of main testicular veins endings

Os autores estudam em 18 regioes retroperitoneais e 18 escrotos e conteudo o modo (angulo de desembocadura e ramos terminais) e os locais de termino das veias testiculares principais na etiopatogenia da varicocele. Concluem que, isoladamente, estes fatores parecem nao contribuir na genese da patologia

Contribuicao para o conhecimento da bainha do ureter ("bainha de Waldeyer") no adulto. / Sheath of the ureter (Waldeyer's sheath) in the adult

Os autores estudam a bainha do ureter ("Bainha de Waldeyer") no adulto. Descrevem-na como formacao anatomica normal (100% dos casos). Estudam os limites e as dimensoes de suas paredes. Suas relacoes com o meato ureteral. A parede anterior foi sempre mais curta que a posterior

Veia cava inferior esquerda, pulso arterial e varicocele. / Left inferior vena cava, arterial pulsation and varicocele

Os autores analisam um caso de persistencia da veia cava inferior esquerda e destacam a acao dos pulsos arteriais aortico e iliacao comum esquerdo no desenvolvimento da varicocele. Registram o posicionamento medial do ostio testicular na veia renal esquerda, em relacao ao ostio da veia supra-renal. Salientam a importancia da acao conjunta desses achados anatomicos na etiopatogenia da varicocele

Contribuiçäo para o estudo do número das artérias renais no homem / Contribution for number study from renal artéries in man

Dissecando 30 cadáveres (60 rins), os autores encontraram 93 artérias, sendo 44 direitas e 49 esquerdas, todas elas orignando-se diretamente da aorta: únicas, 33 vezes (55% ); duplas, 21 (35,0% ); triplas, seis (10,0% ). estes dados, levaram os autores, a concluir que poderia ser considerado "normal" anatômico a ocorrência de uma (33 vezes em 60 rins, 55,0% ) ou duas (21 vezes, 35,0% ) artérias renais para um mesmo rim, independentemente das variáveis lado, sexo e grupo étnico. Mais de duas artérias de cada rim (seis vezes em 60 rins, 10,0% ) poderia, entäo, ser considerado como variaçäo