Non-relevance of acute dermal toxicity testing for assessing human health protection in the regulatory decision-making for agrochemical formulated products.

Compared to oral toxicity tests, dermal toxicity tests offer little or no additional scientific information or public health protection for agrochemical-formulated products (US EPA, 2016). Based on that, a retrospective analysis of the results of acute oral and dermal LD50 studies of agrochemical products registered in Brazil was carried out by the Technical Group on Toxicological Risk Assessment (GT-ART) of the Brazilian Crop Protection Association (ANDEF). The data were obtained from 6 agrochemical industries that are associated to ANDEF, following these considerations: only rat studies were selected; only paired studies were chosen; only studies performed with top doses ≥2,000 mg/kg were selected; biological products were excluded. The dataset includes 342 formulated products in 21 formulation types. Among these 342 formulated products, 228 have a single active ingredient, 107 have 2 and 7 have 3 or more. The comparison of acute oral to dermal toxicity studies of agrochemical-formulated products registered in Brazil corroborates the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) conclusion on waiving acute dermal toxicity tests, which will result in avoiding unnecessary use of time and resources, data generation costs and animal testing.

Analise do torque isometrico e da atividade elétrica apos lesão muscular induzida por exercício excentrico em humanos / Analysis of isometrci torque and of the electrical activity after induced muscle damage by eccentric exercise human

Este estudo avaliou e relacionou as alteracoes funcionais domusculo quadriceps femoral apos lesao induzida pelo exercicio excentrico. O torque isometrico maximo medio desse musculo e a eletromiografia de superficie (raiz quadrada da media dos quadrados, root meam square - RMS; frequencia mediana -FM) dos musculos vasto medial obliquo(VMO) e vasto lateral(VL) foram avaliados antes, imediatamente apos e durante os 7 dias apos o exercicio excentrico. As imagens de ressonancia magnetica nuclearRMN) de tres voluntarias foram usadas para evidenciar a presenca de lesao muscular. Nove mulheres (21,7+-1,48 anos), sedentarias e saudaveis, foram avaliadas. A lesao foi induzida por meio de contracoes isocineticas excentricas. O torque isometrico maximo medio e a atividade eletrica foram mensurados por meio da contracao isometrica maxima com o joelho a 90 graus de flexao. O torque isometrico maximo medio diminiu imediatamente apos o exercicio excentrico (p<0,01), com recuperacao gradual na primeira semana. O RMS do musculo VL diminuiu imediatamente apos o exercicio excentrico (p<0,05). Por outro lado, somente o musculo VMO ocorreu aumento na FM imediatamente apos o exercicio excentrico (p<0,01). Correlacao significativa foi observada entre o torque isometrico maximo medio e a FM do musculo VMO entre o 1o. e 7o. dia apos o exercicio (r=0,32, p<0,05). Extensas areas de lesao no musculo quadriceps femoral foram identificadas pela RMN. Em conclusao, o exercicio excentrico diminuiu o torque isometrico maximo medio e alterou o sinal eletromiografico, os quais se recuperaram gradualmente na primeira semana, apesar da presenca de lesao muscular

Multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain from myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome: a four-year experience at a Brazilian center.

Chronic pain is the major complaint of myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS) and is a complex problem which involves physical, psychological and social aspects. The etiology of MPDS is multifactorial and the multidisciplinary approach is essential for differential diagnosis and for comprehensive treatment planning. In 1993, the Dental School of Piracicaba-UNICAMP, Brazil, opened a Center for Pain Studies (CPS), staffed by health care providers including, dentists, psychologists, physicians, physiotherapists and phonoaudiologists. The major aims of the CPS are to provide clinical care and to develop basic and applied research. Sixty-two MPDS patients had been admitted to the CPS by 1997. There were 60 females and 2 males, mean age-32.5 years. The mean duration of chronic pain was 48 months. Pain intensity and unpleasantness were measured employing the Visual Analogue Scale. The tendency to develop stress-related diseases was assessed by the Social Readjustment Scale. There was a mean reduction of chronic pain of 69.89% and 71.78% relative to intensity and unpleasantness, respectively. The experience of clinical attendance at a multidisciplinary center showed the relevance of a team consisting of health care providers from different specialties with well-established aims, completely integrated and sensitive enough to understand the painful complaints of MPDS patients.