Labor of a free-living buffy-tufted marmoset (Callithrix aurita) at a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in southeastern Brazil.

Callithrix aurita is an endangered small primate endemic to the Atlantic Forest. The present work reports the labor of a free-living C. aurita, through observation of its length and offspring viability. A conservative treatment was used to maintain fetal viability, in view of the species conservation importance.

Efeitos de um tratamento baseado em exercícios em grupo para pessoas com osteoartrite sobre as variáveis dor, funcionalidade, qualidade de vida e flexibilidade / Effects of a treatment based on group exercises for people with osteoarthritis on the variables pain, functionality, quality of life and flexibility

Introdução: Estudos têm mostrado que a prática de exercícios físicos é recomendada para diminuição dos sintomas de indivíduos com osteoartrite (OA). Objetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o efeito da utilização de um protocolo de intervenção realizado em grupo, sobre as variáveis dor, função, qualidade de vida e flexibilidade em indivíduos com OA de joelho e/ou quadril. Métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo 15 participantes, com idade igual ou superior a 50 anos com diagnóstico de OA de quadril e/ou joelho. O protocolo foi realizado duas vezes por semana, totalizando 10 sessões, com objetivos pré-definidos para cada semana, sendo realizada uma avaliação antes e após a intervenção. Para a avaliação foi utilizada EVA para dor, questionário LEFS e TSL para avaliar funcionalidade, teste de sentar e alcançar para flexibilidade e questionário SF-12 para avaliação da qualidade de vida. Resultados: Observou-se melhora significativa nos valores da dor em movimento (p = 0,005) e na funcionalidade pelo TSL (p = 0,003). Conclusão: É possível observar o efeito do protocolo aplicado sobre os parâmetros de dor em movimento e funcionalidade, destacando redução significativa da dor em atividades que envolvam o movimento, e maior independência.

Measurement Properties of the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire in Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain.

BACKGROUND: The Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) is a brief and easy instrument to measure time spent on sedentary activities; however, no study has investigated the reliability and validity of this questionnaire in people with chronic low back pain (LBP). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, measurement error, construct validity, and interpretability of the SBQ against data derived from an accelerometer in patients with nonspecific chronic LBP. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Outpatient physiotherapy clinic. PATIENTS: Seventy-five patients aged between 18 and 60 years (mean age, 42 years old) with nonspecific chronic LBP were recruited for this study. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. METHODS: The Cronbach's α was calculated to investigate the internal consistency of the SBQ and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to investigate the reliability of the SBQ between two administrations separated by a 1-week interval. Measurement error was assessed calculating the SEM and minimal detectable change (MDC). Spearman correlation (r) was calculated to investigate the construct validity using hypothesis testing. Interpretability was investigated using ceiling and floor effects. RESULTS: The Cronbach's α of the SBQ total score was 0.92, indicating homogeneity among the items of the instrument. The reliability of the SBQ was excellent (ICC > 0.75), without any evidence of ceiling and floor effects. Regarding measurement error, the total score of the SBQ showed an SEM and MDC of 109.8 minutes per day and 304.4 minutes per day, respectively. However, there were no correlations of the SBQ domains or the total score with the accelerometer-measured sedentary time (r < 0.25). CONCLUSION: The SBQ is a reliable tool for quantifying time spent in sedentary activities of patients with chronic LBP. The SBQ showed poor construct validity compared to the accelerometer-measured sedentary time, which indicates that patients may underestimate their time spent in sedentary activities.

Fish-oil supplementation decreases Indoleamine-2,3-Dioxygenase expression and increases hippocampal serotonin levels in the LPS depression model.

AIM: To test the hypothesis that the antidepressant-like effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is related to the Indoleamine-2,3-Dioxygenase (IDO) inhibition. METHODS: Animals were supplemented for 50 days with 3.0 g/kg of Fish Oil (FO) or received water (Control group - C), via gavage. At the end of this period, both groups were injected with LPS 24 h before the modified forced swim test (MFST) and the open field. To assess the possible involvement of IDO in the FO effects, we performed two independent experiments, using two IDO inhibitors: the direct inhibitor 1-methyl-DL-tryptophan (1-MT) and the anti-inflammatory drug minocycline (MINO), administered 23 h, 5 h and 1 h before the tests. After the tests, the animals' hippocampi were removed for quantification of serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) by HPLC, and for IDO expression by western blot. RESULTS: LPS induced a depressive-like state in the animals, and this effect was blocked by 1-MT, MINO and FO. Regardless of IDO inhibition, FO supplemented animals displayed an antidepressant-like response by increasing swimming and decreasing immobility frequencies in the MFST when compared to the control group. The immune challenge induced an over-expression of IDO and reduced hippocampal 5-HT levels, both of which were reversed by MINO and FO. CONCLUSION: FO induced a pronounced antidepressant-like effect and prevented LPS-induced depressive-like behavior, and this effect was related to decreased IDO expression and increased 5-HT levels in the hippocampus.

Is There Equivalence Between the Electronic and Paper Version of the Questionnaires for Assessment of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain?

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the equivalence of electronic and paper version of self-report questionnaires for the assessment of disability, pain, fear of movement, depression, and physical activity of patients with chronic low back pain (LBP). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Paper and electronic versions of self-report questionnaires are commonly used for assessment of patients with LBP. However, the equivalence of self-report questionnaires commonly used for assessment of patients with chronic LBP remains unclear. METHODS: Seventy-nine individuals with chronic LBP seeking physiotherapy care were recruited. Participants attended the clinic twice with an interval of 1 week and completed the self-reported questionnaires in a random order. The following questionnaires were administered: Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ); 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS); Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK); Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D), and Baecke Habitual Physical Activity Questionnaire (BPAQ). To investigate the equivalence between the two questionnaire versions, intraclass correlation coefficient with 95% confidence interval and Bland-Altman plotting was used. RESULTS: The paper and electronic versions of the RMDQ, TSK, and CES-D showed good reliability and the showed moderate reliability. In contrast, the NRS showed poor reliability between the electronic and paper versions. CONCLUSION: Our findings support that the electronic version of the RMDQ, TSK, CES-D, and BPAQ can be administered in clinical and research settings for assessment of patients with chronic LBP. Nevertheless, electronic version of the NRS for assessment of pain intensity should not be used interchangeably in clinical practice in patients with chronic LBP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Unexpected, ubiquitous exposure of pregnant Brazilian women to diisopentyl phthalate, one of the most potent antiandrogenic phthalates.

BACKGROUND: Human exposure to phthalates and other non-persistent chemicals in developing countries is largely unknown. A preliminary analysis of urinary samples from pregnant Brazilian women revealed the presence of metabolites of Diisopentyl phthalate (DiPeP). OBJECTIVES: Reliably quantify DiPeP metabolites in human urine and investigate the potential antiandrogenic activity of this phthalate in rats. METHODS: We initiated a pilot pregnancy cohort in Curitiba, Brazil, to examine phthalate exposure in urine samples collected in early pregnancy (n = 50) or pooled samples from early, mid and late pregnancy (n = 44). Our well established phthalate method was modified to include the primary DiPeP metabolite, monoisopentyl phthalate (MiPeP), and two additional secondary oxidized metabolites, 3OH-MiPeP and 4OH-MiPeP. In a parallel approach, we orally exposed pregnant rats to DiPeP or Di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP; reference phthalate) at 0, 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg/day from gestation day 14 to 18 and measured ex vivo fetal testis testosterone production. RESULTS: We were able to detect and quantify specific DiPeP metabolites in nearly all (98%) of the early pregnancy urine samples and in all gestational pool samples with a median concentration for MiPeP of 3.65 and 3.15 µg/L, respectively, and for the two oxidized metabolites between 1.00 and 1.70 µg/L. All three urinary DiPeP metabolites were strongly correlated (r = 0.89 to 0.99). In the rat model, the effective dose (mg/kg/day) inhibiting fetal testosterone production by 50% (ED50 [95% confidence interval]) was 93.6 [62.9-139.3] for DiPeP which was significantly lower than for DnBP (220.3 [172.9-280.7]), highlighting the strong antiandrogenic potency of DiPeP within the spectrum of the phthalates. CONCLUSIONS: We unveiled and confirmed the exposure of pregnant Brazilian women to DiPeP via specific urinary metabolites. This unexpected and ubiquitous DiPeP exposure indicates to unique DiPeP exposure sources in Brazil. These exposures spark considerable concern because DiPeP is one of the most potent antiandrogenic phthalates.