Therapeutic potential of cannabinoids as neuroprotective agents for damaged cells conducing to movement disorders.

The basal ganglia (BG), an organized network of nuclei that integrates cortical information, play a crucial role in controlling motor function. In fact, movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD) are caused by the degeneration of specific structures within the BG. There is substantial evidence supporting the idea that cannabinoids may constitute novel promising compounds for the treatment of movement disorders as neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory agents. This potential therapeutic role of cannabinoids is based, among other qualities, on their capacity to reduce oxidative injury and excitotoxicity, control calcium influx and limit the toxicity of reactive microglia. The mechanisms involved in these effects are related to CB1 and CB2 receptor activation, although some of the effects are CB receptor independent. Thus, taking into account the aforementioned properties, compounds that act on the endocannabinoid system could be useful as a basis for developing disease-modifying therapies for PD and HD.

Modeling and optimization of photo-Fenton degradation of 2,4-D using ferrioxalate complex and response surface methodology (RSM).

This study reports the application of the photo-Fenton process for the degradation of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4-D). The objective of this research was the evaluation of the procedure at natural pH (pH = 5) using the ferrioxalate complex as iron source at two incident irradiation levels. For this purpose, different combinations of attenuation filters from a solar simulator were tested. Since the process depends on several parameters, the influence of the temperature (T) and peroxide to 2,4-D initial concentration ratio (R) were investigated and optimized by the application of a three-level factorial experimental design combined with the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The significance of models and their coefficients were assessed with the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The found optimal conditions were: T = 50 °C and R = 46.3 and T = 41.53 °C and R = 41.46, achieving experimental conversions of 91.4 and 95.9% for the low and high radiation levels, respectively. The obtained results are very close to the values predicted by the quadratic models (93.8 and 100.0%). It was concluded that temperature and hydrogen peroxyde concentration have different influences on the response factor depending on the incident irradiation level. It was demonstrated that RSM is a good tool for studying the effects of different variables and their interactions on 2,4-D conversion percentage in the photo-Fenton process. In addition, solution acute toxicity was also evaluated during the treatments under optimum conditions, since some degradation by-products of 2,4-D can be more toxic than the parent compound. For this purpose, the commonly used Microtox(®) test based on the bacteria Vibrio fischeri was employed.

Posterior regeneration in Isodiametra pulchra (Acoela, Acoelomorpha).

INTRODUCTION: Regeneration is a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom, but the capacity to restore damaged or missing tissue varies greatly between different phyla and even within the same phylum. However, the distantly related Acoelomorpha and Platyhelminthes share a strikingly similar stem-cell system and regenerative capacity. Therefore, comparing the underlying mechanisms in these two phyla paves the way for an increased understanding of the evolution of this developmental process.To date, Isodiametra pulchra is the most promising candidate as a model for the Acoelomorpha, as it reproduces steadily under laboratory conditions and is amenable to various techniques, including the silencing of gene expression by RNAi. In order to provide an essential framework for future studies, we report the succession of regeneration events via the use of cytochemical, histological and microscopy techniques, and specify the total number of cells in adult individuals. RESULTS: Isodiametra pulchra is not capable of regenerating a new head, but completely restores all posterior structures within 10 days. Following amputation, the wound closes via the contraction of local muscle fibres and an extension of the dorsal epidermis. Subsequently, stem cells and differentiating cells invade the wound area and form a loosely delimited blastema. After two days, the posterior end is re-patterned with the male (and occasionally the female) genital primordium being apparent. Successively, these primordia differentiate into complete copulatory organs. The size of the body and also of the male and female copulatory organs, as well as the distance between the copulatory organs, progressively increase and by nine days copulation is possible. Adult individuals with an average length of 670 µm consist of approximately 8100 cells. CONCLUSION: Isodiametra pulchra regenerates through a combination of morphallactic and epimorphic processes. Existing structures are "re-modelled" and provide a framework onto which newly differentiating cells are added. Growth proceeds through the intercalary addition of structures, mirroring the embryonic and post-embryonic development of various organ systems. The suitability of Isodiametra pulchra for laboratory techniques, the fact that its transcriptome and genome data will soon be available, as well as its small size and low number of cells, make it a prime candidate subject for research into the cellular mechanisms that underlie regeneration in acoelomorphs.

Epidemiologia em crianças hospitalizadas por acidentes / Epidemiology in hospitalized children by accidents

A finalidade deste estudo retrospectivo, foi de estudar os indicativos epidemiológicos, entre crianças internadas na enfermaria de pediatria, as que tiveram os acidentes como causa de internação entre os anos de 1995 e 1997. A análise de prontuários de 218 crianças internadas em decorrência de acidentes, permitiu concluir que houve prevalência do sexo masculino (59,6 por cento) e da faixa etária entre 7 e 12 anos. Não houve diferenças consistentes quanto à sazonalidade dos acidentes. Entre lesões de tipo não-intencional, houve predominância de quedas (44,9 por cento), seguida de acidentes por veículos automotores (24 por cento), aspiração (8,7 por cento), queimaduras (6,8 por cento) e intoxicações (5,0 por cento). As lesões de origem intencional foram detectadas em uma incidência de 5,9 por cento. As seqüelas imediatas constatadas representaram 6,6 por cento e o índice de mortalidade foi de 1,3 por cento.