Effects of food pattern change and physical exercise on cafeteria diet-induced obesity in female rats.

Obesity affects a large number of people around the world and appears to be the result of changes in food intake, eating habits and physical activity levels. Changes in dietary patterns and physical exercise are therefore strongly recommended to treat obesity and its complications. The present study tested the hypothesis that obesity and metabolic changes produced by a cafeteria diet can be prevented with dietary changes and/or physical exercise. A total of fifty-six female Wistar rats underwent one of five treatments: chow diet; cafeteria diet; cafeteria diet followed by a chow diet; cafeteria diet plus exercise; cafeteria diet followed by a chow diet plus exercise. The duration of the experiment was 34 weeks. The cafeteria diet resulted in higher energy intake, weight gain, increased visceral adipose tissue and liver weight, and insulin resistance. The cafeteria diet followed by the chow diet resulted in energy intake, body weight, visceral adipose tissue and liver weight and insulin sensitivity equal to that of the controls. Exercise increased total energy intake at week 34, but produced no changes in the animals' body weight or adipose tissue mass. However, insulin sensitivity in animals subjected to exercise and the diet was similar to that of the controls. The present study found that exposure to palatable food caused obesity and insulin resistance and a diet change was sufficient to prevent cafeteria diet-induced obesity and to maintain insulin sensitivity at normal levels. In addition, exercise resulted in normal insulin sensitivity in obese rats. These results may help to develop new approaches for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Prescribing practice for antibiotic prophylaxis for cesarean section in a teaching hospital in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The contribution of antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce surgical wound infection and endometritis after cesarean section is well-known. Despite the knowledge about the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis with this procedure, the administrative regimens are often inappropriate. METHODS: The use of antibiotic prophylaxis in cesarean section was evaluated in a reference school hospital. Data were collected from medical records, and they correspond to the 9-month observation during 1995 and 1996. RESULTS: The cesarean section rate was 26.4% in this period. The total procedures observed was 587. Antibiotic prophylaxis was prescribed in 358 procedures (61%). Cephalothin was the most prescribed drug (98.6%), with a regimen of 2 g intravenously after clamping of the umbilical cord and 2 more doses of 1g every 6 hours. Antibiotic prophylaxis was indicated more frequently in patients younger than 30 years and in those with rupture of membranes for more than 6 hours; such differences were significant (P <.05 and P <.00001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The prescribers met the hospital guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis in only 37.1% of the cesarean sections performed.

Evidence that similar neurotransmitter mechanisms in amygdala, hippocampus and medial septum regulate memory consolidation of avoidance behavior in rats

A injeçäo de ácido DL-amino-5-fosfonopentanóico (AP5) ou escopolamina na amígdala, no septo medial ou no hipocampo, imediatamente após o treino, causa amnésia retrógrada para um aprendizado de esquiva inibitória em ratos. A picrotoxina, no entanto, causa facilitaçäo retrógrada da memória e bloqueia o efeito do AP5 e da escopolamina. O timolol näo tem efeito próprio mas cancela as açöes da picrotoxina. O AP5 é um antagonista de receptores a N-metil-D- aspartato (NMDA) dos aminoácidos excitatórios; a escopolamina é um antagonista dos receptores colinérgicos muscarínicos; a picrotoxina bloqueia o canal de cloro estimulado pelos receptores GABA-A; e o timolol é um antagonista dos ß adrenoreceptores. Os resultados indicam que, na amígdala, no septo medial e no hipocampo, receptores NMDA e muscarínicos säo necessários para a consolidaçäo da memória, receptores GABA-A inibem a açäo dos anteriores, e receptores ß noradrenérgicos modulam a açäo dos receptores GABA-A. A amígdala, o septo medial e o hipocampo operam de forma näo redundante na consolidaçäo da memória