ICB - Instituto de Ciências Biológicas
URI Permanente desta comunidadehttps://repositorio.ufpa.br/handle/2011/2151
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Item Acesso aberto (Open Access) Comparative effects of organic and inorganic mercury on in vivo dopamine release in freely moving rats(Universidade Federal do Pará, 2007-10) FARO, Lilian Rosana Ferreira; RODRIGUES, Klebson de Jesus Araujo; SANTANA, Maxwell Barbosa de; VIDAL, Lucia; ALFONSO, M.The present study was carried out in order to compare the effects of administration of organic (methylmercury, MeHg) and inorganic (mercury chloride, HgCl 2 ) forms of mercury on in vivo dopamine (DA) release from rat striatum. Experiments were performed in conscious and freely moving female adult Sprague-Dawley (230-280 g) rats using brain microdialysis coupled to HPLC with electrochemical detection. Perfusion of different concentrations of MeHg or HgCl 2 (2 µL/min for 1 h, N = 5-7/group) into the striatum produced significant increases in the levels of DA. Infusion of 40 µM, 400 µM, or 4 mM MeHg increased DA levels to 907 ± 31, 2324 ± 156, and 9032 ± 70% of basal levels, respectively. The same concentrations of HgCl 2 increased DA levels to 1240 ± 66, 2500 ± 424, and 2658 ± 337% of basal levels, respectively. These increases were associated with significant decreases in levels of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovallinic acid. Intrastriatal administration of MeHg induced a sharp concentration-dependent increase in DA levels with a peak 30 min after injection, whereas HgCl 2 induced a gradual, lower (for 4 mM) and delayed increase in DA levels (75 min after the beginning of perfusion). Comparing the neurochemical profile of the two mercury derivatives to induce increases in DA levels, we observed that the time-course of these increases induced by both mercurials was different and the effect produced by HgCl 2 was not concentration-dependent (the effect was the same for the concentrations of 400 µM and 4 mM HgCl 2 ). These results indicate that HgCl 2 produces increases in extracellular DA levels by a mechanism differing from that of MeHg.Item Acesso aberto (Open Access) Influence of schooling and age on cognitive performance in healthy older adults(Universidade Federal do Pará, 2017-03) TORRES, Natáli Valim Oliver Bento; TORRES NETO, João Bento; TOMÁS, Alessandra Mendonça; COSTA, Victor Oliveira; CORRÊA, Paola Geaninne Reis; COSTA, Carmelina de Nazaré Monteiro da; JARDIM, Naina Yuki Vieira; DINIZ, Cristovam Wanderley PicançoFew studies have examined the influence of a low level of schooling on age-related cognitive decline in countries with wide social and economic inequalities by using the Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Test Battery (CANTAB). The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of schooling on age-related cognitive decline using unbiased cognitive tests. CANTAB allows cognitive assessment across cultures and education levels with reduced interference of the examiner during data acquisition. Using two-way ANOVA, we assessed the influences of age and education on test scores of old adults (61–84 years of age). CANTAB tests included: Visual Sustained Attention, Reaction Time, Spatial Working Memory, Learning and Episodic Memory. All subjects had a minimum visual acuity of 20/30 (Snellen Test), no previous or current history of traumatic brain/head trauma, stroke, language impairment, chronic alcoholism, neurological diseases, memory problems or depressive symptoms, and normal scores on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Subjects were grouped according to education level (1 to 7 and ≥8 years of schooling) and age (60–69 and ≥70 years). Low schooling level was associated with significantly lower performance on visual sustained attention, learning and episodic memory, reaction time, and spatial working memory. Although reaction time was influenced by age, no significant results on post hoc analysis were detected. Our findings showed a significantly worse cognitive performance in volunteers with lower levels of schooling and suggested that formal education in early life must be included in the preventive public health agenda. In addition, we suggest that CANTAB may be useful to detect subtle cognitive changes in healthy aging.Item Acesso aberto (Open Access) Local inhibition of nitrergic activity in tenotomized rats accelerates muscle regeneration by increasing fiber area and decreasing central core lesions(Universidade Federal do Pará, 2017-02) SEABRA, Aline Damasceno; MORAES, Suellen Alessandra Soares de; BATISTA, Evander de Jesus Oliveira; GARCIA, Tarcyane Barata; SOUZA, Martha Costa de; OLIVEIRA, Karen Renata Matos; SILVA, Anderson Manoel Herculano Oliveira daMuscular atrophy is a progressive degeneration characterized by muscular proteolysis, loss of mass and decrease in fiber area. Tendon rupture induces muscular atrophy due to an intrinsic functional connection. Local inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) by No-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) accelerates tendon histological recovery and induces functional improvement. Here we evaluate the effects of such local nitrergic inhibition on the pattern of soleus muscle regeneration after tenotomy. Adult male Wistar rats (240 to 280 g) were divided into four experimental groups: control (n=4), tenotomized (n=6), vehicle (n=6), and L-NAME (n=6). Muscular atrophy was induced by calcaneal tendon rupture in rats. Changes in muscle wet weight and total protein levels were determined by the Bradford method, and muscle fiber area and central core lesion (CCL) occurrence were evaluated by histochemical assays. Compared to tenotomized (69.3±22%) and vehicle groups (68.1%±17%), L-NAME treatment induced an increase in total protein level (108.3±21%) after 21 days post-injury. A reduction in fiber areas was observed in tenotomized (56.3±1.3%) and vehicle groups (53.9±3.9%). However, L-NAME treatment caused an increase in this parameter (69.3±1.6%). Such events were preceded by a remarkable reduction in the number of fibers with CCL in L-NAME-treated animals (12±2%), but not in tenotomized (21±2.5%) and vehicle groups (19.6±2.8%). Altogether, our data reveal that inhibition of tendon NOS contributed to the attenuation of atrophy and acceleration of muscle regeneration.Item Acesso aberto (Open Access) Mannose-binding lectin 2 (Mbl2) gene polymorphisms are related to protein plasma levels, but not to heart disease and infection by Chlamydia(Universidade Federal do Pará, 2016-12) QUEIROZ, Maria Alice Freitas; GOMES, Samara Tatielle Monteiro; ALMEIDA, Núbia Caroline Costa de; SOUSA, Maria Izete Machado de; COSTA, Suzanne Roberta Cardoso Fernandes; HERMES, Renata Bezerra; LIMA, Sandra Souza; ZANINOTTO, Marcelo Martins; FOSSA, Marco Antonio Ayin ; MANESCYH, Manoel Araujo; FEITOSA, Rosimar Neris Martins; AZEVEDO, Vânia Nakauth; MACHADO, Luiz Fernando Almeida; ISHAK, Marluísa de Oliveira Guimarães; ISHAK, Ricardo; VALLINOTO, Antonio Carlos RosárioThe presence of the single nucleotide polymorphisms in exon 1 of the mannose-binding lectin 2 (MBL2) gene was evaluated in a sample of 159 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (71 patients undergoing valve replacement surgery and 300 control subjects) to investigate a possible association between polymorphisms and heart disease with Chlamydia infection. The identification of the alleles B and D was performed using real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and of the allele C was accomplished through PCR assays followed by digestion with the restriction enzyme. The comparative analysis of allelic and genotypic frequencies between the three groups did not reveal any significant difference, even when related to previous Chlamydia infection. Variations in the MBL plasma levels were influenced by the presence of polymorphisms, being significantly higher in the group of cardiac patients, but without representing a risk for the disease. The results showed that despite MBL2 gene polymorphisms being associated with the protein plasma levels, the polymorphisms were not enough to predict the development of heart disease, regardless of infection with both species of Chlamydia.Item Acesso aberto (Open Access) Microglia and neurons in the hippocampus of migratory sandpipers(Universidade Federal do Pará, 2015-11) DINIZ, Cristovam Guerreiro; MAGALHÃES, Nara Gyzely de Morais; SOUSA, Aline Andrade de; SANTOS FILHO, Carlos; DINIZ, Daniel Guerreiro; LIMA, Camila Mendes de; OLIVEIRA, Marcus Augusto de; PAULO, Dario Carvalho; PEREIRA, Patrick Douglas Corrêa; SHERRY, David FrancisThe semipalmated sandpiper Calidris pusilla and the spotted sandpiper Actitis macularia are long- and short-distance migrants, respectively. C. pusilla breeds in the sub-arctic and mid-arctic tundra of Canada and Alaska and winters on the north and east coasts of South America. A. macularia breeds in a broad distribution across most of North America from the treeline to the southern United States. It winters in the southern United States, and Central and South America. The autumn migration route of C. pusilla includes a non-stop flight over the Atlantic Ocean, whereas autumn route of A. macularia is largely over land. Because of this difference in their migratory paths and the visuo-spatial recognition tasks involved, we hypothesized that hippocampal volume and neuronal and glial numbers would differ between these two species. A. macularia did not differ from C. pusilla in the total number of hippocampal neurons, but the species had a larger hippocampal formation and more hippocampal microglia. It remains to be investigated whether these differences indicate interspecies differences or neural specializations associated with different strategies of orientation and navigation.