Gilson Guedes

This study investigated whether exercise training could prevent the negative side effects of dexamethasone. Rats underwent a training period and were either submitted to a running protocol (60% physical capacity, 5 days/week for 8 weeks) or kept sedentary. After this training period, the animals underwent dexamethasone treatment (1 mg/kg per day, i.p., 10 days). Glycemia, insulinemia, muscular weight and muscular glycogen were measured from blood and skeletal muscle. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein was analyzed in skeletal muscles. Dexamethasone treatment evoked body weight loss (−24%), followed by muscular atrophy in the tibialis anterior (−25%) and the extensor digitorum longus (EDL, −15%). Dexamethasone also increased serum insulin levels by 5.7-fold and glucose levels by 2.5-fold compared to control. The exercise protocol prevented atrophy of the EDL and insulin resistance. Also, dexamethasone-treated rats showed decreased muscular glycogen (−41%), which was further attenuated by the exercise protocol. The VEGF protein expression decreased in the skeletal muscles of dexamethasone-treated rats and was unaltered by the exercise protocol. These data suggest that exercise attenuates hyperglycemia and may also prevent insulin resistance, muscular glycogen loss and muscular atrophy, thus suggesting that exercise may have some benefits during glucocorticoid treatment.

Multidrug therapy (WHO/MDT) in multibacillary leprosy consists of treatment with rifampicin, dapsone and clofazimine. However, adverse effects can cause the patient to abandon treatment. We report on a patient who presented agranulocytosis and hemolytic anemia associated with this treatment regime. We also examined the importance of laboratory exams for diagnosis and follow-up of the patient, and for early detection of adverse effects, with a view to improving adhesion to treatment and contributing to the eradication of Hansen's disease as a public health issue.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the technical viability of the ooplankton enriched used in the feeding of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) pos-larvaes. In the Environmental Station of Itutinga of the Energy Company of Minas Gerais (CEMIG) this experiment was developmented, for 5 days last , the pacu larvicultura, by using 30 plastic boxes with capacity of 30 liters of water and continuous renewal, in a density of 10 powder-larvas per liter; they were appraised 6 feeding treatments: ooplankton without enrichment, ooplankton with 4 different enrichment levels (0,1; 0,5; 1,0; 1,5 g of fish oil) and artêmia náuplios, in a randomly blocks design with 6 treatments and 5 repetitions. The performance of larvaes as well as length, weight, survival and resistance to the stress were evaluated. The results shown that the ooplankton enriched is viable in the pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) pos-larvaes performance in terms of length , survival and the resistance to the stress.