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Lithium is a mood-stabilizing treatment used in bipolar and other psychiatric disorders. The molecular mechanisms underlying lithium action remain poorly understood. Adenosine is a neuromodulator that possesses anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties and the ecto-nucleotidase pathway is a metabolic source of the extracellular adenosine. Here we investigated the effect of lithium on the ecto-nucleotidase pathway in synaptosomes from hippocampus and cerebral cortex of adult rats. Male Wistar rats received standard rat chow with lithium chloride (2.5mg/g of chow) and NaCl (17mg/g of chow) during 4 weeks. The serum lithium levels were 1.18 ± 0.05mEq./L. ATP and AMP hydrolysis was significantly increased (20 and 35%, respectively) in hippocampal synaptosomes of rats chronically treated with lithium chloride. No significant differences were observed in the hydrolysis of the three nucleotides by cortical synaptosomes. In conclusion, the modulation of the ecto-nucleotidase pathway may be a new explanation for the potential neuroprotective lithium action in hippocampal lesions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article using the 1985 Brazilian Annual Household Survey (PNAD), analyzes the extent to which the labor force participation of married women influenced family-income inequality. The Brazilian family underwent profound transformations during the past decade. Driving these changes were the increase in women's labor force participation and a large reduction in family size. The marginal impact on family earnings is decomposed into two components, one generated uniquely by differences in earnings inequality between spouses and another produced by imperfect assortive mating on spouses' earnings. Results show that the correlation among spouses' earnings is significantly less than one (0.4), and that the level of earnings inequality is more than 50 percent higher among wives than husbands. Because these forces are offsetting, wives' labor income has a negligible impact on family-income inequality in Brazil. The results demonstrate the importance of isolating the influence of imperfect assortive mating from that due to inequality in earnings between men and women.

Gestational Hypertension (GH) is characterized by the maintenance of blood pressure levels equal to or greater than 140 mmHg (systolic) and 90 mmHg (diastolic), is affected by several factors being modifiable and not modifiable and may cause maternal-fetal complications. The present study aims to analyze the knowledge about HAG among pregnant women attended at basic health units in the city of Altamira-Pa. The work is the result of a field research, with exploratory objective and qualitative nature. Fifty pregnant women, attended by the basic health units of the municipality of Altamira-PA, participated in the study. A questionnaire was applied to identify the central idea about HG among pregnant women and other information about causes, symptoms and prevention of the disease. The central idea found in the free evocation of words was "I do not know", with 208 evocations from the term "HAG". Of the questions asked the participants, 68% answered that they do not do physical activity, 76% do not know how the diagnosis of HAG is made, 74% answered not knowing about the symptoms of the disease and 80% do not know how to treat the pathology. With this, it was possible to perceive that the lack of information on HAG among pregnant women can negatively affect the care and habits adopted by the pregnant women, contributing to the disease's involvement. In this sense, it is suggested the development of educational practices in health, highlighting the importance of the role of the physical education professional within this field of action, seeking to promote information and consecutively changes in the habits of pregnant women attended by the basic health units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]