Search

No processo de ensino-aprendizagem, alunos e professores estabelecem troca de saberes, e as práticas lúdicas podem auxiliá-los nessa trajetória. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se o perfil socioeconômico dos discentes interfere na percepção que eles têm do próprio aprendizado em Fisiologia utilizando-se práticas lúdicas. A coleta de dados foi realizada na disciplina de Fisiologia do curso de Farmácia noturno da Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre. Ao longo do ano de 2016, os alunos vivenciaram aulas expositivas e dialogadas intercaladas com práticas lúdicas; aplicou-se, também, um questionário para avaliação da percepção discente quanto ao uso destas metodologias. Verificou-se que o sucesso da utilização de práticas lúdicas em sala de aula independe de um perfil socioeconômico dos alunos. Os resultados demonstram que a utilização de diferentes modalidades de práticas lúdicas, em combinação com aulas expositivas e dialogadas, no contexto da educação superior, pode ser boa adjuvante no aprendizado.

Cardiac physiology is a basic subject in the curriculum of health Science undergraduate courses, which allow students to understand the functional mechanisms of cardiovascular organs as well as the physiopathology of cardiovascular diseases. The puzzle of cardiac cycle has been developed to help students to understand and integrate the concepts of morphology and physiology of normal and pathological states of the heart. Considering the good acceptance of the printed puzzle by students and professors, its online version has been developed as a digital educational tool. The aims of this work were to describe the development of the online digital version of this educational game and to evaluate the students’ perception of the utility of the digital game for their learning. The digital version was developed using the figures and answers of the original printed cardiac cycle puzzle, including stages 1 and 2, in three languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish. The digital version was tested by professors of Physiology from different university institutions for validation. The final version of game was used in remote teaching in three courses in the health area, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The opinion of students about the usefulness of the game activity for their learning was analyzed by using a survey. In the opinion of participants in this study, the activity with the online digital version of the cardiac cycle puzzle was useful for their learning.

Disruption of the intracellular lipid balance leading to cholesterol accumulation is one of the features of cells that participate in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Evidence form our laboratory indicates that anti-inflammatory cyclopentenone prostaglandins (cyPGs) of A- and J-family deviate lipid metabolism from the synthesis of cholesterol and cholesteryl esters to the synthesis of phospholipids in foam-cell macrophages. cyPGs possessing an α,β-unsaturated cyclopentane ring are highly electrophilic substances able to promptly react with reactive cysteines of intracellular molecules through Michael addition. On the other hand, HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR), the enzyme responsible for the rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis, presents critically reactive cysteines at the entry of catalytic domain, particularly Cys561, that could be target of cyPG inhibition. In the present study, we showed that cyPGs (but not other non-α,β-unsaturated PGs) physically interact with HMGCR, in a dithiothreitol- and β-mercaptoethanol-sensitive way, and block the activity of the catalytic subunit of the enzyme (IC50 for PGA2 = 0.17 μM). PGA2 inhibits HMGCR activity in cultured rat and human macrophages/macrophage-foam cells and leads to enhanced expression of HMGCR protein, as observed with statins. In cell culture models, PGA2 effectively inhibits the reductase at non-toxic doses (e.g., 1 μM) that block cell proliferation thus suggesting that part of the well-known antiproliferative effect of PGA2 may be due to its ability of blocking HMGCR activity, as cells cannot proliferate without a robust cholesterogenesis. Therefore, besides the powerfully anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects, the anticholesterogenic effects of PGA2 should be exploited in atherosclerosis therapeutics.

This work describes the educational game “Integrating Synapse, Muscle Contraction, and Autonomic Nervous System,” which was developed to assist students in understanding and integrating concepts related to the physiology of synapses, muscle contraction, and the autonomic nervous system. Analysis was made of the effect of the game on learning and the students’ opinions about it. Dentistry students were divided into control and game groups. They attended lectures about the topics, after which the control group students were submitted to a test, whereas the game group performed the game activity before undertaking the test. The mean score was significantly higher for the game group, compared with the control group ( P < 0.05). Pharmacy students also attended lectures about these topics; in the next class, the students performed a pretest and the activity with the educational game. After the game, a posttest was applied. The mean scores were significantly higher for the posttest than for the pretest ( P < 0.05). Students of medicine attended the lectures and performed the activity with the educational game, without the learning assessment. All of the students answered a question, using a 5-point Likert-type scale, concerning whether they thought the activity with the game was useful for learning. The mean scores obtained by the dentistry, pharmacy, and medicine students were 4.7 ± 0.6, 4.9 ± 0.3, and 4.3 ± 0.1, respectively. The educational game increased the learning of the undergraduate students, in agreement with their opinions of the strategy.

Introducao: A capacidade funcional do idoso pode sofrer alteracoes fisiologicas a medio e longo prazo no processo de envelhecimento e levar a sua diminuicao e a dependencia de cuidados. Objetivos: avaliar a percepcao da funcionalidade de idosa de 94 anos residente em Porto Alegre /RS em relacao a algumas das Atividades basicas de vida diaria (Abvds) e Atividades instrumentais de vida diaria (Aivds) na visao da propria paciente, de sua cuidadora e de sua fisioterapeuta, antes e apos realizar exercicios contra resistidos durante sessoes de fisioterapia domiciliar durante 12 semanas, entre os meses de fevereiro a abril de 2015. Metodologia: Foram realizadas entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas com perguntas abertas gravadas pelo pesquisador, questionando o historico da idosa e posteriormente foi aplicado um roteiro de questoes para avaliar a percepcao da funcionalidade desta idosa por ela propria, pela cuidadora e pela fisioterapeuta antes e depois da implantacao do programa de exercicios contra resistidos em relacao a algumas das Abvds e Aivds. Resultados: Os resultados demonstraram que a idosa conseguiu realizar tres das quatro atividades propostas no questionario antes de iniciar o treinamento fisioterapeutico contra resistido e que apos se tornou independente para todas as atividades propostas. Conclusao: Estes dados demonstram ter havido efeito positivo do treinamento contra resistido nas Abvds e Aivds da idosa estudada.

O acompanhamento do estado nutricional da populacao infantil em idade escolar de um pais e fundamental para aferir a evolucao das condicoes de saude e de vida da populacao devido ao seu carater multicausal e a relacao com o nivel de atendimento das necessidades basicas. O objetivo do estudo foi analisar o estado nutricional de criancas frequentadoras das Escolas Municipais de Educacao Infantil do municipio de Gravatai, Rio Grande do Sul. Metodologia utilizada foi estudo transversal que analisou os indicadores antropometricos de 500 criancas com idade entre 8 e 80 meses. Para a classificacao do estado nutricional para os menores de dois anos de idade foi utilizado o indice peso/estatura (P/E) e para os maiores o indice IMC/idade (IMC/I) expresso em valores de percentil com base nas curvas de crescimento da Organizacao mundial da Saude. O software utilizado para analise de dados foi o SPSS 18.0. Resultados: Das criancas estudadas, (53,7%) eram do sexo masculino. Encontravam-se com adequacao do estado nutricional 63%, 22,2% sobrepeso/obesidade, 3,6% desnutricao e 11,2% risco para baixo peso. Com base nos achados foi possivel elaborar uma hipotese que a alta prevalencia de sobrepeso e obesidade foram os principais desvios antropometricos observados neste estudo, constituindo prioridades que devem ser consideradas na formulacao de politicas publicas de saude atuais.

Introducao: A automedicacao se caracteriza pelo uso de medicamentos sem prescricao medica, na qual o proprio usuario decide qual o medicamento utilizar. Uma vez que o uso indiscriminado dos medicamentos esta sendo cada vez mais utilizado pelos individuos se faz tao importante a presenca do profissional farmaceutico no momento da dispensacao. Objetivo: Tracar o perfil do usuario que faz uso da automedicacao em uma drogaria do municipio de Porto Alegre, demonstrando o pale do farmaceutcio. Metodos: Foi aplicado um questionario para a coleta de dados de cada entrevistado que aceitou participar da pesquisa, esta foi realizada em uma drogaria do municipio de Porto Alegre. Foram entrevistados 97 individuos entre 19 e 89 anos. A analise descritiva foi realizada pela apresentacao dos resultados em frequencias (variaveis qualitativas), media e erro padrao (variaveis quantitativas). Resultados: Percebeu-se que ntrevistados do sexo feminino valorizam mais medicamentos apenas receitados pelo medico, como tambem, fazem mais rigorosamente o controle do prazo de validade dos medicamentos. Em relacao a escolaridade, percebeu-se que individuos com ensino medio completo consideram de muita importância o atendimento realizado pelo farmaceutico. Deste modo, pode-se ressaltar que os usuarios de nivel medio sao os mais preocupados quanto a procedencia da indicacao medicamentosa.

Disorders concerning the metabolism of plasma and intracellular lipids are hallmarks of atherosclerosis. However, failures in proper control of intracellular cholesterol balance, rather than simple cholesterol overloading due to augmented uptake, could fuel atherogenesis. Therefore, the understanding of atherosclerosis-associated lipid alterations, which feed an inflammatory microenvironment in the arterial wall, requires the meticulous investigation of several aspects of lipid synthesis, uptake and export from cells. In this regard, the presence of reactive cysteines in transcription factors and key enzymes of lipid metabolism may dictate cholesterol accumulation, and therefore the progression of vascular disease. The strong inhibitory effect of cysteine-reactant anti-inflammatory cyclopentenone prostaglandins (CP-PGs) over atherosclerosis progression in vivo (LipoCardium technology) symbolizes a new concept of atherosclerosis and its treatment. Results from this laboratory and those from other research groups have unraveled a novel facet in prostaglandin research in that CP-PGs may act as redox signals that guide lipid metabolism in atherosclerosis. By modifying enzymes ( e.g. , HMG-CoA reductase, ACAT and cholesteryl ester hydrolases) and transcription factors ( e.g. , NF-κB and Keap1) involved in inflammation and lipid metabolism, CP-PGs (especially those of A-series) induce pivotal changes in glutathione and lipid metabolism that completely arrest atherosclerosis progression. Hence, pharmacological manipulation of lipid metabolism by CP-PGs may be a novel and invaluable strategy for treating atherosclerosis. Also, a better understanding of why CP-PGs do not resolve inflammation physiologically may explain many unsolved questions and yield insights into atherogenesis and its termination.

A Doença de Alzheimer (DA) é uma doença neurodegenerativa e progressiva, caracterizada por alterações comportamentais e cognitivas, apresenta como principais características neuropatológicas a presença de placas senis e emaranhados neurofibrilares. A presença de placas senis está relacionada com o metabolismo anormal da proteína precursora de amiloide (APP) e os emaranhados neurofibrilares são formados a partir da hiperfosforilação da proteína tau. O resveratrol, um potente antioxidante pertencente à família dos estilbenos, parece atuar como fator protetor na neurodegeneração da DA. O presente estudo tem como objetivo realizar uma revisão da literatura sobre o efeito protetor do resveratrol na DA, uma vez que não existe um tratamento efetivo para esta doença, portanto se necessita de uma busca de substâncias que poderiam ser adjuvantes terapêuticos nesta patologia.

Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease of blood vessels which decimates one in every three people in industrialized world. Despite the important newest clinical approaches, currently available strategies (e.g. nutritional, pharmacological and surgical) may only restrain the worsening of vascular disease. Since antiproliferative cyclopentenone prostaglandins (CP-PGs) are powerful anti-inflammatory agents, we developed a negatively charged liposome-based pharmaceutical formulation (LipoCardium) that specifically direct CP-PGs towards the injured arterial wall cells of atherosclerotic mice. In the blood stream, LipoCardium delivers its CP-PG contents only into activated arterial wall lining cells due to the presence of antibodies raised against vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), which is strongly expressed upon inflammation by endothelial cells and macrophage-foam cells as well. After 4 months in a high-lipid diet, all low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient adult control mice died from myocardium infarction or stroke in less than 2 weeks, whereas LipoCardium-treated (2 weeks) animals (still under high-lipid diet) completely recovered from vascular injuries. In vitro studies using macrophage-foam cells suggested a tetravalent pattern for LipoCardium action: anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative (and pro-apoptotic only to foam cells), antilipogenic and cytoprotector (via heat-shock protein induction). These astonishing cellular effects were accompanied by a marked reduction in arterial wall thickness, neointimal hyperplasia and lipid accumulation, while guaranteed lifespan to be extended to the elderly age. Our findings suggest that LipoCardium may be safely tested in humans in a near future and may have conceptual implications in atherosclerosis therapy.