RESUMO O presente estudo utilizou embriões de Danio rerio expostos aos elutriatos dos sedimentos estuarinos do rio Capibaribe, dos períodos chuvoso e seco, e analisou os efeitos letais, teratogênicos, bem como a frequência cardíaca. Os testes de toxicidade com os embriões seguiram as diretrizes da OECD 236. Mediante os resultados obtidos, a frequência cardíaca e a teratogenicidade foram os efeitos mais observados nos animais quando submetidos às amostras. Entre os efeitos teratogênicos, o retardo geral no desenvolvimento dos embriões foi o mais frequente durante as análises. Tais efeitos tóxicos se modificaram entre os pontos e entre os períodos de coleta. Essa variação de toxicidade pode estar relacionada à diversidade de atividades realizadas no entorno desse estuário, a influência do regime de chuvas, marés e correntes, indicando que a análise dos efeitos subletais e da teratogenicidade em embriões de D. rerio constitui bom parâmetro para avaliações de toxicidade de amostras ambientais.

ABSTRACT The present study used Danio rerio embryos exposed to the elutriates of the estuarine sediments of the Rio Capibaribe, from the rainy and dry periods, where the lethal effects, teratogenic and heart rate were analyzed. Embryotoxicity tests followed the guidelines of OECD 236. Based on the results obtained, heart rate and teratogenicity demonstrated higher sensitivity to the samples. Among the teratogenic effects, the general delay in embryo development was the most frequent effect during the analyzes. These toxic effects changed between the points and between the collection periods. This variation of toxicity may be related to the diversity of activities carried out around this estuary, the influence of rainfall, tides, and currents, indicating the analysis of sublethal effects and teratogenicity in the D. rerio embryos are useful parameters for toxic evaluation of environmental samples.

Although echocardiography has been used in rats, few studies have determined its efficacy for estimating myocardial infarct size. Our objective was to estimate the myocardial infarct size, and to evaluate anatomic and functional variables of the left ventricle. Myocardial infarction was produced in 43 female Wistar rats by ligature of the left coronary artery. Echocardiography was performed 5 weeks later to measure left ventricular diameter and transverse area (mean of 3 transverse planes), infarct size (percentage of the arc with infarct on 3 transverse planes), systolic function by the change in fractional area, and diastolic function by mitral inflow parameters. The histologic measurement of myocardial infarction size was similar to the echocardiographic method. Myocardial infarct size ranged from 4.8 to 66.6% when determined by histology and from 5 to 69.8% when determined by echocardiography, with good correlation (r = 0.88; P < 0.05; Pearson correlation coefficient). Left ventricular diameter and mean diastolic transverse area correlated with myocardial infarct size by histology (r = 0.57 and r = 0.78; P < 0.0005). The fractional area change ranged from 28.5 ± 5.6 (large-size myocardial infarction) to 53.1 ± 1.5% (control) and correlated with myocardial infarct size by echocardiography (r = -0.87; P < 0.00001) and histology (r = -0.78; P < 00001). The E/A wave ratio of mitral inflow velocity for animals with large-size myocardial infarction (5.6 ± 2.7) was significantly higher than for all others (control: 1.9 ± 0.1; small-size myocardial infarction: 1.9 ± 0.4; moderate-size myocardial infarction: 2.8 ± 2.3). There was good agreement between echocardiographic and histologic estimates of myocardial infarct size in rats.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the expression (mRNA) of CD40 ligand (CD40L), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and Fas ligand (FasL) genes in human cardiac allografts in relation to the occurrence of acute cardiac allograft rejection as well as its possible value in predicting acute rejection. The mRNA levels were determined by a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction method in 39 samples of endomyocardial biopsies obtained from 10 adult cardiac transplant recipients within the first six months after transplantation. Biopsies with ongoing acute rejection showed significantly higher CD40L, IFN-gamma and FasL mRNA expression than biopsies without rejection. The median values of mRNA expression in biopsies with and without rejection were 0.116 and zero for CD40L (P<0.003), 0.080 and zero for IFN-gamma (P<0.0009), and 0.156 and zero for FasL (P<0.002), respectively. In addition, the levels of IFN-gamma mRNA were significantly increased 7 to 15 days before the appearance of histological evidence of rejection (median of 0.086 in pre-rejection biopsies), i.e., they presented a predictive value. This study provides further evidence of heightened expression of immune activation genes during rejection and shows that some of these markers may present predictive value for the occurrence of acute rejection.

A cateterização da artéria radial para fins de monitorização em crianças graves, vem sendo utilizado cada vez com maior freqüência em unidades de cuidados intensivos pediátricos e, muitas vezes, a sua presença é imprescindível, como nos casos de choque e pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca, entretanto há poucas publicações em nosso meio a respeito do assunto. OBJETIVO: Analisar as complicações da cateterização da artéria radial para fins de monitorização no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca em crianças. MÉTODOS: Estudamos as complicações deste procedimento em 120 crianças em pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca, com idades entre um mês e dois anos. As crianças foram cateterizadas por punção percutânea (n = 67) e por dissecação (n = 63). Foram analisadas as seguintes complicações, em relação à técnica utilizada e ao tempo de permanência do cateter: infecção local, hemorragia, isquemia, obstrução do cateter e perda acidental do cateter. RESULTADOS: A presença de infecção, isquemia e hemorragia foram maiores e estatísticamente significantes nos pacientes submetidos à dissecção, enquanto que a obstrução e a perda acidental do cateter foram semelhantes em ambos os grupos. Todos os casos de infecção ocorreram após 72 horas da cateterização e a freqüência de hemorragia e isquemia foi maior nas primeiras 72 horas. CONCLUSÃO: As principais complicações deste procedimento estão relacionadas à técnica utilizada, ao tempo de permanência do cateter e às características do paciente.

The radial artery catheterization with the purpose of children's monitoring has been more and more used in Pediatric Intensive Care Units, and many times, is use is indispensable, like in cardiac surgery post-operative cases. However, there are only a few articles on the subject among us. PURPOSE: To analyse the complications of radial artery cathetherization in the post-operative of cardiac surgery in children. METHODS: We studied the complications of this procedure in 120 children in cardiac surgery post-operative range from 1 month to 2 years. The children were catheterized by pecutaneous technique (n = 67) and by cutdown technique (n = 53). The following complications were analysed in relation to the placement time of the catheter and the used technique: local infection, hemorrhagic complication, ischemia, catheter occlusion and accidental catheter displacement. RESULTS: Infection, ischemia and hemorrhage were more frequent and statistically significant in patients submitted to cutdown technique, while the catheter occlusion and accidental displacement were similar in both groups. The placement time of the catheter was an important variable in our study. All of the other infection cases occurred after 72 hours of the catheterization and the frequency of hemorrhage and ischemia was higher in the first 72 hours. CONCLUSION: The main complications of this proceeding are related to the technic utilazed , time of utilization of the catheter and to the characteristics of the patients.

OBJETIVO. No presente estudo avaliamos, por intermédio da microscopia eletrônica de transmissão, a morfologia dos cardiomiócitos do ventrículo esquerdo de ratas albinas no decorrer do ciclo gravídico-puerperal. MÉTODOS. Obtida a prenhez, 77 ratas foram divididas ao acaso em dois grupos denominados, respectivamente, de: gestação (G) e puerpério (P). Os animais pertencentes ao grupo gestação foram ainda subdivididos em quatro subgrupos, de acordo com a idade gestacional; 1o (G-A), 7o (G-B), 14o (G-C) e 21o (G-D) dias de prenhez. O grupo definido como puerpério foi também subdividido em três subgrupos; 7o (P-A), 14o (P-B) e 21o (P-C) dias de puerpério. Findo o período estabelecido para cada subgrupo, os animais foram sacrificados, sendo coletados fragmentos do terço médio do ventrículo esquerdo, os quais após processamento apropriado, permitiram observação adequada à microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. RESULTADOS. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram hipertrofia gradativos dos cardiomiócitos no decorrer da prenhez (aumento das miofibrilas, que ao final da gestação apresentaram-se entremeadas de numerosas mitocôndrias). As paredes dos capilares sangüíneos, progressivamente, tornaram-se mais delgadas, com aumento das vesículas de pinocitose no interior das células endoteliais. Revelou ainda, acentuadas dobras do sarcolema em nível dos túbulos T (túneis capilares). No grupo puerpério, notamos gradativa regressão nessas alterações, com retorno às características pré-gestacionais. Os achados demonstram a ocorrência de hipertrofia no decorrer da gestação. CONCLUSÃO. Durante a prenhez há hipertrofia em cardiomiócito do ventrículo esquerdo com regressão durante o puerpério.

PURPOSE. In the present study we evaluated the morphology of left ventricular cardiomyocytes of albino rats during pregnancy and puerperium by means of transmission electron microscopy. METHODS. Once pregnancy was confirmed, 77 rats were randomly divided in two groups, respectively, gestation (G) and puerperium ( P). The animals of the gestation group were divided into four subgroups, according to gestational age: 1st (G-A), 7th (G-B), 14th (G-C) and 21st (G-D) days of pregnancy. The group defined as puerperium was divided into three subgroups: 7th (P-A), 14th (P-B) and 21st (P-C) days of puerperium. In the end of each established period, the animals were sacrificed and fragments of the medium third of the left ventricle were resected and routinely prepared for electron microscopy analysis. RESULTS. The results obtained with transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a gradative increase of the cardiomyocytes during pregnancy (increase of myofibrils, which are permeated by numerous mitochondria at the end of gestation). The blood capillary wall showed progressive thinning, with an increase of pynocytotic vesicles in endothelial cells, and intense sarcolemal folding at T- tubule level (capillary tunnels). In the puerperium group, there is a progressive regression in these alterations returning to pre-gestational level at the end of the puerperium cycle. These findings indicate the occurrence of hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes during pregnancy. CONCLUSION. The findings indicate the occurrence of hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes during pregnancy.