Introduction: depression, besides causing great psychological distress, may lead to poor academic performance and social relationships. Objective: to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in medical students from a northeastern region of Brazil. Methods: the population comprised 1024 students from first to twelfth semesters of two medical schools in Cariri, Ceará, Brazil. We used the questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and the Beck Depression Inventory II version. Results: the prevalence in this population for the diagnosis of depression was 28.8%.652 (63.7%) complied with all protocols to stay in research. After logistic regression, had a negative impact on studentsmental health: female Odds Ratio adjusted (ORa) (95% CI): 1.83 (1.19 to 2.82), reasonable physical health ORa (95% CI): 3.15 (2 0.09 to 4, 73), uncertainty about professional future ORa (95% CI): 2.97 (1.65 to 5.34), desire to change course ORa (95% CI): 2.51 (1.63 to 3.86), good social relationship but without participation in social activities ORa (95% CI): 1.96 (1.27 to 3.04), relationship difficulties ORa (95% CI): 11.40 (4.32 to 30.14) and rare leisure activities (95% CI): 2.45 (1.49 to 4.04) or eventual leisure activities ORa (95% CI): 3.04 (1.70 to 5.42). Conclusion: there was a high prevalence of depression among medical students in this region. Female, reasonable physical health, uncertainty over future career, desire to change course, do not participate in social activities and / or difficulties in relationships, sporadic or rare leisure activity were associated with increased risk of developing depressive symptoms.

The objectives were to evaluate alterations in ischemic rat pups, from dams administered with curcumin (25 and 50 mg/kg). Ten-day-old male pups were subjected or not (SO) to brain ischemia and reperfusion, for 1, 7, and 14 days (this last group was submitted to behavioral evaluation). After that, pups were euthanized for determinations of striatal DA and DOPAC in SO, ischemic from untreated (ICUD) or curcumin treated (ICTD) dams, as well as hippocampal immunohistochemistry assays for iNOS and COX-2 and cresyl violet staining. At the 14th postischemia day, the ICUD group showed increased locomotor activity and rearing behavior, which were reversed in ICTD animals. ICUD pups presented decreased striatal DA and DOPAC levels, relatively to SO, mainly at the 1st postischemia day, but also at the 7th and 14th days which were partially reversed in ICTD pups. A greater number of viable neurons were observed in ICTD, as related to the ICUD group. Ischemia increased iNOS and COX-2 expressions, in CA1 and CA3 areas, at the 1st, 7th, and 14th postischemia days, and these effects were minimized in ICTD pups. In conclusion, the prenatal curcumin treatment was shown to be neuroprotective where the drug anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects probably play a role.

Glutaric acidemia type 1 (GA1) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by the deficiency of the enzyme glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase, with consequent accumulation of the aminoacids lysine, hydroxylsine and tryptophan. About 1 in every 100,000 individuals are affected by the disease. Neurological manifestations are variable and include acute and chronic encephalopathic crises, dystonia, motor and cognitive deficits, as well as neuroimaging findings such as brain hypoplasia, striatal, white matter and subdural effusions. Early diagnosis is crucial for specific therapy, which includes a diet with restricted amino acids and carnitine replacement. The present work describes the variability of neurological manifestations in four patients with glutaric acidemia type 1, diagnosed in different age groups, through mass spectrometry, technology of the expanded neonatal screening available in the Ministry of Health program in Federal District, Brazil. Complications of GA1 were more severe in cases with later diagnosis, which justifies the use of the enlarged neonatal screening as an important resource in the early diagnosis and treatment of inborn errors of metabolism.

Os últimos estudos estatísticos do Brasil revelaram que 23,9% da população é composta por deficientes. Essa alta prevalência provocou a necessidade de discussão sobre esse assunto na sociedade. Ao longo da história da humanidade, o conceito de deficiência tem sido uma grande preocupação. A terminologia correta é especialmente importante quando abordamos assuntos tradicionalmente estigmatizados e estereotipados. As pessoas com deficiência foram vistas de diferentes modos ao longo da história e geralmente essa condição era indesejável. Devido ao aumento do conhecimento científico, o modelo biomédico surgiu para explicar as deficiências, porém atualmente o modelo social inclui interações pessoais, ambientais e sociais. O aconselhamento genético surge então como importante ferramenta para a compreensão das deficiências, pois muitas delas são decorrentes de defeitos congênitos ou herdados na família. Essa compreensão tem possibilitado as tomadas de decisão conscientes pelo paciente e seus familiares, visando à melhor qualidade de vida e à inserção do afetado na sociedade. Palavras-chave: Aconselhamento Genético. Criança excepcional. Deficiência intelectual. Educação de pessoa com deficiência intelectual. Pessoas com deficiência.