Summary Alcoholism is a chronic condition, consisting on a state of intoxication caused by the consumption of alcohol beverages. Frequently found signs and symptoms are: gait instability, dizziness and lack of psychomotor coordination, among others. Aim to study the influence of alcoholism on postural balance. Materials and Methods this is a prospective study. The sample comprehended 32 individuals in the experimental group, members of the Alcoholic Anonymous Group of the city of Santa Maria-RS and 32 non-alcoholic individuals making up the control group. The individuals were submitted to an otorhinolaryngological evaluation, static and dynamic balance study and cerebellar tests, vecto-electronystagmographic evaluation and dynamic posturography. Results we noticed that the vectoelectronystagmography was normal for most of the individuals in the experimental group, indicating that the labyrinth and the oculomotor-vestibular pathways were normal and that the balance disorder they presented would stem from the dysfunction in other areas of the central or peripheral nervous system. In the dynamic posturography we noticed that alcoholics who were not drinking presented significant alterations in their postural balance when compared to non-alcoholic individuals. Conclusion alcoholic beverages have a deleterious influence on body balance.

Summary Hormonal dysfunctions in women during pregnancy can cause vestibular and/or cochlear disorders. Aim to study hearing and vestibular complaints in pregnant women. Material And Method this is a prospective study. 82 pregnant women participated on this study. For hearing and vestibular complaints, a questionnaire proposed by Castagno (1994) was employed. Results we could observe that tinnitus was the main auditory complaint (33%), although with no differences between the groups. Tinnitus was present among 52.44% of the pregnant women, mainly in the Group 2. According to symptoms related to dizziness, vertigo was the main auditory complaint in first trimester, whereas instability and gait unbalance were more frequent in the second trimester, and instability and tendency to fall in the third trimester. Nausea was the main symptom associated with dizziness in pregnant women, being more frequent in the first trimester of gestation. Conclusions women during gestation have auditory and vestibular complaints, mainly dizziness and tinnitus.

Nos últimos anos houve grande progresso na localização de genes associados à deficiência auditiva hereditária, possibilitando diagnósticos cada vez mais precisos e precoces. Mutações no gene da Conexina 26 (GJB2 - Cx26) causam deficiência auditiva. Pela facilidade e benefício do rastreamento de mutações no gene GJB2, o teste genético está se tornando um importante recurso na saúde pública. O objetivo foi realizar pesquisa bibliográfica sobre a mutação do gene da Conexina 26 e sua influência na audição. Foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico por meio de busca eletrônica utilizando os descritores: perda auditiva, genética, triagem genética, Conexina 26, nas bases de dados MEDLINE, SciELO e LILACS, desde a década de 90 até os dias atuais. Concluiu-se que a mutação 35delG da Conexina 26 está potencialmente vinculada a alguns casos de perda auditiva não esclarecida. A pesquisa desta mutação poderia ser incluída na bateria de exames de investigação etiológica da surdez indeterminada, uma vez que esclarece a etiologia de alguns casos e a sua identificação possibilita o aconselhamento genético.

Evidence in the literature has suggested that there may be an association between thyroid antibodies and depression during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Thus, this study aims to conduct a systematic review on the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) in women with thyroid abnormalities during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. For this review, we used four databases (PubMed, Lilacs, Scielo, and Scopus). Fifteen studies were selected; one study used a case–control design, four used a cross-sectional design and ten utilized prospective cohort designs. All studies were restricted to up to 1 year postpartum, and 46.7% focused on a period between immediate postpartum and 6 months postpartum. Estimates of the prevalence of PPD in pregnant women with thyroid disorders ranged between 8.3% and 36.0%. For follow-up studies, the cumulative incidence of self-reported depression from the primary episode in the first postpartum year was 6.3% in a high-city survey. Although some authors consider the status of positive anti-TPO antibodies to be a possible marker of vulnerability to depression , it is not yet possible to conclude whether thyroid function in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle is involved with the development of PPD.

Algumas espécies da família Cucurbitaceae apresentam dormência de sementes, inclusive o maxixe. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar métodos de superação de dormência em sementes de maxixe. As sementes foram submetidas aos seguintes tratamentos: T1 = Testemunha, T2 = Embebição por 3 dias em água destilada, T3 = Embebição por 4 dias em água destilada, T4 = Imersão em solução de NaClO 10% por 10 minutos, T5 = Imersão em solução de NaClO 10%  por 48 horas, T6 = Imersão em solução de NaClO 10% por 10 minutos e secagem em temperatura ambiente por 48 horas, T7 = Imersão em solução de NaClO 10% por 10 minutos e secagem em estufa a 40?C por 48 horas, T8 = Imersão em solução de NaClO 10% por 10 minutos e secagem em temperatura ambiente por 72 horas, T9 = Escarificação química com H2SO4 por 1 minutos, T10 = Escarificação química  com H2SO4 por 2 minutos, T11 = Escarificação mecânica com lixa por 10 segundos, T12 = Escarificação mecânica com lixa por 20 segundos. A avaliação dos tratamentos foi realizada pelos seguintes testes: germinação, primeira contagem da germinação, comprimento de raiz e parte aérea de plântula, massa seca de plântula e emergência de plântulas em areia, utilizando o delineamento inteiramente casualizado. A dormência das sementes de maxixe é superada com embebição por quatro dias em água destilada, imersão em solução de NaClO 10% por 10 minutos e secagem em temperatura ambiente por 48 horas e escarificação mecânica por 10 ou 20 segundos.

BackgroundSuicide risk is prominent among the problems affecting populations, mainly due to the broad family, psychosocial and economic impact. Most individuals at suicidal risk have some mental disorder. There is considerable evidence that psychiatric disorders are accompanied by the activation of neuro-immune and neuro-oxidative pathways. The aim of the study is to evaluate the serum levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in women at risk of suicide after 18 months of postpartum.MethodsThis is a case-control study, nested within a cohort study. From this cohort, 45 women [15 without mood disorders and 30 with mood disorders (Major depression and Bipolar disorder)] were selected at 18 months postpartum, the depression and suicide risk were assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus (MINI-Plus) instrument, module A and C, respectively. Blood was collected and stored for later analysis of the reactive species (DCFH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reduced (GSH). For data analysis, the SPSS program was used. To compare the nominal covariates with the outcome GSH levels, the Student’s t-test or analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. Spearman’s correlation was performed for analysis between the quantitative covariates and the outcome. To analyze the interaction between the factors, multiple linear regression was performed. Bonferroni analysis was used as an additional/secondary result to visualize differences in glutathione levels according to risk severity. After the adjusted analysis, p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsThe percentage of suicide risk observed in our sample of women at 18 months postpartum was 24.4% (n = 11). After adjusting for the independent variables, only the presence of suicide risk remained associated with the outcome (β = 0.173; p = 0.007), low levels of GSH at 18 months after postpartum. Likewise, we verified the difference in GSH levels according to the degree of suicide risk, observing a significant association between the differences in glutathione means in the group of women with moderate to high risk compared to the reference group (no suicide risk) (p = 0.009).ConclusionOur findings suggest that GSH may be a potential biomarker or etiologic factor in women at moderate to high risk of suicide.