RESUMO -Dificuldades no desenvolvimento social são os indicadores mais prováveis de um futuro diagnóstico de autismo, entretanto o atraso da fala parece ser o motivo que mais mobiliza os pais na busca por assistência. Neste estudo foram investigados os primeiros sintomas percebidos pelos pais de crianças com autismo e a idade da criança na ocasião. Participaram 32 pré-escolares e o instrumento utilizado foi a Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. Comprometimentos no desenvolvimento da linguagem foram os sintomas mais frequentemente observados, porém os da socialização foram os mais precocemente identificados. No geral, a idade média em que os primeiros sintomas foram percebidos foi 15,2 meses. Os resultados corroboram achados de outros estudos, ressaltando a importância dos comprometimentos sociais para a identificação precoce do autismo. Palavras-chave: autismo, identificação precoce, percepção dos pais Parents' Perception of the First Symptoms of AutismABSTRACT -The occurrence of problems related to social development is the best predictors of a future diagnosis of an Autistic Disorder. Speech delay, however, seems to be the main that reason that leads parents to seek assistance. The present study aimed to investigate the first symptoms observed by the parents of children with autism and the age that it occurred. Thirty-two preschool children participated in the study. The instrument used was the Autism Diagnostic Interviwed-Revised. Abnormalities in language development were the most frequent symptoms reported by the parents, but social impairment was the earliest that was noticed. The average age when the parents noticed the first symptoms was 15.2 months. The results corroborate other findings, highlighting the importance of social deficits for the early identification of autism.

The transient potential vanilloid 1 receptor (TRPV1) is a calcium-permeable channel responsible for the transduction and modulation of acute and chronic pain signaling. As such, this receptor is a potential target for the treatment of a number of pain disorders. However, AMG517, a TRPV1 antagonist, presents several clinical limitations that include the induction of severe hyperthermia. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible interaction of the flavonoid eriodictyol with the TRPV1 receptor and to determine its putative antinociceptive and hyperthermic effects. Eriodictyol was able to displace [(3)H]-resiniferatoxin binding (IC(50)=47; 21-119nM) and to inhibit calcium influx mediated by capsaicin (IC(50)=44; 16-125nM), suggesting that eriodictyol acts as a TRPV1 antagonist. Moreover, eriodictyol induced antinociception in the intraplantar capsaicin test, with maximal inhibition of 49±10 and 64±4% for oral (ID(50)=2.3; 1.1-5.7mg/kg) and intrathecal (ID(50)=2.2; 1.7-2.9nmol/site) administration, respectively. Eriodictyol did not induce any change in body temperature or locomotor activity. Orally administered eriodictyol (4.5mg/kg) prevented the nociception induced by intrathecal injections of capsaicin, as well as the non-protein thiol loss and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) formation induced by capsaicin in spinal cord. Eriodictyol also reduced the thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia elicited by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) paw injection. In conclusion, eriodictyol acts as an antagonist of the TRPV1 receptor and as an antioxidant; it induces antinociception without some of the side effects and limitations such as hyperthermia that are expected for TRPV1 antagonists.

The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor is relevant to the perception of noxious information and has been studied as a therapeutic target for the development of new analgesics. The goal of this study was to perform in vivo and in vitro screens to identify novel, efficacious, and safe TRPV1 antagonists isolated from leaves of the medicinal plant Vernonia tweedieana Baker. All of the fractions and the hydroalcoholic extract produced antinociception in mice during the capsaicin test, but the dichloromethane fraction also had antioedematogenic effect. Among the compounds isolated from the dichloromethane fraction, only ␣-spinasterol reduced the nociception and edema induced by capsaicin injection. Moreover, ␣-spinasterol demonstrated good oral absorption and high penetration into the brain and spinal cord of mice. ␣-Spinasterol was able to displace [ 3 H]resiniferatoxin binding and diminish calcium influx mediated by capsaicin. Oral administration of the dichloromethane fraction and ␣-spinasterol also produced antinociceptive effect in the noxious heat-induced nociception test; however, they did not change the mechanical threshold of naive mice. The treatment with ␣-spinasterol did not produce antinociceptive effect in mice systemically pretreated with resiniferatoxin. In addition, ␣-spinasterol and the dichloromethane fraction reduced the edema, mechanical, and heat hyperalgesia elicited by complete Freund's adjuvant paw injection. The dichloromethane fraction and ␣-spinasterol did not affect body temperature or locomotor activity. In conclusion, ␣-spinasterol is a novel efficacious and safe antagonist of the TRPV1 receptor with antinociceptive effect.

RESUMO:Fracionamento cromatográfi co da fração em diclorometano obtida do extrato etanólico das folhas de Vernonia tweediana Baker (Asteraceae) conduziu ao isolamento de α-amirina, β-amirina, lupeol, β-sitosterol, estigmasterol e espinasterol. As estruturas foram identifi cadas através de técnicas espectroscópicas usuais, além da comparação com dados relatados na literatura. Os compostos isolados são relatados pela primeira vez para a espécie V. tweediana. Unitermos:Vernonia tweediana, Asteraceae, triterpenos, esteróides.ABSTRACT: "Phytoconstituents isolated from dichloromethane fraction of Vernonia tweediana Baker leaves". Fractionation of the dichloromethane -soluble fraction from the ethanol extract of the leaves of Vernonia tweediana (Asteraceae) led to the isolation of α-amyrin, β-amyrin, lupeol, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and spinasterol. The structures of the isolates were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data. The isolated compounds are reported for the fi rst time to the species V. tweediana.

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The goal of the study was to evaluate Lippia sidoides essential oil as an anesthetic for the tropical fish pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus. The physiological and pharmacokinetic responses were evaluated during fish handling. Fish were exposed to different concentrations of the essential oil (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 mg L-1) to determine the induction times to anesthesia. The hematological parameters were determined in fish exposed to different concentrations of the essential oil (20 and 70 mg L-1), which were enough to induce light and deep anesthesia in 10 min. For pharmacokinetics purposes, blood samples were collected after exposure to the essential oil (70 mg L-1) for 10 min at different depuration times (0, 15, and 30 min, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, and 48 h). Thymol was the major essential oil compound in Lippia sidoides, at 61.12%. All physiological parameters returned to control values in 24 h. Distribution and elimination of the major compound in the blood plasma were fast, being 64.31% in 1 h. The distribution constant of the essential oil was 7.59 lg h-1 (k) in the organism. Therefore, when the plasmatic concentration of thymol was reduced, this constant decreased to 0.44 lg h-1 (k). The AUC value was 38.05 lg h-1 , the initial half-life during the distribution stage (T 1/2 a) was 0.09 h and the elimination half-life (T 1/2 b) was 1.59 h. Fish survival was 100% even 20 days after the experiments. Therefore, Lippia sidoides essential oil may be considered a safe anesthetic for tropical fish.

The findings of this research do not seem to confirm the relationship between the occurrence of language regression and the subsequent impairment on social-communicative development of children with ASD.

Carbohydrates and lipids are the major and cheaper non-protein energy sources for fish diets. This study aimed at determining ideal relationship between dietary starch and lipids and their influence on digestive enzyme profile of juvenile dourado. Trials were set up in a closed-loop system with controlled temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and total ammonia. Experimental extruded diets formulated to contain different starch (St) to lipids (Lip) ratio (St : Lip = 0 : 1, 0.3 : 1, 0.7 : 1, 1.0 : 1, 1.4 : 1, 2.0 : 1, 2.3 : 1 to 3.3 : 1) were fed to juvenile dourado (3.34 AE 0.16 g) and stocked into 30 polyethylene tanks (330 L, 30 fish per tank) in a completely randomized design with unbalanced repetition (n = 3 or 4), in two daily meals (1000 and 1530) until satiation, for 95 days. Dietary starch contents higher than 145.2 g kg -1 (St : Lip > 1.0 : 1.0) hampered the performance of fish, but, paradoxically, the inclusion of carbohydrates in the diet elicited better utilization of dietary protein and energy by the species. Fish adapted digestive enzyme profile to dietary starch contents through increasing secretion of alkaline proteases and non-specific lipases, but secretion of amylase was not altered. Physiological responses show the limitation of species on the use of dietary carbohydrates.