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Mother-pup interaction, as well as other behavioral reactions were studied during the lactation period in 24 litters of Wistar rats and their dams fed either a 16% (control -C; 12 litters) or a 6% (malnourished -M; 12 litters) protein diet. The diets were isocaloric. Throughout lactation there was a 36.4% weight loss of M dams and a 63% body weight deficit in the M pups when compared to control pups. During this period, half of the litters were exposed daily to additional tactile stimulation (CS or MS), while the other half were submitted to normal rearing conditions (CN or MN). The tactile stimulation of pups (handling) consisted of holding the animal in one hand and gently touching the dorsal part of the animals body with the fingers for 3 min. A special camera and a time-lapse video were used to record litter behavior in their home cages. Starting at 6 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m., on days 3, 6, 12, 15, 18 and 21 of lactation, photos were taken at 4-s intervals. An increase in the frequency (154.88 ± 16.19) and duration (455.86 ± 18.05 min) of suckling was observed throughout the lactation period in all groups compared to birth day (frequency 24.88 ± 2.37 and duration 376.76 ± 21.01 min), but the frequency was higher in the C (84.96 ± 8.52) than in the M group (43.13 ± 4.37); however, the M group (470.2 ± 11.87 min) spent more time suckling as compared with the C group (393.67 ± 13.09 min). The M dams showed a decreased frequency of resting position throughout the lactation period (6.5 ± 2.48) compared to birth day (25.42 ± 7.74). Pups from the C group were more frequently observed separated (73.02 ± 4.38) and interacting (258.99 ± 20.61) more with their mothers than the M pups (separated 66.94 ± 5.5 and interacting 165.72 ± 12.05). Tactile stimulation did not interact with diet condition, showing that the kind of stimulation used in the present study did not lead to recovery from the changes induced by protein malnutrition. The changes in mother-pup interaction produced by protein malnutrition of both may represent retardation in neuromotor development and a higher dependence of the pups on their mothers. These changes may represent an important means of energy saving and heat maintenance in malnourished pups.

The present study investigated the effects of protein malnutrition and environmental stimulation on biochemical and behavioral parameters in rats. The concentrations of polyamines in the frontal cortex, striatum, and hippocampus, as well as plasma corticosterone levels, were measured. The exploratory behavior was analyzed using the elevated plus-maze (EPM) test. Rats received either 16% (well-nourished -W) or 6% (malnourished -M) protein diets and were divided into stimulated or non-stimulated groups. Malnutrition increased corticosterone levels and decreased plasma protein and anxiety. Non-stimulated rats tested in the EPM had increased corticosterone levels and decreased frontal cortex, striatum and hippocampus protein and polyamines contents. Stimulation decreased open arm entries in the EPM in M animals and increased closed arm entries in the W ones. Stimulation increased frequency and time spent in risk-assessment behaviors. These results suggest that both malnutrition and EPM testing are distressing situations, as indicated by increased corticosterone levels. These results are consistent with lower anxiety and/or higher impulsiveness in M animals.

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The objective of this study was to translate the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) into Brazilian Portuguese and to evaluate the semantic, conceptual, idiomatic and cultural equivalence, content-related validity and level of verbal comprehension as an initial stage of its cross-cultural adaptation. Six stages were conducted: translation, synthesis of translations, back translation, synthesis of back translations; pilot test to evaluate the instrument and verbal comprehension by the target population; and content validity analysis by judges. The differences between the original and translated versions refer to language and culture, as they are very similar in meaning. The content validity index was excellent, with agreement level of 94.50% among specialists, for the entire scale. The items were easily understood by the target population. The Brazilian version of the DEBQ was approved by the original author and is ready to be tested for psychometric properties.

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It is not known if competitive anxiety affects decision-making performance in athletes. This study aimed to analyze the effect of competitive anxiety on passing decision-making in young soccer players. This is a prospective study, whose sample consisted of 40 soccer athletes of the under-17 category. The Portuguese version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2R) was filled out by athletes 45 minutes before the start of a soccer match. Decision-making was evaluated in a real game situation. The analysis and categorization of actions were based on the Game Performance Assessment Instrument. The results showed significant influence of cognitive anxiety (R² =.20; p = .001), somatic anxiety (R² = .45; p = .001) and self-confidence about the passing decision-making index (R² = .31; p = .001). It was concluded that competitive anxiety can be considered an intervening factor in decision-making of the pass of young male soccer players.Keywords: test validity, scaling, elderly, depression