As a result of the installation of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) pandemic, online education has become an important teaching alternative, and new challenges about how to teach were found. Here we report our experience in offering an online course to review Human Physiology. We proposed synchronous and asynchronous activities using different online tools to address topics considered key to understanding the different systems of human physiology. The students considered important the use of this type of methodology, which uses different online tools to help understand the Human Physiology contents. The students highlighted the use of the Lt platform, Zoom, Mentimeter, and YouTube as the preferred online tools to use in physiology learning.

Background: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxins are activators of innate immunity inducing infection and inflammatory responses. Anti-inflammatory drugs can have undesirable side effects. Acupuncture may be an alternative for the treatment of inflammatory processes. Objective: We investigated the potential anti-inflammatory effect of manual acupuncture (MA) at SP6 upon LPS-induced peritonitis in rats. Methods: Peritonitis was induced in rats with an intraperitoneal injection of LPS (0.002, 0.02, 0.2 or 2 µg/kg) in four experimental groups (n = 6 each). A fifth group was injected with sterile saline solution (saline group, n = 6). Four hours after the procedure, peritoneal fluid was collected to determine total cell counts for inflammatory cells, differential leukocyte counts and peritoneal capillary permeability. The LPS dose of 0.02 µg/kg was used in the subsequent experiments as it most successfully induced peritoneal inflammation. Subsequently, five experimental groups (n = 12 rats each) were used: (1) saline, (2) control (untreated LPS group), (3) indomethacin (LPS group treated with indomethacin), (4) NA (LPS group treated with MA at a location not corresponding to any traditional acupuncture point), and (5) SP6 (LPS group treated with verum MA at SP6). Ten minutes after MA or 30 min after indomethacin treatment, the rats received an intraperitoneal injection of LPS. After 4 h, total leukocyte and differential cell counts, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, vascular permeability and cytokine levels were evaluated in the peritoneal fluid. Cytokine levels were additionally evaluated in the brainstem. Results: SP6 MA and indomethacin treatments reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, vascular permeability and MPO activity in the LPS-exposed rats. Pre-treatment with indomethacin and SP6 MA decreased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels and preserved interleukin (IL)-10 in the peritoneal fluid. Indomethacin also reduced IL-6 in the peritoneal fluid. In the brainstem, indomethacin reduced IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα and IL-10, whereas SP6 MA reduced only TNFα and IL-6 levels. Conclusions: This study clearly demonstrates the anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture, which we believe may involve the activation of anti-inflammatory neural reflexes in the regulation of peritonitis.

A Política Nacional de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares (PNPIC) no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) contempla sistemas médicos complexos e recursos terapêuticos, com ênfase na escuta acolhedora, no desenvolvimento do vínculo terapêutico e na integração do ser humano com o meio ambiente e a sociedade. O presente relato de experiência tem como objetivo compartilhar as estratégias utilizadas pelo Ambulatório de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares no SUS, para a implementação das Práticas Integrativas e Complementares (PICs), bem como da capacitação dos recursos humanos produzidos pela universidade. Essa experiência foi gerada a partir do projeto de extensão “Ambulatório de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares no SUS”. O projeto constitui-se de capacitações - realizadas por docentes e especialistas, e atendimentos aos usuários oriundos do SUS que apresentavam dor musculoesquelética, pelos acadêmicos participantes das capacitações. Foram realizadas aproximadamente 15 capacitações no ano de 2017 sobre diversos temas envolvendo PICs. Nelas participaram 116 sujeitos e 94,67% deles aprovaram as qualificações. Posteriormente, os acadêmicos foram convidados a atender a comunidade, sob supervisão e atuação dos profissionais especialistas nas técnicas supracitadas. Até o presente momento, foram realizados mais de 250 atendimentos e os pacientes relataram redução significativa do seu nível de dor após os atendimentos com PICs. Concluiu-se que as capacitações contribuíram muito para a formação dos participantes, bem como, os atendimentos apresentaram bons resultados de melhora da dor dos pacientes, o que contribui para que continuemos com ambas as ações, visando a ampliação delas.