INTRODUÇÃO: A recuperação funcional após a lesão nervosa periférica está relacionada a fatores intrínsecos e extrínsecos ao sistema nervoso periférico, tais como a gravidade da lesão e a condição dos órgãos-alvo. A atrofia constitui uma das principais alterações do músculo após a lesão nervosa e, uma vez instalada, atua como barreira ao crescimento axonal durante a reinervação muscular. O uso da eletroestimulação é rotineiro no campo da fisioterapia e tem o objetivo de minimizar ou impedir a atrofia muscular e, assim, favorecer a recuperação da lesão nervosa periférica. OBJETIVO: Avaliar os efeitos da eletroestimulação sobre as características tróficas do músculo desnervado. MÉTODOS: Artigos publicados entre 1990 e 2010 e indexados aos bancos de dados da PUBMED foram selecionados utilizando os seguintes descritores: "muscle denervation AND electric stimulation" e "muscular atrophy AND electric stimulation". Foram considerados como critério de inclusão os estudos experimentais em animais (ratos) que utilizassem a lesão nervosa periférica como modelo de desnervação e que avaliassem o efeito da eletroestimulação muscular sobre a área de secção transversa e/ou a massa muscular de músculos desnervados. RESULTADOS: Nove artigos foram selecionados para a revisão. CONCLUSÕES: O efeito da eletroestimulação está diretamente relacionado à característica do protocolo de intervenção, que, quando aplicado de maneira adequada, apresenta o efeito de retardar e, em alguns casos, impedir a atrofia do músculo desnervado.

Background: Fat distribution is associated with chronic diseases and birth weight may influence fat distribution throughout life. Our aim was to compare fat distribution in children born extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and very low birth weight (VLBW). Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated children born ELBW and VLBW around the 7th year of life. Fat distribution was assessed by ultrasonography measurements of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat thickness. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed. Results: We studied 63 children. Visceral fat thickness but not subcutaneous fat thickness was significantly increased in children born ELBW compared with children born VLBW, respectively, 3.13 (-1.08) versus 1.86 (-0.76) mm. This result remained after adjustment for age, gender, and BMI; adjusted coefficient 0.118, 95% confidence interval 0.009-0.227, p = 0.034. Conclusion: Children born ELBW seem to have increased visceral fat thickness compared with children born VLBW.

Introduction Some studies suggest that maternal touch of the abdomen produces an increase in the number of movements of the fetus. However, the influence of maternal touch of the abdomen on fetal cardiotocography patterns has not been studied. Methods This nonrandomized, before‐after clinical trial that assessed fetal cardiotocography patterns during maternal touch of the abdomen in 28 low‐risk pregnant women. Results Baseline fetal heart rate, accelerations, decelerations, and variability did not change with maternal touch of the abdomen, but fetal movements increased ( p = 0.044). Conclusion Fetal movements increases during maternal touch of the abdomen.

Objectives: the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of fetal tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) during the third trimester of low-risk pregnancies and to assess its clinical significance on neonates. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study including 330 singleton fetuses referred for routine fetal echocardiography during 3rd trimester in a fetal medicine center in Recife, Brazil. The presence and degree of tricuspid regurgitation were analyzed. Whenever TR was identified on fetal echocardiography, postnatal data, including the results of postnatal echocardiography were reviewed. Results: the prevalence of tricuspid regurgitation was 10.0% (n=33) in the study population. Regarding regurgitation degree, 90.9% (n=30) presented mild regurgitation and none presented important TR. Postnatal data was obtained from 21 neonates. Twenty of them were discharged without any complications, and one presented respiratory distress due to prematurity. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed in 66.7% (n=14) of the neonates and it was normal in 92.9% (n=13) of them. One neonate, 7.1%, persisted with tricuspid regurgitation, but had no other findings. Conclusions: tricuspid regurgitation in fetuses with normal cardiac anatomy during the 3rd trimester is a common condition in low-risk pregnancies, and is not associated with cardiac abnormalities or need for neonatal intervention.