The aim of the present study was to compare the toxic effects of fluoxetine (F) (8 and 16 mg/kg) and venlafaxine (V) (40 and 80 mg/kg) administered during the third week of pregnancy on early development of rats. Both antidepressants were administered by gavage on pregnancy days 15 to 20 to groups of 10 to 12 animals each. Duration of gestation, food and water consumption, number of live pups and birth weight were recorded. Litters were culled to six pups at birth (day 1) and followed for growth until weaning (day 25). On day 60, a male and a female from each litter were injected with the 5-HT 1 agonist, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (6 mg/kg, ip) and the serotonergic syndrome was graded. Fluoxetine but not venlafaxine reduced the duration of pregnancy when compared to the control (C) group (F = 21.1 days and C = 21.6 days, mean, P<0.02; maximum = 22 days and minimum = 21 days in both groups). The highest doses of both fluoxetine, 16 mg/kg (F16), and venlafaxine, 80 mg/kg (V80), reduced the food intake of pregnant rats, resulting in different rates of body weight gain during treatment (from pregnancy day 15 to day 20): F16 = 29.0 g, V80 = 28.7 g vs C = 39.5 g (median). Birth weight was influenced by treatment and sex (P<0.05; two-way ANOVA). Both doses of fluoxetine or venlafaxine reduced the body weight of litters; however, the body weight of litters from treated dams was equal to the weight of control litters by the time of weaning. At weaning there was no significant difference in weight between sexes. There was no difference among groups in number of live pups at birth, stillbirths, mortality during the lactation period or in the manifestation of serotonergic syndrome in adult rats. The occurrence of low birth weight among pups born to dams which did not show reduced food ingestion or reduction of body weight gain during treatment with lower doses of fluoxetine or venlafaxine suggests that these drugs may have a deleterious effect on prenatal development when administered during pregnancy. In addition, fluoxetine slightly but significantly affected the duration of pregnancy (about half a day), an effect not observed in the venlafaxine-treated groups.

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Challenges to the curricular reform in a nutrition undergraduate courseResumo Estudo longitudinal, descritivo, com o objetivo de identificar os desafios persistentes à reforma curricular do curso de graduação em Nutrição da Universidade Federal Fluminense, comparando avaliações docentes das disciplinas realizadas em 2009 e 2011. Coletaram-se dados através de questionário com nove questões mistas seguindo orientação do Projeto Pedagógico do Curso. Participaram 23 professores em 2009 e 34 em 2011. Selecionaram-se avaliações das disciplinas cujos professores participaram simultaneamente em 2009 e 2011, debatendo-se resultados de 18 disciplinas sobre "contribuição da disciplina para formar competências"; "identificação das metodologias de ensino-aprendizagem utilizadas"; "articulação da teoria com a prática"; "integração entre conteúdos das disciplinas"; "integração ensino pesquisa e extensão". Em 2009 e 2011 foram observadas: facilidade para "integrar conteúdos das disciplinas", "teoria e prática" e "atividades de ensino e pesquisa". Quanto à "contribuição das disciplinas para formar competências": incremento de 30% para 56% dos professores que explicaram melhor como desenvolvê-las. Reduziram de 30% para 11% os professores que "implantam metodologias ativas de ensinoaprendizagem". Finalmente, "integrar atividades de ensino e extensão" continuou como dificuldade: em 2009 e 2011 apenas um professor afirmou efetuá-la. O desafio para adotar metodologias ativas de ensino-aprendizagem e incrementar a extensão persiste. Acredita-se que o sucesso da reforma curricular está condicionado à participação de todos os atores envolvidos nesse processo, pois

In order to verify the toxicity of ethanol in malnourished rats, the following procedure was applied to two groups of rats (n = 12 each): group W: drinking water ad libitum and group E: drinking only an ethanol solution in a gradual dosage (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40% v/v). In the well-nourished phase, all rats received food ad libitum (AW and AE). Ethanol treatment (AE) was interrupted for two weeks. Rats from both AW and AE groups were submitted to food restriction (50% of AW consumption)--malnourished phase (M)--and liquid was offered as described before. Signs of ethanol intoxication were recorded daily. Ethanol withdrawal symptoms and the open-field test were performed 24 h after the well-nourished and malnourished phases. Rats were sacrificed for macroscopic evaluation of liver, spleen, thymus and biochemical analyses of the blood (hematocrit, hemoglobin, proteins and albumin). Malnourished rats showed more signs of ethanol intoxication and withdrawal. In the open-field test, malnourished rats ambulated more and made more rearing up. This effect of malnutrition was not observed during ethanol withdrawal. Consumption of ethanol decreased the levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit and total proteins. Data suggested that toxic profile of ethanol was dependent on nutritional status.

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