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The bradykinin-potentiating peptides from Bothrops jararaca venom are the most potent natural inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme. The biochemical and biological features of these peptides were crucial to demonstrate the pivotal role of the angiotensin-converting enzyme in blood pressure regulation. In the present study, seven bradykininpotentiating peptides were identified within the C-type natriuretic peptide precursor cloned from snake brain. The bradykinin-potentiating peptides deduced from the B. jararaca brain precursor are strong in vitro inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (nanomolar range), and also potentiate the bradykinin effects in ex vivo and in vivo experiments. Two of these peptides are novel bradykininpotentiating peptides, one of which displays high specificity toward the N-domain active site of the somatic angiotensin-converting enzyme. In situ hybridization studies revealed the presence of the bradykinin-potentiating peptides precursor mRNAs in distinct regions of the B. jararaca brain, such as the ventromedial hypothalamus, the paraventricular nuclei, the paraventricular organ, and the subcommissural organ. The biochemical and pharmacological properties of the brain bradykinin-potentiating peptides, their presence within the neuroendocrine regulator C-type natriuretic peptide precursor, and their expression in regions of the snake brain correlated to neuroendocrine functions, strongly suggest that these peptides belong to a novel class of endogenous vasoactive peptides.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a clinical condition described as retropatellar and/or peripatellar pain associated with activities involving the lower limbs, such as ascending or descending stairs, squatting, kneeling, or sitting for long periods.7 PFPS is known to be multifactorial, 10,13 and its point prevalence ranges from 15% to 18%. 3,12Assessment of individuals with PFPS is common in clinical practice and research. The numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) is one of the instruments currently used in Brazil for this purpose. 11Although the NPRS has already been translated and cross-culturally adapted for the Brazilian population, 5 its measurement properties have not been tested in patients with PFPS. The Global Perceived Effect scale (GPE) assesses global impression of recovery. It has also been translated and cross-culturally adapted for the Brazilian population 5 ; however, it was not tested in a sample of patients with PFPS. The Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS), 18 the Functional Index Questionnaire (FIQ), 4 and the Pain Severity Scale (PSS) for PFPS 20 are condition-specific instruments used to assess patients with PFPS (TABLE 1) that have not yet been translated, cross-culturally adapted, and tested for their measurement properties in a sample of Brazilian patients with PFPS.To our knowledge, there are no data in the literature regarding which of the T T STUDY DESIGN: Clinical measurement study. T T OBJECTIVES:To cross-culturally adapt the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS), the Functional Index Questionnaire (FIQ), and the Pain Severity Scale (PSS) for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) into Brazilian Portuguese. This study also aimed to test the measurement properties of the AKPS, the FIQ, and the PSS, and the existing Brazilian Portuguese versions of the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) and the Global Perceived Effect scale in a group with PFPS. T T BACKGROUND: PFPS is a common condition.Therefore, translated, culturally adapted, and clinimetrically tested instruments for measuring PFPS are needed. T T METHODS:The AKPS, FIQ, and PSS instruments were cross-culturally adapted into Brazilian Portuguese. The measurement properties of the AKPS, FIQ, PSS, NPRS, and Global Perceived Effect scale (internal consistency, ceiling and floor effects, and construct validity) were tested in 83 patients with PFPS. The reproducibility and responsiveness were tested in 52 patients with PFPS in a test-retest design, with follow-up testing at 48 to 72 hours and at 4 weeks after baseline. T T RESULTS:The AKPS, the FIQ, and the PSS yielded adequate internal consistency (Cronbach alpha ranging from .75 to .87) and excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients [model 2,1] ranging from 0.90 to 0.97). The AKPS and the PSS yielded very good agreement (standard error of measurement, 2.9% and 3.5%, respectively). The highest correlations were observed among the AKPS, the FIQ, and the PSS (Pearson r>0.60, P<.05). No floor or ceiling effects were observed for any of the instruments. Effect sizes used for measuring...

The plastic brain responses generated by the training with acrobatic exercise (AE) and with treadmill exercise (TE) may be different. We evaluated the protein expression of synapsin I (SYS), synaptophysin (SYP), microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and neurofilaments (NF) by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting in the motor cortex, striatum and cerebellum of rats subjected to TE and AE. Young adult male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: sedentary (Sed) (n=15), TE (n=20) and AE (n=20). The rats were trained 3 days/week for 4 weeks on a treadmill at 0.6 km/h, 40 min/day (TE), or moved through a circuit of obstacles 5 times/day (AE). The rats from the TE group exhibited a significant increase of SYS and SYP in the motor cortex, of NF68, SYS and SYP in the striatum, and of MAP2, NF and SYS in the cerebellum, whereas NF was decreased in the motor cortex and the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex. On the other hand, the rats from the AE group showed a significant increase of MAP2 and SYP in the motor cortex, of all four proteins in the striatum, and of SYS in the cerebellum. In conclusion, AE induced changes in the expression of synaptic and structural proteins mainly in the motor cortex and striatum, which may underlie part of the learning of complex motor tasks. TE, on the other hand, promoted more robust changes of structural proteins in all three regions, especially in the cerebellum, which is involved in learned and automatic tasks.

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