Reflex Research Articles

Suvorexant enhances the loss of righting reflex induced by medetomidine-midazolam-butorphanol anesthesia in mice.

Suvorexant enhances the loss of righting reflex induced by medetomidine-midazolam-butorphanol anesthesia in mice.

Mental atony in children

The paper considers the phenomenon of «mental atony» in children with developmental delay, intellectual disability and autism. The condition of mental atony is a congenital or early acquired even decrease in mental tone, manifested by the reduced ability to concentrate attention, a decline of the targeted activity, difficulties in contacting, weakening of unconditioned reflexes, lack of instinctive manifestations, «mobilization» of mental functions by persistent verbal and tactile stimulation. The article provides the history of the «mental atony» theory, as well as clinical features, epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis and nosological specificity of the condition. Moreover, the criteria for the differential diagnosis between the atonic form of intellectual disability and autism are discussed in detail. Based on the analysis of literature and the results of own clinical observations, the authors conclude that a thorough differential analysis between childhood autism and atonic form of intellectual disability in children is necessary, otherwise, there is a risk of overdiagnosis of autistic disorders. The authors also point to the role of the brain lesion, particularly in the area of reticular formation, in the occurrence of phenomena of mental atony.

안뜰눈반사를 통한 노인 균형 연구

안뜰눈반사를 통한 노인 균형 연구

Balto-Slavic acute

There is no evidence for an acute as the phonetic reflex of a lengthened grade vowel in Balto-Slavic.

Designing social action: The impact of reflexivity on practice

AbstractThe main goal of this article is to analyse the relationship between reflexivity and action along three axes. The first entails the discussion of a reflexive action model that explores the combination of factors, processes and mechanisms which explain the guiding role reflexivity can play with regard to practices, in specific circumstances. The second axis concerns situations in which reflexivity does not act as an orientation mechanism and may even have the opposite effect, as a source of disorientation and paralysis of practices. The third relates to the production of social change and reproduction that may arise from the exercise of reflexivity. The whole discussion points to the mediation role that reflexivity assumes in the relationship between structure and agency, i.e. in the way structural enablements and constraints are received, filtered and mobilised by subjects in the subjective definition and reflexive implementation of their personal projects.

Anti-inflammatory reflex action of splanchnic sympathetic nerves is distributed across abdominal organs.

The splanchnic anti-inflammatory pathway has been proposed as the efferent arm of the inflammatory reflex. Although much evidence points to the spleen as the principal target organ where sympathetic nerves inhibit immune function, a systematic study to locate the target organ(s) of the splanchnic anti-inflammatory pathway has not yet been made. In anesthetized rats made endotoxemic with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 60 µg/kg iv), plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in animals with cut (SplancX) or sham-cut (Sham) splanchnic nerves. We confirm here that disengagement of the splanchnic anti-inflammatory pathway in SplancX rats (17.01 ± 0.95 ng/ml, mean ± SE) strongly enhances LPS-induced plasma TNF-α levels compared with Sham rats (3.76 ± 0.95 ng/ml). In paired experiments, the responses of SplancX and Sham animals were compared after the single or combined removal of organs innervated by the splanchnic nerves. Removal of target organ(s) where the splanchnic nerves inhibit systemic inflammation should abolish any difference in LPS-induced plasma TNF-α levels between Sham and SplancX rats. Any secondary effects of extirpating organs should apply to both groups. Surprisingly, removal of the spleen and/or the adrenal glands did not prevent the reflex splanchnic anti-inflammatory action nor did the following removals: spleen + adrenals + intestine; spleen + intestine + stomach and pancreas; or spleen + intestine + stomach and pancreas + liver. Only when spleen, adrenals, intestine, stomach, pancreas, and liver were all removed did the difference between SplancX and Sham animals disappear. We conclude that the reflex anti-inflammatory action of the splanchnic nerves is distributed widely across abdominal organs.

Effects of diet with different vitamin D concentration on visceral sensitivity in rats with irritable bowel syndrome

Objective To explore the mechanism of vitamin D in the genesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods A total of 50 newborn Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three model groups and two control groups (saline control group and normal control group). The model was induced by dilute acetic acid enema. After rats were weaned, the rats of three IBS model groups were fed with normal diet, vitamin D deficient diet and vitamin D sufficient diet, respectively. The visceral sensitivity of the rats was assessed by the colorectal distention experiment. The intestinal tissues of rats was taken for histological score, and the intestinal mast cell (MC) was also counted. The mRNA level of vitamin D receptor (VDR) in colon tissues of rats was determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). T test or rank sum test was performed for statistical analysis. Results When the water volume of balloon was 0.5 mL and 1.0 mL, the abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores of male rats of the vitamin D deficient model group were 2.67±0.33 and 3.60±0.28, which were higher than those of normal vitamin D model group (1.93±0.15 and 3.20±0.18), and the differences were statistically significant (t=4.491 and 2.683, both P 0.05). The number of MC in the mucosal tissue of the sigmoid colon of female rats in IBS model group was 41.00±19.80, which was higher than that in normal control group (12.40±5.35), and the difference was statistically significant (t=3.118, P=0.030). The number of MC in the mucosal tissue of ileum of the female rats in vitamin D deficiency model group was 16.00±3.71, which was higher than that in normal vitamin D model group (7.30±2.66), and the difference was statistically significant (t=4.263, P=0.003). The VDR mRNA level in the colon tissues of male model rats of normal vitamin D model group was 1.48±0.33, which was higher than that of saline control group and normal control group (0.97±0.21 and 1.00±0.21; t=2.590 and 2.482, both P<0.05). The VDR mRNA levels in colon tissues of female rats of vitamin D deficient model group was 1.90±0.66, which was higher than that of normal control group (1.00±0.14), and the difference was statistically significant (t=2.649, P=0.038). Conclusions Vitamin D may affect visceral hypersensitivity in IBS, and MC may involve in vitamin D induced visceral hypersensitivity. Key words: Irritable bowel syndrome; Vitamin D; Models, animal; Mast cells; Visceral sensitivity

Method for determining the functional state of peripheral nerves after their restoration in an experiment

A simple method for assessing the functional state of peripheral nerves after performing experimental reconstructive-plastic interventions on laboratory animals has been developed. It is proposed to evaluate the functional state of the common peroneal nerve reconstructed in an experiment by comparing the amplitude of the animal’s toes spreading in the study of the unconditional statokinetic landing reflex. A reflex response to the preparation for landing from the pelvic limbs is manifested by flexion in hip joints, extension in knee joints, plantar flexion in hocks, and spreading of toes.Spreading of toes in rabbits is caused by the contraction of the external extensor of the toes innervated by the deep branch of the common peroneal nerve.If the conductivity of the common peroneal nerve is impaired, spreading of the toes on the side of the trauma fails to manifest.The advantages of the proposed test are: high speed set up and ease of implementation, as well as clear demonstration when comparing the operated and the intact limbs of the laboratory animal.

Influence of drivers’ psychological risk profiles on the effectiveness of traffic calming measures

Road traffic injuries represent a serious public health problem and are one of leading cause of death, injury and disability around the world. Road accidents are often caused by an accumulation of factors; however, drivers appear to be by far the most decisive one. The driver’s behaviour is complex and depends on reflex (or involuntary) and voluntary driving actions. The first class of actions (reflex actions) are typical human reactions that remain inaccessible to awareness and refer to the direct interaction between the road user and the characteristics of the road and its surrounding environment. Conversely, voluntary actions are conscious behaviours adopted on the basis of planned decisions. Both types of driving actions act simultaneously and the interaction between them and their relative effects on road safety are an aspect not yet well examined. The main objective of this study was to provide, by means of a driving simulation experiment, an insight on this interaction by evaluating the influence of some psychological characteristics on the effectiveness of different types of traffic calming measures at pedestrian crossings, designed according to the Human Factors principles. Fifty-eight participants drove a virtual urban route while data on their performance, as they approached five configurations of pedestrian crossings equipped with different physical and perceptual treatments, were collected. The participants were preliminarily characterized by means of two psychological questionnaires, which allowed the identification of three distinct groups of drivers belonging to three risk profiles (careful, worried, and at risk). The three groups of drivers reacted differently to the proposed engineering treatments, confirming the clustering identified by the preliminary analysis. The results showed that the proposed traffic calming measures are effective on all psychological sub-groups of drivers, with different effectiveness. These first results support that, in the considered driving environment (pedestrian crossings), the Human Factors approach, with which traffic calming measures can be arranged, could be effective, even if different psychological sub-groups are differently affected.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AS REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONERS AND ACTION RESEARCHERS IN THEIR WORK

Physical education classes are peculiar in their character in comparison to classes of other school subjects since they are not taught in a classroom. However, it certainly does not mean that physical education teachers should not reflect on their practical work or analyse it. This process of reflective thinking represents a particular challenge and responsibility for physical education teachers. Therefore, the goal of this research is to determine the way in which they approach this issue, i.e. whether physical education teachers are reflective practitioners and action researchers. The paper used a descriptive method and scaling technique, as well as a Likert type scale (FVAI) scales, designed for the purpose of this research, which examined the teachers' attitudes about physical education in the context of reflexive practice and action research. The survey was conducted on a sample of 405 respondents in relation to independent variables of the type of school (primary and secondary) and years of service (0-10; 11-20; over 20 years of work experience). This research has shown that teachers are partially informed about action research and its application, whereas they highly value all the aspects of reflective teaching. This research contributes to the affirmation of action research since reflection and action are linked in physical education teaching by means of a continuous, unbroken line which further encourages teachers to reflect on their own practice. Teachers who are reflective practitioners are simultaneously action researchers. This research has proven the existence of a statistically significant connection between the reflectivity components of physical education teachers and the stage of education (school) in which they teach and years of teaching experience, p&lt;0.05.

Unexplained Variation in Movement by Walleye and Sauger after Catch‐and‐Release Angling Tournaments

AbstractWalleye Sander vitreus is a popular species for catch‐and‐release angling tournaments in North America, but we currently know little about the postrelease behavior of this species and the congeneric Sauger S. canadensis. We used radiotelemetry and acoustic telemetry to track Walleyes (n = 101) and Saugers (n = 19) for 7 d after release at tournaments in Saskatchewan. Our objectives were to provide a description of postrelease movements, and examine the influence of handling variables and stress scores on movement. Walleyes made highly variable movements over 7 d, and total dispersal ranged from less than 100 m to over 28 km from the release point. Path lengths—the cumulative distance between start and end points—were considerably longer than straight‐line dispersal. Walleyes made larger movements than Saugers, with average total dispersal values of 6.1 ± 6.9 km (mean ± SD) and 1.3 ± 1.8 km, respectively. Multivariate modeling revealed that species and tournament were the only important factors affecting movement. Fish size (TL), capture depth, distance transported, and time spent in a live well were not consistently important predictors of postrelease movement. Walleyes and Saugers moved much smaller distances when they had poor outcomes for the reflex action mortality predictor (RAMP) test, but RAMP scores in general did not explain a significant proportion of the variance in any fish movement metric. Swim scores at the time of release, an alternative metric of stress, also did not explain a significant proportion of variance in fish movement. Our results show intriguing variance in the behavioral response of individual Walleyes and Saugers to catch and release at tournaments, but do not identify causal factors.

Experimentalist systems in manufacturing multinationals

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply experimentalist framework to understand self-optimizing efforts within German manufacturing multinationals. Benefits and characteristic obstacles to diffusion are discussed. Mechanisms for combatting obstacles are outlined.Design/methodology/approachQualitative case studies, interview-based research, processual and reflexive action theory are applied to the governance of manufacturing-based multinational enterprises.FindingsUncertainty is an ineradicable element in multinational companies (MNC) FDI operations. Self-optimizing systems, many with an experimentalist character, are a pervasive form of response to this uncertainty. Obstacles to the diffusion and effective operation of self-optimization are chronic and, indeed, endogenously generated. But as a result, so are superordinate efforts to undercut the continuous emergence of obstacles. MNC development is, thus, characterized by continuous self-recomposition.Research limitations/implicationsImplication is that managers and management theorists should focus as much on the management of dynamic process and learning that results in the recomposition of institutional rules as they do on the constraining and enabling effects of those rules.Practical implicationsSuperordinate mechanisms for the disruption of incipient insulation and exclusion are crucial for the implementation of successful experimentalist (learning) systems.Social implicationsTransparency, stakeholder involvement in MNC governance processes has positive implications for learning, innovation and competitiveness.Originality/valueThis paper presents the application of experimentalist learning theory to MNC global governance.

Clinical study of transurethral resection of bladder tumor by 2 μm laser under urethral surface anesthesia

Objective To investigate the safety and effectiveness of 2 μm laser resection of transurethral bladder tumor under urethral surface anesthesia. Methods Clinical data of 13 elderly patients with high-risk bladder tumor who underwent 2 μm laser resection of bladder tumor under urethral surface anesthesia in our hospital from January 2015 to January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Thirteen cases of bladder tumor were successfully operated, and the average operation time was 30 min, none appeared obturator nerve reflex, uncontrollable bleeding and bladder perforation. There was no need for continuous bladder flushing, the average indwelling catheter 1 d, no secondary hematuria or massive bleeding occurred after the operation. The specimen of bladder tumor sent to pathological sections of the pathological section can correctly determine the depth and staging of the tumor invasion. Conclusions Urethral surface anesthesia in transurethral resection of bladder tumor 2 μm laser surgery is safe and effective and time-saving, the advantages of small trauma, fewer complications, faster postoperative recovery, does not affect postoperative pathological examination, more important is this operation can solve the intolerable requirements of superficial bladder tumor patients of other anesthesia operation, worthy of promotion. Key words: Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Anesthesia, Local; Lasers; Cystectomy; Urethra

Flexor muscle disconnection combined with myocutaneous flap for pressure ulcer in patients of ankylosing posture

Objective To investigate the efficacy of flexor muscle disconnection combined with myocutaneous flap in the treatment of pressure ulcer in patients of ankylosing posture. Methods A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze 15 patients with pressure ulcer at different body parts due to ankylosing posture after paraplegia admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from January 2012 to July 2017. There were 10 males and five females, aged 40-78 years, with an average age of 68 years. The pressure ulcer ranged from 3 cm×3 cm to 15 cm×11 cm. The pressure ulcers were distributed at sacrococcygeal region in eight patients, macro-rotator in four, and ischial nodules in three. According to the size and position of pressure ulcer, different musculocutaneous flaps were selected, and high selective decompression of hip flexion and knee flexion was performed to ensure the tension free suture of the wound. After the operation, the negative pressure closed drainage (VSD) was given to maintain a proper posture for wound healing. The stitches were removed after the wound healed. The wound healing, pressure ulcer recurrence, flap texture, flap color, and donor site were observed, and patient satisfaction were also surveyed. Results All patients were followed up for 12-36 months, average 24 months. The pressure ulcer was healed in 12 patients after the first repair operation. In two nonunion cases, the unrelieved knee flexion and knee muscles led to high muscular tension and stiff joint, causing strong resistance during limb movement and strong flexor reflex. Two patients were healed after twice operation. In one patient, the incision was torn by the excessive flexion tension due to improper body position caused by the passive movement of the limb after operation, and the wound was healed after twice operation. All muscle flaps covered the wound and survived well, and the wounds were completely closed and healed with good shape, texture as well as elastic recovery. After the suture was removed 18 days after surgery, the patients were discharged satisfactorily. The patients received conventional pressure ulcer care, and no new pressure ulcer was reported during the follow-up. The flap donor site was healed well after autologous skin repair. Conclusion For pressure ulcer in patients of ankylosing posture, flexor muscle disconnection combined with myocutaneous flap has notable effects in reducing tension and can accelerate wound healing and improve healing rate. Key words: Pressure ulcer; Surgical flaps; Reconstructive surgical procedures; Closed negative pressure drainage

Comparative assessment of two proxies of fish discard survival

Two vitality index approaches have been demonstrated to be good proxies of discard survival in similar fishing and environmental conditions: Reflex Action Mortality Predictors combined with injuries (RI) scores that measure the proportion of impaired reflexes and injuries, and a simpler, quicker, but less precise approach based on ordinal categories related to fish body movements and injuries (semi-quantitative assessment, SQA). This study assessed and compared these two approaches for five species (two flatfishes, skates, a seabass and a catshark) discarded in a coastal otter trawl fishery in the Bay of Biscay. All species displayed good vitality status according to both indices and were not very sensitive to the fishing nor their biological conditions. Still, flatfishes were more sensitive to discarding while the catshark was very resistant. Furthermore, depending on species, the impairment of some reflexes and injuries were associated to stressing factors, highlighting the potential of the approach but also the complexity involved in building a relevant score. The SQA index was highly correlated with the RI score and was sensitive to more sources of stressing factors for similar predictive performance. While the relevance of these two approaches should be ultimately determined by the strength and consistency of their association with discard survival, these results suggest that the RI approach was not more effective than SQA despite the extra labour and time involved in collecting the data.

History and Singularity of Krav-Maga

Krav-Maga (‘contact combat’) is an Israeli combat discipline practiced by thousands of individuals worldwide. During the past few decades, it has attracted a considerable amount of attention mainly as a self-defence system, although its origins are also rooted in sport. Despite the widespread popularity of Krav-Maga, its origins, history, and evolution have not been seriously examined in the academic literature, nor has its key role in promoting the use of reflex reactions in combat. This paper addresses these gaps in the literature while emphasizing the distinctive characteristics of Israeli combat disciplines. It also challenges popular misconceptions about the historical roots of Krav-Maga. Our research leads to three key conclusions: First, Israeli combat disciplines played a pioneering role in the use of situational awareness and reflex responses to an attack – in preference to a reliance on forms training. Second, contrary to commonly held beliefs, Krav-Maga is a direct development of Jewish hand-to-hand combat disciplines that can be traced back to 1891. Third, the development of Krav-Maga may be viewed as a reflection of historical and political events affecting the Jewish people from the late nineteenth century.

Visual Eye movement-vestibular ocular balance assessment in the diagnosis of central and peripheral vertigo

Objective To explore the role of visual oculomotor-vestibular eye balance function in the diagnosis of central and peripheral vertigo. Methods From January 2015 to June 2016, one hundred and sixty-two patients with central vertigo who were treated at Kailuan General Hospital were enrolled in the study, including 124 males and 38 females, aged (64.09±10.98) years old; there were 166 cases of peripheral vertigo, 75 males and 91 females, aged (52.13±12.20) years old.Spontaneous nystagmus test, gaze test, position test, saccade test, smooth visual tracking test, visual single-speed test, visual sinus test, swivel chair rotation-emergency stop test using infrared video nystagmus and static balance posture instrument, open-closed eye hard plate erect test, open-closed eye sponge soft bottom erect test balance function electrophysiological test were conducted. Results The detection rate of pathological spontaneous nystagmus and pathological gaze nystagmus was higher in the central vertigo group than that in the peripheral vertigo group (χ2=5.674, 16.458, P<0.05). The occurrence rate of positional nystagmus was higher in peripheral vertigo group than that in central vertigo group (χ2=48.896, P<0.001). The abnormal rate of scanning test, stable visual tracking test, visual movement single speed and sinusoidal test, and static balance posture test were higher in the central vertigo group than those in the peripheral vertigo group (χ2=137.169, 166.972, 150.877, 150.877, 27.273, P<0.001), while the abnormal rate of rotating chair sudden stop test was higher in the central vertigo group than that in the peripheral vertigo group (χ2=51.000, P<0.001). The abnormal results were mainly scanned underflush and slow scan in central vertigo group (χ2=103.846, 4.296, P<0.05), stable visual tracking curve (χ2=147.389, 4.296, P<0.05) in type III-IV, and the gain of nystagmus decreased unilaterally and bilaterally (χ2=47.531, 44.477, 52.529, 53.255, P<0.001). Anomalies of proprioception in reverse and vertical nystagmus and static balance posture were induced by rotating chair sudden stop test (χ2=11.847, 23.778, P<0.001), while peripheral vertigo group showed unilateral decrease of nystagmus gain induced by rotating chair sudden stop test.(χ2=79.771, P<0.001). Conclusion The patients with peripheral vertigo have obvious body position spontaneous vestibular response and vestibular oculomotor system dysfunction, while the patients with central vertigo mainly have visual and oculomotor system dysfunction, and may be accompanied by vestibular oculomotor system and vestibular spinal reflex dysfunction. Key words: Vertigo; Videonystagmography; Static equilibrium posture

Pleiotropic effects and pharmacological properties of penehyclidine hydrochloride.

BackgroundPenehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC) is an anticholinergic drug manufactured in China. It is used widely in clinics as a reversal agent in cases of organic phosphorus poisoning and as a preanesthetic medication. Compared with other anticholinergic agents, PHC confers substantial advantages. Here, in this review, we focus on its important clinical effects for organic phosphorus poisoning, preanesthetic medication, and the protective effects on certain visceral organs.Materials and methodsOur bibliographic sources include the PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, updated in March 2018. To assess the data in detail, we used the search terms “penehyclidine hydrochloride,” “preanesthetic medication,” and “organic phosphorus.” Papers were restricted to those published in the English and Chinese languages, and to “paper” and “review” as the document type.ResultsPHC can effectively antagonize the symptoms of central and peripheral poisoning caused by organophosphorus poisoning. As a preanesthetic medication, it can not only effectively reduce mucus secretion and vascular infiltration but can also relax airway smooth muscles, dilate bronchioles in pulmonary conditions such as bronchiectasis, and increase pulmonary dynamic compliance. It can also prevent reflexive actions of the vagus nerve caused by excessive acetylcholine release such as abnormal airway contraction. Furthermore, it can strengthen sedation, bidirectionally regulate heart rate, and effectively inhibit respiratory secretions. In recent studies, PHC was shown to also have protective effects on various organs, such as the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, intestines, and liver.ConclusionPHC has beneficial pharmacological properties used in the treatment of organophosphorus poisoning and as a preanesthetic medication for its few side effects. It also has protective effects on multiple organs, suggesting that PHC has extensive clinical application value which is worth further research. This review should be of help to those intending to research these topics further.

Prediction of delayed mortality using vitality scores and reflexes, as well as catch, processing, and post-release conditions: evidence from discarded flatfish in the Western Baltic trawl fishery

Abstract The EU discard ban and its high-survival exemption exposed our lack of scientific evidence on discard survival in the fisheries. Discard survival is known to be highly variable and influenced by numerous factors, including conditions during the catch, on-board the fishing vessels, and post-discard. Therefore, obtaining unambiguous results in discard survival experiments is challenging. We conducted the first systematic year-round discard survival study of flatfish in the Western Baltic Sea on-board a commercial stern trawler under realistic fishing conditions (13 monthly hauls from May 2015 to May 2016) to test whether delayed mortality can be predicted by vitality scores and reflex action mortality predictor (RAMP) scores in combination with variable conditions during catch, processing, and post-release. The factors vessel type, gear, haul duration, fishing ground, depth, handling time, and processing procedures were kept constant as much as possible. On-board, live individual flatfish were tested for vitality and the presence of reflexes for RAMP, then “discarded” and kept in cages on the bottom of the seafloor for about a week after which the delayed mortality was determined. The proportions of “discarded” plaice, flounder, and dab that were dead after being kept in the cages ranged from 5% to 100%, 0% to 96%, and 33% to 100%, respectively. Higher mortalities occurred in summer-autumn when air and water temperatures were higher, catches smaller, and catches contained smaller proportions of roundfish. Relationships between RAMP scores and mortality probabilities varied substantially across the monthly trials. Indeed, in addition to RAMP or vitality scores and individual reflexes, the factors air and water temperature and catch weight and catch composition were significant in logistic GLMs explaining delayed mortality. Cross-validations indicated that delayed mortality could be predicted by these models with a reasonable accuracy. Nevertheless, the presence of possible confounding effects calls for caution in inferring causality and extrapolating the conclusions on predictability.

Educação: um processo de humanização

O presente trabalho, toma-se como objeto de estudo a contribuição do Orientador Educacional nas relações interpessoais entre o corpo docente, discente e famílias. Com objetivo de analisar a importância da presença do Orientador Educacional nas escolas do grupo SEB - sistema Educacional Brasileiro na Bahia, cujo projeto foi submetido e aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da UFBA (Universidade Federal da Bahia). Realizou-se a pesquisa em quatro escolas da Bahia, três no município de Salvador e uma no município de Lauro de Freitas. Optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa exploratória. Assim, foi realizada entrevista semiestruturada como dispositivos de investigação. A partir da questão básica acerca do que pensa o corpo docente, discente e família a respeito do trabalho do Orientador Educacional? Para tanto, buscou-se como marco teórico as contribuições de Grinspun (1994/2010); CONCEIÇÃO, (2010); Giacáglia e Penteado (2010); Morin (2010), com informações atuais e de extrema relevância à temática estudada, proporcionando o enriquecimento da pesquisa com fundamentação científica. Os resultados apontaram que o trabalho da Orientação Educacional no contexto das distintas unidades da escola particular investigada, caracterizou-se por uma dimensão pedagógica muito mais abrangente, tendo suas funções demarcadas e valorizadas. Este profissional possui um caráter mediador junto aos demais educadores, atuando em conjunto com todos os atores da escola para facilitar as relações interpessoais, no resgate de uma ação mais efetiva e reflexiva, visando qualificar a educação nas unidades escolares, tornando-as indivíduos conscientes, reflexivos e respeitosos com as diferenças e coletividade.