Reduction of Chronic Fatigue Through Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Low-Intensity Aerobic Exercise: A Case Study of Two Patients With Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a systemic vasculitis that can lead to persistent pain and fatigue, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. This study assessed the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with aerobic exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention for managing fatigue in GPA patients. Two patients were randomly assigned to receive either active tDCS or simulated tDCS stimulation (sham) during low-intensity aerobic exercise.

Efficient method for simulating ionic fluids between polarizable metal electrodes.

We introduce an efficient method for simulating Coulomb systems confined by conducting planar surfaces. The new approach is suitable for both coarse-grained models and all-atom simulations of ionic liquids between polarizable metal electrodes. To demonstrate its efficiency, we use the new method to study the differential capacitance of an ionic liquid.

Propensity of hydroxide and hydronium ions for the air-water and graphene-water interfaces from ab initio and force field simulations.

Understanding acids and bases at interfaces is relevant for a range of applications from environmental chemistry to energy storage. We present combined ab initio and force-field molecular dynamics simulations of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide highly concentrated electrolytes at the interface with air and graphene. In agreement with surface tension measurements at the air-water interface, we find that HCl presents an ionic surface excess, while NaOH displays an ionic surface depletion, for both interfaces.

Septin 9 expression regulates 'don't eat me' signals and identifies an immune-epithelial class of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a highly heterogeneous and aggressive liver cancer with limited therapeutic options. Precise classification and immunotherapy are perspectives to improve the treatments. We reported the role of septin 9 in apico-basal polarity and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Tumor suppressive role of the antimicrobial lectin REG3A targeting the O -GlcNAc glycosylation pathway.

Background And Aims: Antimicrobial proteins of the regenerating family member 3 alpha (REG3A) family provide a first line of protection against infections and transformed cells. Their expression is inducible by inflammation, which makes their role in cancer biology less clear since an immune-inflammatory context may preexist or coexist with cancer, as occurs in HCC. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of REG3A in liver carcinogenesis and to determine whether its carbohydrate-binding functions are involved.

Spirituality, Religiosity, and Mental Health in Patients with Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Brazilian Multicentric Case-Control Study.

No published studies have investigated the correlation between religiosity, spirituality, mental health, and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) or systemic autoimmune myopathy. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between religiosity/spirituality, sociodemographic factors, and the mental health of IIM patients. This is a multicenter case-control study that included 151 patients with IIMs and 95 individuals without autoimmune diseases (controls), held between August 2022 and April 2023.

Association Between Wearable Device Use and Quality of Life in Patients With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies and Primary Systemic Vasculitis.

Background Despite the increasing use of wearable devices worldwide, concise data on these instruments in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, including idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and primary systemic vasculitis (PSV), are lacking. Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge and use of wearable devices and to assess their impact on the general quality of life of patients with IIM and PSV. Moreover, we compared these characteristics between patients with IIM and PSV users and non-users of wearable devices.

Colony identity clues for Syntermes grandis (Blattodea: Termitidae) individuals using near-infrared spectroscopy and PLS-DA approach.

Termites are social insects with high species diversity in tropical ecosystems. Multivariate analysis with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and data interpretation can separate social insects belonging to different colonies of the same species. The objective of this study was to propose the use of discriminant analysis by partial least squares (PLS-DA) combined with NIRS to identify the colonial origin of the Syntermes grandis (Rambur, 1842) (Blattodea: Termitidae) in 2 castes.

Neuromodulation with aerobic exercise reduces fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus: a randomised, sham-controlled, double-blind study.

Objectives: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with aerobic exercise (tDCS-AE) effectively reduces fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia. However, no study has assessed this method in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with significant fatigue. Therefore, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of tDCS-AE for significant fatigue symptoms in adult female SLE patients.

Electric fields near undulating dielectric membranes.

Dielectric interfaces are crucial to the behavior of charged membranes, from graphene to synthetic and biological lipid bilayers. Understanding electrolyte behavior near these interfaces remains a challenge, especially in the case of rough dielectric surfaces. A lack of analytical solutions consigns this problem to numerical treatments.

Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Pain, Fatigue, and Health Quality of Life of Patients with Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Crossover Clinical Trial.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for pain, fatigue, physical function, and health-related quality of life in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM).

Methods: This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover clinical trial enrolled IIM patients with fatigue and pain who received tDCS (20 min, 2 mA) or sham stimulation for 10 daily sessions. Electrodes were placed according to the 10/20 EEG system.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Is Safe and Reduces Chronic Fatigue in Patients With Stable Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case series to assess a combined technique of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS - a non-pharmacological and non-invasive brain stimulation) and aerobic exercise in one patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and another with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and significant chronic fatigue. We conducted five sessions of tDCS combined with low-intensity treadmill exercise. Fatigue levels were assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale and the Visual Analog Scale for fatigue before (pre), immediately after five tDCS sessions (post-zero), and after six months (post-6-mo).

In-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer as a promising tool for optical nose and odor prediction during the fermentation process.

In this paper, we present an in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) applied to coffee bean fermentation monitoring. Two MZIs, based on a combination of a fiber taper cascaded by a micro-tapered long-period fiber grating, were installed in a fermentation barrel to monitor the liquids and gases released during the fermentation process. During this process, a variety of odors arise due to the yeast activity and their classification is important to decide when to stop the fermentation process.

Spiers Memorial Lecture: Towards understanding of iontronic systems: electroosmotic flow of monovalent and divalent electrolyte through charged cylindrical nanopores.

In many practical applications, ions are the primary charge carrier and must move through either semipermeable membranes or through pores, which mimic ion channels in biological systems. In analogy to electronic devices, the "iontronic" ones use electric fields to induce the charge motion. However, unlike the electrons that move through a conductor, motion of ions is usually associated with simultaneous solvent flow.

Geochemical soil dynamics on a bimodal post-collisional intrusive complex.

The importance of environmental quality for global social and ecological development, including soil degradation, cannot be overstated. Trace elements dispersed in the environment due to anthropogenic or geogenic activities can result in ecotoxicological impacts, negatively influencing environmental quality. The reference values for soil quality concerning trace elements are primarily based on geological, geomorphological, and pedological patterns.

Identification of external media using a long-period grating and optical time-domain reflectometry.

The application of signal processing and feature extraction to reflectometry traces aiming at sensor interrogation is not sufficiently explored. In this work, traces produced by an optical time-domain reflectometer in experiments using a long-period grating in different external media are analyzed using signal processing techniques inspired by audio processing. The objective is to demonstrate that, using this type of analysis, it is possible to correctly identify the external medium through the characteristics of the reflectometry trace.

Effects of electrostatic coupling and surface polarization on polyelectrolyte brush structure.

In this work, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to study a spherical polyelectrolyte brush. We explore the effects of surface polarization and electrostatic coupling on brush size and distribution of counterions. The method of image charges is considered to take into account surface polarization, considering a metallic, an unpolarizable, and a dielectric nano-core.

Immediate dentoskeletal and periodontal effects of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion: Comparison between young vs middle-aged adults.

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the dentoskeletal and periodontal changes after miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) in patients aged 18-29 and 30-45 years.

Methods: The sample comprised 28 subjects with transverse maxillary discrepancy successfully treated with MARPE. The young adult (YA) group comprised 14 subjects (mean age, 22.

Ecological, Genetic, and Phylogenetic Aspects of YFV 2017-2019 Spread in Rio de Janeiro State.

In Brazil, a yellow fever (YF) outbreak was reported in areas considered YF-free for decades. The low vaccination coverage and the increasing forest fragmentation, with the wide distribution of vector mosquitoes, have been related to yellow fever virus (YFV) transmission beyond endemic areas since 2016. Aiming to elucidate the molecular and phylogenetic aspects of YFV spread on a local scale, we generated 43 new YFV genomes sampled from humans, non-human primates (NHP), and primarily, mosquitoes from highly heterogenic areas in 15 localities from Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state during the YFV 2016-2019 outbreak in southeast Brazil.

Pain and discomfort perception during miniscrew-anchored maxillary protraction: secondary data analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: To compare the perception of pain and discomfort of patients and guardians during treatment between miniscrew-anchored maxillary protraction (MAMP) therapy using Hybrid (HH) and Conventional Hyrax (CH) expanders.

Materials And Methods: Group HH was composed of 18 subjects (8 female, 10 male; initial age: 10.80 years) with Class III malocclusion treated with a hybrid expander in the maxilla and two miniscrews in the anterior region of the mandible.

Midpalatal suture bone repair after miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion in adults.

Background: Midpalatal suture (MPS) repair in growing patients after RPE has been previously reported. However, differences between young and adult patients for timing and pattern of MPS repair after rapid maxillary expansion are expected. The aim of this study was to evaluate the midpalatal suture repair pattern after miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) in adult patients.