A retrospective cohort study of the effectiveness and adverse events of intralesional pentavalent antimonials in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Introduction: The standard therapy for American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is intravenous meglumine antimoniate (IV-MA). However, treatment interruptions due to adverse events (AEs) and non-adherence are frequent. Consequently, intralesional MA (IL-MA) was proposed.

A randomized, open-label clinical trial comparing the long-term effects of miltefosine and meglumine antimoniate for mucosal leishmaniasis.

Introduction: The treatment of mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) is difficult due to the toxicity and route of administration of standard drugs. Miltefosine is an oral agent used for leishmaniasis treatment; however, no data exist regarding its use for ML in Brazil. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of miltefosine for ML treatment compared to that of pentavalent antimonial in a pilot study.

Linguistic abilities in major vascular cognitive impairment: a comparative study with Alzheimer's disease.

We assessed the linguistic abilities of multi-infarct (cortical) dementia and subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (VaD) patients and compared the linguistic performance of VaD and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients. A total of 23 VaD patients, 20 mild AD patients, and 31 controls participated in the study. All were evaluated using the Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia (ABCD).

Which factors are associated with global cognitive impairment in Wilson's disease?

Background: Patients with Wilson's disease (WD) present cognitive impairment, especially in executive functions. Which other factors might be associated with global cognitive decline in these patients remains unclear.

Objective: To assess which factors are associated with worse performance on a global cognitive test in patients with WD.

Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment Without Dementia and Dementia in Tremembé, Brazil.

Background: The prevalence of cognitive impairment is insufficiently determined in developing countries. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of cognitive impairment without dementia and dementia in community-dwelling elderly in Brazil.

Methods: This was a single-phase cross-sectional survey of the elderly (aged 60 years and above) living in the municipality of Tremembé, Brazil.

Differences in prefrontal cortex activation and deactivation during strategic episodic verbal memory encoding in mild cognitive impairment.

In this study we examined differences in fMRI activation and deactivation patterns during episodic verbal memory encoding between individuals with MCI (n = 18) and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 17). Participants were scanned in two different sessions during the application of self-initiated or directed instructions to apply semantic strategies at encoding of word lists. MCI participants showed reduced free recall scores when using self-initiated encoding strategies that were increased to baseline controls' level after directed instructions were provided.

Performance of the Visual Analogue Scale of Happiness and of the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia in the Tremembé Epidemiological Study, Brazil.

Unlabelled: Depression is a major growing public health problem. Many population studies have found a significant relationship between depression and the presence of cognitive disorders.

Objective: To establish the correlation between the Visual Analogue Scale of Happiness and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia in the population aged 60 years or over in the city of Tremembé, state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Polymorphism of Interleukin-6 is not associated with the presence or absence of high HPV E6/E7.

Unlabelled: The present study evaluated the frequency of the polymorphism of Interleukin-6 (IL6) in women positive for E6/E7 Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (n=152) and women negative for HPV (n=238), 390 women in total. Material for analysis was obtained at the Federal University of São Paulo. Interleukin-6 polymorphism was detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and analyzed in 3% agarose gel.

Suggested instruments for General Practitioners in countries with low schooling to screen for cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Background: General Practitioners (GPs) from underdeveloped countries apply cognitive impairment (CI) assessment tools translated and adapted to cultural setting from other idioms, mainly English. As schooling in elderly from underdeveloped countries tends to be relatively heterogeneous, it is necessary to establish normative and cut-off scores for these CI instruments that are based on studies conducted locally. Some CI screening instruments frequently used by Brazilian specialists in dementia were analyzed to determine which could be most useful to GPs in their working sets.

Subjective memory complaints in the elderly: a sign of cognitive impairment?

Objectives: Cognitive impairment in the elderly is frequently overlooked by general practitioners. The use of subjective memory complaints as a sign of cognitive impairment by the general practice is controversial.

Methods: Elderly individuals (N = 248) were asked whether they had memory complaints and underwent a cognitive impairment screening.

Mattis dementia rating scale (DRS) normative data for the brazilian middle-age and elderly populations.

Objective: To expand norms for the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) for the Brazilian middle-age and elderly populations.

Methods: The DRS was administered to 502 individuals without cognitive deficits, 312 women and 190 men, aged 50 years or over and with educational level ranging from 0 to 13 years or more. The sample was composed of subjects who participated in other studies, from Caeté (Minas Gerais state), Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo state) and São Paulo (São Paulo state).

Prefrontal damage in childhood and changes in the development of personality: a case report.

Frontal lobe lesions are associated with behavioral abnormalities and executive dysfunction. When these lesions occur early in life, the symptoms are even more severe as the anatomical and functional substrates underlying personality and behavior are damaged, distorting normal modulation by interaction with the psychosocial environment. We present a case of a 40-year-old man who suffered a frontal lobe lesion at the age of nine years and developed impulsivity, disinhibition and inappropriate behaviors while showing some preservation of insight.

Primary progressive aphasia: classification of variants in 100 consecutive Brazilian cases.

Unlabelled: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative clinical syndrome characterized primarily by progressive language impairment. Recently, consensus diagnostic criteria were published for the diagnosis and classification of variants of PPA. The currently recognized variants are nonfluent/agrammatic (PPA-G), logopenic (PPA-L) and semantic (PPA-S).

Ecological evaluation of executive functions in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease.

Executive deficits characterize the initial phases of Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and are clinically correlated to neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional loss. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome test (BADS) for comparing the performance between patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI) and mild AD and for detecting early signs of alterations in executive functions. BADS was performed on 60 healthy controls, 20 patients with aMCI, and 40 mild probable AD patients (20 early-onset AD patients and 20 late-onset AD patients).

Thalamic alexia with agraphia.

Alexia with agraphia is defined as an acquired impairment affecting reading and writing ability. It can be associated with aphasia, but can also occur as an isolated entity. This impairment has classically been associated with a left angular gyrus lesion In the present study, we describe a case involving a patient who developed alexia with agraphia and other cognitive deficits after a thalamic hemorrhage.

Screening of cognitive impairment by general internists using two simple instruments.

Unlabelled: General internists (GIs) tend to overlook cognitive impairment in the elderly. Lack of time to diagnose and/or poor knowledge on how to use screening instruments may be the reasons for this shortcoming.

Objectives: To verify the efficacy of simple instruments in the screening of cognitive impairment in elders.

Detection of cognitive impairment in the elderly by general internists in Brazil.

Background: Cognitive impairment, from mild forms to dementia, is an important social and health concern, principally among older individuals. Elderly patients are usually followed by general internists, who may overlook this condition.

Objective: Our aim was to determine whether cognitive impairment diagnosed by specialists had been previously detected by general internists.

Cognitive, functional and behavioral assessment: Alzheimer's disease.

A review of the evidence on cognitive, functional and behavioral assessment for the diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is presented with revision and broadening of the recommendations on the use of tests and batteries in Brazil for the diagnosis of dementia due to AD. A systematic review of the literature (MEDLINE, LILACS and SCIELO database) was carried out by a panel of experts. Studies on the validation and/or adaptation of tests, scales and batteries for the Brazilian population were analyzed and classified according to level of evidence.

Infection of the lymphatic system by Aureobasidium pullulans in a patient with erythema nodosum leprosum.

Aureobasidium pullulans is a causal agent of phaeohyphomycosis, occasionally found in men and animals. As an agent of different opportunistic fungal processes, it may cause fungemia, systemic infections and abscesses in different viscera. This paper aims to report a case of a patient with infection of the lymphatic system by A.

Peripheral oxidative stress biomarkers in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Oxidative stress has been associated with normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, little is known about oxidative stress in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients who present a high risk for developing AD. The aim of this study was to investigate plasma production of the lipid peroxidation marker, malonaldehyde (MDA) and to determine, in erythrocytes, the enzymatic antioxidant activity of catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in 33 individuals with MCI, 29 with mild probable AD and 26 healthy aged subjects.

The influence of schooling on performance in the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS).

Unlabelled: Studies have shown the influence of schooling on performance in the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS), suggesting that a single cut-off score is not appropriate for all groups of elderly people.

Objectives: To verify the influence of schooling on the DRS in a Brazilian elderly population.

Methods: The DRS was applied to 118 cognitively healthy controls and to 97 patients with mild probable Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Seasonal variations in chemical composition and in vitro biological effects of fine PM from Milan.

Fine particulate matter (PM1 and PM2.5) was collected in Milan over the summer (August-September) and winter (January-March) seasons of 2007/2008. Particles were analyzed for their chemical composition (inorganic ions, elements and PAHs) and the effects produced on the human lung carcinoma epithelial cell line A549.

Dementia in Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome.

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a cause of movement disorders and cognitive decline which has probably been underdiagnosed, especially if its prevalence proves similar to those of progressive supranuclear palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We report a case of a 74-year-old man who presented with action tremor, gait ataxia and forgetfulness. There was a family history of tremor and dementia, and one of the patient's grandsons was mentally deficient.