[International Consensus on Antinuclear Antibody Patterns in Portugal].

Introduction: Screening for autoantibodies in HEp-2 cells by indirect immunofluorescence is currently accepted as the gold-standard test for the diagnosis of systemic autoimmune diseases. The main objective of the International Consensus on ANA Patterns is to achieve a consensus on the nomenclature and description of antinuclear antibody morphological patterns. This work aims to build on the International Consensus on ANA Patterns project to establish a nomenclature consensus in Portugal, thus contributing to harmonization in autoimmune diagnosis and promoting diagnostic quality in autoimmune systemic rheumatic diseases.

Increased ATP release and CD73-mediated adenosine A receptor activation mediate convulsion-associated neuronal damage and hippocampal dysfunction.

Extracellular ATP is a danger signal to the brain and contributes to neurodegeneration in animal models of Alzheimer's disease through its extracellular catabolism by CD73 to generate adenosine, bolstering the activation of adenosine A receptors (AR). Convulsive activity leads to increased ATP release, with the resulting morphological alterations being eliminated by AR blockade. However, it is not known if upon convulsions there is a CD73-mediated coupling between ATP release and AR overactivation, causing neurodegeneration.

Deletion of CD73 increases exercise power in mice.

Ecto-5'-nucleotidase or CD73 is the main source of extracellular adenosine involved in the activation of adenosine A receptors, responsible for the ergogenic effects of caffeine. We now investigated the role of CD73 in exercise by comparing female wild-type (WT) and CD73 knockout (KO) mice in a treadmill-graded test to evaluate running power, oxygen uptake (V̇O), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) - the gold standards characterizing physical performance. Spontaneous locomotion in the open field and submaximal running power and V̇O in the treadmill were similar between CD73-KO and WT mice; V̇Omax also demonstrated equivalent aerobic power, but CD73-KO mice displayed a 43.

l-α-aminoadipate causes astrocyte pathology with negative impact on mouse hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory.

Increasing evidence shows that astrocytes, by releasing and uptaking neuroactive molecules, regulate synaptic plasticity, considered the neurophysiological basis of memory. This study investigated the impact of l-α-aminoadipate (l-AA) on astrocytes which sense and respond to stimuli at the synaptic level and modulate hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory. l-AA selectivity toward astrocytes was proposed in the early 70's and further tested in different systems.

Hemorrhagic cholecystitis after coronary angiography.

Hemorrhagic cholecystitis is a rare condition with several possible causes. Despite being a difficult diagnosis, it is an important one considering the fatal possibility for the patient. The following is the case of a 68-year-old patient with dual antiplatelet therapy, who underwent coronary angiography and angioplasty in a hypocoagulate setting, developing a hemorrhagic cholecystitis.

Adenosine A2A Receptors Contribute to the Radial Migration of Cortical Projection Neurons through the Regulation of Neuronal Polarization and Axon Formation.

Cortical interneurons born in the subpallium reach the cortex through tangential migration, whereas pyramidal cells reach their final position by radial migration. Purinergic signaling via P2Y1 receptors controls the migration of intermediate precursor cells from the ventricular zone to the subventricular zone. It was also reported that the blockade of A2A receptors (A2AR) controls the tangential migration of somatostatin+ interneurons.

Assessment of oral health condition in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Introduction: The optimization of oral health before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is important for preventing infectious complications during treatment.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the oral health condition and dental treatments performed in patients in pre-allogeneic HCT.

Method: The records of patients treated during 2018 at a Brazilian HCT service were reviewed.

Myopathy associated with anti-signal recognition particle antibodies with pulmonary involvement and response to rituximab.

The authors present the case of a 76-year-old female patient with progressive decrease in proximal muscle strength, fatigue, dyspnea, diffuse hand edema and painful triphasic Raynaud's phenomenon. Anti-SRP and anti-SSA antibodies were detected, muscle biopsy revealed changes consistent with necrotizing myopathy and capillaroscopy had findings compatible with systemic sclerosis. High-resolution chest computed tomography revealed interstitial lung disease with a non-specific interstitial pneumonia pattern.

Uremic Toxins: An Alarming Danger Concerning the Cardiovascular System.

The kidneys and heart share functions with the common goal of maintaining homeostasis. When kidney injury occurs, many compounds, the so-called "uremic retention solutes" or "uremic toxins," accumulate in the circulation targeting other tissues. The accumulation of uremic toxins such as -cresyl sulfate, indoxyl sulfate and inorganic phosphate leads to a loss of a substantial number of body functions.

Astrocytes and Adenosine A Receptors: Active Players in Alzheimer's Disease.

Astrocytes, through their numerous processes, establish a bidirectional communication with neurons that is crucial to regulate synaptic plasticity, the purported neurophysiological basis of memory. This evidence contributed to change the classic "neurocentric" view of Alzheimer's disease (AD), being astrocytes increasingly considered a key player in this neurodegenerative disease. AD, the most common form of dementia in the elderly, is characterized by a deterioration of memory and of other cognitive functions.

Immunomodulatory effect of short-term supplementation with Bacillus toyonensis BCT-7112 and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 in sheep vaccinated with Clostridium chauvoei.

The bacterium Clostridium chauvoei is the causative agent of blackleg in livestock, and vaccination is the most effective means of prevention. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of short-term supplementation with Bacillus toyonensis and Saccharomyces boulardii on the immune response to a C. chauvoei vaccine in sheep.

What Is the Best Discipline to Predict Overall Triathlon Performance? An Analysis of Sprint, Olympic, Ironman 70.3, and Ironman 140.6.

To analyze the proportion of dedication in each triathlon discipline (swimming, cycling, and running) and the importance of each separate discipline to predict overall performance of elite triathletes across different triathlon distances. Data from 2015 to 2020 ( = 16,667) from official races and athletes in Sprint, Olympic distance, IM 70.3 (Half-Ironman distance), and IM 140.

Neuromodulation and neuroprotective effects of chlorogenic acids in excitatory synapses of mouse hippocampal slices.

The increased healthspan afforded by coffee intake provides novel opportunities to identify new therapeutic strategies. Caffeine has been proposed to afford benefits through adenosine A receptors, which can control synaptic dysfunction underlying some brain disease. However, decaffeinated coffee and other main components of coffee such as chlorogenic acids, also attenuate brain dysfunction, although it is unknown if they control synaptic function.

Nonlinear and vibrational microscopy for label-free characterization of amyloid-β plaques in Alzheimer's disease model.

Given the long subclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the study of biomarkers is relevant both for early diagnosis and the fundamental understanding of the pathophysiology of AD. Biomarkers provided by Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques have led to an increasing interest in characterizing this hallmark of AD due to its promising potential. In this work, we characterize Aβ plaques by label-free multimodal imaging: we combine two-photon excitation autofluorescence (TPEA), second harmonic generation (SHG), spontaneous Raman scattering (SpRS), coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) to describe and compare high-resolution images of Aβ plaques in brain tissues of an AD mouse model.

Uremic endothelial-derived extracellular vesicles: Mechanisms of formation and their role in cell adhesion, cell migration, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

p-Cresyl sulfate (PCS), indoxyl sulfate (IS), and inorganic phosphate (Pi) are uremic toxins found in chronic kidney disease (CKD) that are closely related to endothelial extracellular vesicles (EVs) formation. The present study aimed to understand the role of EVs and their role in cell adhesion and migration, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Human endothelial cells were treated with PCS, IS, and Pi in pre-established uremic and kinetic recommendations.

Idiopathic Multicentric Hyaline Vascular-Type Castleman Disease.

Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder presenting with localized or disseminated lymphadenopathy and systemic symptoms. It can be categorized clinically as unicentric or multicentric, histopathologically as hyaline vascular, plasma cell, or mixed variant, and etiologically, considering the subtypes based on causative viral agents and associated syndromes. The multicentric type can mimic other haematological malignancies, ranging from asymptomatic to multiple organ involvement.

Expression cassette and plasmid construction for Yeast Surface Display in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Objectives: Develop a Cell Surface Display system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, based on the construction of an expression cassette for pYES2 plasmid.

Results: The construction of an expression cassette containing the α-factor signal peptide and the C-terminal portion of the α-agglutinin protein was made and its sequence inserted into a plasmid named pYES2/gDαAgglutinin. The construction allows surface display of bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) glycoprotein D (gD) on S.

Effects of language stimulation on cognition of institutionalized aged people: a preliminary case series study.

Unlabelled: Cognitive stimulation programs for institutionalized elderly people show positive results, however few studies have investigated the effectiveness of language stimulation programs for the health of this population.

Objectives: To characterize the cognitive-linguistic profile of institutionalized elderly and to compare their performance before and after a language stimulation program (LSP).

Methods: An exploratory case series study was conducted with nine residents of a Home for the Aged.

Taxonomy of the sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from Bahia State, including ontogenetic variation and an illustrated key to the Brazilian species.

Describing ontogenetic morphological change is an important part of integrative taxonomy; still, most taxonomic studies are based only on adult characters. Here, we provide illustrations and a morphological description of the sea stars from Bahia, including ontogenetic and intraspecific variation, and identify taxonomic issues. A total of 293 specimens from different localities along the Bahia State coastline and comparative material from other localities were examined.

Incompatibility between sodium caseinate - locust bean gum induced by NaCl and yerba mate extract.

Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is a technique used for the separation of biopolymers in two aqueous phases. Some combinations of biopolymers can form a water-in-water (W/W) emulsion due to steric exclusion and thermodynamic incompatibility between these biopolymers under some specific conditions. In this work, the formation of W/W emulsions composed of sodium caseinate (SCN) and locust bean gum (LBG) was evaluated, using NaCl or yerba mate extract as the driving force for the phase separation, which was described by phase's diagrams.

Field and classroom initiatives for portable sequence-based monitoring of dengue virus in Brazil.

Brazil experienced a large dengue virus (DENV) epidemic in 2019, highlighting a continuous struggle with effective control and public health preparedness. Using Oxford Nanopore sequencing, we led field and classroom initiatives for the monitoring of DENV in Brazil, generating 227 novel genome sequences of DENV1-2 from 85 municipalities (2015-2019). This equated to an over 50% increase in the number of DENV genomes from Brazil available in public databases.

Acute Blood Pressure Effects in Older Adults with Hypertension After Different Modalities of Exercise: An Experimental Study.

This study investigated the acute blood pressure (BP) effects of different exercise modalities in older adults with hypertension. Sixty volunteers were randomly assigned (n = 15/group) into different exercise protocols: resistance, bike, water-based exercise (WE), and a control session-all for ∼45 min. Clinic BP measurements were taken before, immediately after, and 15 and 30 min after protocols.