Diabetic nephropathy patients show hyper-responsiveness to N6-carboxymethyllysine.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of N6-carboxymethyllysine (CML) on NF-κB gene expression and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production in diabetic nephropathy. This was an observational study comprised of three groups: diabetic nephropathy (n=30), type II diabetes mellitus (n=28), and healthy volunteers (n=30). Blood samples collected from the study participants were cultured for 24 h in the presence of CML or an appropriate control.

Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika: Spatial and Temporal Distribution in Rio de Janeiro State, 2015-2019.

Simultaneous spatial circulation of urban arboviral diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, is a major challenge. In this ecological study of urban arboviruses performed from 2015 to 2019, we analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics of these arboviruses in all 92 municipalities and nine health regions of Rio de Janeiro state. Annual cumulative incidences are presented for all three arboviruses throughout the study period.

Status of Physicochemical and Microbiological Analytical Methods of Gatifloxacin: A Review.

Background: Gatifloxacin (GAT), an antimicrobial of the fourth generation of fluoroquinolones, has a broad spectrum of action with activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic organisms, including mycobacteria.

Objective: The objective of this review is to discuss about (i) characteristics, (ii) properties, and (iii) analytical methods of gatifloxacin.

Results: Among the methods described in the literature for the evaluation of GAT, the most frequent was HPLC (50%) for both the analysis of pharmaceutical and biological matrixes.

Plasma Membrane Wounding and Repair Assays for Eukaryotic Cells.

Damage to the plasma membrane and loss of membrane integrity are detrimental to eukaryotic cells. It is, therefore, essential that cells possess an efficient membrane repair system to survive. However, the different cellular and molecular mechanisms behind plasma membrane repair have not been fully elucidated.

Lipid and Carotenoid Production by a Rhodosporidium toruloides and Tetradesmus obliquus Mixed Culture Using Primary Brewery Wastewater Supplemented with Sugarcane Molasses and Urea.

In this study, Rhodosporidium toruloides and Tetradesmus obliquus were used for lipid and carotenoid production in mixed cultures using primary brewery wastewater (PBWW) as a culture medium, supplemented with sugarcane molasses (SCM) as a carbon source and urea as a nitrogen source. To improve biomass, lipid, and carotenoid production by R. toruloides and T.

Prognostic value of hyperlactatemia in infected patients admitted to intensive care units: a multicenter study.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of patient characteristics on hyperlactatemia in an infected population admitted to intensive care units and the influence of hyperlactatemia severity on hospital mortality.

Methods: A post hoc analysis of hyperlactatemia in the INFAUCI study, a national prospective, observational, multicenter study, was conducted in 14 Portuguese intensive care units. Infected patients admitted to intensive care units with a lactate measurement in the first 12 hours of admission were selected.

Integrative and Multidisciplinary Care for People Living With Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus in Bahia, Brazil: 20 Years of Experience.

Brazil is home to the highest absolute number of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1)-infected individuals worldwide; the city of Salvador, Bahia, has the highest prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in Brazil. Due to the complex nature of several diseases associated with this retrovirus, a multidisciplinary health care approach is necessary to care for people living with HTLV-1. The Bahia School of Medicine and Public Health's Integrative Multidisciplinary HTLV Center (CHTLV) has been providing support to people living with HTLV and their families since 2002, striving to ensure physical and mental well-being by addressing biopsychosocial aspects, providing clinical care and follow-up, including to pregnant/postpartum women, as well as comprehensive laboratory diagnostics, psychological therapy, and counseling to family members.

Manufacture and Characterization of Polypropylene (PP) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Blocks for Potential Use as Masonry Component in Civil Construction.

The lack of suitable destinations for plastics materials can be a global environmental problem. The alternative use of materials for sustainable construction encourages the standardization of waste and promotes effective social, environmental and economic gains at the local level and ensures savings and income for communities. The aim of this paper is the development, manufacture, and characterization of PP and HDPE recycled polyolefin blocks as masonry components in civil construction.

Magnetostructural coupling in RFeO (R = Nd, Tb, Eu and Gd).

We investigate the interplay of magnetization and lattice vibrations in rare-earth orthoferrites RFeO, with a specific focus on non-symmetry-breaking anomalies. To do so, we study the magnetization, magnon excitations and lattice dynamics as a function of temperature in NdFeO, TbFeO, EuFeO and GdFeO. The magnetization shows distinct temperature anomalous behavior for all investigated rare-earth orthoferrites, even in the compounds with no phase transitions occurring at those temperatures.

Impact of stringent non-pharmaceutical interventions applied during the second and third COVID-19 epidemic waves in Portugal, 9 November 2020 to 10 February 2021: an ecological study.

BackgroundNon-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were implemented worldwide to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2.AimTo evaluate the impact of tiered NPIs and a nationwide lockdown on reduction of COVID-19 incidence during the second and third epidemic waves in Portugal.MethodsSurveillance data on laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were used to conduct an interrupted time series analysis to estimate changes in daily incidence during a second wave tiered NPI period (9 November-18 December 2020), and a third wave lockdown period without (15-21 January 2021) and with school closure (22 January-10 February 2021).

Frailty syndrome among older adults after hospitalization: A structural equation modeling analysis.

Aim: To analyze the association of demographic, clinical, health and functional capacity variables as predictors of frailty in older adults after one year of hospital discharge.

Background: There is still insufficient research with older persons after hospital discharge that evaluated the predictive variables for an increase in the frailty score. Identifying the characteristics that result in greater risk helps to guide care and interventions.

Travel-Related Diseases and Injuries in Children and Adolescents: A Post-Travel Surveillance Questionnaire Assessment.

Introduction: Children and adolescents are a relevant and increasing proportion of travelers. Injuries and infectious diseases in children are safety concerns when traveling. However, data on diseases and injuries during international travels in children are not available.

Noncompliance to iodine supplementation recommendation is a risk factor for iodine insufficiency in Portuguese pregnant women: results from the IoMum cohort.

Purpose: After a recommendation for iodine supplementation in pregnancy has been issued in 2013 in Portugal, there were no studies covering iodine status in pregnancy in the country. The aim of this study was to assess iodine status in pregnant women in Porto region and its association with iodine supplementation.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, from April 2018 to April 2019.

An Action-Independent Role for Midfrontal Theta Activity Prior to Error Commission.

Error-related electroencephalographic (EEG) signals have been widely studied concerning the human cognitive capability of differentiating between erroneous and correct actions. Midfrontal error-related negativity (ERN) and theta band oscillations are believed to underlie post-action error monitoring. However, it remains elusive how early monitoring activity is trackable and what are the pre-response brain mechanisms related to performance monitoring.

Levodopa-induced dyskinesia is preceded by increased levels of anxiety and motor impairment in Parkinson's disease patients.

: Dopamine replacement therapy with levodopa is the gold standard treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD); however long-term levodopa use is associated with abnormal involuntary movements known as levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in most patients. LID is not preventable and represents the major limitation of PD treatment.: This study was aimed to find clinical and behavioral features that could be used to identify, years in advance, PD patients that are at high risk of developing LID in the future.

Composite outcomes in observational studies of Crohn's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess composite and aggregate outcomes of observational studies in Crohn's disease and to evaluate whether the number and type of variables included affect the frequency of the outcome.

Methods: MEDLINE [via PubMed], Scopus and Web of Science were searched to identify observational studies that enrolled patients with Crohn's disease and evaluated a composite or aggregate outcome. The proportion of patients achieving the outcome was determined and a random-effects meta-analysis was performed to evaluate how the frequency of each outcome varies according to the reporting of predefined variables.

Etiology of meningitis among adults in three quaternary hospitals in Mozambique, 2016-2017: The role of HIV.

Background: Meningitis remains an important cause of morbi-mortality in adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Data on the etiological investigation of meningitis in adults in Mozambique is limited and most studies were conducted in southern Mozambique. Identification of the etiology of meningitis in adults are crucial to guide prevention and treatments strategies.

Access, access, access: the Three A's of pulmonary rehabilitation - perspectives of patients, loved ones and healthcare professionals.

https://bit.ly/3LMcLcU.

The influence of association between aging and reduced protein intake on some immunomodulatory aspects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells: an experimental study.

Purpose: Dietary protein deficiency is common in the elderly, compromising hematopoiesis and the immune response, and may cause a greater susceptibility to infections. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have immunomodulatory properties and are essential to hematopoiesis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate, in an aging model subjected to malnutrition due a reduced protein intake, aspects related to the immunomodulatory capacity of MSCs.

Harm reduction calls to action from young people who use drugs on the streets of Vancouver and Lisbon.

Vancouver, Canada, and Lisbon, Portugal, are both celebrated for their world-leading harm reduction policies and programs and regarded as models for other cities contending with the effects of increasing levels of drug use in the context of growing urban poverty. However, we challenge the notion that internationally celebrated places like Lisbon and Vancouver are meeting the harm reduction needs of young people who use drugs (YPWUD; referring here to individuals between the ages of 14 and 29). In particular, the needs of YPWUD in the context of unstable housing, homelessness, and ongoing poverty-a context which we summarize here as "street involvement"-are not being adequately met.

Situational factors shape moral judgements in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample.

The study of moral judgements often centres on moral dilemmas in which options consistent with deontological perspectives (that is, emphasizing rules, individual rights and duties) are in conflict with options consistent with utilitarian judgements (that is, following the greater good based on consequences). Greene et al. (2009) showed that psychological and situational factors (for example, the intent of the agent or the presence of physical contact between the agent and the victim) can play an important role in moral dilemma judgements (for example, the trolley problem).

Epidural analgesia information sessions provided by anesthetic nurses: impact on satisfaction and anxiety of parturient women a prospective sequential study.

Background: Information on epidural analgesia delivered to parturient women is frequently incomplete, making it difficult for expectant mothers to make an appropriate choice for their delivery. We assessed the impact of a multimodal information session on epidural analgesia delegated to anesthetic nurses on new-mothers' satisfaction.

Methods: We performed a prospective sequential study including parturient women who gave birth with epidural analgesia.

Direct ionizing radiation and bystander effect in mouse mesenchymal stem cells.

This study aimed to evaluate the radiation-induced direct and bystander (BYS) responses of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and to characterize these cells radiobiologically. MSCs were irradiated (IR) and parameters related to DNA damage and cellular signaling were verified in a dose range from 0.5 to 15 Gy; also a transwell insert co-culture system was used to study medium-mediated BYS effects.

Efficacy and Safety of BCG Revaccination With BCG Moscow to Prevent COVID-19 Infection in Health Care Workers: A Randomized Phase II Clinical Trial.

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is widely used to protect children against tuberculosis, can also improve immune response against viral infections. This unicentric, randomized-controlled clinical trial assessed the efficacy and safety of revaccination with BCG Moscow in reducing the positivity and symptoms of COVID-19 in health care workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. HCWs who had negative COVID-19 IgM and IgG and who dedicated at least eight hours per week in facilities that attended to individuals suspected of having COVID-19 were included in the study and were followed for 7, 15, 30, 60, and 180 days by telemedicine.