Catecholamine concentration as a predictor of mortality in emergency surgical patients.

Background: Trauma and emergency surgery are major causes of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to determine whether serum levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine are associated with aging and mortality.

Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted in a surgical critical care unit.

Generation of percentile curves for strength and functional abilities for boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Introduction/aims: Considering the heterogeneity of the clinical manifestations of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), it is important to describe their various clinical profiles. Thus, in this study we aimed to develop percentile curves for DMD using a battery of measures to define the patterns of functional abilities, timed tests, muscle strength, and range of motion (ROM).

Methods: This retrospective data analysis was based on the records of patients with DMD using the Motor Function Measure (MFM) scale, isometric muscle strength (IS), dorsiflexion ROM, 10-meter walk test (10 MWT), and 6-minute walk test (6 MWT).

Preterm birth and postpartum depression within 6 months after childbirth in a Brazilian cohort.

Preterm birth (PTB) and postpartum depression (PPD) are important public health issues, and although literature mainly supports the association between them, some reviews have highlighted methodological limitations in the studies in this field, restricting the interpretation of such finding. This study aimed at assessing the association between PTB and PPD, by comparing groups of preterm and full-term mothers in two Brazilian cities with contrasting sociodemographic indicators. This prospective convenience cohort study assessed 1421 women during pregnancy, at childbirth, and in the postpartum period.

Effects of Low-Intensity and Long-Term Aerobic Exercise on the Psoas Muscle of Mice: An Experimental Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscle disease characterized by the absence of the protein dystrophin, which causes a loss of sarcolemma integrity, determining recurrent muscle injuries, decrease in muscle function, and progressive degeneration. Currently, there is a need for therapeutic treatments to improve the quality of life of DMD patients. Here, we investigated the effects of a low-intensity aerobic training (37 sessions) on satellite cells, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α protein (PGC-1α), and different types of fibers of the psoas muscle from mice (DMD experimental model).

The independent and combined effects of cannabis use and systemic inflammation during the early stages of psychosis: exploring the two-hit hypothesis.

Background: Cannabis consumption is a modifiable risk factor associated with psychosis, but not all cannabis users develop psychosis. Animal studies suggest that an antecedent active immune system interacts with subsequent cannabis exposure and moderates the cannabis-psychosis association, supporting the two-hit hypothesis. The clinical investigations are few, and it is unclear if the immune system is a biological candidate moderating the cannabis-psychosis association or whether cannabis increases inflammation, which in turn, augments psychosis likelihood.

Twenty-one days of low-intensity eccentric training improve morphological characteristics and function of soleus muscles of mdx mice.

Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by the absence of the protein dystrophin, which leads to muscle weakness, progressive degeneration, and eventually death due to respiratory failure. Low-intensity eccentric training (LIET) has been used as a rehabilitation method in skeletal muscles after disuse. Recently, LIET has also been used for rehabilitating dystrophic muscles, but its effects are still unclear.

Plasma amino acids profile in first-episode psychosis, unaffected siblings and community-based controls.

Investigations of plasma amino acids in early psychosis and their unaffected siblings are rare. We measured plasma amino acids involved in the co-activation of dopaminergic, GABAergic, glutamatergic, and serotoninergic neurotransmitters in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients (n = 166), unaffected siblings (n = 76), and community-based controls (n = 166) included in a cross-sectional study. Plasma levels of glutamic acid (GLU), glutamine, glycine, proline (PRO), tryptophan (TRP), tyrosine, serine and GABA were quantified by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Declining prevalence of hepatitis A and silent circulation of hepatitis E virus infection in southeastern Brazil.

Objectives: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is considered highly endemic in Brazil, especially in low-income areas. In contrast, only a few human cases of hepatitis E have been reported. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and potential risk factors of HAV and hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections in an adult population from a rural township of southeastern Brazil.

Anatomic and neuropsychological findings in low-educated cognitively intact elderly from a Brazilian cohort.

Unlabelled: In elderly individuals, low educational level may represent a risk factor for the development of dementia and a proxy of cognitive reserve.

Objective: This study examined the cognitive and neuroanatomic correlates of high versus low educational levels in cognitively healthy community-dwelling older adults in Brazil.

Methods: Fifty-three older adults (mean age: 68±5.

Ecological analysis of adolescent birth rates in Brazil: Association with Human Development Index.

Background: Adolescent pregnancy is a multidimensional public health problem. It is known that every year in Brazil approximately 1.1 million adolescents become pregnant and around 20% of all newborns are born to teenage mothers.

Spatio-temporal trends in the risk of adolescent pregnancy in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2000-2015.

Purpose: To investigate, through a spatio-temporal analysis, the association between the percentages of live births of adolescent mothers (LBAM) and the human development index (HDI), including the three components: income, education and longevity.

Methods: The percentage of LBAM was obtained from the Brazilian Live Births Information System for the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil in the period 2000-2015 and the HDI data and its components were obtained from United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Human Development Reports. A generalized additive model (GAM) was used to estimate the relative risk of LBAM in relation to the HDI and to identify spatial clusters of the geographical distribution of LBAM, the Moran global and local index was used.

Spatial distribution of pregnancy in adolescence and associations with socioeconomic and social responsibility indicators: State of Minas Gerais, Southeast of Brazil.

Purpose: To describe associations between pregnancy rates in adolescence and socioeconomic and social responsibility indicators in the municipalities of the State of Minas Gerais, Southeast of Brazil, in the year of 2010.

Methods: Ecological study using data from the Brazilian Live Birth Information System (SINASC). The percentage of live births to adolescent mothers (LBAM) for each municipality was calculated based on the quotient between number of born alive infants of mothers aged 10-19 years old and total number of live births in the year of 2010.

Spatio-temporal patterns of tuberculosis incidence in Ribeirão Preto, State of São Paulo, southeast Brazil, and their relationship with social vulnerability: a Bayesian analysis.

Introduction: The purpose of this ecological study was to evaluate the urban spatial and temporal distribution of tuberculosis (TB) in Ribeirão Preto, State of São Paulo, southeast Brazil, between 2006 and 2009 and to evaluate its relationship with factors of social vulnerability such as income and education level.

Methods: We evaluated data from TBWeb, an electronic notification system for TB cases. Measures of social vulnerability were obtained from the SEADE Foundation, and information about the number of inhabitants, education and income of the households were obtained from Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

[Teenage pregnancy rates and socioeconomic characteristics of municipalities in São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil: a spatial analysis].

Teenage pregnancy is a common public health problem worldwide. The objective of this ecological study was to investigate the spatial association between teenage pregnancy rates and socioeconomic characteristics of municipalities in São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil. We used a Bayesian model with a spatial distribution following a conditional autoregressive (CAR) form based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm.