Association Between Physical Functioning and Time Until a New Hospitalization in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background And Purpose: Physical functioning refers to the ability to independently perform activities that require physical ability, and may be an important tool for predicting a higher risk of hospitalization. The objective of this study was to verify whether aspects of physical functioning are independently associated with the risk for new hospitalization in older adults seen in primary health care.

Methods: This prospective cohort study consisted of 473 older adults 60 years and older who had not been hospitalized in the prior year.

IV Brazilian guidelines for autoantibodies on HEp-2 cells.

Objective: The Fourth Brazilian Consensus for Autoantibodies Screening in HEp-2 Cells (ANA) was held in Vitória, Espírito Santo, and aimed to discuss strategies and recommendations about the technique, standardization, interpretation and quality control of the indirect immunofluorescence reaction on HEp-2 cells.

Methods: Twenty three ANA experts from university centers and private laboratories in different areas from Brazil discussed and agreed upon recommendations for the fourth edition of the Brazilian Consensus for Autoantibodies Screening in HEp-2 Cells.

Results And Conclusion: The 4th ANA Consensus included three novel patterns into the existing algorithm (cytoplasmic Rods and Rings, nuclear Quasi-homogeneous, and CENP-F).

Analytical validation of anti-toxoplasma IgG immunoassays.

There are often discrepancies when using different methods to measure anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG levels in patient samples. The diagnostic performance of a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) and an enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) used as confirmatory tests for samples identified as positive or equivocal by an electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA) were examined. Cut-off values were those stated by the manufacturer, and Western blot was used to confirm the results of all methods.