Comparison of the performance of instruments for screening sarcopenia in older adults.

Aim: To compare the performance of the SARC-F and SARCCalf questionnaires in sarcopenia screening and their relationship with clinical and sociodemographic aspects of older adults.

Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study carried out with 739 elderly people in the community. Clinical, sociodemographic, anthropometric data and screening for signs suggestive of sarcopenia were obtained using the SARC-F and SARCCalf.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 deficiency aggravates neuroinflammation, nociception, and motor impairment in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 deficiency (ALDH2∗2) found in 36 % of Han Chinese, affects approximately 8 % of the world population. ALDH2 is a mitochondrial key enzyme in detoxifying reactive aldehydes to less reactive forms. Studies demonstrate a potential link between ALDH2∗2 mutation and neurodegenerative diseases.

Gigaxonin, mutated in Giant Axonal Neuropathy, interacts with TDP-43 and other RNA binding proteins.

Giant Axonal Neuropathy (GAN) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene, encoding the cytoskeleton regulator gigaxonin. In the absence of functional gigaxonin, intermediate filament (IF) proteins accumulate in neurons and other cell types due to impaired turnover and transport. GAN neurons exhibit distended, swollen axons and distal axonal degeneration, but the mechanisms behind this selective neuronal vulnerability are unknown.

Clinical and thermographic evaluation after lower third molar extractions and the application of different photobiomodulation protocols: double-blind randomised clinical trial.

Objectives: to compare the parameters of pain, oedema, temperature, and soft tissue closure in dental sockets that received two different photobiomodulation (PBM) protocols following extractions.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-one participants had their teeth 38 and 48 extracted. Subsequently, one of the dental sockets received PBM at a wavelength (WL) of 808 nanometers (808 group- nm) and the other dental socket received the PBM at WLs of 808 nm and 660 nm, simultaneously (808 + 660 group).

TDP-43 pathology links innate and adaptive immunity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is the most common fatal motor neuron disease. Approximately 90% of ALS patients exhibit pathology of the master RNA regulator, Transactive Response DNA Binding protein (TDP-43). Despite the prevalence TDP-43 pathology in ALS motor neurons, recent findings suggest immune dysfunction is a determinant of disease progression in patients.

A molecular and morphological study of Ascaris suum in a human-pig contact scenario in northeastern Brazil.

The aim of the present study was to assess morphologic and genetic data on ascariasis in swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) and humans in low-resource rural and periurban communities in the state of Piauí, Brazil. Our cross-sectional survey included 100 fecal samples obtained from swine and 682 samples from humans. Fifteen pigs were necropsied.

Tandem detergent-extraction and immunoprecipitation of proteinopathy: Scalable enrichment of ALS-associated TDP-43 aggregates.

Transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) is a highly conserved, ubiquitously expressed nucleic acid-binding protein that regulates DNA/RNA metabolism. Genetics and neuropathology studies have linked TDP-43 to several neuromuscular and neurological disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Under pathological conditions, TDP-43 mislocalizes to the cytoplasm where it forms insoluble, hyper-phosphorylated aggregates during disease progression.

Interactive gerontechnology for fall prevention in the elderly: a descriptive study.

Objectives: to develop interactive gerontechnology for the prevention of falls in the elderly at home.

Methods: an exploratory and descriptive study that consisted of gerontechnology development and evaluation by experts and the target audience. For evaluation, researchers used the Agreement Index (AI), considering values greater than 80%.

Morphologic Characterization of Strongylida Larvae from Human and Swine Coprocultures in Rural Communities in the State of Piauí, Northeastern Brazil.

Some helminth species belonging to the order Strongylida are parasites of the digestive tract of vertebrates, including man and domestic animals. In humans, infections with spp. and spp.

Social determinants of health screening and intervention: A cystic fibrosis quality improvement process.

Introduction: Lower socioeconomic status is associated with significantly poorer outcomes in weight, lung function, and pulmonary exacerbation rates in people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF).

Global Aim: We aim to reduce health disparities and inequities faced by PwCF by screening for and addressing unmet social needs.

Specific Aims: We aimed to increase routine social determinants of health (SDoH) screening of eligible PwCF from 0% to 95% and follow-up within 2 weeks for those PwCF who screened positive and requested assistance from 0% to 95% by December 31, 2021.

Genotypic and Epidemiologic Profiles of Giardia duodenalis in Four Brazilian Biogeographic Regions.

Human infections with gut protozoan parasites are neglected and not targeted by specific control initiatives, leading to a knowledge gap concerning their regional diversity and epidemiology. The present study aims to explore Giardia duodenalis genetic diversity and assess the epidemiologic scenario of subclinical infections in different Brazilian biogeographic regions. Cross-sectional surveys (n = 1334 subjects) were conducted in four municipalities in order to obtain fecal samples and socioenvironmental data.

Synthetic amyloid beta does not induce a robust transcriptional response in innate immune cell culture systems.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impacts nearly 400 million people worldwide. The accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain has historically been associated with AD, and recent evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays a central role in its origin and progression. These observations have given rise to the theory that Aβ is the primary trigger of AD, and induces proinflammatory activation of immune brain cells (i.

Collaboration in Animal-Assisted Activities and Animal-Assisted Therapy.

Animal Assisted Intervention is a valuable tool in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. Conducting goal-directed, therapeutic Animal-Assisted Interventions requires certification, training and collaboration. It is important that Animal Assisted Therapy teams comprised of specially trained dogs and handlers are co-certified to ensure the safety of patients, therapeutic interactions, and beneficial outcomes aligned with rehab goals.

Crotalphine Attenuates Pain and Neuroinflammation Induced by Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of inflammatory and autoimmune origin, which induces sensory and progressive motor impairments, including pain. Cells of the immune system actively participate in the pathogenesis and progression of MS by inducing neuroinflammation, tissue damage, and demyelination. Crotalphine (CRO), a structural analogue to a peptide firstly identified in snake venom, induces analgesia by endogenous opioid release and type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2) activation.

Demonstrating core molecular biology principles using GST-GFP in a semester-long laboratory course.

Undergraduate laboratory courses are essential to teaching core principles in STEM. This course, Quantitative Biological Methods, provides a unique approach to teaching molecular biology research techniques to students, in a laboratory that is delivered in a sequence that parallels standard biomedical research laboratory protocols. Students attend a lecture where they are taught the essential principles of biomedical research, and a lab where they learn to use laboratory equipment, perform experiments, and purify and quantify DNA and proteins.

Socioenvironmental Factors Influencing Distribution and Intensity of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis in the Brazilian Amazon: Challenges for the 2030 Agenda.

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STHs) are poverty-related diseases with high prevalence rates in developing countries. The present study aims to describe the epidemiological scenario of STHs in an urban population in the Brazilian Amazon. A cross-sectional survey ( = 349 children aged 1-15 years) was carried out to obtain faecal samples and sociodemographic and sanitation data.

Interactions between malnutrition, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and poverty among children living in periurban communities in Maranhao State, Northeastern Brazil.

Poverty, malnutrition and neglected tropical diseases such as soil-transmitted helminthiases (STHs) interact in a multi-causal feedback network. This study aimed to assess the relationships between STHs, income and nutritional status of children in impoverished communities in the city of Caxias, Maranhao State, Northeastern Brazil. A cross-sectional survey (n=259 children) was carried out with the collection of fecal samples and assessment of sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary and sanitation data.

Assessing the entomo-epidemiological situation of Chagas disease in rural communities in the state of Piauí, Brazilian semi-arid region.

Background: In northeastern Brazil, the wild nature of Trypanosoma cruzi vectors has challenged control actions. This study aims to describe the entomological and epidemiological scenario of Chagas disease in rural communities in the state of Piauí.

Methods: A cross-sectional study (n=683 individuals/244 dwellings) was carried out to obtain serum samples, sociodemographic data and intra- and peridomestic triatomines.

Impact of pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde-derived aroylhydrazones on the copper-catalyzed oxidation of the M112A PrP mutant fragment.

Misfolded prion protein (PrP) is known for its role in fatal neurodegenerative conditions, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. PrP fragments and their mutants represent important tools in the investigation of the neurotoxic mechanisms and in the evaluation of new compounds that can interfere with the processes involved in neuronal death. Metal-catalyzed oxidation of PrP has been implicated as a trigger for the conformational changes in protein structure, which, in turn, lead to misfolding.

Stability and Conformational Resilience of Protein Disulfide Isomerase.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is a redox-dependent protein with oxidoreductase and chaperone activities. It is a U-shaped protein with an structural organization in which the and domains have CGHC active sites, the and domains are involved with substrate binding, and is a flexible linker. PDI exhibits substantial flexibility and undergoes cycles of unfolding and refolding in its interaction with cholera toxin, suggesting PDI can regain a folded, functional conformation after exposure to stress conditions.

Antibiosis Levels to Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Cowpea Commercial Cultivars and Landrace Varieties.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a major pest of cowpea, (Vigna unguiculata [L] Walp.