Effects of Speed-Based Interventions to Reduce Bradykinesia in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review Protocol.

Background/objectives: Bradykinesia is considered one of the most disabling motor symptoms in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Speed-based interventions are promising for reducing bradykinesia in this population. This systematic review aims to describe speed-based interventions that have been employed for reducing bradykinesia in individuals with PD and verify their effects.

Prevalence of sensory impairments and its contribution to functional disability in individuals with acute stroke: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Although the literature suggests high prevalences of sensory impairments after stroke, the independent contribution of sensory modalities to functionality needs further investigation.

Objective: To identify the prevalence and characterize the sensory impairment in adults with stroke and to verify the contribution of proprioceptive and exteroceptive impairments to their functional disability.

Methods: Exploratory cross-sectional study conducted in a hospital stroke unit.

Emergence of in Minas Gerais, Brazil: Genomic Surveillance to inform Rapid Public Health Responses.

poses a significant global health threat due to its multidrug-resistance and outbreak potential. In this study, we report its emergence in Minas Gerais, Brazil, supported by genomic surveillance that identified Clade-IV isolates, suggested a potential introduction from Colombia, and detected a missense mutation associated with azole resistance.

Stroke in Brazil: prevalence, activity limitations, access to healthcare, and physiotherapeutic treatment.

Background:  Stroke remains a public health problem, reported as the third cause of disability. Among survivors, the ability to perform usual daily activities may be reduced, requiring rehabilitation.

Objective:  To investigate the prevalence of self-reported stroke, the accessibility of healthcare, and the degree and percentage of patients with limitations in usual activities who are unassisted by physiotherapeutic treatment in different regions of the country.

Trazodone-gabapentin association increases sedation scores with mild hemodynamic and echocardiographic impact in healthy cats.

Despite the increasing use of drugs to facilitate feline management in veterinary care, there is still a lack of information on the anxiolytic and sedative effects and their specific physiological impacts. We aimed to compare the sedative, hematological, biochemical and cardiovascular effects of oral single-dose trazodone and gabapentin, alone or in combination, in 8 healthy adult mixed-breed domestic cats on a prospective, randomized, cross-over, and placebo-controlled study. Cats were assigned to receive an oral single dose of trazodone (50 mg) (TG), gabapentin (100 mg) (GG), trazodone (50 mg) and gabapentin (100 mg) (GTG), or placebo (PG).

Membrane interaction studies of isoniazid derivatives active against drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide due to the growth of multi-drug resistant strains unsusceptible to currently available therapies. Four compounds, isoniazid (INH) and three derivatives, N'-decanoylisonicotinohydrazide (INHC10), N'-(E)-(4-phenoxybenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (N34) and N'-(4-phenoxybenzyl)isonicotinohydrazide (N34red), were studied. Owing to their advantageous in vitro selectivity index against the primary mutation responsible for drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), as well as their suitable lipophilicity and interaction with human serum albumin, INHC10 and N34 were deemed promising antitubercular compounds.

Optimizing genomic DNA extraction from long-term preserved formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded lung cancer and lymph node tissues.

Personalized therapy in lung cancer (LC) has revolutionized routine histopathology and cytopathology, emphasizing the importance of obtaining adequate material for molecular studies to support oncological decisions. Adaptations of cytologic sample preparations offer benefits for molecular testing, yet their potential remains underutilized. A significant number of LC cases is identified through specimens of aspiration or exfoliative cytology.

Validity and reliability of the modified sphygmomanometer test for assessing upper limb and trunk muscle strength in adolescents.

The Modified Sphygmomanometer Test (MST) is a method for assessing muscle strength that offers objective measures similar to those of a portable dynamometer, while also being cost-effective. However, previous studies have not investigated the measurement properties of the MST in adolescents. Thus, the objectives of the study were (1) to examine the concurrent criterion validity, test-retest and interrater reliability of the Modified Sphygmomanometer Test (TMS) for assessing muscle strength in adolescents, (2) to calculate the Standard Error of Measurement (EPM) and the smallest real difference (SRD) of muscle strength values; and (3) analyze the different forms of operationalization and their influence on the results obtained.

Contextual and clinical factors as explainers of stroke severity, residual motor impairments, and functional independence during hospitalization.

Objective: To investigate if contextual and clinical factors would explain stroke severity, residual motor impairments, and functional independence in people with stroke during hospitalization.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study retrieved data from medical records between January 2014 to December 2021. Explanatory independent variables were contextual (sex, age, marital status, occupation, and local of residence) and clinical (stroke type, length of hospital stay, and cognitive function) factors.

Maximum heart rate prediction equations based on field-tests with adequate clinical applicability for aerobic exercise prescription to individuals after stroke.

Objectives: 1) to develop two maximum heart rate (HR) prediction equations for individuals after stroke; 2) to investigate its validity.

Methods: The HR was obtained by a Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPET). Participants also completed the Six-minute Walking Test (6MWT) and the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT).

Locust Bean Gum/κ-Carrageenan Film Containing Blueberry or Beetroot Extracts as Intelligent Films to Monitoring Hake () Freshness.

The main goal of this work was to develop bio-based and ecofriendly intelligent films as freshness indicators to monitor European hake () quality during storage by using a visual, non-destructive, and real-time technique. Locust bean gum (LBG)/κ-carrageenan (Car) films incorporating blueberry extract (BLE) or beetroot extract (BEE) were developed and their effectiveness to detect hake deterioration during 7 days of storage at 4 °C was evaluated. A visible color response from pink to blue was observed on the BLE films at the end of hake storage, which correlated with the hake deterioration profile, namely an increase in pH values (from 6.

Does baseline psychiatric symptom severity predict well-being improvement in low-intensity mindfulness interventions?

Regardless of baseline psychiatric symptom severity, individuals can improve from psychotherapy, including from low-intensity psychosocial treatments. We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized trial of low-intensity mindfulness interventions to explore if and how specific indices of baseline symptom severity were associated with well-being trajectories during treatment and follow-up. In the original study, participants ( = 4, 411) with physical and mental health conditions were randomly assigned to one of two low-intensity mindfulness interventions (eight-session mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or a three-session mindfulness intervention).

Temperature, dietary lipids, and Aeromonas hydrophila modulate self-protection mechanisms in pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg 1887.

Water temperature has a direct influence on several physiological processes in fish. This study investigated the effects of the exposure of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) to 10 days of reduced temperature in stress and innate immune and antioxidant systems, all of which are involved in energy mobilization. Two groups of fish, fed a control diet or a diet with a higher lipid level, were exposed for 10 days to 16°C and then inoculated with Aeromonas hydrophila bacterin.

The effects of isocaloric diets derived from different lipid sources on zebrafish.

Characterizing the effects of saturated fat intake on metabolic health and its changes remains a major challenge. Lipid diets, from different sources, vary widely in their physiological effects on health; therefore, it is important to consider the specific lipid source consumed. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of the imposition of isocaloric diets with different lipid sources in zebrafish (fish oil/pork lard).

Conservative versus Invasive Approaches in Temporomandibular Disc Displacement: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.

Background: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) frequently cause orofacial pain and dysfunction, with treatment options spanning from conservative therapies to invasive surgical procedures. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze and compare the efficacy and safety profiles of conservative, minimally invasive interventions and surgical procedures in patients diagnosed with TMDs and disc displacement.

Methods: Following PRISMA recommendations, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for randomized clinical trials (RCT).

Impact of an Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program on Cardiopulmonary Test Parameters.

Introduction: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRPs) represent a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach tailored to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and overall health-related quality of life, while reducing cardiovascular hospitalizations and mortality. Our aim was to determine changes in exercise capacity and cardiac events according to the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) following a CRP.

Methods: This single-center cohort study included 131 patients who completed a center-based CRP from 2015 to 2022.

Large carpenter bees show high dispersal in a tropical semi-arid region susceptible to desertification.

Desertification is a major threat to biodiversity in arid areas of the world, partly because many organisms in these regions already exist at or near the limits of their movement and physiology. Here, we used molecular data to investigate patterns of persistence and dispersal in an ecologically and economically important carpenter bee ( Lepeletier) found throughout the semiarid Caatinga region of Brazil. We used a genome-wide approach (double digest restriction-site associated DNA, ddRAD) to gather genetic data from bees sampled from eight sites within a semiarid region subject to desertification in Northeastern Brazil.

Fuzzy and spatial analysis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pará State, Brazilian Amazon: an ecological and exploratory study.

Introduction: This study sought to analyze the relationships between cutaneous leishmaniasis and its epidemiological, environmental and socioeconomic conditions, in the 22 microregions of Pará state, Brazil, for the period from 2017 to 2022.

Methodology: In this ecological and exploratory study, the microregions were used as spatial units because they are formed by contiguous municipalities with similar characteristics. The epidemiological, environmental, socioeconomic, and public health policy data employed were obtained from the official information systems at the Ministry of Health, National Institute for Space Research, and Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

A ventral brainstem neurenteric cyst - A case report and review of the pre-brainstem location.

Background: Neurenteric cysts are uncommon, benign endoderm-derived lesions that result from aberrant embryologic development of the notochord. They are typically located in the intradural extramedullary spinal cord and rarely located intracranially. Contrary to spinal-located cysts, intracranial cysts are rarer in the pediatric population.

Metabarcoding expands knowledge on diversity and ecology of rare actinobacteria in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Rare and unknown actinobacteria from unexplored environments have the potential to produce new bioactive molecules. This study aimed to use 16 s rRNA metabarcoding to determine the composition of the actinobacterial community, particularly focusing on rare and undescribed species, in a nature reserve within the Brazilian Cerrado called Sete Cidades National Park. Since this is an inaccessible area without due legal authorization, it is understudied, and, therefore, its diversity and biotechnological potential are not yet fully understood, and it may harbor species with groundbreaking genetic potential.