Processing speed impairment in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy patients: a cross-sectional study.

Background: There is a lack of evidence of cognitive involvement in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and, the reports about the involvement of the brain and central nervous system (CNS) are few and controversial. The Five Digit Test (FDT) evaluates processing speed (PS) and executive functions orally.

Objective: To evaluate the performance on the FDT of CIDP patients with and without CNS (brain/cerebellum) alterations observed on brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans.

Trends in the Incidence and Mortality of Stroke in Matão, Brazil: The Matão Preventing Stroke (MAPS) Study.

Background: Stroke population-based studies in the same setting comparing time trends of rates are a gold standard method to determine the primary prevention status of stroke. Twelve years ago, we measured the stroke incidence and mortality in Matão city, Southeast of Brazil.

Objective: This second Matão stroke registry study aimed to determine the time trends in the incidence, mortality, case fatality, and functional status of patients with stroke.

Matão Controlling Hypertension (MatCH) project: Rationale and design.

Background: Hypertension is the main risk factor for most cardiovascular diseases. A coordinated and organized system from the Brazilian Ministry of Healthy involving Family Health Strategy (FHS), a program for the prevention of chronic disease, and the Popular Pharmacy Program (PPP), which subsidizes medications for the population, could allow an earlier identification and better blood pressure (BP) control. Matão Controlling Hypertension (MatCH) is a community-based population project that aims to apply an organized, integrated and coordinated program in the city of Matão, Brazil, involving FHS and PPP in order to actively search, treat and follow-up hypertensive subjects.

Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness and Blood Pressure Control in Matao, Brazil: A Pilot Study in Partnership With the Brazilian Family Health Strategy Program.

Background: Around 30% of Brazilian population is hypertensive. Brazilian's Family Health Strategy (FHS) is a community-based approach to provide primary health care and control chronic disease as hypertension. The aims of this pilot study were to study hypertension prevalence and awareness and to analyze the feasibility of FHS program with community healthy agents (CHA) to collect data about hypertensive subjects in Matao, Brazil.

Mattis dementia rating scale (DRS) normative data for the brazilian middle-age and elderly populations.

Objective: To expand norms for the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) for the Brazilian middle-age and elderly populations.

Methods: The DRS was administered to 502 individuals without cognitive deficits, 312 women and 190 men, aged 50 years or over and with educational level ranging from 0 to 13 years or more. The sample was composed of subjects who participated in other studies, from Caeté (Minas Gerais state), Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo state) and São Paulo (São Paulo state).

Social support, socioeconomic and clinical risk: comparison between neighborhoods in a Brazilian upcountry town.

The objective of this study was to compare the perceptions of two families living in two different neighborhoods (rated according to risk levels) regarding social support. A questionnaire was designed to assess social support according to the following dimensions: instrumental, emotional, religious, and support from friends, neighbors and family. The sample was comprised as follows: considering the 114 families living in neighborhood 1, 52 families were interviewed; and among the 162 families living in neighborhood 2, 60 families were interviewed.

Relation between myelin area and axon diameter in the aortic depressor nerve of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The hypothesis that the aortic depressor nerve (ADN) from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) does not show the expected correlation between myelin sheath area and the axonal diameter of myelinated fibers detected in normotensive rat myelinated fibers was tested by means of regression analysis. Proximal and distal segments of ADN from 13 normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and nine SHR were prepared for light microscopy study. With an image analysis system, the area of the myelin sheath and the axonal diameter of all myelinated fibers in each nerve were automatically measured.