Publications by authors named "Gilberto Cruz"

In this paper, the analysis of electrochemical corrosion performance and mechanical strength of weld joints of aluminum 6061 in two-heat treatment conditions was performed. The joints were produced by gas metal arc welding in pulsed mode. The original material exhibited precipitates of β and β" phases in a volume fraction (Vf) of 2.

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Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disorders are commonly associated to patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2); however, these abnormalities have not been studied in presymptomatic gene carriers. To determine whether the REM sleep pathology is detectable before clinical manifestation of SCA2 and evaluate it as a preclinical biomarker, we studied 36 presymptomatic SCA2 individuals and 36 controls by video-polysomnography (VPSG) and sleep questionnaires. Presymptomatic subjects showed significant decrease of REM sleep percentage, REMs density, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency.

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The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hereditary ataxias in Cuba, with a special focus on the clinical and molecular features of SCA2. Clinical assessments were performed by neurological examinations and application of the SARA scale. Molecular analyses of genes SCA1-3, SCA6, SCA17 and DRPLA identified 753 patients with SCA and 7173 asymptomatic relatives, belonging to 200 unrelated families.

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Olfactory function is affected in different neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, it has been found that some hereditary ataxias are also associated with significant olfactory impairment. However, the initial findings did not examine the nature of the olfactory impairment associated with these ataxias.

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