Executive function in schizophrenia and autism in adults shares common components separating high and low performance groups.

The profile of executive function (EF) in adults with Schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unclear. This study aims to ascertain if distinct EF patterns can be identified between each clinical condition by comparing the neuropsychological profile of adults with SCZ and ASD, for whom the differential diagnosis is still highly challenging. Forty-five individuals (15 SCZ, 15 ASD, 15 controls) matched for age, sex, education level, and handedness underwent intelligence evaluation and neuropsychological testing for working memory, inhibition, planning and set-shifting, and verbal fluency subdomains.

Systemic and local antiinflammatory effect of magnesium chloride in experimental arthritis.

Objective: Despite some knowledge gaps in scientific evidence, MgCl is largely used for pain relief in musculoskeletal diseases. Mg salts were shown to provide analgesia postoperatively in orthopedic surgery and low Mg levels were linked to arthritis development and severity. We determined the anti-inflammatory activity of MgCl in an acute arthritis model.

Decreased Sulfate Content and Zeta Potential Distinguish Glycosaminoglycans of the Extracellular Matrix of Osteoarthritis Cartilage.

We aimed to determine the characteristics that distinguish glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) from osteoarthritis (OA) and normal cartilage and from men and women. Cartilage samples from 30 patients subjected to total joint arthroplasty secondary to OA or fracture (control) were evaluated, and the GAG content (μg/mg dry cartilage) after proteolysis was determined by densitometry, using agarose-gel electrophoresis. Relative percentages of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) in GAGs were determined by elemental microanalysis, as well as the zeta potential.

Does the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic impact on oral hygiene habits, oral conditions, reasons to seek dental care and esthetic concerns?

Background: To evaluate the impact of the use of face masks on oral hygiene habits; oral conditions self-perception; reasons to seek dental treatment; and esthetic concerns.

Material And Methods: 1346 participants answered a web-based survey with questions related to the aims of the study. Descriptive statistic was performed and the responses were analyzed with chi-square test and regression analysis.

Acquisition of antimicrobial resistance determinants in Enterobacterales by international travelers from a large urban setting in Brazil.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is increased by international mobility. We present data about intestinal colonization of travelers departing from a middle-income country.

Methods: Travelers were recruited from 2015 to 2019, collected an anal stool specimen and answered a questionnaire before and after travel.

The Use of Facemasks During the COVID-19 Pandemic by the Brazilian Population.

Objective: To evaluate the use of facemasks by the Brazilian population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 1277 participants who answered a web-based open survey with questions about the use of facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics with percentages was performed, and the responses were analyzed with chi-square and independent t-tests.

Increase in molar mass distinguishes chondroitin sulfate from osteoarthritis and normal extracellular cartilage matrix.

Purpose: To determine alterations of chondroitin sulfate (CS) that reflect cartilage damage in an experimental osteoarthritis (OA) model as well as in human OA samples.

Materials And Methods: Rats were subjected to anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT; OA) or a sham procedure and sacrificed 14, 28, or 70 days after ACLT for histopathology and analysis of extracted CS. Cartilage samples from 14 patients undergoing hip or shoulder arthroplasty secondary to OA or fracture (control) were subjected to the same protocol.

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis induced change in alveolar bone architecture in rats with participation of Wnt signaling.

Objective: This work aimed to study the role of inflammation in medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) in rats with focus on Wnt signaling.

Methods: A total of 36 female Wistar rats (12 weeks ± 200 g) were divided into 2 groups (n = 6) in 3 experiments: saline (SAL) and zoledronic acid (ZOL). For MRONJ induction, rats received 0.

Hylan G-F20 and galactomannan joint flares are associated to acute synovitis and release of inflammatory cytokines.

Background: Injection of Hylan G-F20 (HY) into joints may provoke local flares, which mechanisms may involve reaction to protein contaminants. We have previously developed a protein-free saline-soluble galactomannan derived from guar gum (GM) that displays both analgesia and chondroprotection in experimental osteoarthritis (OA). We now demonstrate that both GM and Hylan G-F20 (HY) promote mild synovitis with cytokine release after intra-articular injection.

Cell sources of inflammatory mediators present in bone marrow areas inside the meniscus.

Purpose: To demonstrate the production of inflammatory mediators by cells located in bone marrow spaces inside rodent menisci.

Methods: Mice subjected to transection of the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments and meniscotomy (osteoarthritis model) or to a sham procedure, as well as non-operated (naive) mice and rats, had knee joints excised. Tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP).

Protective effect of Platymiscium floribundum Vog. in tree extract on periodontitis inflammation in rats.

Periodontitis is an immuno-inflammatory disease, which can lead to tooth loss. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Platymiscium floribundum Vog., a Brazilian tree which has been used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent, in a pre-clinical trial of periodontitis in rats.

Diversity of clonal types of Klebsiella pneumoniae causing infections in intensive care neonatal patients in a large urban setting.

Background: Klebsiella infections are reported from neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide, but data on their incidence and genetic diversity remain scarce.

Objective: We determined the incidence and genetic diversity of Klebsiella infections in NICU patients in Rio de Janeiro.

Methods: This was a prospective study including newborns admitted to NICU in three hospitals during April 2005-November 2006 and March 2008-February 2009.

High-Level Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates from Wild Birds in a Large Urban Environment.

Intensive clinical use of antibiotics together with inadequate sanitation in an urban environment may contribute to the dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in the community. Wild birds living in these areas may become colonized with such organisms and further disseminate these resistant bacteria. In this study, we examined Escherichia coli isolates from the intestine of wild birds in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for those expressing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), carbapenemase, and other drug resistances.

Tumor necrosis factor prevents Candida albicans biofilm formation.

Candida species are commensals but some develop biofilms in prosthetic materials and host surfaces that may represent up to 30% of deaths related to infections, particularly in immunosuppressed patients. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) exhibits a plethora of functions in host defense mechanisms whereas excessive release of TNF in inflammation promotes tissue damage. Cytokines released in an inflammatory milieu may influence the development of microorganisms either by promoting their growth or displaying antimicrobial activity.

Mechanisms of carbapenem resistance in endemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates after an SPM-1 metallo-β-lactamase producing strain subsided in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Brazil.

Carbapenem-resistance mechanisms are a challenge in the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. We investigated changes in P. aeruginosa carbapenem-resistance determinants over a time period of eight years after the emergence of São Paulo metallo-β-lactamase in a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Structural characteristics are crucial to the benefits of guar gum in experimental osteoarthritis.

Protein-free guar gum (DGG) was oxidized (DGGOX) or sulfated (DGGSU) by insertion of new groups in C-6 (manose) and C-6 (galactose), for DGGOX and DGGSU, respectively. Rats were subjected to anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) of the knee, joint pain recorded using the articular incapacitation test, and the analgesic effect of intraarticular 100μg DGG, DGGOX or DGGSU solutions at days 4-7 was evaluated. Other groups received DGG or saline weekly, from days 7 to 70 and joint damage assessed using histology and biochemistry as the chondroitin sulfate (CS) content of cartilage.

Strontium ranelate analgesia in arthritis models is associated to decreased cytokine release and opioid-dependent mechanisms.

Objective: We investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of strontium ranelate (SR) in arthritis models.

Materials And Methods: Rats received 1 mg zymosan (Zy) or saline intra-articularly. Other groups were subjected to anterior cruciate ligament transection in the right knee, as an osteoarthritis (OA) model, or a sham procedure.

Preconditioning with mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids and low-intensity electrical stimulation. Effects on skin repair in rats.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of preconditioning with oils mixes containing ω3/ω6/ω9 associated with micro-currents on skin repair in rats.

Methods: One-hundred and eight Wistar rats randomized into G-1, G-2 and G-3 groups were treated with saline (0.9%), mix 1 (corn+soybean oils) and mix 2 (olive+canola+flaxseed oils), respectively, in a single dose (0.

Meniscal transection rather than excision increases pain behavior and structural damage in experimental osteoarthritis in mice.

Objective: To evaluate pain behavior and structural damage in mice subjected to either meniscal transection or removal.

Methods: Mice (10/group) were subjected to transection of the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLT/MCLT) followed by either transection (meniscotomy) or removal (meniscectomy) of the medial meniscus. A control group was subjected only to transection of the ligaments.

Topical continuous use of Lippia sidoides Cham. essential oil induces cutaneous inflammatory response, but does not delay wound healing process.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The essential oil of Lippia sidoides (EOLS) has been used in Brazilian folk medicine as a topical antiseptic agent in skin for treatment of wounds and superficial infections of the body. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of EOLS on intact and damaged skin, including its action on expression of mediators, COX-2 and VEGF, involved in healing full-thickness cutaneous lesions in vivo.

Material And Methods: EOLS was analyzed chemically and used at different concentrations to dose-response experiments in skin mice.

Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect of an extract of Coccidioides posadasii in experimental arthritis.

Trying to surpass host defenses, fungal infections alter the immune response. Components from nonpathogenic fungi present therapeutic anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activities. This study reveals that proteins present in a Coccidioides posadasii extract provide anti-inflammatory benefit in experimental arthritis.

Imported and intensive care unit-born Acinetobacter baumannii clonal complexes: one-year prospective cohort study in intensive care patients.

The main objective of this study was to assess the frequency and possible sources of colonization and infection by Acinetobacter in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and characterize the isolates for relatedness to internationally and locally disseminated lineages. Patients consecutively admitted to the ICU from April 2007 to April 2008 were screened for colonization and infection. Species were identified by rpoB sequencing.