Pollen Wars: Explosive Pollination Removes Pollen Deposited from Previously Visited Flowers.

AbstractPollen grains from different plants potentially compete for ovule access because flowers produce many more pollen grains than ovules. Pollen competition could occur on pollinators, where there is finite space for pollen placement. Here, we explore the explosive pollen deposition in (Lamiaceae, a perennial flowering plant native to South America that is frequently visited by hummingbirds) and determine whether it can improve male performance by reducing pollen loads deposited by previously visited flowers.

Co-occurrence of PRKN and SYNJ1 variants in Early-Onset Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease globally, with a fast-growing prevalence. The etiology of PD exhibits a multifactorial complex nature and remains challenging. Herein, we described clinical, molecular, and integrative bioinformatics findings from a Brazilian female affected by Early-Onset PD (EOPD) harboring a recurrent homozygous pathogenic deletion in the parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase gene (PRKN; NM_004562.

Oscillometry of the respiratory system in Parkinson's disease: physiological changes and diagnostic use.

Background: Lung function analysis in Parkinson's disease (PD) is often difficult due to the demand for adequate forced expiratory maneuvers. Respiratory oscillometry exams require onlyquiet tidal breathing and provide a detailed analysis of respiratory mechanics. We hypothesized that oscillometry would simplify the diagnosis of respiratory abnormalitiesin PD and improve our knowledge about the pathophysiological changes in these patients.

Fatigue in Brazilian patients with Parkinson's disease.

Unlabelled: Fatigue is a non-motor symptom of high prevalence in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, it is still unknown and neglected by health professionals.

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the prevalence of fatigue in patients with PD after excluding confounding factors, as well as its correlation with clinical and demographic data, and to find its negative impact on the quality of life of these patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 237 randomly selected patients.

Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata: a rare disease with a difficult diagnosis.

(LPD) is a rare condition, characterised by the proliferation of peritoneal smooth muscle nodules. LPD is a benign disease with a low rate of malignant degeneration. We describe the case of a 46-year-old, asymptomatic, woman presenting with a mass on the left renal hilum, identified by ultrasound.

Effects of muscular strength training and growth hormone (GH) supplementation on femoral bone tissue: analysis by Raman spectroscopy, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and mechanical resistance.

The aim of the present study was to verify the effects of muscular strength training and growth hormone (GH) supplementation on femoral bone tissue by Raman spectroscopy (Raman), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and mechanical resistance (F-max) analysis. A total of 40 male Wistar animals, 60 days old, were used. The animals were distributed into four groups: control (C), control with GH (GHC), muscular strength training (T), and muscular strength training with GH (GHT).

Electrostimulation of the posterior tibial nerve in individuals with overactive bladder: a literature review.

[Purpose] This study aims to gather scientific evidence to identify whether clinical trials on Electrostimulation of the Posterior Tibial Nerve (ESPTN) in individuals with overactive bladder present an adequate methodological standard according to the PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) criteria. [Methods] Integral literature review, including randomized controlled clinical trials found in PEDro. [Results] We found 16 articles, of which only one did not meet the inclusion criteria.

Laryngopharyngeal motor dysfunction and obstructive sleep apnea in Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder in Parkinson's disease (PD), but the relationship between these two conditions remains uncertain. Upper airway (UA) dysfunction in PD is well documented in some patients and is believed to be a reflex of the motor involvement of laryngopharyngeal muscles. The aim of this study is to determine whether UA dysfunction and laryngopharyngeal motor dysfunction (LMD) are involved in the obstructive phenomenon of OSA in PD.

Volumetric brain analysis as a predictor of a worse cognitive outcome in Parkinson's disease.

Unlabelled: Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) results in significant morbidity and mortality being early diagnosis essential. Identification of patients who are at higher risk of developing cognitive impairment based only on clinical data is not sufficient. To this end, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with automatic segmentation, such as FreeSurfer, could be a useful tool with high accuracy because it has histological validation.

Symptoms of depression in patients with mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: To investigate the most frequent depressive symptoms and their association with cognition in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: 48 patients with PD and 44 controls (CG), aged between 50 and 80 years and with at least 4 years of formal education, all with MCI and none diagnosed with depression, were assessed. Patients and controls were matched for age, education, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score.

The role of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging in Parkinson's disease and in the differential diagnosis with atypical parkinsonism.

Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Clinically, it is characterized by motor symptoms. Parkinson's disease should be differentiated from atypical parkinsonism conditions.

rs3851179 Polymorphism at 5' to the PICALM Gene is Associated with Alzheimer and Parkinson Diseases in Brazilian Population.

Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's diseases (PD) share clinical and pathological features, suggesting that they could have common pathogenic mechanisms, as well as overlapping genetic modifiers. Here, we performed a case-control study in a Brazilian population to clarify whether the risk of AD and PD might be influenced by shared polymorphisms at PICALM (rs3851179), CR1 (rs6656401) and CLU (rs11136000) genes, which were previously identified as AD risk factors by genome-wide association studies. For this purpose, 174 late-onset AD patients, 166 PD patients and 176 matched controls were genotyped using TaqMan assays.

Correlation of MRI Visual Scales with Neuropsychological Profile in Mild Cognitive Impairment of Parkinson's Disease.

Few studies have evaluated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visual scales in Parkinson's disease-Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI). We selected 79 PD patients and 92 controls (CO) to perform neurologic and neuropsychological evaluation. Brain MRI was performed to evaluate the following scales: Global Cortical Atrophy (GCA), Fazekas, and medial temporal atrophy (MTA).

Parkinsonism in HIV infected patients during antiretroviral therapy - data from a Brazilian tertiary hospital.

Introduction: Advances in the treatment of HIV infection in the last decades have increased life expectancy of these patients and raise the question of what kind of effect chronic infection and its treatment might exert on the behavior of age-related conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases.

Patient Data: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients' records to assess the frequency of the association between HIV infection and parkinsonian symptoms in our hospital population. Among 249 records we identified four individuals with reported parkinsonian symptoms initiated after HIV diagnosis.

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation: A case report.

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutation in the gene. It is characterized by abnormal brain iron accumulation, mainly in the globus pallidus. PKAN is included in a group of disorders known as neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA).

The Behavior of Migraine in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic systems in the central nervous system. In migraine it is supposed to occur hyperactivation of central dopaminergic pathways. We verified the hypothesis of improved migraine in patients who manifest PD.

Parkinson's disease dementia: Diagnostic criteria and risk factor review.

Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) greatly affects the morbidity and mortality rates of the disease and can be present as mild executive dysfunction even in the early stages. In advanced PD, the prevalence of dementia (PDD) reaches more than 80%. The Movement Disorders Society (MDS) has proposed diagnostic criteria for PDD and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in PD, raising the sensibility and specificity of those diagnoses compared with DSM IV, for example.

Global genetic analyses reveal strong inter-ethnic variability in the loss of activity of the organic cation transporter OCT1.

Background: The organic cation transporter OCT1 (SLC22A1) mediates the uptake of vitamin B1, cationic drugs, and xenobiotics into hepatocytes. Nine percent of Caucasians lack or have very low OCT1 activity due to loss-of-function polymorphisms in OCT1 gene. Here we analyzed the global genetic variability in OCT1 to estimate the therapeutic relevance of OCT1 polymorphisms in populations beyond Caucasians and to identify evolutionary patterns of the common loss of OCT1 activity in humans.

Resilience of a semi-deciduous shrub, Cistus salvifolius, to severe summer drought and heat stress.

Shrubs often form the understorey in Mediterranean oak woodlands. These shrubs are exposed to recurrent water deficits, but how they will respond to predicted future exacerbation of drought is not yet understood. The ecophysiology of the shrub Cistus salvifolius L.

Obstructive sleep apnea and neurodegenerative diseases: A bidirectional relation.

Sleep disorders are common during the clinical course of the main neurodegenerative diseases. Among these disorders, obstructive sleep apnea has been extensively studied in the last decade and recent knowledge regarding its relationship with the neurodegenerative process points a bidirectional relationship. Neurodegenerative diseases can lead to functional changes in the respiratory system that facilitate the emergence of apnea.

Hemichorea-Hemiballismus as the First Sign of Type 1b Diabetes During Adolescence and Its Recurrence in the Setting of Infection.

Chorea may be secondary to hyperosmolar nonketotic hyperglycemia, but such situation has rarely been described in adolescents, particularly as the initial and single manifestation of type 1 diabetes. We describe a case of a previously healthy 14-year-old girl with sudden onset of choreic movements on her left upper and lower limbs. Brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an area of hyperdensity/hyperintensity affecting the right striatum.

Another Perspective on Fasciculations: When is it not Caused by the Classic form of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Progressive Spinal Atrophy?

Fasciculations are visible, fine and fast, sometimes vermicular contractions of fine muscle fibers that occur spontaneously and intermittently. The aim of this article is to discuss the main causes for fasciculations and their pathophysiology in different sites of the central/peripheral injury and in particular to disprove that the presence of this finding in the neurological examination is indicative of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Undoubtedly, most fasciculations have a distal origin in the motor nerve both in normal subjects and in patients with motor neuron disease.

Effects of precipitation variability on carbon and water fluxes in the understorey of a nitrogen-limited montado ecosystem.

To date the implications of greater intra-annual variability and extremes in precipitation on ecosystem functioning have received little attention. This study presents results on soil and vegetation carbon and water fluxes in the understorey of a Mediterranean oak woodland in response to increasing precipitation variability, with an extension of the dry period between precipitation events from 3 to 6 weeks, without altering total annual precipitation inputs. With prolonged dry periods soil moisture did breach the stress thresholds for ecosystem processes, which led to short-term treatment differences in photosynthesis, but not in system carbon losses, with subsequent short-term decreases in net ecosystem exchange.