Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: People with dementia (PWD) have several unmet needs during the syndrome progression. More unmet needs are related to worse outcomes, such as hospitalizations, injuries, and death. The caregiving burden has been related to more PWD unmet needs.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: The number of people with dementia (PWD) is increasing worldwide, and especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Dementia's burden extends beyond mortality and healthcare costs. In LMIC, dementia indirect costs are proportionally higher.

Analysis of Growth Models in Galician × Nelore Crossbred Cattle in the First Year of Life.

The veal niche market is gaining momentum in Brazil. Locally known as 'Vitelão', veal refers to the meat from calves slaughtered up to 12 months of age. In this study, we assessed the Galician Blond × Nelore cross as a candidate to produce veal.

Anticipatory Behaviour During the Approach to Feeding Times as a Measure of Horse Welfare.

Anticipatory behaviour is increasingly being recognised as a measure of animal welfare. This behaviour is linked to reward sensitivity, which reflects the balance of positive and negative experiences. This study examined anticipatory behaviour in horses fed either ad libitum or rationed diets, aiming to identify differences in behaviour patterns during the periods of one hour immediately before and after feeding.

Amoebicidal and cysticidal in vitro activity of cationic dendritic molecules against Acanthamoeba polyphaga and Acanthamoeba griffini.

Acanthamoeba species are responsible for serious human infections, including Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE). These pathogens have a simple life cycle consisting of an infective trophozoite stage and a resistant cyst stage, with cysts posing significant treatment challenges due to their resilience against harsh conditions and chemical agents. Current treatments for AK often involve combining diamines, such as propamidine, and biguanides, such as chlorhexidine (CLX), which exhibit limited efficacy and significant toxicity.

Costs of dementia in Brazil.

Background: Given the increasing number of people with dementia in Brazil, there is an urgency for health and social systems to plan strategies to meet the needs of this population and their families. Therefore, research on dementia costs is essential. This study estimated direct and indirect costs related to dementia in Brazil.

Pegylated gold nanoparticles interact with lipid bilayer and human serum albumin and transferrin.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are potentially applicable in drug/nucleic acid delivery systems. Low toxicity, high stability, and bioavailability are crucial for the therapeutic use of AuNPs and they are mainly determined by their interactions with proteins and lipids on their route to the target cells. In this work, we investigated the interaction of two pegylated gold nanoparticles, AuNP14a and AuNP14b, with human serum proteins albumin (HSA) and transferrin (Tf) as well as dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) liposomes, which can be a representative of biomembranes.

Effect of polyphenolic dendrimers on biological and artificial lipid membranes.

The use of dendrimers as nanovectors for nucleic acids or drugs requires the understanding of their interaction with biological membranes. This study investigates the impact of 1st generation polyphenolic carbosilane dendrimers on biological and model lipid membranes using several biophysical methods. While the increase in the z-average size of DMPC/DPPG liposomes correlated with the number of caffeic acid residues included in the dendrimer structure, dendrimers that contained polyethylene glycol chains generated lower zeta potential when interacting with a liposomal membrane.

The Brazilian version of the Johns Hopkins dementia care needs assessment (JHDCNA-br 2.0): translation, cultural adaptation, and preliminary psychometric testing.

Objectives: People with dementia have several unmet needs during the syndrome progression. More unmet needs are related to hospitalizations, injuries, and death. Little is known about the care needs for people living with dementia in Brazil.

Socioeconomic determinants of cognition among older adults in the Brazilian longitudinal study of aging (ELSI-Brazil): a life-course approach.

Background: The prevalence of cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) and dementia appears to be higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high-income economies. Yet few nationally representative studies from Latin American LMICs have investigated life-course socioeconomic factors associated with the susceptibility to these two cognitive conditions. Hence, the present study aimed to examine the associations of early- (education and food insecurity), mid- (employment stability), and late-life (personal income and household per capita income) socioeconomic determinants of CIND and dementia among older adults from Brazil, while simultaneously exploring whether sex plays an effect-modifier role on these associations.

The repertoire of iron superoxide dismutases from as targets in the search for therapeutic agents against leishmaniasis.

Species of and genera are the causative agents of relevant parasitic diseases. Survival inside their hosts requires the existence of a potent antioxidant enzymatic machinery. Four iron superoxide dismutases have been described in trypanosomatids (FeSODA, FeSODB1, FeSODB2, and FeSODC) that hold a potential as therapeutic targets.

Advancing arteriovenous fistula needling: The role of physical exam and doppler ultrasound.

Background: The success of haemodialysis (HD) critically depends on the effective use of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). The precise needling technique is vital to minimise complications and ensure functional vascular access.

Objective: This study assesses the effectiveness of a nursing consultation protocol, which integrates physical examination (PE) with Doppler Ultrasound (DUS), in preparing patients for the first AVF needling.

Enhanced HPLC Method for Boar Taint Quantification.

Boar taint is an unpleasant odour found in the carcasses of entire male pigs, resulting from androstenone and skatole accumulation during pubertal development, and impacting pork quality. This study proposes the validation of an adapted chromatographic method for quantifying skatole and androstenone in the pigs' liquid fat using fluorescence detection. A good chromatographic separation was achieved, with skatole (SKA) and androstenone (AND) elution at 4.

Polyphenolic dendrimers as carriers of anticancer siRNA.

Dendrimers have emerged as an important group of nanoparticles to transport drugs, DNA, or RNA into target cells in cancer and other diseases. Various functional modifications can be imposed on dendrimers to increase the efficacy and specificity in delivering their cargo to the target cells and decrease their toxicity. In the present work, we evaluated the potential of carbosilane polyphenolic dendrimers modified with caffeic acid (CA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to deliver proapoptotic Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 siRNAs to A549 cancer cells.

Fine-Tuning the Amphiphilic Properties of Carbosilane Dendritic Networks towards High-Swelling Thermogels.

Dendritic hydrogels based on carbosilane crosslinkers are promising drug delivery systems, as their amphiphilic nature improves the compatibility with poorly water-soluble drugs. In this work, we explored the impact of the complementary polymer on the amphiphilic properties of the dendritic network. Different polymers were selected as precursors, from the highly lipophilic propylene glycol (PPG) to the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG), including amphiphilic Pluronics L31, L35 and L61.

Zinc(II) Iminopyridine Complexes as Antibacterial Agents: A Structure-to-Activity Study.

Antibiotic resistance is currently a global health emergency. Metallodrugs, especially metal coordination complexes, comprise a broad variety of candidates to combat antibacterial infections. In this work, we designed a new family of Schiff base zinc(II) complexes with iminopyridine as an organic ligand and different inorganic ligands: chloride, nitrate, and acetate.

The Society of Information and the European Citizens' Perception of Climate Change: Natural or Anthropological Causes.

The scientific community has reached a consensus on humans' important role as causative agents of climate change; however, branches of society are still sceptical about this. Climate change is a key issue for humanity and only the commitment to change human attitudes and lifestyles, at the global level, can be effective in its mitigation. With this purpose, it is important to convey the right message and prevent misinformation to manipulate people's minds.

A new class of polyphenolic carbosilane dendrimers binds human serum albumin in a structure-dependent fashion.

The use of dendrimers as drug and nucleic acid delivery systems requires knowledge of their interactions with objects on their way to the target. In the present work, we investigated the interaction of a new class of carbosilane dendrimers functionalized with polyphenolic and caffeic acid residues with human serum albumin, which is the most abundant blood protein. The addition of dendrimers to albumin solution decreased the zeta potential of albumin/dendrimer complexes as compared to free albumin, increased density of the fibrillary form of albumin, shifted fluorescence spectrum towards longer wavelengths, induced quenching of tryptophan fluorescence, and decreased ellipticity of circular dichroism resulting from a reduction in the albumin α-helix for random coil structural form.

Synthesis and biophysical evaluation of carbosilane dendrimers as therapeutic siRNA carriers.

Gene therapy presents an innovative approach to the treatment of previously incurable diseases. The advancement of research in the field of nanotechnology has the potential to overcome the current limitations and challenges of conventional therapy methods, and therefore to unlocking the full potential of dendrimers for use in the gene therapy of neurodegenerative disorders. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses a significant challenge when delivering therapeutic agents to the central nervous system.

Bifunctional Carbosilane Dendrimers for the Design of Multipurpose Hydrogels with Antibacterial Action.

The emergence of antibiotic resistance is a serious global health problem. There is an incessant demand for new antimicrobial drugs and materials that can address this global issue from different angles. Dendritic hydrogels have appeared as a promising strategy.

Quality of life of family carers of people living with dementia: review of systematic reviews of observational and intervention studies.

Introduction: Family members are the primary source of support for the growing number of people living with dementia (PLWD) worldwide. However, caring for a person living with dementia can have detrimental impacts on the carer quality of life (QoL). This review of systematic reviews explored the factors associated with the QoL of family carers of PLWD and interventions aimed at improving their QoL.

Experiences of stigma and discrimination among people living with dementia and family carers in Brazil: Qualitative study.

This study aimed to understand stigma in relation to people living with dementia in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Critical Narrative Inquiry methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and March 2020 with six people living with dementia and 15 family carers.