Alcohol Sniff Test (AST): An Important Tool for Screening Post-Viral Olfactory Loss in Acute Flu-Like Dysfunction.

Olfactory disorders have a significant impact on patients' quality of life but are often underestimated in clinical practice. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are a common cause of olfactory loss. While most cases of olfactory loss due to URTIs are conductive and reversible, post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) persists despite symptom improvement.

Synthesis of bioluminescent gold nanoparticle-luciferase hybrid systems for technological applications.

Bioluminescent gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized in situ using dithiol-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG(SH)) as reducer and stabilizing agents. Hybrid Au/FO nanoparticles were also produced in a variation of synthesis, and both types of nanostructures had the polymer capping replaced by L-cysteine (Cys). The four types of nanoparticles, PEG(SH)AuNPs, PEG(SH)Au/FONPs, CysAuNPs, and CysAu/FONPs were associated with purified recombinant Pyrearinus termitilluminans green emitting click beetle luciferase (PyLuc) and Phrixotrix hirtus (RELuc) red-emitting railroad worm luciferase.

Intraocular pressure variation by pneumatic tonometer before and after phacoemulsification.

Objective: To evaluate the intraocular pressure variation before and after phacoemulsification through pneumatic tonometry in addition to correlating it with the age, gender, and preoperative intraocular pressure of the patients evaluated.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study. Inclusion criteria were older than 18 years, deep anterior chamber visualized by the slit lamp and estimation of open angle using the Van Herick technique, intraocular pressure less than 21 mmHg, without surgical complications, and without any ocular disease.

Effectiveness of Spiritist "passe" (Spiritual healing) for anxiety levels, depression, pain, muscle tension, well-being, and physiological parameters in cardiovascular inpatients: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Biofield therapies, such as laying on of hands, are used in association with Conventional Medicine as Spiritist "passe", among others. The aim of this study was to evaluate anxiety, depression, pain, muscle tension and well-being, as well as physiological parameters in cardiovascular inpatients submitted to the Spiritist "passe", sham, and no intervention.

Methods: In the total, 41 cardiovascular inpatients submitted to the Spiritist "passe", sham, and no intervention during a 10-min period on 3 consecutive days.

Hemotransfusion and mechanical ventilation time are associated with intra-hospital mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury admitted to intensive care unit.

Objective: To identify the factors associated with the intra-hospital mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: The sample included patients with TBI admitted to the ICU consecutively in a period of one year. It was defined as variables the epidemiological characteristics, factors associated with trauma and variables arising from clinical management in the ICU.

Sensitive and specific detection of α-synuclein in human plasma.

alpha-Synuclein (alphasyn) mutations, overexpression, misfolding, and aggregation are associated with Parkinson's disease. This protein has been intensively studied in neuronal systems. However, alphasyn is also present in extracellular fluids, such as cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma.

Detection of a common mutation in factor V gene responsible for resistance to activate protein C causing predisposition to thrombosis.

Hereditary predisposition to thrombosis due to activated protein C resistance (APCR) has been attributed to a missense mutation in the factor V gene at nucleotide 1691 (G to A), causing replacement of arginine at codon 506 with glutamine. Using an RFLP-PCR assay to detect this mutation, we measured a prevalence of 3.3% in healthy Caucasians and 1.