Structural inequality linked to brain volume and network dynamics in aging and dementia across the Americas.

Structural inequality, the uneven distribution of resources and opportunities, influences health outcomes. However, the biological embedding of structural inequality in aging and dementia, especially among underrepresented populations, is unclear. We examined the association between structural inequality (country-level and state-level Gini indices) and brain volume and connectivity in 2,135 healthy controls, and individuals with Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobe degeneration from Latin America and the United States.

Brain clocks capture diversity and disparities in aging and dementia across geographically diverse populations.

Brain clocks, which quantify discrepancies between brain age and chronological age, hold promise for understanding brain health and disease. However, the impact of diversity (including geographical, socioeconomic, sociodemographic, sex and neurodegeneration) on the brain-age gap is unknown. We analyzed datasets from 5,306 participants across 15 countries (7 Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC) and 8 non-LAC countries).

Educational disparities in brain health and dementia across Latin America and the United States.

Background: Education influences brain health and dementia. However, its impact across regions, specifically Latin America (LA) and the United States (US), is unknown.

Methods: A total of 1412 participants comprising controls, patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) from LA and the US were included.

Brain clocks capture diversity and disparity in aging and dementia.

Brain clocks, which quantify discrepancies between brain age and chronological age, hold promise for understanding brain health and disease. However, the impact of multimodal diversity (geographical, socioeconomic, sociodemographic, sex, neurodegeneration) on the brain age gap (BAG) is unknown. Here, we analyzed datasets from 5,306 participants across 15 countries (7 Latin American countries -LAC, 8 non-LAC).

Designing Prepregnation and Fused Filament Fabrication Parameters for Recycled PP- and PA-Based Continuous Carbon Fiber Composites.

Continuous carbon fiber (cCF)-based 3D-printed polymer composites are known for their excellent flexural properties; however, the optimization of the overall process is still desired, depending on the material types involved. Here, the improved manufacturing of cCF-based composites is reported, considering virgin polyamide (PA) and postindustrial waste polypropylene (PP), and the parameters affecting the material properties are evaluated. Firstly, the prepregnation technique was optimized to manufacture cCF polymer filaments with various fiber-to-polymer ratios.

SEN1990 is a predicted winged helix-turn-helix protein involved in the pathogenicity of serovar Enteritidis and the expression of the gene in the SPI-17.

Excisable genomic islands (EGIs) are horizontally acquired genetic elements that harbor an array of genes with diverse functions. ROD21 is an EGI found integrated in the chromosome of serovar Enteritidis ( ser. Enteritidis).

Multivariate word properties in fluency tasks reveal markers of Alzheimer's dementia.

Introduction: Verbal fluency tasks are common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) assessments. Yet, standard valid response counts fail to reveal disease-specific semantic memory patterns. Here, we leveraged automated word-property analysis to capture neurocognitive markers of AD vis-à-vis behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD).

Multicomponent Acrylic Formulation Design for Corrosion Casting with Controlled Mechanical Properties.

Corrosion casting based on the curing of acrylic resins enables one to create casts as replicas of body systems, enhancing our knowledge of veterinary medicine. The identification of the optimal chemical formulations as well as the processing conditions, the delivery of good control during the liquid state and the excellent macroscopic properties during solidification and after use are remaining challenges. In the present work, based on the identification of more qualitative trends, it is demonstrated that multicomponent comonomer mixtures are interesting materials that can be used to expand the range of mechanical properties and can specifically result in a better balance between stiffness and flexibility while guaranteeing dimensional stability.

Heterogeneous factors influence social cognition across diverse settings in brain health and age-related diseases.

Aging may diminish social cognition, which is crucial for interaction with others, and significant changes in this capacity can indicate pathological processes like dementia. However, the extent to which non-specific factors explain variability in social cognition performance, especially among older adults and in global settings, remains unknown. A computational approach assessed combined heterogeneous contributors to social cognition in a diverse sample of 1063 older adults from 9 countries.

Frontotemporal dementia presentation in patients with heterozygous p.H157Y variant of .

Background: The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (TREM2) is a major regulator of neuroinflammatory processes in neurodegeneration. To date, the p.H157Y variant of has been reported only in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Modified Anterior Z Le Fort III Osteotomy.

Introduction: Surgery of the midface for non-syndromic patients with maxillo-malar hypoplasia exclusively has had many breakthroughs lately. The surgical techniques for midface surgery are varied and must be selected according to the patient's problem.

Purpose: The technique is a modification of the Z Osteotomy, the Modified Anterior Z Le Fort III Osteotomy (MAZLFIIIO), is used to correct posteroanterior midface deficiency of 6 mm at most.

Neurocognitive patterns across genetic levels in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: a multiple single cases study.

Background: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) has been related to different genetic factors. Identifying multimodal phenotypic heterogeneity triggered by various genetic influences is critical for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatments. However, the specific impact of different genetic levels (mutations vs.

A Test of Energetic Particle Precipitation Models Using Simultaneous Incoherent Scatter Radar and Van Allen Probes Observations.

Quantification of energetic electron precipitation caused by wave-particle interactions is fundamentally important to understand the cycle of particle energization and loss of the radiation belts. One important way to determine how well the wave-particle interaction models predict losses through pitch-angle scattering into the atmospheric loss cone is the direct comparison between the ionization altitude profiles expected in the atmosphere due to the precipitating fluxes and the ionization profiles actually measured with incoherent scatter radars. This paper reports such a comparison using a forward propagation of loss-cone electron fluxes, calculated with the electron pitch angle diffusion model applied to Van Allen Probes measurements, coupled with the Boulder Electron Radiation to Ionization model, which propagates the fluxes into the atmosphere.

Multi-feature computational framework for combined signatures of dementia in underrepresented settings.

The differential diagnosis of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains challenging in underrepresented, underdiagnosed groups, including Latinos, as advanced biomarkers are rarely available. Recent guidelines for the study of dementia highlight the critical role of biomarkers. Thus, novel cost-effective complementary approaches are required in clinical settings.

Combining Chromatographic, Rheological, and Mechanical Analysis to Study the Manufacturing Potential of Acrylic Blends into Polyacrylic Casts.

Polyacrylics have been considered for a broad range of material applications, including coatings, dental applications, and adhesives. In this experimental study, the casting potential of a group of (co)monomers belonging to the acrylic family has been explored to enable a more sustainable use of these polymer materials in the medical and veterinary science field. The individual contributions of each comonomer have been analyzed, the reaction conversion has been studied via gas chromatography (GC), the rheological behavior has been characterized via stress-controlled measurements, and the final mechanical properties have been obtained from tensile, flexure, and impact tests.

Exploring Signatures of Neurodegeneration in Early-Onset Older-Age Bipolar Disorder and Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia.

Older-age bipolar disorder (OABD) may involve neurocognitive decline and behavioral disturbances that could share features with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), making the differential diagnosis difficult in cases of suspected dementia. To compare the neuropsychological profile, brain morphometry, and structural connectivity patterns between patients diagnosed with bvFTD, patients classified as OABD with an early onset of the disease (EO-OABD), and healthy controls (HC). bvFTD patients ( = 25, age: 66 ± 7, female: 64%, disease duration: 6 ± 4 years), EO-OABD patients ( = 17, age: 65 ± 9, female: 71%, disease duration: 38 ± 8 years), and HC ( = 28, age: 62 ± 7, female: 64%) were evaluated through neuropsychological tests concerning attention, memory, executive function, praxis, and language.

[Socioeconomic determinants and gender gaps in depressive symptoms in Chile].

Background: There are marked differences associated with socio-economic factors in the prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) in men and women.

Aim: To estimate the association between socioeconomic status and DS in Chile and to estimate the gender gaps in this association.

Material And Methods: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was applied as part of a socioeconomic survey carried out in a representative community sample (n = 2913).

Primary Care Records of Chronic-Disease Patient Adherence to Treatment.

The goal of managing adherence (AD) is to achieve better medication use by patients in order to maximize benefits and reduce risks. With the aim of improving treatment adherence by patients, we carried out a descriptive study to obtain information related to adherence management in primary care. Inclusion criteria were as follows: patients that had at least one record of any treatment adherence assessment variable.

Misinformation on COVID-19 origin and its relationship with perception and knowledge about social distancing: A cross-sectional study.

Despite the vast scientific evidence obtained from the genomic sequencing of COVID-19, controversy regarding its origin has been created in the mass media. This could potentially have a long-term influence on the behavior among individuals, such as failure to comply with proposed social distancing measures, leading to a consequent rise in the morbidity and mortality rates from COVID-19 infection. Several studies have collected information about knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19; however, very little is known about the relationship of the perceptions of the individuals regarding the origin of the virus with the knowledge and perception about social distancing.

Dynamic brain fluctuations outperform connectivity measures and mirror pathophysiological profiles across dementia subtypes: A multicenter study.

From molecular mechanisms to global brain networks, atypical fluctuations are the hallmark of neurodegeneration. Yet, traditional fMRI research on resting-state networks (RSNs) has favored static and average connectivity methods, which by overlooking the fluctuation dynamics triggered by neurodegeneration, have yielded inconsistent results. The present multicenter study introduces a data-driven machine learning pipeline based on dynamic connectivity fluctuation analysis (DCFA) on RS-fMRI data from 300 participants belonging to three groups: behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) patients, Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and healthy controls.

Mechanical and Antimicrobial Polyethylene Composites with CaO Nanoparticles.

Low-density polyethylene composites containing different sizes of calcium oxide (CaO) nanoparticles were obtained by melt mixing. The CaO nanoparticles were synthesized by either the sol-gel or sonication methods, obtaining two different sizes: ca. 55 nm and 25 nm.

The role of social cognition skills and social determinants of health in predicting symptoms of mental illness.

Social factors, such as social cognition skills (SCS) and social determinants of health (SDH), may be vital for mental health, even when compared with classical psycho-physical predictors (demographic, physical, psychiatric, and cognitive factors). Although major risk factors for psychiatric disorders have been previously assessed, the relative weight of SCS and SDH in relation to classical psycho-physical predictors in predicting symptoms of mental disorders remains largely unknown. In this study, we implemented multiple structural equation models (SEM) from a randomized sample assessed in the Colombian National Mental Health Survey of 2015 (CNMHS, n = 2947, females: 1348) to evaluate the role of SCS, SDH, and psycho-physical factors (totaling 17 variables) as predictors of mental illness symptoms (anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric symptoms).

Evaluating the reliability of neurocognitive biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases across countries: A machine learning approach.

Accurate early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases represents a growing challenge for current clinical practice. Promisingly, current tools can be complemented by computational decision-support methods to objectively analyze multidimensional measures and increase diagnostic confidence. Yet, widespread application of these tools cannot be recommended unless they are proven to perform consistently and reproducibly across samples from different countries.

[Acute meningitis following mumps vaccine].

In Chile, the strain of the mumps virus used in the vaccine is Leningrad-Zagreb (L-Z). Although the relationship between meningitis and the L-Z strain remains controversial, most of the reported cases have shown a benign course without permanent neurological sequelae. We present a case of a patient who presented an aseptic meningitis three weeks after immunization with a mumps vaccine; and laboratory confirmation showed positive serum mumps IgM antibody.