Publications by authors named "Sergio Luis Blay"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) and depression affect cognitive function in older adults, aiming to understand their individual and combined impacts.
  • It harmonizes data from 14 international cohort studies and utilizes various scales to assess CMM and depression among participants who did not have dementia at the start of the study.
  • Findings include the analysis of over 30,000 older adults, revealing that both CMM and depression are linked to cognitive decline, with further validation through additional studies across different settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) index yields a dementia risk score based on modifiable lifestyle factors and is validated in Western samples. We investigated whether the association between LIBRA scores and incident dementia is moderated by geographical location or sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: We combined data from 21 prospective cohorts across six continents (N = 31,680) and conducted cohort-specific Cox proportional hazard regression analyses in a two-step individual participant data meta-analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Previous analyses indicated a link between social connections and cognitive health, but this study utilized individual data from a diverse international sample of over 39,000 participants to assess these impacts more comprehensively.
  • Findings showed that strong social connections—both in terms of structure (like marriage and community engagement) and quality (feeling connected)—are tied to reduced risks of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality.
  • Unique to Asian participants, being married or in a relationship significantly contributed to lower dementia risk, highlighting the varying importance of social factors across different cultures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Poor social connections, such as small social networks and feelings of loneliness, are linked to cognitive decline and this study investigates their impact on cognitive health over time while considering sex differences.
  • The researchers analyzed data from 13 global longitudinal studies, focusing on individuals without dementia at baseline, and assessed the relationship between social connections and changes in cognitive performance across various domains.
  • The findings suggest that stronger social connections can positively influence cognitive health, particularly in relation to maintaining cognitive function as people age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Physical activity appears to help delay the onset of dementia, but the specific amount and duration needed are not fully established.
  • A study analyzing data from nearly 12,000 older adults found that engaging in 3.1 to 6.0 hours of physical activity per week significantly lowers dementia risk.
  • The findings suggest that people may benefit from 9.1 to 18.0 MET-hours of activity weekly, but beyond this threshold, further activity does not significantly decrease risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The association between depression, anxiety, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is still unclear. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders among women with PCOS compared to women without it.

Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to November 27, 2015.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Several studies point out that pathophysiological changes related to stress may influence renal function and are associated with disease onset and evolution. However, we have not found any studies about the influence of stress on renal function and acute kidney injury.

Objective: To evaluate the association between stressful life events and acute kidney injury diagnosis, specifying the most stressful classes of events for these patients in the past 12 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To assess public stigma in relation to people with schizophrenia and possible factors associated with this phenomenon.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 500 individuals who live in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, and are aged between 18 and 65 years. A structured questionnaire was used, and it was applied in person.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of psychiatric morbidity, depression, cognitive deficit, number of self-reported illnesses and socio-demographic variables on the WHOQOL-Bref domain scores. WHOQOL-Bref domain scores are substantially affected by psychiatric morbidity and income. Depression, the number of self-reported illnesses and the female gender also explain the variability of other domains to a lesser extent.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to combine the results of identified surveys on the prevalence of tobacco use in old age to estimate world prevalence of tobacco use and possible factors related to such behavior among the elderly. The literature search included electronic databases such as MEDLINE, LILACS, and Biological Abstracts, hand-searching of specialist journals and cited reference searches. The combined global prevalence was estimated using the random effects model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To conduct a systematic review of studies that evaluated quality of life (QOL) among individuals with eating disorders, to analyze the characteristics of specific QOL instruments for eating disorders. Bibliographic searches were conducted in 6 databases and manual searches in 2 journals, covering the period from January 1975 to June 2008. The search strategies provided a total of 29,537 references.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Psychotherapy is an efficacious and long used type of care. However, information available in specialized literature shows that this area has been little studied. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of use of outpatient psychotherapy by adult population, their related factors, and funding sources through systematic review, including qualitative and quantitative analyses of original articles with cross-sectional design and population-based sampling.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This article provides a systematic review of articles on quality of life (QoL) among individuals with eating disorders. A literature search was conducted using six databases. Manual searches were also performed in two specialized journals, covering the period from January 1975 to June 2008.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

OBJECTIVE: To assess public stigma in relation to people with schizophrenia and possible factors associated with this phenomenon. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 500 individuals who live in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, and are aged between 18 and 65 years. A structured questionnaire was used, and it was applied in person.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To investigate public stigma relating to Alzheimer disease (AD) and variables correlated with this outcome.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: City of São Paulo, Brazil.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A systematic literature review published between 1990 and 2006 using a qualitative approach was conducted to explore family members' perception of anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients. Articles were critically reviewed and a meta-synthesis analysis was carried out based on a meta-ethnographic method to analyze and summarize data. Of a total of 3,415 studies, nine met the study inclusion and exclusion criteria.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: violence is a public health major concern, and it is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric outcomes. Brazil is one of the most violent countries in the world, and has an extreme social inequality. Research on the association between violence and mental health may support public health policy and thus reduce the burden of disease attributable to violence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Depression is an important target of psychological assessment in patients with end-stage renal disease because it predicts their morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. We assessed the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in chronic hemodialysis patients diagnosed with major depression by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). In a randomized trial conducted in Brazil, an intervention group of 41 patients was given 12 weekly sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy led by a trained psychologist over 3 months while a control group of 44 patients received the usual treatment offered in the dialysis unit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Anorexia nervosa is a complex condition that brings great challenges at each stage of treatment. This study aims to organize the body of information available in qualitative studies about the treatment of anorexia nervosa through a systematic literature review and metasynthesis.

Methods: Searches were carried out on the following databases for the years 1990 to 2005: PubMed, ISI, PsycINFO, EMBASE, LILACS, and SciELO from 1990 to 2005.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We carried out a qualitative synthesis of international literature to provide insight into the patient's experience as a means to help clinicians recognize symptoms of anorexia nervosa.

Method: International publications from 1990 to 2005 were searched for relevant qualitative investigations, and meta-ethnography was employed to identify common themes across studies. Databases included were PubMed, ISI, PsycINFO, EMBASE, LILACS and SciELO.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Little is known about the sociodemographic correlates and health effects associated with lifetime alcohol misuse in community dwelling elderly people in Brazil.

Method: Data were obtained from a representative sample of 6961 residents aged 60+ in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The structured interview included a five-item lifetime alcohol use questionnaire addressing abuse and dependence, and questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and social support, and health conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Little is known about public beliefs concerning the treatment of mental disorders in developing countries.

Aims: To assess preferences on sources of help and treatment and the perception of prognosis for schizophrenia and depression.

Method: A household survey was carried out in 2002 with a probabilistic sample of 1000 individuals, residents of São Paulo city, Brazil, with ages ranging from 18-65.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the religious characteristics of older subjects and the associations of these characteristics to the use of tobacco, alcohol, and depression.

Methods: Data from a multistage random sample were used to examine associations between religiosity and health behaviors (tobacco use, alcohol) and depression among elderly house hold residents aged 60+ in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Survey measures included sociodemographic characteristics, four aspects of religiosity, tobacco use, alcohol abuse and dependence, depression, life style, social context, functional status, and health conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF