Response to intervention as an identification strategy of the risk for dyslexia.

Purpose: To develop on intervention process to identify children at risk of dyslexia, based on the Response to Intervention model. Specifically, to identify the pattern of changes in post-intervention performance in tasks of phonological awareness, working memory, lexical access, reading and writing; and to analyze which cognitive functions had a significant effect on the discriminating students at risk of dyslexia.

Method: Sample of 30 participants with Reading and writing difficulties, aged 8-11, from public/private schools, students from 3rd to 5th grade.

Rapid Measurement of Heteronuclear Coupling Constants in Complex NMR Spectra.

The NMR analysis of fluorine-containing molecules, increasingly widespread due to their importance in pharmaceuticals and biochemistry, poses significant challenges. Severe peak overlap in the proton spectrum often hinders the extraction of critical structural information in the form of heteronuclear scalar coupling constants, which are crucial for determining pharmaceutical properties and biological activity. Here, a new method, IPAP-FESTA, is reported that drastically simplifies measurements of the signs and magnitudes of proton-fluorine couplings.

and CA-MRSA Carriage among Brazilian Indians Living in Peri-Urban Areas and Remote Communities.

The emergence of Community-associated methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) infections among indigenous populations has been reported. Usually, indigenous communities live in extreme poverty and are at risk of acquiring infections. In Brazil, healthcare inequality is observed in this population.

Identification of pathogenic variants in the Brazilian cohort with Familial hypercholesterolemia using exon-targeted gene sequencing.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a monogenic disease characterized by high plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels and increased risk of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Mutations in FH-related genes account for 40% of FH cases worldwide. In this study, we aimed to assess the pathogenic variants in FH-related genes in the Brazilian FH cohort FHBGEP using exon-targeted gene sequencing (ETGS) strategy.

LDLR missense variants disturb structural conformation and LDLR activity in T-lymphocytes of Familial hypercholesterolemia patients.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is caused by deleterious mutations in the LDLR that increase markedly low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and cause premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Functional effects of pathogenic LDLR variants identified in Brazilian FH patients were assessed using in vitro and in silico studies. Variants in LDLR and other FH-related genes were detected by exon-target gene sequencing.

Effects of PCSK9 missense variants on molecular conformation and biological activity in transfected HEK293FT cells.

PCSK9 gain-of-function (GOF) variants increase degradation of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and are potentially associated with Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). This study aimed to explore the effects of PCSK9 missense variants on protein structure and interactions with LDLR using molecular modeling analyses and in vitro functional studies. Variants in FH-related genes were identified in a Brazilian FH cohort using an exon-target gene sequencing strategy.

Mechanistic Aspects on [3+2] Cycloaddition (32CA) Reactions of Azides to Nitroolefins: A Computational and Kinetic Study.

[3+2] cycloadditions of nitroolefins have emerged as a selective and catalyst-free alternative for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles from azides. We describe mechanistic studies into the cycloaddition/rearomatization reaction sequence. DFT calculations revealed a rate-limiting cycloaddition step proceeding via an asynchronous TS with high kinetic selectivity for the 1,5-triazole.

Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Nonfermenting Gram-Negative Bacilli Causing Peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

(1) Background: Peritonitis due to nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NF-GNB) is a dramatic complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD) with bad outcomes. Previous studies of PD-related peritonitis due to species have shown a low-resolution rate, without a high resistance rate to antipseudomonal antibiotics. This suggests that bacterial virulence factors can act and influence peritonitis evolution.

Clinical and microbiological factors predicting outcomes of nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis.

Peritonitis due to gram-negative bacilli (GNB), particularly nonfermenting GNB (NF-GNB), is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis with a low resolution rate. Beyond the patient's condition, microbiological properties such as antimicrobial resistance, biofilm production and other virulence factors can explain the poor outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of patient condition, microbiological characteristics, including biofilm production, and treatment on peritonitis outcome.

Cardiovascular and Autonomic Responses after a Single Bout of Resistance Exercise in Men with Untreated Stage 2 Hypertension.

The aim of this paper is to assess the integrated responses of ambulatory blood pressure (BP), cardiac autonomic modulation, spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and vascular reactivity after a single bout of resistance exercise (RE) in men with stage 2 hypertension who have never been treated before. Ten hypertensive men were subjected to a RE session of three sets of 20 repetitions and an intensity of 40% of the 1-repetition maximum (RM) test in seven different exercises. For the control (CTR) session, the volunteers were positioned on the exercise machines but did not perform any exercise.

Genomics, epigenomics and pharmacogenomics of familial hypercholesterolemia (FHBGEP): A study protocol.

Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disease that affects millions of people worldwide.

Objectives: The study protocol FHBGEP was design to investigate the main genomic, epigenomic, and pharmacogenomic factors associated with FH and polygenic hypercholesterolemia (PH).

Methods: FH patients will be enrolled at six research centers in Brazil.

Improving the Sensitivity of FESTA Methods for the Analysis of Fluorinated Mixtures.

The analysis of complex mixtures is an important but often intractable problem. When species contain sparse fluorine atoms, NMR spectra of fluorine-containing spin systems can be efficiently extracted from an intact mixture using the recently proposed FESTA (Fluorine-Edited Selective TOCSY Acquisition) methodology. Here an alternative approach to the existing selective reverse INEPT FESTA (SRI-FESTA) experiment is described, based on the use of a modulated spin echo for the initial excitation.

Probing the Formation of Wormlike Micelles Formed by Cationic Surfactant with Chlorobenzoate Derivatives.

The energy released when tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is combined with different derivatives of chlorobenzoates in an isothermal titration calorimeter (ITC) allows a direct evaluation of the spontaneity of the threading of the aromatic anions into the micellar palisade. The comparison between the enthalpimetric curves with the ones for viscosity of the solutions, hydrodynamic radii of the aggregates (dynamic light scattering experiments), and the fraction of aromatic anions incorporated (diffusion-ordered spectroscopy experiments) allows the establishment of the variations of enthalpy with formation, growth, and decrease of the wormlike micelles (WLMs). The formation of WLMs with CTAB is very favored (very exothermic) for titrations of chlorobenzoate derivatives which present the chlorine atom in positions 3 or 4 of the aromatic ring.

Executive functions in children with dyslexia.

Introduction: This study aimed to verify whether children with dyslexia have difficulties in executive functions (shifting, working memory, inhibition).

Methods: A sample of 47 children (ages 8-13 years) participated in the study: 24 who were dyslexic and 23 controls with typical development. A battery of neuropsychological tests was used.

FESTA: An Efficient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Approach for the Structural Analysis of Mixtures Containing Fluorinated Species.

In complex mixtures, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra are often very crowded, making spectral analysis complicated or even impossible, particularly when detailed structural information about the mixture components is needed. A new 1D NMR method (fluorine-edited selective TOCSY acquisition, FESTA) is introduced that facilitates the structural analysis of mixtures of species that contain fluorine. It allows simplified H spectra to be obtained that show only those protons that are in a spin system coupled to fluorine of interest.

The Antagonist Effect of Nitrogen Lone Pair: J versus J.

The long-range scalar coupling constant between proton and fluorine nuclei, J , is observed to be larger than J in the pyrimidinyl moiety of voriconazole. A set of smaller molecules is chosen (fluorobenzene, N-methyl-2-fluoropyridine, N-methyl-3-fluoropyridine, 3-fluoropyridine, 5-pyrimidine, and 2-fluoropyridine) to evaluate the influence of the nitrogen atom in the experimental J values. Spectral aliased pure shift heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy (SAPS-HSQC) is applied to determine the relative sign between the J and J scalar couplings.

Effect of Heteropterys aphrodisiaca on Anxiety and Male Exposure of Female Mice with Advanced Age.

Background: Effect of Heteropterys aphrodisiaca (dog-node) on anxiety and function of adult female wistar mice. The project is an experiment with the use of H. aphrodisiac root extract, in order to observe the frequency of sexual exposure of females exposed to the extract, quantify the effect of the extract on the concentration of total testosterone and observe the anxiety levels of the animals exposed.

Supplementation with concentrated milk protein in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of dietary supplementation with whey protein concentrate (WPC) in the incidence of oral mucositis (OM) in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods: Patients were supplemented with a daily intake of WPC delivering 50% of the daily protein requirements (DPR) according to the Dietary Reference Intakes and classified later based on the amount of ingested supplement until OM median onset.

Results: We evaluated 73 patients.

Tautomerism in 8-Nitroguanosine Studied by NMR and Theoretical Calculations.

The guanine base in DNA, due to its low oxidation potential, is particularly sensitive to chemical modifications. A large number of guanine lesions have been characterized and studied in some detail due to their relationship with tissue inflammations. Nevertheless, one example of these lesions is the formation of 8-nitro-guanosine, but the NMR data of this compound was only partially interpreted.

Pramipexole, a Dopamine D2/D3 Receptor-Preferring Agonist, Prevents Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Development in Mice.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most used animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) for the development of new therapies. Dopamine receptors can modulate EAE and MS development, thus highlighting the potential use of dopaminergic agonists in the treatment of MS, which has been poorly explored. Herein, we hypothesized that pramipexole (PPX), a dopamine D2/D3 receptor-preferring agonist commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD), would be a suitable therapeutic drug for EAE.

Profile of language and cognitive functions in children with dyslexia in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese.

Objective: To verify the language and cognitive profile of children with dyslexia, contributing to the diagnosis of this condition in readers of a regular orthography, such as Brazilian Portuguese.

Methods: In this study, 47 children with dyslexia (GD) and two controlled groups, one composed of 41 age controls (GCI) and the other with 31 reading controls (GCL), participated. All children were submitted to a battery involving the above-mentioned abilities.

Rate coefficients for the reaction of OH radicals with cis-3-hexene: an experimental and theoretical study.

The kinetics of the cis-3-hexene + OH reaction were investigated by an experimental relative rate method and at the density functional theory level. The experimental set-up consisted of a 200 L Teflon bag, operated at atmospheric pressure and 298 K. OH radicals were produced by the photolysis of H2O2 at 254 nm.

Experimental and theoretical studies of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in 3-hydroxytetrahydropyran: beyond AIM analysis.

The conformational preferences of 3-hydroxytetrahydropyran (1) were evaluated using infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data in solvents of different polarities. Theoretical calculations in the isolated phase and including the solvent effect were performed, showing that the most stable conformations for compound 1 are those containing the substituent in the axial and equatorial orientations. The axial conformation is more stable in the isolated phase and in a nonpolar solvent, while the equatorial conformation is more stable than the axial in polar media.

Effect of hospital disinfectants on spores of clinical Brazilian Clostridium difficile strains.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sporicidal activity of hospital disinfectants against spores of two Brazilian Clostridium difficile ribotypes and the BI/NAP1/027. Our results showed that CloroRio(®) and Cidex Opa(®) were the most efficient agents for eliminating spores of C difficile.

Performance patterns in Conners' CPT among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia.

This study investigated the performance of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia using Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CCPT). The clinical groups were composed of 52 children with ADHD and 32 children with dyslexia. Performance in the CCPT was evaluated using ANCOVA to compare the clinical groups with the normative Brazilian sample.