Coupling tree-ring and geomorphic analyses to reconstruct the 1950s massive Glacier Lake Outburst Flood at Grosse Glacier, Chilean Patagonia.

Over recent decades, global warming has led to sustained glacier mass reduction and the formation of glacier lakes dammed by potentially unstable moraines. When such dams break, devastating Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) can occur in high mountain environments with catastrophic effects on populations and infrastructure. To understand the occurrence of GLOFs in space and time, build frequency-magnitude relationships for disaster risk reduction or identify regional links between GLOF frequency and climate warming, comprehensive databases are critically needed.

2D Facial Analysis Performed by a Human Operator Versus an Artificial Intelligence Software.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a contribution in recent years to the development of new tools for dental, surgical, and esthetic treatment. In the case of image diagnosis, AI allows automated analysis of some facial parameters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the precision and reproducibility of these IA analyses compared with a human operator.

Systematic Review: Efficacy of Medical Therapy on Outcomes Important to Pediatric Patients with X-Linked Hypophosphatemia.

Objective: To examine the evidence addressing the management of X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) in children to inform treatment recommendations.

Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central up to May 2023. Eligible studies included RCTs and observational studies of individuals less than 18yrs with clinically or genetically confirmed XLH.

Association between methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 5 gene and depressive symptoms in Mexican population: Results from MxGDAR/Encodat cohort.

Objective: To explore the association between 75 candidate genes previously reported in subjects with anxiety symptoms (AS) and depressive symptoms (DS) in a Mexican cohort.

Methods: The sample included 2012 individuals from the Mexican Genomic Database for Addiction Research (MxGDAR/Encodat) cohort, 198 showed AS, 266 DS, 66 anxiety and depressive symptoms (ADS), and 1482 healthy controls. The DI-PAD screening questionnaire was used to evaluate lifetime AS and DS.

Determinants of agricultural employment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A spatial analysis of Brazilian municipalities.

The impact of COVID-19 has extended beyond the health toll it has taken on populations. The global economy has experienced significant downturns, with unemployment rates reaching unprecedented highs for this century. Nonetheless, the agricultural sector has been uniquely affected by the pandemic, particularly given its crucial role in food supply.

The Effects of Percentage-Based, Rating of Perceived Exertion, Repetitions in Reserve, and Velocity-Based Training on Performance and Fatigue Responses.

Cowley, N, Nicholson, V, Timmins, R, Munteanu, G, Wood, T, García-Ramos, A, Owen, C, and Weakley, J. The effects of percentage-based, rating of perceived exertion, repetitions in reserve, and velocity-based training on performance and fatigue responses. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-This study assessed the effects of percentage-based training (%1RM), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), repetitions in reserve (RIR), and velocity-based training (VBT) on (a) acute kinematic outputs, perceptions of effort, and changes in neuromuscular function during resistance training; and (b) neuromuscular fatigue and perceptions of soreness 24 hours after exercise.

Biomarkers.

Background: Beyond dementia syndromes, cognitive symptoms are highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD), often manifesting as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Yet, their detection and characterization remain suboptimal because standard approaches rely on subjective impressions derived from lengthy, univariate tests. Here we introduce a novel approach to detect cognitive symptom severity and identify MCI in PD using fully automated word property analyses on brief verbal fluency tasks.

Biomarkers.

Background: Chronic exposition to stressor factors has been postulated as a cause of structural changes in the brain in the context of dementia. One of these changes can be the fiber integrity loss, that can be measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We obtained DTI whole brain metrics to relate them with allostatic load in subjects of a chilean cohort of cognitive complaint subjects.

Biomarkers.

Background: Dementia impacts the way individuals perceive and describe everyday events. Alzheimer's disease (AD) notably affects processing of entities manifested by nouns, while behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) often presents a detached, third-person perspective. Yet, the potential of natural language processing tools (NLP) to detect these variations in spontaneous speech remains explored.

Biomarkers.

Background: Chronic exposure to stress, quantified by allostatic load (AL), has been postulated as a cause of structural brain changes in the context of dementia. White matter hyperintensities (WMH), detected in MRI FLAIR, are a common brain abnormality representing small vessel disease or degenerative changes in the brain. Here, we studied differences in tract-specific WMH volume across three risk levels of AL in Chilean subjects with cognitive complaint, to explore links between chronic stress exposure and prodromal steps of dementia.

Biomarkers.

Background: The Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum is composed of the stages of Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's Disease Dementia (ADD). The decrease in gray matter volume (GMV) secondary to cortical atrophy, commonly seen in this continuum, is related to cognitive and activities of daily living (ADL) impairment. Additionally, White Matter Hyperintensities (WMH), MRI abnormalities frequently observed in older adults and patients with dementia, are also associated with cognitive and ADL performance.

Biomarkers.

Background: The human brain integrity relies on the synergistic interplay between neural activity and supporting vascular and metabolic processes throughout life. This relationship, ruled by allostatic mechanisms, regulates brain architecture and activity. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) serve as indicators of the vascular impact on brain structure.

Biomarkers.

Background: Digital health research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) points to automated speech and language analysis (ASLA) as a globally scalable approach for diagnosis and monitoring. However, most studies target uninterpretable features in Anglophone samples, casting doubts on the approach's clinical utility and cross-linguistic validity. The present study was designed to tackle both issues.

Biomarkers.

Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are very common brain MRI signal abnormalities linked to age, small vessel cerebrovascular disease, cognitive impairment, and dementia. Despite extensive research on WMH in Alzheimer's disease (AD), their prevalence in behavioral variant Frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) remains less explored. Additionally, Latin American countries (LA) exhibit a higher prevalence of cerebrovascular disease due to distinct demographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethno-racial factors.

Biomarkers.

Background: The Alzheimer's Disease (AD) continuum is composed of Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's Disease Dementia (ADD). Changes in grey matter volume (GMV), characteristic of the AD continuum, are related to cognitive and activities of daily living (ADL) impairments. ADLs are divided into three domains: i) Basic (BADL), ii) Instrumental (IADL), and iii) Advanced (AADL), and their study is critical for understanding the evolution and adequate follow-up of patients.

Biomarkers.

Background: Dementia, encompassing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), poses a substantial public health challenge in Latin America. Barriers such as a shortage of healthcare professionals, limited medical accessibility, and underdiagnosis contribute to the complexity. While biomarkers aligned with the ATN framework (Amyloid, Tau, Neurodegeneration) have revolutionized diagnosis, their cost limits adoption in Latin America.

Public Health.

Background: Latin American Countries (LACs) have major health-related inequities due to historical, cultural, and social aspects. These factors have been suggested as important determinants of healthy aging in LACs. Here, we evaluated classic and socioeconomic risk factors for healthy brain aging across five large cohorts of LACs.

Public Health.

Background: Smartphone-based assessments are a promising tool for early detection of cognitive decline in midlife. Previous research has shown such cognitive markers can be sensitive to a range of potentially modifiable dementia risk factors even in healthy adults. However, their sensitivity to genetic risk factors like APOE-ε4 is likely to differ by cognitive domain, with evidence of strong negative effects on wayfinding tasks but mixed for other domains.

Public Health.

Background: During the pandemic, Social Isolation (SI) and the perception of loneliness emerged as critical factors associated with significant psychological and physical impacts (Tyrrell, C. & Williams, N., 2020; González, D.

Public Health.

Background: The profound impact of dementia on acute care, compounded by frequent underdiagnosis, is a significant challenge, especially among certain ethnic and minority groups, and remains largely unexplored in hospital settings. We used data from a multicentric study comprising 43 public and private hospitals in five countries to estimate the prevalence of undiagnosed dementia across different sociodemographic measures.

Method: The CHANGE (Creating a Hospital Assessment Network in Geriatrics) Study, an ongoing cohort designed to identify age-related conditions like dementia, included patients aged ≥65 years admitted to 43 acute hospitals throughout Brazil and four other countries: Angola, Chile, Colombia, and Portugal.

Public Health.

Background: Assessing knowledge of dementia prevention from both the individual (patients) and the structural level (health professionals) in the same settings is vital to implementing dementia risk reduction programs. However, most studies have only focused on one level. Thus, this was the aim of our study.

Public Health.

Background: Although ethnic and cultural aspects can influence health behaviors, no studies have compared views about dementia and brain health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people living in the same territory. Therefore, we contrasted beliefs and knowledge about dementia risk reduction between Indigenous (Mapuche) and non-Indigenous older adults in Chile.

Method: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with people 60 years and older, self-identified as Mapuche ('people of the land') or non-Mapuche, with no dementia.

Public Health.

Background: Approximately 40% of global dementia cases are associated with 12 modifiable risk factors (less education, hearing loss, hypertension, obesity, smoking, depression, social isolation, physical inactivity, diabetes, alcohol excess, air pollution, and traumatic brain injury). However, the number of people with these risk factors differs between populations. Latin American countries differ in socioeconomic and geographic aspects and, therefore, risk factors prevalence.

Public Health.

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) are among the main modifiable risk factors for dementia in Latin America (LA). Therefore, improving cardiovascular health (CVH) is one of the main objectives of the LatAm-FINGERS trial, the largest non-pharmacological (lifestyle improvement) randomized trial in LA. But, to fully comprehend CVH it is necessary to explore its relation with the social determinants of health (SDH), that are closely associated with lifestyle.

Public Health.

Background: In Chile, the cases of cognitive impairment and dementia are on the rise and are expected to triple by 2050. Additionally, older adults face life changes that may contribute to depression onset. We studied the relationship between cognitive impairment (CI), functional decline (FD) and depression with the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular event mortality in the Chilean population aged ≥60 years.