Loneliness and social isolation in people with HIV.

Purpose Of Review: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly extended the life expectancy of people with HIV (PWH). However, as this population ages, they face increased risk of social isolation and loneliness (SIL), driven by stigma, discrimination, and shrinking social networks. SIL is a major public health issue, closely linked to mental health conditions, reduced adherence to treatment, and lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Multicentric Castleman's Disease presenting with bilateral panuveitis.

Purpose: To report a rare case of Multicentric Castleman's Disease presenting with bilateral panuveitis.

Methods: Case report.

Results: A 65-years-old caucasian man presented with progressive blurred vision in both eyes for two weeks, along with weight loss, polyarthralgias and reduced muscle strength persisting for about a year.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with active systemic lupus erythematous: Anifrolumab as a potentially successful add-on therapy to intravenous immunoglobulins.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired, autoimmune peripheral neuropathy, rarely reported as being associated with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). We report the case of 53-year-old women with a long history of SLE, diagnosed with CIDP during a lupus flare beginning with progressive muscle weakness of lower and upper limbs, without affection of the central nervous system. She received treatment with steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins and anifrolumab and showed clinical and immunological improvement.

Cardiovascular profile of systemic lupus erythematosus patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Spain: Analysis of the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry.

Background: Despite advancements in understanding the interplay between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cardiovascular disease and COVID-19, challenges and knowledge gaps persist. This study aimed to characterize the cardiovascular profiles of SLE patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and to evaluate the influence of SLE on the development of cardiovascular complications.

Methods: This was a multicentre, nationwide observational study in which data were sourced from the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, involving 150 Spanish hospitals.

Psychometric properties of the Fear of Birth Scale in women in the perinatal period: A multicountry study.

Assessing Fear of Birth Scale's (FOBS) psychometric properties in the perinatal period using multicountry data is a step toward effectively screen clinically significant fear of childbirth (FOC) in maternal healthcare settings. FOBS psychometric properties were analyzed in women in the perinatal period using data from Australia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Portugal. FOBS' reliability, criterion (known group and convergent), concurrent, predictive, and clinical validity were analyzed.

Feasibility and stage at diagnosis for children with cancer: a pilot study on population-based data in a middle-income country using the Toronto childhood cancer stage guidelines.

Background: The aim was to conduct a pilot study in a middle-income country testing the use of the Toronto Childhood Cancer Staging System by Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR).

Methods: This study involved first the translation of the Australian pediatric cancer staging manual for 16 types of pediatric tumours. Four PBCRs from different regions of Brazil were selected for a pilot study.

A Case of an Intrathoracic Accessory Rib Revealed on Chest X-ray.

Accessory ribs are rare anatomical variations, typically cervical or lumbar, with intrathoracic accessory ribs being particularly uncommon. These anomalies are often asymptomatic but can cause issues like thoracic outlet syndrome. This case report describes a 36-year-old woman who was incidentally found to have an intrathoracic accessory rib on a chest X-ray.

as a sentinel in the assessment of antimicrobial resistance in the tilapia production chain: from production environment to the final product.

Introduction: The intensification of tilapia production has increased animal density in tanks, leading to more frequent exposure to pathogenic agents and compromising the quality of fish products. Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern that affects human treatment, and sentinel microorganisms like are crucial for monitoring production chains, especially in aquaculture, where research is still limited. The aim of this study was to identify the presence of and investigate its antimicrobial resistance profiles throughout the entire tilapia production chain.

Genotoxicity study of L. extract.

L., a member of the Cannabaceae family, has been thoroughly investigated for its diverse therapeutic properties, primarily attributed to cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Secondary, metabolites like terpenes also exhibit pharmacological effects.

Efficacy of Open Reduction and Internal Fixation Assisted by Handheld Ultrasound Combined with 3D Printing Technology in Treating Multiple Rib Fractures.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the efficacy of open reduction and internal fixation assisted by handheld ultrasound combined with three-dimensional (3D) printing technology in treating multiple rib fractures.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data from 84 patients affected with multiple rib fractures admitted to our hospital between August 2022 and April 2024. After excluding four cases, 80 cases were included in this study.

Techno-functionality of jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) protein concentrate: a comparative study with soy and pea proteins.

Background: With the growing human awareness of the environmental and animal stress caused by the meat industry, the consumption of plant-based products has expanded. Plant proteins have gained market prominence due to their sustainable origin, economic value and health benefits. Well-established plant proteins in the market, such as those of soy and pea, have various applications as ingredients in the food industry.

Bullying in adolescents across three years in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional and prospective analysis.

Background: Bullying has been identified as a risk factor for many issues among adolescents. Although it was already considered a public health issue in Brazil before the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how the pandemic and associated public health measures have affected bullying behavior.

Objective: To explore changes in bullying victimization and perpetration among Brazilian high school students from 2019 to 2022.

Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with liver cirrhosis - a propensity-matched analysis from a multicentric Brazilian cohort.

Background: Cirrhosis has been pointed out as a clinical entity that leads to worse clinical prognosis in COVID-19 patients. However, this concept is controversial in the literature. We aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes by comparing patients with cirrhosis to those without cirrhosis in a Brazilian cohort.

Smart Polymeric 3D Microscaffolds Hosting Spheroids for Neuronal Research via Quantum Metrology.

Toward the aim of reducing animal testing, innovative in vitro models are required. Here, this study proposes a novel smart polymeric microscaffold to establish an advanced 3D model of dopaminergic neurons. These scaffolds are fabricated with Ormocomp via Two-Photon Polymerization.

Bilateral hip exoskeleton assistance enables faster walking in individuals with chronic stroke-related gait impairments.

Millions of individuals surviving a stroke have lifelong gait impairments that reduce their personal independence and quality of life. Reduced walking speed is one of the major problems limiting community mobility and reintegration. Previous studies have shown positive effect of robot-assisted gait training utilizing hip exoskeletons for individuals with gait impairments due to a stroke, leading to increased walking speed in post-treatment compared to pre-treatment assessments.

Modulating effects of fitness and physical activity on Alzheimer's disease: Implications from a six-month randomized controlled sports intervention.

Background: Physical activity and fitness are major targets in Alzheimer's disease (AD) preventive research. However, current research is heterogeneous and often disregards the relationship between these parameters and disease outcomes.

Objective: To assess the effects of physical activity and fitness on AD within the context of a multicomponent sports intervention.

Dorsal raphe nucleus receives retinal projections of morphologically distinct fibers in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus): A subunit B cholera labeling.

Non-image forming (NIF) pathways, a specialized branch of retinal circuitry, play a crucial role supporting physiological and behavioral processes, including circadian rhythmicity. Among the NIF regions, the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), a midbrain serotonergic cluster of neurons, is also devoted to circadian functions. Despite indirectly send photic inputs to circadian centers and modulating their activities, little is known about the organization of retina-DRN circuits in primate species.

The impact of blood eosinophil count and FeNO on benralizumab effectiveness in clinical practice: An ORBE II subanalysis.

Background: The ORBE II study showed the real-world effectiveness of benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). This subgroup analysis aimed to characterize patients and outcomes based on baseline blood eosinophil count (BEC) and/or fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels.

Methods: In this analysis of the ORBE II retrospective study, SEA patients receiving benralizumab were categorized into subgroups based on individual or combined BEC/FeNO levels, according to the following thresholds: high BEC (hiBEC): ≥300 cells/μL; low BEC (loBEC): <300 cells/μL; high FeNO (hiFeNO): ≥50 ppb; low FeNO (loFeNO): <50 ppb.

[Overall excess mortality and COVID-19 mortality in Brazil and Brazilian regions in 2020].

This study aimed to evaluate the overall excess mortality and COVID-19 mortality in the regions of Brazil, in 2020, by sex and age group. An ecological study was carried out to calculate the overall excess mortality, by sex and age group, using the expected number of deaths in a non-pandemic context and the deaths observed in 2020. Data on deaths were extracted from the Brazilian Mortality Information System, in addition to population data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

EVALUATION OF GRADUATES OF RESIDENCY IN DIGESTIVE SURGERY AND COLOPROCTOLOGY IN A SINGLE CENTER: A 43 YEARS PORTRAIT.

Background: The medical residency model, established over a century ago, remains the gold standard for medical education. Given its increasing significance in imparting expertise in medical specialties, understanding the profile of residents and changes over time is crucial.

Aims: This study aimed to assess graduates of digestive surgery and coloproctology residency programs at Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HCFMUSP) regarding their professional, academic, and research activities.

Unveiling degenerative bone changes in the condyle: a texture analysis approach using cone-beam computed tomography.

Purpose: The degenerative joint disease is a temporomandibular disorder. By analysing texture parameters, it becomes possible to characterize and differentiate various tissues, based on their textural properties according to cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). This study evaluated degenerative diseases in the temporomandibular joint through texture analysis.

Relationships that promote and threaten family hope during pregnancy and care for high-risk newborns.

Objective: To understand the relationships that promote and threaten family hope during pregnancy and in the care of high-risk newborns.

Method: Qualitative research, guided by the theoretical framework of Understanding the Complex Nature of Hope, carried out between December 2021 and March 2022, with 28 members of 14 families attended at a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic for at-risk newborns in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data obtained from interviews in thematic oral history allowed the construction of narratives, genograms and ecomaps, which were subjected to deductive thematic analysis procedures.

Silica-exposed patients with silicosis show shorter telomeres than do unexposed individuals: a pilot study in a population in southeastern Brazil.

Objective: Silicosis is a pneumoconiosis characterized by fibrosis of the lung parenchyma caused by the inhalation of silica particles. Silica dust inhalation is associated with inflammation and induction of oxidative stress in the lungs. This oxidative stress affects telomeres, which are short tandem DNA repeats that cap the end of linear chromosomes.