Test of variables of attention (TOVA) as a predictor of early attention complaints, an antecedent to dementia

The goal of this study was to determine if impairments detected by the test of variables of attention (TOVA) may be used to predict early attention complaints and memory impairments accurately in a clinical setting. We performed a statistical analysis of outcomes in a patient population screened for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or attention complaints, processing errors as measured by TOVA and the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-III) results. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) checklists, constructed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition criteria, which were completed by patients at PATH Medical, revealed that 72.8% of the patients had more than one attention complaint out of a total of 16 complaints, and 41.5% had more than five complaints. For the 128 males with a significant number of ADD complaints, individuals whose scores were significantly deviant or borderline (SDB) on TOVA, had a significantly greater number of attention complaints compared with normals for omissions (P < 0.02), response time (P < 0.015), and variability (P < 0.005), but not commissions (P > 0.50). For males, the mean scores for auditory, visual, immediate, and working memory scores as measured by the WMS-III were significantly greater for normals versus SDBs on the TOVA subtest, ie, omission (P < 0.01) and response time (P < 0.05), but not variability or commissions. The means for auditory, visual, and immediate memory scores were significantly greater for normals versus SDBs for variability (P < 0.045) only. In females, the mean scores for visual and working memory scores were significantly greater for normals versus SDBs for omissions (P < 0.025). The number of SDB TOVA quarters was a significant predictor for “impaired” or “normal” group membership for visual memory (P < 0.015), but not for the other three WMS-III components. For males, the partial correlation between the number of attention complaints and the number of SDB TOVA quarters was also significant (r = 0.251, P < 0.005). For the 152 females with a significant number of attention complaints, no significant differences between SDBs and normals were observed (P > 0.15). This is the first report, to our knowledge, which provides evidence that TOVA is an accurate predictor of early attention complaints and memory impairments in a clinical setting. This finding is more robust for males than for females between the ages of 40 and 90 years

Age-related increases in parathyroid hormone may be antecedent to both osteoporosis and dementia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Numerous studies have reported that age-induced increased parathyroid hormone plasma levels are associated with cognitive decline and dementia. Little is known about the correlation that may exist between neurological processing speed, cognition and bone density in cases of hyperparathyroidism. Thus, we decided to determine if parathyroid hormone levels correlate to processing speed and/or bone density.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The recruited subjects that met the inclusion criteria (n = 92, age-matched, age 18-90 years, mean = 58.85, SD = 15.47) were evaluated for plasma parathyroid hormone levels and these levels were statistically correlated with event-related P300 potentials. Groups were compared for age, bone density and P300 latency. One-tailed tests were used to ascertain the statistical significance of the correlations. The study groups were categorized and analyzed for differences of parathyroid hormone levels: parathyroid hormone levels <30 (n = 30, mean = 22.7 ± 5.6 SD) and PTH levels >30 (n = 62, mean = 62.4 ± 28.3 SD, p ≤ 02).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with parathyroid hormone levels <30 showed statistically significantly less P300 latency (P300 = 332.7 ± 4.8 SE) relative to those with parathyroid hormone levels >30, which demonstrated greater P300 latency (P300 = 345.7 ± 3.6 SE, p = .02). Participants with parathyroid hormone values <30 (n = 26) were found to have statistically significantly higher bone density (M = -1.25 ± .31 SE) than those with parathyroid hormone values >30 (n = 48, M = -1.85 ± .19 SE, p = .04).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings of a statistically lower bone density and prolonged P300 in patients with high parathyroid hormone levels may suggest that increased parathyroid hormone levels coupled with prolonged P300 latency may become putative biological markers of both dementia and osteoporosis and warrant intensive investigation.</p

¡Cuidémonos entre todos! : Parte II

Es de vital importancia la bioseguridad, ya que se encarga de disminuir el riesgo para la salud y el medio ambiente proveniente de la exposición a agentes biológicos causantes de enfermedades. Nuestras acciones en el marco de la Pandemia Covid-19, fueron orientadas a lograr actitudes y conductas responsables, que disminuyan la posibilidad de adquirir infecciones. El objetivo fue: proporcionar información sobre el manejo preventivo frente a los microorganismos potencialmente patógenos con poder de riesgo de contaminación biológica como lo es el virus Sars-cov2. Las actividades se realizaron mediante la organización de charlas virtuales, producción de videos informativos, armado de power point, preparación de material didáctico, diagramación de folletos, instructivos y elementos de bioseguridad para la higiene de manos.Facultad de Odontologí

In Vivo Influence Of In Vitro Up-regulated Genes In The Virulence Of An Apec Strain Associated With Swollen Head Syndrome

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli is responsible for significant economic losses in the poultry industry by causing a range of systemic or localized diseases collectively termed colibacillosis. The virulence mechanisms of these strains that are pathogenic in poultry and possibly pathogenic in humans have not yet been fully elucidated. This work was developed to study if over-expressed genes in a microarray assay could be potentially involved in the pathogenicity of an Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli strain isolated from a swollen head syndrome case. For this study, five over-expressed genes were selected for the construction of null mutants [flgE (flagellar hook), tyrR (transcriptional regulator), potF (putrescine transporter), yehD (putative adhesin) and bfr (bacterioferritin)]. The constructed mutants were evaluated for their capacity for the adhesion and invasion of in vitro cultured cells, their motility capacity, and their pathogenic potential in one-day-old chickens compared with the wild-type strain (WT). The Delta bfr strain showed a decreased adhesion capacity on avian fibroblasts compared with WT, in the presence and absence of alpha-D-mannopyranoside, and the Delta potF strain showed decreased adhesion only in the absence of alpha-D-mannopyranoside. The Delta tyrR mutant had a reduced ability to invade Hep-2 cells. No mutant showed changes in invading CEC-32 cells. The mutants Delta flgE and Delta tyrR showed a decreased ability to survive in HD-11 cells. The motility of the mutant strains Delta bfr, Delta yehD and Delta potF was increased, while the Delta tyrR mutant showed reduction, and the Delta flgE became non-motile. No mutant strain caused the same mortality of the WT in one-day-old chickens, showing attenuation to different degrees.45194105Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo [2010/50596-9]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

In vivo influence of in vitro up-regulated genes in the virulence of an APEC strain associated with swollen head syndrome

Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli is responsible for significant economic losses in the poultry industry by causing a range of systemic or localized diseases collectively termed colibacillosis. The virulence mechanisms of these strains that are pathogenic in poultry and possibly pathogenic in humans have not yet been fully elucidated. This work was developed to study if over-expressed genes in a microarray assay could be potentially involved in the pathogenicity of an Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli strain isolated from a swollen head syndrome case. For this study, five over-expressed genes were selected for the construction of null mutants [flgE (flagellar hook), tyrR (transcriptional regulator), potF (putrescine transporter), yehD (putative adhesin) and bfr (bacterioferritin)]. The constructed mutants were evaluated for their capacity for the adhesion and invasion of in vitro cultured cells, their motility capacity, and their pathogenic potential in one-day-old chickens compared with the wild-type strain (WT). The Delta bfr strain showed a decreased adhesion capacity on avian fibroblasts compared with WT, in the presence and absence of alpha-D-mannopyranoside, and the Delta potF strain showed decreased adhesion only in the absence of alpha-D-mannopyranoside. The Delta tyrR mutant had a reduced ability to invade Hep-2 cells. No mutant showed changes in invading CEC-32 cells. The mutants Delta flgE and Delta tyrR showed a decreased ability to survive in HD-11 cells. The motility of the mutant strains Delta bfr, Delta yehD and Delta potF was increased, while the Delta tyrR mutant showed reduction, and the Delta flgE became non-motile. No mutant strain caused the same mortality of the WT in one-day-old chickens, showing attenuation to different degrees45194105FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2010/50596-

Parvovirus B19 in the Context of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Evaluating Cell Donors and Recipients

Background. Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a common human pathogen, member of the family Parvoviridae. Typically, B19V has been found to infect erythroid progenitors and cause hematological disorders, such as anemia and aplastic crisis. However, the persistence of genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been demonstrated in tonsils, liver, skin, brain, synovial, and testicular tissues as well as bone marrow, for both symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects. Although the molecular and cellular mechanisms of persistence remain undefined, it raises questions about potential virus transmissibility and its effects in the context of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients. Methods. With this aim, we retrospectively screened allogeneic stem cell donors from 173 patients admitted for allo-HSCT from January 2008 to May 2013 using a seminested polymerase chain reaction approach. Results. We found 8 positive donor samples, yielding a 4.6% of parvovirus prevalence (95% confidence interval, 2.36-8.85). Pre- and post-HSCT samples (n = 51) from the 8 recipients of the positive donors were also investigated, and 1 case exhibited B19V DNA in the post-HSCT follow-up (D + 60). Direct DNA sequencing was performed to determine the genotype of isolates and classification, performed by phylogenetic reconstruction, showed a predominance of genotype 1a, whereas the rare genotype 3b was detected in 2 additional patients. By molecular cloning, different B19V 1a substrains polymorphisms were evidenced in the single case in which donor and its recipient were B19V+. Conclusions. Our results suggest that HSCT allografts are not a main source for B19V transmission, pointing to potential events of reinfection or endogenous viral reactivation

ZoneModa Journal

ZoneModa Journal nasce dall'idea di un gruppo di docenti dei Corsi di Laurea di Moda, sede di Rimini, Universit\ue0 di Bologna allo scopo di istituire uno strumento di ricerca focalizzato sui Fashion Studies e immaginato per un pubblico di studiosi italiani e stranieri. La necessit\ue0 che ci ha spinto a produrre il progetto editoriale \ue8 stata dettata soprattutto dalla mancanza, in Italia, di uno strumento di questo tipo, capace di raccogliere studi e riflessioni sul complesso e articolato universo del fashion. L\u2019obiettivo, che rappresenta un costante work in progress, \ue8 di far diventare ZoneModa Journal un punto di riferimento imprescindibile per degli studiosi di moda. L\u2019osservazione del contesto entro il quale i fenomeni di moda si manifestano e si consolidano \ue8 sempre pi\uf9 globale, uno spazio dai confini geografici, politici e massmediali sempre pi\uf9 ampi. Per questi motivi, fin dal primo numero, il progetto ha previsto la definizione di nuovi contatti sia con colleghi italiani che stranieri, nonch\ue9 la sua diffusione nelle due lingue, italiano ed inglese. ZoneModa Journal intende proporsi come un appuntamento fisso, un\u2019area di raccordo, per dar vita a occasioni di riflessione comune su un tema di volta in volta suggerito e affrontato sotto molti e diversi punti di vista, con la regia di un curatore per ogni numero. Lo scopo \ue8 quello di sollecitare discussioni e confronti pi\uf9 allargati possibile, di mettere a disposizione uno spazio per contatti, convergenze e critiche costruttive. La rivista si rivolge agli studiosi di Fashion Studies e agli studenti universitari dei corsi umanistici, con l\u2019obiettivo di costituire uno strumento utile ad inquadrare i fenomeni legati al fashion entro un quadro di riflessione ampio, che faccia riferimento a pi\uf9 ambiti culturali e di ricerca. I suoi punti di forza sono l\u2019aspetto multidisciplinare e la predisposizione ad ospitare discussioni critiche su aspetti culturali di ampio respiro (come ad esempio: morphing, made in Italy, cultura pop, well-being)