Regional Gray Matter Atrophy in Patients with Parkinson Disease and Freezing of Gait

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: FOG is a troublesome symptom of PD. Despite growing evidence suggesting that FOG in PD may be associated with cognitive dysfunction, the relationship between regional brain atrophy and FOG has been poorly investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Optimized VBM was applied to 3T brain MR images of 24 patients with PD and 12 HC. Patients were classified as either FOG− or FOG+ (n = 12) based on their responses to a validated FOG Questionnaire and clinical observation. All patients with PD also underwent a detailed neuropsychological evaluation. RESULTS: The VBM analysis in patients with FOG+ showed a reduced GM volume in the left cuneus, precuneus, lingual gyrus, and posterior cingulate cortex compared with both patients with FOG− and HC. We did not detect any significant change of GM volume when comparing HC versus all patients with PD (FOG− and FOG+). FOG clinical severity was significantly correlated with GM loss in posterior cortical regions. Finally, patients with FOG+ scored lower on tests of frontal lobe function. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence that the development of FOG in patients with PD is associated with posterior GM atrophy, which may play a role in the complex pathophysiology of this disabling symptom

Serum epidermal growth factor predicts cognitive functions in early, drug-naive Parkinson's disease patients

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been proposed as a candidate biomarker for cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to assess the relationship between serum EGF and cognitive functions in early, drug-naive PD patients and evaluate the predictive value of EGF on cognitive functions in a 2-year follow-up study. Serum EGF was measured in 65 early, drug-naive PD patients, that underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Motor symptoms were assessed by means of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Part III (UPDRS-III). Neuropsychological evaluation was repeated after 2 years. Spearman's rank correlation was used to assess the relationship between serum EGF levels and neuropsychological variables. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between EGF and neuropsychological scores as well as other variables (age, gender, UPDRS-III, levodopa equivalent dose, and type of treatment at follow-up) potentially affecting cognitive performance. Variation over time in cognitive scores was analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. At baseline, EGF was the only significant variable associated with performance on semantic fluency (R (2) = 0.131; p = 0.005). EGF levels (p = 0.025), together with UPDRS-III (p = 0.009) and age (p = 0.011), were associated with performance on frontal assessment battery (R (2) = 0.260). At 2-year follow-up, EGF was the only significant variable to predict performance on semantic fluency (R (2) = 0.147; p = 0.025) and color naming task of Stroop color-word test (R (2) = 0.121; p = 0.044). Serum EGF levels are related to frontal and temporal cognitive functions in early, drug-naive PD patients and predict performance on frontal and posterior cognitive functions at 2-year follow-up. EGF is proposed as a potential serum biomarker for early cognitive impairment in PD

Whey block freeze concentration aiming a functional fermented lactic beverage with the addition of probiotic and guabiroba pulp (Campomanesia xanthocarpa O. Berg), a native Brazilian fruit.

Abstract. The scientific importance involved in this study was the use of whey, a co-product of the cheese industry, and its performance during the freeze concentration process. Moreover, the best-concentrated whey from the freeze concentration process, about the total solids, proteins, and mineral contents, was used to prepare two functional fermented lactic beverages. Therefore, whey was subjected to the freeze concentration in blocks with gravitational thawing. Process performance indicated better yields and efficiency for the second stage of freeze concentration. Concentrated whey 2 was used to prepare two fermented lactic beverages added with probiotics: one without adding guabiroba pulp (control) and a beverage incorporated with 10% guabiroba pulp. Containing guabiroba pulp was not enough to modify the total solids, proteins, and mineral contents. However, it decreased pH values, changed the color to an orange hue, and decreased luminosity. The fermented lactic beverage added with probiotic and 10% guabiroba pulp showed 1.61× more phenolic compounds and an increase of 164% for each evaluated carotenoid content compared with the control beverage

Desempenho cognitivo de pacientes diabéticos tipo II em tratamento com insulina

O Diabetes Mellitus é uma doença crônica que ocorre quando o pâncreas não produz insulina suficiente, ou o organismo não é capaz de utilizar eficazmente a insulina produzida. A classificação atual pela Diabetes Mellitus baseia-se na etiologia e não no tipo de tratamento, os tipos mais frequentes são o tipo 1 e o tipo 2. O Diabetes Mellitus tem sido fortemente associado com o dano ao Sistema Nervoso Central e, consequentes déficits cognitivos e a mudanças estruturais e neurofisiológicas do cérebro. O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar possíveis danos cognitivos em pacientes com Diabetes Mellitus tipo II em tratamento com insulina do Programa de Automonitoramento Glicêmico Capilar por meio de testagens neuropsicológicas. Métodos: Estudo censitário, observacional, transversal, analítico, com abordagem quantitativa. Foram avaliados 37 pacientes diabéticos tipo II, com idade a partir de 18 anos em uso de insulina e inscrito no Programa de Automonitoramento Glicêmico Capilar, analisados todos os prontuários, aplicado um questionário complementar e os testes Wais III e Wisconsin. Resultados: Na análise da idade e tempo de estudo dos pacientes com o teste Wisconsin a variável Percentual de Respostas de Nível Conceitual apresentaram diferença considerada estatisticamente significativa p<0,05. Discussão/Conclusão: O processo de envelhecimento por si só trás consigo perda de densidade cerebral e prejuízos cognitivos decorrentes do envelhecimento, demonstram ainda uma piora significativa das funções executivas quando associada a um quadro de DM conforme mostram nossos resultados

Stress Levels, Psychological Symptoms, and C-Reactive Protein Levels in COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have pointed out a possible relationship between COVID-19 and the presence of psychiatric disorders, the majority of the studies have significant limitations. This study investigates the influence of COVID-19 infection on mental health. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included an age- and sex-matched sample of adult individuals positive (cases) or negative (controls) for COVID-19. We evaluated the presence of psychiatric conditions and C-reactive protein (CRP). RESULTS: Findings showed greater severity of depressive symptoms, higher levels of stress, and greater CRP in cases. The severity of depressive and insomnia symptoms, as well as the CRP were more remarkable in individuals with moderate/severe COVID-19. We found a positive correlation between stress and severity of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in individuals with or without COVID-19. There was a positive correlation between CRP levels and severity of depressive symptoms in cases and controls, and a positive correlation between CRP levels and the severity of anxiety symptoms and stress levels only in individuals with COVID-19. Individuals with COVID-19 and depression had greater CRP than those with COVID-19 without current major depressive disorder. LIMITATIONS: We cannot infer causality because this is a cross-sectional study, and the majority of COVID-19 sample was asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, which may limit the generalizability of our findings for moderate/severe cases. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with COVID-19 showed greater severity of psychological symptoms, which may impact on the development of psychiatric disorders in the future. CPR seem to be a promising biomarker for earlier detection of post-COVID depression

Desempenho cognitivo de pacientes diabéticos tipo II em tratamento com insulina

O Diabetes Mellitus é uma doença crônica que ocorre quando o pâncreas não produz insulina suficiente, ou o organismo não é capaz de utilizar eficazmente a insulina produzida. A classificação atual pela Diabetes Mellitus baseia-se na etiologia e não no tipo de tratamento, os tipos mais frequentes são o tipo 1 e o tipo 2. O Diabetes Mellitus tem sido fortemente associado com o dano ao Sistema Nervoso Central e, consequentes déficits cognitivos e a mudanças estruturais e neurofisiológicas do cérebro. O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar possíveis danos cognitivos em pacientes com Diabetes Mellitus tipo II em tratamento com insulina do Programa de Automonitoramento Glicêmico Capilar por meio de testagens neuropsicológicas. Métodos: Estudo censitário, observacional, transversal, analítico, com abordagem quantitativa. Foram avaliados 37 pacientes diabéticos tipo II, com idade a partir de 18 anos em uso de insulina e inscrito no Programa de Automonitoramento Glicêmico Capilar, analisados todos os prontuários, aplicado um questionário complementar e os testes Wais III e Wisconsin. Resultados: Na análise da idade e tempo de estudo dos pacientes com o teste Wisconsin a variável Percentual de Respostas de Nível Conceitual apresentaram diferença considerada estatisticamente significativa p&lt;0,05. Discussão/Conclusão: O processo de envelhecimento por si só trás consigo perda de densidade cerebral e prejuízos cognitivos decorrentes do envelhecimento, demonstram ainda uma piora significativa das funções executivas quando associada a um quadro de DM conforme mostram nossos resultados

Predicting olfactory receptor neuron responses from odorant structure

Background Olfactory receptors work at the interface between the chemical world of volatile molecules and the perception of scent in the brain. Their main purpose is to translate chemical space into information that can be processed by neural circuits. Assuming that these receptors have evolved to cope with this task, the analysis of their coding strategy promises to yield valuable insight in how to encode chemical information in an efficient way. Results We mimicked olfactory coding by modeling responses of primary olfactory neurons to small molecules using a large set of physicochemical molecular descriptors and artificial neural networks. We then tested these models by recording in vivo receptor neuron responses to a new set of odorants and successfully predicted the responses of five out of seven receptor neurons. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.66 to 0.85, demonstrating the applicability of our approach for the analysis of olfactory receptor activation data. The molecular descriptors that are best-suited for response prediction vary for different receptor neurons, implying that each receptor neuron detects a different aspect of chemical space. Finally, we demonstrate that receptor responses themselves can be used as descriptors in a predictive model of neuron activation. Conclusions The chemical meaning of molecular descriptors helps understand structure-response relationships for olfactory receptors and their 'receptive fields'. Moreover, it is possible to predict receptor neuron activation from chemical structure using machine-learning techniques, although this is still complicated by a lack of training data