Effects of chronic exercise on severity, quality of life and functionality in an elderly Parkinson’s disease patient: case report

Exercise produces potential influences on physical and mental capacity in patients with neuropsychiatric disor- ders, and can be made a viable form of therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD). We report the chronic effects of a regu- lar physical exercise protocol on cognitive and motor functions, functional capacity, and symptoms in an elderly PD pa- tient without dementia. The patient participated of a program composed of proprioceptive, aerobic and flexibility exer- cises, during 1 hour, three days a week, for nine months. Patient used 600 mg of L-DOPA daily, and 1 hour prior to each exercise session. Assessment was conducted in three stages, 0-3, 3-6 and 6 to 9 months, using percentual variation to the scales Hoehn and Yahr, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Parkinson Activity Scale (PAS), Beck Depression In- ventory (BDI), and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III). Reassessment showed clear changes in clini- cal parameters for Hoehn and Yahr (4 to 2.5), MMSE (14 to 22), PAS (13 to 29), BDI (9 to 7) and UPDRS-III (39 to 27) at the end of 9 months. According to our data, exercise seems to be effective in promoting the functional capacity and the maintenance of cognitive and motor functions of PD patients. Regular exercise protocols can be implemented as an ad- junctive treatment for reducing the severity of PD

Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) and calprotectin in equine laminar tissue after jejunal obstruction, treated or not with hidrocortisone

Laskoski L.M., Valadao C.A.A., Vasconcelos R.O., Faleiros R.R., Mendes H.M.F., Ferrucci D., Silva J.A.F. & Machado D.D.R.S. 2012. [Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) and calprotectin in equine laminar tissue after jejunal obstruction, treated or not with hidrocortisone.] Lipocalina associada a gelatinase de neutrofilos (NGAL) e calprotectina no tecido laminar de equinos apos obstrucao jejunal, tratados ou nao com hidrocortisona. Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira 32(9):817-823. Departamento de Clinica e Cirurgia Veterinaria, Faculdade de Ciencias Agrarias e Veterinarias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, Jaboticabal, SP 14884-900, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected] Laminitis is a severe hoof condition in horses that may cause intense suffering. In this study, leukocyte infiltration in hoof laminar tissue was investigated in horses subject to intestinal obstruction using immunohistochemistry to detect calprotectin, and zymography to detect neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL). There were four groups: the Control Group (Gc), with seven horses, without surgical procedures; the Sham-operated Group (Gi), with five horses that were subjected to surgical procedure without intestinal obstruction; the No Treat group (Gnt), with four horses subjected to intestinal obstruction (jejunal distention using an intraluminal balloon) without treatment; and Treated group (Gt), with four horses subjected to intestinal obstruction and treated with hydrocortisone. Positive calprotectin imunostaining was detected in all experimental groups, with increase cell counts in horses of the distended group compared with the control group. NGAL expression was increased in Gd compared with Gc e Gi. The Gt did not differ from the others. In conclusion, small intestine distension can promote leukocyte in filtration in equine hoof laminar tissue, and NGAL zymography was considered a useful method for leukocyte tissue detection in horses. New studies will be conducted to verify the possible beneficial anti-inflammatory effects of hydrocortisone in hoof of horses with intestinal obstruction.32981782

Electron scattering by methanol and ethanol: A joint theoretical-experimental investigation

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)We present a joint theoretical-experimental study on electron scattering by methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (C2H5OH) in a wide energy range. Experimental differential, integral and momentum-transfer cross sections for elastic electron scattering by ethanol are reported in the 100-1000 eV energy range. The experimental angular distributions of the energy-selected electrons are measured and converted to absolute cross sections using the relative flow technique. Moreover, elastic, total, and total absorption cross sections for both alcohols are calculated in the 1-500 eV energy range. A complex optical potential is used to represent the dynamics of the electron-alcohol interaction, whereas the scattering equations are solved iteratively using the Pade's approximant technique. Our calculated data agree well with those obtained using the Schwinger multichannel method at energies up to 20 eV. Discrepancies at high energies indicate the importance of absorption effects, included in our calculations. In general, the comparison between our theoretical and experimental results, as well as with other experimental data available in the literature, also show good agreement. Nevertheless, the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental total cross sections at low incident energies suggests that the experimental cross sections measured using the transmission technique for polar targets should be reviewed. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3695211]13611Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

JAK2 V617F Mutation Prevalence in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in Pernambuco, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Background: The JAK2 V617F mutation is associated with three myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs): polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). It generates an unregulated clonal hematopoietic progenitor and leads to abnormal increased proliferation of one or more myeloid lineages. Subjects bearing this mutation may present more frequently with complications such as thrombosis and bleeding, and no specific treatment has yet been developed for BCR-ABL-negative JAK2 V617F-negative MPNs. Aims: To determine the prevalence of JAK2 V617F in MPNs in Pernambuco, Brazil, and to compare it with previous studies. Material and Methods: 144 blood samples were collected at the Hospital of Hematology of the HEMOPE Foundation and were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism with BsaXI enzymatic digestion. Results and Discussion: 88% (46/52) of the patients with PV, 47% (39/81) with ET, and 77% (8/11) with PMF were positive for JAK2 V617F, while more than 35% of the individuals were JAK2 V617F-negative, confirming a high prevalence of this abnormality in MPNs, more frequently with a low mutated allele burden, similar to what has been reported in other Western countries, despite differences among methods used to detect this mutation. Screening for JAK2 V617F may allow specific management of these diseases with JAK2 inhibitors in the future and highlights the need for further studies on the pathogenesis of BCR-ABL-negative JAK2 V617F-negative MPNs.167802805Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundacao de Amparo a Ciencia e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Cross-cultural adaptation and clinical validation of the neonatal skin condition score to Brazilian Portuguese

Objective: to describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation and clinical validation of the Neonatal Skin Condition Score. Methods: this methodological cross-cultural adaptation study included five steps: initial translation, synthesis of the initial translation, back translation, review by an Committee of Specialists and testing of the pre-final version, and an observational cross-sectional study with analysis of the psychometric properties using the Adjusted Kappa, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, and Bland- Altman Method statistical tests. A total of 38 professionals were randomly recruited to review the clarity of the adapted instrument, and 47 newborns hospitalized in the Neonatology Unit of the Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre were selected by convenience for the clinical validation of the instrument. Results: the adapted scale showed approximately 85% clarity. The statistical tests showed moderate to strong intra and interobserver item to item reliability and from strong to very strong in the total score, with a variation of less than 2 points among the scores assigned by the nurses to the patients. Conclusions: the scale was adapted and validated to Brazilian Portuguese. The psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Neonatal Skin Condition Score instrument were similar to the validation results of the original scale

2021 update of the EULAR points to consider on the use of immunomodulatory therapies in COVID-19

OBJECTIVES: To update the EULAR points to consider (PtCs) on the use of immunomodulatory therapies in COVID-19. METHODS: According to the EULAR standardised operating procedures, a systematic literature review up to 14 July 2021 was conducted and followed by a consensus meeting of an international multidisciplinary task force. The new statements were consolidated by formal voting. RESULTS: We updated 2 overarching principles and 12 PtC. Evidence was only available in moderate to severe and critical patients. Glucocorticoids alone or in combination with tocilizumab are beneficial in COVID-19 cases requiring oxygen therapy and in critical COVID-19. Use of Janus kinase inhibitors (baricitinib and tofacitinib) is promising in the same populations of severe and critical COVID-19. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma may find application in early phases of the disease and in selected subgroups of immunosuppressed patients. There was insufficient robust evidence for the efficacy of other immunomodulators with further work being needed in relation to biomarker-based stratification for IL-1 therapy CONCLUSIONS: Growing evidence supports incremental efficacy of glucocorticoids alone or combined with tocilizumab/Janus kinase inhibitors in moderate to severe and critical COVID-19. Ongoing studies may unmask the potential application of other therapeutic approaches. Involvement of rheumatologists, as systemic inflammatory diseases experts, should be encouraged in clinical trials of immunomodulatory therapy in COVID-19

Differential expression of pathogenicity- and virulence-related genes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri under copper stress

In this study, we used real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to evaluate the expression of 32 genes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri related to pathogenicity and virulence that are also involved in copper detoxification. Nearly all of the genes were up-regulated, including copA and copB. Two genes homologous to members of the type II secretion system (xcsH and xcsC) and two involved in the degradation of plant cell wall components (pglA and pel) were the most expressed in response to an elevated copper concentration. The type II secretion system (xcs operon) and a few homologues of proteins putatively secreted by this system showed enhanced expression when the bacteria were exposed to a high concentration of copper sulfate. The enhanced expression of the genes of secretion II system during copper stress suggests that this pathway may have an important role in the adaptative response of X. axonopodis pv. citri to toxic compounds. These findings highlight the potential role of these genes in attenuating the toxicity of certain metals and could represent an important means of bacterial resistance against chemicals used to control diseases