Dementia in Latin America : paving the way towards a regional action plan

Regional challenges faced by Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) to fight dementia, such as heterogeneity, diversity, political instabilities, and socioeconomic disparities, can be addressed more effectively grounded in a collaborative setting based on the open exchange of knowledge. In this work, the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD) proposes an agenda for integration to deliver a Knowledge to Action Framework (KtAF). First, we summarize evidence-based strategies (epidemiology, genetics, biomarkers, clinical trials, nonpharmacological interventions, networking and translational research) and align them to current global strategies to translate regional knowledge into actions with transformative power. Then, by characterizing genetic isolates, admixture in populations, environmental factors, and barriers to effective interventions and mapping these to the above challenges, we provide the basic mosaics of knowledge that will pave the way towards a KtAF. We describe strategies supporting the knowledge creation stage that underpins the translational impact of KtAF

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in Mild and Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of a neuropsychological rehabilitation (NR) program on patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)

Dieta de queixadas (Tayassu pecari) por DNA metabarcoding de fezes na região do Parque Nacional das Emas (Goiás, Brasil)

Tayassu pecari é uma espécie ameaçada de extinção que tem o Parque Nacional das Emas como importante refúgio no Cerrado. Nesta região, T. pecari é identificada como espécie-problema devido aos danos causados às plantações, em especial ao cultivo de milho. Para identificar a constituição da dieta dos queixadas, este trabalho utilizou DNA metabarcoding em fezes. Foram encontradas 80 espécies de plantas em 47 famílias, em 16 amostras de fezes utilizando o barcode trnL. Foi observado que existe uma constituição alimentar distinta para cada ponto de coleta e que a diversidade na dieta é maior nas amostras de dentro do Parque. Destaca-se a presença de soja, cana de açúcar, brachiaria e, em grande proporção, milho. Os resultados permitiram identificar 21 espécies que podem responder positivamente ao fogo, seja em nível de gênero ou de família, indicando que queimas prescritas na época correta podem aumentar a disponibilidade de alimentos para os queixadas no interior do Parque

Molecular Evidence for a Recent Demographic Expansion in the Puma (Puma concolor) (Mammalia, Felidae)

The puma is an iconic predator that ranges throughout the Americas, occupying diverse habitats. Previous phylogeographic analyses have revealed that it exhibits moderate levels of genetic structure across its range, with few of the classically recognized subspecies being supported as distinct demographic units. Moreover, most of the species\u27 molecular diversity was found to be in South America. To further investigate the phylogeographic structure and demographic history of pumas we analyzed mtDNA sequences from 186 individuals sampled throughout their range, with emphasis on South America. Our objectives were to refine the phylogeographic assessment within South America and to investigate the demographic history of pumas using a coalescent approach. Our results extend previous phylogeographic findings, reassessing the delimitation of historical population units in South America and demonstrating that this species experienced a considerable demographic expansion in the Holocene, ca. 8,000 years ago. Our analyses indicate that this expansion occurred in South America, prior to the hypothesized re-colonization of North America, which was therefore inferred to be even more recent. The estimated demographic history supports the interpretation that pumas suffered a severe demographic decline in the Late Pleistocene throughout their distribution, followed by population expansion and re-colonization of the range, initiating from South America