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Katia N Sá,1 Maíra C Macêdo,1 Rosana P Andrade,2 Selena D Mendes,1 José V Martins,3 Abrahão F Baptista1,4 1Neuromusculoskeletal Research Group, Bahian School of Medicine and Human Health, Salvador, Brazil; 2Edgard Santos University Hospital, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, 3Deolindo Couto Institute of Neurology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 4Biomorphology Department, Health Sciences Institute, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil Abstract: Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) infection may be associated with damage to the spinal cord – HTLV-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis – and other neurological symptoms that compromise everyday life activities. There is no cure for this disease, but recent evidence suggests that physiotherapy may help individuals with the infection, although, as far as we are aware, no systematic review has approached this topic. Therefore, the objective of this review is to address the core problems associated with HTLV-1 infection that can be detected and treated by physiotherapy, present the results of clinical trials, and discuss perspectives on the development of knowledge in this area. Major problems for individuals with HTLV-1 are pain, sensory-motor dysfunction, and urinary symptoms. All of these have high impact on quality of life, and recent clinical trials involving exercises, electrotherapeutic modalities, and massage have shown promising effects. Although not influencing the basic pathologic disturbances, a physiotherapeutic approach seems to be useful to detect specific problems related to body structures, activity, and participation related to movement in HTLV-1 infection, as well as to treat these conditions. Keywords: HTLV-1, HAM/TSP, physical therapy modalities, quality of life, pain, sensory-motor dysfunction, urinary symptoms

Alessandro Carvalho,1,2 Dannyel Barbirato,1 Narahyana Araujo,1 Jose Vicente Martins,3 Jose Luiz Sá Cavalcanti,3 Tony Meireles Santos,4 Evandro S Coutinho,5 Jerson Laks,1,2 Andrea C Deslandes1 1Centro de Doença de Alzheimer e Outros Transtornos da Velhice, Instituto de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 2Centro de Estudo de Pesquisa do Envelhecimento, Instituto Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 3Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 4Departamento de Educação Física da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Pernambuco, Brazil; 5Departamento de Epidemiologia e Métodos Quantitativos em Saúde. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública-FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Introduction: Physical rehabilitation is commonly used in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to improve their health and alleviate the symptoms. Objective: We compared the effects of three programs, strength training (ST), aerobic training (AT), and physiotherapy, on motor symptoms, functional capacity, and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in PD patients. Methods: Twenty-two patients were recruited and randomized into three groups: AT (70% of maximum heart rate), ST (80% of one repetition maximum), and physiotherapy (in groups). Subjects participated in their respective interventions twice a week for 12 weeks. The assessments included measures of disease symptoms (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale [UPDRS]), functional capacity (Senior Fitness Test), and EEG before and after 12 weeks of intervention. Results: The PD motor symptoms (UPDRS-III) in the group of patients who performed ST and AT improved by 27.5% (effect size [ES]=1.25, confidence interval [CI]=-0.11, 2.25) and 35% (ES=1.34, CI=-0.16, 2.58), respectively, in contrast to the physiotherapy group, which showed a 2.9% improvement (ES=0.07, CI=-0.85, 0.99). Furthermore, the functional capacity of all three groups improved after the intervention. The mean frequency of the EEG analysis mainly showed the effect of the interventions on the groups (F=11.50, P=0.0001). Conclusion: ST and AT in patients with PD are associated with improved outcomes in disease symptoms and functional capacity. Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, physical exercise, physical therapy, quality of life, functional capacity

Gas and particle measurements are described for optically thick regional hazes, dominated by aged smoke from biomass burning, in the cerrado and rain forested regions of Brazil. The hazes tended to be evenly mixed from the surface to the trade wind inversion at 3-4 km in altitude. The properties of aged gases and particles in the regional hazes were significantly different from those of young smoke (

In September 2023, the UK Health Security Agency identified cases of Salmonella Saintpaul distributed across England, Scotland, and Wales, all with very low genetic diversity. Additional cases were identified in Portugal following an alert raised by the United Kingdom. Ninety-eight cases with a similar genetic sequence were identified, 93 in the United Kingdom and 5 in Portugal, of which 46% were aged under 10 years. Cases formed a phylogenetic cluster with a maximum distance of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and average of less than one SNP between isolates. An outbreak investigation was undertaken, including a case-control study. Among the 25 UK cases included in this study, 13 reported blood in stool and 5 were hospitalized. One hundred controls were recruited via a market research panel using frequency matching for age. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of food exposures in cases and controls identified a strong association with cantaloupe consumption (adjusted odds ratio: 14.22; 95% confidence interval: 2.83-71.43; p -value: 0.001). This outbreak, together with other recent national and international incidents, points to an increase in identifications of large outbreaks of Salmonella linked to melon consumption. We recommend detailed questioning and triangulation of information sources to delineate consumption of specific fruit varieties during Salmonella outbreaks.

As the COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak, many countries implemented genomic surveillance systems to track the evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase prioritized alternative testing strategies to maintain effective epidemic surveillance at the population level, with less intensive sequencing efforts. One such promising approach was Wastewater-Based Surveillance (WBS), which offers non-invasive, cost-effective means for analysing virus trends at the sewershed level. From 2020 onwards, wastewater has been recognized as an instrumental source of information for public health, with national and international authorities exploring options to implement national wastewater surveillance systems and increasingly relying on WBS as early warning of potential pathogen outbreaks. In Portugal, several pioneer projects joined the academia, water utilities and Public Administration around WBS. To validate WBS as an effective genomic surveillance strategy, it is crucial to collect long term performance data. In this work, we present one year of systematic SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance in Portugal, representing 35 % of the mainland population. We employed two complementary methods for lineage determination - allelic discrimination by RT-PCR and S-gene sequencing. This combination allowed us to monitor variant evolution in near-real-time and identify low-frequency mutations. Over the course of this year-long study, spanning from May 2022 to April 2023, we successfully tracked the dominant Omicron sub-lineages, their progression and evolution, which aligned with concurrent clinical surveillance data. Our results underscore the effectiveness of WBS as a tracking system for virus variants, with the ability to unveil mutations undetected via massive sequencing of clinical samples from Portugal, demonstrating the ability of WBS to uncover new mutations and detect rare genetic variants. Our findings emphasize that knowledge of the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 at the population level can be extended far beyond via the combination of routine clinical genomic surveillance with wastewater sequencing and genotyping., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

BackgroundLeptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira . Humans are infected by exposure to animal urine or urine-contaminated environments. Although disease incidence is lower in Europe compared with tropical regions, there have been reports of an increase in leptospirosis cases since the 2000s in some European countries.AimWe aimed to describe the epidemiology of reported cases of leptospirosis in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) during 2010-2021 and to identify potential changes in epidemiological patterns.MethodsWe ran a descriptive analysis of leptospirosis cases reported by EU/EEA countries to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control with disease during 2010-2021. We also analysed trends at EU/EEA and national level.ResultsDuring 2010-2021, 23 countries reported 12,180 confirmed leptospirosis cases corresponding to a mean annual notification rate of 0.24 cases per 100,000 population. Five countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Romania) accounted for 79% of all reported cases. The highest notification rate was observed in Slovenia with 0.82 cases per 100,000 population. Overall, the notification rate increased by 5.0% per year from 2010 to 2021 (95% CI: 1.2-8.8%), although trends differed across countries.ConclusionThe notification rate of leptospirosis at EU/EEA level increased during 2010-2021 despite including the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated changes in population behaviours. Studies at (sub)national level would help broaden the understanding of differences at country-level and specificities in terms of exposure to Leptospira , as well as biases in diagnosis and reporting.

Pathogen genome sequencing during epidemics enhances our ability to identify and understand suspected clusters and investigate their relationships. Here, we combine genomic and epidemiological data of the 2022 mpox outbreak to better understand early viral spread, diversification and transmission dynamics. By sequencing 52% of the confirmed cases in Portugal, we identified the mpox virus sublineages with the highest impact on case numbers and fitted them into a global context, finding evidence that several international sublineages probably emerged or spread early in Portugal. We estimated a 62% infection reporting rate and that 1.3% of the population of men who have sex with men in Portugal were infected. We infer the critical role played by sexual networks and superspreader gatherings, such as sauna attendance, in the dissemination of mpox virus. Overall, our findings highlight genomic epidemiology as a tool for the real-time monitoring and control of mpox epidemics, and can guide future vaccine policy in a highly susceptible population., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This study characterized the chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) from light- (LDV) and heavy-duty (HDV) vehicles based on two traffic tunnel samplings carried out in the megacity of São Paulo (Brazil), which has >7 million vehicles and intense biofuel use. The samples were collected with high-volume samplers and analyzed using chemical characterization techniques (ion and gas chromatography, thermal-optical analysis, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy). Chemical source profiles (%) were calculated based on the measurements performed inside and outside the tunnels. Identifying a high abundance of Fe and Cu for traffic-related PM in the LDV-impacted tunnel was possible, linked with the emission of vehicles powered by ethanol and gasohol (gasoline and ethanol blend). We calculated diagnostic ratios (e.g., EC/Cu, Fe/Cu, pyrene/benzo[a]pyrene, pyrene/benzo[b]fluoranthene, and fluoranthene/benzo[b]fluoranthene) characteristic of fuel exhausts (diesel/biodiesel and ethanol/gasohol), allowing their use in the assessment of the temporal variation of the fuel type used in urban sites. Element diagnostic ratios (Cu/Sb and Fe/Cu) pointed to the predominance of LDVs exhaust-related copper and can differentiate LDVs exhaust from brake wear emissions. The carbonaceous fraction EC3 was suggested as an HDV emission tracer. A higher total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) fraction of traffic-related PM 2.5 was observed in the HDV-impacted tunnel, with a predominance of diesel-related pyrene and fluoranthene, as well as higher oxy-PAHs (e.g., 9,10-anthraquinone, associated with biodiesel blends) abundances. However, carcinogenic species presented higher abundances for the LDV-impacted tunnel (e.g., benzo[a]pyrene). These findings highlighted the impact of biofuels on the characteristic ratios of chemical species and pointed to possible markers for LDVs and HDVs exhausts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Following the report of a non-travel-associated cluster of monkeypox cases by the United Kingdom in May 2022, 41 countries across the WHO European Region have reported 21,098 cases and two deaths by 23 August 2022. Nowcasting suggests a plateauing in case notifications. Most cases (97%) are MSM, with atypical rash-illness presentation. Spread is mainly through close contact during sexual activities. Few cases are reported among women and children. Targeted interventions of at-risk groups are needed to stop further transmission.

Up to 27 May 2022, Portugal has detected 96 confirmed cases of monkeypox. We describe 27 confirmed cases (median age: 33 years (range: 22-51); all males), with an earliest symptom onset date of 29 April. Almost all cases (n = 25) live in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley health region. Most cases were neither part of identified transmission chains, nor linked to travel or had contact with symptomatic persons or with animals, suggesting the possible previously undetected spread of monkeypox.

Background: Traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) typically causes sensory, motor and autonomic deficits of the affected upper limb. Recent studies have suggested that a unilateral TBPI can also affect the cortical representations associated to the uninjured limb. Objective: To investigate the kinematic features of the uninjured upper limb in participants with TBPI. Methods: Eleven participants with unilateral TBPI and twelve healthy controls matched in gender, age and anthropometric characteristics were recruited. Kinematic parameters collected from the index finger marker were measured while participants performed a free-endpoint whole-body reaching task and a cup-to-mouth task with the uninjured upper limb in a standing position. Results: For the whole-body reaching task, lower time to peak velocity ( p = 0.01), lower peak of velocity ( p = 0.003), greater movement duration ( p = 0.04) and shorter trajectory length ( p = 0.01) were observed in the TBPI group compared to the control group. For the cup-to-mouth task, only a lower time to peak velocity was found for the TBPI group compared to the control group ( p = 0.02). Interestingly, no differences between groups were observed for the finger endpoint height parameter in either of the tasks. Taken together, these results suggest that TBPI leads to a higher cost for motor planning when it comes to movements of the uninjured limb as compared to healthy participants. This cost is even higher in a task with a greater postural balance challenge. Conclusion: This study expands the current knowledge on bilateral sensorimotor alterations after unilateral TBPI and should guide rehabilitation after a peripheral injury., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Souza, Lustosa, Silva, Martins, Pozzo and Vargas.)

Objective: To evaluate the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with abdominal obesity in children from public schools in Barbacena, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 326 students aged 7 to 9 years from public schools in the urban area of the city. Anthropometric data included body weight, height, body mass index according to age, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio. Food consumption was evaluated using the Previous Day Food Questionnaire. Abdominal obesity was assessed based on waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio. The bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed by logistic regression, estimating the crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR), with 95% confidence interval., Results: The prevalence of overweight was 30.7%; whereas the prevalence of abdominal obesity was 9.2 and 12.6% according to waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio, respectively. Boys (OR 2.76; 95%CI 1.22-6.25) and children from central schools (OR 2.73; 95%CI 1.08-6.80) presented an increased chance of abdominal obesity according to waist circumference. Abdominal obesity according to waist-to-height ratio was associated with the central location of the schools (OR 2.18; 95%CI 1.02-4.63) and the habit of skipping supper (OR 2.01; 95%CI 1.00-4.09)., Conclusions: The findings showed that being a boy, studying in a central school, and skipping supper were the main risk factors associated with abdominal obesity.

Globally consistent measurements of airborne metal concentrations in fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) are important for understanding potential health impacts, prioritizing air pollution mitigation strategies, and enabling global chemical transport model development. PM 2.5 filter samples (N ~ 800 from 19 locations) collected from a globally distributed surface particulate matter sampling network (SPARTAN) between January 2013 and April 2019 were analyzed for particulate mass and trace metals content. Metal concentrations exhibited pronounced spatial variation, primarily driven by anthropogenic activities. PM 2.5 levels of lead, arsenic, chromium, and zinc were significantly enriched at some locations by factors of 100-3000 compared to crustal concentrations. Levels of metals in PM 2.5 and PM 10 exceeded health guidelines at multiple sites. For example, Dhaka and Kanpur sites exceeded the US National Ambient Air 3-month Quality Standard for lead (150 ng m -3 ). Kanpur, Hanoi, Beijing and Dhaka sites had annual mean arsenic concentrations that approached or exceeded the World Health Organization's risk level for arsenic (6.6 ng m -3 ). The high concentrations of several potentially harmful metals in densely populated cites worldwide motivates expanded measurements and analyses.

The recent decrease in cost and time to sequence and assemble of complete genomes created an increased demand for data storage. As a consequence, several strategies for assembled biological data compression were created. Vertical compression tools implement strategies that take advantage of the high level of similarity between multiple assembled genomic sequences for better compression results. However, current reviews on vertical compression do not compare the execution flow of each tool, which is constituted by phases of preprocessing, transformation, and data encoding. We performed a systematic literature review to identify and compare existing tools for vertical compression of assembled genomic sequences. The review was centered on PubMed and Scopus, in which 45726 distinct papers were considered. Next, 32 papers were selected according to the following criteria: to present a lossless vertical compression tool; to use the information contained in other sequences for the compression; to be able to manipulate genomic sequences in FASTA format; and no need prior knowledge. Although we extracted performance compression results, they were not compared as the tools did not use a standardized evaluation protocol. Thus, we conclude that there's a lack of definition of an evaluation protocol that must be applied by each tool., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction: Physical therapy is often used by patients with headache, including modalities such as muscle stretching exercises., Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of a pilot trial aimed at determining the efficacy of the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) contract-relax technique compared to static stretching for treating migraineurs., Methods: This pilot trial allocated 30 migraineur women (23 ± 4 years) into PNF (n = 15) and static stretching groups (n = 15). The interventions were performed twice a week (16 sessions, 8 weeks). The feasibility outcomes included successful random allocation of 30 patients during a 12-month period, the proportion of eligible patients randomly assigned to each group, and the proportion of those who completed the 30-day follow-up. The outcomes of headache characteristics; medication intake; severity of migraine-related disability; neck disability; cervical mobility; pressure pain threshold; adverse effects and global perception of change were evaluated at baseline, after the end of treatment and after 30-day follow-up., Results: The recruitment rate was 4.66% participants/month. The proportion of eligible patients randomly assigned to each group and for those who completed the 30-day follow-up was 88.23% and 100%, respectively. Both groups improved in headache-related outcomes. The perception of change was important for 67% of the PNF group and 47% of the static stretching group. No differences were found between groups regarding the studied outcomes., Conclusion: This is a feasible pilot trial. The PNF contract-relax technique was no more effective than static stretching for treating migraine, but both techniques improved the headache, the severity of migraine-related disability and the satisfaction after treatment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Individuals affected by stroke present with changes in cardiovascular and respiratory functions. Cardiorespiratory training (CRT) is one of the classic intervention guidelines for cardiorespiratory fitness. CRT in association with the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) technique for respiratory muscles could improve the quality of life, cardiorespiratory function and gait parameters of patients after stroke., Objective: To assess the effects of respiratory and trunk patterns of CRT associated with PNF on the quality of life, gait, oxygen consumption, respiratory muscle strength and thoracic volumes., Methods/design: A blind, randomized clinical trial with allocation confidentiality will be performed. Forty patients will be randomized into four groups: CRT-lower limb (LL) plus PNF; CRT-LL and respiration; CRT-upper limb (UL) plus PNF; or CRT-UL and respiration. Individuals will be evaluated at three different times (pretreatment, after 20 days of treatment and 1 month after the end of treatment). The treatment protocol consists of respiratory exercises, 30 min of CRT (cycle ergometer) and then repetition of the respiratory exercises, performed three times a week over a period of 20 days. Primary outcome measures are quality of life, gait, balance, peak oxygen uptake and rib cage compartment volumes. As secondary outcomes, respiratory function and maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures will be measured., Discussion: The association of PNF with CRT may be a viable and accessible alternative to increase cardiorespiratory function in patients with stroke., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03171012. Registered on 6 June 2017.

Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a leading risk factor for the global burden of disease. However, uncertainty remains about PM 2.5 sources. We use a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) simulation for 2014, constrained by satellite-based estimates of PM 2.5 to interpret globally dispersed PM 2.5 mass and composition measurements from the ground-based surface particulate matter network (SPARTAN). Measured site mean PM 2.5 composition varies substantially for secondary inorganic aerosols (2.4-19.7 μg/m 3 ), mineral dust (1.9-14.7 μg/m 3 ), residual/organic matter (2.1-40.2 μg/m 3 ), and black carbon (1.0-7.3 μg/m 3 ). Interpretation of these measurements with the GEOS-Chem model yields insight into sources affecting each site. Globally, combustion sectors such as residential energy use (7.9 μg/m 3 ), industry (6.5 μg/m 3 ), and power generation (5.6 μg/m 3 ) are leading sources of outdoor global population-weighted PM 2.5 concentrations. Global population-weighted organic mass is driven by the residential energy sector (64%) whereas population-weighted secondary inorganic concentrations arise primarily from industry (33%) and power generation (32%). Simulation-measurement biases for ammonium nitrate and dust identify uncertainty in agricultural and crustal sources. Interpretation of initial PM 2.5 mass and composition measurements from SPARTAN with the GEOS-Chem model constrained by satellite-based PM 2.5 provides insight into sources and processes that influence the global spatial variation in PM 2.5 composition.

Background: Psychiatric patients are often kept immobilized during hospitalization to avoid self-inflicted injuries and danger to third parties. Inadequate positioning can lead to brachial plexus injuries (BPI)., Objective: To present a series of 5 psychiatric patients with BPI after being left sedated and restrained for prolonged periods of time during hospitalization., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 5 psychiatric patients with iatrogenic BPI referred by other institutions to our service. The restraint technique adopted by those institutions consisted of a high-thoracic restraint. All patients underwent complete clinical and neurological examination at our center. Information concerning patient demographics, BPI characteristics, treatment choice, and ultimate outcome was recorded., Results: Three patients were male. The age of our patients ranged from 25 to 61 years old (mean: 41.2; median: 43). Three patients had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder while 2 had schizophrenia. Duration of immobilization ranged from 5 to 168 h (mean: 77.8; median: 72). Four patients presented with a unilateral right-sided lesion. Time to presentation ranged from 1 to 9 mo (mean: 4.2; median: 4). All patients also had intense pain and axillary lesions. Four patients received conservative treatment with partial or full functional recovery and complete pain resolution. The remaining patients underwent surgical repair and experienced good functional outcome., Conclusion: Psychiatric patients who need to be sedated and immobilized must be monitored closely, as BPI can occur from high-thoracic restraints. When such an injury occurs, the patient must be referred to a center specialized in peripheral nerve surgery and rehabilitation., (Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons)

A modest operational program of systematic aircraft measurements can resolve key satellite-aerosol-data-record limitations. Satellite observations provide frequent, global aerosol-amount maps, but offer only loose aerosol property constraints needed for climate and air quality applications. We define and illustrate the feasibility of flying an aircraft payload to measure key aerosol optical, microphysical, and chemical properties in situ . The flight program could characterize major aerosol air-mass types statistically, at a level-of-detail unobtainable from space. It would: (1) enhance satellite aerosol retrieval products with better climatology assumptions, and (2) improve translation between satellite-retrieved optical properties and species-specific aerosol mass and size simulated in climate models to assess aerosol forcing, its anthropogenic components, and other environmental impacts. As such, Systematic Aircraft Measurements to Characterize Aerosol Air Masses (SAM-CAAM) could add value to data records representing several decades of aerosol observations from space, improve aerosol constraints on climate modeling , help interrelate remote-sensing, in situ, and modeling aerosol-type definitions , and contribute to future satellite aerosol missions. Fifteen Required Variables are identified, and four Payload Options of increasing ambition are defined, to constrain these quantities. "Option C" could meet all the SAM-CAAM objectives with about 20 instruments, most of which have flown before, but never routinely several times per week, and never as a group. Aircraft integration, and approaches to data handling, payload support, and logistical considerations for a long-term, operational mission are discussed. SAM-CAAM is feasible because, for most aerosol sources and specified seasons, particle properties tend to be repeatable , even if aerosol loading varies.

Atherosclerosis is characterized by lesions, called atheroma or atheromatous plaques, in the inner layer of blood vessels, which block the vascular lumen and weaken the underlying tunica media. Several modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis exist. The modifiable risk factors include hypertension, smoking, obesity, high LDL and low HDL cholesterol levels, sedentary lifestyle, and stress; the non-modifiable factors include diabetes mellitus, family history of hypertension and heart disease, thrombophilia, sex, age, and genetic factors. The association of polymorphisms in GST with coronary artery disease has been studied since the polymorphisms can affect enzyme activity and contribute to the onset of atherosclerosis. We analyzed polymorphisms in GSTM1 in individuals diagnosed with atherosclerosis as well as in healthy individuals (control group). The frequency of the GSTM1 present genotype in the atherosclerosis group was 1.2 times higher than that observed in the control group. We found no sex- or alcohol-consumption-dependent differences between the occurrences of the present and null genotypes. However, the GSTM1 present genotype occurred in 52.6% individuals with atherosclerosis who reported smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day and in 60% individuals who smoked 10 to 20 cigarettes per day (P = 0.0035). In addition, the GSTM1 present genotype was more frequent in individuals who reported being former smokers - 45.5% in individuals with atherosclerosis who smoked for more than 20 years and 50% each for individuals in the control group who smoked for less than 10 years or for 10 to 20 years, respectively (P = 0.0240).

A method for the retrieval of aerosol optical and microphysical properties from in situ light-scattering measurements is presented and the results are compared with existing measurement techniques. The Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) is applied to airborne and laboratory measurements made by a novel polar nephelometer. This instrument, the Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph), is capable of making high-accuracy field measurements of phase function and degree of linear polarization, at three visible wavelengths, over a wide angular range of 3 to 177°. The resulting retrieval produces particle size distributions (PSDs) that agree, within experimental error, with measurements made by commercial optical particle counters (OPCs). Additionally, the retrieved real part of the refractive index is generally found to be within the predicted error of 0.02 from the expected values for three species of humidified salt particles, with a refractive index that is well established. The airborne measurements used in this work were made aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC 4 RS) field campaign, and the inversion of this data represents the first aerosol retrievals of airborne polar nephelometer data. The results provide confidence in the real refractive index product, as well as in the retrieval's ability to accurately determine PSD, without assumptions about refractive index that are required by the majority of OPCs., Competing Interests: Competing interests. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Objective: To describe the pain profile of patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury., Methods: We enrolled 65 patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury. The Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire was used to classify pain and the SF-36 was used to evaluate quality of life., Results: The patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury were predominantly young male victims of motorcycle accidents. Pain was present in 75.4% of the individuals and 79% presented with neuropathic pain, mostly located in the hands (30.41%). The use of auxiliary devices (p = 0.05) and marital status (p = 0.03) were both independent predictors of pain. Pain also impacted negatively on the quality of life (p = 0.001)., Conclusions: Pain is frequent in patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury. Despite the peripheral nervous system injury, nociceptive pain is not unusual. Pain evaluation, including validated instruments, is essential to guide optimal clinical management of patients with the condition.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of polymorphisms in the glutathione S-transferase genes GSTM1 and GSTT1 in patients with lens opacity (cataract). Peripheral blood samples were obtained from male and female patients (N = 23) with cataract. The GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphic regions were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and the amplification products were electrophoresed on a 2% agarose gel. The obtained bands were by staining with ethidium bromide. The results were compared by a chi-square test using the BioEstat software (v.5.0). The frequencies of the GSTM1- and GSTT1-null genotypes were higher than those of the GSTM1- and GSTT1-present genotypes. The frequency of GSTT1-null genotypes was approximately 1.7 times higher than that of GSTM1, which was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.0019). Although a consensus remains to be reached on the correlation between genetic polymorphisms in GSTs and cataract susceptibility, the observations from most scientific studies are similar to those reported in this study. Thus, we conclude that the absence of these genes, particularly GSTT1, is correlated with the development of lens opacity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Genetic polymorphisms are defined as changes within the DNA sequences of genes that have frequencies in the population higher than 1%. The glutathione S-transferases play an important role in the cellular detoxification systems involved in oxidative stress that can lead to accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Epidemiological studies have suggested that individuals with homozygous deletion of glutathione S-transferase mu 1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase theta 1 (GSTT1) are at higher risk of developing several types of neoplasias. The p53 protein is highly expressed in tumors and transformed cells, and the p53 is a classical tumor suppressor gene involved in regulating cell growth and development. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of polymorphisms in the p53, GSTM1, and GSTT1 genes in a population from Goiânia. We evaluated the polymorphisms of these genes in peripheral blood samples. The null or present polymorphism of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes and Arg/Pro of the p53 gene were analyzed. Our results revealed a higher frequency of the GSTM1-null polymorphism (72.4%) than the GSTM1-present genotype (27.6%). For GSTT1, we observed higher frequency for the null genotype (65.5%) compared to the present genotype (34.5%). Analysis of p53 gene polymorphisms showed a higher frequency for the genotype Arg/Pro (66%) and a lower frequency for the Arg/Arg (23%) and Pro/Pro (11%) genotypes. It is essential to understand polymorphism frequencies in different populations and to evaluate the role of genetic polymorphisms and their effects on health.

The present study evaluated the synergistic effects of the association of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol on myenteric in the jejunum of diabetic rats. The rats were randomly divided into four equal groups: untreated normoglycemic (UC), untreated diabetic (UD), ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol-treated normoglycemic (CAE) and ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol-treated diabetic (DAE). The rats from the CAE and DAE group received supplementation with ascorbic acid (1g/L in water) and α-tocopherol (1% in chow). At 210-days-old, the animals were sacrified and their jejunum was collected and submitted to immunohistochemistry. Quantitative and/or morphometric analysis were performed. Supplementation with ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol prevented the cell loss of myenteric neurons expressing HuC/D and TrkA in an equivalent proportion. We also observed a reduction of the CGRP nerve fiber varicosities and the prevention of the increased cell body size of submucosal VIP neurons (p<0.05). The association of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol reduced the deleterious effects of diabetes promoting protection on the enteric neurons., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The first reports about pterygium date back to Hippocrates, and this disease still threatens vision health around the world. Pterygium is a formation of fibrous tissue consisting of highly vascularized epithelial and subepithelial tissue that grows excessively and with an abnormal shape on the cornea. Many physical and biological factors are associated with the pathogenesis of pterygium, including heat, dust, and other particles in the atmosphere, and immunological mechanisms, mechanisms involving extracellular matrix reorganization, growth factors, cytokines, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to further investigate the association between polymorphisms in GSTM1 and the formation of pterygium. We collected peripheral blood samples from 90 patients diagnosed with pterygium and from 23 subjects with-out the disease in order to perform molecular analysis of the GSTM1 gene. Subjects with one or two copies of the GSTM1 allele had a normal genotype while those without any copies of the allele had a null geno-type. The chi-square test or the Fisher exact test was performed in order to investigate possible associations between the molecular analysis and the risk of pterygium. A significant difference between the frequency of the GSTM1-null genotype in patient and control groups was identified. However, sub-group analysis found that the GSTM1-null genotype was statistically significant in men, but not in women, and in Caucasians, but not in Brown or Black groups. Furthermore, the GSTM1-null geno-type was not related to any of the risk factors analyzed: cases in family, occupational exposure, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.

Pterygium is an inflammatory and degenerative ocular surface disease in which the conjunctiva on the cornea grows to form a fibrous tissue in the shape of a triangle. The disorder may be characterized by cell proliferation, inflammatory processes, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and destruction of the extracellular matrix. The anomaly is considered a degenerative eye disease and is erroneously confused with cataract. It displays similar features to those of tumors, such as local invasion, metaplasia of epithelial cells, presence of oncogenic viruses (human papilloma virus), inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (e.g., p53), and loss of heterozygosity. The treatment of pterygium is based on factors such as the evolution and progression of the disease, risk factors, symptoms, and patient age. Considerations about the best technique for the surgical removal of pterygium remain controversial, and complications and recurrence are very common. The development of new surgical techniques and adjuvant drugs is thus necessary. This study aims to analyze and compare the frequency of the GSTT1 genotypes in relation to pterygium through statistical analyzes in order to build a genotypic profile for the Replicon patients. The genotypic profile of the GSTT1-null polymorphism in Goiânia showed no significant difference when the frequency of the null genotype was compared between the control and experimental groups. The null genotype was more frequent in the population studied. Furthermore, the GSTT1 genotype was not related to the analyzed risk factors for pterygium, namely gender, ethnicity, family history, occupational exposure, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.

[Purpose] Spinocerebellar ataxia consists of a group of autosomal dominant disorders that cause progressive degeneration, mainly in the cerebellum and its connections. Falls, which are a significant concern of this condition, reduce patients' mobility, deteriorate their health and have physical and social consequences. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a modified protocol for improving balance and diminishing the fall risk of spinocerebellar ataxia patients exclusively. [Subjects and Methods] Exercises aiming to improve static and dynamic balance, whole body movements, measures to prevent falls and falling strategies were performed twice per week for four weeks by 11 spinocerebellar ataxia patients. Balance was evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale. [Results] The results show that there was a significant increase in Berg Balance Scale scores after the interventions (Wilcoxon p=0.0034). [Conclusion] This study demonstrated that the modified protocol is effective at reducing the fall risk of spinocerebellar ataxia patients. This protocol may be a useful option for appropriately coping with falls caused by spinocerebellar ataxia.

Objective: To evaluate the behavior of castor oil-derived polyurethane as a hemostatic agent and tissue response after abdominal aortic injury and to compare it with 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate., Methods: Twenty-four Guinea Pigs were randomly divided into three groups of eight animals (I, II, and III). The infrarenal abdominal aorta was dissected, clamped proximally and distally to the vascular puncture site. In group I (control), hemostasis was achieved with digital pressure; in group II (polyurethane) castor oil-derived polyurethane was applied, and in group III (cyanoacrylate), 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate was used. Group II was subdivided into IIA and IIB according to the time of preparation of the hemostatic agent., Results: Mean blood loss in groups IIA, IIB and III was 0.002 grams (g), 0.008 g, and 0.170 g, with standard deviation of 0.005 g, 0.005 g, and 0.424 g, respectively (P=0.069). The drying time for cyanoacrylate averaged 81.5 seconds (s) (standard deviation: 51.5 seconds) and 126.1 s (standard deviation: 23.0 s) for polyurethane B (P=0.046). However, there was a trend (P=0.069) for cyanoacrylate to dry more slowly than polyurethane A (mean: 40.5 s; SD: 8.6 s). Furthermore, polyurethane A had a shorter drying time than polyurethane B (P=0.003), mean IIA of 40.5 s (standard deviation: 8.6 s). In group III, 100% of the animals had mild/severe fibrosis, while in group II only 12.5% showed this degree of fibrosis (P=0.001)., Conclusion: Polyurethane derived from castor oil showed similar hemostatic behavior to octyl-2-cyanoacrylate. There was less perivascular tissue response with polyurethane when compared with cyanoacrylate.

Global satellite remote sensing of aerosols requires in situ measurements to enable the calibration and validation of algorithms. In order to improve our understanding of light scattering by aerosol particles, and to enable routine in situ airborne measurements of aerosol light scattering, we have developed an instrument, called the Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph). We designed and built the PI-Neph at the Laboratory for Aerosols, Clouds and Optics (LACO) of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). This portable instrument directly measures the ambient scattering coefficient and phase matrix elements of aerosols, in the field or onboard an aircraft. The measured phase matrix elements are the P(11), phase function, and P(12). Lasers illuminate the sampled ambient air and aerosol, and a wide field of view camera detects scattered light in a scattering angle range of 3° to 176°. The PI-Neph measures an ensemble of particles, supplying the relevant quantity for satellite remote sensing, as opposed to particle-by-particle measurements that have other applications. Comparisons with remote sensing measurements will have to consider aircraft inlet effects. The PI-Neph first measured at a laser wavelength of 532nm, and was first deployed successfully in 2011 aboard the B200 aircraft of NASA Langley during the Development and Evaluation of satellite ValidatiOn Tools by Experimenters (DEVOTE) project. In 2013, we upgraded the PI-Neph to measure at 473nm, 532nm, and 671nm nearly simultaneously. LACO has deployed the PI-Neph on a number of airborne field campaigns aboard three different NASA aircraft. This paper describes the PI-Neph measurement approach and validation by comparing measurements of artificial spherical aerosols with Mie theory. We provide estimates of calibration uncertainties, which show agreement with the small residuals between measurements of P(11) and -P(12)/P(11) and Mie theory. We demonstrate the capability of the PI-Neph to measure ambient aerosol with two data sets from the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign, from flights over Colorado in June 2012.

Rubber tree production is reduced by weeds that compete for environmental resources; therefore, the timing and duration of weed control influences weed interference. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the growth of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) plants, to determine the critical period for weed control, and to evaluate the growth recovery of rubber trees that coexisted with weeds for different periods of time after planting. Two groups of treatments were established under field conditions in the first year of the investigation: one group contained crescent periods of weed infestation, while the other contained crescent periods of weed control, also including a weed-free check and a total weedy check. In the second year of the investigation, the weeds were totally controlled. Urochloa decumbens was the dominant weed (over 90% groundcover). Crop growth was greatly reduced due to the weed interference. Plant height decreased more rapidly than did any other characteristic. Plant height, leaf dry mass, and leaf area decreased by 99%, 97% and 96%, respectively, and were the most reduced characteristics. Plant height also recovered more rapidly than did any characteristic when the period of weed control was lengthened. However, stem dry mass increased by 750%, making it the most recovered characteristic. The critical period for weed control was between 4 and 9½ months after planting in the first year; however, the rubber trees showed an expressive growth recovery when the weeds were controlled throughout the second year.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the quantitative results of functional and cognitive performance of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and disease severity; and to study the relationship between patients' functional and cognitive capacity and motor impairment (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale - UPDRS III)., Method: Twenty-nine subjects clinically diagnosed with PD were classified into three groups according to disease severity using the modified Hoehn and Yahr Scale (H&Y). They were submitted to functional (Senior Fitness Test) and neuropsychological tests. Stepwise regression analysis showed a significant association between H&Y and upper limb strength (r² =0.30; p=0.005) and executive function (r² =0.37; p=0.004). In relation to UPDRS III, there was a significant association between lower limb strength (r² =0.27; p=0.010) and global cognitive status (r² =0.24; p=0.024)., Conclusion: The implementation of simple tests of functional capacity associated with neuropsychological testing can help to assess disease severity and motor impairment, and can be used to monitor the response to treatment in PD.

Objective: To assess the quality of life (QoL) of patients with HTLV-I-associate myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and to correlate it with specific aspects of the disease., Methods: Fifty-seven HAM/TSP patients completed the SF-36 QoL questionnaire. They were also asked about common complaints related to the disease, and we looked for associations between QoL and these complaints., Results: Patients with HAM/TSP showed a strong negative association to QoL. Pain was the condition which most affected their QoL. The practice of physical activity is associated with better QoL in five out of eight domains of the scale., Conclusion: HAM/TSP leads to a poor QoL, mostly influenced by pain. Physical activity may have a positive association to QoL of these patients.

The effect of anthropogenic aerosols on clouds is one of the most important and least understood aspects of human-induced climate change. Small changes in the amount of cloud coverage can produce a climate forcing equivalent in magnitude and opposite in sign to that caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gases, and changes in cloud height can shift the effect of clouds from cooling to warming. Focusing on the Amazon, we show a smooth transition between two opposing effects of aerosols on clouds: the microphysical and the radiative. We show how a feedback between the optical properties of aerosols and the cloud fraction can modify the aerosol forcing, changing the total radiative energy and redistributing it over the atmospheric column.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the pharmacological properties of the crude lyophilized extract (EBPC) of Paullinia cupana seeds (guaraná) and the semi-purified extracts (EPA and EPB) after acute or chronic administration by the oral route in rats. Anxiolytic-like, antidepressant-like and motor stimulant effects were evaluated using the plus maze (PMT), forced swimming (FST) and open field (OFT) tests, respectively. Acute or chronic administration of EBPC (3.0, 30.0 or 60.0 mg/kg) did not alter the percentage of entries or the time spent in the open arm in the PMT. In the FST, chronic treatment with 30.0 mg EBPC/kg and 4.0 mg EPA/kg extract decreased the immobility time similarly to the antidepressant reference drug, imipramine (20.0 mg/kg). Locomotor activity in the OFT was not increased by these extracts. Caffeine (10.0 mg/kg) significantly reduced the immobility time in the FST, but increased locomotor activity in the OFT, indicating psychostimulant activity. The EPB extract did not induce any effect after acute or chronic treatment in the different models used. The present results suggest that the crude EBPC extract and EPA extract produced an antidepressant-like effect after long-term administration., ((c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Urban air pollution and smoke from fires have been modeled to reduce cloud formation by absorbing sunlight, thereby cooling the surface and heating the atmosphere. Satellite data over the Amazon region during the biomass burning season showed that scattered cumulus cloud cover was reduced from 38%in clean conditions to 0%for heavy smoke (optical depth of 1.3). This response to the smoke radiative effect reverses the regional smoke instantaneous forcing of climate from -28 watts per square meter in cloud-free conditions to +8 watts per square meter once the reduction of cloud cover is accounted for.

The hydroalcoholic extract of Kielmeyera coriacea leaves was evaluated for effects on the central nervous system by means of behavioral models which included forced swimming, open-field and elevated plus-maze tests. According to the results, K. coriacea leaves extract is effective as anxiolytic but not as an antidepressant drug., (Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.)