A network correspondence toolbox for quantitative evaluation of novel neuroimaging results.

Decades of neuroscience research has shown that macroscale brain dynamics can be reliably decomposed into a subset of large-scale functional networks, but the specific spatial topographies of these networks and the names used to describe them can vary across studies. Such discordance has hampered interpretation and convergence of research findings across the field. To address this problem, we have developed the Network Correspondence Toolbox (NCT) to permit researchers to examine and report spatial correspondence between their novel neuroimaging results and sixteen widely used functional brain atlases, consistent with recommended reporting standards developed by the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. The atlases included in the toolbox show some topographical convergence for specific networks, such as those labeled as default or visual. Network naming varies across atlases, particularly for networks spanning frontoparietal association cortices. For this reason, quantitative comparison with multiple atlases is recommended to benchmark novel neuroimaging findings. We provide several exemplar demonstrations using the Human Connectome Project task fMRI results and UK Biobank independent component analysis maps to illustrate how researchers can use the NCT to report their own findings through quantitative evaluation against multiple published atlases. The NCT provides a convenient means for computing Dice coefficients with spin test permutations to determine the magnitude and statistical significance of correspondence among user-defined maps and existing atlas labels. The NCT also includes functionality to incorporate additional atlases in the future. The adoption of the NCT will make it easier for network neuroscience researchers to report their findings in a standardized manner, thus aiding reproducibility and facilitating comparisons between studies to produce interdisciplinary insights.

Individual Brain Charting dataset extension, third release for movie watching and retinotopy data.

The Individual Brain Charting (IBC) is a multi-task functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging dataset acquired at high spatial-resolution and dedicated to the cognitive mapping of the human brain. It consists in the deep phenotyping of twelve individuals, covering a broad range of psychological domains suitable for functional-atlasing applications. Here, we present the inclusion of task data from both naturalistic stimuli and trial-based designs, to uncover structures of brain activation. We rely on the Fast Shared Response Model (FastSRM) to provide a data-driven solution for modelling naturalistic stimuli, typically containing many features. We show that data from left-out runs can be reconstructed using FastSRM, enabling the extraction of networks from the visual, auditory and language systems. We also present the topographic organization of the visual system through retinotopy. In total, six new tasks were added to IBC, wherein four trial-based retinotopic tasks contributed with a mapping of the visual field to the cortex. IBC is open access: source plus derivatives imaging data and meta-data are available in public repositories.

Analysis of the costs of teleconsultation for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the SUS.

OBJECTIVE: To present the results of a cost analysis of remote consultations (teleconsultations) compared to in-person consultations for patients with type 2 diabetes, in the Brazilian public healthcare system (SUS) in the city of Joinville, Santa Catarina (SC). In addition to the costs from the local manager's perspective, the article also presents estimates from the patient's perspective, based on the transportation costs associated with each type of consultation. METHOD: Data were collected from 246 consultations, both remote and in-person, between 2021 and 2023, in the context of a randomized clinical trial on the impact of teleconsultation carried out in the city of Joinville, SC. Teleconsultations were carried out at Primary Health Units (PHU) and in-person consultations at the Specialized Health Center. The consultation costs were calculate by the method time and activity-based costing (TDABC), and for the estimate of transportation costs data was collected directly from the research participants . The mean costs and time required to carry out each type of consultation in different scenarios and perspectives were analyzed and compared descriptively. RESULTS: Considering only the local SUS manager's perspective, the costs for carrying out a teleconsultation were 4.5% higher than for an in-person consultation. However, when considering the transportation costs associated with each patient, the estimated value of the in-person consultation becomes 7.7% higher and, in the case of consultations in other municipalities, 15% higher than the teleconsultation. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that the incorporation of teleconsultation within the SUS can bring economic advantages depending on the perspective and scenario considered, in addition to being a strategy with the potential to increase access to specialized care in the public network.

Initial Validation of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire in a Sample of Portuguese Athletes.

Our primary objectives in this study were to translate and provide psychometric support for the Coach Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) Portuguese version, assess its invariance across sex, and explore its nomological validity in relation to enjoyment. Our sample participants were 470 athletes (226 females, 244 males) aged between 16 to 39 years from various individual and team sports. We found that the translated Portuguese version of the CART-Q exhibited satisfactory test-retest reliability and can serve as a reliable tool for evaluating the core constructs of the coach-athlete relationship - closeness, commitment, and complementarity. Moreover, this instrument showed evidence of nomological validity through significant positive correlations between its underlying factors and athletes' enjoyment with their sport. The proposed model for explaining item variance was also found to be invariant between male and female respondents. We recommend further use of this instrument in research and practical applications.

Repeated human leukocyte antigens eplets, importance of typing the partner.

INTRODUCTION: Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is the most common cause of immune-mediated allograft failure after kidney transplant and impacts allograft survival. Previous sensitization is a major risk factor for development of donor specific antibodies (DSA). AMR can have a wide range of clinical features such as impaired kidney function, proteinuria/hypertension or can be subclinical. HLA molecules have specific regions of antigens binding antibodies called epitopes and eplets are considered essential components responsible for immune recognition. We present a patient with subclinical AMR 1 week post transplantation. CASE REPORT: A 48-year-old, caucasian woman with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) secondary to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) on peritoneal dialysis was registered in deceased donor waitlist. She was a hypersensitized patient from 3 prior pregnancies with a calculated panel reactive antibody of 93,48%. She was transplanted through kidney paired exchange donation with no evidence of DSA pre transplantation. Surgery and post-op were unremarkable with excellent and immediate graft function. Per protocol DSA levels on the 5th day was DR1 of 3300 MFI, with an increase in MFI by day 13 with 7820 MFI and a new B41 1979MFI. Allograft kidney biopsy findings were diagnostic of AMR and she was treated with immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis. As early onset AMR post transplantation was observed an anamnestic response was hypothesized from a previous exposure to allo-HLA. We decided to type her husband, her son's father, which was presented with DSA. Mismatch eplet analysis revealed a shared 41 T and 67LQ eplets between the donor and husband, responsible for the reactivity and new HLA class I B41 and HLA class II DR1 DSA, respectively. DISCUSSION: Shared eplets between the patient husband and donor was responsible for the alloimmune response and early development of DSAs. This case highlights the importance of early monitoring DSA levels in highly sensitized patients after transplant in order to promptly address and lower inflammatory damage. Mismatch eplet analysis can provide a thorough and precise evaluation of immune compatibility providing a useful technique to immune risk stratification, donor selection and post-transplant immunosuppressive therapy and monitoring.

Long-term prognosis of idiopathic ventricular fibrillation: An eighteen-year experience from a tertiary center.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) is diagnosed in patients who survive sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), preferably with documented ventricular fibrillation (VF), without any identifiable structural or electrical abnormality. Current evidence provides limited guidance on the diagnosis and follow-up of these patients. Our aim was to assess the clinical outcomes of survivors of an aborted SCA attributed to IVF. METHODS: We retrospectively collected clinical data from all patients who survived SCA and implanted a cardiac defibrillator (ICD) between 2005 and 2023. RESULTS: A total of 38 patients, 36.8% female, with a mean age of 44±14 years old were included. Median follow-up time was 8.7 years (interquartile range (IQR) 4.7-14.7 years). All patients underwent a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation that excluded structural and coronary disease. During follow-up, underlying diagnoses were established in 34.2% of the whole cohort. Genetic testing, performed in 37.2%, revealed underlying diagnoses in 57.1% of those tested, compared to only 26.3% of patients who did not undergo genetic testing [p=0.035, OR=5.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-21.5)]. Mortality was 10.5% (due to non-arrhythmic causes) and 36.8% patients received appropriate therapies with a median time to first ICD therapy of 39 [5.4-47.3] months. CONCLUSION(S): Etiological diagnosis and recurrence prediction in patients with IVF remains challenging, even with extensive diagnostic evaluation and long-term follow-up. In our study, genetic testing enhanced diagnostic yield. Consistent with previous findings, our cohort experienced a notable arrhythmic recurrence, with no cardiac deaths, underlining the pivotal role of ICD implantation in these patients.

Designing of a Multifunctional 3D-Printed Biomimetic Theragenerative Aerogel Scaffold via Mussel-Inspired Chemistry: Bioactive Glass Nanofiber-Incorporated Self-Assembled Silk Fibroin with Antibacterial, Antiosteosarcoma, and Osteoinductive Properties.

Biomaterial-mediated bone tissue engineering (BTE) offers an alternative, interesting approach for the restoration of damaged bone tissues in postsurgery osteosarcoma treatment. This study focused on synthesizing innovative composite inks, integrating self-assembled silk fibroin (SF), tannic acids (TA), and electrospun bioactive glass nanofibers 70SiO2-25CaO-5P2O5 (BGNF). By synergistically combining the unique characteristics of these three components through self-assembly and microextrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) printing, our goal was to produce durable and versatile aerogel-based 3D composite scaffolds. These scaffolds were designed to exhibit hierarchical porosity along with antibacterial, antiosteosarcoma, and bone regeneration properties. Taking inspiration from mussel foot protein attachment chemistry involving the coordination of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) amino acids with ferric ions (Fe3+), we synthesized a tris-complex catecholate-iron self-assembled composite gel. This gel formation occurred through the coordination of oxidized SF (SFO) with TA and polydopamine-modified BGNF (BGNF-PDA). The dynamic nature of the coordination ligand-metal bonds within the self-assembled SFO matrix provided excellent shear-thinning properties, allowing the SFO-TA-BGNF complex gel to be extruded through a nozzle, facilitating 3D printing into scaffolds with outstanding shape fidelity. Moreover, the developed composite aerogels exhibited multifaceted features, including NIR-triggered photothermal antibacterial and in vitro photothermal antiosteosarcoma properties. In vitro studies showcased their excellent biocompatibility and osteogenic features as seeded cells successfully differentiated into osteoblasts, promoting bone regeneration in 21 days. Through comprehensive characterizations and biological validations, our antibacterial scaffold demonstrated promise as an exceptional platform for concurrent bone regeneration and bone cancer therapy, setting the stage for their potential clinical application.

Authors' Response.

Dear Editor, We would like to thank Dr. Madias for his valuable comment on our original article entitled "QT interval prolongation in Takotsubo Syndrome: a frightening feature with no major prognostic impact" published in Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease on December 6, 2023...

A hierarchical atlas of the human cerebellum for functional precision mapping.

The human cerebellum is activated by a wide variety of cognitive and motor tasks. Previous functional atlases have relied on single task-based or resting-state fMRI datasets. Here, we present a functional atlas that integrates information from 7 large-scale datasets, outperforming existing group atlasses. The new atlas has three further advantages: First, the atlas allows for precision mapping in individuals: The integration of the probabilistic group atlas with an individual localizer scan results in a marked improvement in prediction of individual boundaries. Second, we provide both asymmetric and symmetric versions of the atlas. The symmetric version, which is obtained by constraining the boundaries to be the same across hemispheres, is especially useful in studying functional lateralization. Finally, the regions are hierarchically organized across 3 levels, allowing analyses at the appropriate level of granularity. Overall, the new atlas is an important resource for the study of the interdigitated functional organization of the human cerebellum in health and disease.

Should one go for individual- or group-level brain parcellations? A deep-phenotyping benchmark.

The analysis and understanding of brain characteristics often require considering region-level information rather than voxel-sampled data. Subject-specific parcellations have been put forward in recent years, as they can adapt to individual brain organization and thus offer more accurate individual summaries than standard atlases. However, the price to pay for adaptability is the lack of group-level consistency of the data representation. Here, we investigate whether the good representations brought by individualized models are merely an effect of circular analysis, in which individual brain features are better represented by subject-specific summaries, or whether this carries over to new individuals, i.e., whether one can actually adapt an existing parcellation to new individuals and still obtain good summaries in these individuals. For this, we adapt a dictionary-learning method to produce brain parcellations. We use it on a deep-phenotyping dataset to assess quantitatively the patterns of activity obtained under naturalistic and controlled-task-based settings. We show that the benefits of individual parcellations are substantial, but that they vary a lot across brain systems.

Bioactive Self-Regulated Liquified Microcompartments to Bioengineer Bone-Like Microtissues.

Designing a microenvironment that drives autonomous stromal cell differentiation toward osteogenesis while recapitulating the complexity of bone tissue remains challenging. In the current study, bone-like microtissues are created using electrohydrodynamic atomization to form two distinct liquefied microcapsules (mCAPs): i) hydroxypyridinone (HOPO)-modified gelatin (GH mCAPs, 7.5% w/v), and ii) HOPO-modified gelatin and dopamine-modified gelatin (GH+GD mCAPs, 7.5%+1.5% w/v). The ability of HOPO to coordinate with iron ions at physiological pH allows the formation of a semipermeable micro-hydrogel shell. In turn, the dopamine affinity for calcium ions sets a bioactive milieu for bone-like microtissues. After 21 days post encapsulation, GH and GH+GD mCAPs potentiate autonomous osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells accompanied by collagen type-I gene upregulation, increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression, and formation of mineralized extracellular matrix. However, the GH+GD mCAPs show higher levels of osteogenic markers starting on day 14, translating into a more advanced and organized mineralized matrix. The GH+GD system also shows upregulation of the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANK-L) gene, enabling the autonomous osteoclastic differentiation of monocytes. These catechol-based mCAPs offer a promising approach to designing multifunctional and autonomous bone-like microtissues to study in vitro bone-related processes at the cell-tissue interface, angiogenesis, and osteoclastogenesis.

Analysis of the costs of teleconsultation for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the SUS / Análise dos custos da teleconsulta para tratamento de diabetes mellitus no SUS

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To present the results of a cost analysis of remote consultations (teleconsultations) compared to in-person consultations for patients with type 2 diabetes, in the Brazilian public healthcare system (SUS) in the city of Joinville, Santa Catarina (SC). In addition to the costs from the local manager's perspective, the article also presents estimates from the patient's perspective, based on the transportation costs associated with each type of consultation. METHOD Data were collected from 246 consultations, both remote and in-person, between 2021 and 2023, in the context of a randomized clinical trial on the impact of teleconsultation carried out in the city of Joinville, SC. Teleconsultations were carried out at Primary Health Units (PHU) and in-person consultations at the Specialized Health Center. The consultation costs were calculate by the method time and activity-based costing (TDABC), and for the estimate of transportation costs data was collected directly from the research participants . The mean costs and time required to carry out each type of consultation in different scenarios and perspectives were analyzed and compared descriptively. RESULTS Considering only the local SUS manager's perspective, the costs for carrying out a teleconsultation were 4.5% higher than for an in-person consultation. However, when considering the transportation costs associated with each patient, the estimated value of the in-person consultation becomes 7.7% higher and, in the case of consultations in other municipalities, 15% higher than the teleconsultation. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate that the incorporation of teleconsultation within the SUS can bring economic advantages depending on the perspective and scenario considered, in addition to being a strategy with the potential to increase access to specialized care in the public network.

RESUMO OBJETIVO Apresentar os resultados da análise de custos para a modalidade de consulta remota (teleconsulta) em comparação à consulta presencial, em pacientes com diabetes do tipo 2, no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) brasileiro, na cidade Joinville, Santa Catarina. Para além dos custos, sob a perspectiva do gestor local, o artigo também apresenta estimativas sob perspectiva do paciente, a partir dos custos de transporte associados a cada modalidade de consulta. MÉTODO Foram coletados dados de 246 consultas, remotas e presenciais, entre 2021 e 2023, no contexto de um ensaio clínico randomizado sobre o impacto da teleconsulta realizado na cidade de Joinville, SC. As teleconsultas foram realizadas em Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS) e as consultas presenciais no Centro de Saúde Especializada. Para o cálculo dos custos, foi utilizado o método de custos baseado em tempo e atividade (TDABC) e, para o cálculo dos custos relativos aos transportes dos pacientes, foram coletados dados diretamente com os participantes da pesquisa. Foram analisados e comparados descritivamente os custos médios e o tempo de realização de cada modalidade de consulta em diferentes cenários e perspectivas. RESULTADOS Considerando apenas a perspectiva do gestor local do SUS, os custos para a realização da teleconsulta se mostraram 4,5% maiores do que para uma consulta presencial. Contudo, quando considerados os custos de transporte associados a cada paciente, o valor estimado da consulta presencial passa a ser 7,7% maior e, no caso de consultas em outros municípios, 15% maior do que a teleconsulta. CONCLUSÃO Os resultados demonstram que a incorporação da teleconsulta dentro do SUS pode trazer vantagens econômicas, a depender da perspectiva e do cenário considerado, além de ser uma estratégia com potencial para aumentar o acesso à atenção especializada na rede pública.

Application of ventilator-associated events (VAE) in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) notified in Brazil (IMPACTO MR-PAV): a protocol for a cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Certain criteria for ventilator-associated events (VAE) definition might influence the type of an event, its detection rate and consequently the resource expenditure in intensive care unit. The Impact of Infections by Antimicrobial-Resistant Microorganisms - Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (IMPACTO MR-PAV) aims to evaluate the incidence and diagnostic accuracy of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) using the current criteria for VAP surveillance in Brazil versus the VAE criteria defined by the US National Healthcare Safety Network-Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will be conducted in around 15 centres across Brazil from October 2022 to December 2023. Trained healthcare professionals will collect data and compare the incidence of VAP using both the current criteria for VAP surveillance in Brazil and the VAE criteria defined by the CDC. The accuracy of the two criteria for identifying VAP will also be analysed. It will also characterise other events associated with mechanical ventilation (ventilator-associated condition, infection-related ventilator-associated complication) and adjudicate VAP reported to the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) using current epidemiological diagnostic criteria. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board under the number 52354721.0.1001.0070. The study's primary outcome measure will be the incidence of VAP using the two different surveillance criteria, and the secondary outcome measures will be the accuracy of the two criteria for identifying VAP and the adjudication of VAP reported to ANVISA. The results will contribute to the improvement of VAP surveillance in Brazil and may have implications for other countries that use similar criteria. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05589727; Clinicaltrials.gov.

QT interval prolongation in Takotsubo syndrome: a frightening feature with no major prognostic impact.

Despite the frequent and often severe repolarization abnormalities seen in Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), the underlying mechanism of life-threatening arrhythmias is incompletely understood, and the risk remains uncertain. TTS is considered a potential cause of acquired long QT syndrome; however, there is no robust evidence that QT prolongation has a major prognostic impact on these patients' outcomes. Our aim was to assess the prevalence and clinical implications of acquired long QT during TTS events and compare in-hospital and long-term outcomes between patients with and without corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation. This is a retrospective cohort study that included 113 patients admitted to our tertiary care hospital with a diagnosis of TTS. The cohort was divided into two groups: a long QTc group (QTc≥460 milliseconds in any electrocardiogram at admission or during hospitalization) and a normal QTc group. Baseline characteristics, occurrences during hospitalization, and outcome data were obtained from the revision of medical registries and hospital visits. Of the 113 patients, 107 (94.7%) were female. The mean age was 67.6±11.7 years. QTc prolongation was found in 38%. Demographic characteristics, relevant chronic medication, prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, and other comorbidities were similar between the groups, except for history of atrial fibrillation, which was more common in the long QTc group. Syncope was more prevalent in the long QTc group. In-hospital complications were not statistically different between patients with long and normal QTc (48.8% versus 44.2%, p=0.637), including ventricular arrhythmias and complete atrioventricular block (both 4.7% versus 1.4%, p=0.556). In-hospital mortality was 0.9%, corresponding to one patient in the long QTc group. The mean follow-up time was 4.8±3.8 years. 5-year all-cause mortality and the occurrence of the composite endpoint of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events did not differ between the groups (p=0.511 and p=0.538, respectively). Our study found no association between prolonged QTc interval during TTS events and adverse prognosis, since in-hospital and long-term outcomes were similar between the groups. Our findings suggest that, although QT prolongation is usually a frightening feature on ECG, this repolarization abnormality during the acute phase has no major prognostic implications in the TTS population.

Controversies and progress on standardization of large-scale brain network nomenclature.

Progress in scientific disciplines is accompanied by standardization of terminology. Network neuroscience, at the level of macroscale organization of the brain, is beginning to confront the challenges associated with developing a taxonomy of its fundamental explanatory constructs. The Workgroup for HArmonized Taxonomy of NETworks (WHATNET) was formed in 2020 as an Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM)-endorsed best practices committee to provide recommendations on points of consensus, identify open questions, and highlight areas of ongoing debate in the service of moving the field toward standardized reporting of network neuroscience results. The committee conducted a survey to catalog current practices in large-scale brain network nomenclature. A few well-known network names (e.g., default mode network) dominated responses to the survey, and a number of illuminating points of disagreement emerged. We summarize survey results and provide initial considerations and recommendations from the workgroup. This perspective piece includes a selective review of challenges to this enterprise, including (1) network scale, resolution, and hierarchies; (2) interindividual variability of networks; (3) dynamics and nonstationarity of networks; (4) consideration of network affiliations of subcortical structures; and (5) consideration of multimodal information. We close with minimal reporting guidelines for the cognitive and network neuroscience communities to adopt.

Impact of COVID-19 on disease (self) management and well-being in people with Rheumatic or Musculoskeletal diseases across four European countries: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Qualitative data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) in different European countries are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To describe the impact of the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with inflammatory RMDs concerning (self)management of their disease, interaction with the health care team, emotional well-being and overall health. METHODS: A mixed-methods study of adults (>18 years) with RMDs on immunosuppression from Cyprus, England, Greece, and Portugal took part on online focus groups (FG) after the first wave (July-August, 2020). The data was transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Informed by the qualitative findings, a follow-up survey was developed for the same participants after the second wave, allowing to compare the perceived impact. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients (6 from each country; 21 women; 33-74 years range) participated. Three key themes were identified (with 3-7 subthemes each), focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on the: (i) individual, (ii) health settings, and (iii) work and community. Overall, qualitative results were similar across countries. The follow-up survey during the second wave highlighted a worsening of psychosocial aspects, e.g. sleep problems, stress, and isolation. CONCLUSIONS: People with RMDs felt vulnerable and anxious, specifically about how to cope with isolation and difficulties in communicating with healthcare providers. The second wave had a more significant impact on patients. Healthcare providers and policymakers need to consider measures to ameliorate the longer-term impact that many may still face.

Trans(gender) journeys: rights and the (non-)recognition of "human".

A human right paradigm has been challenging the biomedical perspectives that tend to be normalized in the Western context concerning the lives of trans people. The aim of this study is to understand how trans people in Portugal and Brazil perceive the (non-)recognition of their socio-cultural, economic and political rights. Specifically, the study intends to know in what extent these perceptions influence the processes of identity (de)construction. For this purpose, 35 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people self-identified as trans, transsexuals and transvestites in Brazil and Portugal. The narratives of the participants were analyzed according to the thematic analysis method and the following six main themes emerged: (i) Who are the rights for; (ii) Types of rights; (iii) Paradigm of distribution of rights; (iv) Local or global rights; (v) Non-recognition of the "human"; and, (vi) Transphobias (and cissexism). The results allowed the knowledge of rights and the non-recognition of the "human" which is the central organizer of the analysis. Among the main conclusions of this study, we emphasize the circumscription of rights to certain international, regional and/or national contexts; the existence of local instead of global rights, since they are influenced by regional and international law, but they depend on the legislation in force in each country; and the way human rights can also be understood as a platform of invisibility and exclusion of other people. Based on a commitment to social transformation, this article also contributes to rethinking the violence that is exercised on trans people as a continuum, whether through 'normalizing devices' by medical contexts, family contexts, public space, or even through internalized transphobia. Social structures produce and sustain transphobias and, simultaneously, are responsible for fighting them by changing the paradigm about the conception of transsexualities.

Self-Assembly of Platelet Lysates Proteins into Microparticles by Unnatural Disulfide Bonds for Bottom-Up Tissue Engineering.

There is a demand to design microparticles holding surface topography while presenting inherent bioactive cues for applications in the biomedical and biotechnological fields. Using the pool of proteins present in human-derived platelet lysates (PLs), the production of protein-based microparticles via a simple and cost-effective method is reported, exploring the prone redox behavior of cysteine (Cy-SH) amino acid residues. The forced formation of new intermolecular disulfide bonds results in the precipitation of the proteins as spherical, pompom-like microparticles with adjustable sizes (15-50 µm in diameter) and surface topography consisting of grooves and ridges. These PL microparticles exhibit extraordinary cytocompatibility, allowing cell-guided microaggregates to form, while also working as injectable systems for cell support. Early studies also suggest that the surface topography provided by these PL microparticles can support osteogenic behavior. Consequently, these PL microparticles may find use to create live tissues via bottom-up procedures or injectable tissue-defect fillers, particularly for bone regeneration, with the prospect of working under xeno-free conditions.

Chorea as a Manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with multisystemic manifestations, including central nervous system involvement. Chorea is a hyperkinetic movement disorder, characterized by involuntary, dance-like and poorly coordinated movements. Acute-onset chorea is a rare neuropsychiatric inaugural manifestation of SLE. This presentation is frequently associated with positive antiphospholipid antibodies, and it usually improves with immunosuppressive treatment. We report the case of a 20-year-old female, who presented with acute onset left hemichorea and fever. Analysis showed active urine sediment. A detailed anamnesis and evaluation revealed several clinical manifestations suggestive of SLE with multiorgan involvement: neurological, renal, cardiac, hematological, joint and mucocutaneous. This case emphasizes the importance of keeping a high clinical awareness for rarer presentations of common autoimmune disorders, such as SLE, which can be severe and should be promptly treated. Furthermore, the relevance of SLE in the differential diagnosis of acute-onset movement disorders in young patients is highlighted in this report.