Different subpopulations of mild cognitive impairment are identified by using Petersen's or DSM-5 criteria

OBJECTIVES: In view of differences in the prevalence and conversion rate to dementia of Petersen's (P-MCI) and DSM-5's (DSM-5-MCI) categories of mild cognitive impairment, this paper is intended to examine the diagnostic agreement between the categories and to analyze clinical factors related to the potential discrepancies. METHOD: A representative population cohort of 4580 dementia-free individuals 55+ years of age was examined in Zaragoza, Spain (ZARADEMP). Validated Spanish versions of instruments, including the Geriatric Mental State-AGECAT, were used for assessment. Research psychiatrists diagnosed DSM-5-MCI and P-MCI following operationalized criteria. Between-category differences were analyzed, and the statistical methods included the calculation of Cohen's Kappa coefficients of agreement, and the McNemar's test to compare the performance of the intermediate cognitive definitions. RESULTS: Diagnostic concordance in the classification of MCI cases was very limited. In the total sample, 2.7% of individuals did not meet the P-MCI criteria but met the DSM-5-MCI criteria; and 6.4% met the P-MCI criteria, but not the DSM-5-MCI criteria. Overlap of both categories was observed in only 0.6%. The overall Kappa (agreement between both MCI categories) was 0.08 (95% CI: 0.04-0.12; p < 0.001). While no between-category significant differences was observed in cognitive scores, relevant differences in the populations identified had to do with demographic, non-cognitive psychopathological factors, activities of daily living and general health factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows 'poor' diagnostic agreement between the P-MCI and the DSM-5-MCI categories. The non-cognitive factors should receive special attention when trying to improve the validity of the MCI construct

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Disability in a memory clinic: Frequency and associations with low cognitive performance

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To document the frequency of disability in a Psychiatry Memory Clinic (MC); to test the conjecture that there is an association between low cognitive performance and disability, even when controlling by dementia and clinically significant depression. METHODS: A sample of 158 individuals referred to a Psychiatry MC were assessed with a full clinical protocol. Instruments used: Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE); Semantic verbal fluency; the Clock Drawing test; Katz Index; Lawton and Brody Scale. DSM-IV criteria were used for diagnosing depression and dementia. The statistical analysis included logistic regression models. RESULTS: The frequency of disability was 71.6%. MMSE score was significantly associated with moderate-severe disability on instrumental activities of daily living (ADL's) (OR 0.83; 95%CI 0.72-0.96) and with social ADL's (OR 0.87; 95%CI 0.79-0.95)). Orientation, attention and language MMSE subscores were the cognitive domains most significantly associated with disability. CONCLUSIONS: Disability in patients referred to a Psychiatry MC with a heterogeneous clinical population is associated with low cognitive performance. The probability of having moderate-severe disability is related to the degree of impairment on MMSE global scores

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Antibacterial activity, chemical composition, and cytotoxicity of leaf's essential oil from Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius, Raddi)

The antibacterial potential of leaf's essential oil (EO) from Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) against staphylococcal isolates from dogs with otitis externa was evaluated. The minimum inhibitory concentration of EO ranged from 78.1 to 1,250 fg/mL. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC/MS and cytotoxicity tests were carried out with laboratory animals.

Antifungal activity of the naphthoquinone beta-lapachone against disseminated infection with Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans in dexamethasone-immunosuppressed Swiss mice

The in vivo antifungal activity of the naphthoquinone beta-lapachone against disseminated infection by Cryptococcus neoformans was investigated. Swiss mice were immunosuppressed daily with dexamethasone (0.5 mg per mouse) intraperitoneally for 3 days, the procedure was repeated 4 days later, and the animals were then challenged intravenously with C. neoformans (10(6) CFU/mL) 1 week later. Seven days after infection, the mice were divided into groups and treated daily with beta-lapachone (10 mg/kg, iv) for 7 (N = 6) and 14 days (N = 10). Amphotericin B (0.5 mg/kg) was used as comparator drug and an additional group received PBS. Treatment with beta-lapachone cleared the yeast from the spleen and liver, and the fungal burden decreased approximately 10(4) times in the lungs and brain 14 days after infection when compared to the PBS group (P < 0.05). This result was similar to that of the amphotericin B-treated group. Protection was suggestively due to in vivo antifungal activity of this drug and apparently not influenced by activation of the immune response, due to similar leukocyte cell counts among all groups. This study highlights the prospective use of beta-lapachone for treatment of disseminated cryptococcosis.

Motor behavioral abnormalities and histopathological findings of Wistar rats inoculated with HTLV-1-infected MT2 cells

The objective of the present study was to describe motor behavioral changes in association with histopathological and hematological findings in Wistar rats inoculated intravenously with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-infected MT2 cells. Twenty-five 4-month-old male rats were inoculated with HTLV-1-infected MT2 cells and 13 control rats were inoculated with normal human lymphocytes. The behavior of the rats was observed before and 5, 10, 15, and 20 months after inoculation during a 30-min/rat testing time for 5 consecutive days. During each of 4 periods, a subset of rats was randomly chosen to be sacrificed in order to harvest the spinal cord for histopathological analysis and to obtain blood for serological and molecular studies. Behavioral analyses of the HTLV-1-inoculated rats showed a significant decrease of climbing, walking and freezing, and an increase of scratching, sniffing, biting, licking, and resting/sleeping. Two of the 25 HTLV-1-inoculated rats (8 percent) developed spastic paraparesis as a major behavioral change. The histopathological changes were few and mild, but in some cases there was diffuse lymphocyte infiltration. The minor and major behavioral changes occurred after 10-20 months of evolution. The long-term observation of Wistar rats inoculated with HTLV-1-infected MT2 cells showed major (spastic paraparesis) and minor motor abnormalities in association with the degree of HTLV-1-induced myelopathy.

Distribution of grasshoppers (Othoptera: Acridoidea) in the Tapacurá ecological station (São Lourenço da Mata, PE/Brazil)

Over the last five years, collection and periodic observation in the Tapacurá Ecological Station, São Lourenço da Mata, Pernambuco, Brazil, have been carried out to produce a systematic ecological inventory of grasshopper distribution within the station based on the classifying criteria for Acridoidea, providing new data on families, subfamilies, tribes, genera and species related to the various types of vegetation and environments the station affords.

Através de procedimento de coletas e observações periódicas, ao longo de cinco anos, na Estação Ecológica do Tapacurá, São Lourenço da Mata, PE, procedeu-se a um inventário sistemático-ecológico da distribuição dos gafanhotos da estação, adotando-se critérios classificatórios de Acridoidea com novos assinalamentos de famílias, subfamílias, tribos, gêneros e espécies, relacionados aos diversos tipos de vegetação e ambientes da estação.

Cytotoxic and DNA-topoisomerase effects of lapachol amine derivatives and interactions with DNA

The cytotoxic activity of amino (3a-e), aza-1-antraquinone (4a-e) lapachol derivatives against Ehrlich carcinoma and human K562 leukemia cells was investigated. Cell viability was determined using MTT assay, after 48 (Ehrlich) or 96 h (K562) of culture, and vincristine (for K562 leukemia) and quercetin (for Ehrlich carcinoma) were used as positive controls. The results showed dose-dependent growth-inhibiting activities and that the amino derivatives were active against the assayed cells, whereas the 4a-e derivatives were not. The allylamine derivative 3a was the most active against Ehrlich carcinoma, with IC50 = 16.94 ± 1.25 muM, and against K562 leukemia, with IC50 = 14.11 ± 1.39 muM. The analogous lawsone derivative, 5a, was also active against Ehrlich carcinoma (IC50 = 23.89 ± 2.3 muM), although the 5d and 5e derivatives showed lower activity. The interaction between 3a-d and calf thymus DNA was investigated by fluorimetric titration and the results showed a hyperchromic effect indicating binding to DNA as presented of ethidium bromide, used as positive control. The inhibitory action on DNA-topoisomerase II-a was also evaluated by a relaxation assay of supercoiled DNA plasmid, and the etoposide (200 muM) was used as positive control. Significant inhibitory activities were observed for 3a-d at 200 muM and a partial inhibitory action was observed for lapachol and methoxylapachol.

Estudo comparativo do óleo essencial de Eugenia punicifolia (HBK) DC. de diferentes localidades de Pernambuco / Comparative study of the essential oil of Eugenia punicifolia (HBK) DC. from diferent places of Pernambuco

O óleo essencial obtido por hidrodestilação das folhas de Eugenia punicifolia, coletados a partir de duas regiões de Matas Serranas do Estado de Pernambuco (Serra Negra e Brejo da Madre de Deus), foi analisado por CG/EM. O monoterpeno oxigenado, linalol (SN: 44,0 por cento, BMD: 61,2 por cento), foi o componente principal do óleo de ambas amostras. Cerca de 66,2 por cento da constituição dos voláteis da amostra proveniente de SN e 74,2 por cento de BMD referem-se aos monoterpenos oxigenados, enquanto 33,6 por cento da amostra de SN e 20,5 por cento de BMD são sesquiterpenos oxigenados, sendo o b-cariofileno o mais abundante (SN: 22,7 por cento, BMD: 16,2 por cento). Com exceção do a-cadinol, presente apenas no óleo proveniente do Brejo da Madre de Deus, a constituição química de ambas as amostras foi à mesma, variando apenas o percentual relativo de seus constituintes.

The essential oils obtained from the leaves of Eugenia punicifolia by hydrodistillation, which were collected from two different locations of Pernambuco (Serra Negra and Brejo da Madre de Deus), have been investigated by GC/MS. Linalol was found to be the main component of this oil from SN (44,0 percent) and BMD (61,2 percent). About 66,2 percent of the oil constituents from SN and 74,2 percent from BMD are oxygenated monoterpenes, with predominance of beta-cariofileno (SN: 22,7 and BMD: 16,2 percent). With exception of a-cadinol, present only in the oils from plants colleted in Brejo da Madre de Deus, the chemical composition of both samples was quite similar, the only difference was the relative content among their components.

Neumonía extrahospitalaria con bacteriemia por Ochrobactrum anthropi en un niño inmunocompetente / Community-acquired pneumonia and Ochrobactrum antrhopi bacteraemia in an immunocompetent child

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Flavonóides isolados do pólen coletado pela abelha Scaptotrigona bipunctata (canudo)

Pólen de abelhas é uma mistura de pólens florais coletados pelas abelhas com ampla variação na sua composição. Investigação do pólen coletado pela abelha sem ferrão Scaptotrigona bipunctata levou a quatro agliconas de flavonóides: miricetina, dihidromiricetina, quercetina e isoramnetina. As estruturas foram estabelecidas a partir de dados espectroscópicos (NMR) das substâncias naturais.

Bee pollen is a mix of bee-collected floral pollens which varies widely in composition. Investigation of pollen collected by the stingless bee Scaptotrigona bipunctata yielded four flavonoid aglycones: myricetin, dihydromyricetin, quercetin and isorhamnetin. The structures were established from spectroscopic data (NMR) of the natural substances.

Neonatal administration of citalopram delays somatic maturation in rats

We investigated the somatic maturation of neonate rats treated during the suckling period with citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Groups with 6 male neonates were randomly assigned to different treatments 24 h after birth. Each litter was suckled by one of the dams until the 21st postnatal day. Body weight, head axis and tail length were measured daily from the 1st to the 21st postnatal day. Time of ear unfolding, auditory conduit opening, incisor eruption, and eye opening was determined. Pups received 5 mg (Cit5), 10 mg (Cit10) or 20 mg/kg (Cit20) citalopram sc, or saline (0.9 percent NaCl, w/v, sc). Compared to saline, body weight was lower (24.04 percent, P < 0.01) for Cit10 from the 10th to the 21st day and for Cit20 from the 6th to the 21st day (38.19 percent, P < 0.01). Tail length was reduced in the Cit20 group (15.48 percent, P < 0.001) from the 8th to the 21st day. A reduction in mediolateral head axis (10.53 percent, P < 0.05) was observed from the 11th to the 21st day in Cit10 and from the 6th to the 21st day in Cit20 (13.16 percent, P < 0.001). A reduction in anteroposterior head axis was also observed in the Cit20 group (5.28 percent, P < 0.05) from the 13th to the 21stday. Conversely, this axis showed accelerated growth from the 12th to the 21stday in the Cit5 group (13.05 percent, P < 0.05). Auditory conduit opening was delayed in the Cit5 and Cit20 groups and incisor eruption was delayed in all citalopram groups. These findings show that citalopram injected during suckling to rats induces body alterations and suggest that the activity of the serotoninergic system participates in growth mechanisms.

Transferencia de datos de investigación epidemiológica a la práctica clínica en psiquiatría geriátrica / No disponible

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Transferencia de datos de investigación epidemiológica a la práctica clínica en psiquiatría geriátrica / No disponible

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