Preclinical Effects Of Melatonin On The Development Of Ehrlich's Tumor: A Biochemical, Cognitive, And Molecular Approach.

BACKGROUND: It has already been shown that melatonin is an antitumoral molecule that affects malignant cells via some mechanisms. The benefit played by this hormone on cancer is due to its antioxidant effects. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the preclinical effects of melatonin in mice with the Ehrlich ascites tumor. METHODS: Twenty Balb/ c male mice with Ehrlich tumor were treated with different melatonin doses. Their inflammatory and oxidative stress were accessed by gene expression. Hepatotoxicity and hematological parameters were also evaluated through biochemical analyses. Animal welfare was analysed weekly from the categories guided by the NC3Rs. RESULTS: Gene expression analyses have shown that only Tnfα and Sod1 were expressed in all groups studied. Only the M-3 group showed increased Tnfα expression compared to the control. All groups treated with melatonin showed decreased Sod1 expression compared to the control. No signs of hepatotoxicity were caused by any of the melatonin doses used in the treatment. CONCLUSION: In animals with Ehrlich´s tumor treated with melatonin, a decrease in oxidative stress, an amelioration in welfare and in cognitive tasks could be observed, even if the treatment has not reduced the size of the tumor itself. In parallel with the already patented use of melatonin in the treatment of sleep disorders or chronic kidney disease, our results propose its use to improve the general well-being of breast cancer patients.

Social cognition training improves recognition of distinct facial emotions and decreases misattribution errors in healthy individuals.

Facial emotion recognition is a key component of social cognition. Impaired facial emotion recognition is tied to poor psychological wellbeing and deficient social functioning. While previous research has demonstrated the potential for social cognition training to improve overall facial emotion recognition, questions remain regarding what aspects of emotion recognition improve. We report results from a randomized controlled trial that evaluates whether computerized social cognition training can improve recognition of distinct facial emotions in healthy participants. This investigation was designed to better understand the therapeutic potential of social cognition training for individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders. Fifty-five healthy adult participants were randomly assigned to an internet-based intervention during which they either completed social cognition training (SCT) or played control computer games (CON) for 10.5 h over 2-3 weeks. Facial emotion recognition was measured with the Penn ER-40, which was conducted before and after training. The following variables were collected and analyzed: facial emotion recognition accuracy for each emotion (i.e., anger, fear, happy, neutral (no emotional expression), and sad), reaction times for each emotion, and response error types (i.e., frequency of an emotion being chosen incorrectly, frequency of an emotion being missed, and frequency of an emotion being confused for another particular emotion). ANOVAs and t-tests were used to elucidate intervention effects both within and between groups. Results showed that the SCT group improved their accuracy for angry and neutral faces. They also improved their reaction times for neutral, fearful, and sad faces. Compared to the CON group, the SCT group had significantly faster reaction times to neutral faces after training. Lastly, the SCT group decreased their tendency to confuse angry faces for no emotional expression and to confuse no emotional expression for sad faces. In contrast, the CON group did not significantly improve their accuracy or reaction times on any emotional expression, and they did not improve their response error types. We conclude that social cognition training can improve recognition of distinct emotions in healthy participants and decrease response error patterns, suggesting it has the potential to improve impaired emotion recognition and social functioning in individuals with facial emotion recognition deficits.

Social affective forecasting and social anhedonia in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: a daily diary study.

Social anhedonia (SA) is a trait-like phenomenon observed across schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSDs). While in-the-moment social pleasure experiences are intact in SSDs, anticipatory pleasure experiences may be disrupted. Thus, the prediction of future emotions in social situations, or social affective forecasting (SAF), may play a role in SA. Therefore, we utilized daily diary methods to examine SAF in SSD and the association between SAF and SA in 34 SSD and 43 non-SSD individuals. SAF was calculated as the absolute difference between anticipatory and consummatory ratings of 13 positive and negative emotions for daily social interactions reported across eight days. Results suggest that individuals with SSDs are less accurate in forecasting negative, but not positive emotions, for future social interactions. Further, poorer forecasting accuracy of negative emotions were associated with elevated levels of SA and lower social pleasure. Together, these data suggest that inaccuracies in forecasting negative emotions may be a worthwhile intervention target for reducing SA in SSDs.

Explaining the Association Between Urbanicity and Psychotic-Like Experiences in Pre-Adolescence: The Indirect Effect of Urban Exposures.

Urban living is a growing worldwide phenomenon with more than two-thirds of people expected to live in cities by 2050. Although there are many benefits to living in an urban environment, urbanicity has also been associated with deleterious health outcomes, including increased risk for psychotic outcomes particularly when the urban exposure occurs in pre-adolescence. However, the mechanisms underlying this association is unclear. Here, we utilize one-year follow-up data from a large (N=7,979), nationwide study of pre-adolescence in the United States to clarify why urbanicity (i.e., census-tract population density) might impact psychotic-like experiences (PLE) by looking at the indirect effect of eight candidate urbanicity-related physical (e.g., pollution) and social (e.g., poverty) exposures. Consistent with other work, we found that of the evaluated exposures related to urbanicity, several were also related to increased number of PLE: PM2.5, proximity to roads, census-level homes at-risk for exposure to lead paint, census-level poverty, and census-level income-disparity. These same urban-related exposures were also related to the persistence of PLE after 1 year, but not new onset of PLE. Mediation analysis revealed that a substantial proportion the urbanicity-PLE association (number and persistence) could be explained by PM2.5 (23-44%), families in poverty (68-93%), and income disparity (67-80%). Together, these findings suggest that specific urban-related exposures contribute to the existence and maintenance, but not onset of PLE, which might help to explain why those in urban environments are disproportionately at-risk for psychosis and point toward areas for public health intervention.

Early mobilization in victims of traumatic brain injury / Mobilização precoce em vítimas de traumatismo cranioencefálico

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have shown that early mobilization is safe and beneficial for patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs), especially for those with mechanical ventilation (MV). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the benefits of early mobilization physiotherapeutic techniques applied to patients who suffered craniocerebral trauma (CCT). METHODS: This is an experimental study that evaluated clinical data from 27 patients. In sedated patients, mobilization and passive stretching were performed on the upper and lower limbs; in those without sedation, active-assisted, free and resisted exercises were included. RESULTS: The experimental group was composed of 51.8% of the participants and the control group by 48.2%, the majority being male (81.5%) with a median age of 43 years. The patients in the experimental group had an average of 9.5 days (2.2-14.7) of mechanical ventilation (MV), and those belonging to the control group, of 17 days (7-21.7) with MV (p=0.154). The patients in the experimental group had an average of 13.5 days in the ICU, against an average of 17 days in the control group (p=0.331), and an average of 20.5 days in hospital against 24 days in the control group (p=0.356). CONCLUSION: Early mobilization should be applied to critically ill patients as it can decrease the length of stay in the ICU and the hospital.

INTRODUÇÃO: Diversos estudos têm mostrado que a mobilização precoce é segura e benéfica para pacientes internados em unidades de terapia intensiva (UTIs), especialmente para aqueles com ventilação mecânica (VM). OBJETIVO: Investigar os benefícios das técnicas fisioterapêuticas de mobilização precoce aplicada aos pacientes que sofreram traumatismo cranioencefálico (TCE). MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo quasi-randomizado, que incluiu 27 com TCE divididos em dois grupos: controle (n=13) e experimental (n=14) pacientes. No grupo experimental, os pacientes sedados foram submetidos à mobilização e alongamentos passivos nos membros superiores e inferiores; naqueles sem sedação, foram incluídos exercícios ativo-assistidos, livres e resistidos. RESULTADOS: O grupo experimental foi composto por 51,8% dos participantes da pesquisa e o grupo controle por 48,2%, sendo a maioria do sexo masculino (81,5%) com mediana de idade de 43 anos. Os pacientes do grupo experimental apresentaram média de 9,5 dias (2,2-14,7) de ventilação mecânica, e os pertencentes ao grupo controle, de 17 dias (7-21,7) com de VM (p=0,154). Os pacientes do grupo experimental apresentaram média de 13,5 dias de internação em UTI, contra média de 17 dias do grupo controle (p=0,331), e média de 20,5 dias de internação hospitalar contra 24 dias do grupo controle (p=0,356). CONCLUSÃO: A mobilização precoce é uma técnica que deve ser aplicada em pacientes críticos dentro das UTIs, pois pode diminuir o tempo de internação na UTI e hospitalar.

Stroke Hospital Admissions during the COVID-19 Outbreak in São Paulo, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Globally, stroke remains an important cause of death and long-term disability, and the impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the health system may have impaired stroke care. Previous studies suggest significant reduction in hospital admissions for stroke after COVID-19 onset as patients may hesitate seeking medical help due to fear of exposure. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included cases of hospital admissions for stroke, identified from the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde), which contains official and public data in Brazil. Data were collected in duplicate, then categorized according to the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision (ICD-10), considering codes I60-I69. Linear regression was used to estimate the variation in hospital admissions for stroke in the city of São Paulo (SP) - the largest and most populous city in Brazil and Latin America, between January and June of each analyzed year (2017-2020). The percentage variation between June and January 2020 was also compared. The level of significance was set at 5%, and the statistical program used was Stata, version 14.0. RESULTS: In the city of SP, during the first wave of COVID-19, from January to June 2020, there were registered decreases in absolute numbers and mean monthly admissions for stroke. Compared to January 2020, data from June 2020 showed 17% reduction in hospitalizations for intracerebral hemorrhage, 32% for cerebral infarction, 26% for stroke unspecified, and 47% for other cerebrovascular diseases. CONCLUSION: We argue for policies aimed at improving stroke care and developing awareness campaigns regarding the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, as even in less severe presentations, stroke can trigger an increase in mortality, cost, and long-term disability.

Ursolic acid increases strength in mdx mice model and may decrease fibrosis deposition by tgf-ß downregulation / El ácido ursólico aumenta la resistencia en el modelo de ratones mdx y podría disminuir la deposición de fibrosis mediante la regulación decreciente de tgf-ß

SUMMARY: Dystrophin disfunction results in sarcolemma destabilization, leading muscle cell damage by continuous degeneration cycles and limited regeneration. In muscle dystrophy, caused by dystrophin dysfunction, inflammation, necrosis and fibrosis are pathophysiological muscle function loss characteristics. As a genetic disease, this muscle dystrophy has no cure, however, advances in drug therapy using glucocorticoids can decrease the disease progression. Subsequently, alternative therapies were studied, such as ursolic acid (UA), that inhibits muscle atrophy and increases muscle mass and strength. Herein, we used 10 mg/kg daily supplementation in mdx mice for 4 weeks to evaluate serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK), muscle strength (Kondziela test), muscular organization (histology) and expression of fibrosis related genes (TGF-ß, TNF-α, mstn and ostn). UA supplementation increased muscle morphological organization, motor strength and decreased muscular TGF-ß expression. Altogether, the gene expression profile, histological organization and strength could suggest that UA treatment did not stop the fibrogenesis but decreased its progress.

RESUMEN: La disfunción de la distrofina resulta en la desestabilización del sarcolema, llevando al daño de las células musculares por ciclos continuos de degeneración y regeneración limitada. En la distrofia muscular, debido a la disfunción de la distrofina, la inflamación, la necrosis y la fibrosis, son características fisiopatológicas de la pérdida de la función muscular. Como enfermedad genetica no es possible remediar esta distrofia muscular, sin embargo, los avances en la terapia de medicamentos con glucocorticoides pueden disminuir la progresión de la enfermedad. Se estudiaron terapias alternativas, como el ácido ursólico (UA), que inhibe la atrofia muscular y aumenta la masa y la fuerza muscular. En este estudio, utilizamos una suplementación diaria de 10 mg / kg en ratones mdx durante 4 semanas para evaluar la creatina fosfoquinasa (CPK) sérica, la fuerza muscular (prueba de Kondziela), la organización muscular (histología) y la expresión de genes relacionados con la fibrosis (TGF-ß, TNF- α, mstn y ostn). La suplementación con AU aumentó la organización morfológica muscular, la fuerza motora y la disminución de la expresión muscular de TGF-ß. El perfil de expresión génica, la organización histológica y la fuerza simultáneamente podrían sugerir que el tratamiento con AU no detuvo la fibrogénesis sino que disminuyó su progreso.

Comparative Study on the Effects of Paullinia cupana, PC-18 and Magnesium Chloride on Solid Ehrlich Tumor.

New perspectives arise in the therapeutic practice for cancer, with the objective to not only treat patients, but also improve their quality of life. Guarana, a plant from Brazilian Amazon presents a wide range of pharmacological actions. This study evaluated the effect of Guarana (Paullinia cupana) extract, pure and dry Guarana (PC-18) extract and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) in mice of the Balb/c strain inoculated with the Ehrlich tumor regarding gene expression of inflammatory markers transforming growth factor-ß1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha and oxidative stress (OS) and fatigue, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase 4 and analyzed myelotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. After euthanasia, blood was collected to analyze the complete blood count and measured the levels of liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase). Hepatoprotective actions of the crude extract of P. cupana and PC-18 extract were noticed. The PC-18 and MgCl2 group showed the best result regarding animal welfare. There were no associations between compounds and gene expression regarding fatigue and OS. PC-18 reduced the tumor and may have an antitumor action. The crude extract of Guarana presented hepatoprotective action.

The Neural Basis of Social Cognition in Typically Developing Children and Its Relationship to Social Functioning.

Theory of mind (ToM), the ability to think about the perspectives, beliefs, and feelings of another, develops throughout childhood and adolescence and is an important skill for social interactions. This study examines neural activity in typically developing children during a novel ToM task - the Movie Mentalizing Task- and tests its relations to ToM behavioral performance and social functioning. In this fMRI task, children ages 8-13years (N=25) watched a brief movie clip and were asked to predict a character's mental state after a social interaction. Engaging in the Movie Mentalizing Task activated the ToM neural network. Moreover, greater neural activity in the ToM network, including the superior temporal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus, was associated with better behavioral performance on independent ToM tasks and was related to better social functioning, though these results do not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Results offer a new affective theory of mind task for children in the scanner that robustly recruits activity in theory of mind regions.

Foot rotation asymmetry in Down syndrome and the relationship with crawling and walking onset: a cross-sectional study / A marcha de base alargada na síndrome de Down e a relação com o engatinhar e os primeiros passos: um estudo transversal

INTRODUCTION: Down syndrome individuals have different gait patterns, which include specific characteristics such as foot rotation asymmetryOBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between this asymmetry and the hands-and-knees crawling pattern before gait acquisition in Down syndrome children, as well as the possible association of this gait to gender, ethnicity, comorbidities, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy interventionsMETHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 361 children with or without foot rotation asymmetry were selected. An online questionnaire was administered to the parents or guardians of those childrenRESULTS: Hands-and-knees crawling decreased the prevalence of foot rotation asymmetry in Down syndrome children. The longer it took for walking onset, the higher the prevalence of this asymmetry. Indeed, for each month of delay, there was a 7% increase in prevalence. There was a significant relationship between orthopedic alterations in knees or flat feet and foot rotation asymmetry. There was no significance related to gender, ethnicity, other comorbidities, physiotherapy, or occupational therapy interventionsCONCLUSION: The findings in this study revealed that foot rotation asymmetry might be related to the acquisition of motor skills, hands-and-knees crawling and the walking onset

INTRODUÇÃO: As pessoas com síndrome de Down (SD) apresentam diferentes padrões de marcha, incluindo algumas características específicas como a marcha de base alargadaOBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a relação entre a marcha de base alargada e a aquisição motora engatinhar em quatro apoios adquiridas antes da marcha em crianças com SD, bem como a provável associação desta marcha com gênero, etnia, comorbidades e tratamentos de fisioterapia e terapia ocupacionalMÉTODO: Neste estudo transversal, foram selecionados 361 indivíduos que apresentaram ou não marcha de base alargada. Um questionário on-line foi administrado para pais / responsáveis destas criançasRESULTADOS: O engatinhar em quatro apoios diminuiu a prevalência da marcha de base alargada em crianças com SD. Quanto maior o tempo em meses para os primeiros-passos, maior a prevalência de base alargada, sendo que, a cada mês de atraso, a prevalência aumenta em 7%. Foi observada significância entre as alterações ortopédicas em joelhos e pés planos e a marcha de base alargada. Não foi encontrada significância relacionada a gênero, etnia, outras comorbidades, fisioterapia ou terapia ocupacionalCONCLUSÃO: Os achados deste estudo mostraram que o aparecimento da base alargada pode estar relacionado às aquisições motoras, engatinhar em quatro apoios, e aos primeiros passos

Cognitive dysfunction and psychosis: expanding the phenotype of SPG7.

Spastic paraplegia type 7 (SPG7) is one of the most common forms of autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia, which can lead to a hybrid spastic-ataxic phenotype. Recently, novel complicated forms of SPG7, including cognitive and social impairment phenotypes, have been reported. We present a SPG7 case with two pathogenic variants in compound heterozygosity in the SPG7 gene, featuring a cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome with psychosis not yet described in the literature.

The representation of mental state information in schizophrenia and first-degree relatives: a multivariate pattern analysis of fMRI data.

Individuals with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD) and those at familial high risk (FHR) for SSDs experience social difficulties that are related to neural abnormalities in the network of brain regions recruited during theory of mind (ToM). Prior work with these groups has focused almost exclusively on characterizing the involvement of these regions in ToM. Here, we examine the representational content of these regions using multivariate pattern analysis. We analyzed two previously collected datasets of SSD, FHR and control participants who, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, completed the false-belief task in which they read stories describing beliefs or physical representations (e.g. photographs). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed in regions of interest to evaluate group differences in task-based activation and representational content, respectively. Compared to non-SSDs, SSDs showed reduced decoding accuracy for the category of mental states in the right temporo-parietal junction-which was related to false-belief accuracy-and the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and reduced involvement of DMPFC for mental state understanding. FHR showed no differences in decoding accuracy or involvement compared to non-FHR. Given prior studies of disrupted neural involvement in FHR and the lack of decoding differences observed here, the onset of illness may involve processes that corrupt how mental state information is represented.

The efficacy of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback for psychiatric illness: A meta-analysis of brain and behavioral outcomes.

Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-NF) has gained popularity as an experimental treatment for a variety of psychiatric illnesses. However, there has yet to be a quantitative review regarding its efficacy. Here, we present the first meta-analysis of rtfMRI-NF for psychiatric disorders, evaluating its impact on brain and behavioral outcomes. Our literature review identified 17 studies and 105 effect sizes across brain and behavioral outcomes. We find that rtfMRI-NF produces a medium-sized effect on neural activity during training (g = .59, 95 % CI [.44, .75], p < .0001), a large-sized effect after training when no neurofeedback is provided (g = .84, 95 % CI [.37, 1.31], p = .005), and small-sized effects for behavioral outcomes (symptoms g = .37, 95 % CI [.16, .58], p = .002; cognition g = .23, 95 % CI [-.33, .78], p = .288). Mixed-effects analyses revealed few moderators. Together, these data suggest a positive impact of rtfMRI-NF on brain and behavioral outcomes, although more research is needed to determine how rtfMRI-NF works, for whom, and under what circumstances.

Ixazomib, an oral proteasome inhibitor, exhibits potential effect in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice.

Dystrophin deficiency makes the sarcolemma fragile and susceptible to degeneration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The proteasome is a multimeric protease complex and is central to the regulation of cellular proteins. Previous studies have shown that proteasome inhibition improved pathological changes in mdx mice. Ixazomib is the first oral proteasome inhibitor used as a therapy in multiple myeloma. This study investigated the effects of ixazomib on the dystrophic muscle of mdx mice. MDX mice were treated with ixazomib (7.5 mg/kg/wk by gavage) or 0.2 mL of saline for 12 weeks. The Kondziela test was performed to measure muscle strength. The tibialis anterior (TA) and diaphragm (DIA) muscles were used for morphological analysis, and blood samples were collected for biochemical measurement. We observed maintenance of the muscle strength in the animals treated with ixazomib. Treatment with ixazomib had no toxic effect on the mdx mouse. The morphological analysis showed a reduction in the inflammatory area and fibres with central nuclei in the TA and DIA muscles and an increase in the number of fibres with a diameter of 20 µm2 in the DIA muscle after treatment with ixazomib. There was an increase in the expression of dystrophin and utrophin in the TA and DIA muscles and a reduction in the expression of osteopontin and TGF-ß in the DIA muscle of mdx mice treated with ixazomib. Ixazomib was thus shown to increase the expression of dystrophin and utrophin associated with improved pathological and functional changes in the dystrophic muscles of mdx mice.

Comparability of social anhedonia across epidemiological dimensions: A multinational study of measurement invariance of the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale.

Social anhedonia, or the loss of motivation in and pleasure from social engagement, is an important feature in understanding the etiology and outcome of various psychopathologies. While the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) represents one of the most commonly used self-report measures of social anhedonia, little is known regarding the construct comparability across populations. We examined measurement invariance of the full and brief RSAS in a diverse, international sample of 14,064 participants across nine epidemiological dimensions, including gender, age, ethnicity, education, community income, continent, migrant status, ethnic density, and urbanicity. Both the full and brief RSAS, as represented by a three-factor structure, achieved metric invariance for all dimensions. The full version showed considerable scalar noninvariance for ethnicity and continent, which was significantly reduced in the brief version. These findings suggest that while the scales measure the same construct across diverse groups, mean comparisons are only appropriate for the brief, and not the full, version. Future research may consider using the brief RSAS to ensure cross-national comparability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of nasal aspiration by the Proetz® method in pediatric patients with sinusitis.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the effects of nasal aspiration with Proetz® in peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) in pediatric sinusitis (PS) patients with nasal obstruction. METHODS: This is a non-randomized descriptive-analytical clinical trial with a quantitative approach. The sample comprised 30 children. Initially, the PNIF was measured and the Visual Analogical Scale (VAS) was used for nasal obstruction, followed by the nasal aspiration procedure. The SNOT-22 questionnaire was applied to the legal guardian of each child, and one week later, it was reapplied for the sake of follow-up. RESULTS: 16 (53.3%) patients were females and 14 (46.7%) were males, with an average age of 6.4±1.8 years (between 4 and 10 years of age). Analyses of the VAS for obstruction before the intervention revealed that 10 of the participants (33.3%) presented moderate levels, and 20 of them (66.7%) severe levels. However, after the Proetz® method was applied, all the samples (n=30) had mild levels. The PNIF significantly increased after the technique was used, with an improvement of 23.4% in mean values. There was no significant correlation between the VAS and the PNIF. CONCLUSION: Nasal aspiration with the Proetz® method significantly improved the clinical condition of sinusitis patients with nasal obstruction according to the visual analogical scale, the PNIF, and the SNOT-22 questionnaire. No correlation between the VAS and the PNIF could be found. The study confirms the importance of non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment of sinusitis in children, thus resulting in an improvement in their quality of life.

Decoding individual identity from brain activity elicited in imagining common experiences.

Everyone experiences common events differently. This leads to personal memories that presumably provide neural signatures of individual identity when events are reimagined. We present initial evidence that these signatures can be read from brain activity. To do this, we progress beyond previous work that has deployed generic group-level computational semantic models to distinguish between neural representations of different events, but not revealed interpersonal differences in event representations. We scanned 26 participants' brain activity using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging as they vividly imagined themselves personally experiencing 20 common scenarios (e.g., dancing, shopping, wedding). Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to generically model scenarios, we constructed personal models from participants' verbal descriptions and self-ratings of sensory/motor/cognitive/spatiotemporal and emotional characteristics of the imagined experiences. We demonstrate that participants' neural representations are better predicted by their own models than other peoples'. This showcases how neuroimaging and personalized models can quantify individual-differences in imagined experiences.

Effects of nasal aspiration by the Proetz® method in pediatric patients with sinusitis

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: To characterize the effects of nasal aspiration with Proetz® in peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) in pediatric sinusitis (PS) patients with nasal obstruction. METHODS: This is a non-randomized descriptive-analytical clinical trial with a quantitative approach. The sample comprised 30 children. Initially, the PNIF was measured and the Visual Analogical Scale (VAS) was used for nasal obstruction, followed by the nasal aspiration procedure. The SNOT-22 questionnaire was applied to the legal guardian of each child, and one week later, it was reapplied for the sake of follow-up. RESULTS: 16 (53.3%) patients were females and 14 (46.7%) were males, with an average age of 6.4±1.8 years (between 4 and 10 years of age). Analyses of the VAS for obstruction before the intervention revealed that 10 of the participants (33.3%) presented moderate levels, and 20 of them (66.7%) severe levels. However, after the Proetz® method was applied, all the samples (n=30) had mild levels. The PNIF significantly increased after the technique was used, with an improvement of 23.4% in mean values. There was no significant correlation between the VAS and the PNIF. CONCLUSION: Nasal aspiration with the Proetz® method significantly improved the clinical condition of sinusitis patients with nasal obstruction according to the visual analogical scale, the PNIF, and the SNOT-22 questionnaire. No correlation between the VAS and the PNIF could be found. The study confirms the importance of non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment of sinusitis in children, thus resulting in an improvement in their quality of life.

RESUMO OBJETIVO: Caracterizar os efeitos da aspiração nasal com Proetz® no pico do fluxo inspiratório nasal (Pnif) em pacientes com sinusite pediátrica (SP) com obstrução nasal. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um ensaio clínico analítico descritivo, não randomizado, com abordagem quantitativa. A amostra foi composta por 30 crianças. Inicialmente, o Pnif foi medido e a escala visual analógica (EVA) foi utilizada para obstrução nasal, seguida do procedimento de aspiração nasal. O questionário Snot-22 foi aplicado ao responsável legal de cada criança e, uma semana depois, foi reaplicado para fins de acompanhamento. RESULTADOS: Dezesseis (53,3%) pacientes eram do sexo feminino e 14 (46,7%) do sexo masculino, com idade média de 6,4±1,8 anos (entre 4 e 10 anos). A análise da EVA para obstrução antes da intervenção revelou que dez dos participantes (33,3%) apresentaram níveis moderados e 20 deles (66,7%), níveis graves. No entanto, após a aplicação do método Proetz®, todas as amostras (n=30) apresentaram níveis leves. O Pnif aumentou significativamente após a utilização da técnica, com uma melhoria de 23,4% nos valores médios. Não houve correlação significativa entre EVA e Pnif. CONCLUSÃO: A aspiração nasal com o método Proetz® melhorou significativamente o quadro clínico de pacientes com sinusite com obstrução nasal, de acordo com a escala visual analógica, o Pnif e o questionário Snot-22. Não foi encontrada correlação entre EVA e Pnif. O estudo confirma a importância de intervenções não farmacológicas no tratamento da sinusite em crianças, resultando em melhoria na sua qualidade de vida.

Novel variants in POLH and TREM2 genes associated with a complex phenotype of xeroderma pigmentosum variant type and early-onset dementia.

BACKGROUND: Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous, autosomal recessive disorder caused by defects in the genes involved in repairing DNA damaged by ultraviolet radiation. These defects lead to a propensity to develop skin cancer at early ages as a hallmark, and progressive neurological degeneration can be observed in around 25% of patients. Eight clinically heterogeneous groups have been identified so far (XPA to XPG and XPV). Xeroderma pigmentosum variant type (XPV) is associated with pathogenic variants in POLH on chromosome 6, and no neurological dysfunction has been seen in these cases. However, on the same chromosome, it has been shown that TREM2 is associated with some types of dementia, particularly in patients with a behavioral variant frontotemporal phenotype. METHODS: Gene mutational analysis was performed by whole-exome sequencing. RESULTS: We report a case of a Caucasian woman with XP that developed behavioral and cognitive impairment at age 37. Whole-exome sequencing identified novel homozygous variants in POLH c.638C>G (p.Ser213*) and TREM2 c.154C>T (p.Arg52Cys), classifying the patient as XPV and suggesting that her frontotemporal dementia phenotype could be related to the variant in TREM2. CONCLUSION: This paper describes a rare case of a patient with two novel variants in the same chromosome associated with XPV and early-onset dementia.

Effects of Intravitreal Bevacizumab Therapy in Patients with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) stands out as one of the chronic diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Among the many complications of DM, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the causes of blindness in patients aged between 20 and 64 years. At least 90% of the new cases showed to have the retinal structure and function restored when proper treatment was provided. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of the antiangiogenic bevacizumab in the treatment of DR according not only to the clinical laboratory parameters for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and capillary glycemia but also to the ophthalmological parameters for optical coherence tomography (OCT) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 11 individuals were included and followed up for 12 months after 3 administrations of bevacizumab. RESULTS: Upon associating the ophthalmological and laboratory variables throughout the treatment, no significant alterations could be seen regarding the analyzed variables. However, it was observed that HbA1c values and the total leukocyte count negatively interfered with the treatment response. CONCLUSION: The current study showed that HbA1c values and the amount of leukocytes negatively interfere with the therapeutic response. Therefore, laboratory analyses of these parameters are recommended for diabetic patients undergoing the above-mentioned treatment.