Myocardial infarction, hypovitaminosis D and vitiligo.

Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction. Vitiligo is a relatively common skin disease. A 70-year-old man was admitted with myocardial infarction; he had a history of hypertension, obesity and cigarette smoking. The patient had also been diagnosed as suffering from vitiligo twenty years before and had been instructed by his doctor to avoid sunlight. His plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D level was subsequently found to be 12 ng/mL. In this case report, the association between myocardial infarction, hypovitaminosis D and vitiligo is described.

Correct partner makes the difference: Septin G-interface plays a critical role in amyloid formation.

Septins are members of a group of GTP-binding proteins highly conserved in eukaryotes, being linked to diverse cell processes, such as cytokinesis and membrane association. On the other hand, the malfunction of septins is linked to several pathological processes including neurodegeneration and oncogenesis. Septins interact with each other forming heterocomplexes that polymerize in filaments. Two types of interface between septins alternate along the filament: the G-interface (involving the GTP binding sites), and the NC-interface. This work focuses on the physiological G-interface of SEPT2, used in the SEPT6G-SEPT2G heterodimer assembly, to verify the impact of this interaction on the thermostability and amyloid formation. We found that the SEPT6G-SEPT2G moves to an irreversible state with the ability to bind thioflavin-T at high temperatures, suggesting its amyloid-like nature. Noteworthy, this takes place at a higher temperature than the one observed to the single septins, showing greater thermal/structural stability. Taken together, our results show that in the absence of the partners, the septin becomes unstable and susceptible to amyloid aggregation/formation even in physiological temperatures, and the G-interface appears to have a critical role in this process.

As dificuldades do cuidador informal na prestação de cuidados ao idoso: Um estudo desenvolvido no concelho do Sabugal / The difficulties of the informal caregiver in providing elderly care: A study developed in the municipality of Sabugal

Este estudo pretende contribuir para a promoção da saúde do binómio cuidador informal/idoso dependente, identificando as dificuldades dos cuidadores informais de modo a aumentar as parcerias entre os cuidadores formais e informais, através de ações concertadas que se traduzem em ganhos para quem cuida e para quem é cuidado. Cuidar de quem cuida deverá ser uma responsabilidade e uma preocupação de todos os profissionais de saúde e de todos os decisores políticos. Este estudo teve como principais objetivos avaliar as dificuldades dos cuidadores informais de idosos dependentes e identificar e analisar os fatores determinantes destas dificuldades. Recorreu-se a uma amostra, não probabilística por conveniência, constituída por 52 cuidadores informais. Realizou-se um estudo quantitativo, transversal, descritivo e correlacional. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de colheita de dados um questionário constituído por duas partes: uma relacionada com a caracterização do cuidador, do idoso e da prestação de cuidados, o índice de Barthel e outra com o índice de Avaliação das Dificuldades do Cuidador (CADI). Os principais resultados revelaram que os cuidadores informais percecionam maiores dificuldades nas dimensões exigências de ordem física na prestação de cuidados, nas reações à prestação de cuidados e nas restrições da sua vida social. A dimensão onde percecionam menores dificuldades é no deficiente apoio profissional prestado. Foram identificados e analisados os fatores determinantes das dificuldades percecionadas, nomeadamente: no cuidador informal (idade, estado civil, habilitações literárias, rendimento do agregado familiar), no idoso dependente (sexo, idade, nível de dependência) e na caracterização circunstancial à prestação de cuidados (grau de parentesco, coabitação, tempo despendido em horas na prestação de cuidados). Os resultados deste estudo mostram a necessidade de os profissionais de saúde orientarem a sua ação para os cuidadores informais promovendo a potencialização das suas capacidades e competências, através de intervenções que visem colmatar as dificuldades percecionadas, de forma a minimizar o impacto negativo associado à prestação de cuidados.

This study aims to contribute to the binomial informal caregiver / dependent elderly promotion of health, identifying the difficulties of informal caregivers in order to increase partnerships between formal and informal caregivers, through concerted actions that are translated into gains for the ones who are cared and for the ones who care. Caring for who cares should be a responsibility and a concern of all health professionals and all policy makers. This study had as main objectives to evaluate the difficulties of dependent elderly informal caregivers and to identify and analyze the determinants of these difficulties. Considering a, not probabilistic for convenience, sample, comprising 52 informal caregivers. We conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study. Were used as instruments of data collection a questionnaire including two parts: one related to the characterization of the caregiver, the elderly and the provision of care, the Barthel index and the other with the index of the Caregiver Difficulties Assessment (CADI ) . The main results revealed that informal caregivers perceive greatest difficulties in the following dimensions: physical demands in the care provision, in the care provision reactions and on social life restrictions. The dimension where minor difficulties are perceived is in the poor professional support provided. The determinants of the perceived difficulties were identified and analyzed, namely: the informal caregiver (age, marital status, educational accomplishment, household income ), the dependent elderly ( age, sex, level of dependency ) and the care's provision circumstantial characterization (kinship, cohabiting, time in hours spent in care ) . The results of this study show the health professionals' need in directing their action towards informal caregivers promoting their skills and competencies enhancement through interventions aiming to culminate the difficulties perceived in order to minimize the negative impact associated with the provision of care.