Wheelchair basketball improves the treatment of urinary tract infection in people with motor disabilities: a clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies on physical medicine and rehabilitation analyze the benefit of wheelchair basketball in people with motor disabilities. Given these, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the intervention of wheelchair basketball on urinary tract infection in people with motor disabilities. METHODS: A 12-month experimental follow-up was conducted in a single-center study. A total of 48 male individuals aged 18-55 years were allocated to the control group and experimental group. The experimental group practiced wheelchair basketball for 2 h, twice a week. Intra- and intergroup comparisons were made pre- and post-interventions over urinary tract infection. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in urinary tract infection and urine culture in pre- and post-intervention antibiograms, respectively. Moreover, the intergroup comparison presented a decrease in infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as an increase in the time variability of partially activated thromboplastin, average corpuscular hemoglobin, and hemoglobin and platelets. In the experimental group, there was an increase in hemoglobin and hematocrit and a decrease in glycated hemoglobin (%HbA1C). On the intragroup comparison, there was a reduction of triiodothyronine (T3), %HbA1C, interleukin-6 pre-intervention, and C-reactive protein post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: There was a decrease in urinary tract infection and improvement in biochemical, immunological, and microbiological biomarkers evaluated with physical exercise practice by wheelchair basketball, as well as by multiprofessional follow-up and health guidance.

Wheelchair basketball improves the treatment of urinary tract infection in people with motor disabilities: a clinical trial

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Few studies on physical medicine and rehabilitation analyze the benefit of wheelchair basketball in people with motor disabilities. Given these, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the intervention of wheelchair basketball on urinary tract infection in people with motor disabilities. METHODS: A 12-month experimental follow-up was conducted in a single-center study. A total of 48 male individuals aged 18-55 years were allocated to the control group and experimental group. The experimental group practiced wheelchair basketball for 2 h, twice a week. Intra- and intergroup comparisons were made pre- and post-interventions over urinary tract infection. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in urinary tract infection and urine culture in pre- and post-intervention antibiograms, respectively. Moreover, the intergroup comparison presented a decrease in infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as an increase in the time variability of partially activated thromboplastin, average corpuscular hemoglobin, and hemoglobin and platelets. In the experimental group, there was an increase in hemoglobin and hematocrit and a decrease in glycated hemoglobin (%HbA1C). On the intragroup comparison, there was a reduction of triiodothyronine (T3), %HbA1C, interleukin-6 pre-intervention, and C-reactive protein post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: There was a decrease in urinary tract infection and improvement in biochemical, immunological, and microbiological biomarkers evaluated with physical exercise practice by wheelchair basketball, as well as by multiprofessional follow-up and health guidance.

Application and limitations of thermogravimetric analysis to delineate the hot melt extrusion chemical stability processing window.

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is frequently used to define the threshold of acceptable processing temperatures for hot melt extrusion. Herein, evaluation of chemical stability of amorphous drug and polymer systems was assessed by a critical evaluation of TGA nonisothermal and isothermal methods. Nonisothermal analysis of three crystalline APIs of high glass-forming ability (posaconazole, indomethacin, and bicalutamide), as well as six common polymers, identified a degradation onset temperature that ranged from 52 to 170 °C, depending on heating rate and degradation detection method employed. In particular, the tangent method significantly overestimated the onset of acceptable levels of degradation, while weight loss threshold criteria were more suitable. Isothermal analysis provided a more direct indication of chemical stability, however neat amorphous materials are likely to recrystallize. By forming an amorphous solid dispersion, the polymer can stabilize the amorphous drug against recrystallization, enabling isothermal analysis of chemical degradation. However, TGA mass loss of volatiles should be considered only as an approximate indicator of degradation, as actual potency loss is likely to be significantly higher; this was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of samples. TGA methods should be selected to generate highly sensitive outcomes, and caution should be applied when extrapolating suitability of processing conditions.

Anemia and Cognitive Performance in the ELSA-Brasil Cohort Baseline.

OBJECTIVE: The association between cognitive performance and hemoglobin concentration has long been a topic of debate, but few data for middle-aged persons have been explored. The authors examined the association between anemia and cognitive performance at baseline assessment in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), a multicenter cohort study of individuals from six Brazilian cities. METHODS: A total of 13,624 participants (mean age=51.6 years [SD=9.0]) were included in this cross-sectional study. Cognitive performance was evaluated by using standardized scores for verbal learning, late recall, word recognition, a semantic verbal fluency test, and the Trail-Making Test, Part B (TMT-B). The association between anemia and cognitive performance was examined by using linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: Anemia was diagnosed in 713 (5.2%) participants. No association was found between anemia and worse cognitive performance for the main models. Global cognitive scores were similar between participants with and without anemia in adjusted models for the entire sample (ß=-0.004; 95% CI=-0.052, 0.044) or for men (ß=0.047; 95% CI=-0.053, 0.146) and women (ß=-0.015; 95% CI=-0.070, 0.040) separately. In addition, hemoglobin levels (in quintile groups) were not associated with global cognitive scores. Similarly, no significant associations with anemia or hemoglobin levels were observed when each cognitive performance test was evaluated separately. CONCLUSIONS: Anemia and hemoglobin levels were not associated with worse cognitive performance in this large cohort.

Deubiquitinase USP10 regulates Notch signaling in the endothelium.

Notch signaling is a core patterning module for vascular morphogenesis that codetermines the sprouting behavior of endothelial cells (ECs). Tight quantitative and temporal control of Notch activity is essential for vascular development, yet the details of Notch regulation in ECs are incompletely understood. We found that ubiquitin-specific peptidase 10 (USP10) interacted with the NOTCH1 intracellular domain (NICD1) to slow the ubiquitin-dependent turnover of this short-lived form of the activated NOTCH1 receptor. Accordingly, inactivation of USP10 reduced NICD1 abundance and stability and diminished Notch-induced target gene expression in ECs. In mice, the loss of endothelial Usp10 increased vessel sprouting and partially restored the patterning defects caused by ectopic expression of NICD1. Thus, USP10 functions as an NICD1 deubiquitinase that fine-tunes endothelial Notch responses during angiogenic sprouting.

Response of Paracoccidioides lutzii to the antifungal camphene thiosemicarbazide determined by proteomic analysis.

AIM: To perform the proteomic profile of Paracoccidioides lutzii after treatment with the compound camphene thiosemicarbazide (TSC-C) in order to study its mode of action. METHODS: Proteomic analysis was carried out after cells were incubated with TSC-C in a subinhibitory concentration. Validation of the proteomic results comprised the azocasein assay, western blot and determination of the susceptibility of a mutant to the compound. RESULTS: Proteins related to metabolism, energy and protein fate were regulated after treatment. In addition, TSC-C reduces the proteolytic activity of the protein extract similarly to different types of protease inhibitors. CONCLUSION: TSC-C showed encouraging antifungal activity, working as a protease inhibitor and downregulating important pathways impairing the ability of the fungi cells to produce important precursors.

ß-Carboline alkaloids from Galianthe ramosa inhibit malate synthase from Paracoccidioides spp.

As part of our continuing chemical and biological analyses of Rubiaceae species from Cerrado, we isolated novel alkaloids 1 and 2, along with known compounds epicatechin, ursolic acid, and oleanolic acid, from Galianthe ramosa. Alkaloid 2 inhibited malate synthase from the pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides spp. This enzyme is considered an important molecular target because it is not found in humans. Molecular docking simulations were used to describe the interactions between the alkaloids and malate synthase.