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Alterations in functional connectivity (FC) have been observed in individuals with Alzheimers disease (AD) with elevated amyloid (Aβ) and tau. However, it is not yet known whether directed FC is already influenced by Aβ and tau load in cognitively healthy (CH) individuals. A 21-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) was used from 46 CHs classified based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ tau ratio: pathological (CH-PAT) or normal (CH-NAT). Directed FC was estimated with Partial Directed Coherence in frontal, temporal, parietal, central, and occipital regions. We also examined the correlations between directed FC and various functional metrics, including neuropsychology, cognitive reserve, MRI volumetrics, and heart rate variability between both groups. Compared to CH-NATs, the CH-PATs showed decreased FC from the temporal regions, indicating a loss of relative functional importance of the temporal regions. In addition, frontal regions showed enhanced FC in the CH-PATs compared to CH-NATs, suggesting neural compensation for the damage caused by the pathology. Moreover, CH-PATs showed greater FC in the frontal and occipital regions than CH-NATs. Our findings provide a useful and non-invasive method for EEG-based analysis to identify alterations in brain connectivity in CHs with a pathological versus normal CSF Aβ/tau.

This retrospective cohort study analyzes the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes of patients who developed drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) to tuberculosis (TB) therapy in a TB non-endemic region. Anti-TB agents represented 7.5% of all antimicrobial-induced DRESS cases, and rifampin was the most commonly implicated agent among drugs used to treat TB.

PURPOSE: To compare optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) retina metrics between cognitively healthy subjects with pathological versus normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42/tau ratios. METHODS: Swept-source OCTA scans were collected using the Zeiss PLEX Elite 9000 and analyzed on 23 cognitively healthy (CH) subjects who had previously undergone CSF analysis. Thirteen subjects had a pathological Aβ42/tau (PAT) ratio of

Abstract Sodium serves as one of the primary cations in the central nervous system, playing a crucial role in maintaining normal brain function. In this study, we investigated alterations in sodium concentrations in the brain and/or cerebrospinal fluid across multiple models, including an aging model, a stroke model, a nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced rat migraine model, a familial hemiplegic migraine type 2 (FHM2) mouse model, and a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our results reveal that older rats exhibited higher sodium concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and various brain regions compared to their younger counterparts. Additionally, findings from the stroke model demonstrated a significant increase in sodium in the ischemic/reperfused region, accompanied by a decrease in potassium and an elevated sodium/potassium ratio. However, we did not detect significant changes in sodium in the NTG-induced rat migraine model or the FHM2 mouse model. Furthermore, AD transgenic mice showed no significant differences in sodium levels compared to wild-type mice in CSF, plasma, or the hippocampus. These results underscore the nuanced regulation of sodium homeostasis in various neurological conditions and aging, providing valuable insights into potential mechanisms underlying these alterations.

Abstract Alterations in functional connectivity (FC) have been observed in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with elevated amyloid (A β) and tau. However, it is not yet known whether directed FC is already influenced by Aβ and tau load in cognitively healthy (CH) individuals. A 21-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) was used from 46 CHs classified based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) A β tau ratio: pathological (CH-PAT) or normal (CH-NAT). Directed FC was estimated with Partial Directed Coherence in frontal, temporal, parietal, central, and occipital regions. We also examined the correlations between directed FC and various functional metrics, including neuropsychology, cognitive reserve, MRI volumetrics, and heart rate variability between both groups. Compared to CH-NATs, the CH-PATs showed decreased FC from the temporal regions, indicating a loss of relative functional importance of the temporal regions. In addition, frontal regions showed enhanced FC in the CH-PATs compared to CH-NATs, suggesting neural compensation for the damage caused by the pathology. Moreover, CH-PATs showed greater FC in the frontal and occipital regions than CH-NATs. Our findings provide a useful and non-invasive method for EEG-based analysis to identify alterations in brain connectivity in CHs with a pathological versus normal CSF A β/tau.

Objetivo: A Biblioteca Digital Europeana foi desenvolvida pelos países da União Europeia com o intuito de oferecer acesso online gratuito a patrimônios culturais provenientes de instituições como museus, bibliotecas e arquivos. Para tanto, a Europeana desenvolveu o Europeana Data Model (EDM) — um modelo interoperável para coletar, conectar e enriquecer metadados do patrimônio cultural — e adotou práticas de Linked Data em seu catálogo, garantindo a interoperabilidade. Discutir a importância dos metadados para auxiliar a construção e a curadoria de coleções temáticas Método: Esta é uma revisão bibliográfica que objetiva compreender os conceitos de dados, metadados, Linked data e Linked open data, assim como as documentações técnicas e qualitativas da Europeana, visando explorar e identificar a relação entre as temáticas dentro de uma coleção de obras de arte de mulheres. Resultados: De maneira geral, os metadados provenientes das instituições são reaproveitados pela Europeana. Conclusões: Contudo, nem sempre é simples reaproveitá-los, pois criar metadados interoperáveis com qualidade e consistência é uma tarefa que exige investimento, especialização e ferramentas adequadas. Ademais, a ausência de metadados de gênero dificulta a criação e curadoria de coleções especiais, como o agrupamento de obras de artistas do gênero feminino conforme o caso exposto, pois a ausência desses metadados impossibilita a separação dos artistas por gênero, diminuindo assim a diversidade em coleções em instituições culturais.

Abstract Background Treating refractory status epilepticus (RSE) remains a challenge. Thiamylal can be used as a second- or third-line treatment; however, its potential to induce cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity may reduce the concentration of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) administered prior to thiamylal. This report details a case of RSE patient treated with thiamylal, with monitored concentrations of thiamylal and other AEDs. Case presentation A 72-year-old healthy man developed RSE. Despite the administration of various AEDs, his seizures were not resolved. Thiamylal was then administered at an initial bolus dose of 2.1 mg/kg, followed by a continuous infusion of 4.2–5.2 mg/kg/h. The initial thiamylal concentration was observed at 7.8 μg/mL, increasing to 35.2 μg/mL before decreasing after dose reduction and cessation. Concurrently, the concentration of concomitant carbamazepine decreased from 5.59 μg/mL to 2.1 μg/mL and recovered as thiamylal concentration decreased. Lesser impacts were noted for other AEDs. Conclusions This case report underscored the efficacy of thiamylal in treating RSE. However, it also highlighted the need for clinicians to closely monitor the concentrations of concurrent AEDs, especially carbamazepine, during thiamylal therapy.

A new zooxanthellate scleractinian coral, Paragoniastrea variabilis Kishi, Nomura & Fukami, sp. nov. (Scleractinia, Merulinidae), is described from non-coral reef regions of Japan and northern Taiwan. This new species was previously recognized as a morphological variant of Paragoniastrea deformis (Veron, 1990) and can be morphologically distinguished from that species by lacking groove-and-tube structures on corallite wall joints, and by having larger calices, numerous septa, and up to three corallites in one valley. The new species also formed an independent clade from its congeners, P. australensis (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857), P. deformis and P. russelli (Wells, 1954), in the molecular phylogeny based on the mitochondrial intergenic region and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers.

Introdução/objetivos: No Brasil, o programa de prevenção da transmissão vertical do HIV (PPTV) alcançou vários marcos, no entanto, ainda existem várias barreiras para a promoção da saúde reprodutiva. Em um ambulatório de referência estadual para PPTV, objetivamos descrever características relacionadas à saúde reprodutiva de gestantes vivendo com HIV. Materiais e métodos: Estudo de coorte, em que foram incluídas todas as gestantes vivendo com HIV acompanhadas neste centro de referência, entre 2021-2023. Descrevemos a sua saúde reprodutiva e, para avaliar o impacto de possíveis medidas preventivas, comparamos àquelas que nunca usaram preservativo com as demais por meio de uma análise de regressão logística. Resultados: Foram acompanhadas um total de 242 mulheres, com idades compreendidas entre os 13 e os 45 anos. Um total de 72 já conheciam o seu estado de HIV e estavam em uso de anti-retrovirais. Entre as 242 gestantes, a carga viral (CV) estava disponível na visita de entrada para 108, e 39 (36%) tinham CV < 20 cópias/mL. Um total de 119 gestantes (55%) relataram nunca ter usado preservativos, embora apenas 74 (32%) quisessem engravidar (em média, estavam na sua segunda gravidez, variando entre a primeira e a décima gestação). Um total de 99 (42%) apresentavam outra doença sexualmente transmissível (DST) na visita de entrada: 70 com sífilis, 10 com lesões de condiloma, 4 com uretrites e 3 com lesões de herpes simples. Elas relataram em média 2 parceiros sexuais por ano (variando entre 1 e 50); 49 (21%) referiram que os seus parceiros viviam com o HIV, 87 parceiros (38%) tinham um teste sorológico de HIV não reagente e 94 (41%) não foram testados. Os fatores associados ao uso do preservativo foram: gravidez desejada (p = 0,01) e parceiro não soroconcordante (p = 0,01), mesmo ajustando para número de parceiros por ano, CV < 20 c/mL, uso de ARVs e presença de outras DSTs. Conclusões: Nesta população de gestantes vivendo com HIV, a adesão ao uso do preservativo é baixa. O uso do preservativo não se relacionou com o CV < 20 c/mL ou DSTs. Aquelas que desejavam engravidar, utilizavam preservativo, possivelmente na intenção de prevenção de outras DSTs no período. O período de cuidado pré-natal deve ser aproveitado para integrar outras medidas educativas e preventivas, como a saúde sexual e reprodutiva dos parceiros e da gestante. Palavras-chave: Prevenção do HIV, Populações-alvo, Saúde e direitos sexuais e reprodutivos. Conflitos de interesse: Não houve conflitos de interesse. Ética e financiamentos: Declaração de interesses: Nenhum.

Pisco grapes and their associated microbiome are the fundamental inputs for the production of Pisco; thus, knowledge of the varietal and regional differences between microbiota is of high value due to contribute to the distinctiveness and quality of the Pisco. To this end, the metagenomics can be applied for an in-depth exploration of the berry microbiome. The aim of this work was to characterise the metagenome of Peruvian Pisco grapes from Ica and Arequipa, thereby contributing to their regional identities. Sixteen composite samples of berries from the protected designation of origin regions of Ica and Arequipa were analysed for both bacteria and fungi via massive sequencing. Ralstonia, Gluconobacter, Pantoea, Tatumella, Bradyrhizobium, Komagataeibacter and some unclassified species from the Orbaceae family were identified as the predominant genera of bacteria, and Cladosporium, Starmerella, Pichia, Hanseniaspora, Wallemia, Claviceps, Alternaria and some unclassified species from the Saccharomycetales order or other orders within the Ascomycota division as the predominant fungi as well as its richness and diversity. As has been shown elsewhere in the literature regarding wine, we have proven here that the terroir of Pisco depends on the composition of the microbiome and is affected by edaphoclimatic factors and cultivation practices. These exploratory results will contribute to a better understanding of the terroir of Pisco, thus providing fundamental knowledge for its regional identity.

Contribution: This article describes one approach to foster technical skills (Digital Electronics) and professional skills (critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration) for Computer Engineering students in a fully remote way. Background: Engineering competencies development requires practical activities. Besides the technical skills, professional skills such as communication are necessary in the workplace. Intended Outcomes: When compared to face-to-face offering, the fully remote course must have no statistically relevant differences in terms of student performance. The course must also support the enhancement of professional skills (e.g., collaboration). Application Design: This study presents a comparison of the face-to-face (one year) and the fully remote (two years) Digital Electronics lab offerings. A course organization framework is proposed with two blocks: (1) controlled experiments and (2) projects in groups of two students. The study investigates how Project-Based Learning and Peer Assessment are perceived by students in the fully remote offering. A total of 110 students participated in the years 2019 (face-to-face), 2020, and 2021 (fully remote). Findings: Students in the second remote course offering (2021) presented a higher performance in their projects than face-to-face students (2019). Besides the student performance and technical skills development, it was observed that problem solving and collaboration, professional skills could be enhanced according to the students' perceptions. However, the same did not occur for critical thinking or communication professional skills even with the Peer Assessment and project pitches. The main concern is the high workload for students.

Abstract Background Cutaneous melanoma is a neoplasm with a high mortality rate and risk of metastases to distant organs. The Breslow micrometric measurement is considered the most important factor for evaluating prognosis and management, measured from the granular layer to the deepest portion of the neoplasm. Despite its widespread use, the Breslow thickness measurement has some inaccuracies, such as not considering variations in the thickness of the epidermis in different body locations or when there is ulceration. Objective To evaluate the applicability of a modified Breslow measurement, measured from the basal membrane instead of from the granular layer, in an attempt to predict sentinel lymph node examination outcome and survival of patients with melanoma. Methods A retrospective and cross-sectional analysis was carried out based on the evaluation of slides stained with hematoxylin & eosin from 275 cases of melanoma that underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy from 2008 to 2021 at a reference center in Brazil. Results Analysis of the Cox model to evaluate the impact of the Breslow measurement and the modified Breslow measurement on survival showed that both methods are statistically significant. Logistic regression revealed a significant association between both measurements and the presence of metastasis in sentinel lymph nodes. Conclusion Measuring melanoma depth from the basal membrane (modified Breslow measurement) is capable of predicting survival time and sentinel lymph node outcome, as well as the conventional Breslow measurement.

Background/Aims Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) was recently proposed as an alternative disease concept to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to investigate the prognosis of patients with biopsy-confirmed MASLD using data from a multicenter study. Methods This was a sub-analysis of the Clinical Outcome Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (CLIONE) study that included 1,398 patients with NAFLD. Liver biopsy specimens were pathologically diagnosed and histologically scored using the NASH Clinical Research Network system, the FLIP algorithm, and the SAF score. Patients who met at least one cardiometabolic criterion were diagnosed with MASLD. Results Approximately 99% of cases (n=1,381) were classified as MASLD. Patients with no cardiometabolic risk (n=17) had a significantly lower BMI than patients with MASLD (20.9 kg/m2 vs. 28.0 kg/m2, P

Abstract Background The International Medical Prevention Registry for Venous Thromboembolism (IMPROVE) Bleeding Risk Score is the recommended risk assessment model (RAM) for predicting bleeding risk in acutely ill medical inpatients in Western countries. However, few studies have assessed its predictive performance in local Asian settings. Methods We retrospectively identified acutely ill adolescents and adults (aged ≥ 15 years) who were admitted to our general internal medicine department between July 5, 2016 and July 5, 2021, and extracted data from their electronic medical records. The outcome of interest was the cumulative incidence of major and nonmajor but clinically relevant bleeding 14 days after admission. For the two-risk-group model, we estimated sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively). For the 11-risk-group model, we estimated C statistic, expected and observed event ratio (E/O), calibration-in-the-large (CITL), and calibration slope. In addition, we recalibrated the intercept using local data to update the RAM. Results Among the 3,876 included patients, 998 (26%) were aged ≥ 85 years, while 656 (17%) were hospitalized in the intensive care unit. The median length of hospital stay was 14 days. Clinically relevant bleeding occurred in 58 patients (1.5%), 49 (1.3%) of whom experienced major bleeding. Sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV were 26.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.8–40.0%), 84.8% (83.6–85.9%), 98.7% (98.2–99.0%), and 2.5% (1.5–4.3%) for any bleeding and 30.9% (95% CI: 18.8–46.3%), 84.9% (83.7–86.0%), 99.0% (98.5–99.3%), and 2.5% (1.5–4.3%) for major bleeding, respectively. The C statistic, E/O, CITL, and calibration slope were 0.64 (95% CI: 0.58–0.71), 1.69 (1.45–2.05), − 0.55 (− 0.81 to − 0.29), and 0.58 (0.29–0.87) for any bleeding and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.60–0.74), 0.76 (0.61–0.87), 0.29 (0.00–0.58), and 0.42 (0.19–0.64) for major bleeding, respectively. Updating the model substantially corrected the poor calibration observed. Conclusions In our Japanese cohort, the IMPROVE bleeding RAM retained the reported moderate discriminative performance. Model recalibration substantially improved the poor calibration obtained using the original RAM. Before its introduction into clinical practice, the updated RAM needs further validation studies and an optimized threshold.

ABSTRACT The objectives of the present study were to determine anatomical characteristics, mechanical properties and natural durability to two fungi types [Gloeophyllum trabeum (Persoon ex Fries) Murrill and Trametes versicolor (Linnaeus ex Fries)Pilat] for cypress wood (Cupressus spp.). The wood has straight grain, brown to white color, medium texture, and moderate luster. It also showed medium to low density, low shrinkage, and moderate dimensional stability. Lignin content was relatively high, whereas extractive content was low. Cupressus spp. showed static bending properties of 4.1 GPa for modulus of elasticity; 91.0 MPa for modulus of rupture; 1.8 MPa for internal bond; and 6357 and 4039 N for end and side Janka hardness, respectively. All mechanical properties, in air-dry condition, were similar to those described to cypresses and some Amazonian hardwood species. Cypress wood was ranked as highly resistant to the brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum and to the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, making it suitable for interior and exterior uses and high humidity environment.

INTRODUCTION: Resting heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) have been linked with cognition in the general population and in older individuals. The knowledge of this aspect of heart-brain relationship is relatively absent in older individuals with early Alzheimers disease (AD) pathology. This study explores relationships of the HR, HRV, and cognition in cognitively healthy individuals with pathological amyloid/tau ratio (CH-PATs) in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) compared to those with normal ratio (CH-NATs). METHODS: We examined therelationshipsbetween1) resting HR and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); 2) resting HR and brain processing during Stroop interference; and 3) resting vagally mediated HRV (vmHRV) and task switching performance. RESULTS: Our studies showed that compared to CH-NATs, those CH-PATs with higher resting HR presented with lower MMSE, and less brain activation during interference processing. In addition, resting vmHRV was significantly correlated with task switching accuracy in CH-NATs, but not in CH-PATs. DISCUSSION: Thesethreedifferenttestsindicatedysfunctionalheart-brainconnections in CH-PATs, suggesting a potential cardio-cerebral dysfunctional integration.

The heart and brain have bi-directional influences on each other, including autonomic regulation and hemodynamic connections. Heart rate variability (HRV) measures variation in beat-to-beat intervals. New findings about disorganized sinus rhythm (erratic rhythm, quantified as heart rate fragmentation, HRF) are discussed and suggest overestimation of autonomic activities in HRV changes, especially during aging or cardiovascular events. When excluding HRF, HRV is regulated via the central autonomic network (CAN). HRV acts as a proxy of autonomic activity and is associated with executive functions, decision-making, and emotional regulation in our health and wellbeing. Abnormal changes of HRV (e.g., decreased vagal functioning) are observed in various neurological conditions including mild cognitive impairments, dementia, mild traumatic brain injury, migraine, COVID-19, stroke, epilepsy, and psychological conditions (e.g., anxiety, stress, and schizophrenia). Efforts are needed to improve the dynamic and intriguing heart-brain interactions.

Introdução: Mulheres vivendo com HIV/AIDS possuem maior frequência de neoplasias anogenitais decorrentes da infecção pelo papilomavírus humano (HPV). A Organização Mundial da Saúde recomenda que o rastreio de câncer do colo do útero seja utilizado por testes moleculares que amplificam o material genético viral, como o HPV-DNA. Além da coleta por profissionais da saúde, a autocoleta de amostras vaginais consiste em uma ferramenta útil para ampliação do acesso à testagem. Objetivo: Descrever os resultados do estudo piloto que avaliou a aceitabilidade da autocoleta de amostra vaginal e aplicabilidade da oferta de testes HPV-DNA com autocoleta de amostras vaginais para mulheres vivendo com HIV/AIDS no Brasil. Métodos: Estudo transversal descritivo envolvendo mulheres vivendo com HIV/AIDS atendidas em oito serviços ambulatoriais distribuídos em todas as regiões do país no período de maio/2021 a maio/2022 e um laboratório central. Realizou-se a oferta de autocoleta vaginal e uma entrevista com as participantes sobre dados sociodemográficos e impressões da autocoleta. Resultados: No total, 1.919 mulheres vivendo com HIV/AIDS com média de 45 anos participaram do estudo. Houve detecção de algum tipo de HPV em 66% (1.267) dos casos. A maioria (71,9%) afirmou preferir a autocoleta à coleta de amostras por profissionais da saúde. Apenas 53,8% das participantes realizaram citologia na periodicidade adequada, conforme recomendação do protocolo. Conclusão: Os resultados poderão apoiar a implementação dos testes de biologia molecular para detecção de HPV em mulheres vivendo com HIV/AIDS, incluindo a possibilidade de autocoleta vaginal, promovendo a ampliação do acesso ao rastreamento de câncer do colo do útero. Palavras-chave: Soropositividade para HIV. Papillomavírus humano. Programas de rastreamento. Neoplasias do colo do útero. Serviços de saúde.

ABSTRACT Peru holds a high mammalian diversity in its Amazonian region, with 326 species. However, our knowledge about the actual diversity is still considered incomplete, and the molecular information for those species in genetic databases is even less comprehensive. To assess the availability of genetic information for Peruvian Amazonian mammals relative to known diversity, we surveyed the Amazonian mammals with at least one molecular marker in the most widely used repositories for nucleotide sequences, GenBank and BOLD Systems. Our survey focused on widely used molecular markers in evolutionary biology-cytochrome b [cyt-b], cytochrome oxidase I [COI], 12S ribosomal RNA [12S], and the mitogenome [mit]-derived from Peruvian Amazon mammals. Additionally, to gain insights into the current mammalian sampling effort in Peruvian Amazonia, we generated a map of unique sampling localities and a heat map, utilizing 41951 records, which identified six major information gaps. This comprehensive analysis found 1597 genetic sequences corresponding to 180 mammalian species (55.2% of Peruvian Amazonian species): COI (38 species), cyt-b (167 species), 12S (56 species), and mitogenome (16 species). Taxonomically, Rodentia (53 species, four markers), Chiroptera (63 species, three markers), and Didelphimorphia (27 species, four markers) represented most molecular data, with a concentration of molecular markers in the orders Chiroptera (703) and Rodentia (499). Geographically, the Loreto department has the largest genetic information (530 records, 99 species). These results confirm a worrying underrepresentation of Peruvian Amazonian diversity in molecular databases. Consequently, we advocate for the use of scientific collections as an alternative source to systematically generate genetic information for the Amazonian mammal diversity in Peru to compensate for the current underrepresentation.

Background: Early supplementation and subsequent discontinuation of cow’s milk formula (CMF) may increase the risk of cow’s milk allergy in breast-fed infants, but little is known about the relationship between continuous CMF ingestion and cow’s milk protein–specific immunoglobulin production. Objective: This study aimed to clarify the aforesaid relationship in cow’s milk–sensitized infants. Methods: Using data from a randomized controlled trial of a Japanese birth cohort, we performed a subgroup analysis of participants who had ingested CMF in the first 3 days of life and exhibited a positive skin prick test response to cow’s milk at age 6 months. We compared the differences in median titers of cow’s milk–specific IgE, casein-specific IgE, and casein-specific IgG4 levels between participants who continued daily or intermittent CMF ingestion up to age 6 months (the “continuous group”) and participants who discontinued CMF ingestion before age 6 months (the “discontinued group”). Results: From among 462 trial participants, 49 (10.6%) were included in this study (21 in the continuous group and 29 in the discontinued group). The median titer of cow’s milk–specific IgE was 0.17 kUA/L (interquartile range [IQR] =

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with an increased risk of psychological distress as well as enhanced responses to psychosocial stress. Recently, it was hypothesized that PCOS patients may be at high risk of novel COVID-19 infections and worse clinical presentations during such infections. Here, we evaluated the effects of PCOS on stress responses to bacterial and viral mimetics using dihydrotestosterone-induced PCOS model rats. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; a bacterial mimetic) or polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly-IC; a viral mimetic) was injected into PCOS model rats (PCOS) and non-PCOS rats (control), and the rats' stress responses were evaluated. In the PCOS group, the rats’ anorectic and febrile responses to LPS injection were enhanced, whereas their anorectic and febrile responses to Poly-IC injection were unaltered. The PCOS group also exhibited greater changes in peripheral cytokine levels in response to LPS, but not Poly-IC. On the contrary, after the injection of Poly-IC depressed locomotor activity was more evident in the PCOS group, whereas no such changes were observed after LPS injection. These findings indicate that although the stress responses of PCOS model rats to infection may be enhanced, the patterns of change in stress responses and their underlying mechanisms may differ between bacterial and viral infections.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause multiple acute complications. This study evaluated the long-term functional status of older patients hospitalized for acute COVID-19. Methods We analyzed data from a multicenter ambispective cohort study on patients aged >60 years who were hospitalized for COVID-19 at two tertiary care hospitals in Argentina. The participants were contacted by telephone between November 2021 and September 2022 to collect data on their functional status. Ordinal logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with functional limitations after discharge. Results Among the 374 included patients, 205 (55%) showed functional limitations, including 58 (28%) who died during follow-up. The factors independently associated with functional limitations were low baseline functional status (odds ratio [OR]=9.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.35–25.17) and admission to the intensive care unit (OR=4.41; 95% CI, 2.28–8.53). Men had lower odds of functional impairment (OR=0.55; 95% CI, 0.35–0.86). Conclusion Older patients had high mortality rates and poor functional status at 2 years post-discharge for COVID-19. Several factors at the time of discharge were associated with a higher risk of functional limitations and can be used to identify patients’ long-term needs for support and rehabilitation services.

Background: Ovarian endometrioma (OMA) is a common gynecological condition affecting women of reproductive age, often requiring laparoscopic surgery for removal. However, the management of OMA, including postoperative hormone therapy, is complex and must be tailored to the individual's conditions. Therefore, to provide meaningful insights, we aimed to analyze 10 years of accumulated data from patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for OMA, with a primary focus mainly on postoperative OMA recurrence and live birth outcomes. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 158 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for OMA, including total laparoscopic cystectomy (TLC) (79 patients), total laparoscopic adnexectomy (TLA) (62 patients), or both unilateral TLA and contralateral TLC (17 patients), between January 2014 and December 2023. Among the OMA patients, we identified 7 cases of postoperative OMA recurrence out of 158 patients, and 23 live births among 79 TLC patients. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the impact of each representative factor on postoperative OMA recurrence and live birth achievement. Results: The multivariate analyses of the 158 patients revealed that advance age and massive blood loss were significantly associated with an increased risk of postoperative OMA recurrence, while postoperative hormone treatment was associated with a decreased risk of recurrence. In the analysis of live birth achievement among the 79 TLC patients, advanced age, postoperative hormone treatment and cancer antigen 125 (CA125) positivity were significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of achieving live birth. Conclusions: Our data highlight the unfavorable effects of advanced age, massive blood loss and CA125 positivity on the outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for OMA. Additionally, postoperative hormone treatment was found to decrease postoperative OMA recurrence. These findings may offer more accurate information to guidance in selecting treatment options for patients with OMA.