Screening of depression in adolescents through the Internet: Sensitivity and specificity of two screening questionnaires.

.001). The scores on both instruments were significantly increased in all subjects with a mood disorder, whether current or lifetime, except for lifetime minor depression. In the ROC analyses, high areas under the curve were found for the MDI (0.89) and CESD (0.90). The best cut-off point for the MDI was 19 (sensitivity: 90.48; specificity: 71.53), and for the CES-D it was 22 (sensitivity: 90.48; specificity: 74.31). We conclude that the MDI and CES-D are reliable and valid instruments that can be used for this screening

B Cell Recognition of the Conserved HIV-1 Co-Receptor Binding Site Is Altered by Endogenous Primate CD4

The surface HIV-1 exterior envelope glycoprotein, gp120, binds to CD4 on the target cell surface to induce the co-receptor binding site on gp120 as the initial step in the entry process. The binding site is comprised of a highly conserved region on the gp120 core, as well as elements of the third variable region (V3). Antibodies against the co-receptor binding site are abundantly elicited during natural infection of humans, but the mechanism of elicitation has remained undefined. In this study, we investigate the requirements for elicitation of co-receptor binding site antibodies by inoculating rabbits, monkeys and human-CD4 transgenic (huCD4) rabbits with envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers possessing high affinity for primate CD4. A cross-species comparison of the antibody responses showed that similar HIV-1 neutralization breadth was elicited by Env trimers in monkeys relative to wild-type (WT) rabbits. In contrast, antibodies against the co-receptor site on gp120 were elicited only in monkeys and huCD4 rabbits, but not in the WT rabbits. This was supported by the detection of high-titer co-receptor antibodies in all sera from a set derived from human volunteers inoculated with recombinant gp120. These findings strongly suggest that complexes between Env and (high-affinity) primate CD4 formed in vivo are responsible for the elicitation of the co-receptor-site-directed antibodies. They also imply that the naïve B cell receptor repertoire does not recognize the gp120 co-receptor site in the absence of CD4 and illustrate that conformational stabilization, imparted by primary receptor interaction, can alter the immunogenicity of a type 1 viral membrane protein

Distribution of Blastocystis subtypes isolated from humans from an urban community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Fernandes Figueira. Departamento de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Universidade Federal Fluminense. Hospital Universitário Antonio Pedro. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Blastocystis is a cosmopolitan protist parasite found in the human gastrointestinal tract and is highly prevalent in developing countries. Recent molecular studies have revealed extensive genetic diversity, which has been classified into different subtypes (STs) based on sequence analysis of small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Blastocystis is one of the most common fecal parasites in Brazil, but the diversity of subtypes remains unknown in the country. This study aimed to determine the distribution of Blastocystis STs in an urban community in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Chemical Hazards in Foods

This extensive chapter focuses on chemical hazards that have increased dramatically because of the economic development in various sectors including agriculture, food processing, industry and transport. Chemical hazards in food chain pose a wide range of health risks varying from irritation to chronic diseases and cancer. Moreover, exposure to a combination of chemical hazards may be associated with additive, antagonistic, and synergistic interactions. Thus it is necessary to monitor their concentrations in food and reduce exposure to consumers. The well compiled chapter includes occurrence, detection, legislation, toxicity and risk assessment of a variety of chemicals of both natural and man-made origin

Genetically elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol through the cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene does not associate with risk of Alzheimer's disease

Introduction: There is conflicting evidence whether high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia. Genetic variation in the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) locus is associated with altered HDL-C. We aimed to assess AD risk by genetically predicted HDL-C. Methods: Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms within the CETP locus predicting HDL-C were applied to the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) exome chip stage 1 results in up 16,097 late onset AD cases and 18,077 cognitively normal elderly controls. We performed instrumental variables analysis using inverse variance weighting, weighted median, and MR-Egger. Results: Based on 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms distinctly predicting HDL-C in the CETP locus, we found that HDL-C was not associated with risk of AD (P > .7). Discussion: Our study does not support the role of HDL-C on risk of AD through HDL-C altered by CETP. This study does not rule out other mechanisms by which HDL-C affects risk of AD

Benefícios de um programa de educação postural para alunos de uma escola municipal de Garibaldi, RS Benefits of a posture education program for schoolchildren in the city of Garibaldi, RS

A fisioterapia tem importante papel no meio escolar, pois estudantes desenvolvem maus hábitos e alteraç��es posturais que, a longo prazo, podem gerar restrição funcional. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os efeitos de um programa de educação postural em estudantes do ensino fundamental da cidade de Garibaldi, RS. Participaram 48 alunos com idade entre 8 e 10 anos, que responderam um questionário sobre hábitos posturais e foram submetidos à avaliação de peso, modelo e modo de transporte da mochila antes e após uma sessão educativa; quatro semanas mais tarde foi feita uma reavaliação. Os pais participaram do estudo respondendo um questionário sobre a postura dos filhos. Quanto aos hábitos escolares, constatou-se mudança positiva na adoção de postura adequada dos pés na posição sentada (p=0,001); e, nas atividades de vida diária, mudanças na posição ao ver televisão (p<0,0001), dormir (p=0,019), pegar objetos no chão (p<0,0001) e costume de ler e/ou escrever na cama (p=0,002). Em relação ao peso da mochila obteve-se redução significativa após a intervenção (p=0,002), enquanto no modelo e modo de transporte não houve diferença. Segundo os pais, os filhos têm bons hábitos de postura e costumam utilizá-los no dia-a-dia. Concluiu-se que a realização de uma sessão de educação postural para alunos promoveu o conhecimento de hábitos posturais saudáveis e modificação de algumas posturas, mas não se pode afirmar que provocou mudanças nos hábitos posturais.<br>Physical therapy plays an important role in school, as students develop bad habits and postural dysfunctions which may generate long-term functional restrictions. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of an educational program on students' posture in Garibaldi, RS. Forty-eight 8-to-10 year-old schoolchildren filled up a questionnaire about postural habits and had their knapsacks assessed as to weight, type and carrying mode, before and after an educational session; a further assessment was made four weeks later. Parents participated by answering a questionnaire on children's posture. Results showed positive changes in feet posture in the sitting position (p=0.001); in daily living activities, better postures or habits were found while watching television (p<0.0001), sleeping (p=0.019), getting objects from the ground (p<0.0001), and reading and/or writing in bed (p=0.002). As to knapsack weight, a significant decrease (p=0,002) was noticed after the session, while neither the model or mode of transport changed. Parents answered that their children have good postural habits and keep them on a regular basis. It may thus be said that one session of postural educational program for schoolchildren resulted in better knowledge on healthy postural behaviour and modified some postures, but one can't say it brought about changes in postural habits

Is Sense of Coherence Lowered by Negative Life Events?

Sense of coherence, Stability, Change, Negative life events, Sweden,

Fluctuations in [11C]SB207145 PET Binding Associated with Change in Threat-Related Amygdala Reactivity in Humans

Serotonin critically affects the neural processing of emotionally salient stimuli, including indices of threat; however, how alterations in serotonin signaling contribute to changes in brain function is not well understood. Recently, we showed in a placebo-controlled study of 32 healthy males that brain serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT(4)) binding, assessed with [(11)C]SB207145 PET, was sensitive to a 3-week intervention with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, supporting it as an in vivo model for fluctuations in central serotonin levels. Participants also underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a gender discrimination task of fearful, angry, and neutral faces. This offered a unique opportunity to evaluate whether individual fluctuations in central serotonin levels, indexed by change in [(11)C]SB207145 binding, predicted changes in threat-related reactivity (ie, fear and angry vs neutral faces) within a corticolimbic circuit including the amygdala and medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex. We observed a significant association such that decreased brain-wide [(11)C]SB207145 binding (ie, increased brain serotonin levels) was associated with lower threat-related amygdala reactivity, whereas intervention group status did not predict change in corticolimbic reactivity. This suggests that in the healthy brain, interindividual responses to pharmacologically induced and spontaneously occurring fluctuations in [(11)C]SB207145 binding, a putative marker of brain serotonin levels, affect amygdala reactivity to threat. Our finding also supports that change in brain [(11)C]SB207145 binding may be a relevant marker for evaluating neurobiological mechanisms underlying sensitivity to threat and serotonin signaling