Test–retest reliability of the unsupported upper-limb exercise test (UULEX) and 6-min peg board ring test (6PBRT) in healthy adult individuals

Background: The unsupported upper-limb exercise (UULEX) and 6-min peg board ring tests (6PBRTs) have been developed to measure peak unsupported arm exercise capacity and arm endurance, respectively, in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These tests are valid and reproducible in this population; however, the reproducibility of healthy adults is currently unknown. Objective: To determine the within-day test–retest reliability of the UULEX and 6PBRT in healthy adults. Method: The study included 41 healthy adults, aged 38.3 ± 17.9 years old, who performed both tests, twice each on the same day, with a 30-min rest in between. Before and immediately after the tests, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), perception of exertion, and arm fatigue were measured. Time to perform the test and number of rings moved were recorded for the UULEX and 6PBRT, respectively. Results: The UULEX was reproducible on Bland–Altman analysis with lower and upper limits of agreement: 2.40 and ?2.49 min, respectively (bias = ?0.05; p = 0.817) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.85 (p < 0.0001) for time in minutes for the first and second tests. The 6PBRT was not reproducible on Bland–Altman analysis with lower and upper limits of agreement of 31.64 and ?114.54 (bias = ?41.45; p < 0.0001) and ICC = 0.91 (p < 0.0001) for the number of rings moved. Conclusion: UULEX is a reliable test in healthy adults. Only one test is adequate when measuring peak unsupported arm exercise capacity using the UULEX in healthy adults, while more than two tests may be needed to measure arm endurance using the 6PBRT.     

Correlations between stress,anxiety and depression and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics among outpatients with heart failure

AimTo describe and investigate correlations among anxiety, stress and depression and identify their relationship with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with heart failure.

Average spectral power changes at the hippocampal electroencephalogram in schizophrenia model induced by ketamine

The use of ketamine (Ket) as a pharmacological model of schizophrenia is an important tool for understanding the main mechanisms of glutamatergic regulated neural oscillations. Thus, the aim of the current study was to evaluate Ket‐induced changes in the average spectral power using the hippocampal quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG). To this end, male Wistar rats were submitted to a stereotactic surgery for the implantation of an electrode in the right hippocampus. After three days, the animals were divided into four groups that were treated for 10 consecutive days with Ket (10, 50, or 100 mg/kg). Brainwaves were captured on the 1st or 10th day, respectively, to acute or repeated treatments. The administration of Ket (10, 50, or 100 mg/kg), compared with controls, induced changes in the hippocampal average spectral power of delta, theta, alpha, gamma low or high waves, after acute or repeated treatments. Therefore, based on the alterations in the average spectral power of hippocampal waves induced by Ket, our findings might provide a basis for the use of hippocampal QEEG in animal models of schizophrenia.     

On the synergy between silver nanoparticles and doxycycline towards the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus growth

In a previous paper (RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 66886–66893), we showed that the combination of silver nanoparticles (NanoAg) with doxycycline (DO) culminated in an increased bactericidal activity towards E. coli. Herein we further investigated the metabolic changes that occurred on Staphylococcus aureus upon exposure to NanoAg with the help of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) coupled with multivariate data analysis. It has been discovered that the combination of DO with NanoAg produced metabolic changes in S. aureus that were not simply the overlap of the treatments with DO and NanoAg separately. Our results suggest that DO and NanoAg act synergistically to impede protein synthesis by the bacteria.

Silver nanoparticles conjugated with doxycycline act synergistically to halt S. aureus growth via inhibition of protein synthesis.     

Hypertension in a Brazilian Urban Slum Population

Low- and middle-income countries account for the majority of hypertension disease burden. However, little is known about the distribution of this illness within subpopulations of these countries, particularly among those who live in urban informal settlements. A cross-sectional hypertension survey was conducted in 2003 among 5649 adult residents of a slum settlement in the city of Salvador, Brazil. Hypertension was defined as either an elevated arterial systolic (≥140 mmHg) or diastolic (≥90 mmHg) blood pressure. Sex-specific multivariable models of systolic blood pressure were constructed to identify factors associated with elevated blood pressure. The prevalence of hypertension in the population 18 years and older was 21 % (1162/5649). Men had 1.2 times the risk of hypertension compared with women (95 % confidence intervals (CI), 1.05, 1.36). Increasing age and lack of any schooling, particularly for women, were also significantly associated with elevated blood pressure (p < 0.05). There was also a direct association between men who were black and an elevated blood pressure. Among those who were hypertensive, 65.5 % were aware of their condition, and only 36.3 % of those aware were actively using anti-hypertensive medications. Men were less likely to be aware of their diagnosis or to use medications (p < 0.01 for both) than women. The prevalence of hypertension in this slum community was lower than reported frequencies in the non-slum population of Brazil and Salvador, yet both disease awareness and treatment frequency were low. Further research on hypertension and other chronic non-communicable diseases in slum populations is urgently needed to guide prevention and treatment efforts in this growing population.