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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder that is associated with both motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS). The management of PD is primarily via pharmaceutical treatment; however, non-pharmaceutical interventions have become increasingly recognized in the management of motor and NMS. In this review, the efficacy of physical activity, including physiotherapy and occupational therapy, as an intervention in NMS will be assessed. The papers were extracted between the 20th and 22nd of June 2016 from PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Ovid, SportsDiscuss, and Scopus using the MeSH search terms \"Parkinson's,\" \"Parkinson,\" and \"Parkinsonism\" in conjunction with \"exercise,\" \"physical activity,\" \"physiotherapy,\" \"occupational therapy,\" \"physical therapy,\" \"rehabilitation,\" \"dance,\" and \"martial arts.\" Twenty studies matched inclusion criteria of having 10 or more participants with diagnosed idiopathic PD participating in the intervention as well as having to evaluate the effects of physical activity on NMS in PD as controlled, randomized intervention studies. The outcomes of interest were NMS, including depression, cognition, fatigue, apathy, anxiety, and sleep. Risk of bias in the studies was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias. Comparability of the various intervention methods, however, was challenging due to demographic variability and methodological differences. Nevertheless, physical activity can positively impact the global NMS burden including depression, apathy, fatigue, day time sleepiness, sleep, and cognition, thus supporting its therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative conditions such as PD. It is recommended that further adequately powered studies are conducted to assess the therapeutic role of physical activity on both motor and non-motor aspects of PD. These studies should be optimally designed to assess non-motor elements of disease using instruments validated in PD.

This investigation examined the influence of the number of repetitions per set on power output and muscle metabolism during leg press exercise. Six trained men (age 34 ± 6 yr) randomly performed either 5 sets of 10 repetitions (10REP), or 10 sets of 5 repetitions (5REP) of bilateral leg press exercise, with the same initial load and rest intervals between sets. Muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) were taken before the first set, and after the first and the final sets. Compared with 5REP, 10REP resulted in a markedly greater decrease (P<0.05) of the power output, muscle PCr and ATP content, and markedly higher (P<0.05) levels of muscle lactate and IMP. Significant correlations (P<0.01) were observed between changes in muscle PCr and muscle lactate (R(2) = 0.46), between changes in muscle PCr and IMP (R(2) = 0.44) as well as between changes in power output and changes in muscle ATP (R(2) = 0.59) and lactate (R(2) = 0.64) levels. Reducing the number of repetitions per set by 50% causes a lower disruption to the energy balance in the muscle. The correlations suggest that the changes in PCr and muscle lactate mainly occur simultaneously during exercise, whereas IMP only accumulates when PCr levels are low. The decrease in ATP stores may contribute to fatigue.

Minority protection under the League of Nations (LoN) generated an unprecedented level of activity and debate on the topic, which in turn contributed to the general advancement of human rights. Nevertheless, it is also important to note that the League's Secretariat developed rather conservative practices regarding the receivability of minorities' petitions as well as on some important related decisions. Our perspective here contrasts with what is commonly found in the associated historiography, i.e. that the part played by the Minorities Section was rather neutral. Without downplaying the importance of some states' resistance to the protection of minorities and its supervision, the Section's narrow interpretation of the LoN jurisdiction is noteworthy, as is the absence of serious attempts to take advantage of the decisions in favour of minorities made by the LoN Assembly. The way the Section constructed the non-receivability of petitions, especially those which were 'outside treaties', illustrates our argument.

Confinement of the population has been one of the measures implemented by different governments to address the COVID-19 health crisis, and it has led to social isolation together with a disruption of daily activities. The aim of the study is to analyze psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal. During the quarantine, a cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 2120 subjects over 18 years of age, resident and born in Portugal. Data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire that considered socio-demographic variables, physical symptoms, health conditions, and history of contact with COVID-19, as well as psychological alterations. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was also included. Univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were performed. Predictive capacity was studied using logistic regression models. The results showed a higher percentage of individuals presenting psychological distress (57.2.0%), with a higher percentage identified among women (79.0%), and in people with a higher educational level (bachelor’s + master’s and doctorate) (75.8%). The predictor variables with the greatest weight were sex, educational level (graduation, master’s, and doctorate), living with children or under 16 years of age, presence of symptoms, and quarantine in the last 14 days for having symptoms. Good self-assessment of health and working at home appear to be protective against psychological distress. These results highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological distress and provide an opportunity to consider the need to implement specific multidisciplinary public health and mental health interventions in this pandemic situation.

Traditional approaches to solid rectal therapies have halted progress, leading to a continual decline in the use of conventional suppositories. Additive manufacturing techniques have been recently explored as a suitable innovative tool for suppository fabrication. However, little advancement has been made in composition materials for 3D-printed suppository (3DPS) manufacturing and still, conventional vehicles are often used for construct fabrication, hindering the growth in the field. As a novelty, this study unveils a ground-breaking Laponite-alginate hydrogel-based 3DPS. Interestingly, this study proposes a novel approach for loading drugs into the 3DPS employing for the first time the post-printing loading. Thus, a passive loading strategy of molecular models is developed, demonstrating the versatility and capacity to load molecules of different charges and molecular sizes within the matrix systems. This novel strategy allows adapting the load of a wide range of drugs into a single ink, which simplifies and speeds up the 3DPS technological development process for drugs with different physico-chemical properties. Additionally, in this research, a displacement strategy of the three-dimensional Laponite matrices is developed in order to enhance the drug release capacity through the 3DPS and their disintegration capacity, resulting in a significant improvement of the drug diffusion through the hydrogel matrix and a rapid disintegration of the 3DPS. Finally, our study demonstrates that the obtained 3DPS have a suitable in vivo behavior, being non-obstructive and allowing the normal motility of the rats intestine. Graphical abstract

It is assumed that natremia remains low throughout the duration of chronic hyponatremia, inducing symptoms. We explore Recurrent Intermittent Hyponatremia (RIH) to establish whether a few hours of hyponatremia per day are enough to induce significant water retention. A rat model of RIH was developed and compared to control animals. Electrolyte balance and central nervous system (CNS) (water content and cellular changes) were studied at baseline and after a water overload equivalent to 10% of the animal's body weight. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) obtained through magnetic resonance was used to study changes in content and distribution of brain water. Immunohistochemistry techniques were used to study in the CNS astroglial cells through the glial fibrillary acidic-protein (GFAP) expression; as well as oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheath using the myelin basic protein (MBP) antibody. Blood and urine analysis were performed to assess water and electrolyte balance. In RIH, mild hyponatremia was induced, but recovered after 24h; this situation was repeated for 7 consecutive days. A lower ADC value in the whole brain compared to control animals suggested an increase in total brain water in this situation. An increase in GFAP expression in the gray matter (GM) was observed, while MBP's expression remained unchanged. The water overload on RIH induced hypotonic hyponatremia, progressively decreased ADC values in the whole brain (less pronounced than in controls), and increased GFAP and MBP's expression in the white matter (similar increase found in controls). RIH is a novel animal model that suggests there can be significant water retention after only a few hours of hyponatremia a day provided this situation is repeated over time. Such water retention translates into a greater brain water accumulation and astroglial activation in the GM.

Background: Isoniazid (INH) remains a first-line drug for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in young children. In 2010, the WHO recommended an increase in the daily dose of INH up to 10 (7–15) mg/kg. Currently, there are no INH suspensions available in Europe. Methods: We aimed to characterize the pharmacokinetics of a licensed INH suspension (10 mg/mL, Pharmascience Inc., Montreal, QC, Canada) in children receiving INH daily at 10 mg/kg in a single-center, open-label, non-randomized, phase IIa clinical trial (EudraCT Number: 2016-002000-31) in Barcelona (Spain). Samples were analyzed using a validated UPLC-UV assay. The N-acetyltransferase 2 gene was examined to determine the acetylation status. A non-compartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted. Results: Twenty-four patients (12 females) were included (primary chemoprophylaxis, n = 12; TB treatment, n = 9; and TB infection preventive treatment, n = 3). The acetylator statuses were homozygous fast (n = 3), heterozygous intermediate (n = 18), and homozygous slow (n = 2; unavailable in one patient). The INH median (IQR) Cmax and AUC0–24h values were 6.1 (4.5–8.2) mg/L and 23.0 (11.2–35.4) h∙mg/L; adult targets (>3 mg/L and 11.6–26.3 h∙mg/L) were not achieved in three and six cases, respectively. Gender, age at assessment (<2 or >2 years), and INH monotherapy (vs. combined TB treatment) had no impact on pharmacokinetic parameters. Significant differences in Cmax (p = 0.030) and AUC0–24h (p = 0.011) values were observed based on acetylator status. Treatment was well tolerated, and no severe adverse events were observed; three patients developed asymptomatic mildly elevated alanine aminotransferase levels. Conclusions: In infants and children receiving a daily INH suspension at 10 mg/kg, no safety concerns were raised, and the target adult levels were reached in the majority of patients.

The use of flow cytometry in mice is constrained by several factors, including the limited availability of mouse-specific antibodies and the need to work with small volumes of peripheral blood. This is particularly challenging for longitudinal studies, as serial blood samples should not exceed 10% of the total blood volume in mice. To address this, we have developed two novel flow cytometry panels designed to extensively analyze immune cell populations in mice during longitudinal studies, using only 50 µL of peripheral blood per panel. Additionally, a third panel has been designed to conduct a more detailed analysis of cytotoxic and inhibitory markers at the end point. These panels have been validated on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung inflammation model. Two experiments were conducted to 1) validate the panels’ sensitivity to immune challenges ( n =12) and 2) to assess intrinsic variability of measurements ( n =5). In both experiments, we collected 50 µL of peripheral blood for each cytometry panel from the maxillary venous sinus. All antibodies were titrated to identify the optimal concentration that maximized the signal from the positive population while minimizing the signal from the negative population. Samples were processed within 1 hour of collection using a MACSQuant Analyzer 16 cytometer. Our results demonstrate that these immunological panels are sensitive enough to detect changes in peripheral blood after LPS induction. Moreover, our findings help determine the sample size needed based on the immune population variability. In conclusion, the panels we have designed enable a comprehensive analysis of the murine immune system with a low blood volume requirement, enabling the measure of both absolute values and relative percentages effectively. This approach provides a robust platform for longitudinal studies in mice and can be used to uncover significant insights into immune responses.

A transition towards sustainable and healthy diet(SHD) is crucial for both population and planetary health. However, changing consumer’s behaviour is challenging due to the many factors influencing food choices. Tools that comprehensively assess these factors are paramount, yet none are available in Spain. Hence, we created and validated the SALSA questionnaire to capture self-perceived barriers and facilitators for SHD. The process involved three phases: First, item development combining insights from a scoping review and content validity with experts(n = 9) and the target population(n = 38); Second, scale development by pre-testing the questionnaire(n = 4), administering it through an online survey to two samples(Dimensionality-Sample, n = 516; Reliability-Sample, n = 61), and applying exploratory factor analysis for factors extraction and item reduction; Third, scale evaluation by testing its dimensionality through confirmatory factor analysis, its reliability through Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega, and intra-class correlation coefficient, and construct validity through discriminant validity, convergent validity, and correlation analysis. Results yielded a questionnaire with 27 items grouped into four dimensions: personal factors, sociocultural factors, external factors, and meat and plant-based meat alternatives. The psychometric analysis revealed that the SALSA questionnaire is a reliable instrument to identify behavioural determinants.

The effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on the mental health of citizens from Asia, Europe, or North America begin to be known, but there are fewer publications on its effects in Latin American countries. In this study, its impact in Ecuador is described, with data collected during the first phase of the pandemic. The objective of this study was to analyse the level of psychological distress in the population of Ecuador during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional observational study. The questionnaires were collected through an online self-developed questionnaire, between April 2 and May 17, 2020, using the non-probabilistic sampling methodology: snowball method. The variables considered were sociodemographic variables, physical symptoms, health status, COVID-19 contact history, preventive measures, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The percentage with high psychological distress (PD) (GHQ-12 ≥ 3) has been somewhat lower than that found in Europe, being women, young people, people with higher level of education, living without a partner, not living with children or children under 16 years of age, and with worse perception of health the groups with the highest PD. Differences have been observed with European studies regarding common symptoms, preventive measures to avoid contagion, percentage of infected relatives, or diagnostic tests performed. The use of the same research instrument, validated in Europe and adapted to Ecuador, has facilitated the comparison of the found results and differences, which can be explained by socio-economic or cultural variables, the health system, level of information, or by preventive measures put in place to prevent the pandemic.