OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is characterized by high contagiousness, as well as variable clinical manifestations and immune responses. The antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 is directly related to viral clearance and the antibodies’ ability to neutralize the virus and confer long-term immunity. Nevertheless, the response can also be associated with disease severity and evolution. This study correlated the clinical characteristics of convalescent COVID-19 patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. METHODS: This study included […]

In Parkinson’s disease (PD), extensive research using experimental models has been conducted to study different aspects of the disease to understand its etiology, pathology, molecular mechanisms, and potential therapeutic targets (). Despite interesting debates in the literature, the available animal models are indispensable for the development of new concepts and ideas that can lead to novel protective or disease-modifying therapies (). However, little contribution has been made in the understanding of sudden unexpected death in PD (SUDPAR). PD, a very […]

INTRODUCTION Although Parkinson’s disease (PD) primarily affects the central nervous system, it is a multi-organ disease which also affects the eyes and the peripheral nervous system, including the autonomic fibers (,). PD-related disturbance of the peripheral nerves may result in sensory, motor, or autonomic neuropathy. Autonomic dysfunction can manifest as sicca syndrome, hypo-/hyperhidrosis, orthostatic hypotension, reduced blood pressure variability, reduced heart rate variability, nausea, constipation, vomiting, urinary dysfunction, or erectile dysfunction (). Non-motor manifestations, such as hyposmia, rapid eye movement […]

In 1817, the London surgeon and pharmacist James Parkinson published a 66-page-long booklet entitled “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy”, which contains the first detailed, clinical description of the shaking palsy, or “paralysis agitans”, which is currently known as Parkinson’s disease (PD) (). Two important facts James Parkinson probably did not consider at that time include the scientific progress of neuroscience over the past two centuries and the changes in the world’s population aging since then (). In fact, the […]

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic problems worldwide. Unfortunately, individuals with epilepsy are at higher risk of death than the general population, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is the most important direct epilepsy-related cause of death. In this review article, our research group focused on the risk factors, mechanisms and preventative measures obtained from clinical and experimental studies on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Blood neurotrophins, such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor, are considered to be of great importance in mediating the benefits of physical exercise. In this study, the effect of acute strength exercise and the involvement of small versus large muscle mass on the levels of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor were evaluated in healthy individuals. METHODS: The concentric strengths of knee (large) and elbow (small) flexor and extensor muscles were measured on two separate days. Venous blood samples were obtained from […]

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we present data from a survey that aimed to assess the physical activity habits of adult Brazilian patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. METHOD: Fifty male and female patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder participated in this study. The mean age at onset was 37±12 years, and the mean time between diagnosis and follow-up was 3.6±4.2 years. RESULTS: Substantial changes in physical activity habits were observed following the onset of PTSD. While more than half of the patients […]