Impaired flexibility in patients with tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-associated myelopathy: evaluation via pendulum fleximeter.

Background: Flexibility is crucial to the harmonious execution of joint movements. While skeletal muscle dysfunction in patients with HTLV-1 can interfere with mobility, it is unclear whether these patients experience reduced flexibility.

Objective: To evaluate the differences in flexibility between HTLV-1-infected individuals with and without myelopathy compared with uninfected controls.

Oxidative stress and inflammatory response increase during coronary artery bypass grafting with extracorporeal circulation.

Introduction: Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance is a marker of oxidative stress and has cytotoxic and genotoxic actions. C- reactive protein is used to evaluate the acute phase of inflammatory response.

Objectives: To assess the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance and C-reactive protein levels during extracorporeal circulation in patients submitted to cardiopulmonary bypass.