Psychometric validation of the Portuguese ALONE scale and analysis of factors associated with severe loneliness in a sample of community-dwelling older adults.

Objectives: Severe loneliness poses a significant risk to older adults' health and quality of life. This study assessed the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the Portuguese version of the ALONE scale in community-dwelling older adults and explored the scale's associations with sociodemographic, social isolation, depression, life satisfaction, and daily functioning.

Method: A descriptive, correlational study was conducted with 285 Portuguese older adults.

Solitude in old age: a scoping review of conceptualisations, associated factors and impacts.

Objective: This study aimed to map the existing scientific research about solitude in older adults, focusing on its conceptualizations, associated factors, and impacts.

Method: A scoping review was conducted, searching Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Academic Search Complete databases for publications from 1985 until December 2023.

Results: Twenty-four studies were included.

"There's Still Time to be Happy": The Life Trajectories of Portuguese Transgender Women Who Transitioned at 50+ Years.

The process of transitioning involves making changes to align one's life with their authentic gender identity. This study explores the life trajectories of three Portuguese transgender women who transitioned later in life (50+ years old) by identifying key chapters in their life courses. Through inductive thematic analysis, six chapters were identified from the participants' interviews: (1) awareness of "something different in me," (2) locked into suffering, (3) finding comfort in something that is socially recognized, (4) "it is enough": it is time to recognize and embrace the woman I am, (5) living my life as a woman, and (6) building and leaving a legacy.

Current Evidence Involving WALANT Surgery.

Wide-awake local anesthesia no-tourniquet (WALANT) surgery is an attractive option for hand surgeons, particularly during resource-scarce periods, as it eliminates dependence on main operating rooms or hospital-based procedures. The limited prepping or draping used for WALANT field sterility is as effective, if not more effective, than standard sterile prepping or draping. Patient anxiety surrounding WALANT surgery is similar to or less than that of general or local anesthesia with or without tourniquet.

Identification of human leukocyte antigen in precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions from Ecuadorian women.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women. Worldwide, it is a public health problem with around 604,127 women diagnosed per year and 341,831 deaths. Cervical cancer and persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are highly associated.

Radial Polydactyly.

» Radial polydactyly is one of the most common congenital anomalies of the hand, with an incidence of 0.08 to 1.40 per 1,000 live births; it requires surgical treatment early in life.

Leaving a Mark and Passing the Torch: Intended Legacies of Older Lesbian and Gay Spanish Activists.

Aging paradigms should entail all individuals. More research on older LGBT+ adults is needed since the literature has been mainly built on heteronormative and cisgender standards. The creation and shaping of the kind of legacy an individual would like to leave behind when he/she dies is key in aging well.

Understanding Loneliness in Older Adults: Reports from Experts by Experience to Reach Digital Solutions.

Loneliness is a subjective experience escalating worldwide and affecting older adults. Digital solutions can play a major role in addressing loneliness, although its use has been facing resistance due to scarce involvement of older adults in its design. MOAI LABS is an ongoing European project that adopts a co-design process to develop digital solutions to address loneliness in older adults.

Adipose tissue insulin resistance and lipidome alterations as the characterizing factors of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Background: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now 25% in the general population but increases to more than 55% in subjects with obesity and/or type 2 diabetes. Simple steatosis (NAFL) can develop into more severe forms, that is non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma leading to death.

Methods: In this narrative review, we have discussed the current knowledge in the pathophysiology of fatty liver disease, including both metabolic and non-metabolic factors, insulin resistance, mitochondrial function, as well as the markers of liver damage, giving attention to the alterations in lipid metabolism and production of lipotoxic lipids.

Methicillin-Resistant Nasal Colonization Among Health Care Workers of a Tertiary Hospital in Ecuador and Associated Risk Factors.

Background: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is resistant to most of the commonly used antibiotics and is therefore a public health issue. Colonization with MRSA is a risk factor for infection or transmission.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of colonization with (SA) and MRSA strains in health care workers (HCWs) at a tertiary hospital in Ecuador and to determine the risk factors associated with carriage.

The role of the liver in the modulation of glucose and insulin in non alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes.

In this review we have discussed how the liver plays a central role in the regulation of glucose metabolism and in insulin clearance. Both non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and diabetes (T2D) are characterized by high plasma insulin concentrations, hepatic insulin resistance, high hepatic glucose production (HGP), in particular gluconeogenesis (GNG), that are increased proportionally to fasting hyperglycemia, while postprandial hyperglycemia is due to impaired suppression of HGP by insulin, and reduced hepatic glycogen storage. The liver acts also as a modulator of peripheral insulin since most of insulin secreted by the pancreas is cleared by the liver during the first pass.

Report practices in the field of animal hoarding: a scoping study of the literature.

Background: Animal hoarding has been portrayed as a manifestation of hoarding behaviour that is escalating worldwide. Professionals trying to support or help animal hoarders face several challenges due to the lack of systematized information on intervention strategies.

Aims: To comprehensively review and systematize the information available on intervention practices with this population.

Brain leptin reduces liver lipids by increasing hepatic triglyceride secretion and lowering lipogenesis.

Hepatic steatosis develops when lipid influx and production exceed the liver's ability to utilize/export triglycerides. Obesity promotes steatosis and is characterized by leptin resistance. A role of leptin in hepatic lipid handling is highlighted by the observation that recombinant leptin reverses steatosis of hypoleptinemic patients with lipodystrophy by an unknown mechanism.

Liver diseases: what is known so far about the therapy with human amniotic membrane?

Liver, the largest intern organ of the human body, is responsible for several vital tasks such as digestive and excretory functions, as well as for nutrients storage and metabolic functions, synthesis of new molecules and purification of toxic chemicals. Cirrhosis, fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are the most prevalent liver diseases. Despite all the studies performed so far, treatment options for these diseases are very limited.

Minimally Invasive In Situ Cubital Tunnel Decompression.

The purpose of this study is to describe a modified technique for a minimally invasive approach to in situ ulnar nerve decompression and to provide long-term follow-up. Thirty-one patients were included. DASH and MHQ scores were measured.

A novel approach for coronoid fractures.

The coronoid process serves as an important constraint that provides ulnohumeral joint stability. We describe a novel approach to coronoid fractures that minimizes surgical dissection, without compromising fracture visualization. We present the case of a 65-year-old woman who sustained an anteromedial facet fracture of the coronoid process.

Fullerene-based symmetry in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis pollen.

The fullerene molecule belongs to the so-called super materials. The compound is interesting due to its spherical configuration where atoms occupy positions forming a mechanically stable structure. We first demonstrate that pollen of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis has a strong symmetry regarding the distribution of its spines over the spherical grain.

Evaluating proFamilies-dementia: adopting photovoice to capture clinical significance.

Dementia is a challenging chronic illness that affects the patients and their families. Families often perform a full-time, specialised role, which requires expert knowledge and skills. This paper describes the evaluation of proFamilies-dementia (a programme developed to support families that care for a relative with dementia) using an innovative participatory methodology: photovoice, a qualitative method of research that uses photography and voice to access people's experiences.

Vascular anomalies of the upper extremity.

The topic of vascular anomalies is uncommon in the hand surgery literature, but hand surgeons do diagnose and treat patients with hemangiomas and vascular malformations. These are separate entities and require different treatment strategies. Proper diagnosis will lead to timely and appropriate treatment.

Dietary fish and meat intake and dementia in Latin America, China, and India: a 10/66 Dementia Research Group population-based study.

Background: Evidence of an association between fish and meat consumption and risk of dementia is inconsistent and nonexistent in populations in developing countries.

Objective: The objective was to investigate associations between fish and meat consumption with dementia in low- and middle-income countries.

Design: One-phase cross-sectional surveys were conducted in all residents aged > or =65 y in 11 catchment areas in China, India, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Peru.