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Periodontitis is a chronic non-communicable disease caused by a dysbiotic microbiota. Pathogens can spread to the bloodstream, colonize other tissues or organs, and favor the onset of other pathologies, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Pathogens could permanently or transiently colonize the brain and induce an immune response. Thus, we analyzed the evidence combining oral bacteria's detection in the brain, both in animals and humans affected with AD. This systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA guideline. Studies that detected oral bacteria at the brain level were selected. The search was carried out in the Medline, Latindex, SciELO, and Cochrane Library databases. SYRCLE tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used for the risk of bias assessment. 23 studies were selected according to the eligibility criteria. Infection with oral pathogens in animals was related to developing neuropathological characteristics of AD and bacteria detection in the brain. In patients with AD, oral bacteria were detected in brain tissues, and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were also detected. There is evidence of a microbiological susceptibility to develop AD when the most dysbiosis-associated oral bacteria are present. The presence of bacteria in the brain is related to AD's pathological characteristics, suggesting an etiological oral-brain axis.

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Dengue and Zika viruses cocirculate annually in endemic areas of Mexico, causing outbreaks of different magnitude and severity every year, suggesting a continuous selection of Flavivirus variants with variable phenotypes of transmissibility and virulence. To evaluate if Flavivirus variants with different phenotypes cocirculate during outbreaks, we isolated dengue and Zika viruses from blood samples of febrile patients from Oaxaca City during the 2016 and 2019 epidemic years. We compared their replication kinetics in human cells, susceptibility to type I interferon antiviral response, and the accumulation of subgenomic RNA on infected cells. We observed correlations between type I interferon susceptibility and subgenomic RNA accumulation, with high hematocrit percentage and thrombocytopenia. Our results suggest that Flaviviruses that cocirculate in Oaxaca, Mexico, have variable sensitivity to the antiviral activity of type I interferons, and this phenotypic trait correlates with the severity of the disease.

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BACKGROUND: Greater neuroticism has been associated with higher risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. However, the directionality of this association is unclear. We examined whether personality traits differ between cognitively-unimpaired carriers of autosomal-dominant AD (ADAD) and non-carriers, and are associated with in vivo AD pathology. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether personality traits differ between cognitively unimpaired ADAD mutation carriers and non-carriers, and whether the traits are related to age and AD biomarkers. METHODS: A total of 33 cognitively-unimpaired Presenilin-1 E280A mutation carriers and 41 non-carriers (ages 27-46) completed neuropsychological testing and the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory. A subsample (n = 46; 20 carriers) also underwent tau and amyloid PET imaging. RESULTS: Carriers reported higher neuroticism relative to non-carriers, although this difference was not significant after controlling for sex. Neuroticism was positively correlated with entorhinal tau levels only in carriers, but not with amyloid levels. CONCLUSION: The finding of higher neuroticism in carriers and the association of this trait with tau pathology in preclinical stages of AD highlights the importance of including personality measures in the evaluation of individuals at increased risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. Further research is needed to characterize the mechanisms of these relationships.

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Neuropsychologists continue to face challenges when assessing Spanish-speaking individuals due to limited availability of normative data. We developed comprehensive normative data stratified by age and education for a Spanish neuropsychological test battery used by the Grupo de Neurociencias de Antioquia (Colombia) and the Colombian Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative Registry, which have followed large families at risk for autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD) since the 1990s. Approximately 75% of these individuals are cognitively-unimpaired and are not genetically predisposed to develop ADAD. We conducted a retrospective study on neuropsychological evaluations from 2,673 cognitively unimpaired individuals (56% female), with ages ranging from 18 to 86 years and education from 1 to 25 years. Neuropsychological measures included the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease-Colombia, and other multidomain Spanish tests. We examined associations between age, education, and sex with cognitive performance. Norms stratified by age and education are presented. Cognitive performance showed small associations with age and education and was unrelated to sex. We provided population-based norms for Spanish tests targeting multiple cognitive domains using a large Colombian sample. These normative data may be helpful for the neuropsychological characterization of Spanish speakers from Latin America in clinical and research settings.

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OBJECTIVE: The Face-Name Associative Memory Exam (FNAME) has been used to detect subtle cognitive changes in clinically normal older adults at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. FNAME assesses learning and delayed recall for face-name pairs. The aim of this study is to introduce a Latin American Spanish version of the FNAME (LAS-FNAME), examine its psychometric properties, and provide preliminary normative data in a sample of clinically normal, Spanish-speaking individuals from Antioquia, Colombia. METHOD: 59 clinically-normal individuals (71% females) were recruited by the Grupo de Neurociencias in Antioquia (Colombia). Age ranged from 27 to 82 years (M = 50.31, SD = 15.32) and years of education ranged from 2 to 17 years (M = 9.02, SD = 4.11). All participants completed the LAS-FNAME and a brief neuropsychological evaluation. We examined associations between age, education, and sex and performance on the LAS-FNAME. Internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity were also assessed. Test-restest reliability was computed for a subset of participants (n = 32). RESULTS: LAS-FNAME exhibited moderate convergent validity with other memory measures (Free and Cued Selective Reminding Scale, rs=.465, p<.01; Wechsler Memory Scale III - Logical Memory Delayed Recall, rs=.479, p<.01). The subscales of the LAS-FNAME exhibited adequate internal consistency (α=.825). Test-retest reliability analyses demonstrated consistency of scores over time. Normative data was stratified by age (<50, 50-65, >65) and low and high educational attainment (≤8 and >8 years of education, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The LAS-FNAME is a valid and reliable measure to assess memory in clinically normal, Spanish-speaking individuals from Colombia for clinical and research purposes.

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Objetivo. Describir las características de los planes de estudio de las facultades peruanas de Odontología respecto a la implementación de cursos relacionados a la investigación científica. Métodos. Estudio descriptivo que recolectó los planes de estudio de 42 facultades de Odontología vigentes en el Perú hasta el 2019. En cada plan de estudio se recolectó los datos de: tipo de universidad, cantidad de años de duración de la profesión, cantidad de asignaturas relacionadas a investigación, semestre de inicio de los cursos de investigación y cantidad de cursos relacionados a la tesis universitaria. Se realizaron comparaciones de promedios y errores estándar según tipo de universidad (públicas/privadas). Resultados. El promedio de cursos relacionados a la investigación fue de 4,5 ± 1,7; siendo la mediana de 4, con un valor mínimo de 1 y un valor máximo de 9. Las universidades públicas presentaron una mayor cantidad de asignaturas relacionadas a la investigación (5,1 ± 0,6) a diferencia de las universidades privadas que presentaron un promedio de 1,3 ± 0,2. Dos universidades privadas presentaron mayor cantidad de cursos con el término tesis en sus planes de estudio. Conclusiones. Las universidades públicas presentaron una mayor cantidad de asignaturas relacionadas a la investigación. Las universidades privadas en promedio tuvieron mayor cantidad de cursos relacionados a tesis. Palabras clave: Currículum; Odontología; Investigación; Educación basada en competencias(fuente: DeCS BIREME).

Objective. To describe the characteristics of study plans of Peruvian Dentistry facul-ties regarding the implementation of courses related to scientific research. Methods. A descriptive study that gathered the curricula of the 42 dentistry faculties in Peru until 2019. In each study plan, the following data were collected: type of university, number of years of duration of the profession, number of subjects related to research, semester of the beginning of the research courses and number of courses related to the university thesis. Comparisons of averages and standard errors were made according to type of university (state / private). Results. The average of courses related to the research was 4.5 ± 1.7; being the median of 4 with a minimum value of 1 and a maximum value of 9. Public universities presented a greater number of subjects related to research (5.1 ± 0.6) unlike private universities that presented an average of 1.3 ± 0.2. Two private universities presented more courses with term thesis in their study plans. Conclusions. The state uni-versities presented a greater number of subjects related to research. On average, private universities had a greater number of thesis-related courses. Keywords: Curriculum; Dentistry; Research; Competency-based education (source: MeSH NLM).