Background Levodopa is the most used and effective medication for motor symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD), its long-term use is associated with the appearance of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). Uric acid (UA) is believed to play an important neuroprotective role in PD. Objective To investigate if serum UA levels are related with the presence of LIDs in PD patients. Also, we investigated the associations among UA levels and clinical features of PD. Methods We enrolled 81 PD patients (dyskinesia = 48; no dyskinesia = 33) in the present study. A blood sample was collected to evaluate serum UA levels, clinical evaluation included the following instruments: Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), MDS-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr (HY), and the sub-item 4.1 of MDS-UPDRS IV (score ≥ 1). Additional relevant clinical information was obtained by a clinical questionnaire. Results Serum UA levels were lower in the dyskinesia group when compared with the no dyskinesia group. The same result was found in the UA levels of both men and women. The multivariate analysis showed lower uric acid levels were significantly associated with having dyskinesia (odds ratio [OR] = 0.424; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.221–0.746; p = 0.005). Additional analysis verified that serum UA levels are inversely correlated with depressive symptoms, disease duration, MDS-UPDRS IV and time spent with dyskinesia. A positive correlation was found with age at onset of PD symptoms. Conclusions The present study provides a possible role of serum UA levels in LID present in PD patients.

Transtorno do espectro autista (TEA) é um transtorno do neurodesenvolvimento que se manifesta na infância, apresentando alterações na morfologia, fisiologia, conectividade cerebral e ocasionando em distúrbios motores. Objetivo: avaliar o déficit de equilíbrio em crianças com transtorno do espectro autista em uma cidade localizada no interior do Rio Grande do Sul. Método: a amostra foi composta por 11 crianças com idade entre 3 e 14 anos, frequentadores de uma instituição de atendimento a autistas. Os participantes foram submetidos às seguintes avaliações: Bateria Psicomotora (BPM), Timed-up and Go Test e Tinetti. Resultados:[KC1] [AD2]  observou-se predomínio do sexo masculino, redução estatisticamente significativa dos escores da escala de equilíbrio, (24,27 ±4,1; p=0,03) e escore total (13,45 ±2,5; p=0,022), sem diferença no escore da escala de marcha (10,82 ± 2,4 ; p=0,059), através da Escala de Equilíbrio e Mobilidade de Tinetti, e, na avaliação da BPM, 54,54% apresentaram perfil psicomotor normal. Nas correlações, encontrou-se relação direta entre o fator praxia global da BPM e escore total de Tinetti (r= 0,522[KC3] [AD4] ; p=0,05). Houve ainda relação entre os fatores psicomotores com o equilíbrio na BPM, sendo moderada para tonicidade (r= 0,582; p=0,03) e fortes entre noção do corpo (r=0,811; p=0,001), estruturação espaço temporal (r= 0,894; p=0,000), praxias global (r= 0,963; p=0,000) e fina (r=0,894; p=0,000). Em relação a análise dos fatores da BPM, a maioria dos pacientes apresentava dificuldade na praxia global, sendo 45,5% da amostra dispráxica. Foi possível ainda estabelecer correlação moderada  entre a Praxia Global da BPM e o TUG (r=0,548, p=0,04) e, embora não significativa,com a Tinetti (r=0,522, p=0,05),. Foi observada também uma correlação moderada entre a Tonicidade e a TUG (R=0,601,p=0,025).Conclusão: crianças com TEA apresentam alteração no equilíbrio, representando um baixo risco de quedas, e comprometimento da praxia global, assim como uma correlação entre déficit de equilíbrio e alterações na tonicidade, noção do corpo, estruturação espaço temporal e praxias global e fina desses indivíduos.

Background: Life-space mobility (LSM) is a mobility measure that assesses the physical and social environments through which people move during their daily lives. Objective: To characterize LSM among individuals with Parkinson disease and explore the relationship between LSM, self-efficacy, and balance. Design: A cross-sectional study. Settings: Movement disorder clinic at a teaching hospital. Participants: Eighty-eight participants with Parkinson disease. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: The dependent variable (LSM) was assessed using the Life-Space Assessment (LSA) instrument. Balance evaluation and balance self-efficacy were assessed using the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, respectively. Other variables, such as age, disease staging (Hoehn-Yahr staging system), cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II), were also measured. Results: The mean LSA score was 65.2 (SD: 22.8) and mean age was 63.2 years (SD: 10.5 years). Among the 88 patients, 32 (36.4%) were classified as restricted LSM. Age (p = .03), disease severity (p = .02), cognition (p = .02), and motor subtype (p = .006) were associated with more restricted LSM among participants. A multiple linear regression model demonstrated that LSM can be predicted by balance performance (R 2 = 0.377; p < .001). Conclusion: Age, disease severity, cognition, motor subtype, balance self-efficacy, and balance performance are associated with LSM. Understanding and improving balance and self-efficacy in people with Parkinson disease could facilitate community mobility and promote functional independence and health maintenance.

Background: Individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) may have a flexed posture, but only axial postural abnormalities (PAs) are generally investigated. Purpose: The objective was to verify if PAs of the axial and appendicular skeleton observed in PD occur in an interrelated manner to maintain balance and physical function. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study. Sixty-nine individuals with PD were evaluated by computerized photogrammetry. The MDS-UPDRS scale was used to analyze the physical function and the Mini-BESTest to assess balance. To determine the relationship between PAs and clinical aspects, multiple linear regression analysis was performed, setting age and levodopa equivalent dose as covariates. Results: The anterior trunk inclination angles were significantly correlated with the flexion angles of the elbows, hips and knees (p˂0.01). Larger head flexion was correlated with worsening physical function (p=0.013) and gait (p=0.043); greater trunk, hip and knee flexion were correlated with reduced postural instability (p˂0.05), and greater knee flexion was correlated with improvements in gait deficits (p=0.013). Conclusion: Postural abnormalities in the axial and appendicular joints of people with PD appear to occur in an organized and interrelated manner as a body compensation used to improve physical function and reduce balance and gait deficits.

Background Depression is an important nonmotor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and has been associated with the motor symptoms in these individuals. Objectives To determine whether there are relationships between depressive symptoms and abnormalities in axial postural alignment and axial motor deficits, especially postural instability, and trunk rigidity in PD. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 65 individuals were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) for the analysis of depressive symptoms and underwent a postural assessment of head, trunk, and hip sagittal alignment through computerized photogrammetry. The MDS-UPDRS was used to assess clinical aspects of PD, the Trunk Mobility Scale was used to assess axial rigidity, and the MiniBESTest to assess balance. To determine the relationship between depressive symptoms and postural alignment, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. Results The participants with depressive symptoms had more severe motor deficits as well as greater trunk rigidity and worse postural instability (p < 0.05). When the postural angles were compared between men and women using Student's t-test, it was found that men had greater flexion angles of the head (p = 0.003) and trunk (p = 0.017). Using multiple linear regression analysis corrected for the age and sex of the participants, we verified that the anterior trunk inclination was significantly larger in the PD population with depressive symptoms (R2 = 0.453, β = 0.116, and p = 0.045). Conclusion PD individuals with depressive symptoms have more severe flexed trunk posture, mainly in older men. Additionally, more severe depressive symptoms are associated with worsening postural instability, trunk rigidity and motor deficits in this population.