gabriela gomez - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by gabriela gomez

Parkinson's Disease

Playing musical instruments may have positive effects on motor, emotional, and cognitive deficits... more Playing musical instruments may have positive effects on motor, emotional, and cognitive deficits in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This pilot study examined the feasibility of a six-week nontraditional guitar instruction program for individuals with PD. Twenty-six participants with idiopathic PD (Age: 67.22 ± 8.07; 17 males) were randomly assigned to two groups (intervention first or 6 weeks of usual care control exposure) with stepwise exposure to the guitar intervention condition with cross-over at six weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 weeks. Twenty-four participants completed the study. Combined analysis of the groups showed significant BDI-II improvement immediately after intervention completion (3.04 points, 95% CI [−5.2, −0.9], p = 0.04 ). PDQ-39 total quality of life scores improved from baseline to immediately postintervention 5.19 points (95% CI [−9.4, −1.0]) at trend significance (corrected p = 0.07 ). For Group 1 (exposed to the interventi...

BMJ Open, 2020

IntroductionCurrent treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are long, po... more IntroductionCurrent treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are long, poorly tolerated and have poor outcomes. Furthermore, the costs of treating MDR-TB are much greater than those for treating drug-susceptible TB, both for health service and patient-incurred costs. Urgent action is needed to identify short, effective, tolerable and cheaper treatments for people with both quinolone-susceptible and quinolone-resistant MDR-TB. We present the protocol for an economic evaluation (PRACTECAL-EE substudy) alongside an ongoing clinical trial (TB-PRACTECAL) aiming to assess the costs to patients and providers of new regimens, as well as their cost-effectiveness and impact on participant poverty levels. This substudy is based on data from the three countries participating in the main trial.Methods and analysisPrimary cost data will be collected from the provider and patient perspectives, following economic best practice. We will estimate the probability that new MDR-T...

Arquivos Brasileiros de Cirurgia Digestiva Express, 2017

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2018

Consortium. Reducing inter-scanner variability of activation in a multicenter fMRI study: Role of... more Consortium. Reducing inter-scanner variability of activation in a multicenter fMRI study: Role of smoothness equalization Neurolmage 2006; 33:471-481. 9. Mutsaerts HJMM, Steketee RME, Heijtel DFR, Kuijer JPA, Van Osch MJPMJP, Majoie CBLM, Smits M, Nederveen AJ. Intervendor reproducibility of pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling at 3 Tesla. PLoS ONE 2014; 9. doi:10.1371;journal.pone.0104108.

BMJ Open, 2019

ObjectivesLifestyle and working conditions of truck drivers predisposes them to risk-factors asso... more ObjectivesLifestyle and working conditions of truck drivers predisposes them to risk-factors associated with communicable and non-communicable diseases, but little is known about the health status of African truck driver. This study aims to assess a cross-section of truckers in South Africa to describe their health information.SettingThe study took place across three truck-stop rest areas in the South African provinces of Free State and Gauteng.ParticipantsEligibility criteria included being males aged 18 years and older, full-time employment as a long-distance truck driver. A total of 614 male truck drivers participated; 384 (63%) were Zimbabwean and 325 (55%) completed high-school.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe trucker survey explored demographics; working conditions; sexual, eating and sleeping behaviours; mental health status, medical history and cardiac risk-factors. Medical assessments included physical measurements, glucose and lipid measurements, ECG, carotid inti...

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, 2019

INTRODUCTIONTau pathology, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, is observed in the brains of virtua... more INTRODUCTIONTau pathology, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, is observed in the brains of virtually all individuals over 70.METHODSUsing 18F-AV-1451 (18F-flortaucipir) PET, we evaluated tau pathology in 54 cognitively normal participants (mean age 77.5, SD 8.9) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. We assessed associations between PET signal and age, sex, race, and amyloid positivity. We investigated relationships between regional signal and retrospective rates of change in regional volumes and cognitive function adjusting for age, sex, and amyloid status.RESULTSGreater age, male sex, black race, and amyloid positivity were associated with higher 18F-AV-1451 retention in distinct brain regions. Retention in the entorhinal cortex was associated with lower entorhinal volume (β = −1.124, SE = 0.485, p = 0.025) and a steeper decline in memory performance (β = −0.086, SE = 0.039, p = 0.029).DISCUSSIONAssessment of medial temporal tau pathology will provide insights into early ...

BMJ open, Jan 14, 2018

The objective of this research was to design relevant, tailored oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (Pr... more The objective of this research was to design relevant, tailored oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and early antiretroviral (ART) interventions for female sex workers (FSWs) in South Africa. This paper examines the methods, process and outcomes of employing an inductive approach to formative research exploring intervention feasibility and acceptability. Research was conducted in several sex work-related settings including five sites in and around clinics and stakeholder offices. Participants in this research included stakeholders, experts in the field and FSWs. This included at least 25 separate engagements, 14 local organisations and 8 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 69 participants, in addition to ad hoc meetings. The first set of outcomes consisted of five selected methods: (1) stakeholder consultations; (2) site assessments and selection; (3) field observations and mapping; (4) development of supportive structures to encourage retention and intervention adherence; (5) FGDs...

Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E, 2018

Evidence on the relative costs and effects of interventions that do not consider 'real-world&... more Evidence on the relative costs and effects of interventions that do not consider 'real-world' constraints on implementation may be misleading. However, in many low- and middle-income countries, time and data scarcity mean that incorporating health system constraints in priority setting can be challenging. We developed a 'proof of concept' method to empirically estimate health system constraints for inclusion in model-based economic evaluations, using intensified case-finding strategies (ICF) for tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa as an example. As part of a strategic planning process, we quantified the resources (fiscal and human) needed to scale up different ICF strategies (cough triage and WHO symptom screening). We identified and characterised three constraints through discussions with local stakeholders: (1) financial constraint: potential maximum increase in public TB financing available for new TB interventions; (2) human resource constraint: maximum current and...

Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2018

Recent studies show links between metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathol... more Recent studies show links between metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology. Understanding the link between vascular-related health conditions and dementia will help target at risk populations and inform clinical strategies for early detection and prevention of AD. To determine whether metabolic syndrome is associated with global cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) positivity and longitudinal Aβ accumulation. Prospective study of 165 participants who underwent (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET neuroimaging to measure Aβ, from June 2005 to May 2016. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the revised Third Adults Treatment Panel of the National Cholesterol Education Program criteria. Participants were classified as PiB+/-. Linear mixed effects models assessed the relationships between baseline metabolic syndrome and PiB status and regional Aβ change over time. A total of 165 cognitively normal participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) Neuroimaging...

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2017

Introduction/Objective: Beginning in 2019, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the US will be pe... more Introduction/Objective: Beginning in 2019, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the US will be penalized under the SNF value-based purchasing program for excessive 30-day all-cause readmissions for a list of targeted conditions that includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This analysis aimed to examine the average incidence of 30-day all-cause and COPD-related hospital readmissions among COPD patients admitted to SNFs after hospital discharge in the US.

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2016

patients in LTC who received the high dose influenza vaccine, there were no positive cases of inf... more patients in LTC who received the high dose influenza vaccine, there were no positive cases of influenza. P-value 0.00003. Conclusion/Discussion: This study is limited by sample size. It is also unknown to the investigators whether the positive influenza cases occurred before or after the patients tested positive for influenza. Patients who received high dose vaccine all reside within TMC Long Term Care Facility and therefore have less outside exposure to pathogens, however we expect these patients to be, on average, older with higher acuity medical problems than those sampled from med-surg. We could not track those who developed influenza but did not have confirmatory testing or did not return to TMC-Lakewood for treatment. Future research is needed to focus on high dose influenza vaccine influence on comorbid conditions or if there were increased rates of adverse reactions to the higher dose influenza vaccine. Conclusions: Confirmed cases of influenza were significantly higher in patients who had received standard dose influenza vaccine. High dose influenza vaccine appears to improve immune response to the influenza virus.