Subjective Aspects of People with Chronic Ulcers: a Qualitative Study in Brazil and Portugal

Introduction: The experience built in the process of living with chronic ulcer is marked by changes such as the inability to work, to relate socially and causes the need to adapt to a routine care. Understanding this network of meanings is important to develop techniques of individual or collective care. Objective: To understand impregnated subjectivities in the everyday experiences of Brazilian and Portuguese patients with chronic ulcers, in the light of the Oral History of life. Method: Comparative study with a qualitative approach, using Oral History as method and technique. The network of collaborators, formed by males and females, aged 39-82 years, was structured into two groups, one consisting of 06 people in Natal/RN, Brazil and another composed of 10 people in Évora/Portugal. In both groups, the narratives were collected through open questions, which were recorded, transcribed and analyzed by the technique of thematic content analysis. Results: Through the analysis, three themes were revealed: Social repercussion in Brazil and in Portugal; Trajectory of theinjured person; and Coping mechanisms. Conclusion: Changes were observed in social life, leading contributors to isolation, in addition to confronting the stigma experienced. There were also identified points as the reinterpretation of chronic wound carrier about their disease and coping strategies of their chroniccondition.

Life Design Counseling process and outcome: A case study with an adolescent

This article aims to explore the relationship between clients´ narrative transformation and the promotion of vocational decidedness and career maturity in a mid-adolescent case of Life Design Counseling (LDC). To assess LDC outcomes the Vocational Certainty Scale and the Career Maturity Inventory – Form C were used before and after the intervention. To intensively analyze the process of LDC change two measures of narrative change were used: the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS), as a measure of innovation emergence, and the Return to the Problem Coding System (RPCS), as a measure of ambivalence towards change. The results show that the three LDC sessions produced a significant change in vocational certainty but not in career maturity. Findings confirm that the process of change, according to the IMCS, is similar to the one observed in previous studies with adults. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Effect of edible coatings with essential oils on the quality of red raspberries over shelf-life

The objective of the present work was to develop stategies for raising the shelf-life of red raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.). The quality of red raspberries over shelf-life after coated with alginate plus Brazilian Citrus essential oils was evaluated. Edible coatings did not significantly influence the firmness loss, soluble solids content (SCC), and brightness of fruits over time, when compared to control, nevertheless all edible coatings with essential oils induced higher weight loss than those samples in which the essential oils were not incorporated. Fruits coated with alginate plus lime essential oil (0.2%) or orange essential oil (0.1%) after 15 days of storage had less red skin, but were darker than the remaining samples. The less red colour verified in these samples was also coincident with the lower concentration of anthocyanins at the end of the experiment as well as the lower capacity for scavenging ABTS free radicals or quenching singlet oxygen. The edible coatings supplemented with the essential oil of orange either at 0.1 % or 0.2 % were very efficient to control the yeasts and moulds growth after 15 days of storage. To control the development of aerobic mesophilic bacteria the use of essential oil of lemon 0.2% and essential oil of orange 0.1% were the most efficient. The essential oils used in the edible coatings did not significantly change the sensorial properties of the fruit. Cyanidin-3-O-sophoroside, cyanidin-3-O-glucosylrutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-xylosylrutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, pelargonidin-3-O-sophoroside, pelargonidin-3-O-glucosylrutinoside, pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-O-rutinoside were found in raspberries fruits. An unknown cyanidin derivative was also found in all samples, constituting 27.4% of total anthocyanin content.

Quality of life in people with leg ulcer, integrative review

Objective: To identify the main changes in the daily life of people with leg ulcer and how that affects the person’s life’s quality. Methodology: We used the methodology PI [C] OD and were selected four research articles, taken from EBSCO, PubMed, and EWMA. Results: The main changes identified in the people’s daily live with leg’s ulcers are physical (pain, decreased mobility, presence of exudate, bad smell from the wound and change in the style of clothing), psychological (sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, feelings of rejection and low self-esteem), social (isolation, restriction in leisure activities, inability to perform household chores). Conclusions: The literature about person’s life’s quality with leg ulcer reported a significant impact in the daily life of that person. The care provided by nurses should be centred on the person itself, integrating all the kind of needs and the leg ulcer mustn’t be the sole focus of care.