Job satisfaction among control room operators of electrical systems

Shift workers from control centers of electrical systems are a group that has received little attention in Brazil. This study aimed to compare workers' job satisfaction at five control centers of a Brazilian company electrical system, and according to their job titles. Method: The Organization Satisfaction Index (OSI) questionnaire to assess job satisfaction was used. ANOVA was used to compare OSI means, according to job title and control center. The results showed that there is no difference in job satisfaction among job titles, but a significant difference was found according to the control center. A single organizational culture cannot be applied to several branches. It is required to implement actions that would result in job satisfaction improvements among workers of all studied control rooms centers. The high level of education of operators working in all centers might have contributed to the similar values of perceived satisfaction among distinct job titles.

Different degrees of malnutrition and immunological alterations according to the aetiology of cirrhosis: a prospective and sequential study

Abstract Objectives In this work we investigated how immunological dysfunction and malnutrition interact in alcoholic and viral aetiologies of cirrhosis. Methods To investigate the matter, 77 cirrhotic patients divided in three aetiologies [Alcohol, HCV and Alcohol + HCV) and 32 controls were prospectivelly and sequentially studied. Parameters of humoral immunity (Components 3 and 4 of seric complement and immunoglobulins A M, G and E) and of cellular immunity (total leukocytes and lymphocytes in peripheral blood, T lymphocytes subpopulations, CD4+ and CD8+, CD4+/CD8+ ratio and intradermic tests of delayed hypersensitivity), as well as nutrititional parameters: anthropometric measures, serum albumin and transferrin were evaluated. Results Multiple statistical comparisons showed that IgM was higher in HCV group; IgG was significantly elevated in both HCV and Alcohol + HCV, whereas for the Alcohol group, IgE was found at higher titles. The analysis of T- lymphocytes subpopulations showed no aetiologic differences, but intradermic tests of delayed hypersensitivity did show greater frequency of anergy in the Alcohol group. For anthropometric parameters, the Alcohol +HCV group displayed the lowest triceps skinfold whereas creatinine – height index evaluation was more preserved in the HCV group. Body mass index, arm muscle area and arm fat area showed that differently from alcohol group, the HCV group was similar to control. Conclusion Significant differences were found among the main aetiologies of cirrhosis concerning immunological alterations and nutritional status: better nutrition and worse immunology for HCV and vice-versa for alcohol.

AVALIAÇÃO DAS COLEÇÕES DE PERIÓDICOS RECEBIDOS CORRENTEMENTE POR DOAÇÃO E PERMUTA, EM UMA BIBLIOTECA ESPECIALIZADA EM MEDICINA TROPICAL

Considerando-se a importância de se fazer conhecer as permutas e as doações recebidas pela Biblioteca do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, definiu-se como universo de pesquisa a avaliação das coleções de periódicos nacionais e internacionais, recebidas correntemente, e incorporadas ao acervo. Verificou-se, através dessas coleções, que o acervo possui uma boa representatividade das necessidades de informação da comunidade, mesmo sendo uma Biblioteca Especializada em Medicina Tropical. Identificou- se, dentre os periódicos recebidos, o número de doações e permutas, os assuntos predominantes, a procedência, o fator de impacto e as indexações. Procurou-se, também, conhecer a opinião dos usuários, quanto a seu interesse em relação aos títulos recebidos. 1

Periódicos de Ciência da Informação nas bases de dados internacionais

PO artigo demonstra as interações entre algumas bases de dados internacionais na disponibilização de periódicos da área de Ciência da Informação. Para isso, foram investigadas seis bases de dados com acesso a texto completo dentro da área de Ciência da Informação. Foram elas: Web of Science, Scopus, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, Library Literature Information Science – full text e Library Information Science Abstract. No desenvolvimento da pesquisa foram utilizados conceitos, princípios e equações da ‘teoria ingênua dos conjuntos’, o que permitiu observar as bases de dados como conjuntos compostos por elementos, aqui considerados os títulos de periódicos, bem como conferir consistência aos resultados. A análise dos dados foi dividida em três etapas, a saber: a) a primeira priorizou o cruzamento entre as duas maiores bases de dados utilizadas para levantamento bibliográfico (Web of Science e Scopus), seguido do cruzamento com a mais utilizada na Ciência da Informação, a Library and Information Science Abstracts; b) a segunda etapa tratou somente do cruzamento das bases especialistas da área; c) a terceira e última etapa tratou da interseção de todas as bases de dados do estudo. O resultado mostra que 10 títulos de periódicos constituem a interseção dos seis conjuntos de bases de dados. Foi possível identificar, também, o número de periódicos disponibilizados exclusivamente por uma base de dados, demonstrando que as necessidades de pesquisas bibliográficas exaustivas passam, obrigatoriamente, pelo levantamento em todas as bases de dados aqui elencadas.

Minimal and mild endometriosis negatively impact on pregnancy outcome

Endometriosis, a highly prevalent gynecological disease, can lead to infertility in moderate to severe cases. Whether minimal stages are associated with infertility is still unclear. The purpose of this systematic review is to present studies regarding the association between pregnancy rates and the presence of early stages of endometriosis. Studies regarding infertility, minimal (stage I, American Society of Reproductive Medicine [ASRM]) and mild (stage II, ASRM) endometriosis were identified by searching on the MEDLINE database from 1985 to September 2011 using the following MESH terms: endometriosis; infertility; minimal; mild endometriosis; pregnancy rate. 1188 articles published between January of 1985 and November of 2011 were retrieved; based on their titles, 1038 citations were excluded. Finally, after inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 articles were selected to be part of this systematic review. Several reasons have been discussed in the literature to explain the impact of minimal endometriosis on fertility outcome, such as: ovulatory dysfunction, impaired folliculogenesis, defective implantation, decrease embryo quality, abnormal immunological peritoneal environment, and luteal phase problems. Despite the controversy involving the topic, the largest randomized control trial, published by Marcoux et al. in 1997 found a statistically different pregnancy rate after resection of superficial endometrial lesions. Earlier stages of endometriosis play a critical role in infertility, and most likely negatively impact pregnancy outcomes. Further studies into stage I endometriosis, especially randomized controlled trials, still need to be conducted.

Frequency of Toxocara infection in children attended by the health public service of Maringá, south Brazil.

The lack of specific laboratorial diagnosis methods and precise symptoms makes the toxocariasis a neglected disease in Public Health Services. This study aims to determine the frequency of Toxocara spp. infection in children attended by the Health Public Service of Hospital Municipal de Maringá, South Brazil. To evaluate the association of epidemiological and clinical data, and observational and cross-section study was carried out. From 14,690 attended children/year aged from seven month to 12 years old, 450 serum samples were randomly collected from September/2004 to September/2005. A questionnaire was used to evaluate epidemiological, clinical and hematological data. An ELISA using Toxocara canis larval excretory-secretory products as antigen detected 130 (28.8%) positive sera, mainly between children from seven month to five years old (p = 0.0016). Significant correlation was observed between positive serology for Toxocara, and frequent playing in sandbox at school or daycare center (p = 0.011) and the presence of a cat at home (p = 0.056). From the families, 50% were dog owners which exposed soil backyards. Eosinophilia (p = 0.776), and signs and symptoms analyzed (fever p = 0.992, pneumonia p = 0.289, cold-like symptoms p = 0.277, cough p =0.783, gastrointestinal problems p = 0.877, migraine p = 0.979, abdominal pain p = 0.965, joint pain p = 0.686 and skin rash p = 0.105) could not be related to the presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies. Therefore, two asthmatics children showed titles of1:10,240 and accentuated eosinophilia (p = 0.0001). The authors emphasize the needs of prevention activities.