Sexuality and quality of life of breast cancer patients post mastectomy

Aim: To evaluate the sexual functioning of breast cancer patients post mastectomy and its association with their quality of life, the personal characteristics of women and their partners, breast reconstruction, cancer staging and adjuvant therapies. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a University hospital located in the SouthEast of Brazil. A total of 100 women were included in the study. The parameters evaluated were sexual functioning, which was assessed based on the Sexual Quotient Female Version (SQ-F), quality of life (QoL), evaluated by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36), cancer staging, breast reconstruction, adjuvant therapies and the personal characteristics of patients (age, years of study and years of marriage) and their partners (age, years of study). Results: The majority (40.48%) of women had an unfavorable to regular SQ-F score. A significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) was found between the SQ-F score and years of education (p = 0.03), and the following SF-36 domains: functional capacity (p = 0.03), vitality (p = 0.06), emotional limitations (p = 0.00) and mental health (p = 0.03). A significant negative correlation was found between SQ-F score and the age of the partners (p = 0.03). SQ-F mean value was significantly higher (p = 0.04) among women who underwent breast reconstruction. Conclusions: Women with low educational level, who have older partners, and who did not have a breast reconstruction should receive special attention with respect to their sexuality, and the effects of mastectomy on the sexuality of patients should be assessed. Oncology nurses are best qualified to recognize issues related to sexuality and quality of life, and can offer specific and meaningful support for breast cancer patients. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adaptations in autonomic function during exercise training in heart failure

Although neurohumoral excitation is the hallmark of heart failure (HF), the mechanisms underlying this alteration are not entirely known. Abnormalities in several systems contribute to neurohumoral excitation in HF, including arterial and cardiopulmonary baroreceptors, central and peripheral chemoreceptors, cardiac chemoreceptors, and central nervous system abnormalities. Exercise intolerance is characteristic of chronic HF, and growing evidence strongly suggests that exercise limitation in patients with chronic HF is not due to elevated filling pressures or inadequate cardiac output during exercise, but instead due to skeletal myopathy. Several lines of evidence suggest that sympathetic excitation contributes to the skeletal myopathy of HF, since sympathetic activity mediates vasoconstriction at rest and during exercise likely restrains muscle blood flow, arteriolar dilatation, and capillary recruitment, leading to underperfused areas of working muscle, and areas of muscle ischemia, release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inflammation. Although controversial, either unmyelinated, metabolite-sensitive afferent fibers, and/or myelinated, mechanosensitive afferent fibers in skeletal muscle underlie the exaggerated sympathetic activity in HF. Exercise training has emerged as a unique non-pharmacological strategy for the treatment of HF. Regular exercise improves functional capacity and quality of life, and perhaps prognosis in chronic HF patients. Recent studies have provided convincing evidence that these benefits in chronic HF patients are mediated by significant reduction in central sympathetic outflow as a consequence of improvement in arterial and chemoreflex controls, and correction of central nervous system abnormalities, and increase in peripheral blood flow with reduction in cytokines and increase in mass muscle.

Cultural meaning of quality of life: perspectives of Brazilian burn patients

Purpose. This study was designed to explore the cultural meaning and dimensions of quality of life from the perspective of Brazilian burn patients. Method. A qualitative research approach was used. Nineteen burn patients and their close relatives participated in this ethnographic study. Data were collected by means of direct observation and semi-structured interviews, conducted in a hospital outpatient clinic and during visits to patients` homes. The following inter-related phases guided the analysis process: reading of the material and data reduction, data display, conclusion outlining and verification. Results. Participants reported that the quality of life is related to autonomy and the ability to work. The dimensions of quality of life included: resuming work and functional ability, body image, having leisure and interpersonal relationships. Their descriptions revealed their feelings and attitudes about resuming their previous activities and social lives, particularly concerning the work. Conclusion. For burn patients, quality of life is associated with the concept of normality, the satisfactory performance of social roles in the context of family life and the social world. The results showed the importance of the sociocultural dimension in the concept of quality of life for persons undergoing burn rehabilitation.

Online Mammographic Images Database for Development and Comparison of CAD Schemes

Considering the difficulties in finding good-quality images for the development and test of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), this paper presents a public online mammographic images database free for all interested viewers and aimed to help develop and evaluate CAD schemes. The digitalization of the mammographic images is made with suitable contrast and spatial resolution for processing purposes. The broad recuperation system allows the user to search for different images, exams, or patient characteristics. Comparison with other databases currently available has shown that the presented database has a sufficient number of images, is of high quality, and is the only one to include a functional search system.

Active sound quality control of engine induced cavity noise

Active control solutions appear to be a feasible approach to cope with the steadily increasing requirements for noise reduction in the transportation industry. Active controllers tend to be designed with a target on the sound pressure level reduction. However, the perceived control efficiency for the occupants can be more accurately assessed if psychoacoustic metrics can be taken into account. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate, numerically and experimentally, the effect of a feedback controller on the sound quality of a vehicle mockup excited with engine noise. The proposed simulation scheme is described and experimentally validated. The engine excitation is provided by a sound quality equivalent engine simulator, running on a real-time platform that delivers harmonic excitation in function of the driving condition. The controller performance is evaluated in terms of specific loudness and roughness. It is shown that the use of a quite simple control strategy, such as a velocity feedback, can result in satisfactory loudness reduction with slightly spread roughness, improving the overall perception of the engine sound. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Referential Model for Small Companies of Development Software

This paper presents the proposal for a reference model for developing software aimed at small companies. Despite the importance of that represent the small software companies in Latin America, the fact of not having its own standards, and able to meet their specific, has created serious difficulties in improving their process and also in quality certification. In this sense and as a contribution to better understanding of the subject they propose a reference model and as a means to validate the proposal, presents a report of its application in a small Brazilian company, committed to certification of the quality model MPS.BR.

Integrating technology roadmapping and portfolio management at the front-end of new product development

Many authors point out that the front-end of new product development (NPD) is a critical success factor in the NPD process and that numerous companies face difficulties in carrying it out appropriately. Therefore, it is important to develop new theories and proposals that support the effective implementation of this earliest phase of NPD. This paper presents a new method to support the development of front-end activities based on integrating technology roadmapping (TRM) and project portfolio management (PPM). This new method, called the ITP Method, was implemented at a small Brazilian high-tech company in the nanotechnology industry to explore the integration proposal. The case study demonstrated that the ITP Method provides a systematic procedure for the fuzzy front-end and integrates innovation perspectives into a single roadmap, which allows for a better alignment of business efforts and communication of product innovation goals. Furthermore, the results indicated that the method may also improve quality, functional integration and strategy alignment. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Technology assessment for power quality mitigation devices - Micro-DVR case study

This work presents a case study on technology assessment for power quality improvement devices. A system compatibility test protocol for power quality mitigation devices was developed in order to evaluate the functionality of three-phase voltage restoration devices. In order to validate this test protocol, the micro-DVR, a reduced power development platform for DVR (dynamic voltage restorer) devices, was tested and the results are discussed based on voltage disturbances standards. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of Control Systems for Safety Instrumented Systems

Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) are designed to prevent and / or mitigate accidents, avoiding undesirable high potential risk scenarios, assuring protection of people`s health, protecting the environment and saving costs of industrial equipment. The design of these systems require formal methods for ensuring the safety requirements, but according material published in this area, has not identified a consolidated procedure to match the task. This sense, this article introduces a formal method for diagnosis and treatment of critical faults based on Bayesian network (BN) and Petri net (PN). This approach considers diagnosis and treatment for each safety instrumented function (SIF) including hazard and operability (HAZOP) study in the equipment or system under control. It also uses BN and Behavioral Petri net (BPN) for diagnoses and decision-making and the PN for the synthesis, modeling and control to be implemented by Safety Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). An application example considering the diagnosis and treatment of critical faults is presented and illustrates the methodology proposed.

Development of Ramulosis Disease of Cotton Under Controlled Environment and Field Conditions

Colletotrichum gossypii var. cephalosporioides, the fungus that causes ramulosis disease of cotton, is widespread in Brazil and can cause severe yield loss. Because weather conditions greatly affect disease development, the objective of this work was to develop weather-based models to assess disease favorability. Latent period, incidence, and severity of ramulosis symptoms were evaluated in controlled environment experiments using factorial combinations of temperature (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 degrees C) and leaf wetness duration (0, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 h after inoculation). Severity was modeled as an exponential function of leaf wetness duration and temperature. At the optimum temperature of disease development, 27 degrees C, average latent period was 10 days. Maximum ramulosis severity occurred from 20 to 30 degrees C, with sharp decreases at lower and higher temperatures. Ramulosis severity increased as wetness periods were increased from 4 to 32 h. In field experiments at Piracicaba, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, cotton plots were inoculated (10(5) conidia ml(-1)) and ramulosis severity was evaluated weekly. The model obtained from the controlled environment study was used to generate a disease favorability index for comparison with disease progress rate in the field. Hourly measurements of solar radiation, temperature, relative humidity, leaf wetness duration, rainfall, and wind speed were also evaluated as possible explanatory variables. Both the disease favorability model and a model based on rainfall explained ramulosis growth rate well, with R(2) of 0.89 and 0.91, respectively. They are proposed as models of ramulosis development rate on cotton in Brazil, and weather-disease relationships revealed by this work can form the basis of a warning system for ramulosis development.

Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. in raw milk produced in Brazil: Occurrence and interference of indigenous microbiota in their isolation and development

This study aimed to verify the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. in raw milk produced in Brazil. On account of the poor microbiological quality of this product, possible interference from the indigenous microbiota in these pathogens was also evaluated. Two-hundred and ten raw milk samples were collected in four important milk-producing areas in Brazil, tested for L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. presence, and for enumeration of indicator microorganisms: mesophilic aerobes, total coliforms and Escherichia coli. The interference of the indigenous microbiota in the isolation procedures was also tested, as well the frequency of naturally occurring raw milk strains with antagonistic activity against both pathogens. The pathogens were not isolated in any raw milk sample, but poor microbiological quality was confirmed by the high levels of indicator microorganisms. When present at high levels, the indigenous microbiota generated an evident interference in the methodologies of L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. isolation, mainly when the pathogens appeared at low levels. Three-hundred and sixty raw milk strains were tested for antagonistic activity against both pathogens, and 91 (25.3%) showed inhibitory activity against L. monocytogenes and 33 (9.2%) against Salmonella spp. The majority of the antagonistic strains were identified as Lactic Acid Bacteria species, mainly Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Enterococcus faecium, known by antimicrobial substance production.

Development and validation of a method for quantitative determination of econazole nitrate in cream formulation by capillary zone electrophoresis

A simple, fast, inexpensive and reliable capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for the determination of econazole nitrate in cream formulations has been developed and validated. Optimum conditions comprised a pH 2.5 phosphate buffer at 20 mmol L(-1) concentration, +30 kV applied voltage in a 31.5 cm x 50 mu m I.D. capillary. Direct UV detection at 200 nm led to an adequate sensitivity without interference from sample excipients. A single extraction step of the cream sample in hydrochloric acid was performed prior to injection. Imidazole (100 mu g mL(-1)) was used as internal standard. Econazole nitrate migrates in approximately 1.2 min. The analytical curve presented a coefficient of correlation of 0.9995. Detection and quantitation limits were 1.85 and 5.62 mu g mL(-1), respectively. Excellent accuracy and precision were obtained. Recoveries varied from 98.1 to 102.5% and intra- and inter-day precisions, calculated as relative standard deviation (RSD), were better than 2.0%. The proposed CZE method presented advantageous performance characteristics and it can be considered suitable for the quality control of econazole nitrate cream formulations. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrial function in the yeast form of the pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Differences between the respiratory chain of the fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and its mammalian host are reported. Respiration, membrane potential, and oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria from P. brasiliensis spheroplasts were evaluated in situ, and the presence of a complete (Complex I-V) functional respiratory chain was demonstrated. In succinate-energized mitochondria, ADP induced a transition from resting to phosphorylating respiration. The presence of an alternative NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase was indicated by: (i) the ability to oxidize exogenous NADH and (ii) the lack of sensitivity to rotenone and presence of sensitivity to flavone. Malate/NAD(+)-supported respiration suggested the presence of either a mitochondrial pyridine transporter or a glyoxylate pathway contributing to NADH and/or succinate production. Partial sensitivity of NADH/succinate-supported respiration to antimycin A and cyanide, as well as sensitivity to benzohydroxamic acids, suggested the presence of an alternative oxidase in the yeast form of the fungus. An increase in activity and gene expression of the alternative NADH dehydrogenase throughout the yeast`s exponential growth phase was observed. This increase was coupled with a decrease in Complex I activity and gene expression of its subunit 6. These results support the existence of alternative respiratory chain pathways in addition to Complex I, as well as the utilization of NADH-linked substrates by P. brasiliensis. These specific components of the respiratory chain could be useful for further research and development of pharmacological agents against the fungus.

Development of nitrosyl ruthenium complex-loaded lipid carriers for topical administration: improvement in skin stability and in nitric oxide release by visible light irradiation

The prominent nitric oxide (NO) donor [Ru(terpy)(bdqi)NO](PF(6))(3) has been synthesized and evaluated with respect to noteworthy biological effects due to its NO photorelease, including vascular relaxation and melanoma cell culture toxicity. The potential for delivering NO in therapeutic quantities is tenable since the nitrosyl ruthenium complex (NRC) must first reach the ""target tissue"" and then release the NO upon stimulus. In this context. NRC-loaded lipid carriers were developed and characterized to further explore its topical administration for applications such as skin cancer treatment. NRC-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers were prepared via the microemulsification method, with average diameters of 275 +/- 15 nm and 211 +/- 31 nm and zeta potentials of -40.7 +/- 10.4 mV and -50.0 +/- 7.5 mV, respectively. In vitro kinetic studies of NRC release from nanoparticles showed sustained release of NRC from the lipid carriers and illustrated the influence of the release medium and the lyophilization process. Stability studies showed that NO is released from NRC as a function of temperature and time and due to skin contact. The encapsulation of NRC in SLN followed by its lyophilization, significantly improved the complex stability. Furthermore, of particular interest was the fact that in the NO photorelease study, the NO release from the NRC-loaded SLN was approximately twice that of just NRC in solution. NRC-loaded SLN performs well enough at releasing and protecting NO degradation in vitro that it is a promising carrier for topical delivery of NO. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and Validation of a Simple Method for Routine Analysis of Ractopamine Hydrochloride in Raw Material and Feed Additives by HPLC

A simple method was optimized and validated for determination of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) in raw material and feed additives by HPLC for use in quality control in veterinary industries. The best-optimized conditions were a C8 column (250 x 4.6 mm id, 5.0 mu m particle size) at room temperature with acetonitrile-100 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0; 75 + 25, v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and UV detection at 275 nm. With these conditions, the retention time of RAC was around 5.2 min, and standard curves were linear in the concentration range of 160-240 mu g/mL (correlation coefficient >= 0.999). Validation parameters, such as selectivity, linearity, limit of detection (ranged from 1.60 to 2.05 mu g/mL), limit of quantification (ranged from 4.26 to 6.84 mu g/mL), precision (relative standard deviation <= 1.87%), accuracy (ranged from 96.97 to 100.54%), and robustness, gave results within acceptable ranges. Therefore, the developed method can be successfully applied for the routine quality control analysis of raw material and feed additives.