Current status of knowledge about suicide in people with cancer

Aim: To review the current knowledge about suicide in cancer patients. Method: We searchedspecialized databases using keywords for articles published in the last two decades (1990-2010),and compiled and reviewed them in order to: indicate the prevalence of suicide in cancer patientsworldwide and in Colombia, differentiating the data by sex and age; establish the types of cancerthat are associated with suicide, identify risk factors for committing or considering suicide andpresent the strategies of professional and psychological intervention directed at cancer patientswith suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The present article is a review of the information on thesubject. Results: We found that: in cancer patients, the suicide rate is two times higher thanin the general population; depression, suicidal ideation and location of cancer are some of therisk factors for suicide, and there is a lack of published guidelines for professional managementof the suicidal patient with cancer. Conclusion: The need to carry out research on the topic ofsuicide in cancer patients was established.

Plan de negocios construcción de edificio para uso habitacional en la ciudad de Bogotá

Con este trabajo, se pretende elaborar una evaluación a nivel de prefactibilidad administrativa, técnica y financiera de la construcción de un edificio, partiendo del modelo de compra de vivienda existente, su posterior demolición y construcción del proyecto. Para llevar a cabo la evaluación a nivel de prefactibilidad, se tienen en cuenta los objetivos: •Estructurar y evaluar la propuesta técnica, financiera y administrativa a nivel de prefactibilidad. •Determinar el tamaño adecuado del proyecto de acuerdo a los planes zonales y de ordenamiento territorial de la ciudad. •Identificación de las posibles formas de financiación del proyecto. •Identificación de los futuros compradores del producto final, diagnostico y perspectivas del sector. •Evaluar la mejor estrategia de mercadeo y venta del producto final, ya sea de forma directa o con un intermediario especializado.

El leasing habitacional como alternativa al crédito hipotecario

El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar la evolución de las políticas de vivienda en Colombia, así como hacer un acercamiento a las crisis del mercado hipotecario por las que ha pasado el país en el último siglo. Igualmente se analizan las opciones que trae el leasing habitacional como alternativa al crédito hipotecario y se identifica para qué segmentos de la población se ajusta cada tipo de financiación. Los análisis y las conclusiones de éste trabajo apuntan a explicar cómo las diferentes opciones de crédito pueden disminuir el déficit habitacional en Colombia.

Qualidade de vida em pacientes com paralisia de Bell

Avaliou-se a qualidade de vida em 30 pacientes com paralisia de Bell e 30 controles são, pareados por idade e gênero, tendo como objetivo estimar as diferenças nesta entre os pacientes e as pessoas sem paralisia. Utilizou-se a enquete SF-36 para avaliar a qualidade de vida, a escala House Brackmann para estimar o nível de severidade da paralisia, e uma enquete para determinar a idade, o gênero, o lado afetado do rosto e o tempo de evolução. Aplicou-se a prova de rangos assinalados de Wilcoxon, com o fim de obter as diferenças nas dimensões da qualidade de vida entre os pacientes e os controles sãos. Esta análise mostrou diferenças significativas nas dimensões de limitações no rol: problemas físicos (p = .002), e funcionamento social (p = .002). Por meio do coeficiente de correlação de Spearman se observou um nível de relação significativo entre estas mesmas dimensões da qualidade de vida (p = .000 e p =.003 respectivamente) e a severidade da paralisia. Através da prova U de Mann Whitney comparou-se a qualidade de vida de acordo com o lado afetado. A análise permitiu ver uma pontuação significativamente menor na dimensão de saúde geral nos pacientes com afetação do lado direito do rosto (p = .024). Não se encontraram diferenças associadas à idade, ao gênero ou ao tempo de evolução. Os resultados permitem sugerir a inclusão de aspectos relacionados com as dimensões limitações no rol: problemas físicos e funcionamento social nos programas de intervenção dirigidos a estes pacientes.

Assessment of social cognition in schizophrenia through the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test. Implications for rehabilitation

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic mental illness that has effect on cognitive and social functioning of a person who suffers it. Recent research points out that social cognition subprocesses, such as Theory of Mind, social perception or emotional processing, have to do with some problems that patients show in their social adjustment. Aim: Assessing ability of recognizing mental states from facial expressions in schizophrenia patients compared to a control group. Subjects and methods: 17 stable schizophrenia patients who are aware of the illness and 17 healthy people, with the same age and sociocultural level, took the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” Test Revised Version of Baron- Cohen. Results: Compared with the control group, subjects with schizophrenia showed much lower scores. Conclusions: It is confirmed that schizophrenia patients have impairments to understand facial expressions, especially from the eyes. That is typical of this illness, so it is necessary to do interventions at that point. Furthermore, inability to recognize emotions, as a domain of social cognition, contributes to deficit in functional outcome in schizophrenia. Finally, some treatment programs are put forward.

A prediction model for establishing the disability degree in adults with spinal cord injury: results based on WHO-DAS II perspective

Objective: To establish a prediction model of the degree of disability in adults with Spinal CordInjury (SCI ) based on the use of the WHO-DAS II . Methods: The disability degree was correlatedwith three variable groups: clinical, sociodemographic and those related with rehabilitation services.A model of multiple linear regression was built to predict disability. 45 people with sci exhibitingdiverse etiology, neurological level and completeness participated. Patients were older than 18 andthey had more than a six-month post-injury. The WHO-DAS II and the ASIA impairment scale(AIS ) were used. Results: Variables that evidenced a significant relationship with disability were thefollowing: occupational situation, type of affiliation to the public health care system, injury evolutiontime, neurological level, partial preservation zone, ais motor and sensory scores and number ofclinical complications during the last year. Complications significantly associated to disability werejoint pain, urinary infections, intestinal problems and autonomic disreflexia. None of the variablesrelated to rehabilitation services showed significant association with disability. The disability degreeexhibited significant differences in favor of the groups that received the following services: assistivedevices supply and vocational, job or educational counseling. Conclusions: The best predictiondisability model in adults with sci with more than six months post-injury was built with variablesof injury evolution time, AIS sensory score and injury-related unemployment.

Evaluation of effectiveness of the project ‘Caring caregivers of persons in disability situation’. Bogotá - second semester of 2007

The present paper presents the results of a transversal descriptive study which intended to estimate the contribution of the project “Caring for those who take care of people with disabilities” in the areas of: strength of personal and group competences, self care, life project, dexterity in the care process of people with disabilities, and communitarian auto management; that was implemented in 20 urban areas with caregivers of the city of Bogota in the year 2007. The study allowed the nresearches to acknowledge the little change perception that caregivers had in terms of self care, however, the caregivers perceived change in the four areas, although this were not statistically significant in comparison with the general population. There were only significant changes in the communitarian auto management area in 30% of the population. As a result, it is proposed that more extensive, continuous, and sustainable processes are implemented and that this process arises from contention spaces which can be created with the caregivers, from which they can be motivated to participate in other ´processes of collective and individual changes. Also there’s a need to rely on facilitators (professionals and change agents) who have stronger competences on the how to be and the how to interact competences, because there’s a need to manage the psychosocial components in this group of people. Also, we must make organizational processes and the social networks stronger, this is: collective actions are required, because disability is a social fact, and so, the individual issues are just a moment in the process of inclusion of the person with disability, his family and caregiver.

Behavioral changes, used and benefits of a community program for the promotion in physical activity

Objective: To determine the change of behavior in physical activity and the characteristics associated with the use and benefits of Local Physical Activity Center (CLAF) in the population of the town of Santa Fe de Bogota. Materials and methods: We conducted a longitudinal study before and after, which was assessed at admission and 3 months in the intervention program CLAF physical activity, behavior change compared to the physical activity of users. Inclusion criteria: were being active user of CLAF, aged between 15 and 65 years and voluntarily express their participation in the study. Exclusion criteria: Fill incomplete measurement instruments used. The sampling frame of CLAF users, we selected n=55 subjects. To gather information, a questionnaire, which contained the behavioral stages of change, also conducted a survey which determined semistructured features about the benefits and use of CLAF. Results: The total study participants was n = 55, mean age was 40.4 ± 15.3 years, with a minimum 15 and maximum of 64 years, 83.6% were women. 78.2% do not know the purpose of the Local Centre for Physical Activity. The outreach strategy that most came to the group was 58.2 with a verbal type. The time for links to CLAF more frequently in the group evaluated was 1 to 6 months 36.4. The motivation to regularly attend the CLAF in the majority was to improve the physical and / or a 74.5% mental. 89.1% would be willing to recommend to others the use of CLAF. A 81.8% of the population physical activity performed by more than 150 min / wk at moderate intensity; Post CLAF intervention in the subjects showed positive changes in the level of physical activity (p<0.001, Test de Wilcoxon) and behavioral state (p<0.001, Test de Wilcoxon).

Effect of joint mobilization on the H Reflex amplitude in people with spasticity

Objective: To determine the effect of ankle joint mobilization on the H reflex amplitude of thesoleus muscle in people with spasticity. Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental study withcrossover design and simple masking was conducted in 24 randomized subjects to initiate thecontrol or experimental group. Traction and rhythmic oscillation were applied for five minutesto the ankle joint. H wave amplitude changes of Hoffmann reflex (electrical equivalent of themonosynaptic spinal reflex) was assessed, stimulating the tibial nerve at the level of the poplitealfossa and recording in the soleus muscle. In each subject 12 measurements were taken: basalrate, during and after mobilization. Changes in H reflex amplitude were calculated in relationto basal measurement. For each measurement a hypothesis test was performed (Student t test).Results: In groups of patients with brain injury and incomplete spinal cord injury, a significantdifference was found between measurements of both studies, concerning variation in H reflexamplitude during the application of joint mobilization techniques, with a decrease in the experimentalgroup and an increase in the control group. In contrast, no significant differences werefound after mobilization therapy. Patients with complete spinal cord injury showed no significantdifferences in any measurements. Conclusion: We demonstrate the effectiveness of jointmobilization in the decrease of H reflex amplitude in patients with brain injury or incompletespinal cord injury during the mobilization maneuver, but no residual effect after completion ofthe trial. This research showed no evidence regarding excitability reduction in complete spinalcord injury. We suggest that therapeutic interventions to decrease muscle tone based on the jointmobilization should be reconsidered.

Mobilidade espacial nas Metrópoles Brasileiras: complexidade do espaço urbano

As transformações na dinâmica demográfica ocorrida nas últimas décadas nos espaços urbanos passam, em grande medida, pela reconfiguração territorial, econômica e social das áreas metropolitanas, na qual os movimentos das pessoas exercem influência fundamental. Para este trabalho, propomos uma abordagem sobre o movimento migratório intra-metropolitano em 14 áreas metropolitanas brasileiras, quais sejam: Belém, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Paulo e Vitória; questionamos se este fenômeno estaria alterando a histórica “pressão pelas áreas centrais metropolitanas” ou se essa população está mudando de residência, mas continua trabalhando no núcleo. Pensando sobre os movimentos da população ocupada nas regiões metropolitanas, buscamos ainda considerar os tipos de movimentos realizados (núcleo-periferia; periferia-núcleo e periferia-periferia) com uma caracterização desta população. Portanto, nossa reflexão está relacionada às diferentes lógicas que operam sobre o lugar de moradia das pessoas e os lugares de outros fazeres que determinam a vida urbana, especialmente o lugar de trabalho. A localização dos postos de trabalho em áreas mais “centrais” e a quantidade considerável de pessoas que se deslocam para estes municípios também são fenômenos expressivos ainda. Será que os movimentos cotidianos podem se apresentar como uma alternativa para a residência em outras áreas da metrópole e o trabalho nas áreas centrais? Nossa proposta é a de que esses processos precisam ser analisados cada vez mais em conjunto com a migração intra-metropolitana.