Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

SOARES, Elvira Maria Mafaldo et al. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertility and Sterility, v.89, n.3, p.649-655, mar. 2008

Dream characteristics in a Brazilian sample: an online survey focusing on lucid dreaming

During sleep, humans experience the offline images and sensations that we call dreams, which are typically emotional and lacking in rational judgment of their bizarreness. However, during lucid dreaming (LD), subjects know that they are dreaming, and may control oneiric content. Dreaming and LD features have been studied in North Americans, Europeans and Asians, but not among Brazilians, the largest population in Latin America. Here we investigated dreams and LD characteristics in a Brazilian sample (n=3,427; median age=25 years) through an online survey. The subjects reported recalling dreams at least once a week (76%), and that dreams typically depicted actions (93%), known people (92%), sounds/voices (78%), and colored images (76%). The oneiric content was associated with plans for the upcoming days (37%), memories of the previous day (13%), or unrelated to the dreamer (30%). Nightmares usually depicted anxiety/fear (65%), being stalked (48%), or other unpleasant sensations(47%). These data corroborate Freudian notion of day residue in dreams, and suggest that dreams and nightmares are simulations of life situations that are related to our psychobiological integrity. Regarding LD, we observed that 77% of the subjects experienced LD at least once in life (44% up to 10 episodes ever), and for 48% LD subjectively lasted less than 1 min. LD frequency correlated weakly with dream recall frequency (r =0.20,p< 0.01), and LD control was rare (29%). LD occurrence was facilitated when subjects did not need to wake up early (38%), a situation that increases rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) duration, or when subjects were under stress (30%), which increases REMS transitions into waking. These results indicate that LD is relatively ubiquitous but rare, unstable, difficult to control, and facilitated by increases in REMS duration and transitions to wake state. Together with LD incidence in USA, Europe and Asia, our data from Latin America strengthen the notion that LD is a general phenomenon of the human species.

A capoeira e os mestres

The Capoeira considered as a manifestation of the Popular Culture - inheritance of African peoples - is a cultural and social practice present in Brazil since the colonial time. This study is dedicated to the Capoeira and its masters. We work the Capoeira as a social field through the theoretical perspective of the Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. We try to apprehend the social construction of the master, the legitimacy of his knowledge, the disputes and the representations that they ve elaborated over the space which was redefined for material and symbolic changes that occurred with the Capoeira through the last decades. The operating notions of social field, habitus, capital and tradition had been pertinent to think the power games , the social relations and the symbolic plots in the Field of Capoeira. From the methodological standpoint, although the interviews with the masters and the direct observation have had a special place in the research, other strategies had been used: researches in newspapers, thematic magazines and periodic, musical compositions and academic works. The performance of the masters in the process of reinvention of traditions has redefined their social place in relation to the previous generations. These are perceived as social actors responsible for the maintenance, dynamicity, affirmation, spreading and expansion of the capoeirístic practice

Corpo e gestualidade :o jogo da capoeira e os jogos do conhecimento

In the direction of questing a sociology that considers the flesh dimension of the existence, that favors to think the body while place of the production of the knowledge, our itinerary of research is characterized for the reflection on the gesture of the body as power of life and production of knowledge, recognizing the precision of the gesture as a privileged breach of comment of the collective life, of the projection and registration of the culture, of the symbolic, of the sensitivity. Our problematic can be meet in the possibility to enhance an open and sensible rationality, tattooed in the body and accessible for the gestures, that its materialized in the relations of the human being with the other and the world, in singular and collective relations. Therefore, the gesture, constructed in the intention the experience of the body, can tell us about the human being, the society and the culture, therefore the sensed of the gestures is constructed from the established and recognized mutual actions for the citizens. It is in this field of production of the knowledge, of knowing of the meat that we direct our perception, in the challenge to immerge into the intention of the gesture in the capoeira game. Of the methodological point of view, for the analysis of the gestures of the capoeira, therefore, of the body as knowledge power, we consider registers of images as well as narratives registers of the universe of the capoeira, as well as my experience of more than seven years in the group of capoeira cordão de ouro1. A epistemological exercise has as support a qualitative research where parts of the quantity of images of the investigated group, as well as interviews, daily registers in of field and over all my experience of life next to the group and to the capoeira, in intention to recognize symbols tattooed in the body and for it produced in the inter subjectivists relations. We search therefore, to evidence sensible and meanings drawn for the gesture and evidenced by the look of the researcher. We presents as objectives of this inquiry to nuance ribbings around of the social and cultural elements in the production of the knowledge of the body, of the gesture, weaveeed for the sensible rationality

Quilombolas e desenvolvimento sustentável: análise a partir da comunidade Capoeira dos Negros (Macaíba/RN)

Quilombo communities remaining are groups marked by insufficient public assistance and characterized by living in rural and conducting economic activities such as agriculture. The development on a sustainable basis is important to ensure strategies for economic growth and environmental preservation. This work aims to study the remaining Quilombo Capoeira Black community, located in the municipality of Macaíba, Rio Grande do Norte, considering the principles of sustainable development. Attempt to respond to what level such community can be considered sustainable from an analysis of their social practices. The methodological procedures used consisted of a literature review and documentary, questionnaires, conducting semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The final results show that the family farm has characteristics that approximate the principles of sustainable development, including the diversification of labor, food production with less environmental damage and strengthening the rural environment, and indicate that the main economic activities practiced in Capoeira dos Negros community are agriculture, manufacturing of cassava flour and brick manufacturing, which, in turn, are linked to negative environmental impacts, such as sedimentation pond, groundwater contamination, air pollution and soil erosion. What lead to the conclusion that the social practices of the community are not in line with the dimensions of sustainable development. It is hoped that the survey results provide subsidies for development and implementation of public policies