Malnutrition in the second year of life and psychosocial care: a case-control study in an urban area of Southeast Brazil

O objetivo do estudo foi identificar e medir a presença de associação entre cuidado psicossocial e desnutrição. Realizou-se estudo caso-controle incluindo 101 crianças desnutridas (peso/idade < percentil 5 do padrão NCHS/OMS), com idades entre 12 e 23 meses, que foram comparadas a 200 controles eutróficos (peso/ idade > percentil 25) em termos de sua exposição a uma série de comportamentos maternos indicadores da qualidade de seu cuidado psicossocial. Criou-se um escore de cuidado psicossocial, variando de 0 a 14, de acordo com o número de comportamentos maternos desejáveis não observados: quanto maior o escore, pior a qualidade do cuidado psicossocial. Mediante análise de regressão logística verificou-se maior risco de desnutrição para as crianças no 2º e 3º tercis do escore de cuidado psicossocial. Esta associação foi modificada pela renda per capita. Após ajustes para possíveis confundidores, nas crianças dos estratos superiores de renda não houve associação entre cuidado psicossocial e desnutrição. Para as crianças com nível mais baixo de renda, pior cuidado psicossocial dobrou o risco de desnutrição (OR = 7,26; IC95%: 2,42-21,82) em relação àquele associado apenas à baixa renda (OR = 3,08; IC95%: 1,28-7,42).

DIAGNOSIS of REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW ABNORMALITIES USING SPECT: AGREEMENT BETWEEN INDIVIDUALIZED STATISTICAL PARAMETRIC MAPS and VISUAL INSPECTION BY NUCLEAR MEDICINE PHYSICIANS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS of EXPERTISE IN NUCLEAR NEUROLOGY

INTRODUCTION: Visual analysis is widely used to interpret regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) SPECT images in clinical practice despite its limitations. Automated methods are employed to investigate between-group rCBF differences in research Studies but have rarely been explored in individual analyses.OBJECTIVES: To compare visual inspection by nuclear physicians with the automated statistical parametric mapping program using a SPECT dataset of patients with neurological disorders and normal control images.METHODS: Using statistical parametric mapping, 14 SPECT images from patients with various neurological disorders were compared individually with a databank of 32 normal images using a statistical threshold of p<0.05 (corrected for multiple comparisons at the level of individual voxels or clusters). Statistical parametric mapping results were compared with Visual analyses by a nuclear physician highly experienced in neurology (A) as well as a nuclear physician with a general background of experience (B) who independently classified images as normal or altered, and determined the location of changes and the severity.RESULTS: of the 32 images of the normal databank, 4 generated maps showing rCBF abnormalities (p<0.05, corrected). Among the 14 images from patients with neurological disorders, 13 showed rCBF alterations. Statistical parametric mapping and physician A completely agreed on 84.37% and 64.28% of cases from the normal databank and neurological disorders, respectively. The agreement between statistical parametric mapping and ratings of physician B were lower (71.18% and 35.71%, respectively).CONCLUSION: Statistical parametric mapping replicated the findings described by the more experienced nuclear physician. This finding suggests that automated methods for individually analyzing rCBF SPECT images may be a valuable resource to complement visual inspection in clinical practice.

The flower workshop in psychosocial rehabilitation: A pilot study

We report a pilot study with the Flower Workshop, a new modality of psychosocial rehabilitation group activity. Cognitive performance in schizophrenia and other mental conditions can be impaired depending on the tasks to be executed and their respective social context. The vulnerability of these individuals can be reduced by means of cognitive and socio-affective facilitation. We conducted a pilot study to introduce the Flower Workshop in a public Mental Health Service in the city of Ribeirao Preto (Sao Paulo-Brasil) with 12 participants during 18 months (2002-2003). With cognitive and socio-affective facilitation, participants were able to construct vases and make flower arrangements successfully.

Psychosocial factors for risk and protection to child malnutrition in mothers of malnourished and eutrophic children: the role of maternal mental health

In this study, the relationship between child malnutrition, depression, anxiety and other maternal socio-demographic variables was investigated in mothers of malnourished (MD) and eutrophic (ME) children. The causes attributed by mothers to malnutrition were also studied. Ten mothers from each group, with children aged from 11 months to three years and who were users of primary health care units, participated in the study. They answered Beck depression and anxiety inventory, a questionnaire on vital events and an open question concerning the causes of malnutrition. The evaluation instruments were corrected according to proper guidelines and comparative analyses between the groups were performed. The answers to the open question were qualitatively evaluated, submitted to content analysis. The mothers in the two groups were nearly 30 years old or older. They had a steady partner and were subject to very similar life conditions. They had attended school for 5.5 years and were housewives or worked in low-income jobs. Concerning mental health indicators, a significantly larger number of mothers in the MM group showed depression indicators when compared to mothers in the EM group. Most mothers attributed malnutrition to biological factors or to the lack of maternal care, with more moralist statements in the EM group, and statements filled with guilt in MM. Results suggest that in order to fight malnutrition, in addition to nutritional interventions, it is necessary to heed attention to maternal socio-emotional issues.

Psychosocial impact on anophthalmic patients wearing ocular prosthesis

The aim of this study was to assess the improvement in psychosocial awareness of anophthalmic patients wearing ocular prostheses and its relationship with demographic characteristics, factors of loss/treatment, social activity, and relationship between professional and patient. Surveys including a form for evaluation of psychosocial pattern were conducted with 40 anophthalmic patients rehabilitated with ocular prosthesis at the Center of Oral Oncology in the authors' dental school from January 1998 to November 2010. The improvement in psychosocial awareness was assessed by comparing the perception of some feelings reported in the period of eye loss and currently. Wilcoxon tests were applied for comparison of patients' perception between the periods. χ2 tests were used to assess the relationship between the improvement in psychosocial awareness and the variables of the study. In addition, the logistic regression model measured this relationship with the measure of odds ratio. The feelings of shame, shyness, preoccupation with hiding it, sadness, insecurity and fear were significant for improvement in psychosocial awareness. It was concluded that the anophthalmic patients wearing an ocular prosthesis has significant improvement in psychosocial awareness after rehabilitation. © 2012 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

A saúde mental, a formação do psicólogo e as diretrizes curriculares nacionais – Territórios em aproximação?

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

Uma experiência baseada no Apoio Matricial em Saúde Mental: estratégia para um atendimento integral

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

Extensão universitária e trabalho voluntário na formação do acadêmico em odontologia

The aim of the present study was to point out the importance of the experience of undergraduate dental students in extra-curricular activities and volunteer work, as a means through which to gain essential knowledge and abilities for their professional lives. A literature review of the Medline, Scielo, and Lilacs databases was carried out in an attempt to select articles related to the university extension and volunteer work of undergraduate dental students. It is still extremely difficult to include university extension and volunteer work as an important activity in Dentistry courses. However, the presentday work market demands professionals who have expertise not only in dental techniques, but also in the socio-cultural characteristics of communities, considering that people need to be comprehensive in their psychosocial aspects in order to be treated as a complete professional. Therefore, university dentistry courses should give equal consideration to both oral rehabilitation skills and the promotion of general healthcare, acquired mainly through extracurricular activities, in an attempt to redeem the integral education of the healthcare professional. Moreover, students should pay closer attention to the opportunities offered during their undergraduate courses, as the work market for dentists is becoming more and more competitive. Moreover, the dentist whose professional life is limited to the dental office will most certainly forgo the opportunity to act in other social areas as well as the recognition that comes with such acts.

Road wanderers in Brazil: a study on modern psychosocial human mobility

Human mobility patterns are quite diverse nowadays and a very singular, extreme pattern is seen in the Brazilian scene: road wandering. Road wanderers are individuals who leave their home, family, work and other territories of a settled life and throw themselves into a life of solitary wandering along Brazilian highways. This study aimed to describe the lifestyle of road wanderers, investigate the reasons that led them choose this way of living and understand it against a background of modern human mobility patterns. A total of 63 interviews were conducted with individuals wandering on road shoulders. We found road wandering is associated with the following determinants: poverty; unemployment; marital conflicts; emotional suffering following the loss of loved ones; desires for adventure and freedom; and cultural symbols related to journey, migration, exodus and other modes of displacement. Despite its particularities, road wandering can be understood as a way of human mobility in the modern world.

Task complexity reveals expertise of table tennis players

AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of intensive practice in table-­tennis on perceptual, decision-­making and motor-­systems. Groups of elite (HL=11), intermediate (LL=6) and control (CC=11) performed tasks of different levels. METHODS: All subjects underwent to reaction-­time-­test and response-­time-­test consisting of a pointing task to targets placed at distinct distances (15 and 25-­cm) on the right and left sides. The ball speed test in forehand and backhand condition just for HL and LL group. RESULTS: In CC group reaction time was higher compared to HL (P< 0.05) group. In the response-­time-­test, there was a significant main effect of distance (P< 0.0001) and the tennis-­table expertise (P= 0.011). In the ball speed test the HL were constantly faster compared to the LL in both forehand stroke (P< 0.0001) and backhand stroke (P< 0.0001). Overall, the forehand stroke was significantly faster than the backhand stroke. CONCLUSION: We can conclude that table-­tennis-­players have shorter response-­times than non-­athletes and the tasks of reaction-­time and response-­time are incapable to distinguish the performance of well-­trained table tennis players of the intermediate player, but the ball speed test seems be able to do it.