Enfermeiros e a família do portador de transtorno mental.

This qualitative study aimed at investigating how mental health nurses acquired knowledge about the theme family during their academic training, how they see families in their daily practice, and how should professional training be considering the presence of the family in the care setting. Data were collected using semistructured questionnaires. Six nurses were interviewed. Data analysis allowed the establishment of three theme categories: Academic and professional training absence of the family theme; the nurses' perception of the family with a mentally ill member; and a new vision of the family the role of teaching. During undergraduate education, nurses acquired little knowledge about the theme family; in the institutional routine, they praise the family as a participant of care; and indicate that the need for knowledge about families is based on the interdisciplinary character of education.

Atrichia, abnormal EEG, epilepsy and mental retardation in two sisters

Two daughters of a nonconsanguineous couple are described. Both present mental retardation, epileptic seizures, congenital atrichia, histologically anomalous skin and abnormal EEG pattern. From a discussion of the literature on atrichia, the forms without involvement of teeth, nails and hidrosis, among which recessive inheritance prevails, are distinguished from each other. None of them coincide with the syndrome described here.

Distúrbios neurológicos em trabalhadores com baixos níveis de chumbo no sangue. II-Disfunc̈ões neurocomportamentais

This is a cross-sectional study with a randomized choice of individuals aiming at studying the validity of the Brazilian biological exposure limits applied to lead level in the blood (PbB) and delta-aminolevulinic acid in the urine (ALAU), which are 60 μ/dl and 10 mg/g.creat., respectively. Thus, twenty workers, whose PbB and ALAU values have been below these limits over the past two years, were selected at random at a battery plant in the State of S. Paulo, Brazil. The workers were submitted to a variation of the WHO Neurobehavioral Core Test Battery. The results were compared with those obtained for workers of a control group also chosen at random. The lead workers showed memory, mood and motor coordination disorders. Comparing these results with those obtained from the control group, a significant difference was observed (p-value < 0.02). The results indicate that the Brazilian biological exposure limits above should be reconsidered.

Atendimento extra-hospitalar a alcoolistas em um municipio do interior Paulista

The purpose of this work is to know the forms of minding to the alcoholics in extra-hospitable services of mental health in Botucatu municipality. This places are: Mental Health Ambulatory and School Health Center both of the Medicine College of the Paulista State University and Mental Health Ambulatory of the NGA-11. For the development of this work was realized a bibliographic raising, presented in the introduction. Four professionals that work in this assistance were interviewed. The data that was collected in the interviews were reported with the literature of the area allowing the knowledge of the main characteristics of the minding to the alcoholist in the three services that were consulted. For example: groupal minding, minding to the family and the kind of therapeutic contract.

Medicação de alto custo para portador de sofrimento psíquico: Um estudo preliminar dos custos

The present work aims to raise the costs of high-cost drugs used to treat patients of Refractory Schizophrenia in ambulatory unit. The study was carried out in the Psychosocial Support Center, which treated 33 patients with these medications, during the period of June, 2005 to May, 2006. Data analysis disclosed that the mostly used drugs to treat the carriers of Refractory Schizophrenia were: clozapina and risperidona. It was observed that the treatment with olanzapina is more expensive than that with risperidona. The study concluded that the analysis of the consumption and costs of drugs of high cost is necessary to subside better management of the expenses and new investments in the service. Moreover, the necessity of more studies in the area was also identified to contribute with the control of costs.

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.

Farmacología en la tercera edad: Medicamentos de uso continuo y peligros de la interacción medicamentosa

Introduction: It was observed a considerable growth of elderly people. They are who use more medicines. The physiological changes associated with the age advancing can make pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic alterations. The cognitive decline, physical limitations and associate chronic pathology affect the medications appropriately use ability. Aims: Based in a literature review, appoint the main pharmacological groups prescribed to the elderly and the drug-drug interaction risks. Conclusion: The most of elderly use continually at least 3 medicines, the most prescribed are to cardiovascular and psychic diseases treatment.

Performance of Down syndrome subjects during a coincident timing task

Background: The time synchronization is a very important ability for the acquisition and performance of motor skills that generate the need to adapt the actions of body segments to external events of the environment that are changing their position in space. Down Syndrome (DS) individuals may present some deficits to perform tasks with synchronization demand. We aimed to investigate the performance of individuals with DS in a simple Coincident Timing task. Method. 32 individuals were divided into 2 groups: the Down syndrome group (DSG) comprised of 16 individuals with average age of 20 (+/- 5 years old), and a control group (CG) comprised of 16 individuals of the same age. All individuals performed the Simple Timing (ST) task and their performance was measured in milliseconds. The study was conducted in a single phase with the execution of 20 consecutive trials for each participant. Results: There was a significant difference in the intergroup analysis for the accuracy adjustment - Absolute Error (Z = 3.656, p = 0.001); and for the performance consistence - Variable Error (Z = 2.939, p = 0.003). Conclusion: DS individuals have more difficulty in integrating the motor action to an external stimulus and they also present more inconsistence in performance. Both groups presented the same tendency to delay their motor responses. © 2013 Torriani-Pasin et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Redes neurais e representação mental: um ensaio sobre harmonia e racionalidade

Investigaremos, a partir da perspectiva da Ciência Cognitiva, a noção de representação mental, no domínio da percepção visual humana. Ênfase é dada ao paradigma Conexionista, ou de Redes Neurais, de acordo com o qual tais representações mentais são descritas como estruturas emergentes da interação entre sistemas de processamento de informação que se auto-organizam - tais como o cérebro - e a luz estruturada no meio ambiente. Sugerimos que essa noção de representação mental indica uma solução para uma antiga polêmica, entre Representacionalistas e Eliminativistas, acerca da existência de representações mentais no sistema perceptual humano.

Estatuto biológico do processamento de informação mental

Raciocinando no contexto do programa neomecanicista para a Biologia, estudamos a natureza do processamento de informação no sistema vivo em geral, e no cérebro humano em particular, onde uma aplicação do modelo da Auto-Organização nos conduz à hipótese do Supercódigo. Este seria um programa mental, molecularmente codificado, responsável pelas competências inatas, como a competência lingüística. Fazemos também uma comparação entre nossa hipótese e a da Linguagem do Pensamento, proposta por Jerry Fodor.

The relationship between place BANA reactivity and clinical parameters in subjects with mental disabilities

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether subjects institutionalized with mental retardation have a relationship between periodontal clinical parameters and the presence of the BANA-positive periodontal pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Bacteroides forsythus in their subgingival plaques. Fifty institutionalized subjects (25 patients with Down syndrome and 25 subjects with mental retardation) were matched with respect to age and sex. Periodontal clinical parameters (Bleeding on Probing, BOP; Papillary Bleeding Score, PBS; and Probing Depth, PD) were obtained from 6 reference teeth (3, 8, 14, 19, 24, 30). In addition, subgingival plaque samples taken from the same 6 teeth were analyzed for the presence of the BANA-positive species, by means of the chairside BANA test. In both the patients with Down syndrome and the group with mental retardation, the presence of BANA-positive plaques was significantly associated with bleeding on probing (p < 0.05) and increased probing depth (p < 0.01, Chisquare). Analysis of these data indicated that the BANA test could be used in combination with clinical criteria to diagnose a periodontopathy anaerobic Infection in institutionalized subjects.

Adaptação para o Português do questionário de auto-avaliação de percepção de saúde física e mental da mulher de meia-idade - Questionário da Saúde da Mulher

The objective of this study is to translate to Brazilian Portuguese, and validate (criterion) it to the Brazilian population, the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ), questionnaire was developed by Hunter (1992) in order to evaluate physical and mental symptoms, which were experienced by women, along their climacteric transition. A sample of 63 women, from 45 to 65 years old, was selected from the HC-UNESP staff and HC-Community Health School Center users. The WHQ and the General Health Questionnaire - GHQ (Goldberg-1972 - 60 items) were answered by all of them. The GHQ was used as reference. Pearson correlation coefficient, sensitivity and specificity were calculated for assessing the validity of the questionnaire. Cut-off points were determined in the WHQ by linear regressions (the reference was GHQ's cut-off points - higher than 2). Outcomes highlighted a general index of sensitivity of 0.83, specificity of 0.87, and correlation of - 0.82 and reliability of 0.89. The study sample does not portray the general population because the persons interviewed had high level of education. As the WHQ is easy to be applied and analyzed, it could be used in general, gynecologic, oncology and psychiatric practice.

A família do portador de sofrimento psíquico e os serviços de saúde mental: Estudo de caso

This qualitative research, case study type, aimed at presenting the understanding of psychic sufferers in search for mental health services during emergency situation, partial hospitalization or in ambulatory services. 12 family members were interviewed. They reported difficulties in the attendance in the emergency room when the patient is in crisis, as well as doctors considering merely the present symptomatology and undervaluing their own knowledge of the sickening process. The day-care hospital is conceived as a place to provide care, occupation and should teach as a school. The ambulatory service represents for the family the possibility of the patient being responsible for their attendance to the consultations and for the correct use of the medication.

Diagnostic agreement of conventional and inverted scanned panoramic radiographs in the detection of the mandibular canal and the mental foramen.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic agreement of conventional panoramic radiographs and their inverted scanned images in the detection of the mandibular canal and mental foramen. A total of 77 panoramic radiographs obtained from the files of totally edentulous patients were used. Digitization was done by means of a scanner with brightness and contrast adjustment, as well as image inversion. The extension of mandibular canal was divided into anterior, middle, and posterior regions, and the presence of a radiopaque line that characterized the mandibular canal was classified according to a 5-point confidence scale. The mental foramen was classified in 4 types: continuous, separated, diffuse, and unidentified. Both conventional and inverted scanned panoramic radiographs were evaluated by 3 calibrated implantologists at 2 distinct moments with a minimum interval of 10 days between them. Intraexaminer agreement was evaluated by Kappa statistics by point and by 95% confidence interval. Because the intraexaminer level of agreement was low, interexaminer agreements could not be carried out. The results showed a substantial (in 2 situations), moderate (in 16 situations), and fair (in 18 situations) intraexaminer agreement for mandibular canal and a substantial (in 1 situation), fair (in 1 situation), and moderate (in 10 situations) intraeaminer agreement for mental foramen. There were no statistically significant differences in most instances. In conclusion, the diagnostic agreement of conventional and inverted scanned panoramic radiographs for detection of mandibular canal and mental foramen was low.