Work-related stress according to the demand-control model and minor psychic disorders in nursing workers

This was a cross-sectional study that aimed to assess the association between work-related stress according to the Demand-Control Model, and the occurrence of Minor Psychic Disorder (MPD) in nursing workers. The participants were 335 professionals, out of which 245 were nursing technicians, aged predominantly between 20 and 40 years. Data were collected using the Job Stress Scale and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. The analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical statistics. The prevalence of suspected MPD was 20.6%. Workers classified in the quadrants active job and high strain of the Demand-Control Model presented higher potential for developing MPD compared with those classified in the quadrant low strain. In conclusion, stress affects the mental health of workers and the aspects related to high psychological demands and high control still require further insight in order to understand their influence on the disease processes of nursing workers.

Hospitalizations leading causes for maternal disorders

Presenting the rates of obstetric admissions of women living in Paraná in 2010.Method: A descriptive study in which the admission information of the hospital system of the Unified Health System was analyzed. Data from women aged between 10 to 49 years available on the DATASUS website were analyzed, using percentage and according to primary diagnosis, age and Regional Health area.Results: The Rate of Obstetric Complications (RtOC) was 38%, increasing with the age of women. Complications of labor and delivery (10.5%), and pregnancy with abortive outcome (9.1%) were the diagnoses with highest RtOC. The RtOC ranged between 8.4% in Telêmaco Borba, until 62.6% in Ponta Grossa.Conclusion: The healthcare team should monitor the rates of admissions for obstetric complications as these indicate the quality of health care of women, mainly focused on labor, delivery and women of older age.


Genetic counseling for individuals with hemoglobin disorders and for their relatives: a systematic literature review

Objective: To identify genetic counseling programs that do not encourage therapeutic abortion for individuals with hemoglobin disorders and/or for their relatives. Method: Systematic literature review of articles published from 2001 to 2012 that are located in the PubMed, LILACS, SciELO and SCOPUS databases using keywords in Portuguese, English and Spanish and that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria described on a standardized form. Results: A total of 409 articles were located, but only eight (1.9%) were selected for analysis. Conclusion: Although seldom mentioned in the literature, educational/preventive programs targeting hemoglobinopathies are feasible and allow the affected individuals to acquire knowledge on the consequences of this condition and their odds of transmitting it.



Difficulties of familes in caring for children and adolescents with mental disorders: an integrative review

Objective To identify the difficulties of families with children and/or adolescents with mental disorder. Method This is an integrative review. In December 2013, an electronic search was performed on Latin American Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences databases (LILACS) and on Electronic Medicus Index of the National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE) indexed in the Health Virtual Library (BVS) using a combination of descriptors and boolean operators as follows: mental disorders and child or adolescent and caregivers and/not health staff. Results 557 studies were identified, of which 15 were selected for this study. The findings indicated difficulties related to the care for or to interaction with children/adolescents with mental disorder. Conclusion The studies revealed difficulties related to everyday practices of care and feelings expressed during care practices, as well as in relationships with children or adolescents with mental disorder.



Massage with aromatherapy: effectiveness on anxiety of users with personality disorders in psychiatric hospitalization

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effectiveness of aromatherapy massage using the essential oils (0.5%) of Lavandula angustifolia and Pelargonium graveolens for anxiety reduction in patients with personality disorders during psychiatric hospitalization. METHOD Uncontrolled clinical trial with 50 subjects submitted to six massages with aromatherapy, performed on alternate days, on the cervical and the posterior thoracic regions. Vital data (heart and respiratory rate) were collected before and after each session and an anxiety scale (Trait Anxiety Inventory-State) was applied at the beginning and end of the intervention. The results were statistically analyzed with the chi square test and paired t test. RESULTS There was a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.001) of the heart and respiratory mean rates after each intervention session, as well as in the inventory score. CONCLUSION Aromatherapy has demonstrated effectiveness in anxiety relief, considering the decrease of heart and respiratory rates in patients diagnosed with personality disorders during psychiatric hospitalization.

Violence, Burnout and Minor Psychiatric Disorders in Hospital Work

OBJECTIVE Identifying the violence suffered by the health team workers and their association with Burnout and minor psychiatric disorders. METHODS Cross-sectional study with 269 health team professionals of a public hospital in southern Brazil. Data were collected through the use of the Survey Questionnaire: Workplace Violence in the Health Sector, Maslach Inventory Burnout and Self-Report Questionnaire. RESULTS Workplace violence struck 63.2% of workers, prevailing mostly in women (p = 0.001), among nursing auxiliaries/technicians (p=0.014) and was associated with minor psychiatric disorders (p<0.05), as exposure to different forms of violence increased the chances of these disorders by 60% (CI 95%: 1.2-2.1). The three Burnout dimensions were also associated to violence at work (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Health workers experience violence in the workplace and this exposure is associated with Burnout symptoms and minor psychiatric disorders.

Apple biological and physiological disorders in the orchard and in postharvest according to production system

The study aimed to evaluate the incidence of biological and physiological disorders in the field and postharvested apples cvs. Gala, Fuji and Catarina grown in four production systems: conventional, organic transition, integrated and organic. Apples were evaluated for damages related to biological and physiological disorders in the orchard and after harvest. The greatest damages were attributed to pests, especially Anastrepha fraterculus in the organic system and Grapholita molesta in the organic transition. Apples produced in organic orchards had higher damage levels caused by postharvest physiological disorders than those grown in other production systems. For apples becoming from organic orchards most of the damage was due to lenticels breakdown and degeneration ('Gala'), and bitter pit ('Fuji' and 'Catarina'). The incidence of postharvest rot was not influenced by apple production system.

Evaluation of common mental disorders in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and its relationship with body mass index

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of common mental disorders in women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome as compared with paired controls without this syndrome. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with a Control Group examining women between the ages of 18 and 30 who did not use antidepressants and who sought the Gynecology Service of the researched sites. For every woman diagnosed with the polycystic ovary syndrome, another with the same age, educational status and presence or absence of sexual partners was sought without this diagnosis. In total, 166 patients agreed to participate, consisting of 95 diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and 71 in the Control Group. The diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome was made by the presence of two from three criteria: oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovaries on transvaginal ultrasound, following exclusion of patients with Cushing's syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and androgen-secreting tumors. Weight and height were measured to calculate the body mass index. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire, which evaluated 20 items, was used as an indicator of common mental disorders. A χ² analysis stratified by the category of body mass index was used to compare the prevalence of common mental disorders, between the groups of women with and without the polycystic ovary syndrome. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, education, presence of sexual partners, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, use of psychiatric medication, and search for consultation in mental health between the studied groups. The prevalence of obese women with indications of common mental disorders was significantly higher in women with polycystic ovary syndrome than in the Control Group. In the group with healthy body mass index, the incidence of common mental disorders was statistically significant different between women with polycystic ovary syndrome and normal controls (p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Women with diagnosis of this disease have an almost three-fold increased likelihood of common mental disorders as compared with those without polycystic ovary syndrome. Although obesity is often observed in polycystic ovary syndrome, even women with a healthy body mass index have an increased risk of psychiatric comorbidity.

Retrospective study of ocular disorders in Amazon parrots

A retrospective study was conducted to identify the occurrence and types of ocular disorders in 57 Amazon parrots admitted to the Ophthalmology Service, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil from 1997 to 2006. The most frequent observed disorder was cataracts, present in 24 of the 114 examined eyes (57 parrots). Uveitis, ulcerative keratitis and keratoconjunctivitis were frequently diagnosed as well. The cornea was the most affected ocular structure, with 28 reported disorders. Uveal disorders also were commonly observed. Conjunctiva and eyelid disorders were diagnosed in lower frequency. Results suggest that cataracts are common and that cornea, lens and uvea are the most affected ocular structures in Amazon parrots.

Relationship of cytokines and cytokine signaling to immunodeficiency disorders in the mouse

The contributions of cytokines to the development and progression of disease in a mouse model of retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency (MAIDS) are controversial. Some studies have indicated an etiologic role for type 2 cytokines, while others have emphasized the importance of type 1 cytokines. We have used mice deficient in expression of IL-4, IL-10, IL-4 and IL-10, IFN-g, or ICSBP - a transcriptional protein involved in IFN signaling - to examine their contributions to this disorder. Our results demonstrate that expression of type 2 cytokines is an epiphenomenon of infection and that IFN-g is a driving force in disease progression. In addition, exogenously administered IL-12 prevents many manifestations of disease while blocking retrovirus expression. Interruption of the IFN signaling pathways in ICSBP-/- mice blocks induction of MAIDS. Predictably, ICSBP-deficient mice exhibit impaired responses to challenge with several other viruses. This immunodeficiency is associated with impaired production of IFN-g and IL-12. Unexpectedly, however, the ICSBP-/- mice also develop a syndrome with many similarities to chronic myelogenous leukemia in humans. The chronic phase of this disease is followed by a fatal blast crisis characterized by clonal expansions of undifferentiated cells. ICSBP is thus an important determinant of hematopoietic growth and differentiation as well as a prominent signaling molecule for IFNs

Smoking and psychiatric disorders: a comorbidity survey

Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown a positive correlation between smoking and psychiatric disorders. To investigate the prevalence of cigarette smoking, 277 psychiatric outpatients with anxiety or depressive disorders (DSM-IV) answered a self-evaluation questionnaire about smoking behavior and were compared with a group of 68 control subjects. The diagnoses (N = 262) were: 30.2% (N = 79) major depressive disorder, 23.3% (N = 61) panic disorder, 15.6% (N = 41) social anxiety disorder, 7.3% (N = 19) other anxiety disorders, and 23.7% (N = 62) comorbidity disorders. Among them, 26.3% (N = 69) were smokers, 23.7% (N = 62) were former smokers and 50.0% (N = 131) were nonsmokers. The prevalence of nicotine dependence among the smokers was 59.0% (DSM-IV). The frequency of cigarette smoking did not show any significant difference among the five classes of diagnosis. The social anxiety disorder patients were the heaviest smokers (75.0%), with more unsuccessful attempts to stop smoking (89.0%). The frequency of former smokers was significantly higher among older subjects and nonsmokers were significantly younger (c² = 9.13, d.f. = 2, P = 0.01). Our data present some clinical implications suggesting that in our psychiatric outpatient sample with anxiety disorder, major depression and comorbidity (anxiety disorder and major depression), the frequency of cigarette smoking did not differ from the frequency found in the control group or in general population studies. Some specific features of our population (outpatients, anxiety and depressive disorders) might be responsible for these results.

Electrophysiological evidence for glial-subtype glutamate transporter functional expression in rat cerebellar granule neurons

A glutamate-sensitive inward current (Iglu) is described in rat cerebellar granule neurons and related to a glutamate transport mechanism. We examined the features of Iglu using the patch-clamp technique. In steady-state conditions the Iglu measured 8.14 ± 1.9 pA. Iglu was identified as a voltage-dependent inward current showing a strong rectification at positive potentials. L-Glutamate activated the inward current in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal effect at about 18 µM and a maximum increase of 51.2 ± 4.4%. The inward current was blocked by the presence of dihydrokainate (0.5 mM), shown by others to readily block the GLT1 isoform. We thus speculate that Iglu could be attributed to the presence of a native glutamate transporter in cerebellar granule neurons.

Use of neuron-specific enolase for assessing the severity and outcome of neurological disorders in patients

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is a glycolytic enzyme present almost exclusively in neurons and neuroendocrine cells. NSE levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are assumed to be useful to estimate neuronal injury and clinical outcome of patients with serious clinical manifestations such as those observed in stroke, head injury, anoxic encephalopathy, encephalitis, brain metastasis, and status epilepticus. We compared levels of NSE in serum (sNSE) and in CSF (cNSE) among four groups: patients with meningitis (N = 11), patients with encephalic injuries associated with impairment of consciousness (ENC, N = 7), patients with neurocysticercosis (N = 25), and normal subjects (N = 8). Albumin was determined in serum and CSF samples, and the albumin quotient was used to estimate blood-brain barrier permeability. The Glasgow Coma Scale score was calculated at the time of lumbar puncture and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score was calculated at the time of patient discharge or death. The ENC group had significantly higher cNSE (P = 0.01) and albumin quotient (P = 0.005), but not sNSE (P = 0.14), levels than the other groups (Kruskal-Wallis test). Patients with lower GOS scores had higher cNSE levels (P = 0.035) than patients with favorable outcomes. Our findings indicate that sNSE is not sensitive enough to detect neuronal damage, but cNSE seems to be reliable for assessing patients with considerable neurological insult and cases with adverse outcome. However, one should be cautious about estimating the severity of neurological status as well as outcome based exclusively on cNSE in a single patient.