Psychological distress in health sciences college students and its relationship with academic engagement

Objective: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress and its relationship with academic engagement (absorption, dedication and vigor), sex and degree among students from four public universities. Method: A non-experimental,comparative correlational, quantitative investigation without intervention. Study population: 1840 nursing and physical therapy students. The data collection tool used was a questionnaire. Results: A 32.2% prevalence of psychological distress was found in the subjects; a correlation between vigor and psychological distress was found for all of the subjects and also for women. High absorption and dedication scores and low psychological distress scores predicted higher vigor scores. Conclusion: The risk of psychological distress is high, especially for women. Women seem to have a higher level of psychological distress than men. Vigor, energy and mental resilience positively influence psychological distress and can be a vehicle for better results during the learning and studying process.







Adherence and perceptions regarding simulation training in undergraduate health Sciences

BACKGROUND: Simulation techniques are spreading rapidly in medicine. Suc h resources are increasingly concentrated in Simulation Laboratories. The MSRP-USP is structuring such a laboratory and is interested in the prevalence of individual initiatives that could be centralized there. The MSRP-USP currently has five full-curriculum courses in the health sciences: Medicine, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nutrition, and Occupational Therapy, all consisting of core disciplines. GOAL: To determine the prevalence of simulation techniques in the regular courses at MSRP-USP. METHODS: Coordinators of disciplines in the various courses were interviewed using a specifically designed semi-structured questionnaire, and all the collected data were stored in a dedicated database. The disciplines were grouped according to whether they used (GI) or did not use (GII) simulation resources. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: 256 disciplines were analyzed, of which only 18.3% used simulation techniques, varying according to course: Medicine (24.7.3%), Occupational Therapy (23.0%), Nutrition (15.9%), Physical Therapy (9.8%), and Speech Therapy (9.1%). Computer simulation programs predominated (42.5%) in all five courses. The resources were provided mainly by MSRP-USP (56.3%), with additional funding coming from other sources based on individual initiatives. The same pattern was observed for maintenance. There was great interest in centralizing the resources in the new Simulation Laboratory in order to facilitate maintenance, but there was concern about training and access to the material. CONCLUSIONS: 1) The MSRP-USP simulation resources show low complexity and are mainly limited to computer programs; 2) Use of simulation varies according to course, and is most prevalent in Medicine; 3) Resources are scattered across several locations, and their acquisition and maintenance depend on individual initiatives rather than central coordination or curricular guidelines

Molecular characterization of DDX26, a human DEAD-box RNA helicase, located on chromosome 7p12

DEAD-box proteins comprise a family of ATP-dependent RNA helicases involved in several aspects of RNA metabolism. Here we report the characterization of the human DEAD-box RNA helicase DDX26. The gene is composed of 14 exons distributed over an extension of 8,123 bp of genomic sequence and encodes a transcript of 1.8 kb that is expressed in all tissues evaluated. The predicted amino acid sequence shows a high similarity to a yeast DEAD-box RNA helicase (Dbp9b) involved in ribosome biogenesis. The new helicase maps to 7p12, a region of frequent chromosome amplifications in glioblastomas involving the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Nevertheless, co-amplification of DDX26 with EGFR was not detected in nine tumors analyzed.

Postpartum changes in plasma viral load and CD4 percentage among HIV-infected women from Latin American and Caribbean countries: the NISDI Perinatal Study

The goal of this study was to evaluate changes in plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA concentration [viral load (VL)] and CD4+ percentage (CD4%) during 6-12 weeks postpartum (PP) among HIV-infected women and to assess differences according to the reason for receipt of antiretrovirals (ARVs) during pregnancy [prophylaxis (PR) vs. treatment (TR)]. Data from a prospective cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development International Site Development Initiative Perinatal Study) were analyzed. Women experiencing their first pregnancy who received ARVs for PR (started during pregnancy, stopped PP) or for TR (initiated prior to pregnancy and/or continued PP) were included and were followed PP. Increases in plasma VL (> 0.5 log10) and decreases in CD4% (> 20% relative decrease in CD4%) between hospital discharge (HD) and PP were assessed. Of the 1,229 women enrolled, 1,119 met the inclusion criteria (PR: 601; TR: 518). At enrollment, 87% were asymptomatic. The median CD4% values were: HD [34% (PR); 25% (TR)] and PP [29% (PR); 24% (TR)]. The VL increases were 60% (PR) and 19% (TR) (p < 0.0001). The CD4% decreases were 36% (PR) and 18% (TR) (p < 0.0001). Women receiving PR were more likely to exhibit an increase in VL [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 7.7 (95% CI: 5.5-10.9) and a CD4% decrease (AOR 2.3; 95% CI: 1.6-3.2). Women receiving PR are more likely to have VL increases and CD4% decreases compared to those receiving TR. The clinical implications of these VL and CD4% changes remain to be explored.

Antemortem diagnosis of human rabies in a veterinarian infected when handling a herbivore in Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Ministry of Health's National Human Rabies Control Program advocates pre-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for professionals involved with animals that are at risk of contracting rabies. We report an antemortem and postmortem diagnosis of rabies in a veterinarian who became infected when handling herbivores with rabies. The antemortem diagnosis was carried out with a saliva sample and a biopsy of hair follicles using molecular biology techniques, while the postmortem diagnosis used a brain sample and conventional techniques. The veterinarian had collected samples to diagnose rabies in suspect herbivores (bovines and caprines) that were subsequently confirmed to be positive in laboratory tests. After onset of classic rabies symptoms, saliva and hair follicles were collected and used for antemortem diagnostic tests and found to be positive by RT-PCR. Genetic sequencing showed that the infection was caused by variant 3 (Desmodus rotundus), a finding confirmed by tests on the brain sample. It is essential that professionals who are at risk of infection by the rabies virus undergo pre-exposure prophylaxis. This study also confirms that molecular biology techniques were used successfully for antemortem diagnosis and therefore not only allow therapeutic methods to be developed, but also enable the source of infection in human rabies cases to be identified accurately and quickly.

Impact on human health of particulate matter emitted from burnings in the Brazilian Amazon region

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact on human health of exposure to particulate matter emitted from burnings in the Brazilian Amazon region. METHODS: This was an ecological study using an environmental exposure indicator presented as the percentage of annual hours (AH%) of PM2.5 above 80 μg/m3. The outcome variables were the rates of hospitalization due to respiratory disease among children, the elderly and the intermediate age group, and due to childbirth. Data were obtained from the National Space Research Institute and the Ministry of Health for all of the microregions of the Brazilian Amazon region, for the years 2004 and 2005. Multiple regression models for the outcome variables in relation to the predictive variable AH% of PM2.5 above 80 μg/m3 were analyzed. The Human Development Index (HDI) and mean number of complete blood counts per 100 inhabitants in the Brazilian Amazon region were the control variables in the regression analyses. RESULTS: The association of the exposure indicator (AH%) was higher for the elderly than for other age groups (β = 0.10). For each 1% increase in the exposure indicator there was an increase of 8% in child hospitalization, 10% in hospitalization of the elderly, and 5% for the intermediate age group, even after controlling for HDI and mean number of complete blood counts. No association was found between the AH% and hospitalization due to childbirth. CONCLUSIONS: The indicator of atmospheric pollution showed an association with occurrences of respiratory diseases in the Brazilian Amazon region, especially in the more vulnerable age groups. This indicator may be used to assess the effects of forest burning on human health.