Struggling with daily life and enduring pain : a qualitative study of women's experiences with pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy

Background. Few studies have investigated the experiences of living with pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and its impact on pregnant women’s lives. To address this gap in knowledge, this study investigates the experiences of women living with PGP during pregnancy. Methods. A purposive sample, of nine pregnant women with diagnosed PGP, were interviewed about their experiences. Interviews were recorded, transcribed to text and analysed using a Grounded Theory approach. Results. The core category that evolved from the analysis of experiences of living with PGP in pregnancy was “struggling with daily life and enduring pain”. Three properties addressing the actions caused by PGP were identified: i) grasping the incomprehensible; ii) balancing support and dependence and iii) managing the losses. These experiences expressed by the informants constitute a basis for the consequences of PGP: iv) enduring pain; v) being a burden; vi) calculating the risks and the experiences of the informants as vii) abdicating as a mother. Finally, the informants’ experiences of the consequences regarding the current pregnancy and any potential future pregnancies is presented in viii) paying the price and reconsidering the future. A conceptual model of the actions and consequences experienced by the pregnant informants living with PGP is presented. Conclusions. PGP during pregnancy greatly affects the informant’s experiences of her pregnancy, her roles in relationships, and her social context. For informants with young children, PGP negatively affects the role of being a mother, a situation that further strains the experience. As the constant pain disturbs most aspects of the lives of the informants, improvements in the treatment of PGP is of importance as to increase the quality of life. This pregnancy-related condition is prevalent and must be considered a major public health concern during pregnancy.

Ionized oxygen vacancy-related electrical conductivity in (Pb(1-x)La(x)) (Zr(0.90)Ti(0.10))(1-x/4)O(3) ceramics

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis Due to Staphylococcus aureus: A Single-Center Experience over 15 Years

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Accurate Approach in the Treatment of Oral Bisphosphonate-Related Jaw Osteonecrosis

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is not completely understood and difficult to treat. Even though the occurrence of BRONJ is mainly related to the therapy with intravenous bisphosphonates (BPs), this article reports a case of long-term oral BP use and BRONJ occurrence. In addition, a literature review provides some additional information about BPs, BRONJ, and also a guideline for the prevention and treatment of BRONJ stages. A 79-year-old patient presented intense and persistent pain, purulent secretion, and exposed bone at the right side of the lower jaw. Thus, she was submitted to anamnesis, radiologic and tomographic examinations, and bacterial culture and sensitivity tests. These procedures were followed by surgical debridement of the bone and surrounding tissues/cyst and antibiotic prescription and histopathologic analysis of the fragments. Together, the examinations performed showed the occurrence of stage 2 BRONJ. Moreover, the antibiotic prescription, discontinuation of oral BP, and surgical procedures ensure that the patient had no more symptoms. Therefore, considering the presented case, we believe that an accurate approach is promising to diagnose and treat stage 2 BRONJ and other associated pathologic findings.

Chemical cues related to conspecific size in pintado catfish, Pseudoplatystoma coruscans

The pintado (Pseudoplatystoma coruscans) is a ferocious carnivorous catfish with evident cannibalistic behaviour; its nocturnal habits are related to its ability to use predominately chemical sensorial modalities. This study investigated whether the pintado distinguishes conspecifics of different body sizes using chemical cues, which may reflect different physiological conditions such as hunger or stress. Pintados were observed when receiving water conditioned by either larger or similar-size conspecifics. A control group consisted of pintados receiving unconditioned water. Twelve repetitions were used for each condition. Feeding-like behaviours were investigated in the receiver fish and showed that they responded only to the conditioned water. Furthermore, a higher frequency of responses occurred when the water was conditioned by a similar-size conspecific. Thus, it is concluded that pintados are able to recognize conspecific size by chemical cues related to size and that this ability contributes to the individual's decision making on whether to approach or to avoid the conspecific.

The inguinal macroglands of the frog Physalaemus nattereri (Leptodactylidae): structure, toxic secretion and relationship with deimatic behaviour

Amphibian skin is characterized by the presence of mucous glands, related to cutaneous breathing, reproduction and water balance, and granular glands, related to the production of toxins used in defence. In some species the granular glands can form accumulations in certain regions of the body. This is the case for inguinal macroglands of the leptodactylid frog Physalaemus nattereri, where these structures form a pair of black discs associated with deimatic behaviour. The morphology of the inguinal macroglands and their secretion were studied in this species and correlated to deimatic behaviour. The inguinal macroglands are formed from elongated granular glands that, in contrast with the granular glands of the rest of the skin, have small spherical granules with a proteinic content. In the dermis of the whole body, except for the inguinal macroglands and the inguinal region, a well-developed calcified dermal layer is observed. During deimatic behaviour these macroglands discourage a potential predator from attacking, but if visual cues are insufficient and the predator persists in the attack, atoxic secretion is eliminated in its mouth. This elimination is favoured by the absence of a calcified dermal layer in the macroglands, which makes the dermal region softer than the rest of the dorsal skin.

Age-related histopathological lesions in the Mongolian gerbil ventral prostate as a good model for studies of spontaneous hormone-related disorders

The Meriones unguiculatus (Mongolian) gerbil has demonstrated significant prostatic responses to hormonal treatments, and to drugs against human prostatic hyperplasia Spontaneous neoplasia develops in the older animals. Thirty gerbils (age 18 months) were divided into non-affected and prostatic lesion bearers and the prostate lesions were evaluated morphologically, immunohistochemically and quantitatively. The most frequent changes were in epithelial sites and, namely prostatic intraepithelial neoplasias, microinvasive carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. In the stromal compartment, cellular hyperplasia, when verified, was always associated with the sites of anomalous epithelium. Additionally, larger deposition of collagen fibrils, generating stromal fibrosis, was found in all the old gerbils analysed. The quantitative analysis showed that prostatic tissue proportions differed in altered areas, being specific for each lesion type. Isolated nuclear and nucleolar parameters were not effective in diagnosing the malign potential of lesions. However, the cellular proliferation and death indexes indicated larger cellular turnover in invasive lesions such as carcinomas. With these analyses, it could be verified that old gerbils present high propensity to develop spontaneous prostate changes and this may aid in a better understanding of the biological behaviour of human prostate cancer.

Intraosseous foreign-body granuloma in the mandible subsequent to a 20-year-old work-related accident

The purpose of this article was to describe the clinical and microscopic features of an intraosseous foreign-body granuloma in the mandible that developed after the traumatic implantation of metal fragments during a work-related accident. A 65-year-old male patient had a severe pain in the body of mandible. Clinical examination showed facial asymmetry and a scar, extending to the left mental region. Intraoral examination revealed a soft mass involving the left alveolar bone with normal appearance of the mucosa surface. Panoramic radiographs showed a radiolucent lesion along the mandible extending from the central incisive to the first molar. Computed tomography revealed an osteolytic mass in the same area. His medical history included a work-related accident twenty years prior to evaluation. During the biopsy an important amount of bright metal-like pieces surrounded by soft tissue were found. A microscopic examination showed a foreign body associated with an aggregation of multinucleated giant cells. The final diagnosis was a foreign body granuloma. Even though foreign-body granulomas in the mandible are rare lesions, dentists should be familiar with their features and include them in the differential diagnosis of tissue masses.

Hydrothermal rare earth elements mineralization in the Barra do Itapirapua carbonatite, southern Brazil: behaviour of selected trace elements and stable isotopes (C, O)

The Bura do Itapira pua carbonatite is located in southern Brazil and belongs to the Cretaceous Ponta Grossa alkaline-carbonatitic province related to the opening of the South Atlantic. The carbonatite complex is emplaced in Proterozoic granites and is mainly composed of plutonic magnesio- to ferrocarbonatite, with smaller amounts of subvolcanic magnesiocarbonatite. Hydrothermal alteration of the carbonatite has led to the formation of quartz, apatite, fluorite, rue earth fluorocarbonates, barite and sulfides in variable proportions. Trace element data, delta(13)C and delta(18)O are presented here, with the aim of better understanding the geochemical nature of hydrothermal alteration related to rare earth elements (REE) mineralization. The non-overprinted plutonic carbonatite shows the lowest REE contents, and its primitive carbon and oxygen stable isotopic composition places it in the field of primary igneous carbonatites. Two types of hydrothermally overprinted plutonic carbonatites can be distinguished based on secondary minerals and geochemical composition. Type I contains mainly quartz, rare earth fluorocarbonates and apatite as hydrothermal secondary minerals, and has steep chondrite normalized REE patterns, with Sigma(REE+Y) of up to 3 wt.% (i.e., two orders of magnitude higher than in fresh plutonic samples). In contrast, the Type II overprint contains apatite, fluorite and barite as dominant hydrothermal minerals, and is characterized by heavy REE enrichment relative to the fresh samples, with flat chondrite normalized REE patterns. Carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratios of Types I and II are elevated (delta(18)O + 8 to + 12 parts per thousand; delta(13)C - 6 to - 2 parts per thousand) relative to the fresh samples. Hydrothermally overprinted carbonatites exposed to weathering show even higher delta(18)O values (delta(18)O 13 to 25 parts per thousand) but no additional REE enrichment. The subvolcanic carbonatite has anomalously high delta(13)C of up to + 1 parts per thousand, which suggests crustal contamination through interaction with carbonate-bearing metasediments. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of spraying parameters on the electrochemical behaviour of HVOF thermally sprayed stainless steel coatings in 3.4% NaCl

Stainless steel coatings obtained by High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) were characterized using optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe micro-analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), open-circuit potential (E-OC) measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarisation tests. Differences among coated steels were mainly related with the gun-substrate distance parameter (310 nm for samples A and B and 260 min for C and D). The open-circuit potential values measured for all the samples after 18 h of immersion in aerated and unstirred 3.4% NaCl solution were: - 0.334, - 0.360, - 0.379 and - 0.412 V vs. Ag/AgCl,KClsat. for samples A to D, respectively. For EIS measurements, Nyquist plots showed higher capacitive semi-circle for samples sprayed at longer distance, indicating higher corrosion resistance in NaCl solution. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of gun transverse speed on electrochemical behaviour of thermally sprayed Cr3C2-NiCr coatings in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution

In the present study, different types of 75% Cr3C2-25% NiCr coatings were applied on a steel substrate by means of high velocity oxygen fuel spraying (HVOF), and studied using ac and dc electrochemical measurements in an aerated and unstirred 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. Structural characterization was determined before and after electrochemical tests. Differences between all sprayed systems are related to the gun transverse speed and number of deposited layers, which strongly affected the electrochemical characteristics of the coated steels. The coating obtained with a higher torch speed showed better resistance against corrosion. The electrochemical impedance results were analyzed using an equivalent circuit where porosity of the coatings and substrate oxidation were considered. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical behaviour of thermally sprayed Cr3C2-NiCr coatings in 0.5 M H2SO4 media

The electrochemical behaviour of coated Cr3C2-NiCr steel in aerated 0.5 M H2SO4 solution was studied by means of electrochemical a.c. and d.c. measurements. A complete structural characterization of the coated steel before and after electrochemical tests was also carried out to access the corrosion mechanism of coated steel, electrolyte penetration through the coating, and to confirm the results obtained using electrochemical techniques. Two types of Cr3C2-NiCr coatings produced by a high velocity oxy-fuel spraying system (HVOF) were studied. Differences between coated steels are related to the spraying parameters reflecting their behaviour against corrosion phenomena. The electrochemical behaviour of the coated steel was strongly influenced by porosity and the presence of microcracks in the coating. Once the electrolyte reaches the steel substrate, it corrodes in a galvanic manner resulting in coating detachment from the steel.

Sleep, stress, neurocognitive profile and healthrelated quality of life in adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

SUBSTITUTIONAL DONOR RELATED STATES AND AU/GE/NI CONTACTS TO ALXGA1-XAS

Current-voltage measurements performed on bulk AlxGa1-xAs equipped with Au/Ge/Ni contacts reveal surprising deviations from ohmic behaviour when the temperature is lowered to that of liquid nitrogen. Significant differences are observed between samples with x = 0.3 (direct band-gap material) and x = 0.5 (indirect band-gap material). The dominant states of the donor atoms Si (doping) or Ge are found to be responsible for such behaviour. Evidence for the existence of an effective-mass X-valley metastable state is also presented.

SEX-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN THE ANALGESIC RESPONSE TO THE RAT TAIL IMMERSION TEST

The analgesic response was evaluated by the tail immersion test in adult male (N = 30), female (N = 21) and androgenized female Wistar rats (N = 15). The reaction time for tail withdrawal from the hot water bath was faster for male than for female rats (3.48 +/- 0.12 vs 6.46 +/- 0.42 s). The reaction time of androgenized female rats was similar to that of male rats (3.08 +/- 0.16 s). Blockade of opiate receptors with naloxone (2 mg/kg, ip) decreased the sensitivity to the noxious stimuli in males (4.08 +/- 0.10 s) and in androgenized females (3.69 +/- 0.19 s) but increased it in female rats (5.01 +/- 0.41 s). These data show sex-related differences in the analgesic response evaluated by the tail immersion test and indicate that administration of androgens to newborn female rats affects their pain sensitivity.