Impact of Childhood Cancer on Parents` Relationships: An Integrative Review

Purpose: The diagnosis of cancer and the treatment decisions associated with it may cause uncertainty, stress, and anxiety among parents. Emotional tensions can affect parents` relationships during the trajectory of the child`s cancer illness. We conducted an integrative review to examine the evidence related to the effects of childhood cancer on parents` relationships. Methods: An integrative literature search of studies published between 1997 and 2009 was conducted in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Psychology Information (PsycINFO), PubMed, Scopus, CUIDEN, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature (LILACS). The key words used were neoplasms, child, marriage, spouses, family relations, and nursing. Articles were reviewed if the (a) topic addressed parents` relationships during childhood cancer; (b) participants were mothers, fathers, or both; (c) design was either qualitative or quantitative; (d) language was English, Portuguese, or Spanish; (e) date of publication was between January 1997 and October 2009; and (f) abstract was available. Results: Fourteen articles met the search criteria and were reviewed using Cooper`s framework for integrative reviews. Four themes emerged: (a) changes in the parents` relationship during the trajectory of the child`s illness; (b) difficulty in communication between couples; (c) gender differences in parental stress and coping; and (d) role changes. Conclusions and Implications: Findings revealed positive and negative changes in parents` relationships, communication, stress, and roles. Nurses need to assess the impact of cancer diagnosis and treatments on parent relationships, offer support and encouragement, and allow expression of feelings. Future research is needed to develop and test interventions that increase parents` potentials and strengthen relationships during the challenging trajectory of their children`s cancer and treatment. Clinical Relevance: The multiple sources of stress and uncertainty associated with a child`s cancer diagnosis and treatment affect parents` relationships. Difficulties in communication appear frequently in parents` relationship. Our findings may guide healthcare professionals in identifying parents at risk for developing conflicts, communication problems, and lack of alignment between parents that could interfere with providing optimal care for their child with cancer. Healthcare professionals may promote dialogue and encourage parents to express their feelings, seek mutual support, and establish a partnership in dealing with the child`s illness.

Relationships between human resource dimensions and environmental management in companies: proposal of a model

This work deals with the main contributions of human resource dimensions for the environmental management in a company. While the specialized literature concerning the technical aspects of environmental management expands, there is a gap in the bibliography: integrated approaches between human resource dimensions and environmental management. An extensive bibliographical review was undertaken in order to systematize the human resource dimensions and their contributions concerning the effectiveness of the environmental management system. A model that analyses the relationships between these dimensions and the typical phases of an environmental management system is presented, within a perspective of application for academicians and managers. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An exploratory analysis of relationships between socioeconomic, land use, activity participation variables and travel patterns

This paper aims to find relations between the socioeconomic characteristics, activity participation, land use patterns and travel behavior of the residents in the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMA) by using Exploratory Multivariate Data Analysis (EMDA) techniques. The variables influencing travel pattern choices are investigated using: (a) Cluster Analysis (CA), grouping and characterizing the Traffic Zones (17), proposing the independent variable called Origin Cluster and, (b) Decision Tree (DT) to find a priori unknown relations among socioeconomic characteristics, land use attributes of the origin TZ and destination choices. The analysis was based on the origin-destination home-interview survey carried out in SPMA in 1997. The DT application revealed the variables of greatest influence on the travel pattern choice. The most important independent variable considered by DT is car ownership, followed by the Use of Transportation ""credits"" for Transit tariff, and, finally, activity participation variables and Origin Cluster. With these results, it was possible to analyze the influence of a family income, car ownership, position of the individual in the family, use of transportation ""credits"" for transit tariff (mainly for travel mode sequence choice), activities participation (activity sequence choice) and Origin Cluster (destination/travel distance choice). (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structure of a Population of Hydromedusa maximiliani (Testudines, Chelidae) from Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, an Atlantic Rainforest Preserve in Southeastern Brazil

We studied the structure of a population of Hydromedusa maximiliani associated with a stream in Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Nucleo Itutinga-Piloes, southeastern Brazil, between October 2004 and October 2005. Twenty-five individuals were captured, and a population size of 43.72 +/- 23.7 individuals was estimated. This value is similar to that of the population of Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, another Atlantic forest reserve of southeastern Brazil. Males were recaptured more frequently than females, suggesting higher activity and/or greater movement of males.

Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Large-Scale Ecological Restoration in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

Over the past 150 years, Brazil has played a pioneering role in developing environmental policies and pursuing forest conservation and ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems. In particular, the Brazilian Forest Act, first drafted in 1934, has been fundamental in reducing deforestation and engaging private land owners in forest restoration initiatives. At the time of writing (December 2010), however, a proposal for major revision of the Brazilian Forest Act is under intense debate in the National Assembly, and we are deeply concerned about the outcome. On the basis of the analysis of detailed vegetation and hydrographic maps, we estimate that the proposed changes may reduce the total amount of potential areas for restoration in the Atlantic Forest by approximately 6 million hectares. As a radically different policy model, we present the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact (AFRP), which is a group of more than 160 members that represents one of the most important and ambitious ecological restoration programs in the world. The AFRP aims to restore 15 million hectares of degraded lands in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome by 2050 and increase the current forest cover of the biome from 17% to at least 30%. We argue that not only should Brazilian lawmakers refrain from revising the existing Forest Law, but also greatly step up investments in the science, business, and practice of ecological restoration throughout the country, including the Atlantic Forest. The AFRP provides a template that could be adapted to other forest biomes in Brazil and to other megadiversity countries around the world.

New records of Rhagomys rufescens (Rodentia : Sigmodontinae) in the Atlantic forest of Brazil

Since it was trapped in the XIX(th) century, Rhagomys rufescens has been considered a rare endangered sigmodontine rodent and an endemic species of the Atlantic forest. Only a handful of vouchers of this taxon were known by Thomas, 1886. Recently, eight new individuals were collected, providing new geographical, morphological and phylogenetic (based on molecular evidence) information on this species. In the present work we report the southernmost occurrence record for R. rufescens at Indaial, Santa Catarina State, with the largest collected series of this species, the northernmost occurrence record at Santa Teresa, Espirito Santo State, and new records from Pocos de Caldas, Minas Gerais State, from Ibiuna and Ribeirao Grande, Sao Paulo State.

Can intensive management accelerate the restoration of Brazil`s Atlantic forests?

Only 7% of the once extensive forest along the eastern coast of Brazil remains, and much of that is degraded and threatened by agricultural expansion and urbanization. We wondered if methods similar to those developed to establish fast-growing Eucalyptus plantations might also work to enhance survival and growth of rainforest species on degraded pastures composed of highly competitive C(4) grasses. An 8-factor experiment was laid out to contrast the value of different intensities of cultivation, application of fertilizer and weed control on the growth and survival of a mixture of 20 rainforest species planted at two densities: 3 m x 1 m, and 3 m x 2 m. Intensive management increased seedling survival from 90% to 98%, stemwood production and leaf area index (LAI) by similar to 4-fold, and stemwood production per unit of light absorbed by 30%. Annual growth in stem biomass was closely related to LAI alone (r(2) = 0.93, p < 0.0001), and the regression improved further in combination with canopy nitrogen content (r(2) =0.99, p < 0.0001). Intensive management resulted in a nearly closed forest canopy in less than 4 years, and offers a practical means to establish functional forests on abandoned agricultural land. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New species of Anastrepha Schiner (Diptera, Tephritidae) from remnant area of the Atlantic Rain Forest and surroundings in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil

Four new species of Anastrepha Schiner were collected in McPhail-type traps hung in trees in a natural reserve and in commercial papaya orchards in Linhares, Espirito Santo state, Brazil. They are described and named herein as follows: Anastrepha atlantica n. sp., Anastrepha glochin n. sp., Anastrepha linharensis n. sp. and Anastrepha martinsi n. sp. Only the latter was collected in traps hung in papaya orchards. The classification of these species in species groups of Anastrepha is also discussed.

Natural regeneration of Atlantic Forest species in the understory of Eucalyptus saligna Smith. in a former forest production unit at the Parque das Neblinas, Bertioga, SP

This study aimed at characterizing the potential for natural regeneration of native vegetation in the under-story of an earlier Eucalyptus saligna Smith production stand. The study was carried out at the Parque das Neblinas, Bertioga municipality, SP, in a 45 ha third rotation stand; which had been abandoned 15 years ago for natural regeneration to occur. The sampling was done in 24 plots of 20 x 40 m. The sampled area was of 19,200 m(2), with inventory made of 100% of the eucalyptus trees. All regeneration trees with a height >= 1.30 m and DBH >= 5.0 cm were measured, as well as adult individuals with DBH >= 5.0 cm; surveyed in two size classes. 1,417 individuals of E. saligna were measured, with a density of 738,02 individuals/ha and a basal area of 22.69 m(2)/ha. Among 2,763 natural regeneration individuals, 111 species belonged to 66 genera and 34 botanical families. The species represented 43.7% of the tree richness of neighboring native forest fragments. The total estimated density and the basal area were respectively 1,052.6 individuals/ha and 6.4 m(2)/ha of autochthonous trees with DBH >= 5.0 cm (Class 1); while for regeneration there were 3,864.58 individuals/ha, and 2.76 m(2)/ha of individuals with a height >= 1.30 m and DBH <5.0 cm (Class 2). Shannon diversity (H`) was 2.83 and 3.68, respectively, for Classes 1 and 2, and the corrected species richness for a 1000-individual sample (R(1000)) were 75.6 and 87.29 (Fisher`s a index) for the same classes. The majority of the species (34.84%) was typical from the understory of wet tropical forest and had zoochoric fruit dispersal (67.57%). The results indicate that, under these conditions, a eucalyptus forest is able to provide adequate regeneration niches for native vegetation, and may represent a sink habitat for local populations.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers from Guarea guidonia (Meliaceae), a tree species from different habitats within the Brazilian Atlantic forest

The tree species Guarea guidonea (Meliaceae) belongs to a predominantly tropical family, being largely found in natural or anthropic forest fragments within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Aiming to develop future studies on the genetic structure of plant species from forests fragments, eleven microsatellite markers were developed for Guarea guidonia, based on the analysis of 45 individuals from natural populations of three different fragments within the forest-anthropic edge, interior fragment and natural edge. Only eight loci showed to be polymorphic and the number of alleles ranged from two to four (mean of 2.50). All populations showed almost the same level of genetic diversity (mean H(e) = 0.3775). These loci will be useful for population genetics studies on Guarea guidonea, providing information for the conservation and management of this species.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for Psychotria tenuinervis (Rubiaceae), a shrub species from the Atlantic forest, and primers transferability from Coffea

The shrub species Psychotria tenuinervis (Rubiaceae) is native to the Brazilian Atlantic forest and is largely found within natural and disturbed forest fragments. Aiming to develop studies on population genetic structure of forest fragment species, eigth microsatellite markers were developed for P. tenuinervis. Also, 15 loci already developed for Coffea (Rubiaceae) were tested for transferability to this species. We utilized 45 individuals from natural populations of three different fragments-anthropic edge, interior fragment and natural edge, within the Brazilian Atlantic forest. The average number of alleles per locus was 2.5 (two-four alleles/locus). These loci will be useful for future population genetic studies aiming to the conservation and management of this species.

Chemical characterization, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity of jussara (Euterpe edulis) fruit from the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil

Samples of fruit from the jussara palm plant (Euterpe edulis), collected in different regions of the state of Santa Catarina. Brazil, were analyzed for chemical composition. phenolic acids. anthocyanins, flavonoids and fatty acids profile. Results indicated that the jussara fruit has a high lipid content (18.45-44.08%), oleic acid (44.17-55.61%) and linoleic acid (18.19-25.36%) are the fatty acids found in the highest proportion, and other components were proteins (5.13-8.21%). ash (1.55-3.32%) and moisture (34.95-42.47%). Significant differences were found in the total phenolic, total monomeric anthocyanins and other flavonoids for the samples from the five cultivation regions. The fruit from region E harvested in summer, with high temperatures and medium altitudes, had the highest contents of total phenolics (2610.86 +/- 3.89 mg 100 g(-1) GAE) and monomeric anthocyanins (1080.54 +/- 2.33 mg 100g(-1) cy-3-glu). The phenolic compound included ferulic, gallic, hydroxybenzoic and p-coumaric acids, as well as catechin, epicatechin and quercetin. The results show promising perspectives for the exploitation of this tropical fruit with a chemical composition comprising considerable phenolic acids and flavonoids compounds and showing activity antioxidant. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Relationships between gene polymorphisms of folate-related proteins and vitamins and metabolites in pregnant women and neonates

Background: The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) and reduced folate carrier (RFC1) gene polymorphisms were associated with folate status. We investigated the effects of these polymorphisms on serum folate (SF) and folate-related metabolites in mothers and their neonates. Methods: Cobalamin (Cbl), SF, total homocysteine (tHcy), methylmalonic acid (MMA), S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) were measured in 275 healthy women and their neonates. MTHFR C677T, GCPII C1561T and RFC1 A80G polymorphisms were determined by PCR-RFLP. Results: Maternal tHcy was affected individually by MTHFR C677T and GCPII C1561T polymorphisms and by combined genotypes MTHFR 677TT/GCPII 1561CC and MTHFR 677TT/RFC1 80AG. The MTHFR and RFC1 polymorphisms were not associated with variations in vitamins or SAM, SAH and MMA in neonates. Neonatal tHcy was predicted directly by maternal tHcy and inversely by maternal SF, neonatal Cbl and neonatal RFC1 80G allele (AG+GG genotypes). Maternal MMA and SAM/SAH were predicted by creatinine and Cbl, respectively. Neonatal MMA was predicted by maternal MMA and GCPII 1561T allele (CT+TT genotypes) and by neonatal Cbl. Conclusions: Maternal tHcy was affected by MTHFR C677T, RFC1 A80G and GCPII C1561T polymorphisms. Maternal GCPII C1561T variant was associated with neonatal MMA. Neonatal RFC1 A80G polymorphism influenced tHcy in neonates. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Schistosomicidal and trypanocidal structure-activity relationships for (+/-)-licarin A and its (-)- and (+)-enantiomers

(+/-)-Licarin A (1) was obtained by oxidative coupling, and its enantiomers, (-)-licarin A (2) and (+)-licarin A (3), were resolved by chiral HPLC. Schistosomicidal and trypanocidal activities of these compounds were evaluated in vitro against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms and trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. The racemic mixture (1) displayed significant schistosomicidal activity with an LC(50) value of 53.57 mu M and moderate trypanocidal activity with an IC(50) value of 127.17 mu M. On the other hand, the (-)-enantiomer (2), displaying a LC(50) value of 91.71 mu M, was more active against S. mansoni than the (+)-enantiomer (3), which did not show activity. For the trypanocidal assay, enantiomer 2 showed more significant activity (IC(50) of 23.46 mu M) than enantiomer 3, which showed an IC(50) value of 87.73 mu M. Therefore, these results suggest that (+/-)-licarin A (1) and (-)-licarin A (2) are promising compounds that could be used for the development of schistosomicidal and trypanocidal agents. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clonal relationships determined by multilocus sequence typing among enteropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated in Brazil

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) infections are a leading cause of infantile diarrhea in developing nations. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) characterizes bacterial strains based on the sequences of internal fragments in housekeeping genes. Little is known about strains of EPEC analyzed by MLST from Brazil. In this study, a diverse collection of 29 EPEC strains isolated from patients with diarrhea, admitted to the University Hospital of Ribeirao Preto, was characterized by MLST. Strain analysis demonstrated 22 different sequence types (STs), of which almost half (48%) were new, indicating a high genotype diversity. The 22 STs were divided by eBURST into 12 clonal complexes. It was not possible to correlate typical and atypical EPEC with other strains in the MLST database. This is the first study that analyzed EPEC strains from South America that are included in the E. coli MLST database. Nine (31%) out of 29 strains are part of the CC10 clonal complex, the major clonal complex in the database, which comprises 174 strains and 86 different STs, suggesting that these strains might be the most important intestinal pathogenic E. coli worldwide. Genetic relationships between typical and atypical EPEC, enterohemorrhagic E. coli, and enteroaggregative E. coli strains were not established by MLST.