Negotiating collective and individual agency : a qualitative study of young women's reproductive health in rural India

The societal changes in India and the available variety of reproductive health services call for evidence to inform health systems how to satisfy young women's reproductive health needs. Inspired by Foucault's power idiom and Bandura's agency framework, we explore young women's opportunities to practice reproductive agency in the context of collective social expectations. We carried out in-depth interviews with 19 young women in rural Rajasthan. Our findings highlight how changes in notions of agency across generations enable young women's reproductive intentions and desires, and call for effective means of reproductive control. However, the taboo around sex without the intention to reproduce made contraceptive use unfeasible. Instead, abortions were the preferred method for reproductive control. In conclusion, safe abortion is key, along with the need to address the taboo around sex to enable use of "modern" contraception. This approach could prevent unintended pregnancies and expand young women's agency.

Inflammatory cytokine mRNA detection by real time PCR in chorioamniotic membranes from pregnant women with preterm premature rupture of membranes

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

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF-receptor expression in placenta of hyperglycemic pregnant women

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

Increased Reactive Oxygen Species and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Production by Monocytes are Associated with Elevated Levels of Uric Acid in Pre-Eclamptic Women

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

Platelet aggregation and TGF-beta(1) plasma levels in pregnant women with preeclampsia

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

Evaluation of postural balance in postmenopausal women and its relationship with bone mineral density- a cross sectional study

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

Culturally-sensitive complaints of depressions and anxieties in women

Background: Current classifications of Mental Disorders are centered on Westernized concepts and constructs. Cross-cultural sensitivity emphasizes culturally-appropriate translations of symptoms and questions, assuming that concepts and constructs are applicable.Methods: Groups and individual psychiatrists from various cultures from Asia, Latin America, North Africa and Eastern Europe prepared descriptions of main symptoms and complaints of treatment-seeking women in their cultures, which are interpreted by clinicians as a manifestation of a clinically-relevant dysphoric disorder. They also transliterated the expressions of DSM IV criteria of main dysphoric disorders in their cultures.Results: In many non-western cultures the symptoms and constructs that are interpreted and treated as dysphoric disorders are mostly somatic and are different from the Western-centered DSM or ICD systems. In many cases the DSM and ICD criteria of depression and anxieties are not even acknowledged by patients.Limitations: the descriptive approach reported here is a preliminary step which involved local but Westernized clinicians-investigators following a biomedical thinking. It should be followed by a more systematic-comprehensive surveys in each culture.Conclusions: Westernized concepts and constructs of mental order and disorders are not necessarily universally applicable. Culturallysensitive phenomena, treatments and treatment responses may be diversified. Attempts at their cross-cultural harmonization should take into consideration complex interactional multi-dimensional processes. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Food Aversions in Women During The 2 Years After Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass

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

Women's contribution to equality in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

No more!: the right of women to live a life free of violence in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Disproportionate pregnancy-induced myocardial hypertrophy in women with essential hypertension

BACKGROUND Pregnancy and arterial hypertension (AH) have a prohypertrophic effect on the heart. It is suspected that the 2 conditions combined cause disproportionate myocardial hypertrophy. We sought to evaluate myocardial hypertrophy (LVH) and left ventricular function in normotensive and hypertensive women in the presence or absence of pregnancy.METHODS This prospective cross-sectional study included 193 women divided into 4 groups: hypertensive pregnant (HTP; n = 57), normotensive pregnant (NTP; n = 47), hypertensive nonpregnant (HTNP; n = 41), and normotensive nonpregnant (NTNP; n = 48). After clinical and echocardiographic evaluation, the variables were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance with pregnancy and hypertension as factors. Left ventricular mass (LVM) was compared using nonparametric analysis of variance and Dunn′s test. Predictors of LVH and diastolic dysfunction were analyzed using logistic regression (significance level, P < 0.05).RESULTS Myocardial hypertrophy was independently associated with hypertension (odds ratio (OR) = 11.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.2-38.5; P < 0.001) and pregnancy (OR = 6.1, 95% CI = 2.6-14.3; P < 0.001) in a model adjusted for age and body mass index. Nonpregnant women were at greater risk of LVH in the presence of AH (OR = 25.3, 95% CI = 3.15-203.5; P = 0.002). The risk was additionally increased in hypertensive women during pregnancy (OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 1.7-10.9; P = 0.002) in the model adjusted for stroke volume and antihypertensive medication. Although none of the NTNP women presented with diastolic dysfunction, it was observed in 2% of the NTP women, 29% of the HTNP women, and 42% of the HTP women (P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONS Hypertension and pregnancy have a synergistic effect on ventricular remodeling, which elevates a woman's risk of myocardial hypertrophy. © 2013 © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2013. All rights reserved.

Compartmentalization of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in renal-transplanted pregnant women

Objective: We evaluated whether chronic exposure to immunosuppression in transplant recipients modulate the placental inflammatory cytokine levels associated to gestational tolerance mechanisms. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 12 renal transplanted pregnant under immunosuppressive regimen treatment and 10 healthy women in second/third trimester of gestation. Term placental tissues (decidua and chorionic villi) were also obtained after elective caesarean. Serum IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p70 and TNF-α were measured, as also in placental homogenates, by Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) combined with flow cytometry and, TGF-β and IL-18 were measured by ELISA. Results: Serum levels of IL-6 (p=0.0001) and TNF-α (0.0112) were higher in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and in decidua the spectrum of increased pro inflammatory cytokines was wider: IL-1β (p=0.0001), IL-6 (p=0.0001), IL-8 (p=0.0001), IL-12p70 (p=0.0001), TGF-β (p=0.0089) and TNF-α (p=0.0002). TGF-β1 was particularly increased in decidual compartment (p=0.001). In the chorionic villous, pro inflammatory profile also were maintained. High IL-1β (p=0.0001), IL-6 (p=0.0001), IL-8 (p=0.0001) and TNF-α (p=0.0001) levels establish a similar pattern to that seem in decidua. Conclusion: Immunosuppressors may impair the immune response, but when associated with pregnancy the cytokine levels seems to shift a proinflammatory profile in placental compartments, which might also impact on the gestational outcomes in transplanted mothers. © 2013 Informa UK Ltd. All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted.

Women workers in the Caribbean: a selection of ECLAC research

Includes bibliography

Epidemiology of Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders in Brazilian Women

Aims: To evaluate the severity of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) of women in the municipality of Araraquara (Brazil) as well as the contribution of the perception of oral health, mandibular functional limitation, and sociodemographic variables on the severity of TMD. Methods: The participants were interviewed by telephone. Information regarding age, marital status, economic level, education, and use and type of dental prostheses was surveyed. To evaluate TMD severity, mandibular functional limitation and perception of oral health, Fonseca's Anamnesic Index (IAF), the Mandibular Function Impairment Questionnaire (MFIQ), and the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) were used. To evaluate the contribution of these variables on TMD severity, a structural equation model (SEM) was fitted to the data and assessed by usual goodness-of-fit indices. Results: A total of 701 women with a mean age of 44.36 years (SD = 16.31) participated. According to the IAF, 59.6% (95% confidence interval = 56.00%-63.2%) of the women were classified as having TMD, of which 63.9% presented light, 26.8% moderate, and 9.3% severe TMD. Mandibular functional limitation was low in 91.0% of the women, moderate in 7.1%, and severe in 1.9%. Goodness-of-fit for the structural model was adequate. The predictors explained 43% of the variation in the TMD severity, with significant contributions of the variables dental prostheses (beta = -.008; P = .006), perception of oral health (beta = -.43; P < .001), and mandibular functional limitation (beta = .014; P = 014). Conclusion: The severity of TMD among Brazilian women was greater in non-users of dental prostheses and was also associated with greater mandibular functional limitation and poor perception of oral health.

Anemia and hemoglobinopathies in pregnant women attended in a public hospital

Objectives: to identify the demographic profile and frequency of anemia and hemoglobinopathies, as a basis for future implementation of actions aimed at pregnant women in the public health domain. Method: this is a cross-sectional study developed with pregnant women attended in a university hospital at Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Blood samples were collected for the erythrogram analysis for detection of anemia and selective and specific tests for abnormal hemoglobin. The patients regarded as indigenous and mentally ill, as well as inmates, were excluded from the research, as they represent a vulnerable population which needs a cohort different from that of the sample. For data collection, a particular questionnaire was used. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), under the Protocol 873/2006. Results: of the 215 pregnant women under study, 20% were adolescents; 36.3% had incomplete primary education; 53.0% were non-Caucasian; 43.3% were from Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; and 21.1% were of European descent. 17.7% had some type of anemia and, in the evaluation of hemoglobinopathies, 4.7% of patients were detected with some abnormal hemoglobin, with the following frequencies: 3.3% with HbAS; 0.9% with HbAC; and 0.5% with intermediate β-thalassemia. Conclusion: the frequencies of anemia and hemoglobinopathy found in these pregnant women showed the importance of early diagnosis, revealing indicators able to provide a basis for preventive and assistance actions for adequate clinical monitoring, reducing maternal and neonatal morbimortality in the public health services. Descriptors: pregnant women; anemia; hemoglobinopathies; public health; nursing.