Diferenciais socioeconômicos e de saúde entre duas comunidades de idosos longevos

OBJETIVO: Identificar diferenciais demográficos e socioeconômicos relacionados ao estado de saúde de idosos mais velhos residentes em duas cidades de regiões diferentes do Brasil. MÉTODOS: Estudo epidemiológico transversal e comparativo de idosos mais velhos (> 80 anos) residentes em Ribeirão Preto (RP-SP) e Caxias do Sul (CS-RS), com amostra probabilística de 117 sujeitos em CS e 155 em RP, realizado entre 2007 e 2008. O instrumento de coleta incluiu dados demográficos e socioeconômicos miniexame do estado mental, Medida de Independência Funcional, número de comorbidades auto-referidas e Escala de Depressão Geriátrica. RESULTADOS: A idade média foi similar, com predominância de mulheres (~70%) e viúvos (~60%) em ambos os municípios. A escolaridade média não diferiu estatisticamente, mas a renda média do idoso foi maior em RP do que em CS (p = 0,05). RP apresentou maior concentração de indivíduos nos extremos de escolaridade e renda do que CS. O escore médio do miniexame do estado mental foi similar entre os dois grupos e maior para indivíduos do sexo masculino, com idade entre 80 e 84 anos, casados e com maior escolaridade. Observou-se melhor desempenho funcional entre idosos de 80 a 84 anos em ambos os municípios, entre os de maior escolaridade em RP; e entre os do sexo masculino e os casados em CS. Idosos de CS apresentaram maior número de comorbidades do que os de RP (p < 0,001). Idosos do sexo masculino, casados e com maior renda apresentaram menos sintomas depressivos em ambos os grupos; os de RP apresentaram maior escore na Escala de Depressão Geriátrica do que os de CS (p < 0,001). CONCLUSÕES: Embora os idosos de CS apresentem menor desigualdade socioeconômica e menos sintomas depressivos, possuem também maior número médio de comorbidades e menor nível de independência funcional, quando comparados aos de RP.

Compreensão na leitura num manual de estudo do meio

A aquisição de competências ao nível da compreensão na leitura apresenta-se, cada vez mais, como o caminho para chegar ao conhecimento. O tipo de texto que se assume como o meio privilegiado de acesso ao conhecimento é o texto expositivo. Como tal, é importante que os textos a que os alunos têm acesso diariamente na sala de aula (nomeadamente, os textos dos manuais) sejam adequados ao desenvolvimento dessas competências. Neste estudo,analisaram-se os textos expositivos do manual de Estudo do Meio do 4.º ano mais adotado em Portugal no ano letivo 2010/2011. Em concreto, apurou-se a percentagem de textos expositivos existentes no manual, analisou-se a sua estrutura (Meyer, 1985), o tipo de questões que os acompanham, bem como as relações entre as perguntas e as respostas (Raphael, 1986, cit. em Giasson, 2000). O manual foi ainda analisado à luz do que é preconizado pelos documentos oficiais do Ministério da Educação.

The Gap Between Knowledge and Action: Obstacles, Restraints and Deficits During the Execution of Refurbishments

This article outlines the initial draft of a PhD project which investigates refurbishment or rehabilitation projects in two German cities. The study focuses on obstacles, restraints and deficits as well as factors of success, which can be identified during the execution of the refurbishments. Moreover the study examines the process of the refurbishment itself, the general conditions under which the refurbishments are being executed as well as the implementation of sustainability criteria. First the article gives a short summary of the theoretical considerations of the study. In this respect it shortly outlines the global conditions of urban development and conducting challenges for cities in the 21st century, guiding principles of a sustainable urban development as well as goals of sustainable refurbishments. Finally the article shortly describes the case studies and presents the initial results of the empirical work.

Change Processes and Future Perspectives in the Knowledge Society. The Example of Clothing and Textile Industry

The paper examines change processes und future perspectives in the knowledge society. It presents the clothing and textile industry as an example for a transforming industry in a global economy. The paper reviews existing future studies, which have surveyed change processes and future developments in the clothing and textile industry. Main goals of the review are the identification of changes in work and the description of the restructuring of global value chains within the clothing and textile sector. The paper also highlights major current trends, drivers of change and future prospects in this sector.

Determinants of the exclusive breastfeeding abandonment: psychosocial factors

OBJECTIVE To assess the determinants of exclusive breastfeeding abandonment. METHODS Longitudinal study based on a birth cohort in Viçosa, MG, Southeastern Brazil. In 2011/2012, 168 new mothers accessing the public health network were followed. Three interviews, at 30, 60, and 120 days postpartum, with the new mothers were conducted. Exclusive breastfeeding abandonment was analyzed in the first, second, and fourth months after childbirth. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was applied to identify depressive symptoms in the first and second meetings, with a score of ≥ 12 considered as the cutoff point. Socioeconomic, demographic, and obstetric variables were investigated, along with emotional conditions and the new mothers’ social network during pregnancy and the postpartum period. RESULTS The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding abandonment at 30, 60, and 120 days postpartum was 53.6% (n = 90), 47.6% (n = 80), and 69.6% (n = 117), respectively, and its incidence in the fourth month compared with the first was 48.7%. Depressive symptoms and traumatic delivery were associated with exclusive breastfeeding abandonment in the second month after childbirth. In the fourth month, the following variables were significant: lower maternal education levels, lack of homeownership, returning to work, not receiving guidance on breastfeeding in the postpartum period, mother’s negative reaction to the news of pregnancy, and not receiving assistance from their partners for infant care. CONCLUSIONS Psychosocial and sociodemographic factors were strong predictors of early exclusive breastfeeding abandonment. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and provide early treatment to nursing mothers with depressive symptoms, decreasing the associated morbidity and promoting greater duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Support from health professionals, as well as that received at home and at work, can assist in this process.

Insulin resistance does not play a major role in lipid and apolipoprotein profile in obese women

Background: Obesity is associated with increased atherogenesis through alterations in lipids, among other potential factors. Some of those abnormalities might be mediated by insulin resistance (IR). Aims: To compare lipid and apolipoprotein profile between lean and obese women; to evaluate the influence of IR on lipid and apolipoprotein profile, in obese women. Methods: We studied 112 obese and 100 normal-weight premenopausal women without known cardiovascular disease. Both groups were characterized for anthropometrics and a fasting blood sample was collected for assessment of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, cholesterol (total, LDL and HDL), and apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, and E; IR was assessed by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). We compared lipids between obese and lean women; we looked for correlation of those levels with anthropometrics and IR (independently from anthropometrics) in obese women. Results: Obese women were characterized by mean age=34.6±8.3 years, BMI=43.6±7.9 kg/m2, waist circumference (Wc)=117.5±15.1 cm, and HOMA-IR=4.28±3.5. Lean women (age=34.2±8.3 years, BMI=21.4±1.7 kg/m2, Wc=71.7±5.8 cm, and HOMA-IR=1.21±0.76) presented with significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (P=0.001), LDL-cholesterol (P<0.001), and triglycerides (P<0.001); they presented higher levels of HDL-cholesterol (P<0.001), Apo A-I (P<0.001) and Apo A-II (P=0.037). HOMA-IR showed no significant association with apolipoproteins. HOMA-IR was inversely associated with HDL-cholesterol (P=0.048; r=−0.187) but that association disappeared when we adjusted for waist circumference. Only triglycerides were directly associated with HOMA-IR (P<0.001; r=0.343) independently from anthropometrics. Conclusion: We confirm that obese women present worst lipid and apolipoprotein profile. However, with the exception for triglycerides, insulin resistance per se does not play a major role in lipid and apolipoprotein abnormalities observed in obese women.

Educational inequality in the occurrence of abdominal obesity:Pró-Saúde Study

OBJECTIVE To estimate the degree of educational inequality in the occurrence of abdominal obesity in a population of non-faculty civil servants at university campi.METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we used data from 3,117 subjects of both genders aged 24 to 65-years old, regarding the baseline ofPró-Saúde Study, 1999-2001. Abdominal obesity was defined according to abdominal circumference thresholds of 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men. A multi-dimensional, self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate education levels and demographic variables. Slope and relative indices of inequality, and Chi-squared test for linear trend were used in the data analysis. All analyses were stratified by genders, and the indices of inequality were standardized by age.RESULTS Abdominal obesity was the most prevalent among women (43.5%; 95%CI 41.2;45.9), as compared to men (24.3%; 95%CI 22.1;26.7), in all educational strata and age ranges. The association between education levels and abdominal obesity was an inverse one among women (p < 0.001); it was not statistically significant among men (p = 0.436). The educational inequality regarding abdominal obesity in the female population, in absolute terms (slope index of inequality), was 24.0% (95%CI 15.5;32.6). In relative terms (relative index of inequality), it was 2.8 (95%CI 1.9;4.1), after the age adjustment.CONCLUSIONS Gender inequality in the prevalence of abdominal obesity increases with older age and lower education. The slope and relative indices of inequality summarize the strictly monotonous trend between education levels and abdominal obesity, and it described educational inequality regarding abdominal obesity among women. Such indices provide relevant quantitative estimates for monitoring abdominal obesity and dealing with health inequalities.

Assessment of the ensembles regional climate models in the representation of precipitation variability and extremes over Portugal

A new data set of daily gridded observations of precipitation, computed from over 400 stations in Portugal, is used to assess the performance of 12 regional climate models at 25 km resolution, from the ENSEMBLES set, all forced by ERA-40 boundary conditions, for the 1961-2000 period. Standard point error statistics, calculated from grid point and basin aggregated data, and precipitation related climate indices are used to analyze the performance of the different models in representing the main spatial and temporal features of the regional climate, and its extreme events. As a whole, the ENSEMBLES models are found to achieve a good representation of those features, with good spatial correlations with observations. There is a small but relevant negative bias in precipitation, especially in the driest months, leading to systematic errors in related climate indices. The underprediction of precipitation occurs in most percentiles, although this deficiency is partially corrected at the basin level. Interestingly, some of the conclusions concerning the performance of the models are different of what has been found for the contiguous territory of Spain; in particular, ENSEMBLES models appear too dry over Portugal and too wet over Spain. Finally, models behave quite differently in the simulation of some important aspects of local climate, from the mean climatology to high precipitation regimes in localized mountain ranges and in the subsequent drier regions.

Redox-active cytotoxic diorganotin(IV) cycloalkylhydroxamate complexes with different ring sizes: Reduction behaviour and theoretical interpretation

Two series of new diorganotin(IV) cycloalkylhydroxamate complexes with different ring sizes (cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl), formulated as the mononuclear [R2Sn(HL)(2)] (1:2) (a, R=Bu-n and Ph) and the polymeric [R2SnL](n) (1:1) (b, R=Bu-n) compounds, were prepared and fully characterized. Single crystal X-ray diffraction for [(Bu2Sn)-Bu-n{C5H9C(O)NHO}(2)] (3a) discloses the cis geometry and strong intermolecular NH center dot center dot center dot O interactions. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of the complexes were evaluated against HL-60, Bel-7402, BGC-823 and KB human tumour cell lines, the greater activity concerning [(Bu2Sn)-Bu-n(HL)(2)] [HL=C3H5C(O)NHO (1a), C6H11C(O)NHO (4a)] towards BGC-823. The complexes undergo, by cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential electrolysis, one irreversible overall two-electron cathodic process at a reduction potential that does not appear to correlate with the antitumour activity. The electrochemical behaviour of [R2Sn(C5H9C(O)NHO)(2)] [R=Bu-n (3a), Ph (7a)] was also investigated using density functional theory (DFT) methods, showing that the ultimate complex structure and the mechanism of its formation are R dependent: for the aromatic (R = Ph) complex, the initial reduction step is centred on the phenyl ligands and at the metal, being followed by a second reduction with Sn-O and Sn-C ruptures, whereas for the alkyl (R=Bu-n) complex the first reduction step is centred on one of the hydroxamate ligands and is followed by a second reduction with Sn-O bond cleavages and preservation of the alkyl ligands. In both cases, the final complexes are highly coordinative unsaturated Sn-II species with the cis geometry, features that can be of biological significance.

Função dos músculos respiratórios em doentes com insuficiência cardíaca esquerda

Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia, 2001; 20 (5):533-545

Póst-Human: corpos e identidades, os novos objectos do

Pensar o ordenamento do território – ideias, planos, estratégias, Lisboa, UNL-FCSH-IPHI, (110,117).

Cork stoppers industry: defining appropriate mould colonization

Aims: The main aims of this work were the study of cork slabs moulds colonization and the evaluation of the moulds diversity during cork processing steps, in different cork stoppers factories. Simultaneously, it was envisaged to perform an evaluation of the air quality. Methods and Results: Moulds were isolated and identified from cork slabs and cork samples in four cork stoppers factories. The identification was based on morphological characters and microscopic observation of the reproductive structures. Airborne spore dispersion was assessed using a two stage Andersen sampler. It was observed that Chrysonilia sitophila was always present on cork slabs during the maturing period, but mould diversity appeared to be associated to the different factory configurations and processing steps. Conclusions: Spatial separation of the different steps of the process, including physical separation of the maturation step, is essential to guarantee high air quality and appropriate cork slabs colonization, i.e. C. sitophila dominance. The sorting and cutting of the edges of cork slabs after boiling and before the maturing step is also recommended. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study is very important for the cork stopper industry as it gives clear indications on how to keep high quality manufacturing standards and how to avoid occupational health problems.

Cork stoppers industry: defining appropriate mould colonization

Aims: The main aims of this work were the study of cork slabs moulds colonization and the evaluation of the moulds diversity during cork processing steps, in different cork stoppers factories. Simultaneously, it was envisaged to perform an evaluation of the air quality. Methods and Results: Moulds were isolated and identified from cork slabs and cork samples in four cork stoppers factories. The identification was based on morphological characters and microscopic observation of the reproductive structures. Airborne spore dispersion was assessed using a two stage Andersen sampler. It was observed that Chrysonilia sitophila was always present on cork slabs during the maturing period, but mould diversity appeared to be associated to the different factory configurations and processing steps. Conclusions: Spatial separation of the different steps of the process, including physical separation of the maturation step, is essential to guarantee high air quality and appropriate cork slabs colonization, i.e. C. sitophila dominance. The sorting and cutting of the edges of cork slabs after boiling and before the maturing step is also recommended. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study is very important for the cork stopper industry as it gives clear indications on how to keep high quality manufacturing standards and how to avoid occupational health problems.

Measles vaccination: influence of age on its efficacy

The authors compare the serologic efficacy and the clinical protection afforded by three different measles vaccination schemes in adequately nourished children in São Paulo city, Brazil. Two hundred forty two children were divided into three groups. Group A, comprising 117 children who had received the vaccine before 12 months of age and a second dose at 12 months of age or more. Group B, comprising 46 children who had received only one dose, before 12 months of age. Group C, comprising 79 children who had received only one dose, at 12 months of age or more. The geometric mean titer of antibodies in Group A was 790.1; in Group B, 251.1; and in Group C, 550.3. There was no statistically significant difference between Groups A and C. The exposure to the measles virus was probably similar in all groups, and the children in Groups A and C had similar chances of acquiring the disease after vaccination whereas in Group B the chances were higher when compared to the other two groups. The results obtained in this study favor the use, in developing countries, of a vaccination program against measles that includes an early first dose at eight months of age and revaccination after 12 months of age.