Pain and quality of life in breast cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of pain on quality of life in breast cancer patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 400 patients, including 118 without metastasis, 160 with loco-regional metastasis and 122 with distant metastasis. The instruments used were the European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 and the Breast Cancer-specific 23 and short McGill Pain Questionnaire. RESULTS: In total, 71.7% of patients reported pain. The most frequent sensory descriptor used by patients was ‘jumping.’ In the evaluative dimension, the main descriptor chosen was troublesome. The Global Health self-assessment showed pain to be inversely correlated with quality of life: the group without metastasis had a mean score of 55.3 (SD=24.8) for those in pain, which rose to 69.7 (SD=19.2) for those without pain (p=0.001). Subjects with loco-regional metastasis had score of 59.1 (SD=21.3) when in pain, and those without pain had a significantly higher score of 72.4 (SD=18.6) (

Burnout syndrome in health-care professionals in a university hospital

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate professional achievement and factors associated with occupational burnout among health professionals. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 436 healthcare providers, consisting of 101 nurses, 81 doctors and 254 nursing technicians, all meeting pre-established inclusion criteria. Occupational burnout was detected using the Maslach occupational burnout inventory tool. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires comprising questions concerning socio-demographics, education and training, and the Maslach occupational burnout inventory was used to identify levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and professional achievement. RESULTS: Emotional exhaustion was associated with education level and work place for nursing technicians. Depersonalization was associated with gender in nursing technicians. For nurses, depersonalization showed a significant association with education level, whereas this factor was associated with number of jobs for doctors. Lower levels of professional achievement were observed for unspecialized doctors compared to those with further training. Higher levels of professional achievement were associated with professionals with postgraduate training compared to those without. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of emotional exhaustion were found in professionals from the maternity unit as well as in professionals with lower educational levels. Depersonalization was higher in physicians with several jobs and in female nurses. Low professional achievement was found in unspecialized doctors, while high professional achievement was associated with postgraduate training

Abnormal anal cytology risk in women with known genital squamous intraepithelial lesion

The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of abnormal anal cytology in women with known genital squamous intraepithelial lesion. This study evaluated 200 women with and without genital squamous intraepithelial lesion who were recruited for anal Pap smears. Women who had abnormal results on equally or over atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance were classified as having abnormal anal cytology. A multiple logistic regression analysis (stepwise) was performed to identify the risk for developing abnormal anal cytology. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 program. The average age was 41.09 (±12.64). Of the total participants, 75.5% did not practice anal sex, 91% did not have HPV-infected partners, 92% did not have any anal pathology, and 68.5% did not have anal bleeding. More than half (57.5%) had genital SIL and a significant number developed abnormal anal cytology: 13% in the total sample and 17.4% in women with genital SIL. A significant association was observed between genital squamous intraepithelial lesion and anal squamous intraepithelial lesion (PR = 2.46; p = 0.03). In the logistic regression model, women having genital intraepithelial lesion were more likely to have abnormal anal Pap smear (aPR = 2.81; p = 0.02). This report shows that women with genital squamous intraepithelial lesion must be more closely screened for anal cancer.20329429

Predictors of residual disease after loop electrosurgical excision procedure

The study aims to evaluate the importance of resection margins in the risk of residual disease (RD) and to investigate other factors that could potentially predict RD before patients engage in follow-up. Eighty-six women with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasms (CIN) treated by loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), were included in this retrospective study, between January 2015 and May 2016. Age, smoking habit, menopause status, and LEEP margins were evaluated as possible predictors of RD. The mean age at diagnosis was 35.8 years (range 18-61). The mean follow-up period was 12 months. 11.6% of patients (09/86) were lost in follow-up. 64% of patients (55/86) had clear margins in the specimen and 34.8% of patients had positive surgical margins (30/86). In 1.2% of patients (01/86) the resection margins were uncertain. RD was demonstrated by positive Pap Smear and by colposcopy-guided biopsy in 26.7% of patients (23/86). We found significant differences in the frequency of RD depending on the status of margins: 65.2% of cases with positive margins vs. 24.5% of cases with negative margins (p<0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that only high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (H-SIL) detection in cervical biopsy and status of the LEEP margins were significantly predictive of RD (OR 5.4, 95%CI 1.08-27.7, p<0.05 and OR 7.05, 95%CI 2.1-23.1, p=0.001; respectively). The combination of histological examination of resection margins plus H-SIL detection in cervical biopsy would help to classify LEEP-treated patients into categories of different risk levels of residual disease. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.117370

The Prevalence of Urogenital Infections in Pregnant Women Experiencing Preterm and Full-Term Labor

Urogenital infections are extremely prevalent during pregnancy and are an important cause of premature labor. However, the prevalence of urogenital infections during childbirth is not well known. Objective. Identify urogenital infections present at the beginning of labor in both full-term and preterm pregnancies. Study Design. Ninety-four women were admitted to the inpatient maternity clinic of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). In total, 49 women in preterm labor and 45 women in full-term labor were included in the study, and samples of urinary, vaginal, and perianal material were collected for microbiological analysis. Results. The prevalences of general infections in the preterm labor group and the full-term labor group were 49.0% and 53.3% (P = 0.8300), respectively. Urogenital infections in the preterm and full-term labor groups included urinary tract infection in 36.7% and 22.2% of women, vaginal candidiasis in 20.4% and 28.9% of women, bacterial vaginosis in 34.7% and 28.9% of women, and group B streptococcus in 6.1% and 15.6% of women, respectively. Conclusions. Urogenital infections were prevalent in women in preterm labor and full-term labor; however, significant differences between the groups were not observed

Uterine prolapse during pregnancy: A case report

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in pregnancy is a rare condition, with potentially serious complications for both mother and fetus. The scope of complications includes urinary retention, premature delivery, fetal demise, and maternal sepsis. In this case report, we present a 35-year-old individual at 30-week gestational age with a stage 2 POP treated conservatively with bed rest in a slight Trendelenburg position, with corticosteroids and symptomatic treatment for pain relief. In this case, an innovative proposal was developed involving outpatient management with biweekly visits in prenatal care after the previously mentioned measures were carried out in 5 days that the pregnant woman was hospitalized. Conservative treatment of these patients throughout pregnancy can result in an uneventful, normal, and spontaneous delivery, as in this case where the patient evolved without complications leading to vaginal delivery occurring at 37 weeks. Early recognition of this condition is crucial and, together with proper management-related complications, such as preterm labor and trauma during delivery, can be avoided

Genital ulcers in women: clinical, microbiologic and histopathologic characteristics

Female genital ulcer is a disease that affects a large number of women, and its etiologic diagnosis can be difficult. The disease may increase the risk of acquiring HIV. Genital ulcer may be present in sexually transmitted diseases (STD) - syphilis, chancroid, genital herpes, donovanosis, lymphogranuloma venereum and other non-STD disorders (NSTD) - Behçet's syndrome, pemphigus, Crohn's disease, erosive lichen planus and others. This study evaluated the clinical-histopathologic-microbiologic characteristics of female genital ulcers. A cross-sectional descriptive prospective study was conducted during a six-month period to investigate the first 53 women without a definitive diagnosis, seeking medical care for genital ulcers at a genital infections outpatient facility in a university hospital. A detailed and specific history was taken, followed by a dermatologic and gynecologic examination. In addition to collecting material from the lesions for microbiologic study, a biopsy of the ulcer was performed for histopathologic investigation. The average age of the patients was 32.7 years, 56.6% had junior high school education and higher education. The most frequent etiology was herpetic lesion, followed by auto-immune ulcers. At the time of their first consultation, around 60% of the women were using inadequate medication that was inconsistent with the final diagnosis. Histologic diagnosis was conclusive in only 26.4% of the patients (14/53). Cure was obtained in 99% of the cases after proper therapy. The female genital ulcers studied were equally distributed between sexually transmitted and non-sexually transmitted causes. Herpes was the most frequent type of genital ulcer, affecting women indiscriminately, mostly between the ages of 20 and 40 years. The etiologic diagnosis of herpetic ulcers is difficult to make even when various diagnostic methods are applied. It is imperative that NSTD should be included in the differential diagnoses of female genital ulcers. The histopathologic exam is not a diagnostic tool in the majority of cases and should not be considered the gold standard test, being of little value in cases of NSTD and STD ulcers.25426

Comparative effects of fractional radiofrequency and microneedling on the genitalia of postmenopausal women: Histological and clinical changes

Objectives: The authors aimed to evaluate clinical and histological changes induced by Fractional Radiofrequency (FRF) and microneedling in vulvar tissue. Methods: Thirty postmenopausal women were randomly divided into G1 (FRF) and G2 (microneedling) groups. Sub-ablative FRF was executed using disposable fractionated electrodes with an intensity of 8 mJ. Microneedling was performed using a derma roller system. The authors evaluated before and after treatment using the Vaginal Laxity Questionnaire (VLQ), EuroQol Five-Dimensional (EQ-5D) questionnaire, and the Blatt and Kupperman Menopausal Index (BKMI). Additionally, the authors performed biopsies of the labia majora for histological analysis pre- and post-treatment. Data were expressed as mean (± standard deviation). A paired t-test was used for intra-group comparison (pre- and post-treatment), with an independent t-test used to compare intergroup data (both pre- and post-treatment). Results: In the G1 group, the VLQ values showed differences compared to the pre-treatment values with the data obtained 60 days after the beginning of the sessions (p = 0.01). Similarly, the data changes of the G2 group proved to be significant (p = 0.001) across the same time interval. In comparing the groups, VLQ values were not different (p > 0.05). Regarding histological analysis, FRF demonstrated improvement concerning the number of fibroblasts, blood vessels, and fatty degeneration (p < 0.05) compared to the control. Additionally, FRF and microneedling samples showed higher type III collagen and vimentin expression in the immunohistochemical analysis (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The therapies were found to be effective in treating the flaccidity of the female external genitalia. Additionally, histological changes were observed after interventions suggesting collagen remodeling

Associação entre a carga viral de HPV de alto risco, expressão de p16INK4a e lesões intra-epiteliais escamosas do colo uterino

OBJETIVO: Determinar a carga viral do HPV de alto risco em lesões intra-epiteliais escamosas do colo uterino e sua associação com a expressão da proteína p16INK4a. MÉTODOS: Foram analisadas 109 amostras de biópsias de colo uterino (57 de tecido normal, 26 de lesões intra-epiteliais escamosas de baixo grau LSIL, e 26 de lesões intra-epiteliais escamosas de alto grau - HSIL). A determinação da presença do HPV de alto risco e sua carga viral foi feita por biologia molecular, com captura de híbridos, por meio de coleta de células de colo uterino previa à biópsia. O material histológico foi preparado e testado por imunohistoquímica, utilizando p16INK4a kit (clone E6H4). RESULTADOS: Encontrou-se 57,8% de positividade para HPV de alto risco nos 109 casos estudados, sendo 29,8% nos casos normais, 80,8 % nos casos com LSIL e 96,1% nos casos de HSIL. A expressão da proteína p16INK4a ocorreu em 23,8 % do total casos com SIL (15,4% dos casos com LSIL e 84,6% dos casos com HSIL), porém não houve qualquer caso positivo nos tecidos sem lesão intra-epitelial. A carga viral foi significativamente superior para os casos positivos para p16INK4a, sendo a média de 669,9 RLU/PCB (9,47 a 2814,9), em relação aos casos negativos em que a média foi de 253,94 RLU/PCB (1.07 a 1882,21) (pOBJECTIVE: To determine the (HR-HPV) high risk HPV viral load in squamous intra-epithelial lesions and association with p16INK4a expression. METHODS: A series of 109 cervical biopsies were studied (57 normal tissue, 26 low grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions [LSIL] and 26 high grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions [HSIL]). Detection of high risk HPV and viral load in cervical cells was made by molecular biology using hybrid capture 2nd generation collected before the biopsy. The p16INK4a was identified by immunohistochemistry using the p16INK4a kit (clone E6H4). RESULTS: High risk HPV was positive in 57.8% of all cases (29.8% in normal tissue, 80.8% in LSIL and 96.1% in HSIL). Protein p16INK4a was expressed in 23.8 % of squamous intra-epithelial lesions (15.4% in LSIL and 84.6% in HSIL). In normal tissue all cases were negative to p16INK4a. The viral load was higher in p16 positive cases than in negative cases (positive p16INK4a mean of 669.9 RLU/PCB [9.47 - 2814.9] and negative p16INK4a mean of 253.94 RLU/PCB [1.07 1882.21] (p<0.05). However when studying just the HSIL cases differences were not significant. CONCLUSION: In this study although the HR-HPV viral load had shown a significant difference between p16 positive and negative cases, in HSIL cases this finding was not confirmed. New studies with a larger number of cases are necessary for consistent conclusions

Estratégias utilizadas por enfermeiras para minimizar a ocorrência de delirium em pacientes críticos

Objective: to describe the strategies used by nurses to minimize the occurrence of delirium in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Method: exploratory-descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, developed in a large public teaching hospital in the city of Salvador. It was carried out in September and October 2018, 16 nurses participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the “Thematic Content Analysis Technique”. Results: from the data analysis, two thematic categories emerged, named: “Lack of knowledge about monitoring delirium in the ICU” and “Strategies of nurses to minimize the occurrence of delirium in the ICU”. Conclusion: although the nurses' lack of knowledge about delirium, there is a coherence in the methods of interventions to prevent it. The implementation of protocols and educational activities are essential to empower nurses regarding the interventions performed.Objetivo: descrever as estratégias utilizadas por enfermeiras para minimizar a ocorrência de delirium em pacientes internados em unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI). Método: estudo exploratório-descritivo, de abordagem qualitativa, desenvolvido em um hospital de ensino, público, de grande porte da cidade de Salvador. Foi realizado nos meses de setembro e outubro de 2018, participaram do estudo 16 enfermeiras. Os dados foram coletados mediante entrevista semiestruturada e analisados por meio da “Técnica de Análise de Conteúdo Temática”. Resultados: da análise dos dados emergiram duas categorias temáticas, denominadas: “Desconhecimento sobre monitorização do delirium em UTI” e “Estratégias das enfermeiras para minimizar a ocorrência de delirium em UTI”. Conclusão: apesar do pouco conhecimento das enfermeiras sobre o delirium existe uma coerência quantos aos métodos de intervenções para preveni-lo. A implementação de protocolos e atividades educativas são imprescindíveis para empoderar o enfermeiro quanto às intervenções realizadas