Perceptions about being obese from the point of view of patients and health professionals

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar a percepção que profissionais da saúde têm em relação ao paciente obeso e a percepção do paciente obeso sobre si mesmo em uma UBS. Optou-se por um estudo de caráter exploratório e descritivo de corte qualitativo. Empregou-se a técnica de análise de conteúdo. A amostra do estudo constituiu-se de 19 sujeitos. A coleta de dados foi realizada em dois grupos: dos profissionais e dos obesos, utilizando-se a técnica projetiva, por meio da escolha de figuras de recortes de revistas. Para a apresentação e discussão dos resultados, as categorias formuladas a partir das falas dos grupos de profissionais e de obesos foram agrupadas conforme a possibilidade de confronto entre os discursos desses dois grupos. As categorias formadas foram as seguintes: a obesidade relacionada à não aceitação e baixa auto-estima, percepção social do obeso, a força de vontade do obeso para perder peso, o preconceito e a discriminação que envolvem o obeso, o tratamento da obesidade e a obesidade interferindo nas atividades da vida diária. As percepções encontradas nas falas dos profissionais evidenciam o obeso como uma pessoa doente e com uma baixa auto-estima. As percepções dos obesos mostram que o ato de comer é visto como um alívio para as tensões por eles vividas, percebendo-se como diferentes, inconformados com sua aparência física e excluídos socialmente. Por fim, vêem-se como pessoas com dificuldades e limitações em seu dia-a-dia.The aim of the present work is to analyze, in a Health Center, the health professional's perception in relation to the obese patient, and the obese patient's perception about him/herself. This is a qualitative and descriptive study which uses the content analysis technique according to Bardin in a sample of 19 individuals. The data collection was carried out with two groups, health professionals and obese patients, using the projective methods after having them choosing pictures from magazines. For results presentation and discussion, categories were established based on the differences and similarities between the individuals' opinions. The established categories were the following: obesity related to non-acceptance and low self-esteem; social perception of the obese; the obese individuals' will power to lose weight; discrimination and prejudice against the obese; obesity treatment; and how obesity interferes in daily activities. It was concluded that the health professionals see the obese individual as a sick person with low self-esteem. The obese patients' perceptions show that the act of eating is a relief to their tensions. They see themselves as different, they do not accept their body shape and are socially rejected. Finally, they see themselves as people with difficulties and limitations in their daily activities

Expectativas da equipe da unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica quanto à atuação do farmacêutico clínico

Objetivo: O objetivo do estudo foi conhecer as expectativas da equipe da unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica quanto às atividades a serem realizadas pelo farmacêutico clínico a fim de planejar seu trabalho junto com a equipe multidisciplinar. Desenho do estudo: Estudo transversal, envolvendo a equipe multidisciplinar da unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica de um hospital universitário terciário. Método: Um questionário autopreenchível contendo perguntas sobre as expectativas da equipe da unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica em relação ao papel do farmacêutico clínico na equipe multidisciplinar foi aplicado aos membros da equipe, utilizando a escala de resposta do tipo Likert. Resultados: Os auxiliares/ técnicos de enfermagem e fisioterapeutas mostraram maior expectativa em relação a questões relacionadas com a administração de medicamentos; para enfermeiros, a expectativa sobre o desempenho do farmacêutico clínico focou-se em questões relacionadas à prescrição de medicações, como a avaliação da antibioticoterapia, enquanto os médicos consideraram mais importantes informações sobre a terapia medicamentosa, como a notificação de alergias relacionadas às drogas, informações sobre o aprazamento de medicamentos e avaliação da administração de drogas por sonda gástrica ou enteral. Conclusões: As expectativas da equipe variaram de acordo com as necessidades e a rotina de cada categoria profissional. Os resultados deste estudo têm contribuído para a implantação do serviço de farmácia clínica em uma unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica brasileiraObjective: We aimed to know the expectations of a pediatric intensive care unit staff for the activities to be undertaken by the clinical pharmacist, in order to plan her work along with the multidisciplinary team. Study design: A cross-sectional study, involving the multidisciplinary team of the pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary-care university hospital. Method: A self-completion questionnaire containing questions regarding expectations of the pediatric intensive care unit staff for the role of the clinical pharmacist in the multidisciplinary team was applied to the team members, using a Likert-type scale response. Results: The nursing assistants/technicians and physiotherapists showed higher expectation for issues related to administration of medications; for nurses, the expectation for the clinical pharmacist performance focused on issues related to prescription drugs, such as evaluation of antibiotic therapy, while physicians considered most important information on drug therapy, as notification of allergies related to drugs, information on period of validity of medicines and evaluation of drug administration by gastric or enteral tubes. Conclusions: Team expectations varied according to the needs and routine of each professional category. The results of this study have contributed to implementation of the clinical pharmacy service in a Brazilian pediatric intensive care uni

Influence of maternal periuterine and periovarian fat on reproductive performance and fetal growth in rats

Abstract We aimed to evaluate how high-fat diet consumption can interfere with rat reproductive performance and fetal development. High-fat diet (HFD) was initiated in 30-day-old rats, distributed into two groups (n=7 animals/group): Rats receiving a standard diet and rats receiving HFD. At adulthood, the rats were mated, and on day 21 of pregnancy, the females were anesthetized, decapitated, and submitted to laparotomy to obtain visceral and periovarian adipose tissue. The uterine horns were exposed for analysis of maternal reproductive performance. The fetuses and placentas were weighed and analyzed. Pearson’s correlation test was used, and p<0.05 was considered significant. There was a significant positive correlation (HFD consumption x increased periovarian fat) and a negative correlation with the implantation, live fetus numbers and lower litter weight. Furthermore, the increased relative weight of periuterine fat was related to the lower number of live fetuses and litter weight. Regarding the fetal weight classification, there was a negative correlation between the relative weight of periovarian fat and the percentage of fetuses appropriate for gestational age and large for gestational age. Therefore, our findings show that HFD maternal intake negatively influenced on reproductive performance and fetal growth

Integrating adverse effect analysis into environmental risk assessment for exotic generalist arthropod biological control agents: a three-tiered framework

Environmental risk assessments (ERAs) are required before utilizing exotic arthropods for biological control (BC). Present ERAs focus on exposure analysis (host/prey range) and have resulted in approval of many specialist exotic biological control agents (BCA). In comparison to specialists, generalist arthropod BCAs (GABCAs) have been considered inherently risky and less used in classical biological control. To safely consider exotic GABCAs, an ERA must include methods for the analysis of potential effects. A panel of 47 experts from 14 countries discussed, in six online forums over 12 months, scientific criteria for an ERA for exotic GABCAs. Using four case studies, a three-tiered ERA comprising Scoping, Screening and Definitive Assessments was developed. The ERA is primarily based on expert consultation, with decision processes in each tier that lead to the approval of the petition or the subsequent tier. In the Scoping Assessment, likelihood of establishment (for augmentative BC), and potential effect(s) are qualitatively assessed. If risks are identified, the Screening Assessment is conducted, in which 19 categories of effects (adverse and beneficial) are quantified. If a risk exceeds the proposed risk threshold in any of these categories, the analysis moves to the Definitive Assessment to identify potential non-target species in the respective category(ies). When at least one potential non-target species is at significant risk, long-term and indirect ecosystem risks must be quantified with actual data or the petition for release can be dismissed or withdrawn. The proposed ERA should contribute to the development of safe pathways for the use of low risk GABCAs

Uncovering trophic interactions in arthropod predators through DNA shotgun-sequencing of gut contents

Characterizing trophic networks is fundamental to many questions in ecology, but this typically requires painstaking efforts, especially to identify the diet of small generalist predators. Several attempts have been devoted to develop suitable molecular tools to determine predatory trophic interactions through gut content analysis, and the challenge has been to achieve simultaneously high taxonomic breadth and resolution. General and practical methods are still needed, preferably independent of PCR amplification of barcodes, to recover a broader range of interactions. Here we applied shotgun-sequencing of the DNA from arthropod predator gut contents, extracted from four common coccinellid and dermapteran predators co-occurring in an agroecosystem in Brazil. By matching unassembled reads against six DNA reference databases obtained from public databases and newly assembled mitogenomes, and filtering for high overlap length and identity, we identified prey and other foreign DNA in the predator guts. Good taxonomic breadth and resolution was achieved (93% of prey identified to species or genus), but with low recovery of matching reads. Two to nine trophic interactions were found for these predators, some of which were only inferred by the presence of parasitoids and components of the microbiome known to be associated with aphid prey. Intraguild predation was also found, including among closely related ladybird species. Uncertainty arises from the lack of comprehensive reference databases and reliance on low numbers of matching reads accentuating the risk of false positives. We discuss caveats and some future prospects that could improve the use of direct DNA shotgun-sequencing to characterize arthropod trophic networks

Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets

Effects of exposure to cigarette smoke prior to pregnancy in diabetic rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of cigarette smoke exposure before pregnancy on diabetic rats and their offspring development.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin and cigarette smoke exposure was conducted by mainstream smoke generated by a mechanical smoking device and delivered into a chamber. Diabetic female Wistar rats were randomly distributed in four experimental groups (n minimum = 13/group): nondiabetic (ND) and diabetic rats exposed to filtered air (D), diabetic rats exposed to cigarette smoke prior to and into the pregnancy period (DS) and diabetic rats exposed to cigarette smoke prior to pregnancy period (DSPP). At day 21 of pregnancy, rats were killed for maternal biochemical determination and reproductive outcomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The association of diabetes and cigarette smoke in DSPP group caused altered glycemia at term, reduced number of implantation and live fetuses, decreased litter and maternal weight, increased pre and postimplantation loss rates, reduced triglyceride and VLDL-c concentrations, increased levels of thiol groups and MDA. Besides, these dams presented increased SOD and GSH-Px activities. However, the increased antioxidant status was not sufficient to prevent the lipid peroxidation observed in these animals.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite the benefits stemming from smoking interruption during the pregnancy of diabetic rats, such improvement was insufficient to avoid metabolic alterations and provide an adequate intrauterine environment for embryofetal development. Therefore, these results suggest that it is necessary to cease smoking extensive time before planning pregnancy, since stopping smoking only when pregnancy is detected may not contribute effectively to fully adequate embryofetal development.</p