Frequência e etiologia da mastite caprina na região do Cariri paraibano

Com o objetivo de estimar a freqüência da mastite caprina e de identificar os principais agentes etiológicos envolvidos na infecção da glândula mamária de cabras leiteiras na Região do Cariri Paraibano, foram examinadas 654 metades mamárias de 327 cabras, provenientes de 15 propriedades. A glândula mamária das cabras em lactação foi examinada e o leite submetido aos testes da caneca telada e do CMT. Nenhuma metade mamária apresentou alteração no exame clínico. Das 654 amostras de leite analisadas, uma (0,15%) apresentou alteração no teste da caneca telada, indicando mastite clínica, e 201 (30,70%) apresentaram algum grau de gelificação (1+, 2+ ou 3+) no teste do CMT, sendo procedida à coleta para lactocultura. Das 201 amostras cultivadas, 45 (22,39%) apresentaram crescimento bacteriano. 6,88% (45/654) das glândulas mamárias examinadas apresentavam mastite subclínica. Na lactocultura, isolouse Staphylococcus spp (84,44%), Streptococcus spp (4,44%), Bacillus spp. (4,44%), Micrococcus spp. (4,44%) e Bastonete Gram negativo (2,22%). Conclui-se que a mastite caprina na região do Cariri Paraibano apresenta o mesmo padrão de outras regiões do Brasil e do mundo, tendo o Staphylococcus spp. como principal agente causal; e que o CMT pode ser utilizado como teste de triagem da saúde da glândula mamária caprina, mas a lactocultura é o método mais indicado para o diagnóstico da mastite subclínica em cabras leiteiras

Monitoring of the dissemination of Salmonella in the chicken Frankfurt-sausage productionline of a sausage factory in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Poultry meat and its derivatives are among the foodstuffs considered by environmental health authorities to present the highest risks to the public. A total of 185 samples were collected in five monthly batches, from different processing stages in a sausage plant that uses mechanically-deboned chicken meat (MDCM), and testedfor the presence of Salmonella. Enrichment was carried out in both Kauffman's tetrathionate broth and Rappaport-Vassiliadis broth and isolation on Salmonella-Shigella agar and brilliant-green agar. Live Salmonella bacteria were isolated from six samples of the raw meat and from the emulsion, in batches three, four, and five, but not from any sample in batches one or two. The six isolated strains were all classified as Salmonella Albany, which has not previously been reported in MDCM. Of the two enrichment broths, Rappaport-Vassiliadis gave the better results. The pattern of contamination suggests a probable common source, given that a new supplier was used in the third, fourth, and fifth months. It was also shown that the industrial cooking was effective in preventing Salmonella surviving in the final product

Experimental kinetics of infection induced by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis isolated from stock animals

The course of in vivo infection of five isolates of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was followed for three weeks in Swiss mice. The strains were isolated from diarrheic and normal feces and mesenteric lymph nodes of healthy and sick stock animals. Four strains of serogroup O:3 and one of serogroup O:1a, with and without the virulence plasmid, were inoculated intragastrically and intravenously in the mice. Groups of five animals were sacrificed at 6 h and 3, 6, 10, 15, and 21 days after inoculation, and organs and tissues were checked for possible macroscopic alterations. Development of infection was monitored at these times by performing viable bacterial counts in homogenates of selected tissues. The animals were cheked daily for clinical alterations. The results of the study showed that strains with the virulence plasmid infected organs and tissues at various times and at varying intensity by both routes of infection, the strain of type O:1a being the most invasive. Moreover, clinical and pathological alterations occurred only in animals inoculated with bacteria carrying the virulence plasmid, regardless of the route of infection

Identification of Mycobacteria by Thin Layer Chromatographic Analysis of Mycolic Acids and Conventional Biochemical Method: Four Years of Experience

Mycolic acids analysis by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) has been employed by several laboratories worldwide as a method for fast identification of mycobacteria. This method was introduced in Brazil by our laboratory in 1992 as a routine identification technique. Up to the present, 861 strains isolated were identified by mycolic acids TLC and by standard biochemical tests; 61% out of these strains came as clinical samples, 4% isolated from frogs and 35% as environmental samples. Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains identified by classical methods were confirmed by their mycolic acids contents (I, III and IV). The method allowed earlier differentiation of M. avium complex - MAC (mycolic acids I, IV and VI) from M. simiae (acids I, II and IV), both with similar biochemical properties. The method also permitted to distinguish M. fortuitum (acids I and V) from M. chelonae (acids I and II) , and to detect mixed mycobacterial infections cases as M. tuberculosis with MAC and M. fortuitum with MAC. Concluding, four years experience shows that mycolic acids TLC is an easy, reliable, fast and inexpensive method, an important tool to put together conventional mycobacteria identification methods

Adaptação cultural de instrumento que avalia atividades do trabalho e sua relação com sintomas osteomusculares Adaptación cultural de un instrumento que evalúa actividades del trabajo y su relación con síntomas osteomusculares Cross-cultural adaptation of an instrument to measure work-related activities that may contribute to osteomuscular symptoms

OBJETIVO: Traduzir e adaptar culturalmente o questionário Work-related activities that may contribute to job-related pain and/or injury para o português falado no Brasil e verificar a validade de conteúdo desta nova versão. MÉTODOS: A adaptação cultural seguiu normas internacionalmente aceitas com as etapas de tradução, síntese, retro-tradução, avaliação por um comitê de especialistas e pré-teste. Esta versão do instrumento foi aplicada em 40 trabalhadores. RESULTADOS: O procedimento de adaptação cultural foi realizado com sucesso. O comitê de especialistas verificou a validade de conteúdo e realizou algumas modificações. No pré-teste, 7,5% dos indivíduos indicaram sugestões para um item do questionário e 17,5% demonstraram dificuldades no entendimento da instrução. Informações adicionais foram incluídas para tornar o instrumento final mais compreensível. CONCLUSÕES: A versão brasileira deste instrumento foi obtida com sucesso.<br>OBJETIVO: Traducir y adaptar culturalmente el cuestionario Work-related activities that may contribute to job-related pain and/or injury al portugués hablado en el Brasil y verificar la validez de contenidos de esta nueva versión. MÉTODOS: La adaptación cultural siguió normas internacionalmente aceptadas con las etapas de traducción, síntesis, retro-traducción, evaluación por un comité de especialistas y pre test. Esta versión del instrumento fue aplicada a 40 trabajadores. RESULTADOS: El procedimiento de adaptación cultural fue realizado con éxito. El comité de especialistas verificó la validez de contenido y realizó algunas modificaciones. En el pre test, el 7,5% de los individuos indicaron sugerencias para un item del cuestionario y el 17,5% demostraron dificultades en el entendimiento de la instrucción. Las informaciones adicionales fueron incluidas para conseguir que el instrumento final sea más comprensible. CONCLUSIONES: La versión brasileña de este instrumento fue obtenida con éxito.<br>OBJECTIVE: To translate the Work-Related Activities Questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese and to evaluate its cross-cultural adaptation among a sample of Brazilian workers. METHODS: International standard recommendations were followed to translate and back-translate the instrument, and to establish the cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument using content experts and pretest. A field testing of the instrument was conducted with 40 Brazilian workers. RESULTS: The procedure used to establish the cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument was found to be adequate. The panels of experts evaluated the initial content validity of the items of the instrument and suggested necessary revisions to achieve an acceptable content validity. In the pretest, 7.5% of individuals suggested changes in one of the items of the instrument. In addition, 17.5% of the individuals reported having difficulty understanding the instructions to complete the instrument. These findings led to further revision of the instrument. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian version of the instrument was adequately cross-culturally adapted and validated

Intraoral electrostimulator for xerostomia relief: a long-term, multicenter, open-label, uncontrolled, clinical trial

Objective. A previous sham-controlled multinational study demonstrated the short-term efficacy and safety for xerostomia treatment of an intraoral device that delivers electrostimulation to the lingual nerve. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that those beneficial effects would be sustained over an 11-month period. Study Design. The device was tested on a mixed sample of 94 patients with xerostomia in an open-label, uncontrolled, prospective multicenter trial. Statutory outcome assessments were done at 5th, 8th, and 11th months and analyzed by multiple comparisons. Results. Improvements achieved at month 5 from baseline were sustained throughout the follow-up period for the primary outcome, xerostomia severity, and the secondary outcomes resting whole salivary flow rate, xerostomia frequency, oral discomfort, and difficulties in speech, swallowing, and sleeping. No significant side effects were detected. Conclusions. The beneficial effects of a removable intraoral electrostimulating device were sustained for an 11-month period

Confiabilidade do Perfil de Saúde de Nottingham após acidente vascular encefálico Reliability of the Nottingham Health Profile after suffering a stroke

O artigo tem o objetivo de avaliar a confiabilidade, a consistência interna e a concordância do instrumento de qualidade de vida (QV) Perfil de Saúde de Nottingham (PSN) em indivíduos após Acidente Vascular Encefálico (AVE). Estudo do tipo transversal realizado em comunidades da Cidade do Recife-PE. A amostra foi composta por 53 indivíduos na fase crônica do AVE. Após verificação do estado cognitivo foi aplicado o PSN. Utilizou-se estatística descritiva para caracterizar a amostra; a consistência interna foi medida através do alfa (&#945;) de Cronbach; a confiabilidade com o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse (CCI) e a concordância pelo teste de plotagem Bland and Altman, com nível de significância de 5%. A percepção dos indivíduos sobre suas saúdes teve uma tendência positiva em 83,3% dos domínios do PSN (média > 50 pontos), exceto para o domínio "habilidades físicas" que variou entre 41,5 e 50 pontos. O instrumento obteve boa consistência interna, com &#945; entre 0,81 e 0,87; excelente confiabilidade nos domínios "dor" e "habilidades físicas", ICC >0,90 (p <0,01); e concordância em 95% das ocasiões. O PSN, além de ser um instrumento simples e de fácil aplicação, apresentou propriedades clinimétricas adequadas para avaliar a QV de indivíduos pós-AVE na fase crônica.<br>This article seeks to evaluate the reliability, internal consistency and accuracy of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), namely a quality of life (QL) instrument for individuals after suffering a stroke. This cross-sectional study was carried out in the communities of Recife in the State of Pernambuco. The sample was composed of 53 individuals at the chronic stroke phase. After checking the cognitive state, the NHP was applied. Descriptive statistics were employed for characterization of the sample; Cronbach's alpha (&#945;) coefficients were used for evaluation of internal consistency, and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were used for investigation of reliability, as well as consistency of the Bland and Altman plotting tests with 5% level of significance. Their perceptions of their own health were 83.3% positive for the majority of NHP criteria (average scores > 50 points), except for the "physical ability" criterion where scores ranged between 41.5 and 50 points. The NHP had good internal consistency with &#945; values between 0.81 to 0.87; excellent reliability indices for the "pain" and "physical ability" criteria (ICC > 0.90); and 95% consistency. Besides being simple and easily applied, NHP had adequate clinimetric properties for the assessment of individuals after a chronic stroke