Coping styles within the family system in the chronic phase following acquired brain injury: its relation to families’ and patients’ functioning

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the functioning of family members and the coping styles they use are related to the psychosocial functioning both of the family members and of the person who has sustained a brain injury. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Primary caregivers (n = 61) and other family members (n = 15) of 61 patients with brain injury. METHODS: Primary caregivers completed the Utrecht Coping List, the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire 9, and the Caregiver Strain Index. All family members completed the Family Assessment Device. Data for the patients were collected retrospectively. RESULTS: Primary caregivers who had a preference for passive coping styles reported that they experienced a lower level of family functioning, a lower quality of life, and a higher strain. Neither the coping styles nor the psychosocial outcomes of the primary caregivers were significantly associated with patients' self-reported quality of life. Furthermore, there was no correlation between the level of family functioning and a patient's quality of life. CONCLUSION: Coping styles of caregivers are important determinants for their own psychosocial functioning, but not for patients' psychosocial functioning, although causality cannot be inferred. To enhance caregivers' psychosocial functioning, rehabilitation should focus on changing their coping styles into ones that are less passive. Furthermore, distinct or additional interventions may be needed to change the patient's coping style

Processing and charcterization of a novel nonporous Poly(vinylidene fluoride) films in the beta-phase

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) has remarkable properties leading to electro-optics, electro-mechanical and biomedical applications. In particular its piezo- and pyroelectric properties provide possibilities for many technological applications. The semicrystalline nature of PVDF, combined with the occurrence of at least four crystalline phases implies a complicated physical microstructure. The most frequently described and important phase is the β. The piezo and pyro-electric properties mainly depend on this phase, so increasing the β phase content has always been a great concern. It is possible to obtain films in the β phase by solution but this material presents a high porosity leading to an opaque appearance and a decrease of the mechanical an electrical properties. In this work, porous films in the β phase were obtained directly from the solution at 600C. After applying pressure perpendicular to the surface of the film at elevated temperature, the pores in the original sample are eliminated. The changes on the morphology and crystallinity associated to the pressure applied to the samples were also studied.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - grants POCTI/CTM/33501/99, POCI/CTM/59425/2004, SFRH/BD/16543/2004.CNPq, FAPESP - program ALFA-PLASTINET

Pulmonary bacterial pathogens in cystic fibrosis patients and antibiotic therapy: a tool for the health workers

Cystic fibrosis is the most common and best known genetic disease involving a defect in transepithelial Cl- transport by mutations in the CF gene on chromosome 7, which codes for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein (CFTR). The most serious symptoms are observed in the lungs, augmenting the risk of bacterial infection. The objective of this review was to describe the bacterial pathogens colonizing patients with cystic fibrosis. A systematic search was conducted using the international bibliographic databanks SCIELO, HIGHWIRE, PUBMED, SCIRUS and LILACS to provide a useful and practical review for healthcare workers to make them aware of these microorganisms. Today, B. cepacia, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus are the most important infectious agents in cystic fibrosis patients. However, healthcare professionals must pay attention to emerging infectious agents in these patients, because they represent a potentially serious future problem. Therefore, these pathogens should be pointed out as a risk to these patients, and hospitals all over the world must be prepared to detect and combat these bacteria

Immune Response to Single-Dose Moderna Vaccination in Healthcare Workers Previously Infected with SARS-CoV-2

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α - to - β transformation on PVDF films obtained by uniaxial stretch

The α to β phase transformation of PVDF through the stretching process at different temperatures was investigated. The optimum stretching conditions were studied and characterised by infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The maximum β−phase content was achieved at 80ºC and a stretch ratio of 5. Accompanying the phase transformation, a orientation of the polymer chains and a packing of the crystalline structure is observed. The stretch ratio does not significantly affect the degree of crystallinity.GRICES/FAPESP (Proc. 4.1.3/FAPESP).EU-ALFA project Plastinet.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Grants POCTI/CTM/33501/99, POCI/CTM/59425/2004

Periódicos científicos digitais e ontologia : uma pesquisa

Apresenta pesquisa sobre periódicos científicos digitais e a construção de ontologia de referência, identificando a importância dos mesmos como veículos propulsores das ciências, seu formato digital e sua interoperabilidade. Trata-se de uma pesquisa documental e experimental, objetivando desenvolver uma ontologia que padronize os elementos (metadados) essenciais que estruturam, criam e mantém um periódico científico. Identificaram-se ontologias que tratam de periódicos científicos e compilaram-se os elementos tratados nessas ontologias, comparando-os com estudos existentes sobre a criação e manutenção de periódicos científicos. Conclui-se com uma lista de metadados que estruturam periódicos científicos, sendo que os termos foram traduzidos para o inglês e relacionam-se sinônimos, os quais estão sendo inseridos em editor de ontologias - plataforma Protégé

Ultramorphology of digestive tract of Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner, 1818) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) at final larval development.

RESUMO: O trato digestivo dos insetos constitui uma importante barreira físico-química natural contra invasão de patógenos. Algumas larvas de lepidópteros são consideradas pragas agrícolas potenciais e sua biologia tem recebido muita atenção; no entanto, pouco se sabe sobre a morfologia do sistema digestivo. A análise morfológica do trato digestivo de Anticarsia gemmatalis em nível ultraestrutural é um método bastante eficaz para o estudo dos seus mecanismos de defesa. Os materiais foram fixados (solução de glutaraldeído 2,5%; 0.1M tampão fosfato, pH 7.3), pós-fixados (tetróxido de ósmio 1% no mesmo tampão), desidratados em ponto crítico, recobertos com ouro e analisados ao microscópio eletrônico de varredura 515-Philips. O trato digestivo de A. gemmatalis consiste de um tubo retilíneo de diâmetro e comprimento variável, subdividido em três regiões: intestino anterior formado pela cavidade bucal, faringe, esôfago e papo; o intestino médio que é a região mais longa do trato digestivo, sem aparente diferenciação morfológica ao longo do comprimento; e o intestino posterior que é diferenciado em piloro, íleo, cólon, e reto. Embora a morfologia geral do trato digestivo de A. gemmatalis seja bastante semelhante ao de outras espécies de Lepidoptera, o arranjo anatômico das camadas musculares do papo difere do descrito para larvas destes insetos. ABSTRACT: The digestive tract of insects is an important natural, physical, and chemical defense barrier against pathogen invasion. Certain lepidopteran caterpillars are serious pests of agricultural crops and their biology has received much attention, but little is known about the larval noctuid gut. The morphological analysis of the digestive tract in Anticarsia gemmatalis under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a good model for studies about its defense mechanism. The material was fixed (2,5% glutaraldehyde solution; 0.1M-phosphate buffer, pH 7.3), post-fixed (1% osmium tetroxide in the same buffer), dried at critical point, gold coated and analyzed in a SEM 515-Philips. A. gemmatalis digestive tract consists of a straight duct of varying length and diameter, subdivided in three main regions: the foregut formed by the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, and crop; the midgut that is the largest portion of the digestive tract

Discovery of a Luminous Quasar in the Nearby Universe

In the course of the Pico dos Dias survey (PDS), we identified the stellar like object PDS456 at coordinates alpha = 17h 28m 19.796s, delta = -14deg 15' 55.87'' (epoch 2000), with a relatively nearby (z = 0.184) and bright (B = 14.69) quasar. Its position at Galactic coordinates l_II = 10.4deg, b_II = +11.2deg, near the bulge of the Galaxy, may explain why it was not detected before. The optical spectrum of PDS456 is typical of a luminous quasar, showing a broad (FWHM ~ 4000 km/s) H_\beta line, very intense FeII lines and a weak [OIII]\lambda5007 line. PDS456 is associated to the infrared source IRAS 17254-1413 with a 60 \mum infrared luminosity L_{60} = 3.8 x 10^{45} erg/s. The relatively flat slopes in the infrared (\alpha(25,60) = -0.33 and \alpha(12,25) = -0.78) and a flat power index in the optical (F_{\nu} \propto \nu^{-0.72}) may indicate a low dust content. A good match between the position of PDS456 and the position of the X-ray source RXS J172819.3-141600 implies an X-ray luminosity L_x = 2.8 x 10^{44} erg/s. The good correlation between the strength of the emission lines in the optical and the X-ray luminosity, as well as the steep optical to X-ray index estimated (\alpha_{ox} = -1.64) suggest that PDS456 is radio quiet. A radio survey previously performed in this region yields an upper limit for radio power at ~ 5 GHz of ~ 2.6 x 10^{30} erg/s/Hz. We estimate the Galactic reddening in this line-of-sight to be A_B \simeq 2.0, implying an absolute magnitude M_B = -26.7 (using H_0 = 75 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1} and q_0 = 0). In the optical, PDS456 is therefore 1.3 times more luminous than 3C 273 and the most luminous quasar in the nearby (z \leq 0.3) Universe.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX (aasms4.sty) + 3 figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

Estudo por Microscopia de Força Atômica de Filmes Automontados e Curados.

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