Mercury exposure among dental staff in the legal Amazon / Exposição a mercúrio entre profissionais da área odontológica na Amazônia legal

Elemental mercury is highly toxic and may be absorbed by dental professionals through direct skin contact or inhalation. The use of mercury in dental amalgam has been a concern of the academic community for years, for its incorporation is likely to affect vital organ systems. Several studies have been conducted to address the possible risks of occupational exposure to mercury vapor in dental offices. The present study aimed to present evidences that mercury is assimilated by exposed workers through the determination of urinary mercury (HgU) from dental professionals (n = 91) of public offices in Araguaína (Tocantins, Brazil). This uptake was verified against samples from unexposed individuals (n = 43), which activities are not dentistry related. Cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) technique enabled the subjects’ biological monitoring. Approximately 44.8% (n = 60) of the 134 participants were aged between 21 and 30 years and were at the beginning of their professional lives; 9.7% (13) of the study participants were men and 90.3% (121) were women. Hg concentrations in all samples analyzed were within the maximum biological limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO) (<50 ?gHg·L?1). HgU concentrations in dental professionals were within the limits proposed by the Brazilian regulatory standard, Regulatory Norm-7 (RN-7) (?35 ?gHg·g?1 creatinine). Nevertheless, the average concentration of HgU was approximately 8 times higher in the potentially exposed group (5.61 ?gHg·g?1 creatinine) than in the unexposed group (0.65 ?gHg·g?1 creatinine), highlighting the potential risk of occupational exposure to mercury

The young adults feelings after losing their parents to cancer in adolescence : a study based on the written records of the young adults fight against cancer

目的；青年期にがんで親を亡くした人の死別後の気持ちをあきらかにする． 方法；闘病記より，青年期にがんで親を亡くした人の死別後の気持ちが表現されている言動を，逐語録化し分析した．具体的には，前後の文脈と表現された言語の意味をコード化しカテゴリー化した． 結果；４つのカテゴリー，すなわち，１．親の死を受け止められない，２．親との生活を振り返る，３．進路や人生観が変化する，４．親のいない生活への適応，を抽出した．なお，それぞれのカテゴリーには複数のサブカテゴリーで構成されていた． 青年期に親と死別した人の気持ちは，学校（高校など）でも家でも感情の板挟みとなって葛藤を繰り返し，誰にも打ち明けられずに孤独に耐える．しかし，生前の親との時間や親の生きざまを想察することで，死と向き合い始める．また，その後の進路や人生観の変化も，生前の親からの学びが，対象者の気持ちに影響を及ぼしている．Objective : The Objective of this study identified the feeding of young adults after they lost their parents who died of cancer. Methods : Some of the young adult of these parents had recorded their fight against cancer in their own way, and we first extracted from their records the parts in which their feelings following their parents’ death were written down or the parts in which their feelings about their parents’ death were hinted in the form of what they said or did. We then transcribed these parts word for word, and made an analysis of them. Results : We have found that these parts consist of four categories ： １） being unable to accept their parents’ death, ２） looking back on the life they led with their parents, ３） the change of their career or their outlook on life, and ４） adapting to the life in which their parents no longer exist. Each category comprises more than one subcategory. Conclusions : It is important for nurses to understand and support the complicated feelings of those young adult whose parents died in young adult. It can be an effective suggestion in influencing the mental attitude the oung adult assume following their parents’ death

Validação de metodologia analítica para determinação de mercúrio total em amostras de urina por espectrometria de absorção atômica com geração de vapor frio (CV-AAS): estudo de caso

Mercury is a toxic metal used in a variety of substances over the course history. One of its more dubious uses is in dental amalgam restorations. It is possible to measure very small concentrations of this metal in the urine of exposed subjects by the cold vapor atomic absorption technique. The present work features the validation as an essential tool to confirm the suitability of the analytical method chosen to accomplish such determination. An initial analysis will be carried out in order to evaluate the environmental and occupational levels of exposure to mercury in 39 members of the auxiliary dental staff at public consulting rooms in the city of Araguaína (TO)

Evaluation of atherosclerotic lesions using dextran- and mannan–dextran-coated USPIO: MRI analysis and pathological findings

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect atherosclerotic lesions containing accumulations of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxides (USPIO). Positing that improved USPIO with a higher affinity for atherosclerotic plaques would yield better plaque images, we performed MRI and histologic studies to compare the uptake of dextran- and mannan–dextran-coated USPIO (D-USPIO and DM-USPIO, respectively) by the atherosclerotic walls of rabbits. We intravenously injected atherosclerotic rabbits with DM-USPIO (n = 5) or D-USPIO (n = 5). Two rabbits were the controls. The doses delivered were 0.08 (dose 1) (n = 1), 0.4 (dose 2) (n = 1), or 0.8 (dose 3) (n = 3) mmol iron/Kg. The dose 3 rabbits underwent in vivo contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) before and 5 days after USPIO administration. Afterwards, all animals were euthanized, the aortae were removed and subjected to in vitro MRI study. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the aortic wall in the same region of interest (ROI) was calculated in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Histological assessment through measurement of iron-positive regions in Prussian blue-stained specimens showed that iron-positive regions were significantly larger in rabbits injected with DM- rather than D-USPIO (P < 0.05) for all doses. In vivo MRA showed that the SNR-reducing effect of DM- was greater than that of D-USPIO (P < 0.05). With in vitro MRI scans, SNR was significantly lower in rabbits treated with dose 2 of DM-USPIO compared with D-USPIO treatment (P < 0.05), and it tended to be lower at dose 3 (P < 0.1). In conclusion, we suggest that DM-USPIO is superior to D-USPIO for the study of atherosclerotic lesions in rabbits

Effects of a high-fat diet on the electrical properties of porcine atria

AbstractBackgroundBecause obesity is an important risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), we conducted an animal study to examine the effect of a high-fat diet (HFD) on atrial properties and AF inducibility.MethodsTen 8-week-old pigs (weight, 18–23kg) were divided into two groups. For 18 weeks, five pigs were fed a HFD (HFD group) and five were fed a normal diet (control group). Maps of atrial activation and voltages during sinus rhythm were created for all pigs using the EnSite NavX system. Effective refractory period (ERP) and AF inducibility were also determined. When AF was induced, complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) mapping was performed. At 18 weeks, hearts were removed for comparing the results of histological analysis between the two groups. Body weight, lipid levels, hemodynamics, cardiac structures, and electrophysiological properties were also compared.ResultsTotal cholesterol levels were significantly higher (347 [191–434] vs. 81 [67–88]mg/dL, P=0.0088), and left atrium pressure was higher (34.5 [25.6–39.5] vs. 24.5 [21.3–27.8]mmHg, P=0.0833) in the HFD group than in the control group, although body weight only increased marginally (89 [78–101] vs. 70 [66–91]kg, P=0.3472). ERPs of the pulmonary vein (PV) were shorter (P<0.05) and AF lasted longer in the HFD group than in the control group (80 [45–1350] vs. 22 [3–30]s, P=0.0212). Neither CFAE site distribution nor histopathological characteristics differed between the two groups.ConclusionsThe shorter ERPs for the PV observed in response to the HFD increased vulnerability to AF, and these electrophysiological characteristics may underlie obesity-related AF

保健・福祉系大学生への発達障害スクリーニング検査の信頼性と妥当性の検討

The purpose of this study was to verify the reliability and validity of a screening test for developmental disorders in students at a health and welfare university. A total of 632 students completed a questionnaire about difficulties. We classified 38 questions for 5 factors with factor analysis. The analysed factors were as follows: attention-deficit disorder factor, learning disorder factor, pervasive developmental disorder factor, depression and anxiety factor and control difficulty factor

Functions of mucosal associated invariant T cells in eye diseases

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a unique subset of T cells that recognizes metabolites derived from the vitamin B2 biosynthetic pathway. Since the identification of cognate antigens for MAIT cells, knowledge of the functions of MAIT cells in cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases has been rapidly expanding. Recently, MAIT cells have been found to contribute to visual protection against autoimmunity in the eye. The protective functions of MAIT cells are induced by T-cell receptor (TCR)-mediated activation. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, this mini-review aims to discuss our findings and the complexity of MAIT cell-mediated immune regulation in the eye

スイッチOTC候補成分に関する模擬添付文書作成演習の実施とその効果

A training program was conducted at our pharmacy school concerning the necessity of over-thecounter (OTC) drug sales and counselling tasks undertaken by community pharmacists. In this study, we evaluated the changes in their awareness of pharmacy studies regarding self-medication and the professional practice of community pharmacists, as well as their satisfaction with the training. The training program involved the preparation of simulated OTC package inserts for potential prescription (Rx)-to-OTC switch candidates and a presentation about the details of these inserts. A questionnaire was distributed to 67 students who participated in the program in 2011, and responses from completed questionnaires were analysed (n = 61). Before training, 75.4% and 65.5% of the respondents selected `agree\u27 or `slightly agree\u27 respectively, as their responses to the statements `increase in Rx-to-OTC switch is useful for self-medication\u27 and `increase in Rx-to-OTC switch widens pharmacists\u27 appeal\u27. After training, the response rates were 96.7% and 85.2%, respectively. Furthermore, 98.3% of the respondents indicated that they were satisfied with the training. These findings suggest that the training program was useful for increasing students\u27 awareness about the importance of OTC sales, patient counselling and the professional practice of community pharmacists under the current sales system for OTC medicines