'Engolir sapos' no ambiente de trabalho: uma ánálise do fenômeno do assédio moral no cotidiano profissional

Comunicação apresentada na Conferência "O Assédio Moral no Local de Trabalho: emergência de uma nova realidade", 29 e 30 de Novembro de 2007Este estudo teve como propósito ampliar a compreensão do fenômeno do assédio moral no ambiente de trabalho, buscando nuances ainda pouco exploradas, uma vez que a literatura a respeito tem-se dedicado principalmente às suas conseqüências, agentes e situações de ocorrência. A pesquisa realizou-se sob abordagem qualitativa, mediante a análise de conteúdo léxica e semântica de respostas oferecidas por 175 profissionais de empresas de diferentes ramos e portes, a um formulário com questões abertas aplicado em sistema de auto-preenchimento. Os resultados indicaram que o fenômeno de assédio moral, compreendido sob o recorte "engolir sapos", é de natureza multifacetada. A predisposição para se sujeitar a situações em que os profissionais se vêem obrigados a agir ou tomar uma decisão contra a sua vontade, as razões que levam a fazê-lo, como se sentem, o aprendizado decorrente dessas vivências e como reagem, são aspectos discutidos neste trabalho.This study had as the extend intention of understanding the phenomenon of the moral harassment practices inside the work environment, searching aspects not well explored, once that literature had mainly dedicated to its consequences, agents and situations of occurrence. The research was become fulfilled under qualitative boarding, by some analysis of meaning and semantics contents of answers offered for 175 professionals of companies from different markets and segments, to a form with open questions applied in auto-fulfilling system. The results had indicated that the phenomenon of moral harassment, understood under the clipping "to swallow frogs", is multifaceted nature. The predisposition to attend to situations where the professionals have to act or to take a decision against its will, the reasons that they lead to make it, the resultant learning of these experiences and as they react, are some aspects argued in this work

Cheilitis granulomatosa associated with melkersson-rosenthal syndrome

SummaryMelkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) consists of persistent or recurrent orofacial edema, relapsing facial palsy and fissured tongue. The complete triad of symptoms is uncommon, varying from 8 to 25%. The presentation of only one symptom is more common. The most frequent complaint is facial edema and enlargement of the lips. We describe a case of a 17-year-old Brazilian girl with limited edema of the lower lip and fissured tongue due to MRS. Her complaints had started two years before. She referred previous clinical treatments without success. We proposed intralesional injection of triamcinolone at 20 mg every 15 days associated with oral clofazimine at 50 mg/day for three months. The lip became normal after four triamcinolone injections. Recent studies have considered MRS a granulomatous disease, and possibly the initial presentation of Crohn's disease in orofacial area of some patients. MRS patients, therefore, should be screened and monitored for gastrointestinal symptoms. Corticosteroid treatment seems to be effective in reducing lip enlargement. We discus the clinical features of this disease, the treatment, and the importance of corticosteroid therapy in cases of MRS-related facial palsy

Adiposity and postural balance control: Correlations between bioelectrical impedance and stabilometric signals in elderly Brazilian women

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between body adiposity and postural control in elderly women. INTRODUCTION: Aging and obesity account for a significant portion of healthcare spending. Life expectancy is increasing worldwide, and Rio de Janeiro has the largest proportion of elderly residents of all Brazilian states. METHODS: A total of 45 women underwent bioelectrical impedance analysis, waist circumference measurements, weight and height measurements, and stabilometric tests in eight different stance conditions (opened and closed bases with both eyes opened and closed and right and left tandem and unilateral stances with eyes opened). During unilateral stances, the number of hand or foot contacts was counted. RESULTS: Weight, body mass index, waist circumference, fat percentage, and fat mass showed statistically significant (p,0.05) and positive correlations with the number of contacts made during unilateral stances. The subjects with greater fat mass showed significantly higher anterior-posterior standard deviation and range when their eyes were closed. The sway area was also greater for this group in opened base when their eyes were closed. DISCUSSION: The results relating body adiposity and postural control can be explained by the difficulty of maintaining a greater quantity of body fat mass within the limits of the individual support base, especially while assuming a unilateral stance. CONCLUSION: The subjects with a greater fat mass exhibited poor balance control, indicating that body adiposity level was associated with postural control in the elderly women examined in the present study

Impact of Wearing Palatal Expanders on the Quality of Life of Children Aged 8 to 10 Years

Objective: To assess the impact of wearing palatal expanders on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children aged 8 to 10 years. Material and Methods: The sample consisted of 35 children aged 8 to 10 years treated at the orthodontics and pediatric dentistry outpatient clinics affiliated with the Dental School. Children were divided in two groups: 17 were submitted to palatal expansion treatment (Group 1), while 18 just received coronal polishing and topical fluoride application (Group 2). The Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8-10) was used to assess children’s OHRQoL. The questionnaire was administered before the expander was placed, at the end of its activation, and before its removal. Intervals between the interviews were similar in the two groups. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were used for data analyses. Results: The overall CPQ8-10 score was not significantly different between the groups. The results show statistically significant differences between the two groups only for the functional limitations domain after activation of the appliance (p=0.001). Conclusion: Palatal expanders may negatively affect children's functions only during the initial wearing period

Conservation genetics of the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis (Zimmerman, 1780)) (Carnivora, Mustelidae)

The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is an aquatic mammal of the Mustelidae family, endemic to South America. Its original distribution corresponds to the region from the Guyanas to Central-North Argentina, but it is extinct or on the verge of extinction in most of its historical range. Currently, the species is considered endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Based on its geographic distribution in the South American continent and on some morphological characters, two subspecies were suggested: P. brasiliensis brasiliensis, occurring in the Amazon and Orinoco River Basins, and P. brasiliensis paranensis, in the Paraná and Paraguai River Basins. However, there is no consensus on assuming this subspecies division and no detailed studies have been carried out to elucidate this question. This study aims to evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of Pteronura brasiliensis along its range in Brazil to check the possibility of the existence of two distinct subspecies using also a reciprocal monophyly criterion. We analyzed the control region, and the Cytochrome b and Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I genes of the mitochondrial DNA in several giant otter populations from the Amazon and Paraguai River Basins. Analyses have indicated some degree of geographic correlation and a high level of inter-population divergence, although the subspecies division is not highly supported. As we observed strong population structure, we cannot rule out the existence of further divisions shaping the species distribution. The results suggest that a more complex population structure occurs in P. brasiliensis, and the conservation practice should concentrate on preserving all remaining local populations

Weekly frequency of a motor intervention program for day care babies

Este estudio tiene por objeto comparar el resultado de un programa de intervención motora en el desarrollo de bebés en un jardín de infantes públicos de la ciudad de Porto Alegre, Brasil. Del estudio, participaron 59 bebés, clasificados aleatoriamente en tres grupos: 18 bebés atendidos tres veces por semana (G3X); 23 bebés atendidos una vez por semana (G1X) y 18 bebés del grupo control (GC). Se llevaron a cabo tareas de persecución visual (tres minutos), manejo de objetos (siete minutos) y fuerza, movilidad y estabilización (diez minutos). Se empleó el Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) para análisis del desarrollo motor de los bebés. Los resultados mostraron que los del G1X fueron quienes presentaron mejoras en la clasificación (p=0,007), mientras que en las posturas, fueron los G3X quienes presentaron mayores diferencias significativas en las posturas prono, sentada y de pie, aun siendo más jóvenes que los demás. Se concluye que los bebés que realizaron intervención motora, una o tres veces por semana, presentaron mejores resultados en la comparación con los del grupo control.O objetivo do estudo foi comparar o efeito de um Programa de Intervenção Motora no desenvolvimento de bebês de escolas de educação infantil públicas de Porto Alegre. Participaram do estudo 59 bebês, estratificados aleatoriamente em três grupos: 18 bebês atendidos três vezes por semana (G3X); 23 bebês atendidos uma vez por semana (G1X) e 18 bebês do grupo controle (GC). Foram realizadas tarefas de perseguição visual (três minutos), manipulação de objetos (sete minutos) e força, mobilidade e estabilização (dez minutos). O instrumento utilizado foi a Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) para avaliar o desenvolvimento motor dos bebês. Os resultados do estudo mostraram que os bebês do G1X foram os que melhoraram na classificação (p=0,007); nas posturas, foram os bebês do G3X que obtiveram diferença significativa maior na postura prono, sentado e em pé, mesmo sendo mais novos. Em conclusão, os bebês que realizaram intervenção motora, uma ou três vezes por semana, obtiveram melhores resultados quando comparados ao grupo controle.The main goal of this research was to compare the effect of a Motor Intervention Program (MIP) on the development of babies in public preschools in Porto Alegre. The study included 59 infants, stratified randomly into three groups: 18 infants met three times a week (3X G); 23 babies met once a week (1XG); and 18 control individuals (CG). Visual (three minutes), manipulation of objects (seven minutes) and strength, mobility, and stabilization (ten minutes) tasks were performed. The instrument used was the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to evaluate the babies' motor development. The study results showed an improved classification from 1XG babies (p = 0.007). The 3XG babies had the most significant difference in the prone posture, sitting and standing, despite being younger. In conclusion, the babies who underwent motor intervention one or three times a week had better results when compared to the control group

Effect of 3'UTR RET variants on RET mRNA secondary structure and disease presentation in medullary thyroid carcinoma

The RET S836S variant has been associated with early onset and increased risk for metastatic disease in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). However, the mechanism by which this variant modulates MTC pathogenesis is still open to discuss. Of interest, strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) between RET S836S and 3'UTR variants has been reported in Hirschsprung's disease patients. Objective To evaluate the frequency of the RET 3’UTR variants (rs76759170 and rs3026785) in MTC patients and to determine whether these variants are in LD with S836S polymorphism. Methods Our sample comprised 152 patients with sporadic MTC. The RET S836S and 3’UTR (rs76759170 and rs3026785) variants were genotyped using Custom TaqMan Genotyping Assays. Haplotypes were inferred using the phase 2.1 program. RET mRNA structure was assessed by Vienna Package. Results The mean age of MTC diagnosis was 48.5±15.5 years and 57.9%were women. The minor allele frequencies of RET polymorphisms were as follows: S836S, 5.6%; rs76759170, 5.6%; rs3026785, 6.2%. We observed a strong LD among S836S and 3’UTR variants (|D’| = -1, r2 = 1 and |D’| = -1, r2 = 0,967). Patients harboring the S836S/3’UTR variants presented a higher percentage of lymph node and distant metastasis (P = 0.013 and P<0.001, respectively). Accordingly, RNA folding analyses demonstrated different RNA secondarystructure predictions for WT(TCCGT), S836S(TTCGT) or 3’UTR(GTCAC) haplotypes. The S836S/3’UTR haplotype presented a greater number of double helices sections and lower levels of minimal free energy when compared to the wild-type haplotype, suggesting that these variants provides the most thermodynamically stable mRNA structure, which may have functional consequences on the rate of mRNA degradation. Conclusion The RET S836S polymorphism is in LD with 3’UTR variants. In silico analysis indicate that the 3’UTR variants may affect the secondary structure of RET mRNA, suggesting that these variants might play a role in posttranscriptional control of the RET transcripts