The Semi Liberty Measure Application to Adolescents in the Context of Brazil and Portugal

O comportamento infrator e a aplicação de medida socioeducativa na adolescência representam uma dimensão relevante de estudo. O presente artigo visou conhecer as características de duas instituições que atendem adolescentes em conflito com a lei. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa e exploratória, na qual foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com 44 adolescentes, que cumpriam medida socioeducativa em regime semiaberto em Portugal e no Brasil. A partir da análise de conteúdo, verificou-se que as instituições pesquisadas diferem em seus modelos de funcionamento e regras internas, bem como nas oportunidades oferecidas aos meninos. Estes aspectos refletem as diferenças culturais, socioeconômicas e jurídicas desses países. Entretanto, ambas as instituições possibilitam a ocorrência de processos proximais, favorecendo o desenvolvimento dos adolescentes.The delinquent behavior in childhood and adolescence and the socio-educational measure application represent a relevant dimension of study. This article aimed to know the characteristics of two institutions that attend adolescents with law conflict. This is a qualitative and exploratory research, in which semi-structured interviews was performed with 44 adolescents, who fulfill socioeducative measure in a semi-open regime of Portugal and Brazil. As a result it was found that the surveyed institutions differ in their internal operating models and rules, as well as the opportunities that are offered to adolescents. These aspects show the cultural, socio-economic and legal differences between these countries. However, both allow the occurrence of proximal processes leading to the development of adolescents

A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign

Given the difficulties of implementing ‘top-down’ quality improvements, health service leaders have turned to methods that empower clinicians to co-produce ‘bottom-up’ improvements. This has involved the adoption of strategies and activities associated with social movements, with clinicians encouraged to participate in collective action towards the shared goal of improvement. This paper examines the adoption of social movement methods by hospital managers as a strategy for implementing a quality improvement ‘campaign’. Our case study suggests that, despite the claim of empowering clinicians to develop ‘bottom-up’ improvements, the use of social movement methods is narrowly concerned with engaging clinicians in a pre-determined programme of ‘top-down’ change. It finds a prominent role for ‘hybrid’ clinical leaders and other staff representatives in the mobilisation of the campaign, especially for enrolling clinicians in change activities. The work of these ‘hybrids’ suggests some degree of creative mediation between clinical and managerial interests, but more often alignment with the aspirations of management. The study raises questions about the translation of social movements theories as a strategy for managing change and re-inventing professionalism

Neural plasticity of the uterus : New targets for endometrial cancer?

Altres ajuts: European Regional Development Fund (FEDER); FMMA grant (AP166942017); European Social Fund (ESF 'Investing in Your Future').Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynecological malignancy in Western countries and is expected to increase in the following years because of the high index of obesity in the population. Recently, neural signaling has been recognized as part of the tumor microenvironment, playing an active role in tumor progression and invasion of different solid tumor types. The uterus stands out for the physiological plasticity of its peripheral nerves due to cyclic remodeling brought on by estrogen and progesterone hormones throughout the reproductive cycle. Therefore, a precise understanding of nerve-cancer crosstalk and the contribution of the organ-intrinsic neuroplasticity, mediated by estrogen and progesterone, of the uterine is urgently needed. The development of new and innovative medicines for patients with endometrial cancer would increase their quality of life and health. This review compiles information on the architecture and function of autonomous uterine neural innervations and the influence of hormone-dependent nerves in normal uterus and tumor progression. It also explores new therapeutic possibilities for endometrial cancer using these endocrine and neural advantages

European birth cohorts for environmental health research

Many pregnancy and birth cohort studies investigate the health effects of early-life environmental contaminant exposure. An overview of existing studies and their data is needed to improve collaboration, harmonization, and future project planning

ATENDIMENTO AO ADOLESCENTE USUÁRIO DE SUBSTÂNCIAS PSICOATIVAS: PAPEL DO CENTRO DE ATENÇÃO PSICOSSOCIAL

The present study aimed to gain insight into the role of a Psychosocial Care Center for Users of Alcohol and other Drugs (CAPS AD) that assists adolescents who usepsychoactive substances, from the views of the professionals of Guardianship Councils and the Judiciary. Qualitative researchconductedfrom June to August 2015, in units of a Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS) for adolescents, in a city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, based on semi-structured interviews with 13 professionals from Social Work and the Judiciary. Two categories emerged from data analysis: The role of the Psychosocial Care Center Alcohol and other Drugsand Challengesfaced bythe CAPS professionals regarding the delivery of care who use alcohol and other drugs.O estudo teve como objetivo conhecer o papel de um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Outras Drogas no atendimento ao adolescente usuário de substâncias psicoativas, na perspectiva dos profissionais que atuam no conselho tutelar e no judiciário. Pesquisa qualitativa, realizada entre junho e agosto de 2015, em serviços da Rede de Atenção Psicossocial ao adolescente, em um município do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas com 13 profissionais da Assistência Social e do Judiciário. Após análise dos dados, emergiram duas categorias: O papel do Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e outras drogas; e, Desafios no atendimento prestado aos adolescentes pelo Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e outras drogas. Conclui-se que há necessidade das intervenções realizadas com adolescentes usuários estarem pautadas na perspectiva interdisciplinar, intersetorial e com profissionais qualificados, a fim de potencializar as ações de atenção à saúde para atender essa demanda.Estudio cuyo objetivo fue conocer el papel de un Centro de Atención Psicosocial de Álcohol y Otras Drogas en el atendimiento al adolescente usuario de sustancias psicoactivas, bajo la perspectiva de los profesionales que actuan en el consejo tutelar y en el judiciario. Investigación cualitativa, realizada entre junio y agosto de 2015, en servicios de la Red de Atención Psicosocial al adolescente, en un município del estado de Rio Grande do Sul, con base en entrevistas semiestructuradas a 13 profesionales de la Asistencia Social y del Judiciario. Resultaron dos categorias del análisis de los datos: el papel de la Atención Psicosocial de Álcohol y Otras Drogas; y, Desafíos en el atendimiento prestado a los adolescentes por la Atención Psicosocial de Álcohol y Otras Drogas. Se concluye que hay necesidad de que las intervenciones realizadas con adolescentes usuarios estén pautadas en la perspectiva interdisciplinar, intersectorial, además de la priorización por profesionales calificados, con fines de potencializar las acciones de atención a la salud para atender a esa demanda

A cluster randomised trial of a telephone-based intervention for parents to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in their 3- to 5-year-old children: study protocol

Background: Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption in childhood increases the risk of developing chronic disease. Despite this, a substantial proportion of children in developed nations, including Australia, do not consume sufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables. Parents are influential in the development of dietary habits of young children but often lack the necessary knowledge and skills to promote healthy eating in their children. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a telephone-based intervention for parents to increase the fruit and vegetable consumption of their 3- to 5-year-old children. Methods/Design: The study, conducted in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia, employs a cluster randomised controlled trial design. Two hundred parents from 15 randomly selected preschools will be randomised to receive the intervention, which consists of print resources and four weekly 30-minute telephone support calls delivered by trained telephone interviewers. The calls will assist parents to increase the availability and accessibility of fruit and vegetables in the home, create supportive family eating routines and role-model fruit and vegetable consumption. A further two hundred parents will be randomly allocated to the control group and will receive printed nutrition information only. The primary outcome of the trial will be the change in the child's consumption of fruit and vegetables as measured by the fruit and vegetable subscale of the Children's Dietary Questionnaire. Pre-intervention and post-intervention parent surveys will be administered over the telephone. Baseline surveys will occur one to two weeks prior to intervention delivery, with follow-up data collection calls occurring two, six, 12 and 18 months following baseline data collection. Discussion: If effective, this telephone-based intervention may represent a promising public health strategy to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in childhood and reduce the risk of subsequent chronic disease. Trial registration: Australian Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609000820202

Exploring the link between MORF4L1 and risk of breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Proteins encoded by Fanconi anemia (FA) and/or breast cancer (BrCa) susceptibility genes cooperate in a common DNA damage repair signaling pathway. To gain deeper insight into this pathway and its influence on cancer risk, we searched for novel components through protein physical interaction screens. METHODS: Protein physical interactions were screened using the yeast two-hybrid system. Co-affinity purifications and endogenous co-immunoprecipitation assays were performed to corroborate interactions. Biochemical and functional assays in human, mouse and Caenorhabditis elegans models were carried out to characterize pathway components. Thirteen FANCD2-monoubiquitinylation-positive FA cell lines excluded for genetic defects in the downstream pathway components and 300 familial BrCa patients negative for BRCA1/2 mutations were analyzed for genetic mutations. Common genetic variants were genotyped in 9,573 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers for associations with BrCa risk. RESULTS: A previously identified co-purifying protein with PALB2 was identified, MRG15 (MORF4L1 gene). Results in human, mouse and C. elegans models delineate molecular and functional relationships with BRCA2, PALB2, RAD51 and RPA1 that suggest a role for MRG15 in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Mrg15-deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts showed moderate sensitivity to γ-irradiation relative to controls and reduced formation of Rad51 nuclear foci. Examination of mutants of MRG15 and BRCA2 C. elegans orthologs revealed phenocopy by accumulation of RPA-1 (human RPA1) nuclear foci and aberrant chromosomal compactions in meiotic cells. However, no alterations or mutations were identified for MRG15/MORF4L1 in unclassified FA patients and BrCa familial cases. Finally, no significant associations between common MORF4L1 variants and BrCa risk for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers were identified: rs7164529, Ptrend = 0.45 and 0.05, P2df = 0.51 and 0.14, respectively; and rs10519219, Ptrend = 0.92 and 0.72, P2df = 0.76 and 0.07, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: While the present study expands on the role of MRG15 in the control of genomic stability, weak associations cannot be ruled out for potential low-penetrance variants at MORF4L1 and BrCa risk among BRCA2 mutation carriers.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are