Elderly's perceptions of living groups: study in the city of Cajazeiras-PB

Objective:To investigate the perception of elderly people on living groups.Method:An exploratory study with qualitative approach, performed in six living groups in the city of Cajazeiras-PB, Brazil, in September and October 2010, using the discourse of the collective subject.Results:Of the 60 study participants, 48 (80%) were women, 21 (35%) were between 65-69 years, 30 (50%) were widowed, 46 (77%) were retired, 32 (53%) have not completed primary education, 40 (67%) lived with relatives, 25 (42%) between six and ten years of participation groups, 33 (55%) and 30 (50%) participated spontaneously pointed to the dance as the best activity developed in the group. Through the collected data we obtained the main ideas and the collective discourses represented by three themes: reasons/motives for elderly seek living groups; importance of meetings with the group for the elderly; life changes after joining the group. From the themes we extracted the main ideas: solitude, leisure, coexistence, freedom, everything changed, will to live.Conclusion:Groups provide benefits for the elderly, emphasizing among these the right to age with dignity and improving the quality of life.Objetivo:investigar percepções de idosos sobre grupos de convivência.Método:estudo exploratório, com abordagem qualitativa, realizado em seis grupos de convivência da cidade de Cajazeiras-PB, Brasil, no período de setembro a outubro de 2010, utilizando a técnica de discurso do sujeito coletivo.Resultados:dos 60 participantes deste estudo, 48 (80%) eram mulheres, 21 (35%) tinham entre 65 e 69 anos, 30 (50%) eram viúvos, 46 (77%) aposentados, 32 (53%) não concluíram o ensino fundamental, 40 (67%) moravam acompanhados de familiares, 25 (42%) tinham entre seis e dez anos de participação nos grupos, 33 (55%) participavam espontaneamente e 30 (50%) apontaram a dança como a melhor atividade desenvolvida no grupo. Diante dos questionamentos, foram obtidas as ideias centrais e os discursos coletivos representados por três temas: razões/motivos para idosos buscarem grupos de convivência; importância dos encontros com o grupo para os idosos; mudanças ocorridas na vida após o ingresso no grupo. Dos temas, foram extraídas as ideias centrais: solidão, lazer, convivência, liberdade, mudou tudo, vontade de viver.Conclusão:Os grupos proporcionam ganhos para os idosos, sinalizando entre estes o direito de envelhecer com dignidade e melhorando a qualidade de vida.Faculdade Santa Maria Departamento de EnfermagemUniversidade Federal de Campina GrandeUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Instituto de Ciências Químicas, Ambientais e Farmacêuticas Departamento de Ciências BiológicasFaculdade de Medicina do ABC Departamento de Saúde da ColetividadeUNIFESP, Instituto de Ciências Químicas, Ambientais e Farmacêuticas Depto. de Ciências BiológicasSciEL

Vulnerability Aspects That Hinder Tuberculosis Healing According to the Perspective of Patients and Healthcare Managers.

Introduction: Tuberculosis is a major public health condition worldwide. The partnership between Healthcare Services and the patient is the gold standard for a successful healing outcome and a reduction in the harm the disease causes to patients and society in general. Objective: To analyze the vulnerability aspects that make tuberculosis healing difficult according to the perspective of patients and public healthcare managers. Method: This is a descriptive study conducted in the year 2013 in Cajazeiras, a town located in the state of Paraíba in the northeastern region of Brazil. The study population was composed of 4 healthcare managers and 29 patients with confirmed tuberculosis diagnosis. In order to gather the sample of tuberculosis patients, a search on the Information System on Diseases of Compulsory Declaration (SINAN, in the Portuguese abbreviation) was run. Results: All patients had fixed addresses. Among these individuals, a total of 12 were of the male sex, 13.6% were smokers, 77.3% were alcohol-free and 13.6% were frequent alcohol consumers. In addition to that, 72.7% of the patients received no public financial support of any sort. As to coping with the disease, 54.5% declared no difficulty at all, 22.7% found it very difficult, 18.2% reported it was somewhat difficult and 4.5% stated it was extremely difficult. Concerning family income, 68.0% lived on up to two minimum wages. Final considerations: The findings in the current study revealed the vulnerability condition upon which tuberculosis patients live, highlighting the social exclusion of this population with their low educational level, their low-income status, their poverty condition and their difficulty in understanding their basic needs, such as the necessity of a well-balanced diet to prevent the adverse effects caused by the drugs during the treatment. Managers identified social stigma, prejudice, denial of the disease with a resultant resistance to treatment, street-dwelling individuals and drinking and smoking habits as major difficulties for tuberculosis control in the city. It is quite clear that the managers approach the universe of vulnerability within its three inseparable dimensions: individual, social and programmatic. A better understanding of the real needs of tuberculosis patients as well as the prioritization of the disease are of utmost importance in the municipal public health agenda, which is based on a higher involvement of managers in the participation, discussion and definition of the application of resources for the disease control and a public health policy that encompasses tuberculosis social issues

Incidence of Leptospirosis infection in the East Zone of Sao Paulo City, Brazil

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Background\ud \ud Leptospirosis is a zoonosis which is spread through contamined running water. This contaminations is seriously affected by the flooding which occurs in the area surrounding the Aricanduva river. The transmission of the disease results mainly from the contact of water with soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals. We aimed to conduct an epidemiological survey on Leptospirosis cases in Sao Paulo East Zone area.\ud \ud \ud \ud Method\ud \ud The analysis conducted in this study was based on data collected from the health authorities of that region close the Aricanduva river between 2007 and 2008 years, which give the rates of confirmed cases, mortality and death from human Leptospirosis. Other information concerned with the relationships among rainfall index, points of flooding and incidence of Leptospirosis.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud We observed a direct and important water contamination. Records of flooding points and dates of the reported cases in the region showed a direct relationship from which the period of higher rainfall also recorded an increase in cases. The annual record of the city and the region and rainfall regions also presented correlation.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud The association between the indices of flooding and Leptospirosis cases indicates that preventive measures are necessary to avoid exposing the community.This study received financial support from Faculdade de Medicina do ABC

Patients' perception regarding the influence of individual and social vulnerabilities on the adherence to tuberculosis treatment: a qualitative study

Background: Tuberculosis remains an important disease which mainly affects the majority of vulnerable individuals in society, who are subjected to poor living conditions and difficulties to access the services of public health. Under these circumstances, the present study aims to understand patients' perception in relation to the influence of individual and social vulnerabilities on the adherence to tuberculosis treatment. Methods: A qualitative descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in one large municipality at the state of Paraiba, Northeast of Brazil. The study subjects, who were residents of the study site, covered all tuberculosis cases diagnosed between March and June 2015. The sample was defined by the criteria of response saturation. All interviews were audio recorded, and data analysis was developed through the hermeneutic dialectic method and the theory of Generative Route Sense. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Sao Paulo (USP). Results: A total of 13 individuals were interviewed and the responses were identified into two analytical categories: the difficulties they had and the enabling factors they could mention during their tuberculosis treatment. Patients brought up social exclusion as an obstacle to treatment adherence, which, along with stigmatization, weakened their link with family members and health professionals. Moreover, economic precariousness was a major hindrance to the maintenance of a proper diet and transportation access to health centers. However, social support and directly observed treatment helped to break down barriers of prejudice and to promote individual and family empowerment. Finally, patients also reported that their will to live and faith gave them the strength to continue with the treatment. Conclusions: According to patients in this study, social support and the strengthening of links with family members and health professionals may reduce social exclusion and other difficulties they face, thus encouraging them to the adhere to tuberculosis treatment.Univ Estadual Paraiba, Campina Grande, Paraiba, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Escola Enfermagem, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Enfermagem, Sao Paulo, BrazilFac Santa Maria, Cajazeiras, Paraiba, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Enfermagem, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Study of different storage techniques for the conservation of native seeds of the Paraíba Semi-Arid.

O problema sócio-econômico da região Nordeste é complexo e, não existe uma fórmula mágica para salvar o Nordeste. O semi-árido é uma região muito vasta, populosa e pobre. Abrange uma área maior do que a de 32 países, dos 33 que compõem a Europa. Vivem nesta região mais de 24 milhões de brasileiros. O homem, no inevitável processo evolutivo, caminhou de forma paralela com o avanço tecnológico e o processo auto destrutivo. A tecnologia levou o homem a causar sérios impactos ambientais, que culminaram com o desaparecimento de diversas espécies botânicas. Neste contexto existe a necessidade de preservar as espécies principalmente as ameaçadas de extinção. Objetivando a avaliação da qualidade fisiológica (germinação e vigor) de sementes de espécies botânicas (Mulungu, Pau-ferro, Jatobá e Pereiro), nativas do semi-árido, quando armazenadas sob condições ambientais do município de Campina Grande em silos de fibra de vidro, câmara seca (em sacos de papel a 10°C e UR de 28%) e em crioarmazenamento a temperatura de -196°C, durante os períodos de 105 dias. As etapas de laboratório deste trabalho foram realizadas no setor de criogenia do Laboratório de Armazenamento e Processamento de Produtos Agrícolas do Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola da UFPB. A metodologia constou de duas etapas: a primeira etapa foi de coletas de sementes no sertão do estado da Paraíba, seguida de limpeza, expurgo, testes de quebra de dormência fisiológica das sementes de jatobá e mulungu, com os tratamentos: pré-aquecimento, embebição, imersão em nitrogênio líquido e escarificação. A segunda etapa consistiu em submeter às sementes as técnicas de armazenamento acima citadas por 105 dias. Diante dos resultados obtidos: a) dos métodos de quebra de dormência fisiológica, a escarificação mecânica foi a melhor técnica para superar a dormência da semente de jatobá e para a semente de mulungu os melhores métodos foram imersão em N2L e escarificação mecânica, b) A semente de jatobá tem sua qualidade fisiológica (germinação e vigor) preservada, durante 105 dias, quando armazenadas em condições ambientais da cidade de Campina Grande. Quando armazenadas em câmara seca ou sob crioarmazenagem diminuem sua qualidade fisiológica, c) Quanto à preservação da qualidade fisiológica (germinação e vigor), com as técnicas condições ambientais, câmara seca e crioarmazenagem, durante 105 dias, a semente mulungu melhor mantiveram sua qualidade fisiológica quando armazenadas em câmara seca, seguido do armazenamento em ambiente natural e crioarmazenamento. d) No decorrer de todo período de armazenamento, a semente de pau-ferro demonstrou preservar sua qualidade fisiológica, com todas as técnicas testadas (ambiente natural, câmara seca e crioarmazenagem), tendo o crioarmazenamento observado as maiores médias entre as técnicas testadas, e) A técnica de armazenamento em condições ambientais da cidade de Campina Grande foi a que melhor preservou a qualidade fisiológica, da semente de pereiro, durante os 105 dias de armazenamento, f) As sementes de jatobá, mulungu e pereiro quando submetidas a crioarmazenagem apresentaram fissuras cotiledonares que podem explicar a diminuição da qualidade fisiológica dessas sementes, já o pau-ferro reúne condições adequadas para serem armazenadas por imersão em nitrogênio liquido.The socioeconomic problem of the Northeast region is complex, and there is no magic formula to save the Northeast. The semiarid is a very vast, populous and poor region. It includes an area which is bigger than the 32 countries area of the 33 countries that compound the Europe. More than 24 millions of brasilians live in this region. The man always has been together the technological advance and the self-destructing, since he lives an inevitable evolutionary process. The technology had maked the man cause the serious environmental impacts that culminated in the disappearance of several botanical species. In this context, it's necessary to preserve the species mainly the ones which can be extinct soon. Therefore this work has been the objective of evaluating the physiological quality (germination and vigor) of (Mulungu, Pauferro, Jatobá and Pereiro) botanical species seeds, which are native from the semiarid, when they are stored in glass fibre silos, in dry chamber (in paper sacks at 10°C and UR of 28 %) and in cryostorage at the temperature of 196°C during the periods of 105 days in environmental conditions of the municipality of Campina Grande. The labratories stages of this work have been realized in the cryogenics department of the Labortory of Storage and Processing of Agricultural Products of Agricultural Engineering Department of UFPB. The methodology had had two stages. The first one was the stage of the collection of seeds in the interior of the state of Paraíba, followed by the cleaning, purification and tests to observe the break of the dormant jatobá and mulungu seeds, which is physiological, by the treatments: preheating, soak, immersion in nitrogen and cut. In the second stage, the seeds were submitted to the storage technique, that was showed above, by a period of 105 days. It can be conclued by the obtained results that: a) The mechanical cut was the best technique to surpass the dormant jatobá seed, that is physiological, among the methods of the break of the dormant seed and the best methods for the mulungu seeds were the immersion in N2L and mechanical cut. b) The jatobá seed has its physiological quality (germination and vigor) preserved, during the 105 days, when they're stored in environmental conditions of the city of Campina Gande. When they are stored in dry chamber or under cryostored, their phisicological quality decreases. c) The physicological quality of the mulungu seed was best maintained when it was stored in dry chamber, followed by the storage in natural environment and cryostorage. The factors (physiological quality preservation - germination and vigor -, natural ambient, technique dry chamber and cryostorage were analyzed in a period of 105 days. d) The pau-ferro seed demonstrated that it preserves its physiological quality during ali the stored period in ali the tested techniques (natural ambient, dry chamber and cryostorage. The cryostorage indicated the biggest averages among the tested techniques. e) The storage technique in environmental conditions of the city of Campina Grande was the one which best preserved the physiological quality of the pereiro seed, during the 105 days of storage. f) The jatobá, mulungu and pereiro seeds presented fissures of embryonic leaves, which can explain the decrease in the physiological quality of these seeds, when there are submitted to cryostorage, and the pau-ferro gather adequate conditions to be stored with immersion in liquid nitrogen.Cape

REVIEW Open Access Individual and social vulnerabilities upon acquiring tuberculosis: a literature systematic review

Tuberculosis is a contagious infectious disease mainly caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis that still meets the priority criteria- high magnitude, transcendence and vulnerability- due to the threat it poses to public health. When taking into consideration the vulnerability conditions that favor the onset of the disease, this article aimed to investigate the implications originated from individual and social vulnerability conditions in which tuberculosis patients are inserted. Databases like MEDLINE, LILACS and SciELO were searched in Portuguese, Spanish and English using the descriptors tuberculosis and vulnerability, and 183 articles were found. After the selection criterion was applied, there were 22 publications left to be discussed. Some of the aspects that characterize the vulnerability to tuberculosis are: low-income and low-education families, age, poor living conditions, chemical dependency, pre-existing conditions/aggravations like diabetes mellitus and malnutrition, indigenous communities, variables related to health professionals, intense border crossings and migration, difficulty in accessing information and health services and lack of knowledge on tuberculosis. Much as such aspects are present and favor the onset of the disease, several reports show high incidence rates of tuberculosis in low vulnerability places, suggesting that some factors related to the disease are still unclear. In conclusion, health promotion is important in order to disfavor such conditions or factors of vulnerability to tuberculosis, making them a primary target in the public health planning process and disease control

Analysis of the Tuberculosis Occurrence Through the Use of Geoprocessing

Background: For the control of tuberculosis (TB), it must be adopted specific measures in areas of high transmission. Thus, it was aimed to identify the spatial pattern of new tuberculosis cases in Juazeiro do Norte-CE/ Brazil, from 2001 to 2012. Methods and Findings: It is a hybrid design, ecological study and temporal trend. The new cases reported with TB were included as subjects of research. It was outlined the socio demographic profile; the spatial analysis of cases was made through the Kernel technique and the nearest neighbor method with simulation. Among 914 new TB cases, there was a predominance of males (56,0%),  aged between 20 to 39 years (42,0%), with incomplete elementary school (43,2%), pulmonary clinical form (89,1%). 79,1% of patients achieved a cure and 5,3% abandoned the treatment. In the studied period, it was identified homogeneous spatial distribution and non-random pattern, with the highest concentration of cases in the southern region of the city. Conclusion: The identification of spatial pattern becomes relevant, in order that it can contribute to the strengthening of the TB control by providing information that optimizes activities such as: active search, health education, notification of new cases and supervising the treatment performed by health professionals

Individual and social vulnerabilities upon acquiring tuberculosis: a literature systematic review

Abstract Tuberculosis is a contagious infectious disease mainly caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis that still meets the priority criteria - high magnitude, transcendence and vulnerability - due to the threat it poses to public health. When taking into consideration the vulnerability conditions that favor the onset of the disease, this article aimed to investigate the implications originated from individual and social vulnerability conditions in which tuberculosis patients are inserted. Databases like MEDLINE, LILACS and SciELO were searched in Portuguese, Spanish and English using the descriptors tuberculosis and vulnerability, and 183 articles were found. After the selection criterion was applied, there were 22 publications left to be discussed. Some of the aspects that characterize the vulnerability to tuberculosis are: low-income and low-education families, age, poor living conditions, chemical dependency, pre-existing conditions/aggravations like diabetes mellitus and malnutrition, indigenous communities, variables related to health professionals, intense border crossings and migration, difficulty in accessing information and health services and lack of knowledge on tuberculosis. Much as such aspects are present and favor the onset of the disease, several reports show high incidence rates of tuberculosis in low vulnerability places, suggesting that some factors related to the disease are still unclear. In conclusion, health promotion is important in order to disfavor such conditions or factors of vulnerability to tuberculosis, making them a primary target in the public health planning process and disease control

Factors related to depressive complaints on climacteric: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Climacterium is a period of a woman's life, between 35 and 65 years old, marked by hormonal and biopsychosocial changes that can lead to the onset of depressive symptoms. The aim was to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with depressive symptoms in climacteric women.Method: An exploratory study, of cross-sectional type research, was carried out in Cajazeiras, Paraíba, Brazil, from January 2013 to March 2014. The sample included 411 women aged 40 to 60. Data collection was done by interviews using a structured script. Mean and standard deviation of age variables and per capita income were identified. For correlation between the variables, we used odds ratios (CI 95%), the X² and Fisher's Exact Test, with a significance level of 5%.Results: The average age of women was 49.73 (± 5.799) years. Depressive complaints prevailed in 68.1%, associated with advanced age (p = 0.009; OR: 1693 [CI 1113–2577]), low education (p = 0.022; OR: 1568 [CI 1032–2382]), lower per capita income (p = 0.043; OR: 1553 [CI 1012–2384]), unpaid labor activity (p = 0.013; OR: 1641 [CI 1079–2495]), menopausal/postmenopausal (p = 0.011; OR: 1667 [CI 1092–2545]), sexual activity with complaint (p < 0.001 [OR: 2.777; [CI 1628–4737]) and the presence of at least one disease (p < 0.001; OR: 2230 [CI 1445–3440]).Conclusion: Understanding and addressing the factors related to depressive complaints during climacterium supports the importance of conducting disease prevention programmes, thus delaying the onset of morbidity and improving quality of life