Early impairment of endothelial structure and function in young normal-weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of early vascular damage in young normal-weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Thirty young normal-weight women with PCOS, who had no additional metabolic or cardiovascular diseases, and 30 healthy women (controls) matched for age and body mass index were studied. A complete hormonal assay was performed in each subject. Serum insulin and glucose levels were measured at baseline and after the oral glucose tolerance test. Plasma endothelin-1 levels and serum lipid profile were also assessed. The endothelial function was studied by flow-mediated dilation on the brachial artery, and arterial structure was evaluated by intima-media thickness measurement using Doppler ultrasound of both common carotid arteries.A significant (P < 0.05) difference in flow-mediated dilation (14.3 +/- 1.9% vs. 18.1 +/- 2.0% for PCOS patients and controls, respectively) and in intima-media thickness (0.53 +/- 0.09 mm vs. 0.39 +/- 0.08 mm for PCOS patients and controls, respectively) was found between PCOS and control subjects. Serum endothelin-1 levels were also significantly (P < 0.05) higher in PCOS patients compared with controls (1.1 +/- 0.4 pmol/liter vs. 0.5 +/- 0.2 pmol/liter for PCOS patients and controls, respectively).In conclusion, our data show that young, normal-weight, nondyslipidemic, nonhypertensive women with PCOS have an early impairment of endothelial structure and function

Qualidade de Serviço na Administração Pública – Caso de Estudo: Hospital Dr. Baptista de Sousa, São Vicente – Cabo Verde

A satisfação dos pacientes é reconhecida como uma das dimensões de qualidade mais importantes e um indicador-chave de sucesso na indústria de cuidados de saúde. Identificar os fatores mais críticos nos hospitais relacionados com a qualidade do serviço vai garantir a sobrevivência e o seu sucesso no futuro. Este estudo pretende investigar a perceção da qualidade do serviço prestado por um hospital público de Cabo Verde, e propor algumas medidas de melhoria. Um questionário adaptado a partir do modelo ServPerf foi aplicado, de forma aleatória, a 413 pacientes para medir o nível da satisfação do serviço prestado pelo Hospital Dr. Baptista de Sousa (HBS). O resultado deste estudo indica que todas as dimensões de qualidade consideradas, ou seja, a confiabilidade, o atendimento, a segurança, a empatia e a tangibilidade estão de uma forma estatisticamente significativa relacionadas com a satisfação dos pacientes. Além disso, o estudo revela que os pacientes mais velhos, aqueles com um maior número de filhos e com menos habilitações literárias são os que se sentem mais satisfeitos com o serviço prestado pelo HBS. No geral, a perceção da qualidade do serviço prestado pelo HBS é bastante baixa

Phase Competition in Ln0.5a0.5mno3 Perovskites

Single crystals of the systems Pr0.5(Ca1-xSrx)0.5MnO3, (Pr1-yYy)0.5(Ca1-xSrx)0.5MnO3, and Sm0.5Sr0.5MnO3 were grown to provide a series of samples with fixed ratio Mn(III)/Mn(IV)=1 having geometric tolerance factors that span the transition from localized to itinerant electronic behavior of the MnO3 array. A unique ferromagnetic phase appears at the critical tolerance factor tc= 0.975 that separates charge ordering and localized-electron behavior for t<tc from itinerant or molecular-orbital behavior for t>tc. This ferromagnetic phase, which has to be distinguished from the ferromagnetic metallic phase stabilized at tolerance factors t>tc, separates two distinguishable Type-CE antiferromagnetic phases that are metamagnetic. Measurements of the transport properties under hydrostatic pressure were carried out on a compositions t a little below tc in order to compare the effects of chemical vs. hydrostatic pressure on the phases that compete with one another near t=tc.Comment: 10 pages. To be publised in Phys. Rev.

Diagnosis of Linking Activities of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering of Universidad Tecnica De Manabi

The aim of the study is to determine the contribution of universities to the development of society through linkage projects carried out by students of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering at the Universidad Técnica de Manabí. At work, the results achieved in the institutional evaluation and self-assessment racing related indicators linking with society and offered projects are identified by the career of Agricultural Engineering in the period of the past five years are analyzed. Later a survey was applied to communities to determine their needs are the same, in order to compare the offered with the defendant and propose improvements in the process. The results of the survey of the communities show that some of the defendant's themes have not been offered so not being met community needs. As a result of this diagnosis strategy that support the continuous improvement of the process of linking with society career of Agricultural Engineering, Universidad Técnica de Manabí and contribute to social and economic development of the territory they are proposed

Peripapillary Retinal Thickness Maps in the Evaluation of Glaucoma Patients: A Novel Concept

Purpose. To show how peripapillary spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) retinal thickness (RT) maps can complement retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness maps in the evaluation of glaucoma patients. Methods:. After a complete eye exam with standard fundus photography and visual field testing, normal and glaucomatous eyes were imaged with an experimental SDOCT system. From SDOCT images, RNFL thickness and RT maps were constructed and then correlated with disc photography and visual field testing. Results:. Two normal eyes of 2 patients and 5 eyes of 4 glaucoma patients were imaged. Although both RNFL and RT maps correlated well with visual field defects, glaucomatous arcuate defects were sometimes more easily identified in the RT maps. Conclusions:. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to show that peripapillary SDOCT RT maps may provide important supplemental information to RNFL thickness maps in the evaluation of glaucoma patients