Impact of promoting self-care in nursing workload

Abstract OBJECTIVES To assess the impact of promoting self-care in nursing workload and associate it to the variables: age, gender, socioeconomic status, education, marital status and number of children of caregivers. METHODS Prospective study with 31 children and their caregivers. Participants were assessed at two moments, 1st and 2nd hospitalization, the nursing workload was measured by the Nursing Activities Score (NAS). RESULTS The mean NAS in the 1st hospitalization was 60.9% and in the 2nd hospitalization was 41.6%, that is, 14.6 and 9.9 hours of nursing, respectively. The nursing workload on the first day of hospitalization was higher compared to the last day, both for the 1st (p<0.001) and for the 2nd hospitalization (p<0.001), and higher in the first (p<0.001) and in the last day (p=0.025) in the 1st hospitalization. Comparing the 1st hospitalization to the 2nd hospitalization, the first was higher (p<0.001), and NAS items related to the training of self-care was influenced (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The nursing workload associated to self-care promotion corresponded to 14.6 hours and was higher than determined by the existing legislation

Insulin and glucose mediate opposite intracellular ionized magnesium variations in human lymphocytes

Insulin is capable of increasing intracellular magnesium, although very little is known about the effect of insulin on the biologically active fraction of magnesium, i.e. the ionized quota (Mgi2+), its interactions with glucose, and the cellular mechanisms involved in these processes. We studied the interactions of the effects of insulin and glucose on intracellular ionized magnesium in human lymphocytes. Mgi2+ was measured using a fluorimetric method and the Mg2+-sensitive dye, furaptra. We found that insulin significantly increases the Mgi2+(without insulin 227 ± 14 μM, with 10 μU/ml, insulin 301 ± 30 μM, P<0.0001, n = 12) in a dose-dependent manner in all three glucose concentrations tested (5, 7 and 15 mmol/l). The half-maximal effect of insulin was approximately 0.8 μU/ml. Glucose and insulin showed opposite effects in their ability to modify Mgi2+ in lymphocytes. Inhibitors of the membrane Na+- Mg2+ transport system and of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase abolish the insulin-mediated increase of Mgi2+, thus suggesting that insulin is capable of increasing Mgi2+ by modulating the activity of this transport system, possibly through the mediation of PI 3-kinase activation. Taking into account the relationship between insulin and glucose plasma levels and their opposing effects on Mgi2+, this mechanism may represent the two limbs of a biphasic regulatory system of Mgi2+ in both physiological and pathological conditions

Nursing workload in specialized Semi-intensive Therapy unit: workforce size criteria

Abstract OBJECTIVE To assess the nursing workload (NW) in Semi-intensive Therapy Unit, specialized in the care of children with Craniofacial anomalies and associated syndromes; to compare the amount of workforce required according to the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) and the COFEN Resolution 293/04. METHOD Cross-sectional study, whose sample was composed of 72 patients. Nursing workload was assessed through retrospective application of the NAS. RESULTS the NAS mean was 49.5%. Nursing workload for the last day of hospitalization was lower in patients being discharged to home (p<0.001) and higher on the first compared to last day of hospitalization (p< 0.001). The number of professionals required according to NAS was superior to the COFEN Resolution 293/04, being 17 and 14, respectively. CONCLUSION the nursing workload corresponded to approximately 50% of the working time of nursing professional and was influenced by day and outcome of hospitalization. The amount of professionals was greater than that determined by the existing legislation

Doubts of caregivers of children with cleft lip and palate on postoperative care after cheiloplasty and palatoplasty

Objective To identify the main doubts of caregivers of children with cleft lip and palate on postoperative care after cheiloplasty and palatoplasty. Method Cross-sectional study carried out in a reference hospital, between September and November 2012. The sample was composed of 50 individuals divided in two groups, of which 25 caregivers of children submitted to cheiloplasty, and 25 of children submitted to palatoplasty. The doubts were identified by an interview applied during the preoperative nursing consultation and were then categorized by similarity. Descriptive statistics was used for analysis of the outcomes. Results Concerning cheiloplasty, the doubts were related to feeding (36%), hygiene and healing (24% each), pain and infection (8% each). With regard to palatoplasty, the doubts were related to feeding (48%), hygiene (24%), pain (16%), bleeding (8%) and infection (4%). Conclusion The study evidenced the concern of caregivers in relation to feeding and care of the postoperative wound

Effetto di differenti strategie terapeutiche sui progenitori endoteliali e sulla funzione endoteliale in pazienti con ipertensione arteriosa essenziale

Abbiamo valutato il comportamento di progenitori endoteliali circolanti in pazienti con ipertensione arteriosa essenziale in trattamento con ACE-inibitori o bloccanti il recettore dell'angiotensina (sartani

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT); a reliable indicator of the risk of driving under the influence of alcohol when determined by capillary electrophoresis

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a marker of chronic alcohol abuse, which has recently been introduced to evaluate the physical fitness for obtaining a driving license. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of elevated CDT levels in subjects stopped while driving under the influence of alcohol by using a validated method based on capillary electrophoresis. The study was carried out on a group of 40 drunken drivers (group A) and on a control group (n = 51) of subjects chosen from the general population (group B). CDTwas directly determined by capillary electrophoresis in free solution and UV detection at 200 nm. CDTresults from both groups were classified as ‘‘negative’’ or ‘‘positive’’ on the basis of the cut-off set at 2.00% (CDT index). The subjects classified as ‘‘positive’’ in group Awere 24 (60%), whereas in group B were 2. The subjects classified as ‘‘negative’’ in group Awere 16 (40%), whereas in group B was 49 (96.1%). The comparison of the observed percentages, evaluated with the x2-test, was highly significant ( p < 0.001). The present study confirms the high prevalence of chronic alcohol abusers among drunken drivers and the usefulness of CDT as a predictor of the risk of drunk driving

Progenitori delle Cellule Endoteliali

Tratta del ruolo di progenitori endoteliali circolanti di derivazione midollare nell'ipertensione arteriosa essenziale