Nurse-teacher: a dialogue with pedagogical education

College faculty presents itself as an important subject matter in a moment of transformation on nursing education characterized by syllabus and methodological changes. This assignment aimed to reflect upon the pedagogical education of the nurse-teacher in order to make this education appropriate to assist the new educational demands of society which are considered by the Syllabus Guidelines of Nursing Graduation. It is about a bibliographical study. The literature review permits to state that pedagogical education is necessary for the nurse-teacher to educate a nurse capable of acting in all care dimensions as a promoter for the health of the citizen, the family and the community. In this context, the reflecting practice is pointed out as guideline to the development of faculty education.     

Napping during the night shift and recovery after work among hospital nurses

OBJECTIVE:

To analyze the association between the length of napping during the night shift and the recovery after work among nurses.

METHOD:

Cross-sectional epidemiological study involving 1940 nurses from 18 public hospitals in the City of Rio de Janeiro. A multidimensional and self-applied questionnaire was used with information about health, sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, health-related behaviors and housework. Multiple logistic regression was applied to identify the association, adjusted for confounding variables.

RESULTS:

The gross analyses showed 44%, 127% and 66% higher chances of a high level of recovery after work for nurses who sleep up to two hours, between 2.1 and 3 hours and 3.1 hours or more, respectively, when compared to the nurses who do not sleep. After adjusting for confounding variables, the association only continues significant for the group that sleeps 2.1 to 3 hours during the night shift (OR=1.79; 95%CI=1.33-2.41).

CONCLUSION:

The association between the length of napping and the high level of recovery after work, confirmed in the present results, can be included in the studies that aim to support more appropriate policies aimed at improving the workers'' work, life and health conditions, not only in nursing, but night-shift workers in general.     

Randomized trial of transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation to treat urge urinary incontinence in older women

Introduction  

The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) to treat urge urinary incontinence (UUI) in older women.     

The possible involvement of hyperpolarizing mechanisms in histamine-induced relaxation of the rat portal vein

The present study evaluated the effects of histamine 10(-2) M on longitudinal preparations of rat portal vein. It was observed that histamine 10(-2) M induced relaxation of rat portal vein preparations pre-contracted with phenylephrine 10(-4) M. On the other hand, no pharmacological effects were observed in preparations not pre-contracted. The observed histamine-induced relaxing effect was absent in preparations pre-contracted with KCl (120 mM) or in the presence of depolarizing nutritive solution. However, the histamine-induced relaxation was still present in the endothelium-removed preparations. The histamine-induced relaxation also was not prevented by astemizole (10(-6) M, 10(-5) M and 10(-4) M), cimetidine (10(-5) M, 10(-4) M and 10(-3) M) or thioperamide (10(-6) M, 10(-5) M and 10(-4) M), selective antagonists H(1), H(2) and H(3), respectively. The presence of L-NAME 10(-4) M or L-NAME 10(-4) M plus indomethacin 10(-5) M also did not prevent the histamine-induced relaxation observed in rat portal vein. Thus, the histamine-induced relaxation observed in rat portal vein appears to involve a non-endothelial hyperpolarizing mechanism independent of H(1), H(2) and H(3) receptors.     

Production of human antibody fragments binding to melittin and phospholipase A2 in Africanised bee venom: minimising venom toxicity

The hybrid created from the crossbreeding of European and African bees, known as the Africanised bee, has provided numerous advantages for current beekeeping. However, this new species exhibits undesirable behaviours, such as colony defence instinct and a propensity to attack en masse, which can result in serious accidents. To date, there is no effective treatment for cases of Africanised bee envenomation. One promising technique for developing an efficient antivenom is the use of phage display technology, which enables the production of human antibodies, thus avoiding the complications of serum therapy, such as anaphylaxis and serum sickness. The aim of this study was to produce human monoclonal single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody fragments capable of inhibiting the toxic effects of Africanised bee venom. We conducted four rounds of selection of antibodies against the venom and three rounds of selection of antibodies against purified melittin. Three clones were selected and tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to verify their specificity for melittin and phospholipase A2. Two clones (C5 and C12) were specific for melittin, and one (A7) was specific for phospholipase A2. In a kinetic haemolytic assay, these clones were evaluated individually and in pairs. The A7-C12 combination had the best synergistic effect and was chosen to be used in the assays of myotoxicity inhibition and lethality. The A7-C12 combination inhibited the in vivo myotoxic effect of the venom and increased the survival of treated animals.     

Effect of sodium overload on renal function of offspring from diabetic mothers

The aim if this study was to evaluate the effect of sodium overload on blood pressure and renal function in the offspring of diabetic rat mothers. Diabetes was induced with a single dose of streptozotocin before mating. Experimental groups were control (C), offspring from diabetic mother (D), control with sodium chloride (NaCl) overload (CS), and offspring from diabetic mother submitted to NaCl overload (DS). After weaning, all groups received food ad libitum; groups C and D had water ad libitum, and CS and DS received NaCl 0.15 M as drinking water. Renal morphology and function were evaluated in 3-month-old rats. Glomerular area, macrophage infiltration, interlobular artery wall thickness, and renal vascular resistance were significantly increased in CS, D, and DS compared with C. Renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were decreased in CS and D compared with C. In DS, GFR and fractional filtration were increased, suggesting a state of hyperfiltration. Hypertension was observed in groups D, CS, and DS from 2 months on and was more severe in DS. Our data suggest that diabetes during intrauterine development and salt overload beginning at an early age can cause hypertension and renal injury. When these conditions were associated, morphological and functional changes were much more intense, suggesting acceleration in the process of kidney injury.     

Herpetofauna of an Atlantic rainforest area (Morro São João) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

We studied the herpetofaunal community from the Atlantic forest of Morro S?o Jo?o, in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and present data on species composition, richness, relative abundance and densities. We combined three sampling methods: plot sampling, visual encounter surveys and pit-fall traps. We recorded sixteen species of amphibians and nine of reptiles. The estimated densities (based on results of plot sampling) were 4.5 ind/100 m2 for amphibians and 0.8 ind/100 m2 for lizards, and the overall density (amphibians and lizards) was 5.3 ind/100 m2. For amphibians, Eleutherodactylus and Scinax were the most speciose genera with three species each, and Eleutherodactylus binotatus was the most abundant species (mean density of 3.0 frogs/100 m2). The reptile community of Morro S?o Jo?o was dominated by species of the families Gekkonidae and Gymnophtalmidae (Lacertilia) and Colubridae (Serpentes). The gymnophtalmid lizard Leposoma scincoides was the most abundant reptile species (mean density of 0.3 ind/100 m2). We compare densities obtained in our study data with those of other studied rainforest sites in various tropical regions of the world.     

Cadmium stimulates MAPKs and Hsp27 phosphorylation in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells

Cadmium (Cd(2+)) is a common environmental pollutant, which is widely used in industry and is a constituent of tobacco smoke. Exposure to this heavy metal has been linked to a wide range of detrimental effects on mammalian cells. In this study, the action of Cd(2+) on protein phosphorylation in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells (BACCs) was examined. Cells were incubated with (32)Pi in the presence of Cd(2+) (1-50 microM) and proteins were separated by one- or two-dimensional electrophoresis. An increase in the phosphorylation of BACCs proteins, without changing cell viability, was observed in response to Cd(2+) (5-50 microM). Particularly at three spots, with molecular weight of 25kDa and isoeletric point range 4.0-4.5, which were identified as phosphorylated isoforms of the heat shock protein of 27kDa (Hsp27). Phosphorylation of the p38(MAPK), a member of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, was stimulated by Cd(2+) over the same concentration range and it was the major upstream protein kinase involved in the phosphorylation of all three spots of Hsp27. Cd(2+) also stimulated the phosphorylation of other MAPK family member, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-1/2. Therefore, primary adrenal chromaffin cells are a target for Cd(2+) and both the ERK1/2 and the p38(MAPK) are activated. Additionally, Hsp27 is highly phosphorylated in response to the metal exposure, due to p38(MAPK) activation. These biochemical effects of Cd(2+) might disrupt the normal secretory function of these cells.