The social representations theory in Brazilian nursing research

This study aimed to examine methodological issues in the theses and dissertations that used social representations theory (SRT) in Brazilian nursing. Twenty-two dissertations and 44 theses were considered. Categorical content analysis was applied, based on five aspects: objects studied, place of SRT, the number of study participants, data collection techniques and data analysis. The predominance of case studies and use, especially of semi-structured interviews, although relevant to the study of SR, do not sufficiently consider the extent of suck knowledge sharing in society. One must take into account lay knowledge to understand health care contextualized studies on health care.     

Regional influence on early consumption of foods other than breast milk in infants less than 6 months of age in Brazilian State capitals and the Federal District

The aim was to assess regional influences on food consumption in infants less than six months of age. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 18,929 infants participating in the Second Survey on Breastfeeding Prevalence in Brazilian State Capitals and the Federal District in 2008. Consumption rates for tea, fruit juices, formula milk, and porridge were calculated for the State capitals from the five geographic regions of the country. Food consumption was estimated by logit analyses and Poisson models. Differences in food consumption profile were observed between the different regions: tea was more common in State capitals in the South (RP = 2.37), while non-maternal milk (RP = 1.50 and 1.47) and juices (RP = 1.57 and 1.55) were more frequent in the Northeast and Southeast, respectively. Porridge was more common in the Northeast (RP = 3.0). Brazil's geographic regions thus display different infant feeding patterns. Public policy should take cultural diversity into account when planning strategies to improve infant nutrition and health.     

Prenatal care and management of hypertension in pregnant women in the public healthcare system in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The aim of this study was to assess the adequacy of prenatal care for pregnant women with hypertension as compared to those at low risk. Adequate management of hypertension and associated factors were also investigated. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,947 women, 187 of whom with hypertension, in public prenatal care units in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007-2008. Demographic and socioeconomic data, obstetric history, and information on adequacy of prenatal care were collected using interviews and prenatal care cards. Adequacy of management of hypertension was evaluated according to performance of health professionals and health services and women's individual characteristics. Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression were used to compare groups and identify factors associated with management of hypertension. Adequacy of prenatal care was 79% and did not differ between groups. Only 27% of pregnant women with hypertension received appropriate management, with poor professional performance. Hypertensive pregnant women with better prenatal care were those with previous neonatal deaths and/or stillbirths and those with 35 years of age and older. Despite adequate use of prenatal care, management of hypertension in pregnant women was inadequate.     

Reproducibility of the Portuguese version of the PEDro Scale

The objective of this study was to test the inter-rater reproducibility of the Portuguese version of the PEDro Scale. Seven physiotherapists rated the methodological quality of 50 reports of randomized controlled trials written in Portuguese indexed on the PEDro database. Each report was also rated using the English version of the PEDro Scale. Reproducibility was evaluated by comparing two separate ratings of reports written in Portuguese and comparing the Portuguese PEDro score with the English version of the scale. Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.53 to 1.00 for individual item and an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.82 for the total PEDro score was observed. The standard error of the measurement of the scale was 0.58. The Portuguese version of the scale was comparable with the English version, with an ICC of 0.78. The inter-rater reproducibility of the Brazilian Portuguese PEDro Scale is adequate and similar to the original English version.     

Clinical application of Chamomilla recutita in phlebitis: dose response curve study

This experimental and dose-response curve study aimed to carry out the quality control of the Chamomilla recutita sample, as well as to estimate the ideal dose, for anti-inflammatory effect, of the extract of its capitula, in patients with phlebitis due to peripheral intravenous infusion of antineoplastic chemotherapy and to evaluate the toxicity of this extract in human beings. The therapeutic efficacy, concerning the anti-inflammatory potential, of different doses of Chamomilla recutita extract were analyzed and compared in 25 patients. The time of regression of phlebitis was shorter for groups with 2.5% concentration (mean=29.2h, standard deviation = 8.98) and 5% concentration (mean = 38.8h, standard deviation = 17.47). Local toxicity was almost not observed. This research contributes to the innovation of the nursing clinical practice, since it suggests an alternative for the treatment of phlebitis through the clinical use of phytotherapeutic drugs.     

Muscle strength, muscle balance, physical function and plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis (OA)

An increased circulating level of inflammatory cytokines has been associated with sarcopenia, functional disability, chronic diseases, and mortality in the elderly. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease common to this population, the seriousness of articular degeneration has been associated to the increase in some cytokines, IL-6 among them. The aim of the present study was to correlate IL-6 plasma levels with muscle strength, endurance, muscle balance hamstring/quadriceps (H/Q) and physical function in 80 elderly women (71.2 ± 5.3) with knee OA. IL-6 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength, endurance and hamstring-quadriceps muscle balance were assessed using a Biodex system 3 pro^® isokinetic dynamometer. Physical function was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to explore the relationship between the outcomes at the significance level of α = 0.05. IL-6 was inversely correlated to the endurance of the hamstring muscles (r = −0.232; p = 0.03) and muscle balance (H/Q) on the lower right side at 180°/s (r = −0.254; p = 0.023). No significant correlation between IL-6, muscle strength and physical function was found. Our results show that elevated levels of IL-6 may possibly contribute to the reduction of the endurance of hamstring muscles and H/Q muscle balance in the elderly studied.     

Importance of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels to the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the elderly

Studies about the impact of HDL-C levels on the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the elderly are scarce. We decided to evaluate the relation of clinical and laboratory variables to the incidence of CVD events in the elderly stratified according to HDL-C behavior in an 8-year follow-up. We assessed 126 elderly (mean age: 70.01 ± 7.24 years; 33.3% were men) on two occasions (assessment 1 = A1, and assessment 2 = A2), with a minimum of 5-year interval. They underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation and were divided into three groups as follows: (1) GN (n = 52), normal HDL-C levels on A1 and A2; (2) GL (n = 36), low HDL-C levels on A1 and A2; (3) GV (n = 38), HDL-C levels varying from A1 to A2. The following CVD events were observed: coronary artery disease (angina pectoris = AP, myocardial infarction = MI, percutaneous/surgical coronary intervention); stroke; transient ischemic attack = TIA; carotid disease; and heart failure = HF. The groups did not differ in age or gender at A1 and A2. Triglyceride = TG mean levels were lower in GN at A1 (p = 0.007) and A2 (p < 0.001) than in GL. There were 14 CVD events in GN (26.9%), 23 (63.9%) in GL, and 13 (34.2%) in GV (χ² = 12.825; p = 0.002). In logistic regression analysis, we observed that the higher the systolic blood pressure (SBP) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.0231; p = 0.0338) and the lower the HDL-C (OR = 0.9363; p = 0.0035), the higher the incidence of CVD events. Persistently low HDL-C levels over 8 years of follow-up were a risk factor (RF) for the development of CVD events in the elderly.