Common mental disorders during pregnancy: prevalence and associated factors among low-income women in São Paulo, Brazil: depression and anxiety during pregnancy.

To estimate the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) and factors associated with these disorders among pregnant women of low socio-economic status (SES) in São Paulo. We performed a cross-sectional study with 831 women in their 20th to 30th weeks of pregnancy, who were attending antenatal clinics in primary care in São Paulo, Brazil. CMD were assessed with the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised.

Good performance of rapid prostate-specific antigen test for detection of semen exposure in women: implications for qualitative research.

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a valid biomarker of semen exposure in women and has been used to assess reliability of self-reported sexual behavior as well as serve as a proxy measure for condom efficacy. Quantitative PSA tests are expensive and require specialized equipment. A simple, rapid, and inexpensive test for PSA would facilitate semen biomarker evaluation in a variety of research settings.

Determination of post-mortem interval using in situ tissue optical fluorescence.

In this study we have used fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the post-mortem interval. Conventional methods in forensic medicine involve tissue or body fluids sampling and laboratory tests, which are often time demanding and may depend on expensive analysis. The presented method consists in using time-dependent variations on the fluorescence spectrum and its correlation with the time elapsed after regular metabolic activity cessation.

Toxicological investigation and antinociceptive property of potassium thiophene-3-trifluoroborate.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate pharmacological and toxicological properties of potassium thiophene-3-trifluoroborate (RBF(3)K). The acute effect of RBF(3)K was evaluated on mice. To this end, mice received a single dose of RBF(3)K (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, by oral route, p.

Study of ion transport in lithium perchlorate-succinonitrile plastic crystalline electrolyte via ionic conductivity and in situ cryo-crystallography.

Ion transport mechanism in lithium perchlorate (LiClO(4))-succinonitrile (SN), a prototype of plastic crystalline soft matter electrolyte is discussed in the context of solvent configurational isomerism and ion solvation. Contributions of both solvent configurational isomerism and ion solvation are reflected in the activation energy for ion conduction in 0-1 M LiClO(4)-SN samples. Activation energy due to solvent configurational changes, that is, trans-gauche isomerism is observed to be a function of salt content and decreases in presence of salt (except at high salt concentrations, e.

Age-related gray matter volume changes in the brain during non-elderly adulthood.

Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies described consistent age-related gray matter (GM) reductions in the fronto-parietal neocortex, insula and cerebellum in elderly subjects, but not as frequently in limbic/paralimbic structures. However, it is unclear whether such features are already present during earlier stages of adulthood, and if age-related GM changes may follow non-linear patterns at such age range. This voxel-based morphometry study investigated the relationship between GM volumes and age specifically during non-elderly life (18-50 years) in 89 healthy individuals (48 males and 41 females).

Determination of threshold dose of photodynamic therapy to measure superficial necrosis.

Background Data: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the photoinduction of cytotoxicity using a photosensitizer agent, a light source of the proper wavelength, and the presence of molecular oxygen. A model for tissue response to PDT based on the photodynamic threshold dose (D(th)) has been widely used. In this model cells exposed to doses below D(th) survive while at doses above the D(th) necrosis takes place.

Investigating whether adverse prenatal and perinatal events are associated with non-clinical psychotic symptoms at age 12 years in the ALSPAC birth cohort.

Background: Non-clinical psychosis-like symptoms (PLIKS) occur in about 15% of the population. It is not clear whether adverse events during early development alter the risk of developing PLIKS. We aimed to examine whether maternal infection, diabetes or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, gestational age, perinatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation or 5-min Apgar score were associated with development of psychotic symptoms during early adolescence.

Major coexisting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 env gene subpopulations in the peripheral blood are produced by cells with similar turnover rates and show little evidence of genetic compartmentalization.

A distinctive feature of chronic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is the presence of multiple coexisting genetic variants, or subpopulations, that comprise the HIV-1 population detected in the peripheral blood. Analysis of HIV-1 RNA decay dynamics during the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been a valuable tool for modeling the life span of infected cells that produce the bulk HIV-1 population. However, different HIV-1 target cells may have different turnover rates, and it is not clear whether the bulk HIV-1 RNA decay rate actually represents a composite of the decay rates of viral subpopulations compartmentalized in different cellular subsets with different life spans.

Electrophilic cyclization of 2-chalcogenealkynylanisoles: versatile access to 2-chalcogen-benzo[b]furans.

An efficient synthesis of 2-chalcogen-3-substituted-benzo[b]furan compounds has been accomplished via electrophilic cyclization reaction of 2-chalcogenealkynyl anisoles using I(2), ICl, Br(2), and PhSeBr as electrophile sources. The product distributions were strongly dependent on the nature of substituents in the aromatic ring of anisole and on the chalcogen atom directly bonded to the triple bond. The 2-chalcogen-3-iodo-benzo[b]furans obtained smoothly underwent conversion to more complex structures of benzo[b]furan derivatives via palladium- or copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction with thiols, diphenyl diselenides, and zincates.

Comparative epidemiology of chronic fatigue syndrome in Brazilian and British primary care: prevalence and recognition.

Background: Although fatigue is a ubiquitous symptom across countries, clinical descriptions of chronic fatigue syndrome have arisen from a limited number of high-income countries. This might reflect differences in true prevalence or clinical recognition influenced by sociocultural factors.

Aims: To compare the prevalence, physician recognition and diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome in London and São Paulo.

Risk factors for colonisation of newborn infants during an outbreak of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in an intermediate-risk neonatal unit.

We describe a cross-sectional survey to identify risk factors for colonisation of neonates by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. This occurred following exposure to a colonised healthcare worker during an outbreak in an intermediate-risk neonatal unit. In total, 120 neonates admitted consecutively during a three-month period were screened for ESBL-producing K.

Methods for estimating prevalence ratios in cross-sectional studies.

Objective: To empirically compare the Cox, log-binomial, Poisson and logistic regressions to obtain estimates of prevalence ratios (PR) in cross-sectional studies.

Methods: Data from a population-based cross-sectional epidemiological study (n = 2072) on elderly people in Sao Paulo (Southeastern Brazil), conducted between May 2003 and April 2005, were used. Diagnoses of dementia, possible cases of common mental disorders and self-rated poor health were chosen as outcomes with low, intermediate and high prevalence, respectively.

Maternity "blues": prevalence and risk factors.

Objectives: estimate the prevalence and track the risk factors associated with, Maternity blues (MB).

Methods: a transversal study was performed with 113 women, on the tenth day of puerperium. The following instruments were used: Pitt Scale (1968), Stein (1980), Inventory for stressful life events by Holmes & Rahe (1967), and a questionnaire with sociodemographic and obstetric data.

Na3PbII[B(O3POH)4]: an alkali-metal lead borophosphate with heterocubane-like units Na3PbO4.

Na 3Pb (II)[B(O 3POH) 4] was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The crystal structure determination from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data ( I4 1/ a, Z = 4, a = 6.9182(8) A, c = 27.

Burnout syndrome and common mental disorders among community-based health agents.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of the burnout syndrome and of common mental disorders among community-based health agents, also identifying associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2006 with 141 community-based health agents who had been working for at least six months in primary care units in the city of São Paulo (Southeastern Brazil). The participants answered three questionnaires: one about sociodemographic, health- and work-related characteristics, the Self Reporting Questionnaire, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which allows the assessment of three dimensions of the burnout syndrome: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment.

Validity of the self reporting questionnaire-20 in epidemiological studies with older adults: results from the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study.

Background: This study examined the validity of the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20) in a population-based survey with older adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Method: The study sample consisted of 2,008 individuals aged 65 years or more who were living in an economically disadvantaged area of the city. The geriatric mental state (GMS) was used as the gold standard for the assessment of common mental disorders (CMD).

IQ and non-clinical psychotic symptoms in 12-year-olds: results from the ALSPAC birth cohort.

Background: Non-clinical psychotic symptoms appear common in children, but it is possible that a proportion of reported symptoms result from misinterpretation. There is a well-established association between pre-morbid low IQ score and schizophrenia. Psychosis-like symptoms in children may also be a risk factor for psychotic disorder but their relationship with IQ is unclear.

White-matter hyperintensities in first-episode psychosis.

Background: White-matter hyperintensities have been associated with both schizophrenia and mood disorders, particularly bipolar disorder, but results are inconsistent across studies.

Aims: To examine whether white-matter hyperintensities are a vulnerability marker for psychosis or are specifically associated with bipolar disorder.

Method: T(2)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired in 129 individuals with first-episode psychosis (either affective or non-affective psychoses) and 102 controls who were randomly selected from the same geographical areas.

[Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in type 1 diabetic during pregnancy: case report and literature review].

The type 1 diabetic patient pregnancy is subjected to various attempts to obtain good glycemic control, since the pre-conception period throughout the gestation. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is a therapeutic tool to achieve the glycemic targets. Here it is presented the case of a Type 1 diabetic woman, who was not under multiple insulin daily injections therapy, and whose insulin therapy started on CSII during the second trimester of gestation, obtaining successful therapeutic outcome.

[Common mental disorders and the use of psychoactive drugs: the impact of socioeconomic conditions].

Objective: To evaluate the influence of socioeconomic conditions on the association between common mental disorders and the use of health services and psychoactive drugs.

Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in the city of Botucatu, Southeastern Brazil. The sample was probabilistic, stratified and cluster-based.

Risk factors across the life course and dementia in a Brazilian population: results from the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH).

Background: Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the association between adversities across life and dementia. This study aimed to investigate the association between indicators of socioeconomic disadvantages throughout the life-course and dementia among older adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil and to explore possible causal pathways.

Methods: We used baseline data from the SPAH study which involved participants aged 65 years and older (n = 2005).

Investigating if psychosis-like symptoms (PLIKS) are associated with family history of schizophrenia or paternal age in the ALSPAC birth cohort.

Psychosis-like symptoms (PLIKS) occur in about 15% of the population, but it is unclear to what extent PLIKS share aetiological mechanisms in common with those for schizophrenia. We examined whether the presence of PLIKS was associated with a family history of schizophrenia (FH-SCZ), or with advancing paternal age, using data from 6356 children in the ALSPAC birth cohort who participated in a semi-structured PLIKS interview at 12 years of age. We found no evidence of association between FH-SCZ and suspected or definite PLIKS (adjusted OR=0.

Limitations of the Mini-Mental State Examination for screening dementia in a community with low socioeconomic status: results from the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study.

Background: The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most widely used instrument for the screening of cognitive impairment worldwide, but its ability to produce valid estimates of dementia in populations of low socioeconomic status and minimal literacy skills has not been adequately established. The authors investigated the psychometric properties of the MMSE in a community-based sample of older Brazilians.

Method: Cross-sectional one-phase population-based study of all residents of pre-defined areas of the city of Sao Paulo, aged 65 years or over.

[Diabetes ketoacidosis associated with Guillan-Barré syndrome].

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a disorder caused by exaggerated immune response to infectious process. Diabetes Melito (DM) is not recognized as one cause of this inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy with just a few cases of this association been described in the literature so far. We report here the case of a 44 years-old female patient admitted with a history of polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, asthenia, hyperglycemia (562 mg/dL) and ketoacidosis without any infectious focus.