Environmental contamination before, during, and after dental treatment.

Purpose: To verify environmental contamination by collecting microorganisms from dental equipment surfaces before, during and after clinical procedures.

Methods: Sterile swabs were used to collect the samples from dental-chair push buttons, 3-in-1 syringes, X-ray tubes, computer keys, doorknobs, and light handles before (P1), during (P2) and after (P3) clinical procedures, in the undergraduate clinic of the Dental School of Piracicaba, University of Campinas, Brazil. These samples were spread on BHI agar and incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 hours.

The impact of an exercise program on posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression.

This preliminary study assessed the impact of a 12-session aerobic exercise program on symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Overall results show no symptom reduction during baseline phases but significant reductions in PTSD, anxiety, and depression following the exercise intervention. Reductions were maintained during a 1 month follow-up.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of air-dispersed microorganisms in dental settings.

To determine the number and the susceptibility of microorganisms collected in a clinical environment against the antimicrobial agents used commonly in dentistry, petri dishes containing trypticase soy agar were exposed to air in different sites of a multi-chair dental clinic before, during, and after multiple clinical procedures and incubated for 24 hours under aerobic conditions. Colonies were identified by Gram stain technique and biochemical tests. Commercial paper disks containing widely prescribed antimicrobial agents (beta-lactams, macrolides, and clindamycin) were used to perform the antimicrobial susceptibility tests.

Diet and trophic groups of an aquatic insect community in a tropical stream.

The diet and trophic groups of an assemblage of aquatic insects were studied in a tropical stream. Genera of the orders Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hemiptera showed feeding specialization. Others, such as Trichoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera, showed great diet variation with genera of different trophic groups.

A case of eumycetoma due to Madurella grisea in northern Brazil.

A case of mycetoma caused by the black fungus Madurella grisea in northern Brazil is reported. The lesion was located on the patient's right foot without bone involvement. Clinical samples were collected by opening the fistules with a scalp and the grains removed for microbiological and histopathological analyses.

Assessment of PTSD symptoms in emergency room, intensive care unit, and general floor nurses.

A total of 125 registered nurses participated in an investigation of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related symptoms and various levels of nursing care. The sample included 43 emergency room nurses (ER), 51 intensive care unit nurses (ICU), and 31 general floor nurses (GF). All participants were assessed on measures of PTSD, social support, dissociation, anxiety, depression, and demographics.

Objective assessment of secondary trauma.

This study reports on the continued development of the Secondary Trauma Scale (STS) and the establishment of cutoff scores. Cutoff scores are unavailable for existing secondary trauma scales. Participants were 118 young adult volunteers who reported having had close and continued exposure to a person or persons who had been traumatized.

Gender related correlates of posttraumatic stress symptoms in a World Trade Center tragedy sample.

Previous research has documented that women are more susceptible to developing posttraumatic stress disorder than men. This study examines the relationships between gender, ruminative coping, traditional gender role characteristics, trauma-related cognitions, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Participants were 123 victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including 72 males and 51 females.

Optical coherence tomography in optic pit maculopathy managed with vitrectomy-laser-gas.

Background: Optic disc pit (ODP) maculopathy has a poor visual prognosis if left to its natural course. Several therapeutic approaches have been attempted. The cases of 11 patients evaluated with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and treated with vitrectomy-laser-gas and their functional and anatomical outcomes are presented.

Plasmid-mediated extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing strains of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from diabetes foot infections in a Brazilian diabetic center.

We bacteriologically analyzed 156 species of Enterobacteriaceae, isolated from 138 patients with community-acquired diabetic foot ulcers, in a prospective study made at a diabetic center and at the Federal University of Ceará, Brazil, from March, 2000, to November, 2001. The samples were cultured using selective media, and identification, susceptibility tests and detection of plasmid-mediated-extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing strains were made with conventional and automated methods. The most frequently occurring pathogens were K.

Subclinical hypothyroidism in early childhood: a frequent outcome of transient neonatal hyperthyrotropinemia.

Newborns with high TSH at birth and with normal free T(4) and normal or slightly elevated TSH at the confirmatory examination are considered false positive for congenital hypothyroidism. We evaluated thyroid function, thyroid antibodies, thyroid volume and morphology, thyroperoxidase and TSH receptor genes, and auxological data in 56 false positive children at 16-44 months of age. In these children thyroid function at confirmatory examination was fully normal in 33 (TSH, 0.

A ten-year (1989-1998) perspective study of the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in the district of Catania (Sicily) in a 0-14 year age group.

The aim of this report was to evaluate the incidence of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in the district of Catania (eastern Sicily) in children under 15 yr of age over a ten-yr period (01/01/1989 - 31/12/1998) in relation to age, sex, monthly-seasonal variability, calendar yr and spatial clustering. The estimated completeness of our register was 99.2%.

K-Cl cotransport modulation by intracellular Mg in erythrocytes from mice bred for low and high Mg levels.

Mg is an important determinant of erythrocyte cation transport system(s) activity. We investigated cation transport in erythrocytes from mice bred for high (MGH) and low (MGL) Mg levels in erythrocytes and plasma. We found that K-Cl cotransport activity was higher in MGL than in MGH erythrocytes, and this could explain their higher mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, median density, and reduced cell K content.

Initial evaluation of the Secondary Trauma Questionnaire.

Many measures exist to evaluate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but there are few ways of assessing secondary traumatic stress disorder and these are limited to specific populations. Secondary traumatic stress disorder involves the transfer of trauma symptoms from those who have been traumatized to those who have close and extended contact with trauma victims. Thus, family members of those who have been traumatized and therapists who treat trauma survivors are vulnerable to developing secondary traumatic stress disorder.

Audiogenic seizure sensitivity in mouse lines genetically selected for high versus low blood magnesium levels.

The MGH and MGL mouse lines, genetically selected for high and low blood magnesium (Mg) levels, respectively, exhibit marked differences for characteristics expected to be related to blood Mg levels, such as increased stress sensitivity and stress-induced aggressivity in MGL mice. However, although Mg deficiency experimentally induced by low oral Mg intake has been shown previously to increase susceptibility to audiogenic seizures, MGL were less sensitive to audiogenic seizures than MGH mice. The MGH-MGL lines may, therefore, provide a beneficial and complementary model for the study of the relationships between audiogenic seizures and blood Mg levels.

Sexually and physically abused foster care children and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Considerable debate exists regarding the possible relationship between child abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, 3 groups of foster care children were compared. The groups included 50 sexually abused, 50 physically abused, and 50 nonabused foster care children.

The rat microphthalmia-associated transcription factor gene (Mitf) maps at 4q34-q41 and is mutated in the mib rats.

The rat gene encoding the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) was assigned to rat Chromosome (Chr) 4q34-q41, as well as the Gata2 and Mem1 genes. Rat Chr 4 is homologous to mouse Chr 6 and human Chr 3, which carry the Mitf (MITF) gene in these species (MMU 6, 40.0 cM, and HSA 3p14.

Unexpected association between reproductive longevity and blood magnesium levels in a new model of selected mouse strains.

Two recently described mouse strains, with high (MGH) and low (MGL) blood magnesium (Mg) levels were obtained by selection over 19 generations. Both strains exhibit strong differences for characteristics generally known to be related to blood Mg levels, such as increased stress sensitivity and stress-induced aggressivity in MGL mice. In contrast, while experimental Mg deficiency due to low oral Mg intake has been shown to shorten life span and lower reproductive ability, reproductive longevity was longer in the MGL than in the MGH strain.

Effectiveness of anxiety management training in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: a preliminary report.

This preliminary study investigated the effectiveness of anxiety management training (AMT), a coping skills treatment similar to systematic desensitization, in comparison to implosive therapy (IT), an exposure-based treatment, for treating six Vietnam combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Clinician Administered PTSD Interview Scale (CAPS; Blake et al. (1988), The Behaviour Therapist, 18, 187-188) and a self-monitoring measure (Weathers et al.

[Role of surgical therapy in the treatment of refractory ascites].

In 5-10% of cases ascites is not controlled by medical therapy and is defined refractory. These patients may be submitted to one of the four following surgical options: portal-systemic shunt, peritoneo-venous shunt, transjugular intrahepatic portal-systemic shunt, orthotopic liver transplantation. Although the portal-systemic shunt is efficient in clearing ascites, it does not improve the survival, which depends on liver function, and it is complicated by an important incidence of encephalopathy.