A blind randomized trial was conducted in a low-income community in the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, with 193 anemic (Hb <12 mg/dl) and "menstruating" women (age range: 15-45 years) to compare daily and weekly doses of ferrous sulfate (60 mg elemental iron) and treatment compliance. Blood samples were taken from 484 women to determine hemoglobin levels before and after the trial and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) at end of treatment. After 12 weeks' follow-up, 150 women completed the trial, 79 on the alternative weekly regimen and 71 on the conventional daily regimen. Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations (MCHC) prior to treatment were 10.52 g/dl (DP=1.13) and 10.72 g/dl (DP=0.92), respectively, for the alternative and conventional regimens. After the intervention they were 11.83 g/dl (DP=0.97) for the weekly regimen and 11.62 g/dl (DP=1.39) for the daily one. The alternative regimen was better accepted than the conventional one. There was no significant difference (p=0.22) between differences in the mean values of the two regimens, although the cure rate was higher after the alternative treatment. The study concluded that the weekly regimen was no less effective than daily treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Italy: report of the first clinical case.

Previous studies on the clinical features of meningoencephalitis in Italy did not help to indicate the nature of the causative agents. On the other hand during the past decade nine arboviruses were isolated in Italy, some of which are yet to prove pathogenic for man. A systematic study was carried out in cooperation between the Department of Neurology of the University of Florence and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Rome), in order to understand a possible role of arboviruses as etiologic agents of meningoencephalitis in Italy; in this preliminary communication the first clinical case of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) virus infection is described.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Cyclic alternating pattern as a sign of brain instability during sleep].

During the last 20 years, the fact that the role of microarousal arousal is very involved in the pathophysiology of sleep disorders has been widely demonstrated. However, in spite of this, the nature of microarousal is still under debate. The awakening system forms a part of the relationship between activation system and sleep maintenance, thus providing the natural evolution of sleep and defending it from the stimuli of the external world. The awakening system, that includes the concept of microarousal, can appear isolated or periodically, then receiving the name of cyclic alternating pattern (CAP). CAP may be affected by different factors that can alter its periodicity, thus offering quantitative information on sleep instability. It can also serve as another new tool to understand human sleep and as complementary information supplied by the sleep macrostructure and microarousal study. This study aims to explain the concept of CAP and its pathophysiology studied up to the present.

Arousal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney insufficiency in hemodialysis with erythropoietin].

A group of 50 patients (26 men and 24 women, mean age 50 +/- 19 years and range 21 to 67) on chronic hemodialysis (HD) and with basal levels of hemoglobin (Hb) less than or equal to 8 g/dl was treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEpo) during 3 months. r-HuEpo was started at 50 U/kg I.V. 3 times a week, immediately after each session of HD, for 4 weeks, and this dose was increased in steps of 25 U/kg until a Hb level of 12 g/dl or a maximum dose of 100 U/kg were reached. Complete blood counts and biochemical profile were performed before the first dose of r-HuEpo and once weekly and monthly respectively during the period of treatment. In 8 patients the red-cell life span was studied with cromium 51 labelled erythrocytes just before and after treatment. One patient had a grand mal seizure and the r-HuEpo was discontinued. In 44 patients the mean hematocrit increased from 21.8% to 32.1% and in the other 5 there were no response because of iron deficiency. There were no changes in leucocytes and platelets counts and consistent decreases in iron and ferritin serum concentrations were observed despite oral supplementation of iron. In the 8 patients studied the shortened erythrocyte survival did not suffer any significant variation with r-HuEpo. Predialysis creatinine, urea and phosphorus blood levels increased significantly at 3th month of treatment but there was no increase in potassium. In 32.6% of previously normotensive and hypertensive patients an increase in blood pressure was founded. Thrombosis of arteriovenous fistulas and other severe clinical side effects were not observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Survey for antibodies to arboviruses in man and animals in Italy. IV. Serological status of human beings and animals in a central italian region (Grosseto province).

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Palliative nursing is looking for a new vision of patient care].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Hospice Care↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Prevalence of anal incontinence in the elderly population: an epidemiological study of the elderly population served at the geriatric ambulatory service of the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo].

The aim of the present work was to assess the prevalence of anal incontinence in the elderly population attended in the "Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo". The method employed was of individual interviews with patient attended in the Geriatric Ambulatory. As part of the assessment patients were classified as to sex, age, color, social-economical class and education, and compared to available data on the elderly population of the State and the City of São Paulo. Besides the question on signs and symptoms related to anal incontinence, associated factors such as bowel habit, sensation of incomplete evacuation, urgency to evacuate and soiling were also analysed, as well as, factors possibly related to anal incontinence such as urinary incontinence, use of medication as laxatives, associated diseases, such as neurological affections and diabetes mellitus, number of child births, and assistance received, previous anorectal or perineals operations, and locomotions limiting factor. The statistical method of test of proportion was used to analyse the proportions of the populations interviewed, as to sex and literacy compared to the elderly population of the State and City of São Paulo. To analyse the social-economical class of the population interviewed compared to the elderly population economically and non economically active, of the State of São Paulo, the test of qui-square adjusted was used. The test of qui-square was used to verify if the population of incontinent and continent, by sex; incontinent and continent in relation to bowel habit, by sex; incontinence sufferer of continuous and descontinuous anal incontinence, by sex; incontinent sufferer of anal incontinence to gas, liquid or solid, and the association of these manifestations, by sex; patients who complained of soiling, by sex; incontinent and continent, previously submitted to anorectal or perineal operations; and continent and incontinent with diabetes mellitus, are equal. To verify the proportions of women who had vaginal delivery in the continent and incontinent group, the test of Mann-Whitney was used. One hundred fourty six patients were interviewed, 43 men of an average 75 years old (62 to 91) and 103 women of an average 72 years old (60 to 88); as to colours, 69.9% were white, 18.5% were mullato, 9.6% were black and 2% were yellow. The comparative analysis with populational data indicated that the population interviewed was representative of the elderly population of the State and the City of São Paulo, as to age, color, social-economical class and education. The prevalence of anal incontinence was of 10.9% with no difference between the sexes, intestinal obstipation referred by 15.4% of the men and 28.1% of the women, sensation of incomplete evacuation referred by 21.2% of the patients, and the association of both referred by 13.7% were the most frequently observed functional gastrointestinal alterations. Soiling was referred by 10.3% of the patients with no difference related to sex. The use of medication or laxatives, the presence of diabetes mellitus, neurological affections, previews anorectal or perineal operations, or locomotion limiting factors, have no relation to anal incontinence. The prevalence of urinary incontinence was of 30.1%, and double continence of 6.3% with no statistical difference between sexes. There was statistical evidence of association between childbearing and anal incontinence.

Aged↗