Search

Objectives: to assess the reliability and validity of the 46 items version of the comfort scale for family members of people in critical condition. Methods: a methodological study, carried out with 278 family members of critically ill patients, admitted to adult and pediatric intensive care units, in a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. The analyzes were based on the Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory. Results: Horn’s parallel analysis and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis did not identify the scale’s unidimensionality nor the tridimensionality. The maximum factor loads were positive. The scale proved to be reliable (α=0.93 and Ω=0.63), most item-total correlations were greater than 0.28 and the discrimination coefficients were greater than one. Conclusions: the scale showed satisfactory reliability and relative construct validity. However, the recommended tridimensional structure for the scale has not been confirmed.

Objective The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) among pregnant Brazilian women, with individual diagnostic clinical interviews during the trimesters of pregnancy, and to determine the severity. Methods It was a cross-sectional study. We interviewed 524 pregnant women (18–45 years old) who came to the prenatal outpatient clinic to consult an obstetrician. We used a RLS clinical-diagnostic interview and the International RLS Study Group rating scale (IRLS). Results The prevalence of RLS during pregnancy was 13.5% in our sample, among which 90.1% of the cases started with their symptoms during pregnancy. More than half of the patients (53.5%) presented severe or very severe symptoms and the largest proportion of them (15.2%) were in their third trimester. We did not observe any demographic differences among the trimesters for RLS prevalence and RLS severity. Conclusion RLS during pregnancy is more frequent than in the general population, such that more than half of the pregnant women with RLS present it severely or very severely. It occurs especially in the third trimester.

Study design Cross-sectional and nonexperimental. Objective To detect and compare functional abnormalities in the esophagus and esophagogastric junction in 2 groups with chronic spinal injuries, 1 with injuries at the phrenic innervation level and the other at upper thoracic levels, and to relate these to gastroesophageal reflux containment. Summary of background data There are no studies on esophageal manometry with pH metering among spinal cord injury patients. Worldwide statistics reveal that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease among spinal cord injury patients is greater than among the general population, at around 22% to 27%. The "diaphragmatic crura" has been recognized as an important antireflux barrier and should functionally be considered to be a muscle separated from the costal diaphragm. However, doubts remain regarding whether this difference relates to its innervation. Methods This was a cross-sectional study on 29 patients with complete spinal cord injuries: 14 quadriplegics (level C4) and 15 paraplegics (levels T1-T7). Functional abnormalities of the esophagogastric junction, esophagus, and diaphragm were investigated using esophageal manometry and diaphragmatic video fluoroscopy. Presence of gastroesophageal reflux was investigated subjectively (pyrosis and regurgitation) and objectively (pH metering and endoscopy). Results The incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease was 27.6%, without difference between the groups. This became statistically significant when the mean diaphragmatic crural pressures were compared (quadriplegics: 37.5 +/- 17.8; paraplegics: 26.6 +/- 7.2; P = 0.048). It was also significant in relation to the prevalence of at least one of the objective and/or subjective reflux findings and/or esophageal peristaltism (quadriplegics: 85.7%; paraplegics: 40.0%; P = 0.011). Conclusion Spinal injury at the level of the phrenic innervation did not predispose the quadriplegics toward greater risk of developing gastroesophageal reflux disease. Paradoxically, manometry showed significantly greater crural contractility among the quadriplegics.

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a chronic sensory-motor disorder characterized by unpleasant limb sensations and an irresistible urge to move. The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group developed the Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale (IRLS) to assess the severity of RLS symptoms. The objective of this study was to translate and validate the IRLS into Brazilian Portuguese. METHOD: The IRLS was translated into Brazilian Portuguese, analyzed, back translated to English, and compared to the original version. It was applied to 10 patients for cultural verification. The language was adjusted and the final version was administered to 30 patients (13 male, mean age 58.88±14.82). RESULTS: There was correlation among the IRLS evaluation of three experts. Many linguistic adaptations were required to achieve cultural adequacy and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed reliability of 80%. CONCLUSION: IRLS was translated, adapted, and validated to Brazilian Portuguese language, showing good reliability and validity.

Background Music is ever present in our daily lives, establishing a link between humans and the arts through the senses and pleasure. Sound technicians are the link between musicians and audiences or consumers. Recently, general concern has arisen regarding occurrences of hearing loss induced by noise from excessively amplified sound-producing activities within leisure and professional environments. Sound technicians' activities expose them to the risk of hearing loss, and consequently put at risk their quality of life, the quality of the musical product and consumers' hearing. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of high frequency hearing loss consistent with noise exposure among sound technicians in Brazil and compare this with a control group without occupational noise exposure. Methods This was a cross-sectional study comparing 177 participants in two groups: 82 sound technicians and 95 controls (non-sound technicians). A questionnaire on music listening habits and associated complaints was applied, and data were gathered regarding the professionals' numbers of working hours per day and both groups' hearing complaint and presence of tinnitus. The participants' ear canals were visually inspected using an otoscope. Hearing assessments were performed (tonal and speech audiometry) using a portable digital AD 229 E audiometer funded by FAPESP. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the sound technicians and controls regarding age and gender. Thus, the study sample was homogenous and would be unlikely to lead to bias in the results. A statistically significant difference in hearing loss was observed between the groups: 50% among the sound technicians and 10.5% among the controls. The difference could be addressed to high sound levels. Conclusion The sound technicians presented a higher prevalence of high frequency hearing loss consistent with noise exposure than did the general population, although the possibility of residual confounding due to unmeasured factors such as socioeconomic status cannot be ruled out.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Among burn patients, it is common to use colloidal substances under the justification that it is necessary to correct the oncotic pressure of the plasma, thereby reducing the edema in the burnt area and the hypotension. The aim here was to assess the risk of hospital mortality, comparing the use of albumin and crystalloid solutions for these patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Non-concurrent historical cohort study at Faculdade de Medicina de Marília; within the Postgraduate program on Internal and Therapeutic Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo; and at the Brazilian Cochrane Center. METHODS: Burn patients hospitalized between 2000 and 2001, with registration in the Hospital Information System, who received albumin, were compared with those who received other types of volume replacement. The primary outcome was the hospital mortality rate. The data were collected from files within the Datasus software. RESULTS: 39,684 patients were included: 24,116 patients with moderate burns and 15,566 patients with major burns. Among the men treated with albumin, the odds ratio for the risk of death was 20.58 (95% confidence interval, CI: 11.28-37.54) for moderate burns and 6.24 (CI 5.22-7.45) for major burns. Among the women, this risk was 40.97 for moderate burns (CI 21.71-77.30) and 7.35 for major burns (CI 5.99-9.01). The strength of the association between the use of albumin and the risk of death was maintained for the other characteristics studied, with statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The use of albumin among patients with moderate and major burns was associated with considerably increased mortality. CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: Em pacientes queimados é comum o uso de substâncias coloidais sob justificativa de que é necessário corrigir a pressão oncótica do plasma, reduzindo o edema na área queimada e a hipotensão. O objetivo foi avaliar o risco de mortalidade hospitalar, comparando o uso de albumina e soluções cristaloides para esses pacientes. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo coorte histórico não concorrente na Faculdade de Medicina de Marília, no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Interna e Terapêutica da Universidade Federal de São Paulo e no Centro Cochrane do Brasil. MÉTODOS: Pacientes queimados hospitalizados entre 2000 e 2001, registrados no Sistema de Informações Hospitalares e que receberam albumina foram comparados com aqueles que receberam outros tipos de reposição volêmica. O desfecho primário foi a taxa de mortalidade hospitalar. Os dados foram coletados dos arquivos do programa Datasus. RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos 39.684 pacientes: sendo 24.116 pacientes com queimaduras moderadas e 15.566 pacientes com queimaduras graves. Entre os homens tratados com albumina, o odds ratio para o risco de morte foi 20,58 (intervalo de confiança IC 95% 11,28-37,54) para queimaduras moderadas e 6,24 (IC 5,22-7,45) para queimaduras graves. Entre as mulheres, esse risco foi de 40,97 para queimaduras moderadas (IC 21,71-77,30) e 7,35 para queimaduras graves (IC 5,99-9,01). A força da associação entre o uso de albumina e o risco de morte foi mantida para as outras características estudadas, com significância estatística. CONCLUSÃO: O uso de albumina entre pacientes com queimaduras moderadas e graves foi associado a aumento considerável da mortalidade.