Background. Leprosy is an infectious disease that can lead to physical disabilities and stigmatization. It remains an important public health problem, especially in Brazil. Objective. To analyse sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with multibacillary leprosy in a hyperendemic region of the disease in northeastern Brazil. Method. This is a retrospective observational study with secondary data acquired from 2012 to 2015, from a group of leprosy cases reported in a reference outpatient clinic for the treatment and followup of leprosy in the city of Imperatriz, Maranhao, in northeastern Brazil. Results. From 905 new cases of leprosy studied, 656 (72.5%) were classified as multibacillary leprosy and 249 (27.5%) as paucibacillary leprosy. We observed that men were more likely to present 5 to 15 skin lesions (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.18-1.49; p <0.0001) and >15 skin lesions (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.09 -1.45; p = 0.005) and a lower chance of having <5 skin lesions (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.59-0.76; p <0.0001). Women were more likely to have no affected nerves compared to men (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.20-1.77; p <0.0001). The age range of 16 to 60 years showed a greater chance of having <5 skin lesions (OR: 1.01; 95% CI: 1.007-1.20; p = 0.03) and a lower chance of having 5 to 15 skin lesions (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.23; p= 0.008) and a lower chance of being a grade I disability ( CI= 0.73-0.94; p=0.83) and II (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.77-0.98; p=000.1). Conclusion. Cases of multibacillary leprosy were associated with male gender, low educational level, and clinical variables such as number of skin lesions and grade I or II disability.

Objective Digestive symptoms are the most common complaints among patients who seek primary healthcare services. This study aims to identify digestive symptoms and determine their association with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy findings in patients treated at a public endoscopy centre in Northeast Brazil. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from 751 patients with digestive symptoms who had an indication for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. We identified the association between these variables through Fisher's exact test or Chi-square test and calculated the odds ratio. Results Epigastric pain occurred in 83%, post-prandial plenitude in 72.6%, and heartburn in 72.3% of the patients. Women were more likely to present with epigastric pain ( p = 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 1.25; confidence interval [CI] = 1.07–1.47), post-prandial plenitude ( p = 0.001; OR = 1.21; CI = 1.06–1.37), retrosternal pain or burning ( p = 0.03; OR = 1.11; CI = 1.004–1.24), heartburn ( p = 0.04; OR = 1.10; CI = 0.98–1.24), unintentional weight loss ( p = 0.01; OR = 1.12; CI = 1.02–1.24), and dysphagia ( p = 0.01; OR = 1.14; CI = 1.03–1.25). There was no statistically significant association between digestive symptoms and endoscopic findings of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, there was no significant association between digestive symptoms and abnormalities detected by endoscopy. Conclusion Dyspeptic symptoms of epigastric pain, post-prandial fullness, and heartburn were the most common symptoms in patients referred for endoscopy. Dyspepsia, heartburn, and dysphagia were more common in women than in men. Digestive symptoms were not associated with positive endoscopy findings or abnormalities detected by endoscopy.

RESUMOAspectos morfodinâmicos da praia da Taíba foram caracterizados durante o período de junho/2006 a agosto/2007. A altura, período das ondas e granulometria foram registrados. Perfis de praia, parâmetros adimensional de Dean (Ω) e escalar da arrebentação (∑), Índices da Praia (BI) e da Extensão Relativa da Maré (RTR) foram calculados com o objetivo de comparar diferentes classificações para descrição da morfodinâmica praial. As amostras de sedimento foram coletadas em duas zonas: 1 (0-30m) e 2 (30-60m) de distância da zona de varrido das ondas. A altura das ondas variou entre 0,40m a 0,60m e o período de 5,93s a 8,31s, classificando a praia como de energia de onda moderada. A classificação média do sedimento foi composta por areia fina ou muito fina, apresentando, porém, em alguns meses, amostras de areia média na zona 2 de coleta. Os valores do parâmetro de Dean (Ω) e do BI classificaram a praia como intermediária, apresentando, porém, em alguns meses características do modo refletivo. Os valores do parâmetro escalar da arrebentação indicaram dissipação das ondas, e o RTR indicou a ação das marés como principal modificadora dos perfis de praia. O estado morfodinâmico intermediário da praia da Taíba pode ser comprovado a partir de dois diferentes índices, tendo uma completa descrição pelo uso em conjunto do Índice da Praia e pelo Parâmetro Relativo da Maré. O entendimento dos processos responsáveis pela morfodinâmica dos ambientes costeiros é necessário, tendo em vista que tais processos assumem um importante papel na conformação e estabilização do ambiente praial.Palavras-chave: estado morfodinâmico, perfil de praia, variáveis ambientais.

Com o objetivo de conhecer o coping de mulheres com diagnóstico e tratamento de câncer de mama, através dos relatos de vida, foi realizado estudo qualitativo, do tipo História Oral, em 2016, com cinco mulheres do interior do Nordeste do Brasil. A coleta se deu por meio de entrevista semiestruturadas no domicílio das participantes, após contato prévio com a instituição de saúde a qual estas eram vinculadas. As entrevistas foram gravadas, transcritas e analisadas, de acordo com a técnica de análise de conteúdo de Bardin e auxílio do software Web Qualitative Data Analysis (WebQDA). A partir dos relatos, surgiram as categorias: Atitudes de autocontrole e Apoio Social no enfrentamento do Câncer de mama, e o Coping religioso no câncer de mama. As mulheres do estudo expressaram autocontrole, suporte social e coping religioso no enfrentamento do diagnóstico e tratamento do câncer de mama. Para o planejamento de assistência de enfermagem e da equipe multiprofissional é importante conhecer o coping da mulher durante o diagnóstico e tratamento do câncer de mama.

Aim:  To  evaluate  the  knowledge  of  mothers  regarding  adverse consequences from the pentavalent vaccination before and after they participated in an educative  intervention.  Method:  This is  a  quasi-experimental  study,  with  a  before-and-after analysis, of a single group of 100 mothers of breastfeeding babies, from September to October 2014, in an outpatient clinic of a public maternity hospital in the municipality of  Imperatriz,  Brazil.  Results:  Following  the  intervention, a  significant  increase  in understanding  was  observed  among  the  study  participants  in  all  questions  (p<0.05) regarding adverse events after the pentavalent vaccine. After the intervention, there was a significant increase of right answers to the questions: who to seek advice from after an adverse  event  due  to  the  vaccine  (p=0.004)  and  which  adverse  events  from  the pentavalent vaccine are known to mothers (p=0.04). Conclusion: The results indicate a positive change in the  level  of  understanding  of  mothers regarding the  adverse  events after the  pentavalent vaccination.  The  study  provides  a  basis  for the  adoption  of long-term intervention strategies for nurses.