ABSTRACT
Introdução: a dinâmica laboral, os fatores ambientais e a individualidade de enfrentamento nos postos de trabalho podem influenciar o surgimento de alterações físicas e psicológicas nos indivíduos. Objetivo: identificar os riscos ergonômicos de policiais de uma Unidade Especializada da Polícia Civil do Estado do Ceará. Métodos: trata de um estudo de caso no qual foi realizada uma Análise Ergonômica do Trabalho, de forma qualitativa e multidisciplinar, de três policiais civis, considerando quatro posições diferentes: posição ortostática com seu equipamento de proteção individual e de exercício laboral; posição de prontidão de tiro; posição de descanso, alerta em operação e fora da operação; e posição ortostática em operação. A análise foi realizada por meio de cinco etapas: análise da demanda; análise da tarefa; análise da atividade; diagnóstico; e recomendações, sendo avaliados o peso dos equipamentos, sobrecargas musculares e articulares e compensações posturais oriundas do exercício das atividades laborais. Resultados: foi detectada elevada carga de peso dos equipamentos, levando a desvios posturais. Os policiais também apresentaram condutas posturais viciosas na execução das atividades. Conclusão: alterações e vícios posturais precisam ser solucionadas visando o cuidado com a saúde dos policiais, de modo a evitar afastamentos para tratamento de saúde. Recomendações foram propostas.
Introduction: the labor dynamics, the environmental factors and the individuality of confrontation at workstations may influence the emergence of physical and psychological alterations in individuals. Objective: to identify the ergonomic risks of policemen of a Specialized Unit of the Civil Police of the State of Ceará. Methods: this is a case study in which a qualitative and multidisciplinary Ergonomic Analysis of Work was carried out on three civilian policemen, considering four different positions: orthostatic position with their individual protection equipment and work exercise; shooting readiness position; resting position, alert in operation and out of operation; and orthostatic position in operation. The analysis was conducted through five stages: demand analysis; task analysis; activity analysis; diagnosis; and recommendations, evaluating the weight of the equipment, muscle and joint overloads and postural compensations arising from the exercise of labor activities. Results: a high weight load of the equipment was detected, leading to postural deviations. The policemen also presented vicious postural behaviors in the execution of their activities. Conclusion: postural alterations and addictions need to be solved in order to take care of the policemen's health, so as to avoid absence for health treatment. Recommendations were proposed.
Introducción: la dinámica laboral, los factores ambientales y la individualidad del enfrentamiento en los puestos de trabajo pueden influir en la aparición de alteraciones físicas y psicológicas en los individuos. Objetivo: identificar los riesgos ergonómicos de los policías de una Unidad Especializada de la Policía Civil del Estado de Ceará. Método: se trata de un estudio de caso en el que se realizó un Análisis Ergonómico del Trabajo cualitativo y multidisciplinar a tres policías civiles, considerando cuatro posiciones diferentes: posición ortostática con su equipo de protección individual y ejercicio de trabajo; posición de preparación para el tiro; posición de descanso, alerta en operación y fuera de operación; y posición ortostática en operación. El análisis se realizó a través de cinco etapas: análisis de la demanda; análisis de la tarea; análisis de la actividad; diagnóstico; y recomendaciones, evaluando el peso del equipo, las sobrecargas musculares y articulares y las compensaciones posturales derivadas del ejercicio de las actividades laborales. Resultados: se detectó una elevada carga de peso del equipo, lo que provocó desviaciones posturales. Los policías también presentaron comportamientos posturales viciosos en la ejecución de sus actividades. Conclusión: las alteraciones posturales y las adicciones necesitan ser solucionadas para cuidar de la salud de los policías, de forma a evitar ausencias para tratamiento sanitario. Se propusieron recomendaciones.
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a health crisis around the world. Health professionals are frequently exposed to stressors that put them at high risk for the development or progression of disabling mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To understand how pandemic stressors have affected the mental health of healthcare workers, our group conducted a longitudinal and nationwide survey. We investigated the occurrence of traumatic events related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the association between exposure to these events and PTSD symptomatology. Importantly, we also investigated factors that might increase or decrease the risk for PTSD. Depression symptoms were also investigated. The results of the first wave of the project were published in a series of three articles, each focused on different risk or protective factors. The results showed that female sex, young age, a lack of adequate personal protective equipment, social isolation and a previous history of mental illness were consistent predictors of PTSD symptoms. Healthcare workers who reported high levels of peritraumatic tonic immobility, a defensive response that is involuntary, reflexive, and evoked by an intense and inescapable threat, also exhibited an increase in the probability of being diagnosed with PTSD. On the other hand, professional recognition had a negative relationship with PTSD and depression symptoms, emerging as a significant protective factor for psychological health. The identification of protective and risk factors in these situations is crucial to guide the adoption of long-term measures in work environments that will enhance the psychological health of these professionals.
RESUMO A pandemia de COVID-19 impôs uma crise de saúde no mundo. Profissionais de saúde foram frequentemente expostos a estressores que os colocam em alto risco para o desenvolvimento ou progressão de transtornos mentais incapacitantes, incluindo o transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT). Para entender como esses estressores afetaram a saúde mental desses profissionais, nosso grupo realizou um estudo longitudinal nacional. Investigamos a ocorrência de eventos traumáticos especificamente relacionados à pandemia e a associação entre a exposição a esses eventos traumáticos e a sintomatologia do TEPT. É importante ressaltar que também investigamos fatores que podem aumentar ou diminuir o risco de TEPT. Sintomas de depressão também foram investigados. Os resultados da primeira onda do projeto foram publicados em uma série de três artigos, cada um focado em diferentes fatores de risco ou proteção. Os resultados mostraram que sexo feminino, idade jovem, falta de equipamento de proteção individual adequado, isolamento social e história prévia de doença mental foram preditores consistentes de sintomas de TEPT. Os profissionais de saúde que relataram altos níveis de imobilidade tônica, uma resposta peritraumática involuntária e reflexa evocada em situações de ameaça intensa e inescapável, exibiram aumento na probabilidade de um provável diagnóstico de TEPT. Por outro lado, reconhecimento profissional teve relação negativa com sintomas de TEPT e depressão, emergindo como importante fator de proteção para a saúde mental. Identificar fatores protetores ou de risco nessas situações é fundamental para orientar a adoção de medidas de longo prazo nos ambientes de trabalho que melhorem a saúde mental desses profissionais.
ABSTRACT
Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis are gram-positive bacterial pathogens and the causative agents of leprosy in humans across the world. The elimination of leprosy cannot be achieved by multidrug therapy alone, and highlights the need for new tools and drugs to prevent the emergence of new resistant strains. Methods In this study, our contribution includes the prediction of vaccine targets and new putative drugs against leprosy, using reverse vaccinology and subtractive genomics. Six strains of Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis (4 and 2 strains, respectively) were used for comparison taking Mycobacterium leprae strain TN as the reference genome. Briefly, we used a combined reverse vaccinology and subtractive genomics approach. Results As a result, we identified 12 common putative antigenic proteins as vaccine targets and three common drug targets against Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Furthermore, the docking analysis using 28 natural compounds with three drug targets was done. Conclusions The bis-naphthoquinone compound Diospyrin (CID 308140) obtained from indigenous plant Diospyros spp. showed the most favored binding affinity against predicted drug targets, which can be a candidate therapeutic target in the future against leprosy.(AU)
Subject(s)
Gram-Positive Rods/pathogenicity , Vaccinology , Mycobacterium leprae/pathogenicity , Mycobacterium lepraemurium/pathogenicityABSTRACT
Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is the etiologic agent of "Ceratocystis wilt of cacao", an irreversible disease that affects the vascular system of the plant. The management of the disease is difficult and economic and alternative solutions are needed. The medicinal plants compounds are known to have antimicrobial activity, and they could be an alternative choice in the C. cacaofunesta control. Considering this, this work aimed to verify the in vitro antifungal activity of aqueous and alcoholic solutions of Adiantum latifolium leaves on C. cacaofunesta. Plant material was collected at Atlantic Forest biome in cacao cultivation area in South of Bahia state. Aqueous and ethanolic solutions were made by boiling and maceration in 70% ethanol, respectively. After filtration, they were added to culture medium at 1, 5 and 10% dilution. A 7 mm disc colony of C. cacaofunesta was inoculated in the middle of the well containing Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) and the mycelial growth was observed. Controls consisted on SDA with sterile water or 70% ethanol at the same dilution of treatments, and Tebuconazole at 4 µg.mL-1. Neither aqueous nor ethanolic solutions inhibited the mycelial growth. However, aqueous solution presence induced a higher mycelial growth rate. Conversely, aqueous solution treatment induced mycelial growth. Tebuconazole showed important mycelial growth inhibition and it could be considered in C. cacaofunesta propagation control in areas where genetic selection or handling management still fail.(AU)
A espécie Ceratocystis cacaofunesta é o agente etiológico do mal-do-facão, patogenia caracterizada por danos irreversíveis no sistema vascular da planta. O controle da doença é difícil e a busca por soluções alternativas e econômicas é necessária. Sabe-se que os compostos das plantas medicinais possuem atividade microbiana e podem ser uma opção alternativa no controle de C. cacaofunesta. Baseado nisso, esse trabalho se propôs a verificar in vitro o potencial antifúngico das soluções aquosa e alcóolica de Adiantum latifolium sobre C. cacaofunesta. O material vegetal foi coletado no bioma Mata Atlântica em área de plantio de cacau, no sul da Bahia. Solução aquosa foi obtida por decocção e solução etanólica por maceração em etanol 70%. As soluções foram filtradas e adicionadas ao meio de cultura em diluições de 1, 5 e 10%. Inocularam-se fragmentos de 7 mm de colônia de C. cacaofunesta no centro do meio de cultura contendo ágar Sabouraud dextrose (ASD) e se observou o crescimento do disco micelial. Os controles consistiram em SDA com água estéril ou etanol a 70% na mesma diluição de tratamentos e o antifúngico Tebuconazol a 4 µg.mL-1. Nenhuma concentração das soluções aquosa e alcóolica inibiu o crescimento micelial. Entretanto, a presença de solução aquosa induziu maior crescimento micelial. O antifúngico Tebuconazol apresentou efeito redutor importante do crescimento micelial e pode ser uma alternativa no controle da propagação do C. cacaofunesta em locais onde a seleção genética e o manejo adequado de instrumentos no momento da poda apresentam falhas.(AU)
Subject(s)
Cacao , Adiantum , FungiABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Tonic immobility is a defensive reaction occurring under extreme life threats. Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reporting peritraumatic tonic immobility show the most severe symptoms and a poorer response to treatment. This study investigated the predictive falue of tonic immobility for posttraumatic stress symptoms in a non-clinical sample. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-eight college students exposed to various life threatening events were selected to participate. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - Civilian Version (PCL-C) and tonic immobility questions were used. Linear regression models were fitted to investigate the association between peritraumatic tonic immobility and PCL-C scores. Peritraumatic dissociation, peritraumatic panic reactions, negative affect, gender, type of trauma, and time since trauma were considered as confounding variables. RESULTS: We found significant association between peritraumatic tonic immobility and PTSD symptoms in a non-clinical sample exposed to various traumas, even after regression controlled for confounding variables (β = 1.99, p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: This automatic reaction under extreme life threatening stress, although adaptive for defense, may have pathological consequences as implied by its association with PTSD symptoms.
OBJETIVO: A imobilidade tônica é uma resposta defensiva que ocorre sob ameaça extrema à vida. Pacientes com transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) que relatam imobilidade tônica peritraumática são os que apresentam os sintomas mais graves e a pior resposta ao tratamento. Este estudo investigou o valor preditivo da imobilidade tônica para os sintomas de TEPT em uma amostra não clínica. MÉTODOS: Os participantes da pesquisa foram 198 estudantes universitários expostos a traumas diversos. A versão brasileira do Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Civilian Version (PCL-C) e questões referentes à imobilidade tônica foram empregadas. Modelos de regressão linear foram utilizados para investigar a associação dos sintomas de estresse pós-traumático com a imobilidade tônica peritraumática. Foram consideradas como variáveis de confusão a dissociação peritraumática, as reações físicas de pânico peritraumática, o traço de afeto negativo, o gênero, o tipo de trauma e o tempo de trauma. RESULTADOS: Encontrou-se uma associação significativa entre a imobilidade tônica peritraumática e os sintomas de TEPT em uma amostra não clínica exposta a traumas diversos mesmo quando controlada por variáveis de confusão (β = 1,99; p = 0,017). CONCLUSÕES: Esta reação defensiva que ocorre sob intensa ameaça, apesar de adaptativa para a defesa, pode ter consequências patológicas como sugere sua associação aos sintomas de TEPT.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Immobility Response, Tonic/physiology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis , Students , Brazil , Dissociative Disorders/diagnosis , Immobility Response, Tonic/classification , Surveys and Questionnaires , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychologyABSTRACT
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop following exposure to a traumatic event, including terrifying or life-threatening situations such as sexual assault or natural disasters. The disorder is characterized by a reaction of intense fear, helplessness, or horror when the individual experiences, testifies about, or is faced with one or more events that involve death, severe wounds, or a threat to one's own or another's physical integrity. One of the most important symptoms of PTSD is the revival of the traumatic event, which has been interpreted as an inability to downregulate negative emotions. Neuroimaging studies that probed the ability to regulate emotions in healthy volunteers have found a pattern characterized by activation of the prefrontal cortex associated with a reduction in amygdala activity. This suggests an inhibitory prefrontal cortex-amygdala circuit that underlies emotional regulation. The hypothesis that increased amygdala activation associated with PTSD results from dysfunction in the inhibitory mechanism exerted by the prefrontal cortex has been the topic of debate. The present review investigates the validity of dysfunction in the prefrontal-amygdala pathway in PTSD. The studies provide evidence that the amygdala and prefrontal cortex exhibit distinct activation patterns in PTSD, thus supporting the model of a dysfunctional circuit. Inconsistencies in the literature may be attributable to distinct PTSD subgroups, different experimental approaches, different contrasts employed in neuroimaging studies, and small sample sizes.
Subject(s)
Amygdala , Neurobiology , Prefrontal Cortex , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychologyABSTRACT
Using a Stroop matching task, we evaluated how alcohol affects the time needed to overcome Stroop conflict and whether practice might reverse the effect of alcohol. Participants (n = 16) performed two sessions in which they had to compare the color of a color-word with the meaning of a color-word in neutral color. The two task stimuli were presented simultaneously or with a Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA) of 200, 500, or 800 ms. For half of the subjects, alcohol was administered in the first session, and for the other half, alcohol was administered in the second session. The results showed that the Stroop effect was significant at the 0 and 200 ms intervals in the sober subjects. Moreover, in untrained intoxicated individuals, interference endured until the 500 ms interval, a result that was abolished in trained intoxicated subjects. In conclusion, alcohol increased the time needed for Stroop matching task conflict resolution. However, this deleterious effect was minimized by a previous practice session.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Young Adult , Alcohol-Related Disorders , Attention , Practice, Psychological , Stroop Test , Reaction TimeABSTRACT
Among the known effects of alcohol on behavior, the modulation of cognitive functions (such as attention and memory), emotion, risk-taking and aggressive behavior are noteworthy. Here, we performed literature review in order to reinterpret alcohol effects on behavior according to the Alcohol Myopia Theory. According to this construct, there is a reduction of attentional resources during alcohol intoxication, which are primarily allocated to the most salient events in a given situation. The consequence is a hyperfocus directed to emotional situations when they are sufficiently relevant to grab attention, or a reduced attentional focus to emotional events in the presence of a relevant demanding task. The understanding of the mechanism mentioned above support the discussion of propositions toward the prevention of problems related to alcohol consumption. Importantly, the attentional allocation model provides inputs for a discussion on the scientifically-supported public health propositions aimed at preventing problems related to acute alcohol intoxication.
Dentre os efeitos associados ao consumo alcoólico, destaca-se a modulação sobre funções cognitivas, como atenção e memória, bem como sobre as emoções, comportamento de risco e agressividade. No presente estudo apresentamos uma revisão crítica da literatura propondo uma reinterpretação para os efeitos comportamentais do álcool com base na teoria da Miopia Alcoólica. Durante a intoxicação, existiria uma redução de recursos atencionais, os quais seriam direcionados para eventos mais relevantes. A repercussão, então, seria um aumento do foco atencional para situações emocionais, quando estas fossem suficientemente relevantes ou, em contrapartida, uma diminuição para tais situações na presença de uma tarefa-alvo demandante. A reinterpretação dos efeitos do álcool, com base na teoria da Miopia Alcoólica, fornece subsídios para a mudança de paradigma na intervenção clínica.
Subject(s)
Attention , Emotions , Alcoholic Intoxication/psychology , CognitionABSTRACT
We studied the influence of attention on the timecourse of Stroop-like conflict. Thirty-two volunteers performed a Stroop matching task in which they had to compare either the color (n = 16) or meaning (n = 16) of two stimuli. The first stimulus was always a color-name printed in yellow, red, or blue (i.e., Stroop stimulus), and the second stimulus was either a color-bar (Experiment 1) or color-word in white ink (Experiment 2). Stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was varied parametrically. Interference by incongruent Stroop stimuli was clearly modulated by SOA manipulation in both cases. The results are discussed in terms of interactions between translational and attentional models in which the degree of Stroop-like interference is attributed to time implementation of attentional mechanisms during color-to-color and color-to-word matching contexts
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Young Adult , Reaction Time , Attention , Stroop Test , CognitionABSTRACT
Literature has shown that failures in the ability to down-regulate negative emotions are the core substrate of anxiety disorders. Previous studies have investigated this issue by encouraging individuals to voluntarily change how they think about a situation in order to decrease its emotional impact. The majority of studies has demonstrated that explicit instructions to reduce negative affect in anxious individuals are usually ineffective. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate whether an implicit regulation strategy would modulate electrophysiological activity (Late Positive Potential) associated to affective picture viewing. The Late Positive Potential (LPP) is a sustained positive deflection in the event-related potential that is larger following the presentation of emotional compared to neutral visual stimuli. Participants (low trait anxious - LTA and high trait anxious - HTA individuals) performed an attention task (bar orientation discrimination) while emotional distractive pictures were presented. The task was performed in two different contexts: in the Real context, participants were informed that the distractive pictures had been obtained from real life situations, whereas in the Fictitious context they were told that the pictures had been obtained from movie scenes. In this vein, we encouraged participants to change how they appraised the pictures. Results showed that HTA individuals exhibited larger Late Positive Potential (LPPs) when mutilation pictures were presented in the Real context. Importantly, during the Fictitious one (regulation strategy) the LPP was reduced even in HTA individuals, emphasizing its importance to psychotherapeutic interventions. The present results indicate that HTA individuals are susceptible to modifications in affective contexts.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Young Adult , Anxiety , Emotions , Reaction TimeABSTRACT
A regulação das emoções representa uma habilidade fundamental para a interação social, influenciando o comportamento e a expressão emocional. É objetivo deste artigo revisar os trabalhos científicos sobre as diferentes estratégias de regulação da emoção e os circuitos cerebrais subjacentes. Os trabalhos que utilizaram a estratégia de reavaliação cognitiva observaram um padrão de ativação cerebral caracterizado por uma ativação significativa do córtex pré-frontal e uma diminuição da ativação da amígdala, sugerindo que o primeiro poderia estar modulando a atividade da última. Trabalhos recentes observaram que mudanças cognitivas e comportamentais mediadas pela psicoterapia parecem levar a alterações na ativação de circuitos cerebrais envolvendo o córtex pré-frontal, e apontam para a possibilidade de modificação de associações neurais observadas em pacientes com transtornos psiquiátricos. Conclui-se que os estudos sobre a neurobiologia da regulação da emoção têm implicações potenciais para a compreensão das bases psicopatológicas subjacentes aos transtornos psiquiátricos, orientando desenvolvimentos heurísticos e clínicos.
Emotion regulation represents a crucial ability for social interaction, guiding behavior and modulating emotional expression. Current essay reviews the available literature on emotion regulation, points out the different coping strategies and investigates the underlying neural network. Studies on cognitive reappraisal of emotion have noted a pattern of brain response characterized by the activation of the prefrontal cortex associated with the reduction of amygdala activity. A modulatory mechanism between these structures has been suggested. Recent work showed that psychotherapeutic approaches may modify the dysfunctional neural circuitry associated with psychiatric disorders. Results show that investigating the neurobiology of emotion regulation offers a potential repercussion on the understanding of the basis of psychiatric disorders, orienting the development of applied studies and improving their clinical relevance.
La regulación emocional se constituye en un elemento clave en el comportamiento social, regulando las acciones y la expresión emocional. Este estudio tiene el propósito de revisar las estrategias de regulación emocional y describir los mecanismos cerebrales que las apoyan. Los estudios que han investigado la actividad cerebral durante la reevaluación cognitiva han mostrado la activación de zonas de la corteza prefrontal y la reducción de la activación de la amígdala, indicando que la primera podría estar modulando la última. Además, estudios recientes han observado que las alteraciones cognitivas y en el comportamiento tras psicoterapia conductual llevan a cambios en la activación de circuitos cerebrales, lo que sostendría la regulación emocional deficiente observada en trastornos mentales. Creemos que el estudio de la regulación emocional como un aspecto del procesamiento afectivo tiene importantes implicaciones para la psicopatología, y puede representar un modelo para el desarrollo de procedimientos de intervención.
ABSTRACT
A emoçäo pode ser funcionalmente considerada como uma disposiçäo à açäo que prepara o organismo para comportamentos relacionados à aproximaçäo e esquiva. Para preparar uma saída motora apropriada, o organismo tem que ser eficiente na codificaçäo de estímulos relevantes. Neste trabalho, apresentamos evidências a partir de estudos de neuroimagem que revelam que a visualizaçäo de imagens emocionais promove uma maior ativaçäo do córtex visual do que a observaçäo de figuras neutras. Além desta facilitaçäo do processamento sensorial, os estímulos emocionais desencadeiam reaçöes somáticas e vegetativas. Registros da dinâmica postural e da freqüência cardíaca enquanto voluntários assistiam a um bloco de figuras desagradáveis revelou uma reduçäo significativa na oscilaçäo corporal e bradicardia. Uma investigaçäo paralela mostrou que o tempo de reaçäo também lentifica após a visualizaçäo de figuras negativas. Este conjunto de respostas - imobilidade, bradicardia e tempo de reaçäo mais lento - pode refletir o engajamento do sistema defensivo, similar às reaçöes defensivas desencadeadas em ambiente natural por estímulos ameaçadores distantes. Em resumo, o sistema afetivo influencia um nível precoce de codificaçäo sensorial e a saída motora favorecendo, portanto, disposiçöes para as açöes apropriadas