Performance of physical activity as a predictor of women's mammography screening attendance in a population of Northeast Brazil

Introduction: Despite the increasing incidence of breast cancer among women in Northeast Brazil, there have been no studies on the association between physical activity and attendance to mammography screening. Objective: This study of Brazilian women addressed socio-economic variables, physical activity, and knowledge about breast cancer and their impact on attendance to mammography screening. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted as an epidemiological evaluation. Data were obtained by interviewing 307 women in a public health center. Logistic regression analysis was applied to determine the odds ratio (ORs) and confidence intervals (CI) of variables. Results: Mean age of women was 49.79 (SD=8.63) years and 172 (56.0%) were between 40 and 49 years old. Women aged from 40 to 49 and ≥50 years who performed physical activity, had a 2.4-fold (95% CI: 1.13-5.04) and 10.6-fold (95% CI: 2.66-41.95) increased chance to attend MS every year (p=0.040; p<0.001). Women aged between 40 and 49 years with a low and middle income, had a 10.3-fold (OR=0.097; 95% CI: 0.02-0.53) and 13.2-fold (OR=0.076; 95% CI: 0.11 0.53) decreased chance to attend MS every second year (p=0.007). The MS attendance of women aged ≥50 years with basic education level was 13.3 (OR=0.075; 95% CI: 0.09-0.66) times decreased (p=0.010). Conclusion: Physical activity represented an important predictor of MS attendance of all women. The impact of income and education level, in contrast, depended strongly on the age group.

Prevenção do câncer de mama na Atenção Primária à Saúde: uma análise sobre a atuação de enfermeiros / Breast cancer prevention in Primary Health Care: an analysis on the performance of nurses

O câncer de mama (CM) é o tumor maligno que mais mata mulheres no mundo, sendo considerado um grave problema de saúde pública. Este artigo investiga as ações de enfermeiros atuantes na Atenção Primária à Saúde na prevenção do CM em Campina Grande-PB. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo-exploratório, de abordagem qualitativa, realizado com 10 enfermeiros que atuam em unidades básicas de saúde do referido município, por meio de entrevista semiestruturada. Os dados coletados foram analisados por meio da análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software Atlas.ti. Em seus resultados emergiram cinco categorias: Conhecimentos gerais sobre CM; Capacitação profissional e educação em saúde da população; Abordagem clínica do enfermeiro na prevenção do CM; Dificuldades na prevenção; Autoanálise da prática profissional. Entre estas, destacou-se a influência negativa da falta de capacitações para ajustamento das ações dos enfermeiros às diretrizes nacionais de prevenção do CM na Atenção Primária à Saúde.

Breast cancer is the malignant tumor that kills the most women worldwide, being considered a serious public health problem. This article investigates the actions of nurses working in Primary Health Care in the prevention of breast cancer in Campina Grande-PB. This is a descriptive-exploratory study, with a qualitative approach, carried out with 10 nurses who work in basic health units in that city, through semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed through content analysis, with the help of the Atlas.ti software. Five categories emerged from their results: General knowledge about breast cancer; Professional training and health education for the population; Nurses' clinical approach to breast cancer prevention; Difficulties in prevention; Self-analysis of professional practice. Among these, the negative influence of the lack of training to adjust the nurses' actions to the national guidelines for the prevention of breast cancer in Primary Health Care was highlighted.

Fatores de risco do câncer de próstata: estudo caso-controle no Nordeste do Brasil / Risk factors of prostate cancer: a case- control study in Northeast Brazil

Este estudo caso-controle teve como objetivo identificar os fatores que modificam o risco de câncer de próstata em pacientes de um hospital público da Paraíba. Dados de 91 pacientes e 91 controles saudáveis pareados por idade (± 5 anos) foram obtidos de prontuários médicos e entrevistas pessoais. A razão de chance e os intervalos de confiança foram determinados por meio de análise de regressão. Pacientes e controles tinham em média 69,56 (DP = 8,31) e 68,32 (DP = 7,68) anos (p = 0,297). Afrodescendentes e homens que já fumaram, tiveram um risco 4,150 e 3,939 vezes maior (p <0,001; p <0,001). A história familiar aumentou o risco 6,967 vezes (p <0,001). Ascendência africana, tabagismo e história familiar aumentaram o risco de câncer de próstata. As recomendações das autoridades de saúde em relação ao rastreamento do câncer de próstata poderiam se concentrar mais nos homens com esses fatores de risco.

This case-control study aimed on the identification of factors that modified prostate cancer risk of patients in a public hospital of Paraíba. Data from 91 patients with prostate cancer and 91 age- matched (±5 years) healthy controls were obtained from medical records and personal interviews. Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) were determined using regression analysis. Patients and controls were on average 69.56 (SD= 8.31) and 68.32 (SD= 7.68) years old (p = 0.297). In a model of multiple regression analysis, Afrodescendants and men who ever smoked had a 4.150 and 3.939 times increased risk (p < 0.001; p < 0.001). Family history of first- degree relatives was associated with a 6.967 (p < 0.001) increased risk of prostate cancer. African ancestry, smoking and family history increased the risk of prostate cancer. Recommendations of health authorities regarding prostate cancer screening could stronger focus on men with these risk factors.

Risk factors of breast cancer and knowledge about the disease: an integrative revision of Latin American studies / Fatores de risco do câncer de mama e o conhecimento sobre a doença: revisão integrativa de estudos Latino Americanos

Abstract The aim of this integrative review was to compare Latin American literature about risk and knowledge on breast cancer. Of 47 studies selected, 20 were about knowledge or awareness and 27 about risk of breast cancer. English was the dominant language in studies about risk, whereas studies about knowledge were mainly written in Spanish or Portuguese. Studies about knowledge were all cross- sectional, whereas case- control studies dominated authors’ interest about risk of breast cancer. Studies about knowledge were mainly focused on early detection of the disease and the most common study objective was breast self- examination (N = 14). In contrast, few studies about risk of breast cancer focused on early detection (N = 5). Obesity and overweight (N = 14), family history (N = 13), decreased parity (N = 12), and short breastfeeding duration (N = 10) were among the most frequent identified risk factors. Socio- economic factors such as income and educational level had variable effects on breast cancer risk and affected also knowledge of women about risk factors and early detection. Present results indicated that studies about risk of breast cancer were more often based on a better sound analytical background, compared to studies about knowledge, which were mostly descriptive.

Resumo Esta revisão teve por objetivo comparar a literatura Latino-Americana sobre o conhecimento da neoplasia mamária e seus fatores de risco. Foram selecionados 47 estudos, dos quais 27 eram sobre o risco de desenvolver câncer de mama e 20 sobre o conhecimento ou a consciência sobre a doença. Os estudos sobre fatores de risco eram principalmente do tipo caso-controle e sua maioria estava no idioma Inglês. Já as pesquisas sobre conhecimento eram, sobretudo, do tipo transversal e foram publicadas nos idiomas Português e Espanhol. As pesquisas sobre conhecimento destacaram o diagnóstico precoce da neoplasia mamária, e o autoexame da mama foi o método de detecção mais abordado (N = 14). Por outro lado, os estudos sobre fatores de risco avaliaram, principalmente, sobrepeso (N = 14), historia familiar (N = 13), baixa paridade (N = 12) e curto período de amamentação (N = 10). Fatores socioeconômicos, como a renda e o nível educacional tiveram efeitos variáveis e afetaram também o conhecimento das mulheres sobre fatores de risco e detecção precoce. Os resultados da pesquisa indicaram que os estudos sobre fatores de risco do câncer de mama apresentaram melhor delineamento metodológico e fundamentação teórica, comparado com os estudos sobre conhecimento que foram na maioria dos casos descritivos.

Patient delays and system delays in breast cancer treatment in developed and developing countries / O atraso de paciente e atraso de sistema no tratamento do câncer de mama nos países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento

AbstractDelays in treating breast cancer have been associated with a more advanced stage of the disease and a decrease in patient survival rates. The scope of this integrative review was to analyze the main causal factors and types of patient and system delays. The underlying causal factors of delays were compared among studies conducted in developing and developed countries. Of the 53 studies selected, 24 were carried out in developing countries and 29 in developed countries, respectively. Non-attribution of symptoms to cancer, fear of the disease and treatment and low educational level were the most frequent causes of patient delay. Less comprehensive health insurance coverage, older/younger age and false negative diagnosis tests were the three most common causal factors of system delay. The effects of factors such as age were not decisive per se and depended mainly on the social and cultural context. Some factors caused both patient delay and system delay. Studies conducted in developing countries identified more causal factors of patient delay and had a stronger focus on patient delay or the combination of both. Studies conducted in developed countries had a stronger focus on aspects of system delay during treatment and guidance of breast cancer patients in the health care system.

ResumoO atraso no tratamento de câncer de mama foi associado com o aumento do palco da doença e a diminuição da sobrevida do paciente. O objetivo desta revisão integrativa foi a analise dos principais fatores causais e dos tipos de atraso. Sendo estes comparados entre estudos de países em desenvolvimento e desenvolvidos. Dos 53 estudos selecionados, 24 eram de países em desenvolvimento e 29 de países desenvolvidos, respectivamente. A não atribuição dos sintomas ao câncer, o medo e a menor escolaridade foram as causas mais citadas do atraso de paciente ao tratamento. Seguro menos abrangente, idade e testes diagnósticos falsos negativos foram às causas mais comuns identificadas do atraso do sistema. O efeito de vários fatores como o fator idade, dependeu principalmente do contexto social e cultural. Alguns fatores causaram tanto atraso relacionado ao paciente quanto ao sistema. Os estudos dos países em desenvolvimento identificaram mais fatores causais do atraso relacionado ao paciente, focando mais forte neste referido fator ou na combinação com o de sistema. Enquanto estudos de países desenvolvidos enfocaram com maior frequência aspectos do atraso de sistema durante o tratamento e a orientação de pacientes no sistema de saúde.

A endogamia explicaria a elevada prevalência de deficiências em populações do Nordeste brasileiro? / Could endogamy explain the higher prevalence of disabilities in the population of the Brazilian Northeast?

Apesar da inexatidão conceitual e de métodos de aferição, a OMS estima que cerca de 10% da população mundial apresente alguma forma de deficiência. Com a finalidade de investigar a prevalência e a etiologia das deficiências e verificar se elas estariam associadas à endogamia, foi realizado um estudo epidemiológico transversal com uso do método do informante envolvendo cinco municípios do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, no Nordeste brasileiro; nos quais foram estimadas frequências de casamentos consanguíneos que variam de 9 a 32%. A prevalência média estimada para deficiências nos cinco municípios amostrados foi de 4,53%, obtida por meio de entrevistas envolvendo 37,87% de uma população de 39.054 habitantes. Em média, 25% dos casais consanguíneos e 12% dos não consanguíneos apresentaram um ou mais filhos com alguma deficiência. A elevada prevalência de pessoas com deficiência no Nordeste brasileiro pode ter associação com a manutenção da tradição de casamentos consanguíneos nessas populações e parte dessas deficiências pode ser causada por doenças genéticas.

Despite conceptual inaccuracies and methods of measurement, the WHO estimates that about 10% of the world population has some form of disability. In order to investigate the prevalence and etiology of disabilities and to evaluate if they could be associated with inbreeding, a cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted using the informant method in five communities of the state Rio Grande do Norte in the Brazilian Northeast, in which consanguineous marriages frequencies varied between 9 and 32%. The average prevalence of disabilities in the five sampled communities was 4.53%, obtained by interviews that involved 37.87% of a population of 39,054 inhabitants. On average, 25% of consanguineous and 12% of non-consanguineous couples had one or more children with disabilities. The increased rate of individuals with disabilities in the Brazilian Northeast could be associated with the maintenance of the tradition of consanguineous marriages in these populations and some of these disabilities may be caused by genetic disorders.

Inbreeding levels in Northeast Brazil: strategies for the prospecting of new genetic disorders

A new autosomal recessive genetic condition, the SPOAN syndrome (an acronym for spastic paraplegia, optic atrophy and neuropathy syndrome), was recently discovered in an isolated region of the State of Rio Grande do Norte in Northeast Brazil, in a population that was identified by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) as belonging to the Brazilian communities with the highest rates of "deficiencies" (Neri, 2003), a term used to describe diseases, malformations, and handicaps in general. This prompted us to conduct a study of consanguinity levels in five of its municipal districts by directly interviewing their inhabitants. Information on 7,639 couples (corresponding to about 40 percent of the whole population of the studied districts) was obtained. The research disclosed the existence of very high frequencies of consanguineous marriages, which varied from about 9 percent to 32 percent, suggesting the presence of a direct association between genetic diseases such as the SPOAN syndrome, genetic drift and inbreeding levels. This fact calls for the introduction of educational programs for the local populations, as well as for further studies aiming to identify and characterize other genetic conditions. Epidemiological strategies developed to collect inbreeding data, with the collaboration of health systems available in the region, might be very successful in the prospecting of genetic disorders.

Expression of D-type cyclins in differentiating cells of the mouse spinal cord

The D-type cyclins form complexes with the cyclin dependent (CD) kinases CDK4 and CDK6 and promote the G1-S phase transition of the cell cycle by antagonizing the retinoblastoma suppresser protein pRB. In the developing nervous system D-type cyclins show spatially and temporally dynamic patterns of expression. We demonstrated that cyclin D1 was transiently expressed in differentiating spinal cord ventral interneurons while cyclin D3 protein was expressed in differentiating motor neurons and dorsal interneurons. This expression of cyclin D3 in neurons of the mantle zone was extended to all regions of the spinal cord at E15.5. The results suggest that cyclin D1 and D3 have specific functions in differentiating neurons. Similarly, in the developing midbrain-hindbrain region the D-type cyclins were expressed in different subsets of cells. Our results argue in favor of different functions for D-type cyclins during proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitors.