Effectiveness of educational videos on patient's preparation for diagnostic procedures: Systematic review and Meta-Analysis.

Although diagnostic procedures are crucial for secondary prevention and patient disease control, they often trigger fear and anxiety. These reactions highlight the need to adopt effective interventions to improve patients' experience and satisfaction. Recently, educational videos have been employed in preparing diagnostic procedures; however, there is no integrated understanding of their effects. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of educational videos on patients' anxiety and satisfaction regarding preparation for diagnostic procedures. Three scientific databases (PubMed; Web of Science, Scopus), were used in this systematic review. Studies about educational videos as a form of preparation for patients undergoing diagnostic procedures published between 2000 and 2021 were included. A meta-analysis was also conducted. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria for systematic review, and seven were included in the meta-analysis. Nine studies of the total sample were about vascular procedures and seven studies about other medical image procedures. Of the fourteen studies that evaluated the use of educational videos on patients' anxiety, nine proved to reduce it significantly. Of the thirteen studies that evaluated satisfaction, seven showed a significant increase in the experimental group. Studies included in the meta-analysis show that educational video patient groups had lower anxiety levels than the control groups after the procedure. Although future studies are required, the results suggest that educational videos effectively prepare patients for diagnostic procedures, improving care quality.

3D Printing of Abdominal Immobilization Masks for Therapeutics: Dosimetric, Mechanical and Financial Analysis.

Molding immobilization masks is a time-consuming process, strongly dependent on the healthcare professional, and potentially uncomfortable for the patient. Thus, an alternative sustainable automated production process is proposed for abdominal masks, using fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing with polylactic acid (PLA). Radiological properties of PLA were evaluated by submitting a set of PLA plates to photon beam radiation, while estimations of their mechanical characteristics were assessed through numerical simulation. Based on the obtained results, the abdominal mask was 3D printed and process costs and times were analyzed. The plates revealed dose transmissions similar to the conventional mask at all energies, and mechanical deformation guarantees the required immobilization, with a 66% final cost reduction. PLA proved to be an excellent material for this purpose. Despite the increase in labour costs, a significant reduction in material costs is observed with the proposed process. However, the time results are not favorable, mainly due to the printing technique used in this study.

Cancer Patient Experience in a Nuclear Medicine Department: Comparison Between Bone Scintigraphy and 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Our objective was to assess the anxiety level in cancer patients undergoing nuclear medicine exams and to identify how professionals can improve patient experience. Methods: In total, 94 patients undergoing 99mTc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (99mTc-HDP) bone scintigraphy (BS) or 18F-FDG PET/CT completed 2 scan-experience questionnaires and the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) before the scan and after image acquisition. Results: Before the exam, the mean anxiety levels were higher for the 99mTc-HDP BS group than for the 18F-FDG PET/CT group. After the exam, the opposite was true. Both groups experienced a reduction in anxiety after the scan (prescan score, 51.75 for 99mTc-HDP BS and 44.67 for 18F-FDG PET/CT; postscan score, 36.70 for 99mTc-HDP BS and 38.82 for 18F-FDG PET/CT). The greatest anxiety factor for the 99mTc-HDP BS group was the duration of the exam (mean ± SD, 5.34 ± 2.08), whereas for the 18F-FDG PET/CT group it was the result (5.40 ± 1.80). Conclusion: Patients undergoing nuclear medicine exams in an oncologic context had significant anxiety levels before and after their scans. However, 99mTc-HDP BS and 18F-FDG PET/CT had different triggers. It is of extreme importance that health-care professionals be aware of these peculiarities and adjust their procedures accordingly.

Anxiety in Cancer Patients during 18F-FDG PET/CT Low Dose: A Comparison of Anxiety Levels before and after Imaging Studies.

Objective. Assessing the level of anxiety in oncology patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT low dose scan and identifying the main reasons that generate anxiety. Material and Method. The study included 81 cancer patients submitted to the 18F-FDG PET/CT low dose scan. Patients filled in the Scan Experience Questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before and after 18F-FDG PET/CT low dose scan. Results. Substantial levels of anxiety were detected both before and after 18F-FDG PET/CT low dose scan (STAI mean > 30), with a significant increase in the state of anxiety after scan performance (p < 0.0001, Medianpre = 31.1, and Medianpos = 33.0). 18F-FDG PET/CT low dose results are the main cause of anxiety both before (79.1%) and after (86.9%) the scan. The information provided by staff both before and on the 18F-FDG PET/CT low dose day was classified mostly as completely understandable (70.5% and 75.3%, resp.) and as very useful (70.5% and 72.6%, resp.) and correlated positively with patients' overall satisfaction with NM Department (rS = 0.372, p = 0.004 and rS = 0.528, p = 0.000, resp.), but not with anxiety levels. Conclusions. Patients perceive high levels of anxiety during the 18F-FDG PET/CT low dose scan and the concern with scan results was pointed out as the main factor for that emotional reaction.

Genetic diversity of HPV16 and HPV18 in Brazilian patients with invasive cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, and ∼70-80% of these cancers are associated with two human papillomavirus types: HPV16 and HPV18. Several studies have reported that intra-type diversity is associated with the progression of infection to invasive cancer. Herein, we report the genetic diversity of HPV16 and HPV18 in a cohort of 594 Brazilian women with invasive cervical cancer and describe the prevalence of lineages and intra-type diversity prior to the implementation of the public immunization program in Brazil. HPV detection and genotyping were performed using PCR, PGMY/GP primers, and DNA extracted from fresh tumors. The HPV16 (378 women) and HPV18 (80 women) lineages were identified by PCR and sequencing of the LCR and E6 fragments, followed by SNV comparison and phylogenetic analysis. In our cohort, was found a higher frequency of the lineage A (in 217 women), followed by lineage D (in 97 women) and lineages B and C (in 10 women each) for HPV16; and a higher frequency of lineage A (in 56 women) followed by lineage B (in 15 women) in HPV18. The genetic diversity of HPV16 indicated a recent expansion of specific variants or a selective advantage that is associated with invasive cancer; this pattern was not observed for HPV18.

Value of a Lower-Limb Immobilization Device for Optimization of SPECT/CT Image Fusion.

UNLABELLED: The foot and the ankle are small structures commonly affected by disorders, and their complex anatomy represents a significant diagnostic challenge. By providing information on anatomic and bone structure that cannot be obtained from functional imaging, SPECT/CT image fusion can be particularly useful in increasing diagnostic certainty about bone pathology. However, because of the lengthy duration of a SPECT acquisition, a patient's involuntary movements may lead to misalignment between SPECT and CT images. Patient motion can be reduced using a dedicated patient support. We designed an ankle- and foot-immobilizing device and measured its efficacy at improving image fusion. METHODS: We enrolled 20 patients who underwent SPECT/CT of the ankle and foot with and without a foot support. The misalignment between SPECT and CT images was computed by manually measuring 14 fiducial markers chosen among anatomic landmarks also visible on bone scintigraphy. ANOVA was performed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The absolute average difference without and with support was 5.1 ± 5.2 mm (mean ± SD) and 3.1 ± 2.7 mm, respectively, which is significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The introduction of the foot support significantly decreased misalignment between SPECT and CT images, which may have a positive clinical influence in the precise localization of foot and ankle pathology.

Social support of low-income Brazilian mothers related to time to completion of childhood vaccinations.

Our study objective was to examine how maternal social support and depressive symptoms are associated with time to completion of childhood vaccinations. We used cross-sectional data from 582 randomly-selected, low-income Brazilian children. Adjusted Cox Proportional Hazard models were used to estimate time to completing the first three recommended oral polio and diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) vaccinations as well as their booster doses. Among only the women with low social support, each ten-point increase on the Medical Outcomes Study - Social Support Scale was associated with a 20% increased chance of completing the first three recommended vaccinations for polio and DPT at any given time (HR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.02-1.42). Although falling short of statistical significance, also among mothers with low social support, we found a suggestive finding of increased social support associated with 25% greater chance of completing polio and DPT booster vaccines at any given time (HR = 1.25, 95% CI 0.98-1.60). There was no association between maternal depressive symptoms and vaccination completion. Among mothers with little social support, increased social support may be important for timely completion of vaccinations in low-income Brazilian children. Longitudinal studies and research on mechanisms explaining associations between maternal social support and childhood vaccination are needed.

Influence of reconstruction parameters during filtered backprojection and ordered-subset expectation maximization in the measurement of the left-ventricular volumes and function during gated SPECT.

UNLABELLED: A crucial method for investigating patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is the calculation of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). It is, consequently, imperative to precisely estimate the value of LVEF--a process that can be done with myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Therefore, the present study aimed to establish and compare the estimation performance of the quantitative parameters of the reconstruction methods filtered backprojection (FBP) and ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM). METHODS: A beating-heart phantom with known values of end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and LVEF was used. Quantitative gated SPECT/quantitative perfusion SPECT software was used to obtain these quantitative parameters in a semiautomatic mode. The Butterworth filter was used in FBP, with the cutoff frequencies between 0.2 and 0.8 cycles per pixel combined with the orders of 5, 10, 15, and 20. Sixty-three reconstructions were performed using 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 OSEM subsets, combined with several iterations: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 32, and 64. RESULTS: With FBP, the values of end-diastolic, end-systolic, and the stroke volumes rise as the cutoff frequency increases, whereas the value of LVEF diminishes. This same pattern is verified with the OSEM reconstruction. However, with OSEM there is a more precise estimation of the quantitative parameters, especially with the combinations 2 iterations × 10 subsets and 2 iterations × 12 subsets. CONCLUSION: The OSEM reconstruction presents better estimations of the quantitative parameters than does FBP. This study recommends the use of 2 iterations with 10 or 12 subsets for OSEM and a cutoff frequency of 0.5 cycles per pixel with the orders 5, 10, or 15 for FBP as the best estimations for the left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction quantification in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

Maternal depressive symptoms, parenting self-efficacy, and child growth.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether maternal depressive symptoms and parenting self-efficacy were associated with child growth delay. METHODS: We collected data from a random sample of 595 low-income mothers and their children aged 6 to 24 months in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, including information on sociodemographic characteristics, mothers' depressive symptoms and parenting self-efficacy, and children's anthropometric characteristics. We used adjusted logistic regression models in our analyses. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms among mothers were associated with 1.8 times higher odds (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1, 2.9) of short stature among children. Parenting self-efficacy was not associated with short stature, nor did it mediate or modify the relationship between depressive symptoms and short stature. Maternal depressive symptoms and self-efficacy were not related to child underweight. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that among low-income Brazilian families maternal depressive symptoms, but not self-efficacy, were associated with short stature in children aged 6 to 24 months after adjustment for known predictors of growth.

Las patentes biotecnológicas en el sector de la salud humana en Colombia: [revisión] / Human health science biotechnological patents in Colombia: [review]

En el contexto global, la biotecnología es considerada como una de las herramientas de desarrollo social y económico más prometedoras para los países en vía de desarrollo, y uno de los sectores que genera mayores expectativas al respecto es el de salud humana, pues por un lado, sus productos derivan en una mejoría de las condiciones de vida humanas y por otro, las tecnologías creadas sugieren ciclos constantes de evolución y profundización investigativa. En Colombia, el concepto de economía y sociedad del conocimiento, cuyos pilares son la ciencia, la tecnología y la innovación, obtienen un espacio cada vez mayor en las Políticas del Estado, otorgándole así un rol estratégico a la biotecnología. En Colombia, los desarrollos biotecnológicos en el sector de la salud humana, se generan en dos foros principalmente: el conformado por los laboratorios farmacéuticos (multinacionales) y el conformado por los centros de investigación y universidades nacionales, los primeros centran su problemática en la falta de garantías para la protección integral de los productos biotecnológicos y los segundos en la insuficiente asignación de recursos para la puesta en marcha de proyectos en biotecnología, ambos concuerdan en que el marco normativo de las patentes resulta restrictivo y sugiere una flexibilización jurídica y administrativa que incentive la utilización de las patentes, además del establecimiento de unas políticas gubernamentales más claras y coherentes en la materia...

At the global context, the biotechnology is considered as one of the most promising instrument in social and economic development for developing countries. One of the growing up sectors that creates greater expectations is the human health, because by one side, its products improves the quality of human life and by the other one, the developed technologies suggest constant evolution and deeper cycles of investigation. The idea of knowledge society and economy in Colombia is based in science, technology and innovation which obtain an important place at the State Policies giving a strategic roll to biotechnology. Colombia has two main forums in biotechnology developments in human health sector: the one are the pharmaceutical laboratories (multinationals) and the other one that integrates researching centers and national universities. The firstone focus their argument in the absence of integral saving guaranties for biotechnology products and the second one sustain that there aren’t enough investment resources for biotechnology researches. However, both of them agree claiming the restrictive nature of the legal system of patents that suggest relaxation in some legal and administrative issues to encourage the use of patents, beside the establishment of clear and coherent government policies in the subject of matter.

Maternal social and pyschological conditions and physical growth in low-income children in Piauí, Northeast Brazil.

Prevalence of child undernutrition remains high in many developing countries. In settings with scarce resources, modifiable maternal social conditions may influence feeding and parenting practices, in turn affecting child growth. This study aims to quantify the association between maternal social support and depression to children's physical growth outcomes in Teresina, Piauí, northeast Brazil. Interviews were conducted with a random sample of 595 mothers of children 6-24 months old in four low-income sections of Teresina, Piauí. We collected data on sociodemographic factors, mothers' social support, mothers' depressive symptomatology, and child's weight and recumbent length. Weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ), height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) and weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) were calculated using the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Center SAS program based on the 2000 Centers for Disease Control reference growth curves. Multivariable linear regression was used to model the association between maternal social support and depression to child growth, adjusting for biological and socio-demographic variables. Interviewer and neighborhood variation was accounted for through the inclusion of random effects. In adjusted models, material support, measured by number of friends or family members available to mothers when needing food or milk, was related to 0.3 higher average WHZ and 0.2 higher average WAZ in their children. Maternal positive social interaction, which reflects engagement in leisure-time activities with others, was associated with 0.3 higher average WHZ. Mothers' affectionate support was related to 0.2 higher average children's WHZ and WAZ, whereas social support for resolving a conflict was associated with 0.2 lower average HAZ. Maternal depression was not associated with child growth. It is concluded that inadequate growth in children may be sensitive to maternal social support.

Adenocarcinoma produtor de mucina primário do apêndice: relato de caso e revisäo da literatura / Mucinous adenocarcinoma of appendix: report of case and literature review

Os autores descrevem caso clínico de pacientes com diagnóstico de adenocarcinoma primário de apêncie e revisäo bibliográfica, dando ênfase aos aspectos clínicos, terapêuticos e prognósticos

Tumor da trompa de falópio: relato de caso e revisäo da literatura / Fallopian tumor: report of case and review of literature

O adenocarcinoma da trompa de Falopio é um dos mais raros tumores malignos do trato genital feminino, ocasionando assim uma experiência médica limitada. Apresentamos um caso desta patologia, bem como revisao da literatura abordando os aspectos clínicos, histopatológicos, terapêuticos e prognósticos.

Esofagectomia sem toracotomia com reconstruçäo pela esofagogastroplastia, esofagojejunoplastia e esofagocoloplastia pré-esternal em um só tempo / Esophagectomy without thoracotomy, with presternal reconstruction by esophagogastroplasty, esophagojejunoplasty and esophagocoloplasty

Os autores relatam sua experiência com a esofagectomia sem toracotomia com reconstruçäo do trânsito pré-esternal, ressaltando que o procedimento deve ficar restrito aos processos malignos. Salientam as aperistalse como complicaçäo mais grave e focalizam determinados pontos técnicos que julgaram importantes. Observou-se que no emprego da esofagogastroplastia a incidência de aperstalse foi mais acentuada com o uso do estômago do que com o cólon. O cólon niao apresenta a severa compliacaçäo de dilataçäo do estômago que leva a arritmia cardíaca e até ao óbito, dado que consubstancia o emprego da via pré-esternal nas doenças malignas

Cirurgia do câncer de pulmäo / Surgery of lung cancer

É apresentado um breve sumário da evoluçäo histórica da cirurgia do câncer de pulmäo, lembrando-se as dificuldades encontradas e a maneira idealizada para superar a morbiddade e a mortalidade com o emprego de técnicas cada vez mais racionais, mas deparando com os problemas dos linfonodos invadidos que foi, tem sido, e será a grande preocupaçäo dos afetos ao assunto. Apesar da experiência acumulada, até o presente momento ainda näo somos capazes de afirmar com precisäo a extensäo do tecido pulmonar a ser ressecado. Por fim, os autores apresentam os resultados de sua experiência de 1978 a 1985, em que ficou ressaltado ser a lobectomia um método de escolha e salientam, mais uma vez, dados já conhecidos nos que manejam esta área, ressaltando o diagnóstico precoce e o efeito cancerígeno do cigarro. No que tange ao TNM, afirmamos, mais uma vez, ser o mesmo útil, pela sua apresentaçäo didática, para compor uma aula, mas no terreno científico deixa muito a desejar