Permanência prolongada na postura sentada e desconforto físico em estudantes universitários / Prolonged sitting and physical discomfort in university students

A evolução do homem promoveu adoção da postura sentada por períodos prolongados, induzindo alterações biomecânicas e fisiológicas no corpo. No ensino, a adoção desta postura pode induzir distúrbios musculoesqueléticos e desconforto físico, associado ou não com aprendizagem. Objetivo: Quantificar e caracterizar o tempo de permanência na postura sentada por estudantes universitários e avaliar relação do tempo com queixas de dor e/ou desconforto. Método: Estudo quali-quantitativo. Coleta dos dados feita por meio de diário. Participaram 47 universitários que registraram número de horas na postura sentada, atividades, presença de dor e/ou desconforto e responderam pergunta aberta sobre suas observações referentes ao período experimental. Foi realizada análise estatística descritiva e calculado o coeficiente de correlação de Spearman entre elas, duas a duas. As respostas à pergunta aberta foram categorizadas e agrupadas segundo a frequência e similaridade. Resultados: Estudantes avaliados permaneceram longos períodos sentados (13,4 DP 1,5 horas). Percepção de desconforto do mobiliário foi relevante. Queixas de desconforto e/ou dor podem estar relacionadas com a permanência prolongada na postura sentada. Os locais com mais queixas de dor foram a cabeça, região cervical, ombros e lombossacral. Quanto maior o tempo na postura sentada, maior a incidência de queixas dor. Não se pode afirmar que a dor provoque ou aumente o nível de estresse. Conclusão: O diário foi ferramenta útil para coleta de dados e serviu como instrumento de interferência na auto-observação e autocuidado. Este estudo contribui para o entendimento de como a postura sentada afeta universitários e fornece indicadores para futuras intervenções

The evolution of man promoted the adoption of the sitting position for prolonged periods, inducing biomechanical and physiological changes in the body. In an educational setting, adopting this posture can induce musculoskeletal disorders and physical discomfort associated or not with learning. Objective: To quantify and characterize prolonged sitting for college students and to correlate the time spent sitting with complaints of pain and/or discomfort. Method: A qualitative and quantitative study. Data collection done by a diary, where 47 participating college students reported the number of hours they spent sitting, their activities, pain and/or discomfort, and answered an open question about their observations on the study. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed with the Spearman correlation coefficient calculated between the two factors. The answers to the open question were categorized and grouped according to their frequency and similarity. Results: The students evaluated remained seated for long periods (13.4 SD 1.5 hours). Their perception of discomfort related to the furniture was relevant. Complaints of discomfort and/or pain may be related to prolonged sitting. The body parts with more complaints of pain were the head, neck, shoulders, and lumbosacral region. The longer they remained sitting, the greater the incidence of pain complaints. One cannot say that the pain causes or increases the stress level. Conclusion: The diary was a useful tool for data collection and served as an instrument of interference in self-observation and self-care. This study contributed to the understanding of how prolonged sitting affects college students and provided indicators for future interventions

Diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis in Brazil by use of PCR.

Fever and a petechial rash are strongly associated with meningococcal disease in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Early antibiotic therapy is indicated and, consequently, a reduction of confirmed cases by culture, Gram stain, and latex agglutination test is expected. We evaluated a multiplex PCR assay to identify Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae in biological samples from cases of non-culture proven meningitis with a petechial rash at presentation. To detect DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (n = 71) or blood (n = 5), a PCR screen was performed, based on the crgA, ply and bexA targets, respectively. Of the total, 70 CSF and 3 blood samples (96%) were positive by PCR for the presence of N. meningitidis DNA. Another PCR assay predicted in 82% of these samples N. meningitidis serogroups A (2%), B (60%), C (7%), X (3%), Y (2%), 29E (2%) or W135 (24%). In non-culture proven meningitis, PCR was found to be a valuable adjunct for the demonstration of meningococcal aetiology.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Haemophilus influenzae isolates collected from 4 centers in Brazil (1990-2003).

Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined for 174 Haemophilus influenzae strains collected from patients with infection before and after vaccination against Hib (1990-1999 and 2000-2003, respectively) from 4 public health -laboratories in 3 Brazilian states. All strains were characterized for serotype and beta-lactamase production and in vitro activity of the following antimicrobial agents: -ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, ceftriaxone, rifampin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX). Minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined according to the guidelines of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Overall, ampicillin resistance was observed in 29 strains (17%), all beta-lactamase producers. All isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanate and ceftriaxone. The prevalence of TMP-SMX-resistant isolates increased from 32.6% in the period 1990-1999 to 65.8% during the period 2000-2003. Among these isolates, 10.0% and 12.5% were resistant to ampicillin and chloramphenicol, respectively. Resistance to rifampin was detected in 8.2% and 9.7% of the strains, in 2 periods, respectively. Continued surveillance is necessary to monitor trends with the H. influenzae disease in Brazil.

Rapid detection of Neisseria meningitidis in cerebrospinal fluid by one-step polymerase chain reaction of the nspA gene.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for the rapid detection of meningococcal DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was developed and optimized. A set of primers based on Neisseria surface protein A (nspA) gene sequence was designed to amplify a 481-bp product specific for N. meningitidis. We tested 85 N. meningitidis strains obtained from patients with meningococcal meningitis and 112 CSF samples from patients with suspected meningococcal meningitis. No amplification of the nspA gene was observed from other Neisseriaceae species (except from N. gonorrhoeae) and from other bacteria frequently associated with meningitis. N. meningitidis belonging to different serogroups yielded the same product after PCR amplification. The sensitivity and specificity of our protocol was determined by comparing the results of specific amplification of nspA gene by PCR reaction (nspA-PCR) with those obtained by conventional methods. All positive samples by conventional methods were confirmed by nspA-PCR, whereas 48% of negative samples after culture and latex agglutination tested positive by nspA-PCR. The use of nspA-PCR proved to be a rapid diagnostic method, in which sensitivity and specificity may not be affected by prior antibiotic treatment.