São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Neutropenia and agranulocytosis may be defined as granulocyte counts of less than 1,500/mm3 and 500/mm3, respectively. Agranulocytosis is a rare and serious disease often caused by drugs. Its mortality rate is around 10%. The most common manifestations are infections such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, stomatitis or pneumonia. Although dipyrone is one of the drugs known to be associated with agranulocytosis, the strength of the association has been a matter of much debate. Moreover, alternative analgesic and antipyretic agents are not devoid of serious side effects. ⋯ It is therefore necessary to establish the incidence of agranulocytosis in Latin America and the role of dipyrone. The ongoing LATIN Study is a multicenter international case-control study that will provide answers for these questions.
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The scientific and technological progress that has taken place since the 1960s has brought an ever-growing volume of scientific research, and inflation in co-authorship. Over this period, it has been observed that an increasing number of publications have listed authors or co-authors whose participation in the published research was minimal or even nonexistent. The objective of this work was to analyze reports in the literature regarding misconduct in authorship: its types, chief causes, consequences and ethical guidelines; and to outline proposals for greater ethical commitment in scientific publication. ⋯ Various actions are proposed for educational institutions, research development agencies, regulatory agencies and professional associations. The aim is to establish an evaluation policy that gives primacy to the quality of publications and sets ethical principles for scientific research.
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For some patients who have developed significant alcohol-related physical disease, total abstinence from alcohol may offer the best chance of survival. The aim of this study was to investigate motivation for treatment in two groups of alcohol users: outpatients from the gastroenterology clinic and outpatients from the specialist alcohol treatment service. ⋯ The medical treatment may be a reason for the temporary alcohol abstinence behavior among the gastroenterology outpatients.
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The evaluation of adrenocortical function with the use of therapeutic massage has been little studied in Brazil. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the salivary cortisol levels before and after Shantala massage therapy on healthy infants. ⋯ There was a modification in the salivary cortisol values following massage, thus reflecting possible adaptation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
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Physiotherapy can contribute towards recovering or preventing physical and sensory alterations in diabetic neuropathy patients. Our objective was to create and apply a protocol for functional assessment of diabetic neuropathy patients' lower limbs, to guide future physiotherapy. ⋯ The results provided detailed characterization of the patients. This protocol may be easily applied in healthcare services, since it requires little equipment, at low cost, and it is well understood by patients.