São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Comparative Study
Correlations between radiographic, magnetic resonance and histological examinations on the degeneration of human lumbar intervertebral discs.
There is controversy regarding which imaging method is best for identifying early degenerative alterations in intervertebral discs. No correlations between such methods and histological finds are presented in the literature. The aim of this study was to correlate the thickness of intervertebral discs measured on simple radiographs with the degree of degeneration seen on magnetic resonance images and the histological findings relating to nerve ends inside the discs. ⋯ Reduced disc thickness is unrelated to increased presence of nerve ends in intervertebral discs, or to the degree of disc degeneration.
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the role of immune response and proinflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of chronic pain has been of growing interest. In order to evaluate whether there is any association between disc herniation and elevated cytokine levels, we measured cytokine levels in patients with chronic low back pain and in healthy subjects. ⋯ The patients with chronic low back pain due to disc herniation presented higher levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6, but not of IL-1 or sTNF-R.
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Preeclampsia is a gestational disease that occurs mainly among nulliparous women after the 20th week of gestation, and frequently close to delivery. The effects of preeclampsia on women's blood pressure over the long term are still controversial. Patients with recurrent preeclampsia or preeclampsia in the early stages of pregnancy appear to present higher risk of hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for cardiovascular disease among women with preeclampsia 10 years earlier. ⋯ The patients with preeclampsia 10 or more years earlier had significantly higher diastolic blood pressure, BMI and abdominal circumference than did the control group. This emphasizes the importance of long-term follow-up assessment for cardiovascular risk factors among patients with preeclampsia.
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Subclinical thyroid dysfunction is very common in clinical practice and there is some evidence that it may be associated with cardiovascular disease. The aim here was to evaluate the frequencies of subclinical thyroid disease and risk factors for cardiovascular disease among women at a workplace, and to evaluate the association between subclinical thyroid disease and cardiovascular risk factors among them. ⋯ In this sample of women, there was no association between poor profile of cardiovascular risk factors and presence of subclinical thyroid disease that would justify screening at the workplace.
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With the emergence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1981, infectologists' care practices went through great changes. The objective of this study was to describe and analyze the experiences of infectologists in dealing with death and dying among their patients, over the course of the AIDS epidemic in the city of São Paulo. ⋯ This study shows the importance of considering the distress, emotional overload and adaptive mechanisms relating to death and dying among patients, both in training and in professional practice.