A perda por viuvez em idade avançada é, porventura, de entre vários acontecimentos do ciclo de vida, um dos mais normativos e, simultaneamente, dos menos investigados. Com o aumento da esperança de vida, a viuvez nos adultos idosos ocorre cada vez mais tarde no ciclo de vida, é um acontecimento expectável e parece haver vantagens em conceptualizá-lo como uma importante transição psico-social que implica a reconfiguração do significado da vida e dos seus propósitos. Neste artigo abordaremos alguns dos principais modelos do processo de luto e algumas variáveis individuais e contextuais que determinam reacções associadas à perda. Faremos uma particular focalização no modelo proposto por Stroebe e Schut bem como nas suas implicações teóricas e práticas.

The loss of a spouse in old age is one of the most significant, but least investigated events in the life cycle. With increasing life expectancy, widowhood in older adults occurs increasingly later in the life cycle. It is an expectable event and may be advantageously conceptualized as a major psychosocial transition that involves the reconfiguration of the meaning of life and its purpose. The present article discusses some of the main models of the grieving process and the effect of some individual and contextual variables on reactions regarding the loss of a spouse. It focuses mainly on Stroebe and Schut dual process model as well as on its theoretical and practical implications.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prevalence and types of prescribing and dispensing errors occurring with high-alert medications and to propose preventive measures to avoid errors with these medications. INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of adverse events in health care has increased, and medication errors are probably the most common cause of these events. Pediatric patients are known to be a high-risk group and are an important target in medication error prevention. METHODS: Observers collected data on prescribing and dispensing errors occurring with high-alert medications for pediatric inpatients in a university hospital. In addition to classifying the types of error that occurred, we identified cases of concomitant prescribing and dispensing errors. RESULTS: One or more prescribing errors, totaling 1,632 errors, were found in 632 (89.6%) of the 705 high-alert medications that were prescribed and dispensed. We also identified at least one dispensing error in each high-alert medication dispensed, totaling 1,707 errors. Among these dispensing errors, 723 (42.4%) content errors occurred concomitantly with the prescribing errors. A subset of dispensing errors may have occurred because of poor prescription quality. The observed concomitancy should be examined carefully because improvements in the prescribing process could potentially prevent these problems. CONCLUSION: The system of drug prescribing and dispensing at the hospital investigated in this study should be improved by incorporating the best practices of medication safety and preventing medication errors. High-alert medications may be used as triggers for improving the safety of the drug-utilization system.

Aspectos ecológicos e da biologia reprodutiva de Tropidurus oreadicus foram investigados em uma área de cerrado rupestre do Brasil Central. Foram estudados a morfometria, o uso do microhábitat, o padrão de atividade, a dieta e características da biologia reprodutiva de T. oreadicus em Cocalzinho - GO, de abril a setembro/2003. São animais sexualmente dimórficos, com os machos adultos maiores que as fêmeas. O microhábitat preferencial utilizado pela espécie foi a superfície das rochas (hábito saxícola). A espécie mostrou padrão de atividade unimodal. Foram frequentemente observados parados e expostos ao sol entre 9:00 e 10:59 horas. A alimentação desta população de T. oreadicus é baseada em formigas, larvas de inseto e besouros. Além disso, apresentaram mudanças ontogenéticas e diferenças intersexuais na dieta. Provavelmente essas diferenças estejam associadas à alocação diferenciada dos recursos para o crescimento ou produção dos gametas. A reprodução é provavelmente sazonal ocorrendo principalmente nos meses de maior pluviosidade.

Ecological aspects and of the reproductive biology of Tropidurus oreadicus was investigated in a rocky cerrado area in Central Brazil. It was studied the morphometry, the microhabitat use, the activity pattern, the diet and the characteristics of the reproductive biology of T. oreadicus in Cocalzinho-GO, from April to September/2003. They are sexually dimorphic animals, with adult males larger than females. The preferential microhabitat used by the species was the surface of the rocks (saxicolous habit). The species shows a unimodal activity pattern. It was frequently observed resting and exposed to the sun between 9:00 and 10:59 hours. This T. oreadicus population feed upon ants, larvae of insects and beetles. Besides it presented ontogenetics shift and intersexual differences in the diet. Probably these differences were associated with the differentiated allocation of the resources for the growth or production of gamete. The reproduction is probably seasonal occurring mainly during the months of higher rainfall.