Single-phase CT angiography predicts ASPECTS decay and may help determine when to repeat CT before thrombectomy.

OBJETIVES: Time is relative in large-vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke (LVO-AIS). We aimed to evaluate the rate of inter-hospital ASPECTS decay in patients transferred from a primary (PSC) to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC); and to identify patients that should repeat computed tomography (CT) before thrombectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of consecutive anterior circulation LVO-AIS transferred patients. The rate of ASPECTS decay was defined as (PSC-ASPECTS - CSC-ASPECTS)/hours elapsed between scans. Single-phase CT angiography (CTA) at the PSC was used to classify the collateral score. We compared patients with futile versus useful CT scan re-evaluation. RESULTS: We included 663 patients, of whom 245 (37.0%) repeated CT at a CSC. The median rate of ASPECTS decay was 0.4/h (0.0-0.9). Patients excluded from thrombectomy after a CT scan repeat (n=64) had a median ASPECTS decay rate of 1.18/h (0.83-1.61). Patients with absent collateral circulation had a median rate of 1.51(0.65-2.19). The collateral score was an independent predictor of the ASPECTS decay rate (aß = -0.35; 95%CI -0.45 - -0.19, p<0.001). Age (aOR: 1.04 95% CI 1.02-1.07, p<0.001), NIHSS (aOR: 1.11 95% CI 1.06-1.15, p<0.001), PSC ASPECTS (aOR: 0.74 95% CI 0.60-0.91, p=0.006) and the CTA collateral score (aOR: 0.14 95% CI 0.08-0.22, p<0.001) were independent predictors of the usefulness of a CT scan repeat. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of ASPECTS decay can be predicted by the CTA collateral score, helping in the selection of patients that would benefit from repeating a CT assessment on arrival at the CSC.

Validity and reliability of the Brazilian version of the Body Image in Pregnancy Scale.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the translation and cultural adaptation, and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Body Image in Pregnancy Scale when applied to Brazilian pregnant women. BACKGROUND: Poor body image of pregnant women is associated with negative outcomes for maternal and child health. However, there is a lack of psychometric studies aiming to evaluate the body image experiences during pregnancy. METHODS: A methodological study was carried out with 187 Brazilian pregnant women. We performed translation and cross-cultural adaptation (evidence of content validity), and evaluated the psychometric properties (factorial validity through principal component analysis, discriminant validity, and estimated internal consistency) of the Brazilian version of the Body Image in Pregnancy Scale. RESULTS: The scale items presented semantic, idiomatic, cultural, and conceptual equivalences, showing evidence of content validity. Principal component analysis resulted in a 6-factor structure with 35 items which showed an adequate adjustment of the scale among Brazilian pregnant women. Adequate estimated internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .88) was found. The Brazilian version was not able to discriminate pregnant women from different gestational age. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian version of the Body Image in Pregnancy Scale showed evidence of content validity, factorial validity, and estimated internal consistency.

Cerebrovascular Dissemination in Time and Space as a Predictor of Cardioembolism.

BACKGROUND: Cardioembolism has tendency to recur and cause lesions in distinct cerebrovascular territories. Using the imaging characteristics of cerebral lesions to determine dissemination in time and space (DTS) is a concept already used in other neurologic conditions; however, it has never been applied as a diagnostic tool in ischemic stroke etiology. AIM: This study aimed to assess DTS as a diagnostic marker of cardioembolism. METHODS: We enrolled consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke of various etiologies admitted in a cerebrovascular disease nursery from a university hospital in a retrospective cohort study. We excluded patients with coexisting etiologies, incomplete study, or without an acute vascular lesion on computed tomography scan. Lacunar infarctions were not considered. Cerebrovascular territory was divided into right anterior, left anterior, and posterior. Localization of the acute vascular lesion(s), existence of previous vascular lesions, and their respective areas were analyzed. The presence of dissemination in time, space, or DTS was determined. RESULTS: We included 661 patients (mean age: 74.05 years (SD: 13.01)). Cardioembolism was the etiology with most DTS (30.47% of cardioembolic strokes); DT occurred more frequently within the atherosclerotic subtype (9.88%); DS was more prevalent within the arterial dissection group (3.33%). There was a statistically significant difference in stroke etiology between patients with DTS and patients without dissemination (P < .001). DTS had 81.67% specificity, 30.47% sensitivity, 66.67% positive predictive value, and 49.40% negative predictive value for the identification of cardioembolism. CONCLUSION: DTS is a specific diagnostic predictor of cardioembolic stroke and may be helpful in guiding etiologic investigation.

Phenotyping GABA transaminase deficiency: a case description and literature review.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABA-T) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder reported in only three unrelated families. It is caused by mutations in the ABAT gene, which encodes 4-aminobutyrate transaminase, an enzyme of GABA catabolism and mitochondrial nucleoside salvage. We report the case of a boy, deceased at 12 months of age, with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy, severe psychomotor retardation, hypotonia, lower-limb hyporeflexia, central hypoventilation, and rapid increase in weight and, to a lesser rate, length and head circumference. He presented signs of premature pubarche, thermal instability, and water-electrolyte imbalance. Serum total testosterone was elevated (43.3 ng/dl; normal range <16), as well as serum growth hormone (7.7 ng/ml; normal range <1). Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed decreased myelination and generalized brain atrophy, later confirmed by post-mortem examination. ABAT gene sequencing was performed post-mortem, identifying a homozygous variant c.888G > T (p.Gln296His),not previously described. In vitro analysis concluded that this variant is pathogenic. The clinical features of this patient are similar to those reported so far in GABA-T deficiency. However, distinct mutations may have a different effect on enzymatic activity, which potentially could lead to a variable clinical outcome. Clinical investigation aiming for a diagnosis should not end with the patient's death, as it may allow a more precise genetic counselling for the family.

Giant Tophaceous Gout: The Importance of Therapeutic Compliance.

Gout is a metabolic disease resulting from the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints, tissues, and organs. Nowadays, the treatment of hyperuricemia is easily accessible and widespread and mainly consists of xanthine oxidase inhibitors and uricosurics. In refractory and advanced cases of gout, amputation surgery may be required. The authors present the case of an 85-year-old man who is non-compliant with hypouricemic medication, has exuberant gout, and has refused amputation surgery several times. The patient went to the emergency department with a triad of acute kidney injuries, acute gout, and poorly controlled pain. Cases of tophaceus gout such as the one presented are very rare nowadays.

Prevalence and factors associated with burnout among health professionals of a public hospital network during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burnout is most commonly defined as a syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness, which occurs in response to chronic stressors at work. It can adversely affect health workers' physical and mental health, and the quality of care provided. The COVID-19 pandemic increased stressors and could impact burnout prevalence in this group. There is a lack of information regarding the prevalence of burnout among hospital health workers in Brazil. A newer definition of burnout has been proposed that considers three different clinical profiles: the frenetic, underchallenged and worn-out subtypes. This differentiation could lead to interventions tailored for each subtype. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of burnout, its subtypes, and associated factors in workers of a public hospital network in Brazil, during the pandemic. A total of 143 randomly selected participants answered an online form that included sociodemographic and occupational items, and the Burnout Clinical Subtypes Questionnaire, a summarized version. This questionnaire evaluates three burnout dimensions (overload, lack of development, neglect) that can be used to discriminate the three burnout subtypes (frenetic, underchallenged, worn-out, respectively); higher scores indicate higher burnout levels. The prevalence of burnout was high (53.85%), similar to other studies during the pandemic. The most common subtypes were 'frenetic' (34.97%), characterized by increased efforts to meet work demands, to the point of neglecting personal needs, and 'lack of development' (23.78%), characterized by a sense that work is uninteresting and does not contribute to personal development, and a perfunctory behavior towards tasks. Age was associated with burnout: workers with less than 51 years presented higher levels of burnout. These findings indicate the need for effective interventions to prevent and/or treat burnout. The assessment of burnout subtypes can allow managers to better understand the processes affecting employees, and inform actions to improve workforce health.

Acute management of cerebral venous thrombosis: Indications, technique, and outcome of endovascular treatment in two high-volume centers.

INTRODUCTION: After several uncontrolled studies and one randomized clinical trial, there is still uncertainty regarding the role of endovascular treatment (EVT) in cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). This study aims to describe and assess different acute management strategies in the treatment of CVT. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of an international two-center registry of CVT patients admitted since 2019. Good outcome was defined as a return to baseline modified Rankin scale at three months. We described and compared EVT versus no-EVT patients. RESULTS: We included 61 patients. Only one did not receive systemic anticoagulation. EVT was performed in 13/61 (20%) of the cases, with a median time from diagnosis to puncture of 4.5 h (1.25-28.5). EVT patients had a higher median baseline NIHSS [6 (IQR 2-17) vs 0 (0-2.7), p = 0.002)] and a higher incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (53.8% vs 20.3%, p = 0.03). Recanalization was achieved in 10/13 (77%) patients. Thrombectomy was performed in every case with angioplasty in 7 out of 12 patients and stenting in 3 cases. No postprocedural complication was reported. An improvement of the median NIHSS from baseline to discharge [6 (2-17) vs 1(0-3.75); p < 0.001] was observed in EVT group. A total of 31/60 patients (50.8%) had good outcomes. Adjusting to NIHSS and ICH, EVT had a non-significant increase in the odds of a good outcome [aOR 1.42 (95%CI 0.73-2.8, p = 0.307)]. CONCLUSIONS: EVT in combination with anticoagulation was safe in acute treatment of CVT as suggested by NIHSS improvement. Selected patients may benefit from this treatment.

Development of a short form of the Brazilian Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

PURPOSE: This study presents the Brazilian short form of the P-CPQ. METHODS: Data from a representative sample of 702 parents/caregivers of children were randomly divided in two subsamples. A development sample (n = 502) was used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and a validation sample (n = 200) was used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA was used to determine the hypothetical factor structure and internal consistency. The CFA was applied to test the factor structure of the original P-CPQ, alternative models and the validity and reliability of the Brazilian short form of the P-CPQ. RESULTS: A 3-factor model (alternative model 2) had a factor structure with high factor loadings, acceptable fit indices (χ(2)/df = 2.38; GFI = 0.90; CFI = 0.90; TLI = 0.87; AGFI = 0.85; SRMR = 0.07) and both convergent and discriminant validity (Pearson bivariate zero order correlations among factors <0.85). CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian P-CPQ with three subscales and 13 items appears to be a valid short version to be used in further studies to evaluate parents/caregivers' perceptions of children's oral health-related quality of life.

Non-alpine primary thyroid angiosarcoma.

Thyroid angiosarcoma is an extremely rare malignancy, which occurs more frequently in the alpine region, likely associated with iodine deficiency and endemic goiter. This is an aggressive neoplasm that usually harbors a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 49-year-old Portuguese female patient presenting with a large nodule in the anterior neck region, with rapid growth and associated dysphonia. The neck ultrasound showed a hypoechogenic and heterogeneous thyroid nodule, with a larger axis of 44 mm. The fine needle aspiration cytology was not conclusive, and a biopsy of the lesion was performed. The result was suggestive of a mesenchymal tumor constituted by spindle cells and vascular clefts, showing positivity for endothelial markers and negativity for thyroglobulin, calcitonin and TTF1. The chest CT scan performed before surgery showed multiple pulmonary nodules suggestive of secondary lesions. The patient was submitted to total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection in order to relieve compressive symptoms. A diagnosis of thyroid angiosarcoma was made after histologic examination of the surgical specimen. Despite undergoing multiple lines of palliative chemotherapy, the pulmonary lesions increased in size and number. The patient died due to respiratory failure 29 months after the diagnosis. Thyroid angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy, generally with poor prognosis. In our case, the patient presented with pulmonary metastases at diagnosis, which is a negative prognostic factor. Due to its rarity, data regarding management and treatment of this disease are scarce.

Artificial Intelligence Improves the Accuracy in Histologic Classification of Breast Lesions.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the usefulness of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms as tools in improving the accuracy of histologic classification of breast tissue. METHODS: Overall, 100 microscopic photographs (test A) and 152 regions of interest in whole-slide images (test B) of breast tissue were classified into 4 classes: normal, benign, carcinoma in situ (CIS), and invasive carcinoma. The accuracy of 4 pathologists and 3 pathology residents were evaluated without and with the assistance of algorithms. RESULTS: In test A, algorithm A had accuracy of 0.87, with the lowest accuracy in the benign class (0.72). The observers had average accuracy of 0.80, and most clinically relevant discordances occurred in distinguishing benign from CIS (7.1% of classifications). With the assistance of algorithm A, the observers significantly increased their average accuracy to 0.88. In test B, algorithm B had accuracy of 0.49, with the lowest accuracy in the CIS class (0.06). The observers had average accuracy of 0.86, and most clinically relevant discordances occurred in distinguishing benign from CIS (6.3% of classifications). With the assistance of algorithm B, the observers maintained their average accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: AI tools can increase the classification accuracy of pathologists in the setting of breast lesions.

The Role of Telecytology in the Primary Diagnosis of Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration Specimens.

INTRODUCTION: The Acibadem Health Group (AHG) has been using telepathology/digital pathology stations since 2006. In 2013, the system was changed from videoconferencing to digital pathology (whole-slide imaging) utilizing 3DHISTECH scanners and software. In 2017, digital cytology started to be used for routine cytopathologic diagnosis for thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-seven thyroid cases were received for analysis using telecytology (TC) during the period from November 2017 to May 2018. Rapid on-site evaluation was performed at the Atakent Hospital of the AHG by a cytotechnologist and scanned on the same day. For every case, there were Diff-Quik- and Papanicolaou-stained FNA smears. Each glass slide was digitized with a 3DHISTECH whole-slide scanner in 1 focal Z-plane at ×40 magnification. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-seven thyroid FNA specimens were retrieved, of which 25 had histologic follow-up. Samples were classified as nondiagnostic in 3%, benign in 74%, atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance in 13%, suspicious for follicular neoplasia/follicular neoplasia in 3%, suspicious for malignancy in 4%, and malignant in 3%. When only the "suspicious for malignancy" and "malignancy" categories were considered positive tests, cytology sensitivity and specificity using TC for diagnosis was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that TC is suitable to provide a primary diagnosis in daily routine cytology practice. Despite the promising results, there were some challenges stemming from the novelty of using TC for the primary diagnosis. The study also addresses both advantages and disadvantages of TC in daily practice to increase the efficiency of the technique in primary diagnosis.

Non-alpine primary thyroid angiosarcoma

SUMMARY Thyroid angiosarcoma is an extremely rare malignancy, which occurs more frequently in the alpine region, likely associated with iodine deficiency and endemic goiter. This is an aggressive neoplasm that usually harbors a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 49-year-old Portuguese female patient presenting with a large nodule in the anterior neck region, with rapid growth and associated dysphonia. The neck ultrasound showed a hypoechogenic and heterogeneous thyroid nodule, with a larger axis of 44 mm. The fine needle aspiration cytology was not conclusive, and a biopsy of the lesion was performed. The result was suggestive of a mesenchymal tumor constituted by spindle cells and vascular clefts, showing positivity for endothelial markers and negativity for thyroglobulin, calcitonin and TTF1. The chest CT scan performed before surgery showed multiple pulmonary nodules suggestive of secondary lesions. The patient was submitted to total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection in order to relieve compressive symptoms. A diagnosis of thyroid angiosarcoma was made after histologic examination of the surgical specimen. Despite undergoing multiple lines of palliative chemotherapy, the pulmonary lesions increased in size and number. The patient died due to respiratory failure 29 months after the diagnosis. Thyroid angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy, generally with poor prognosis. In our case, the patient presented with pulmonary metastases at diagnosis, which is a negative prognostic factor. Due to its rarity, data regarding management and treatment of this disease are scarce.

Inverted Papilloma of the Bladder Coexisting with Urothelial Carcinoma. A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Inverted papilloma (IP) is an unusual benign neoplasm, most commonly found in the bladder. Cases of malignant transformation have been reported in the past, although most of them are now considered to be urothelial carcinomas with an inverted growth pattern. CASE: A 54-year-old man was diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma in situ (UCIS), high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma (HGPUC), and IP by transurethral resection specimen of the bladder. The urothelial carcinoma cells were seen colonizing the inverted papilloma. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of IP with UCIS and HGPUC is rare. Immunohistochemistry helps distinguish between IP and UC in difficult cases such as this one. A brief review of other reported cases of inverted papilloma coexisting with urothelial carcinoma in the English literature over the past 25 years is presented.

Severe intracranial haemorrhage in neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is a rare (1/1000-5000 births) life-threatening disorder, caused by fetomaternal incompatibility for a fetal human platelet alloantigen inherited from the father, with production of maternal alloantibodies against fetal platelets, leading to severe thrombocytopenia and potential bleeding. Intracranial haemorrhage is the most feared complication. This report presents the case of a term newborn infant, born from caesarean section after a normal pregnancy, presenting signs of skin bleeding with different ages. Obstetric history included a previous spontaneous abortion after amniocentesis. Severe thrombocytopenia (4×10(9)/l platelets) was found and brain ultrasound showed multiple intracranial haemorrhages. Human platelet antigen (HPA) phenotyping showed maternal negative HPA-1a and paternal positive HPA-1a platelets. Strongly positive anti-HPA-1a and weakly positive anti-human leukocyte antigen class I alloantibodies were found in the mother. Multiple platelet transfusions, intravenous immunoglobulin and corticosteroid were given but favourable response was accomplished only after a compatible platelet transfusion. Brain MRI showed multiple subacute and chronic haemorrhages.

[Condom use intention among young students in Belo Horizonte: an alert to gynecologists]. / Intenção de uso de preservativo masculino entre jovens estudantes de Belo Horizonte: um alerta aos ginecologistas.

PURPOSE: to investigate factors that motivate safe sex practice, searching for antecedents of the intention to use condom among the population of young students in Belo Horizonte. METHODS: a survey based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been carried out in a sample of 732 students, with ages from 18 to 19 years old. Using the multiple regression analysis on data obtained from an anonymous questionnaire, the importance of antecedents of the intention to use condom, such as: attitude, subjective norm, moral norm, resistance to temptation and perceived control, was investigated. Differences in behavior and attitudes between high and low social classes and between men and women were also assessed, through the t-test for means' comparison between independent samples. RESULTS: in the overall sample, the significant association of attitude and behavioral intention was not detected In the TPB, a higher percent of the intention variance was explained when only one of the partners was responsible for the decision of using the condom (intention-me), than when it was a joint decision of the couple (intention-us). There has been no significant difference between high and low social class groups, but differences have been found between men and women. Men have shown less resistance to the temptation of not using condom. In the evaluation of social pressure (subjective norm), medical doctors and mothers seem to have more influence on the intention to use condom, especially among women. The inclusion of the moral norm antecedent has increased the explained variance in the intention to use condom from 22 to 31%. CONCLUSIONS: attitude differences between men, less resistant to the temptation of not using condom, and women, who highlight the importance of gynecologists and parents' influence in advising about safe sex, may guide campaigns to promote the regular use of condoms.

Intenção de mudança de comportamento em adolescentes para a prática de atividades físicas de lazer / Intention of behavior changing in adolescents to practice leisure physical activities / Intención de cambio en el comportamiento de los adolescentes para la práctica de actividades físicas de ocio

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a intenção da mudança de comportamento de adolescentes de diferentes níveis socioeconómicos (NSE) para a prática de atividades físicas de lazer, adotando o Modelo Transteorético e a Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP). Foi realizado um estudo transversal com a participação de 416 adolescentes, pertencentes a escolas do ensino médio nas cidades de Belo Horizonte e Contagem/MG, com média de idade de 16,4 ± 1,2 anos. As análises foram feitas utilizando estatísticas descritivas e paramétricas (ANOVA e regressão logística). Os resultados encontrados demonstraram que a maioria dos adolescentes é inativa no lazer, e às variáveis, sexo, atitude e controle percebido são os fatores mais relevantes para classificar o nível de atividade física de lazer, sendo que as variáveis sociais (nível socioeconómico e norma subjetiva) têm pouca importância para predizer a intenção de mudança de comportamento para a prática dessas atividades.

The aim of this study was to investigate the intention of behavior changing in adolescents from different socioeconomic status (SES) to leisure physical activities, adopting the transtheoretical model and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 416 adolescents belonging to high schools in the cities of Belo Horizonte and Contagem / MG, with a mean age of 16.4 ± 1.2 years. Analyses were performed using descriptive and parametric statistics (ANOVA and logistic regression). The results show that most of teenagers are inactive during leisure time, and the variables, sex, attitude and perceived control are the most relevant factors to rate the level of leisure physical activity, and social variables (socioeconomic status and standard subjective) are of less importance in predicting the intention to change behavior to practice these activities.

El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la intención de cambiar el comportamiento de los adolescentes de diferentes niveles socioeconómicos (NSE) para la práctica de actividades físicas de ocio, por la que se aprueba el modelo Transteoretico y la teoría de la Conducta Planificada (TCP). Se realizó un estudio transversal con la participación de 416 adolescentes, pertenecientes a las escuelas de enseñanza secundaria de las ciudades de Belo Horizonte y Contagem/MG, con una edad media de 16,4 ±1,2 años. Los análisis se realizaron mediante estadísticas descriptivas y paramétrico (ANOVA y regresión logística), con p < 0,05. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de los adolescentes e inactivo en su tiempo libre, y en cuanto a las variables, el género, la actitud y la percepción de control son los factores más relevantes para clasificar el nivel de actividad física de ocio, y que las variables sociales (nivel socio-económico y normas subjetivas) tiene poca importancia en la predicción de la intención de cambiar el comportamiento de la práctica de esas actividades.

Intenção de uso de preservativo masculino entre jovens estudantes de Belo Horizonte: um alerta aos ginecologistas / Condom use intention among young students in Belo Horizonte: an alert to gynecologists

OBJETIVO: pesquisar fatores que motivam a prática de sexo seguro, investigando os antecedentes da intenção de uso do preservativo masculino na população de jovens estudantes da cidade de Belo Horizonte. MÉTODOS: um levantamento, baseado na Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP), foi realizado em amostra de 732 estudantes, com idade entre 18 e 19 anos. Utilizando-se regressão múltipla em dados obtidos com questionário anônimo, investigou-se a importância de antecedentes da intenção de usar preservativo masculino, a saber: atitude, norma subjetiva, norma moral, resistência à tentação e controle percebido. Procurou-se ainda evidenciar diferenças comportamentais e de atitudes entre as classes sociais alta e baixa e entre homens e mulheres, por meio de teste t, para comparação de médias de amostras independentes. RESULTADOS: na amostra global não foi verificada associação significativa entre atitude e intenção comportamental. No teste da TCP, quando a intenção de uso do condom foi operacionalizada como decisão de uma única pessoa relativa ao uso de preservativo (intenção-eu), explicou-se maior percentual da variância da intenção do que quando se interpretou a intenção como decisão conjunta do casal (intenção-nós). Não houve diferenças significativas entre grupos de classe social alta e baixa, mas encontraram-se algumas entre homens e mulheres. Homens mostraram menor resistência à tentação de não usar preservativo. Na avaliação da pressão social (norma subjetiva), médicos e mães destacam-se como as influências mais expressivas em relação à intenção de uso do condom, especialmente entre as mulheres. A inclusão do antecedente 'norma moral' aumentou a variância explicada da intenção de uso de condom de 22 para 31 por cento. CONCLUSÕES: diferenças atitudinais entre homens, que são menos resistentes à tentação de não usar preservativo, e mulheres, que destacam a importância da influência de ginecologistas e pais na orientação para que façam sexo ...

PURPOSE: to investigate factors that motivate safe sex practice, searching for antecedents of the intention to use condom among the population of young students in Belo Horizonte. METHODS: a survey based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been carried out in a sample of 732 students, with ages from 18 to 19 years old. Using the multiple regression analysis on data obtained from an anonymous questionnaire, the importance of antecedents of the intention to use condom, such as: attitude, subjective norm, moral norm, resistance to temptation and perceived control, was investigated. Differences in behavior and attitudes between high and low social classes and between men and women were also assessed, through the t-test for means' comparison between independent samples. RESULTS: in the overall sample, the significant association of attitude and behavioral intention was not detected In the TPB, a higher percent of the intention variance was explained when only one of the partners was responsible for the decision of using the condom (intention-me), than when it was a joint decision of the couple (intention-us). There has been no significant difference between high and low social class groups, but differences have been found between men and women. Men have shown less resistance to the temptation of not using condom. In the evaluation of social pressure (subjective norm), medical doctors and mothers seem to have more influence on the intention to use condom, especially among women. The inclusion of the moral norm antecedent has increased the explained variance in the intention to use condom from 22 to 31 percent. CONCLUSIONS: attitude differences between men, less resistant to the temptation of not using condom, and women, who highlight the importance of gynecologists and parents' influence in advising about safe sex, may guide campaigns to promote the regular use of condoms.