Influência do tratamento periodontal sobre os níveis da proteína c-reativa ultrassensível em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em fase de prétransplante

The present study evaluated the influence of non-surgical periodontal treatment on the levels of C- reactive protein (hsCRP) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) in pretransplant. We conducted a controlled and randomized trial to evaluate the periodontal condition and plasma concentrations of hsCRP, albumin and transferrin in 56 dialysis patients divided into two groups: experimental and control. The study was conducted at the dental clinic of Family and Community Health s Unit (USFC), located in Onofre Lopes University Hospital (HUOL), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), from December 2010 to November 2011. Severe periodontitis was the type of periodontal disease more common, affecting 78.6% of patients. Periodontal conditions, evaluated through the means of probing depth, clinical attachment level, bleeding index and plaque index, proved to be uniform for both groups at the initial examination. There were no differences in levels of inflammatory markers between the two groups. The analysis of the concentrations of hsCRP allowed classifying study participants as at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. After completion of periodontal treatment in the experimental group, there was a statistically significant reduction of the mean of all periodontal parameters assessed; however this improvement of periodontal health was not accompanied by changes in the levels of hsCRP, albumin and transferrin in the evaluation time. Given this, the periodontal treatment did not promote the reduction of systemic inflammatory burden and risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with CRF

Sonho e cura: o culto de Asclépio em Epidauro entre os séculos IV e II a. C.

Profound changes have marked Greek society from the fourth century B.C.. Conquests, wars and epidemics altered drastically the Greek’s posture regarding his public life, his conception of gods and hence the construction of their spaces, whether sacred or profane. Through the fonts, we perceived that the cult of god Asklepeios turned very popular, in this context, for the peculiar way that the god relates to his devotees, through the dreams. We know that the dream was held, for the Greeks, as a space of real existence, it was sacred, and could be accessed in the healing rituals of Asklepios. Our work intends, thereby, to understand the curious and peculiar oniric space, mainly through the inscriptions, architectural structures of the sanctuary and the ancient texts that refer to the context of the period, because we understand that this space was the essential condition for the popularization of the cult, it placed the individual in direct contact with the divinity, a rare closeness between men and gods accepted by the greek imagery until then.

Hepatite C crônica em serviço de referência no nordeste do Brasil: um estudo retrospectivo de dezoito anos de acompanhamento

Chronic Hepatitis C is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in advanced final stage of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and of death related to liver disease. Evolves progressively in time 20-30 years. Evolutionary rates vary depending on factors virus, host and behavior. This study evaluated the impact of hepatitis C on the lives of patients treated at a referral service in Hepatology of the University Hospital Onofre Lopes - Liver Study Group - from May 1995 to December 2013. A retrospective evaluation was performed on 10,304 records, in order to build a cohort of patients with hepatitis C, in which all individuals had their diagnosis confirmed by gold standard molecular biological test. Data were obtained directly from patient charts and recorded in an Excel spreadsheet, previously built, following an elaborate encoding with the study variables, which constitute individual data and prognostic factors defined in the literature in the progression of chronic hepatitis C. The Research Ethics Committee approved the project. The results were statistically analyzed with the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact used to verify the association between variable for the multivariate analysis, we used the Binomial Logistic regression method. For both tests, it was assumed significance p < 0.05 and 95%. The results showed that the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C in NEF was 4.96 %. The prevalence of cirrhosis due to hepatitis C was 13.7%. The prevalence of diabetes in patients with Hepatitis C was 8.78 % and diabetes in cirrhotic patients with hepatitis C 38.0 %. The prevalence of HCC was 5.45%. The clinical follow-up discontinuation rates were 67.5 %. The mortality in confirmed cases without cirrhosis was 4.10% and 32.1% in cirrhotic patients. The factors associated with the development of cirrhosis were genotype 1 (p = 0.0015) and bilirubin > 1.3 mg % (p = 0.0017). Factors associated with mortality were age over 35 years, abandon treatment, diabetes, insulin use, AST> 60 IU, ALT> 60 IU, high total bilirubin, extended TAP, INR high, low albumin, treatment withdrawal, cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. The occurrence of diabetes mellitus increased mortality of patients with hepatitis C in 6 times. Variables associated with the diagnosis of cirrhosis by us were blood donor (odds ratio 0.24, p = 0.044) and professional athlete (odds ratio 0.18, p = 0.35). It is reasonable to consider a revaluation in screening models for CHC currently proposed. The condition of cirrhosis and diabetes modifies the clinical course of patients with chronical hepatitis C, making it a disease more mortality. However, being a blood donor or professional athlete is a protective factor that reduces the risk of cirrhosis, independent of alcohol consumption. Public policies to better efficient access, hosting and resolution are needed for this population.