Níveis de homocisteína e desempenho cognitivo em uma amostra populacional de idosos da cidade do Natal-RN

The imprecision of the frontier that separates those cognitive deficits inherent to the human physiological aging process from those which represent the early signs of nervous system degenerative pathologies ,very prevalent among the elderly, has brought attention to the need of studies aiming to establish clinical and/or laboratorial criteria to allow this differentiation. Elderly people living in poor and developing countries are frequently exposed to precarious socioeconomic conditions which facilitate the development of an array of pathologies which have metabolic and nutritional dysfunctions as the established or proposed etiological agents. The levels of certain micronutrients, such as the vitamins B12 and B9 (folic acid), and of some intermediary metabolites, such as homocysteine are being thought of as etiological factors and/or as biological markers of a group of alterations which affect the normal functioning of the nervous system with important reflexes upon cognitive performance. This study aims to investigate the influence of homocysteine, B12 vitamin and folic acid levels on the cognitive performance of the low income elderly population. This transversal study took place in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, and involved 205 dwelling elderly people, users of the Programa de Saúde da Família, a public healthcare program, maintained by the city s health authorities. A multidimensional questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic aspects and the overall health and nutrition conditions. The cognitive performance was measured by the use of the Portuguese version of the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). The serum levels of homocysteine, B12 vitamin and folic acid were determined by chemiluminescence. The association between the socio-demographic and serum levels of Hcy, B12 vitamin and folic acid was determined by multiple linear regression. Serum levels higher than 13.5 μmol/l, indicative of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), were found on 25.4% of the sample, being more prevalent in men (p<0.05). Deficitary levels of folic acid (<5ng/mol) and of B12 vitamin (<193 pg/ml) were found on 3.9% and 10.2% of the sample respectively. A negative correlation was found between cognitive performance with both age and HHcy and a positive correlation was found between cognitive performance and schooling. The isolated HHcy R2 values were an explanation to only 4% of the variance of the MMSE scores. However, when associated with schooling and age, this model explains about 25% of this association

Dificuldades e/ou facilidades vivenciadas pelos profissionais que compõem a Estratégia de Saúde da Família

Descriptive and quantitative study, with the objective of review the positive and negative aspects experienced by professionals working in the Family Health Strategy (ESF) of Ceará-Mirim town, at Rio Grande do Norte state. The population included 190 healthcare professionals that integrate the family healthcare staff and the data-collection occurred in a meeting at their workplace, with the implementation of a questionnaire. Results were organized in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software, with descriptive statistical analysis in tables, graphs and tables through frequencies, averages values and standard deviations. There is a predominance of females (n = 137) and higher rates in almost all professions, and higher average age (38.9%, SD = 7.8) and income wage (average = 10) in the medical category. Regarding the more developed activities, for physicians and nurses are the healthcare actions in the Unit, the oral hygiene for dentists, the immunization for auxiliary nurses (Aux-N), educational meeting for the dental office assistants (ACD), and home visitations to community-based health workers (ACS). About the easiness of work, 93.2% said to be presence of professionals with a personal profile in public healthcare; about the difficulties, 86.8% of professionals cited the unavailability of material, followed by salary range reported by nurses (80.9% ), dentists (80.0%), physicians (73.3%), ACS (83.1%), and Aux-N (90.5%). In relation to working conditions, the unavailability of materials was the most mentioned, with the exception of dentists who reported improvement in wages. We still identify among these difficulties: the drugs availability regarded as first grade obstacle by ACS and physicians, the type of contracts in second grade cited by the ACD and dentists and, in third grade, the salary range cited by dentists and auxiliary nurses. It is concluded that the difficulties and easiness faced by ESF professionals are divergent among themselves. For physicians and nurses, whose healthcare actions become directed to specific groups, the individual and the family, their difficulties relate to the unavailability of materials. For dentists, whose actions more quoted were topical application of fluoride and supervised toothbrush, their greatest difficulty is the salary range. As to the Aux-N, ACD and ACS, for all of them the unavailability of materials has hindered the implementation of their activities in ESF

Serviços-escola de psicologia do Rio Grande do Norte: formação profissional e política pública de saúde em debate

The Psychology University Services is stablished normatively as an indispensable equipment to the recognition of the graduation courses of psychologists by the Brazilian Education Ministery. The Public Healthcare Policies (Universal Health System/SUS) constitutes itself as a input field of the professional category, but shows huge challenges in the formation of these professionals. The objective of this work is to analyse the functioning of the Psychology University Services (SEP) and the Superior Educational Institutions from Natal, understood as important formation devices to attend the actual demands of the psychologist's work on SUS. For this, it sought a) characterize the psychological practices developed in the SEP; b) relate the National Curricular Lines of Direction of the psychology courses to the skills and competences developed in the SEP to the performance on the public healthcare policies; c) mapping ways of including the SEP in the network designed by the healthcare policy. Interviews were performed with 13 academic supervisors, 8 field supervisors and technicians of superior level (TNC), along with 9 managers, being for of the Psychology University Services and 5 of the graduation programs. Questionnaires were also applied to 57 interns and 24 graduates. Besides that, two conversation circles were performed with the faculty and technician members from two of the Educational Institutions that were participating of the research, as well as a workshop with students and psychologists, promoted by the CRP 17. We observed that most part of the faculty members and managers know the DCN and comprehend that the formation is in process of change in what concerns to the extension of the formation to the performance of the psychologists in various contexts. However, most part of the TNC don't know about them. Moreover, the results point to the predominance of the assisting model based on the traditional clinic psychology, although the articulation with the public healthcare and social assistance networks can already be timidly visualized. Different modalities of practices in theses Psychology University Services were also detected, such as conversation groups, thematic workshops, organizational consultancies, team meetings with the interns and TNS in a daily basis, matriciament in mental health, therapeutic monitoring, among others. Yet, the SEP in Rio Grande do Norte are still isolated from the other courses that perform in the healthcare area and also from the services that compose the public healthcare and public policies.