Quantitative comparison of mobility and gross motor function in Brazilian children with cerebral palsy

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) presents changes in posture and movement as a core characteristic, which requires therapeutic monitoring during the habilitation or rehabilitation of children. Besides clinical treatment, it is fundamental that professionals use systems of evaluation to quantify the difficulties presented to the individual and assist in the organization of a therapeutic program. The aim of this study was to quantitatively verify the performance of children with spastic di-paresia type CP.Methods: The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFM) tests were used and classification made through the GMFCS in the assessment of 7 patients with CP, 4 females and 3 males, average age of 9 years old.Results: According to GMFCS scales, 17% (n=1) were level II and 83% (n=6) were level III. The PEDI test and 88 GMFM items were used in the area of mobility. We observed that there was high correlation between mobility and gross motor function with Pearson's correlation coefficient =0.929) showing the likely impact of these areas in the functional skills and the quality of life of these patients.Conclusion: We suggest the impact of the limitation of the areas in functional skills and quality of life of these patients.

Internações hospitalares por reações adversas a medicamentos (RAM) em um hospital de ensino

Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas - FCFAR

O seguimento da sífilis congênita em crianças tratadas ao nascer

Purpose: Describe the initial clinical management and therapeutic monitoring dispensed for newborns diagnosed with congenital syphilis at birth and as of the high public hospitals in the Federal District, Brazil. Methods: Collected informations from the initial clinical management and continuity of care accorded to 81 newborns diagnosed with congenital syphilis reported to the National System of Diseases of Notification in 2008. Results: The hemogram occurred in 46.9%, and radiological long bone in 81.4%. Four children (4.9%) followed up according to the protocol of the Ministry of Health in relation to bi-monthly follow- -up until 12 months of age was 93.8% of cases ignored and found no record of complete follow-up at 18 months old of age. Conclusions: The initial clinical management and therapeutic follow-up of newborns with congenital syphilis in the Federal District is not carried out adequately and does not accordance with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.

Multi-spectroscopic monitoring of cisplatin-derived species delivery from ureasil polyether hybrid matrix

Driven by the challenges involved in the development of new advanced materials with unusual drug delivery profiles capable of improving the therapeutic and toxicological properties of existing cancer chemotherapy, the one-pot sol-gel synthesis of flexible, transparent and insoluble urea-cross-linked polyether-siloxane hybrids has been recently developed. In this one-pot synthesis, the strong interaction between the antitumor cisplatin (CisPt) molecules and the ureasil-poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) hybrid matrix gives rise to the incorporation and release of an unknown CisPt-derived species, hindering the quantitative determination of the drug release pattern from the conventional UV-Vis absorption technique. In this article, we report the use of an original synchrotron radiation calibration method based on the combination of XAS and UV-Vis for the quantitative determination of the amount of Pt-based molecules released in water. Thanks to the combination of UV-Vis, XAS and Raman techniques, we demonstrated that both the CisPt molecules and the CisPt-derived species are loaded into an ureasil-PPO/ureasil-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) hybrid blend matrix. The experimentally determined molar extinction coefficient of the CisPt-derived species loaded into ureasil-PPO hybrid matrix enabled the simultaneous time-resolved monitoring of each Pt species released from this hybrid blend matrix.

Calibration of therapeutic ultrasound equipment

Temporal and spatial acoustic intensity (SATA) of therapeutic ultrasound (US) equipment should be monitored periodically. In order to evaluate the conditions of US equipment in use in the city of Piracicaba-Sao Paulo, Brazil, 31 machines - representing all Brazilian manufacturers - were analysed under continuous and pulsed conditions at a frequency of 1 MHz. Data about temporal and spatial acoustic intensity were collected and the use of equipment was surveyed. Intensities of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 Wcm -2, indicated on the equipment panel were analysed using a previously calibrated digital radiation pressure scale, model UPM-DT-1 (Ohmic Instruments Co). The acoustic intensity (I) results were expressed as superior and inferior quartile ranges for transducers with metal surfaces of 9 cm 2 and an effective radiation area (ERA) Of 4 cm 2. The results under continuous conditions were: I 0.1 = -20.0% and -96%. I 0.2 = -3.1% and -83.7%. I 0.5 = -35.0% and -86.5%. I 0.8 = -37.5% and -71.0%. I 2.5 = -49.0% and -69.5%. I 3.0 = -58.1% and -77.6%. For pulsed conditions, intensities were: I 0.1 = -40.0% and -86.2%. I 1.0 = -50.0% and -86.5%. I 1.5 = -62.5% and -82.5%. I 2.0 = -62.5% and -81.6%. I 2.5 = -64.7% and -88.8%. I 3.0 = -87.1% and -94.8%. In reply to the questionnaire drawn up to check the conditions of use of equipment, all users reported the use of hydrosoluble gel as a coupling medium and none had carried out previous calibrations. Most users used intensities in the range of 0.4. to 1.0 Wcm -2 and used machines for 300 to 400 minutes per week. The majority of machines had been bought during the previous seven years and weekly use ranged from less than 100 minutes to 700 minutes (11 hours 40 minutes). Findings confirm previous observations of discrepancy between the intensity indicated on the equipment panel and that emitted by the transducer and highlight the necessity for periodic evaluations of US equipment.