Os conceitos de vulnerabilidade e adesão na Saúde Coletiva

Os conceitos de Vulnerabilidade e Adesão têm sido foco de debate na Saúde Coletiva. É desafio posto pela Saúde Coletiva, propiciar tecnologias, dispositivos e instrumentos que apóiem a construção de práticas qualificadas, para responder às necessidades dos grupos sociais. Na produção do conhecimento, tem buscado inovar no desenvolvimento de instrumentos que apóiem a captação da realidade de vida e saúde e que auxiliem na leitura das necessidades e no desencadeamento e sustentação de projetos de intervenção que produzam o impacto desejado: atender os grupos sociais que mais carecem de apoio para conquistar autonomia para viver a vida com qualidade e a consecução do auto-cuidado, no cenário da equidade e da justiça social. O artigo apresenta aspectos das categorias analíticas Adesão e Vulnerabilidade, quanto à proposição de marcadores/ indicadores para o seu monitoramento, o que pode contribuir para o adensamento do conceito e para a prática do processo de produção à saúde.

Percepção do adolescente obeso sobre as repercussões da obesidade em sua saúde

O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a percepção do adolescente obeso sobre as repercussões da obesidade em sua saúde. Baseou-se no relato de quinze adolescentes obesos, acompanhados no Ambulatório do Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, no período de abril a julho de 2007. Os depoimentos, obtidos através de entrevista semi-estruturada, foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo, modalidade temática transversal. Foram identificadas quatro temáticas relacionadas com os objetivos do estudo: 1. A percepção do conceito de obesidade; 2. A obesidade afetando a auto-imagem; 3. Obesidade versus Saúde e 4. O difícil retorno à saúde. Os adolescentes perceberam a obesidade como doença, repercutindo negativamente sobre sua saúde, apresentando uma baixa auto-estima e a sensação de isolamento. Reconhecem que ser saudável é ter uma alimentação correta e praticar atividade física, sendo imprescindível o apoio formal e informal, sobrepujando as dificuldades para manter uma qualidade de vida satisfatória.

Hypothalamus transcriptome profile suggests an anorexia-cachexia syndrome in the anx/anx mouse model

The anx/anx mouse displays poor appetite and lean appearance and is considered a good model for the study of anorexia nervosa. To identify new genes involved in feeding behavior and body weight regulation we performed an expression profiling in the hypothalamus of the anx/anx mice. Using commercial microarrays we detected 156 differentially expressed genes and validated 92 of those using TaqMan low-density arrays. The expression of a set of 87 candidate genes selected based on literature evidences was also quantified by TaqMan low-density arrays. Our results showed enrichment in deregulated genes involved in cell death, cell morphology and cancer as well as an alteration of several signaling circuits involved in energy balance including neuropeptide Y and melanocortin signaling. The expression profile along with the phenotype led us to conclude that anx/anx mice resemble the anorexia-cachexia syndrome typically observed in cancer, infection with human immunodeficiency virus or chronic diseases, rather than starvation, and that anx/anx mice could be considered a good model for the treatment and investigation of this condition.

Association of NTRK3 and its interaction with NGF suggest an altered cross-regulation of the neurotrophin signaling pathway in eating disorders

Eating disorders (EDs) are complex psychiatric diseases that include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and have higher than 50% heritability. Previous studies have found association of BDNF and NTRK2 to ED, while animal models suggest that other neurotrophin genes might also be involved in eating behavior. We have performed a family-based association study with 151 TagSNPs covering 10 neurotrophin signaling genes: NGFB, BDNF, NTRK1, NGFR/p75, NTF4/5, NTRK2, NTF3, NTRK3, CNTF and CNTFR in 371 ED trios of Spanish, French and German origin. Besides several nominal associations, we found a strong significant association after correcting for multiple testing (P = 1.04 × 10−4) between ED and rs7180942, located in the NTRK3 gene, which followed an overdominant model of inheritance. Interestingly, HapMap unrelated individuals carrying the rs7180942 risk genotypes for ED showed higher levels of expression of NTRK3 in lymphoblastoid cell lines. Furthermore, higher expression of the orthologous murine Ntrk3 gene was also detected in the hypothalamus of the anx/anx mouse model of anorexia. Finally, variants in NGFB gene appear to modify the risk conferred by the NTRK3 rs7180942 risk genotypes (P = 4.0 × 10−5) showing a synergistic epistatic interaction. The reported data, in addition to the previous reported findings for BDNF and NTRK2, point neurotrophin signaling genes as key regulators of eating behavior and their altered cross-regulation as susceptibility factors for EDs.

Blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor correlate with several psychopathological symptoms in anorexia nervosa patients

Background: Evidence of a role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of eating disorders (ED) has been provided by association studies and by murine models. BDNF plasma levels have been found altered in ED and in psychiatric disorders that show comorbidity with ED. Aims: Since the role of BDNF levels in ED-related psychopathological symptoms has not been tested, we investigatedthe correlation of BDNF plasma levels with the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90R) questionnaire in a total of 78 ED patients. Methods: BDNF levels, measured bythe enzyme-linked immunoassay system, and SCL-90R questionnaire, were assessed in a total of 78 ED patients. The relationship between BDNF levels and SCL-90R scales was calculated using a general linear model. Results: BDNF plasma levels correlated with the Global Severity Index and the Positive Symptom Distress Index global scales and five of the nine subscales in the anorexia nervosa patients. BDNF plasma levels were able to explain, in the case of the Psychoticism subscale, up to 17% of the variability (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Our data suggest that BDNF levels could be involved in the severity of the disease through the modulation of psychopathological traits that are associated with the ED phenotype.

Altered brain-derived neurotrophic factor blood levels and gene variability are associated with anorexia and bulimia

Murine models and association studies in eating disorder (ED) patients have shown a role for the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in eating behavior. Some studies have shown association of BDNF -270C/T single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with bulimia nervosa (BN), while BDNF Val66Met variant has been shown to be associated with both BN and anorexia nervosa (AN). To further test the role of this neurotrophin in humans, we screened 36 SNPs in the BDNF gene and tested for their association with ED and plasma BDNF levels as a quantitative trait. We performed a family-based association study in 106 ED nuclear families and analyzed BDNF blood levels in 110 ED patients and in 50 sib pairs discordant for ED. The rs7124442T/rs11030102C/rs11030119G haplotype was found associated with high BDNF levels (mean BDNF TCG haplotype carriers = 43.6 ng/ml vs. mean others 23.0 ng/ml, P = 0.016) and BN (Z = 2.64; P recessive = 0.008), and the rs7934165A/270T haplotype was associated with AN (Z =-2.64; P additive = 0.008). The comparison of BDNF levels in 50 ED discordant sib pairs showed elevated plasma BDNF levels for the ED group (mean controls = 41.0 vs. mean ED = 52.7; P = 0.004). Our data strongly suggest that altered BDNF levels modulated by BDNF gene variability are associated with the susceptibility to ED, providing physiological evidence that BDNF plays a role in the development of AN and BN, and strongly arguing for its involvement in eating behavior and body weight regulation.

Association between GIS-based exposure to urban air pollution during pregnancy and birth weight in the INMA Sabadell Cohort

Background: There is growing evidence that traffic-related air pollution reduces birth weight. Improving exposure assessment is a key issue to advance in this research area.Objective: We investigated the effect of prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution via geographic information system (GIS) models on birth weight in 570 newborns from the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Sabadell cohort.Methods: We estimated pregnancy and trimester-specific exposures to nitrogen dioxide and aromatic hydrocarbons [benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene (BTEX)] by using temporally adjusted land-use regression (LUR) models. We built models for NO2 and BTEX using four and three 1-week measurement campaigns, respectively, at 57 locations. We assessed the relationship between prenatal air pollution exposure and birth weight with linear regression models. We performed sensitivity analyses considering time spent at home and time spent in nonresidential outdoor environments during pregnancy.Results: In the overall cohort, neither NO2 nor BTEX exposure was significantly associated with birth weight in any of the exposure periods. When considering only women who spent < 2 hr/day in nonresidential outdoor environments, the estimated reductions in birth weight associated with an interquartile range increase in BTEX exposure levels were 77 g [95% confidence interval (CI), 7–146 g] and 102 g (95% CI, 28–176 g) for exposures during the whole pregnancy and the second trimester, respectively. The effects of NO2 exposure were less clear in this subset.Conclusions: The association of BTEX with reduced birth weight underscores the negative role of vehicle exhaust pollutants in reproductive health. Time–activity patterns during pregnancy complement GIS-based models in exposure assessment.

Design and evaluation of a panel os single-nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNA genomic regions for association studies in human disease

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are recognized posttranscriptional gene repressors involved in the control of almost every biological process. Allelic variants in these regions may be an important source of phenotypic diversity and contribute to disease susceptibility. We analyzed the genomic organization of 325 human miRNAs (release 7.1, miRBase) to construct a panel of 768 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering approximately 1 Mb of genomic DNA, including 131 isolated miRNAs (40%) and 194 miRNAs arranged in 48 miRNA clusters, as well as their 5-kb flanking regions. Of these miRNAs, 37% were inside known protein-coding genes, which were significantly associated with biological functions regarding neurological, psychological or nutritional disorders. SNP coverage analysis revealed a lower SNP density in miRNAs compared with the average of the genome, with only 24 SNPs located in the 325 miRNAs studied. Further genotyping of 340 unrelated Spanish individuals showed that more than half of the SNPs in miRNAs were either rare or monomorphic, in agreement with the reported selective constraint on human miRNAs. A comparison of the minor allele frequencies between Spanish and HapMap population samples confirmed the applicability of this SNP panel to the study of complex disorders among the Spanish population, and revealed two miRNA regions, hsa-mir-26a-2 in the CTDSP2 gene and hsa-mir-128-1 in the R3HDM1 gene, showing geographical allelic frequency variation among the four HapMap populations, probably because of differences in natural selection. The designed miRNA SNP panel could help to identify still hidden links between miRNAs and human disease.

Allele variants in functional MicroRNA target sites of the neurotrophin-3 receptor gene (NTRK3) as susceptibility factors for anxiety disorders

Genetic and functional data indicate that variation in the expression of the neurotrophin-3 receptor gene (NTRK3) may have an impact on neuronal plasticity, suggesting a role for NTRK3 in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. MicroRNA (miRNA) posttranscriptional gene regulators act by base-pairing to specific sequence sites, usually at the 3'UTR of the target mRNA. Variants at these sites might result in gene expression changes contributing to disease susceptibility. We investigated genetic variation in two different isoforms of NTRK3 as candidate susceptibility factors for anxiety by resequencing their 3'UTRs in patients with panic disorder (PD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and in controls. We have found the C allele of rs28521337, located in a functional target site for miR-485-3p in the truncated isoform of NTRK3, to be significantly associated with the hoarding phenotype of OCD. We have also identified two new rare variants in the 3'UTR of NTRK3, ss102661458 and ss102661460, each present only in one chromosome of a patient with PD. The ss102661458 variant is located in a functional target site for miR-765, and the ss102661460 in functional target sites for two miRNAs, miR-509 and miR-128, the latter being a brain-enriched miRNA involved in neuronal differentiation and synaptic processing. Interestingly, these two variants significantly alter the miRNA-mediated regulation of NTRK3, resulting in recovery of gene expression. These data implicate miRNAs as key posttranscriptional regulators of NTRK3 and provide a framework for allele-specific miRNA regulation of NTRK3 in anxiety disorders.

The peroxiredoxin Tpx1 is essential as a H202-scavenger during aerobic growth in fission yeast

Peroxiredoxins are known to interact with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and to participate in oxidant scavenging, redox signal transduction, and heat-shock responses. The two-cysteine peroxiredoxin Tpx1 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been characterized as the H2O2 sensor that transduces the redox signal to the transcription factor Pap1. Here, we show that Tpx1 is essential for aerobic, but not anaerobic, growth. We demonstrate that Tpx1 has an exquisite sensitivity for its substrate, which explains its participation in maintaining low steady-state levels of H2O2. We also show in vitro and in vivo that inactivation of Tpx1 by oxidation of its catalytic cysteine to a sulfinic acid is always preceded by a sulfinic acid form in a covalently linked dimer, which may be important for understanding the kinetics of Tpx1 inactivation. Furthermore, we provide evidence that a strain expressing Tpx1.C169S, lacking the resolving cysteine, can sustain aerobic growth, and we show that small reductants can modulate the activity of the mutant protein in vitro, probably by supplying a thiol group to substitute for cysteine 169.

Conocimiento de los profesionales de enfermería sobre la eritropoyetina

Se objetivó evaluar el conocimiento de profesionales de enfermería sobre el proceso de conservación, preparación y administración de eritropoyetina (EPO). Estudio exploratorio, descriptivo, con abordaje cuantitativo. Realizado en un Centro de Diálisis, con 40 profesionales de enfermería, entre enero y marzo de 2009, utilizando un cuestionario. Los aspectos técnicos fueron considerados. Sobre la interacción de la EPO con la presión arterial, 87,5% posee conocimientos inadecuados; sólo el 32% conocían la temperatura ideal para conservación del medicamento y 52,5% creía que éste debe ser retirado del refrigerador de 15 a 30 minutos antes de la administración; la vía más citada fue la endovenosa. Entre los cuidados anteriores a la administración, la inspección de fecha de vencimiento fue el más frecuente; 57,5 utilizan jeringa exclusiva para administración y 95% acostumbra registrar la administración del fármaco.

Dor pós-operatória em crianças: uma abordagem de gênero

O objetivo do estudo foi verificar e descrever, sob o enfoque de gênero, as associações entre o sexo e as variáveis específicas da dor pós-operatória em pediatria. Corte transversal com 77 crianças, com idades entre seis e 13 anos (M=9 anos; dp=2,2 anos), ASA I e II, 77,9% pertencentes às classes socioeconômicas C e D, 68,8% meninos e 32,8% meninas. Os dados foram coletados no primeiro dia pós-operatório, por meio de entrevista semi-estruturada e quatro escalas de medida. As principais doenças de base foram adenoamigdalite e fraturas. A prevalência de dor foi de 91,7% para meninas e 75,5% para meninos (p>0,05). Não houve associação entre intensidade de dor e sexo; as palavras mais utilizadas para descrever a dor foram corta e aperta. A escala preferida foi a Escala de Faces do Cebolinha e da Mônica. O manejo da dor em pediatria ainda é inadequado e o gênero pode influenciar na resposta dor.

Revisão sistemática: noções gerais

A revisão sistemática é uma metodologia útil em saúde, dado que possibilita identificar as melhores evidências e sintetizá-las, para fundamentar propostas de mudanças nas áreas de prevenção, diagnóstico, tratamento e reabilitação. Este artigo tem como objetivo oferecer subsídios para o planejamento da revisão sistemática respondendo às seguintes perguntas: O que é Prática Baseada em Evidências? O que é revisão sistemática? A revisão sistemática deve estar ancorada em pesquisas qualitativas ou quantitativas? Quais são as fontes de informação pertinentes para identificar as evidências? O que é evidência? Quais os procedimentos para validar a revisão sistemática? Como avaliar a qualidade das evidências? Qual metodologia é empregada para a síntese das evidências? Como planejar a revisão sistemática?

Plaza en red. Características del seguimiento informativo de la@acampadaBCN por parte de los/las jóvenes participantes en Plaza Cataluña.

Los indignados salieron a las calles y ocuparon las plazas físicamente. También la plaza virtual a través de las redes sociales, blogs y otras herramientas en red. Los rasgos de la comunicación digital se han hecho presentes en asambleas y acampadas a través de sus máximos representantes: los jóvenes. Una juventud que ha sabido utilizar la tecnología para hacerse presente en la sociedad y reivindicar (se). Los participantes en la @acampadaBCN han sabido encontrar sus propias formas de participación y de movilización social a través de las redes sociales y las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación. En este informe se presentan los resultados sobre las características del seguimiento informativo de la @acampadaBCN por parte de los/las jóvenes participantes en Plaza Cataluña. Se describe el perfil de los encuestados, el primer y posteriores canales de seguimiento de información sobre la @acampadaBCN, los canales de información utilizados por los indignados para seguir el desalojo del 27 de mayo de 2011, el tipo de interacción con las distintas herramientas digitales de la acampada y el cambio de referente informativo que ha provocado la perdida de credibilidad de los medios convencionales frente a la red. Sus referentes políticos, mediáticos y sociales ya no están en los partidos políticos, en la televisión, en la prensa o en la radio; ahora se informan a través de la red y, a través de ella y de sus perfiles en las redes sociales, difunden las informaciones que protagonizan, les interesan o obtienen su credibilidad. Los resultados de este informe surgen tras una inmersión participante en el movimiento de indignados. Asimismo, se realizaron 15 entrevistas a diferentes perfiles presentes en la #acampadaBCN y 339 encuestas realizadas a jóvenes que visitaron la plaza.

Úlcera por pressão em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia: incidência e fatores associados

As úlceras por pressão constituem um dos principais indicadores da qualidade do cuidado na assistência perioperatória. Este é um estudo longitudinal, do tipo série de casos, com o objetivo de estimar a incidência de úlceras por pressão em pacientes submetidos a cirurgias de médio e grande portes; classificá-las segundo estágio e localização, verificar a associação das variáveis sexo, idade, índice de massa corpórea, comorbidades, posição cirúrgica, tempo cirúrgico, anestesia e uso de dispositivos de posicionamento com a presença ou ausência de úlceras por pressão. Os dados foram coletados em 2007, em São Paulo, com 199 pacientes, dos quais 20,6% apresentaram úlceras por pressão, 98,6% nos estágios I e II, com localização predominante no tronco frontal (35,1%). As variáveis: posição, tempo cirúrgico, anestesia geral e uso de dispositivos apresentaram associação estatística significativa. Concluiu-se que a incidência de úlceras por pressão em pacientes cirúrgicos é elevada, demandando ações que visem à redução desse tipo de lesão.