Sensitization to grass allergens: Phl p1, Phl p5 and Phl p7 Phl p12 in adult and children patients in Beja (Southern Portugal).

BACKGROUND: In Portugal, the pollen types most implicated in respiratory allergy are grasses, olive and parietaria. The knowledge of sensitizations to molecular allergens in children and adults can contribute to better diagnosis and treatment of this pathology. METHODS: ImmunoCAP singleplex technology was used for molecular allergens and Phadia 250® automatic equipment. g205 (Phl p1); g215 (Phl p5b); g210 (Phl p7); and g212 (Phl p12) allergen determinations were made in 45 patients with positive grass sensitization tests. RESULTS: The majority of patients are sensitized to Phl p1 (91%) and Phl p1+/Phl p5-/Phl p7-/Phl p12- was the most dominant profile (40%). In the adult group, the IgE averages for Phl p1 were approximately 10.46, while they were 8.43 for Phl p5, 0.69 for Phl p7, and 0.06 for Phl p12. In the child group, these values were higher: 22.49, 20.23, 3.89, and 0.35, respectively. For allergens Phl p1, Phl p5, and Phl p7, these differences between the child and adult population were not statistically significant (p=0.754, p=0.806 and p=0.102, respectively), but for Phl p12, a statistically significant difference (p=0.018) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: IgE antibodies Phl p1 is the most important allergic marker and sensitivities caused by Phl p12 give rise to higher IgE values in children.

Relação de ajuda em pediatria: perspetiva dos pais / Helping Relationship in Pediatrics: Parents' Perspective

Enquadramento: Cuidar em pediatria baseia-se numa filosofia muito própria, que privilegia a prestação de cuidados em parceria e centrados na família. A relação de ajuda é considerada um instrumento de cuidados de enfermagem fundamental. O conhecimento da perceção que os pais têm acerca da relação de ajuda estabelecida pelos enfermeiros dos serviços de pediatria é indispensável para a busca de conhecimento e aquisição de competências para conseguir estabelecer uma relação de ajuda com a criança/adolescente/família, baseada no respeito, congruência e empatia. Objetivos: Avaliar a perspetiva da família das crianças/adolescentes acerca do desempenho da relação de ajuda dos enfermeiros que as cuidam; Verificar a influência das variáveis sociodemográficas dos pais na perceção que têm sobre a relação de ajuda estabelecida pelos enfermeiros. Métodos: Estudo de natureza quantitativa, transversal, descritivo, correlacional, realizado numa amostra não probabilística, por conveniência, constituída por 203 pais que acompanharam os filhos nos serviços de pediatria. O instrumento de recolha de dados utilizado inclui questões para a caraterização sociodemográfica da amostra e o inventário de relações interpessoais de Barrett-Lennard, versão OS-40 que avalia a relação de ajuda nas suas quatro dimensões: nível de respeito, compreensão empática, incondicionalidade e congruência. Resultados: O nível de respeito e incondicionalidade são percecionados pelas mães de forma muito positiva, enquanto que pelos pais é mais valorizada a compreensão empática e congruência. Obtiveram-se ordenações médias superiores nos pais com idades compreendidas entre 29-35 anos em todas as dimensões, exceto na congruência. Os pais que residem em meio urbano obtiveram scores superiores na relação de ajuda. Na unidade de neonatologia observaram-se ordenações médias mais elevadas para todas as dimensões da relação de ajuda e na pediatria, ordenações médias mais baixas. Conclusões: Os pais das crianças/adolescentes internados têm uma perceção positiva da relação de ajuda. Nas dimensões nível de respeito e compreensão empática apresentaram scores mais elevados, seguidos da congruência e, com score mais baixo, a incondicionalidade do respeito. Sugere-se a implementação de formação contínua na equipa de enfermagem acerca da relação de ajuda e a continuidade da investigação nesta área.

Context: Taking care in paediatrics is based on a very specific philosophy which privileges partnership and family-centred care. Help Relationship is considered a fundamental instrument for nursing. Knowing the perception that parents have on the Help Relationship set up by nurses on the paediatrics service is indispensable in the search for knowledge and to acquire the skills to establish a Help Relationship with the child/adolescent/family, based on regard, congruence and empathy. Objectives: To evaluate the perspective of the children/adolescents' family on the role of Help Relationship with the nurses that take care of them; to verify the influence of sociodemographic variables in the parents' perception on the Help Relationship established by nurses. Methodology: A study of quantitative, transversal, descriptive and co-relational nature, carried out in a non-probabilistic sample, by convenience, formed by 203 parents that accompanied their children to the paediatrics service. The instrument for collecting data included a questionnaire for socio-demographic characterisation of the sample and the Barrett-Lennard Interpersonal Relationships Inventory, version OS-40, which evaluates Help Relationship in its four dimensions: level of regard, empathic understanding, unconditionality and congruence. Results: Level of regard and unconditionality are perceived by mothers in a very positive way, whereas fathers value empathic understanding and congruence. Higher average scores were obtained by parents between the ages 29-35 in all dimensions, except for congruence. Parents living in urban areas got higher scores in what respects Help Relationship. In the newly-born unit higher average scores were observed in all dimensions of Help Relationship and in the paediatrics unit the average scores were lower. Conclusions: The parents of hospitalised children/adolescents have a positive perception on Help Relationship. Level of regard and empathic understanding got higher scores, followed by congruence and, with the lowest score, unconditionality. We suggest implementing continuous training for nurses on the subject and further investigation in this area.

Genetic diversity and drug resistance profiles in HIV type 1- and HIV type 2-infected patients from Cape Verde Islands.

Our aim was to characterize for the first time the genetic diversity of HIV in Cape Verde Islands as well as the drug resistance profiles in treated and untreated patients. Blood specimens were collected from 41 HIV-1 and 14 HIV-2 patients living in Santiago Island. Half of the patients were on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Pol and env gene sequences were obtained using in-house methods. Phylogenetic analysis was used for viral subtyping and the Stanford Algorithm was used for resistance genotyping. For HIV-1, the amplification of pol and env was possible in 27 patients (66%). HIV-1 patients were infected with subtypes G (13, 48%), B (2, 7%), F1 (2, 7%), and CRF02_AG (2, 7%), and complex recombinant forms including a new C/G variant (n=8, 30%). Drug resistance mutations were detected in the PR and RT of three (10%) treated patients. M41L and K103N transmitted drug resistance mutations were found in 2 of 17 (12%) untreated patients. All 14 HIV-2 isolates belonged to group A. The origin of 12 strains was impossible to determine whereas two strains were closely related to the historic ROD strain. In conclusion, in Cape Verde there is a long-standing HIV-2 epidemic rooted in ROD-like strains and a more recent epidemic of unknown origin. The HIV-1 epidemic is caused by multiple subtypes and complex recombinant forms. Drug resistance HIV-1 strains are present at moderate levels in both treated and untreated patients. Close surveillance in these two populations is crucial to prevent further transmission of drug-resistant strains.