Inappropriately prescribed and over-the-counter antimicrobials in the Brazilian Amazon Basin: We need to promote more rational use even in remote places.

BACKGROUND: Being aware of consumption patterns of antimicrobials is the first step in designing and implementing strategies to change behaviors and, thus, to reduce the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance. The present survey was carried out to identify and describe the use of antimicrobials without prescription in riverside dwellers of the Brazilian Amazon Basin. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out from a conglomerate stratified sample in the rural municipality of Coari, Amazonas State, Brazil, between April and July 2016. The survey was conducted in the riverside dwellers' homes, and information was collected on all antimicrobials taken with and without medical or dental prescription for a 30-day period, together with indications of their use before the interview. RESULTS: A total of 492 riverside dwellers were included in the present survey; 346 (70.3%) had taken at least one medication during the previous month, and 74 (21.3% of those taking a medicine) used an antimicrobial. Two-thirds of the patients treated with an antimicrobial (49; 66.2%) obtained it without a prescription. Additionally, one-third of the antimicrobials consumed by the study sample (25) were used for non-infectious or non-bacterial conditions. DISCUSSION: The present survey showed not only that inappropriate use of antimicrobials is present in remote places such as the Amazon Basin, but also that one-third of those antimicrobials were taken to treat non-infectious or non-bacterial conditions. In addition to an unnecessary risk of adverse effects to the exposed populations, the inappropriate use of antibiotics without prescription helps to increase antibiotic-resistant strains. In the present case, this was happening near one of Latin America's most important water supplies, which could contribute to the global impact of antimicrobial resistance.

Revisión con agujas y uso de bevacizumab en bulas de filtración encapsuladas / Needle revision and the use of bevacizumab in encapsulated filtration blebs

Objetivo: determinar la efectividad a mediano plazo de la revisión con aguja asociada a bevacizumab (avastin) en ampollas de filtración encapsuladas postrabeculectomía. Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo-prospectivo, de serie de casos (14 ojos, 14 pacientes), con antecedentes de quiste de Tenon a corto plazo postrabeculectomía (2 meses - 1 año). Se realizó revisión con aguja asociada a inyección subconjuntival de avastin (1 mg) hasta completar 3 dosis en días alternos. Se evaluaron la presión intraocular y el uso de colirios hipotensores preoperatorio y posoperatorio a la semana, 1 mes, 3 meses y 1 año. Se definió el éxito total (si en el posoperatorio la PIO era menor o igual a 21 mmHg sin necesidad de colirios hipotensores); parcial (si la PIO era menor o igual a 21 mmHg con el uso de hasta dos fármacos); y sin éxito (si la PIO era menor o igual a 21 mmHg con 3 colirios hipotensores o mayor que 21 mmHg). Se registraron las complicaciones quirúrgicas. Resultados: la edad media fue de 59,3 ± 8,4 (43-75). Predominó el sexo femenino (57 por ciento) y no existieron diferencias en cuanto al color de piel (7/7). El grado de reducción de la PIO fue regular a la semana y al mes, y malo a los 3 meses y al año, lo que requirió una nueva cirugía en 11 casos (78,6 por ciento). Las complicaciones más frecuentes fueron: hemorragia subconjuntival (71,4 por ciento de casos) y Seidel positivo (21,4 por ciento). Conclusiones: la revisión con aguja asociada al uso de avastin subconjuntival como tratamiento de la ampolla encapsulada no logra una reducción significativa de la presión intraocular(AU)

Objective: determine the medium-term effectiveness of needle revision with bevacizumab (avastin) in encapsulated filtration blebs after trabeculectomy. Methods: an observational descriptive prospective case-series study was conducted of 14 eyes of 14 patients with a history of Tenon cyst shortly (2 months - 1 year) after trabeculectomy. Needle revision was performed by avastin subconjunctival injection (1 mg) until completing 3 doses on alternate days. Evaluation of intraocular pressure and the use of hypotensive collyriums before and after surgery was conducted at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 1 year. Definitions were made of total success (IOP minor or equal 21 mmHg in the postoperative period without hypotensive collyriums), partial success (IOP minor or equal 21 mmHg with up to two drugs), and no success (IOP minor or equal 21 mmHg with 3 hypotensive collyriums or greater than 21 mmHg). Surgical complications were recorded. Results: mean age was 59.3 ± 8.4 (43-75) years. Female sex prevailed (57 percent) and no differences were found based on skin color (7/7). The degree of IOP reduction was fair at one week and one month, and bad at 3 months and one year, 11 cases (78.6 percent) requiring new surgery. The most common complications were subconjunctival hemorrhage (71.4 percent of the cases) and positive Seidel (21.4 percent). Conclusions: needle revision with subconjunctival avastin to treat encapsulated blebs does not achieve a significant reduction in intraocular pressure(AU)

Contractile profile of esophageal and gastric fundus strips in experimental doxorubicin-induced esophageal atresia

Esophageal atresia (EA) is characterized by esophageal and gastric motility changes secondary to developmental and postsurgical damage. This study evaluated the in vitro contractile profile of the distal esophagus and gastric fundus in an experimental model of EA induced by doxorubicin (DOXO). Wistar pregnant rats received DOXO 2.2 mg/kg on the 8th and 9th gestational days. On day 21.5, fetuses were collected, sacrificed, and divided into groups: control, DOXO without EA (DOXO-EA), and DOXO with EA (DOXO+EA). Strips from the distal esophagus and gastric fundus were mounted on a wire myograph and isolated organ-bath system, respectively, and subjected to increasing concentrations of carbamylcholine chloride (carbachol, CCh). The isolated esophagus was also stimulated with increasing concentrations of KCl. In esophagus, the concentration-effect curves were reduced in response to CCh in the DOXO+EA and DOXO-EA groups compared to the control group (P<0.05). The maximum effect values (Emax) for DOXO+EA and DOXO-EA were significantly lower than control (P<0.05), but the half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values were not significantly different when the three groups were compared (P>0.05). In response to KCl, the distal esophagus samples in the three groups were not statistically different with regard to Emax or EC50 values (P>0.05). No significant difference was noted for EC50 or Emax values in fundic strips stimulated with CCh (P>0.05). In conclusion, exposure of dams to DOXO during gestation inhibited the contractile behavior of esophageal strips from offspring in response to CCh but not KCl, regardless of EA induction. The gastric fundus of DOXO-exposed offspring did not have altered contractile responsiveness to cholinergic stimulation.

Comparative pathogenicity of Coxsackievirus A16 circulating and noncirculating strains in vitro and in a neonatal mouse model

An enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine for the prevention of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HMFD) is available, but it is not known whether the EV71 vaccine cross-protects against Coxsackievirus (CV) infection. Furthermore, although an inactivated circulating CVA16 Changchun 024 (CC024) strain vaccine candidate is effective in newborn mice, the CC024 strain causes severe lesions in muscle and lung tissues. Therefore, an effective CV vaccine with improved pathogenic safety is needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo safety and in vitro replication capability of a noncirculating CVA16 SHZH05 strain. The replication capacity of circulating CVA16 strains CC024, CC045, CC090 and CC163 and the noncirculating SHZH05 strain was evaluated by cytopathic effect in different cell lines. The replication capacity and pathogenicity of the CC024 and SHZH05 strains were also evaluated in a neonatal mouse model. Histopathological and viral load analyses demonstrated that the SHZH05 strain had an in vitro replication capacity comparable to the four CC strains. The CC024, but not the SHZH05 strain, became distributed in a variety of tissues and caused severe lesions and mortality in neonatal mice. The differences in replication capacity and in vivo pathogenicity of the CC024 and SHZH05 strains may result from differences in the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of viral functional polyproteins P1, P2 and P3. Our findings suggest that the noncirculating SHZH05 strain may be a safer CV vaccine candidate than the CC024 strain.

Self-medication in older urban mexicans : an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Self-medication in older adults can be problematic, especially if remedies taken without prescription interact with prescribed medications or if they produce adverse effects. Before designing interventions to improve self-medication, it is important to characterize patterns of self-medicating in local populations. This can be easily achieved through the conduct of simple surveys. OBJECTIVE: To quantify and describe the demographic, socioeconomic and pharmacological characteristics of self-medication among a geriatric urban population in Chiapas, Mexico. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted, using a conglomerate sampling technique. A total of 245 older (aged > or =65 years) residents in the downtown area of Tuxtla Gutierrez (Chiapas, Mexico) participated in the study. Information on self-medication and demographic and socioeconomic variables was obtained from a specific structured interview that was conducted by a single specially trained physician. RESULTS: More than half of the 245 interviewed older adults (131 [53.5%; 95% CI 47.2, 59.7]) reported taking a medicine without prescription during the last 30 days. Self-medication was significantly more frequent among older adults who lived alone compared with married people (p = 0.0274) and among the illiterate or those with a low level of education compared with people with secondary and high-school degrees (p = 0.0036). NSAIDs (36.2% of medications) and antihistamines (12.6%) were the most frequent drugs taken as self-medication. The most frequently cited reasons for self-medicating were muscle and joint pain (19.9% of medications), upper respiratory tract problems (15.9%) and cough (7.3%). However, 13% of people who self-medicated took a remedy for hypertension (11% of all medications) without medical supervision. Previous prescriptions could have served as the basis for future self-medication in 33 (25.2%) patients. Finally, 35 (26.7%) patients who self-medicated reported that they had experienced adverse effects from the drug they were taking. CONCLUSION: Self-medication in older adults is a problem that should be carefully addressed in public health policies. Surveys such as the present one are easy to carry out (and could conveniently be conducted in primary care settings), rapidly yield information about the true nature of self-medication in local populations, and provide a basis on which to design future interventions. Factors associated with self-medication in this study, including both socioeconomic characteristics (e.g. most self-medicators were poorly educated or lived alone) and therapeutic considerations (e.g. substantial proportions of patients self-medicated for hypertension, used previous prescriptions as the basis for self-medication, or reported adverse effects of self-medication), are vital clues to the design of effective and appropriately targeted interventions in the future.

Analysis of the use of imipenem at a University Hospital following the restructuring of an antimicrobial audit system

This study analyzed the use pattern of imipenem following the restructuring of the antimicrobial audit system at a University Hospital. It was an observational study before and after the restructuring of the antimicrobial audit system in a University Hospital from May to August and then from September to December 2006. The criteria of the rational use of imipenem were obtained from a non-systematic revision of the literature. The collection of data on the general characteristics and clinical state of the patient, the infection and the established therapy was carried out in a previously tested instrument. Data was recorded, revised and analyzed in a database built with the software SPSS® for Windows® PC, version 10.0. The statistical analysis had a descriptive character: frequencies, mean, median and standard deviation. No differences were encountered in relation to the appropriate indication, consumption and clinical outcomes of patients. However, there was a reduction of 4 to 1 (75.0 percent) in the number of associations with spectrum superposition and an increase of 4 to 8 (50.0 percent) in the change of therapy. The restructuring of the antimicrobial audit system in the studied hospital did not reflect significantly the increase of the appropriate indication of imipenem. It contributed, however, to the reduction of the inappropriate associations of this antibiotic and to changes of therapy, without, however, compromising the quality of services rendered to patients.

A descriptive review of the methodologies used in household surveys on medicine utilization.

BACKGROUND: Studies carried out in the community enable researchers to understand access to medicines, affordability, and barriers to use from the consumer's point of view, and may stimulate the development of adequate medicines policies. The aim of the present article was to describe methodological and analytical aspects of quantitative studies on medicine utilization carried out at the household level. METHODS: Systematic review of original papers with data collected in studies in which the household was a sampling unit, published between 1995 and 2008. The electronic review was carried out in Medline/Pubmed, Scielo and Lilacs. The reference lists of the papers identified were examined, as well as other publications by their authors. Studies on the utilization of specific pharmacological groups, or those including only respondents with a given disease were excluded. RESULTS: Out of 4852 papers initially identified in the literature search, 61 fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Most studies were carried out in Europe and North America and used a cross-sectional approach. More than 80% used face-to-face interviews for data collection, and the most frequently used recall period for assessing medicine utilization was 14-15 days. In 59% of the studies, interviewers were trained to request the packaging of the medicines reported by the subjects; medical prescriptions were requested less frequently (15% of the studies). CONCLUSION: These data will be useful for updating researchers on what methods their peers are currently using. Such information may help overcome challenges in the planning and analyses of future studies. Moreover, this publication may contribute to the improvement of the quality of medicine use data obtained in household surveys.

Use of respiratory medication in five Latin American cities: The PLATINO study.

BACKGROUND: There is scanty information regarding respiratory medication prescription pattern in Latin America. We examined the use of bronchodilators and corticosteroids in a population-based study conducted in five Latin American cities. METHODS: Medication use was derived from questions regarding the use of medication "to help breathing" within the previous 12 months, type of medicine, and frequency of use. To minimize the possibility of overdiagnosis, we used postbronchodilator FEV(1)/FVC<0.70 plus FEV(1)<80% as the definition of obstruction. RESULTS: Interviews were completed in 5571 subjects from 6711 eligible individuals, and spirometry was performed in 5314 subjects. There were 360 (6.5%) treated subjects and 5211 not treated. Treated subjects were more likely to be older, women, unemployed, have higher tobacco consumption, higher body mass index, higher FEV(1) reversibility and airway obstruction. They were also more likely to report prior spirometry, prior diagnosis of COPD, asthma or tuberculosis, and more respiratory symptoms. Over half of treated subjects had neither obstruction nor FEV(1) reversibility, and approximately 30% reported no prior diagnosis of asthma or COPD. Prior respiratory diagnoses and wheezing were more strongly associated with treatment than objective measures of airway obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: The use of bronchodilators and/or corticosteroids is common in the general population aged 40 years or older, with over one-half of treated subjects using them without being obstructed.

Analysis of the use of imipenem at a university hospital following the restructuring of an antimicrobial audit system.

This study analyzed the use pattern of imipenem following the restructuring of the antimicrobial audit system at a University Hospital. It was an observational study before and after the restructuring of the antimicrobial audit system in a University Hospital from May to August and then from September to December 2006. The criteria of the rational use of imipenem were obtained from a non-systematic revision of the literature. The collection of data on the general characteristics and clinical state of the patient, the infection and the established therapy was carried out in a previously tested instrument. Data was recorded, revised and analyzed in a database built with the software SPSS for Windows PC, version 10.0. The statistical analysis had a descriptive character: frequencies, mean, median and standard deviation. No differences were encountered in relation to the appropriate indication, consumption and clinical outcomes of patients. However, there was a reduction of 4 to 1 (75.0%) in the number of associations with spectrum superposition and an increase of 4 to 8 (50.0%) in the change of therapy. The restructuring of the antimicrobial audit system in the studied hospital did not reflect significantly the increase of the appropriate indication of imipenem. It contributed, however, to the reduction of the inappropriate associations of this antibiotic and to changes of therapy, without, however, compromising the quality of services rendered to patients.

¿Eciste alguna relación entre el consumo de psicofármacos en las mujeres y los esterotipos de género?: un estudio epidemiológico en una población femenina año 2004 / Is there any relation between the consumption of psychoactive drugs in the women and the sterotypes of gender?: an epidemiological study in a feminine population year 2004

Esta Tesis es un estudio epidemiológico en una población femenina de la ciudad de Córdoba durante el año 2004. Su desarrollo pone en evidencia la relación existente entre el consumo de psicofármacos en las mujeres y los estereotipos de género. Esta perspectiva tiene como una de sus premisas que la violencia ejercida sobre la mujer tiene una larga historia de gestación, desarrollo, justificación y ocultación. Se incorpora en el análisis del consumo de los psicofármacos, el género, como constructo social que nos permite desarrollar conocimientos concretos sobre las situación de las mujeres. El concepto de malestar (ansiedad, inquietud, frustración) introduce una nueva categoría que desarticula el dualismo salud/ enfermedad, y alude a los sufrimientos emocionales de las mujeres como emergentes de su condición de tales. Se ofrecen criterios de análisis que indican de que manera las condiciones de vida de las mujeres, en especial la vida cotidiana (sobrecarga de trabajo, y/o sobrecarga emocional) repercuten de modo decisivo sobre sus modos de enfermar. Este trabajo es solo el comienzo, algo imperfecto e inacabado, pero que puede señalar una apertura para seguir en el camino de la revisión de las certezas heredadas.

[Imipenem-cilastatin use in a university hospital in Chile]. / Cumplimiento sobre las recomendaciones de uso y evaluación del impacto económico de un programa de uso restringido de imipenem-cilastatina.

Imipenem is an expensive broad-spectrum antimicrobial, reserved for infections caused by multi-resistant nosocomial pathogens. Since 2001 our university hospital applies a restriction policy that allows rejecting or authorizing its use after a supervising evaluation with pre-specified criteria for appropriate or inappropriate use. An audit was performed for all the supervisions made during the periods of March-April and September-October, 2004, totalling 136 treatments. In global terms, 58.1% of treatments were considered appropriate and 11.8% inappropriate; other 20.6% had been discontinued by physicians in charge prior to evaluation. Susceptibility to other antimicrobials compounds was the main reason for inappropriate use. The remaining fraction involved deceased or discharged patients. Discontinuation of treatments by supervising physicians allowed to save 75 days and 362 vials of imipenem equivalent to US $ 6,777 during this period after discounting administrative and human resources costs.

Cumplimiento sobre las recomendaciones de uso y evaluación del impacto económico de un programa de uso restringido de imipenem-cilastatina / Imipenem-cilastatin use in a university hospital in Chile

Imipenem is an expensive broad-spectrum antimicrobial, reserved for infections caused by multi-resistant nosocomial pathogens. Since 2001 our university hospital applies a restriction policy that allows rejecting or authorizing its use after a supervising evaluation whith pre-specified criteria for appropriate or inappropriate use. An audit was performed for all the supervisions made during the periods of March-April and September-October, 2004, totalizing 136 treatments. In global terms, 58.1 percent of treatments were considered appropriate and 11.8 percent inappropriate; other 20.6 percent had been discontinued by physicians in charge prior to evaluation. Susceptibility to other antimicrobials compounds was the main reason for inappropriate use. The remaining fraction involved deceased or discharged patients. Discontinuation of treatments by supervising physicians allowed to save 75 days and 362 vials of imipenem equivalent to US $ 6,777 during this period after discounting administrative and human resources costs.

Imipenem-cilastatina es un compuesto de amplio espectro y de alto costo, reservado para el manejo de infecciones nosocomiales y que requiere ser restringido para evitar la emergencia de agentes resistentes a esta alternativa y para contener costos. Desde el año 2001 existe un programa de uso restringido y supervisión de este compuesto en nuestro hospital que permite aprobar o rechazar su uso. Se efectuó una auditoria de todas las supervisiones efectuadas durante marzo-abril y septiembre-octubre del año 2004, totalizando 136 tratamientos. En términos globales, 58,1 por ciento de los tratamientos fue considerado apropiado, 11,8 por ciento inapropiado y 20,6 por ciento ya había sido suspendido por médicos tratantes al momento de la visita de supervisión. La fracción restante incluye pacientes de alta, fallecidos o trasladados. Las interrupciones de tratamiento implicaron un ahorro de imipenem-cilastatina de 75 días, 362 frascos y 3.524.133 de pesos (US 6,777) en los 4 meses de supervisión al incluir gastos en recursos humanos y costos administrativos.

An interrupted time series analysis of parenteral antibiotic use in Colombia.

A University-based hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, developed and implemented an educational intervention to complement a new structured antibiotic order form. This intervention was performed after assessing the appropriateness of the observed antibiotic prescribing practices using a quasi-experimental study. An application of interrupted time series intervention analysis was conducted in three antibiotic groups (aminoglycosides, cephradine/cephalothin, and ceftazidime/cefotaxime) and their hospital weekly rate of incorrect prescriptions before and after the intervention. A fourth time series was defined on prophylactic antibiotic use in elective surgery. Preintervention models were used in the postintervention series to test for pre-post series level differences. An abrupt constant change was significant in the first, third, and fourth time series indicating a 47, 7.3, and 20% reduction of incorrect prescriptions after the intervention. We conclude that a structured antibiotic order form, coupled with graphic and educational interventions can improve antibiotic use in a university hospital.