Gestión de mantenimiento y producción más limpia en tres instituciones de salud de medellín, colombia / Cleaner maintenance and production management in three health institutions in medellín, colombia / Gestão de manutenção e produção mais limpa em três instituições de saúde de medellín, colômbia

Objetivo: Realizar un diagnóstico del estado de la gestión del mantenimiento de equipos biomédicos en el área de urgencias de tres (3) instituciones de nivel tres de complejidad médica de la ciudad de Medellín, Colombia, dentro del proyecto de investigación producción más limpia en salud. Metodología: Se diseñó una encuesta a partir de la Guía Sectorial de Producción más Limpia, en hospitales, clínicas y centros de salud, donde se obtuvo una lista de chequeo para la revisión del estado de la gestión de mantenimiento de los equipos biomédicos más complejos utilizados en urgencias. Resultados: La gestión de mantenimiento de los equipos biomédicos más complejos es muy buena en el hospital 1 y excelente en los hospitales 2 y 3; la metrología y gestión de mantenimiento en los equipos biomédicos del área de urgencias de los tres hospitales es excelente. Conclusión: La gestión de mantenimiento es muy importante para el ahorro económico en las instituciones, ya que se pueden reducir tiempos muertos de los equipos sin afectar la prestación de los servicios, aparte de que se reducen gastos en la compra de repuestos, y generación de residuos causantes de impactos negativos al medio ambiente.

Objective: to perform a diagnosis of the state of biomedical equipment maintenance management in the emergency areas of three (3) institutions of level three of medical complexity in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The realm is within the cleaner production in health research project. Methodology. A survey was designed based on the Cleaner Production Sector. Guide: in hospitals, clinics and health centers, where a check list was obtained to review the state of maintenance management of the most complex biomedical equipment used in the emergency room. Results: maintenance management of the most complex biomedical equipment is very good in hospital 1 and excellent in hospitals 2 and 3. Metrology and maintenance management in the biomedical equipment of the emergency area of all three hospitals is excellent. Conclusion: maintenance management is very important for financial savings in institutions, since they can thus reduce equipment downtime without hindering the provision of services, along with reducing costs in the purchase of spare parts and generation of waste, which causes a negative impact on the environment.

Objetivo: Realizar um diagnóstico do estado da gestão da manutenção de equipamentos biomédicos na área de urgências de três (3) instituições de nível três de complexidade médica da cidade de Medellín, Colômbia, dentro do projeto de investigação produção mais limpa em saúde. Metodologia: Desenhou-se uma pesquisa a partir da Guia Setorial de Produção mais limpa, em hospitais, clínicas e centros de saúde, onde se obteve uma lista de verificação para a revisão do estado da gestão de manutenção dos equipamentos biomédicos mais complexos utilizados em urgências. Resultados: A gestão de manutenção dos equipamentos biomédicos mais complexos é muito boa no hospital 1 e excelente nos hospitais 2 e 3; a metrologia e gestão de manutenção nos equipamentos biomédicos da área de urgências dos três hospitais é excelente. Conclusão: A gestão de manutenção é importantíssima para a poupança económica nas instituições, já que podem-se reduzir tempos mortos dos equipamentos sem afetar a prestação dos serviços, aparte de que se reduzem despesas na compra de repostos, e geração de resíduos causantes de impactos negativos ao meio ambiente.

Mutagenicity induced by the hydroalcoholic extract of the medicinal plant Plathymenia reticulata Benth

Plathymenia reticulata Benth has an anti-inflammatory effect and is capable of neutralizing the neuromuscular blockade induced by Bothrops jararacussu or Crotalus durissus terrificus venoms, probably by precipitating venom proteins (an effect caused by plant tannins). The present study aimed to evaluate the mutagenic activity of P. reticulata by using the Salmonella mutagenicity assay (Ames test) and the micronucleus test in CHO-K1 cells. P. reticulata extract concentrations of 2.84, 5.68, 11.37, and 19.90 mg/plate were assayed by the Ames test using TA97a, TA98, TA100 and TA102 bacterial strains, with (+S9) and without (-S9) metabolic activation. Concentrations of 5, 1.6 and 0.5 ìg/mL of P. reticulata extract were used for the micronucleus test. P. reticulata extract was mutagenic to TA98 (-S9) and showed signs of mutagenic activity in TA97a and TA102 (both -S9) strains. Micronucleus test CBPI values showed that the endogenous metabolic system increased the number of viable cells when compared to the non-activated samples and the micronucleus frequency increased when the cells were treated in the absence of S9. We concluded that P. reticulata extract may present direct mutagenic properties.

Mutagenicity induced by the hydroalcoholic extract of the medicinal plant Plathymenia reticulata Benth

Plathymenia reticulata Benth has an anti-inflammatory effect and is capable of neutralizing the neuromuscular blockade induced by Bothrops jararacussu or Crotalus durissus terrificus venoms, probably by precipitating venom proteins (an effect caused by plant tannins). The present study aimed to evaluate the mutagenic activity of P. reticulata by using the Salmonella mutagenicity assay (Ames test) and the micronucleus test in CHO-K1 cells. P. reticulata extract concentrations of 2.84, 5.68, 11.37, and 19.90 mg/plate were assayed by the Ames test using TA97a, TA98, TA100 and TA102 bacterial strains, with (+S9) and without (-S9) metabolic activation. Concentrations of 5, 1.6 and 0.5 μg/mL of P. reticulata extract were used for the micronucleus test. P. reticulata extract was mutagenic to TA98 (-S9) and showed signs of mutagenic activity in TA97a and TA102 (both -S9) strains. Micronucleus test CBPI values showed that the endogenous metabolic system increased the number of viable cells when compared to the non-activated samples and the micronucleus frequency increased when the cells were treated in the absence of S9. We concluded that P. reticulata extract may present direct mutagenic properties.(AU)

[Guidelines for the clinical management of neuropathic pain (II)]. / Guías de práctica clínica del dolor neuropático (II).

INTRODUCTION: Up to 5% of the population suffers from neuropathic pain (NP). A bibliographical search in several databases revealed that, to date, there are no protocols to guide physicians who are not specialists in pain that enable them to treat NP and thus improve patients' quality of life. AIMS: The aim of this study is to provide Spanish-speaking physicians who are not specialists in pain with a set of guidelines for the treatment of NP. A bibliographical search was performed in order to base the results and conclusions on the evidence-based medicine methodology. DEVELOPMENT: First, we review the most effective clinical and paraclinical methods for diagnosing NP, and the LANSS pain scale is reported as the most appropriate method of clinically evaluating NP. The anatomical paths and the physiology of pain are then described and we review the molecular variables involved. Finally, we point out the current therapeutic options and propose an algorithm for the treatment of NP. CONCLUSIONS: There is no specific set of guidelines for the treatment of NP. At the present time, the keystone of NP treatment consists in the use of antidepressant and anticonvulsive drugs. There is a need for further clinical trials to prove the effectiveness of using combined medication.

Incidence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in two Guatemalan communities.

The prevalence of human infection by Trypanosoma cruzi was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a serological survey in 1998 of 2 rural communities (SMH and PS) in Guatemala. In SMH (Department of Zacapa), where Rhodnius prolixus was the principal vector, the seroprevalence amongst 373 people tested was 38.8%. In PS (Department of Santa Rosa), where the main vector was Triatoma dimidiata, 8.9% of the 428 people tested were seropositive. The overall prevalence of seropositivity was higher in females than in males in both SMH (40% vs 36%) and PS (11.9% vs 4.9%), although this difference was significant only in PS. Historical seroconversion rates, estimated retrospectively by fitting a transmission model to the age-prevalence curves, were 3.8% per year in SMH and 0.5% per year in PS. There was some indication of a recent reduction in incidence in both villages. In PS, but not in SMH, both the observed prevalence and the estimated incidence rates were significantly higher in females than in males.

Comparison of polymerase chain reaction on fresh tissue samples and fecal drops on filter paper for detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in Rhodnius prolixus.

PCR detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in Rhodnius prolixus using fresh tissue or fecal drops on filter paper showed comparable results: 38.7% infection rate using the fresh tissue sample and 37.9% by dried fecal drop.

Comparison of polymerase chain reaction on fresh tissue samples and fecal drops on filter paper for detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in Rhodnius prolixus

PCR detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in Rhodnius prolixus using fresh tissue or fecal drops on filter paper showed comparable results: 38.7 percent infection rate using the fresh tissue sample and 37.9 percent by dried fecal drop

Utility of the polymerase chain reaction in detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in Guatemalan Chagas' disease vectors.

For effective control programs, accurate assessment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in vectors is essential and has traditionally been performed by microscopic examination. For particular vectors and not others, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of fecal samples recently has been shown to be an effective means of detection. The sensitivities of the PCR and microscopy for detection of T. cruzi in different anatomic sites were compared in the two major vectors of Guatemala, Triatoma dimidiata and Rhodnius prolixus. Preliminary studies established that T. cruzi can be detected by the PCR in the presence of 90% T. rangeli. One hundred thirty-five vectors were collected, and samples were obtained from the rectum, intestines, and stomach and analyzed by microscopy and the PCR. For Triatoma dimidiata rectal samples, the PCR sensitivity (39.1% T. cruzi positive) and the microscopic sensitivity (24.6% positive) was not significantly different. However, in R. prolixus, the PCR proved significantly more sensitive than microscopy: 57.6% positive by PCR compared with 22.7% by microscopy. Rectal samples showed the highest rates of infection followed by intestine and stomach samples. However, 10.5% of the Rhodnius infections would have been missed if only the rectal sample had been analyzed. Thus, the PCR is significantly more sensitive than microscopy for detection of T. cruzi in R. prolixus. Analysis of anatomic sites in addition to the rectal sample may be necessary for accurate assessment of infection in particular vectors.

Diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis and species discrimination of parasites by PCR and hybridization.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of PCR methodology in establishing the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in patients from areas of endemicity in Venezuela. Biopsies from 233 patients with cutaneous ulcers suggestive of leishmaniasis were analyzed by PCR, employing oligonucleotides directed against conserved regions of kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), and the PCR products were then hybridized to nonradioactively labeled, species-specific, cloned kDNA fragments. The ability of PCR to detect Leishmania cells was compared with those of the conventional methodologies: skin testing with killed promastigotes (Montenegro test), examination of Giemsa-stained biopsy smears, and in vitro culture of biopsy tissue. The PCR-hybridization technique detected the presence of Leishmania cells in 98% of patients clinically diagnosed as having leishmaniasis and also positive by the Montenegro skin test. In comparison, leishmania positivity was found in only 42% of cultures and 64% of biopsy smears. By hybridizing the PCR product to new kDNA probes specific for either Leishmania mexicana or Leishmania braziliensis, we found that both species are major causes of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Venezuela, and the species identification was confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis of kDNA from biopsy cultures. This work demonstrates that PCR coupled with hybridization is useful not only for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis but also for the taxonomic discrimination essential for both epidemiology and therapy. This technique can be used to diagnose leishmaniasis in a country in which the disease is endemic and can perhaps be adapted for use in a rural clinic.

[The incidence of Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in patients with dilated myocardiopathy at the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez]. / La incidencia de anticuerpos anti Tripanosoma cruzi en pacientes con miocardiopatía dilatada en el Instituto Nacional de Cardiología "Ignacio Chávez".

Our objective was to measure the incidence of humoral immune response against Trypanosoma cruzi among patients with a definitive diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy at the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología "I. Chávez" over a year. Thirty seven patients were collected, 15 of them (40%) had antibodies against T. cruzi in two different tests, indirect immunofluorescence and ELISA, the presence of IgG antibody was confirmed through Western blot. There was not differences in clinical picture of cardiomyopathy nor on paraclinical studies. However, there was a significant difference in regard socio economical indexes between the group with positive anti T. cruzi antibodies. They had a predominant rural origin, poor housing and were aware of the vector bug. Also they recalled primary infection in their childhood--American trypanosomiasis could be on important etiologic factor for dilated cardiomyopathy in our country.

[Human immunodeficiency virus infection in Guatemala]. / Infeccion por virus de inmunodeficiencia humana en Guatemala.

PIP: A prospective study of HIV seroprevalence was conducted in Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango between January 30, 1990, and June 30, 1991, to furnish a realistic idea of the magnitude of seroprevalence in Guatemala. Subjects included 305 patients with proven tuberculosis (TB), 500 consecutive patients in an emergency room, 600 military recruits from different parts of Guatemala, 500 consecutive patients at a prenatal clinic, and 300 women receiving emergency room treatment for complications of abortion. Participation was anonymous and confidential. Subjects ranged in age from 18 to 40 years. Seropositivity rates were 1% for the 305 TB patients, 1% for the 500 emergency room patients, 0.2% for the 600 military recruits, 0% for the 500 pregnant women, and 0.7% for the 300 postabortion patients. Seroprevalence was low, but the presence of risk factors suggests that it will increase in the future. Sexual activity begins at young ages. 71% of military recruits reported becoming sexually active by age 15. 45-80% of TB and emergency room patients and military recruits reported having more than one sexual partner at the time of the interview. Only 2-3% of women reported having more than one partner. Between 4% and 30.7% of the five groups reported a history of sexually transmitted diseases, of which one-third were ulcerative. 17% of TB patients and 2-3% in the other groups had received blood transfusions. Fewer than 20% in any group reported ever using condoms.^ieng

Parasitic oligosaccharide residues recognized by patients with mucocutaneous and localized cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Humoral immune responses were studied in 118 Venezuelan patients with either active mucocutaneous (MCL) or localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL). Most patients had elevated antibody levels to the six promastigote oligosaccharide residues studied: galactosyl(alpha 1-2)galactose, galactosyl(alpha 1-3)galactose, galactosyl(alpha 1-6)galactose, galactosyl(alpha 1-3)mannose, galactofuranosyl(beta 1-3)mannose, and galactocerebroside. Significantly higher antibody levels were found in patients with MCL against galactosyl(alpha 1-3)galactose and Leishmania tropica glycoinositol phospholipid (GIPL)-1, GIPL-2, and GIPL-3 compared with patients with LCL. For both clinical forms of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), the most reactive antigen was galactosyl(alpha 1-3)galactose, with elevated levels found in 63% and 79% of MCL and LCL patients, respectively. In patients with MCL and LCL, no significant relationship was found between antibody levels against a given oligosaccharide residue and clinical parameters such as age, leishmanin diameter, number of skin lesions, or time of evolution. It is noteworthy that 33% and 15% of MCL and LCL patients, respectively, did not have elevated antibody levels against the six different oligosaccharide residues studied. This suggests the presence of a subpopulation of non-humoral immunoreactive ACL patients. The relationship between abnormal levels of oligosaccharide antibodies and the final outcome of the disease remains to be established.