ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to assess knowledge of HIV/AIDS and the clinical and sexual practices of dental students. This was a cross-sectional study in which a self-administered questionnaire about age, gender, and dental program term; knowledge of HIV/AIDStransmission and prevention; use of personal protective equipment; prevention and occurrence of accidental exposure to biological material; post-exposure conduct; and sexual behavior was answered by dental students (n = 148, answer rate of 91.9%). Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses (chi-square and Fisher's exact tests) were performed, at a significance level of 5%. Students correctly recognized the routes of HIV transmission, including "blood" (100%), "sexual.3%). Regarding frequency of condom use during sexual intercourse, 37% of dental students said "always," 55.5% "sometimes" and 7.6% "never". Regarding clinical practices, 99.3% of dental students said they used personal protective equipment, 28.4% had intercourse" (99.3%), "vertical transmission" (58.1%) and "sharing contaminated material" (94.6%), and ways of prevention, including "condom use" (100%) and "not sharing needles and syringes" (99suffered percutaneous injuries, the needle was the most cited exposure agent (32.5%) and in most cases (54.8%), no providences were taken after the accident. In conclusion, the students had good knowledge of HIV / AIDS and appropriate preventive attitudes in clinical care and handling of sharp instruments; however, they still need to be motivated with regard to condom use and oriented about care after accidental exposure to biological material (AU).
O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar o conhecimento de HIV/AIDS e as práticas clínicas e sexuais de estudantes de Odontologia. Este foi um estudo transversal, no qual um questionário autoadministrado abordando: idade, gênero, período do curso; conhecimento sobre transmissão e prevenção de HIV/AIDS; uso de equipamentos de proteção individual; prevenção e ocorrência de exposição acidental a material biológico; conduta pós-exposição e comportamento sexual foi respondido por alunos de Odontologia (n = 148, taxa deresposta de 91.9%). Foram realizadas análises estatísticas descritiva e inferencial (testes qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher), comnível de significância de 5%. Os estudantes reconheceram corretamente as rotas de transmissão de HIV, incluindo "sangue" (100%), "relação sexual" (99,3%), "transmissão vertical" (58,1%) e "compartilhamento de material contaminado" (94,6%) e os meios de prevenção, incluindo "uso de preservativo" (100%) e "não compartilhar agulhas e seringas" (99,3%). Quanto à frequência do uso de preservativo nas relações sexuais, 37% dos estudantes responderam "sempre", 55,5% "às vezes" e 7,6% "nunca". Com relação a práticas clínicas, 99,3% dos estudantes de Odontologia afirmaram utilizar equipamentos de proteção individual, 28,4% já sofreram acidente perfurocortante, sendo agulha o agente de exposição mais citado (32,5%) e na maioria dos casos (54,8%) nenhuma medida foi tomada após o acidente. Em conclusão, os estudantes exibiram bom conhecimento acerca de HIV/AIDS e atitudes preventivas adequadasno atendimento clínico e manejo de instrumentais perfurocortantes, entretanto ainda precisam ser motivados quanto ao uso de preservativo e orientados sobre os cuidados pós-exposição acidental a material biológico (AU).
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Students, Dental , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/prevention & control , HIV , Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical , Sexual Behavior , Chi-Square Distribution , Cross-Sectional Studies/methods , Surveys and Questionnaires , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The surface of infected red blood cells (iRBCs) has been widely investigated because of the molecular complexity and pathogenesis mechanisms involved. Asymptomatic individuals are important in the field because they can perpetuate transmission as natural reservoirs and present a challenge for diagnosing malaria because of their low levels of circulating parasites. Recent studies of iRBC antibody recognition have shown that responses are quantitatively similar in symptomatic and asymptomatic infections, but no studies have characterised the plasmodial proteins targeted by this response. OBJECTIVES: Our main objective was to identify Plasmodium falciparum proteins associated with iRBC ghosts recognised by antibodies in the sera of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS: We collected symptomatic and asymptomatic sera from patients residing in the Brazilian Amazon and P. falciparum iRBC ghosts to identify the proteins involved in natural antibody recognition by 2D-electrophoresis, western blotting, and high- resolution mass spectrometry. FINDINGS: 2D gel-based immunoproteome analysis using symptomatic and asymptomatic sera identified 11 proteins with at least one unique peptide, such as chaperones HSP70-1 and HSP70-x, which likely are components of the secretion machinery/PTEX translocon. PfEMP1 is involved in antigenic variation in symptomatic infections and we found putative membrane proteins whose functions are unknown. MAIN FINDINGS: Our results suggest a potential role of old and new proteins, such as antigenic variation proteins, iRBC remodelling, and membrane proteins, with no assigned functions related to the immune response against P. falciparum, providing insights into the pathogenesis, erythrocyte remodelling, and secretion machinery important for alternative diagnosis and/or malaria therapy.
