Evaluation of urinalysis parameters to predict urinary-tract infection.

We evaluated the performance of automated-flow cytometry, urinalysis dipsticks and microscopic urine sediment analysis as predictors of urinary tract infection. Urine cultures were used as a reference method for comparison. Six-hundred-seventy-five urine samples from hospitalized and not hospitalized patients attended at Hospital Mãe de Deus, Porto Alegre, in south Brazil, were included in the study. Among the individual measures analyzed, intense bacteriuria in the microscopic analysis of urinary sediment gave an accuracy of 92.9%. A combination between intense bacteriuria (microscopic analysis) and >20 leukocytes per microL of urine (flow cytometry) gave a higher accuracy (97.3%). We conclude that though it is laborious, microscopic urinalysis is a good analytical tool. Taken together with flow cytometry and dipsticks, we obtained a clinically-acceptable prediction of urinary-tract infection.

Evaluation of urinalysis parameters to predict urinary-tract infection

We evaluated the performance of automated-flow cytometry, urinalysis dipsticks and microscopic urine sediment analysis as predictors of urinary tract infection. Urine cultures were used as a reference method for comparison. Six-hundred-seventy-five urine samples from hospitalized and not hospitalized patients attended at Hospital Mãe de Deus, Porto Alegre, in south Brazil, were included in the study. Among the individual measures analyzed, intense bacteriuria in the microscopic analysis of urinary sediment gave an accuracy of 92.9 percent. A combination between intense bacteriuria (microscopic analysis) and >20 leukocytes per µL of urine (flow cytometry) gave a higher accuracy (97.3 percent). We conclude that though it is laborious, microscopic urinalysis is a good analytical tool. Taken together with flow cytometry and dipsticks, we obtained a clinically-acceptable prediction of urinary-tract infection.

Comparação entre dois anti-retrovirais, efavirenz e atazanavir, utilizados em pacientes ambulatoriais infectados pelo HIV / Comparicion betwen two antiretroviral regimens including zidovudina, lamivudina and efavirenz or atazanavir in hiv positive patients (naive patients)

A eficácia de associações terapeuticas, aliada a acessibilidade aos medicamentos, proporciona aumento significativo na sobrevida e qualidade de vida dos portadores do HIV e pacientes com AIDS. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a eficacia de dois esquemas terapeuticos antiretrovirais, diferindo somente quantos aos farmacos efavirenz(EFV) e atazanavir(ATV), em pacientes ambulatoriais infectados pelo HIV, sem historia prévia de tratamento especifico. Este estudo foi realizado no Serviço de Assistencia Especializada em DST/Aids do Posto de Saude Vila dos Comerciários da cidade de Porto Alegre/RS. Através de uma coorte retrospectiva foram observados dados clinicos, epidemiologicos e laboratoriais obtidos de prontuarios medicos dos pacientes. A amostra final estudada foi constituida por 50 prontuarios de pacientes que completaram os tratamentos (n=28EFV e 22ATV). Foram comparados os periodos pré e transtratamento, atraves da determinação do numero de linfócitos T CD$+ e da carga viral serica. A amostra foi caracterizada por 33 homens(36,6 anos) e 17 mulheres (35,2 anos); Considerando-se os periodos pré e pós-tratamento, houve aumento significativo (p<0,05) de linfocitos TCD4+ e redução da carga viral para ambos os tratamentos (ATV e EFV). Comparados entre si (ATV x EFV) não houve diferença significativa no aumento de linfócitos TCD4+; o tratamento com EFV entretanto, resultou em maior redução de carga viral, na primeira avaliacao realizada. Esquemas anti-retrovirais combinados contendo atazanavir ou efavirenz são eficazes para pacientes sem historia previa de terapia especifica.