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The prevalence of drugs use in children was high, indicating the need for formulating educational programs aiming at the awareness of caregivers regarding rational use.

The diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains primarily a clinical issue, based mainly on phenotypic patterns. The identification of biomarkers capable of permitting the preclinical detection of PD is critically needed. α-Synuclein is a key protein in PD, with missense and multiplication mutations in the gene encoding α-synuclein (SNCA) having been reported in familial cases of PD, and accumulation of the protein identified in Lewy bodies (LBs) and Lewy neurites (LNs) in affected brain regions. With the objective of validating the use of α-synuclein as a clinical or progressive biomarker in an accessible tissue, we used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure α-synuclein levels in the peripheral blood plasma of idiopathic PD and LRRK2 mutation carrier patients and compared our findings with healthy control subjects. Compared to healthy controls, we found a significant decrease in plasma total α-synuclein levels in idiopathic PD (iPD) patients (n = 134, p = 0.010). However, the reduction was less significant in patients who were LRRK2 mutation carriers (n = 32, p = 0.133). This lack of significance could be due to the small number of individuals employed in this group. No predictive value of total α-synuclein in the diagnosis of PD was found in a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Although this is a pilot study requiring corroboration on a larger cohort of patients, our results highlight the possible use of plasma α-synuclein as a biomarker for PD.

Resumo: O objetivo foi identificar a associação do atributo coordenação do cuidado com a qualidade da assistência à saúde da mulher e da criança na atenção primária à saúde no Brasil. Foi realizado estudo transversal, baseado em dados de 30.523 equipes que participaram do Programa de Melhoria do Acesso e da Qualidade da Atenção Básica em 2013. Foi feita análise de regressão logística. A variável dependente foi o nível de qualidade da assistência à saúde da mulher e da criança, e a independente, o nível de coordenação do cuidado. A análise multivariada considerou variáveis que apresentaram p < 0,05. O ajuste do modelo foi realizado pelo teste de Hosmer-Lemeshow. Foram avaliados os resultados de 28.056 equipes que realizaram atividade de coordenação e de assistência à saúde da mulher e da criança simultaneamente. No Brasil, o maior percentual das equipes apresentou nível baixo de coordenação (68,5%). Os níveis mais altos de coordenação foram encontrados no estrato 6 (57,2%) e os mais baixos no estrato 1 (78,5%). Dentre as regiões, a Norte apresentou o maior percentual de equipes com baixo nível de coordenação (89,1%), e a Sudeste, o maior percentual com alto nível (37,6%). Para o nível de qualidade da assistência à saúde da mulher, 70,5% das equipes estava com baixo nível e, na saúde da criança, 63,5% com alto nível. Possuir alto nível de coordenação está associado a ter alto nível de qualidade da assistência, tanto na saúde da mulher (OR = 11,85) como na saúde da criança (OR = 8,79). Foi possível constatar um predomínio de baixos níveis de coordenação do cuidado no Brasil, bem como baixos níveis de qualidade da assistência à saúde da mulher, refletindo a necessidade de ações coordenadas nessa área.

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The aim of the study was to standardize an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method for the quantification of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and its subclasses (IgG1 and IgG2) against the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine and to establish the criteria for a normal response to the vaccine. Forty healthy individuals (20 women and 20 men; mean age, 29 years) were studied. All were vaccinated with the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine; blood samples were drawn just prior to and 3 weeks after immunization. Quantification of specific IgG and its subclasses was performed by an ELISA with the vaccine as the antigen. The linearity of the ELISA method was demonstrated by the similar slopes of the linear regression lines generated from the titration of sera with different antibody concentrations. The specificity of the antibodies against the vaccine was demonstrated by (i) an absorption test with pneumococcal vaccine, (ii) a cross-reactivity experiment with Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide, and (iii) affinity chromatography with protein A-Sepharose. Response to the vaccine was defined by using the lower level of the 90% probability interval (one-tailed) for postimmunizationspecific IgG, IgG1, and IgG2. By using this cutoff, responders were considered to be those with an absolute increase in antibody titers higher than 395 arbitrary units/ml for IgG, 0.350 A 450 units for IgG1, and 0.314 A 450 units for IgG2. Overall, 20 (50%) subjects had IgG, IgG1, and IgG2 responses, 9 (22.5%) had IgG and IgG2 responses, 4 (10%) had IgG1 responses, 3 (7.5%) had IgG and IgG1 responses, and 4 (10%) were nonresponders. Ninety percent of our population responded to the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine. Up to 10% of healthy individuals may respond to an IgG subclass without significant increases in total IgG titers. The ELISA method that is described may be useful for evaluating the specific antibody response against polysaccharides.

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