In the June 2007 Issue of Clinics

Abstract

EDITORIALIn this issue of CLINICS, the cover illustrates data from a basic science piece of research conducted by Higa et al who determined the protective effects of ascorbic acid on intestinal morphology during ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Villous architecture, crypts, necrosis, hemorrhagic infarcts and inflammatory cells at the mesenteric and antimesenteric borders of the small intestine were quantitatively evaluated. Ascorbic acid caused (i) a significant reduction of antimesenteric villous hemorrhagic infarction after ischemia-reperfusion, and (ii) reduction of villous necrosis at both borders. A quantitative evaluation of parameters reinforces these conclusions. They conclude that ascorbic acid pretreatment has a protective effect against the intestinal morphological lesions induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.In this issue CLINICS publishes a total of eighteen original research papers, thirteen of which report data on Clinical Sciences.Sanches et al evaluated the liquid chromatography analytical micromethod for quantification of propranolol in children submitted to corrective surgery for tetralogy of Fallot and found that it yields high selectivity, recovery, sensitivity, linearity, precision and accuracy. They conclude that monitoring of plasma concentrations of propranolol in these patients showed that after the last preoperative dose concentration declined from the beginning of surgery to the second postoperative day, suggesting that, once redistribution was restored, propranolol washout was complete.Lima et al evaluated prevalence of allergic disease among 6 and 7 year-old students from the western districts of São Paulo City and compared these data with those obtained in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase I, performed in the central-southern districts of São Paulo. Out of 5,040 distributed questionnaires 3,312 were returned. The comparison showed higher asthma prevalence and severity, but lower values for rhinitis and eczema in this more recent study. The male gender predominated in all positive responses regarding asthma and rhinitis.Coghi et al measured quality of life in 75 Brazilian ambulatory adults with atopic dermatitis using a Quality of Life Generic Questionnaire and a 10-item Dermatology Life Quality Index Questionnaire. Quality of life and disease control were found to be related with low scores to both instruments, but correlation was better with the former. They conclude that quality of life is affected in adult atopic patients, with respect to disease severity and to mental components, but with varying effects in patient subgroups. Some components appeared to mask the exact relationship between quality of life and disease severity.Anacleto et al determined the occurrence of the dispensing error rate and endeavored to identify factors associated with them through a cross-sectional study performed on 422 prescription order forms at a general hospital in Belo Horizonte that uses a mixed system of collective and individualized dosing....