A model for the functional assessment of elderly with myeloid neoplasms

Objective: Myeloid neoplasms are heterogeneous diseases that are more incident in the elderly. The goals of this study were to aggregate a geriatric approach to the patient assessment, to show the impact of gender, age, hemoglobin concentration and comorbidities on the functionality of elderly with myeloid neoplasms and to better understand how the instruments of functional assessment work according to the aggressiveness of the disease. Methods: Elderly patients (≥60 years old) with myeloid neoplasms were assessed using the Karnofsky scale, Eastern Cooperative Oncologic Group scale, and basic and instru- mental activities of daily living scales. The hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index assessed the comorbidities. A mixed logistical regression model was fitted to estimate the impact of gender, age, hemoglobin concentration and the hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index on patients' functionality. Results: Eighty-two patients with a mean age of 72.8 years (range: 60-92 years) were evaluated. Eighty percent had good Karnofsky and Eastern Cooperative Oncologic Group scales and 39% were independent according to the daily living activity scales. All of the patients with poor Karnofsky and Eastern Cooperative Oncologic Group scales were classified as dependent by the daily living activity scales. The mixed logistic regression models showed that age, gender, hemoglobin concentration and the comorbidity index impacted on the daily living activity scales. Karnofsky and Eastern Cooperative Oncologic Group scales were affected by hemoglobin and the comorbidity index. The model hypothesized the hemoglobin concentration at which there was a higher risk of poor Karnofsky and Eastern Cooperative Oncologic Group scales. This hemoglobin concentration depended on comorbidities and on the aggressiveness of the myeloid neoplasm. Conclusion: The geriatric approach improved the sensitivity and specificity ...

Antifungal activity of lectins against yeast of vaginal secretion

Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins of non-imune origin. This group of proteins is distributed widely in nature and they have been found in viruses, microorganisms, plants and animals. Lectins of plants have been isolated and characterized according to their chemical, physical-chemical, structural and biological properties. Among their biological activities, we can stress its fungicidal action. It has been previously described the effect of the lectins Dviol, DRL, ConBr and LSL obtained from the seeds of leguminous plants on the growth of yeasts isolated from vaginal secretions. In the present work the experiments were carried out in microtiter plates and the results interpreted by both methods: visual observations and a microplate reader at 530nm. The lectin concentrations varied from 0.5 to 256µg/mL, and the inoculum was established between 65-70% of trammitance. All yeast samples isolated from vaginal secretion were evaluated taxonomically, where were observed macroscopic and microscopic characteristics to each species. The LSL lectin did not demonstrate any antifungal activity to any isolate studied. The other lectins DRL, ConBr and DvioL, showed antifungal potential against yeast isolated from vaginal secretion. These findings offering offer a promising field of investigation to develop new therapeutic strategies against vaginal yeast infections, collaborating to improve women's health.

Prospecção de leveduras em secreção vaginal e correlação com hemograma e dosagem de glicose / Prospection of yeasts in vaginal secretion and correlation with hemograma and dosage of glucose

No período compreendido entre outubro de 2003 e agosto de 2004 foram realizadas coletas de secreção vaginal para exame micológico em 146 mulheres: 12 grávidas, 11 com sintomas e 1 sem sintomas; 134 não grávidas, 117 com sintomas e 17 sem sintomas de levedurose vaginal, atendidas no laboratório de ginecologia do Centro de Saúde Manuel Caldas de Araújo, Cidade do PAulista - PE. Em 60% das amostras de secreção vaginal foram detectadas leveduras ao exame direto e foi obtida cultura. Em 27% não foram observadas estruturas fúngicas ao exame direto e cultura não foi obtida. Em 13% foram observadas estruturas fúngicas ao exame direto e cultura não foi obtida. Foram isoladas leveduras pertencentes aos gêneros Candida (82%), Trichosporon (9%), Rhodotorula (8%) e Kloeckera (1%). Através da análise estatística o número de hemácias foi a única variável no hemograma que demonstrou correlação com a presença de leveduras na secreção vaginal.

Semantic Verbal Fluency test in dementia: preliminary retrospective analysis / Teste de Fluência Verbal Semântica nas demências: análise preliminar retrospectiva

Abstract ­ TheSemantic Verbal Fluency (SVF) test entails the generation of words from a given category within a pre-set time of 60 seconds. Objectives: To verify whether socio-demographic and clinical data of individuals with dementia correlate with the performance on the SVF test and to ascertain whether differences among the criteria of number of answers, clusters and data spread over the intervals, predict clinical results. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 49 charts of demented patients classified according to the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. We correlated education, age and gender, as well as CDR and Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores with the number of answers, clustering and switching distributed over four 15-second intervals on the SVF test. Results: The correlation between number of answers and quartiles was weak (r=0.407, p=0.004; r=0.484, p<0.001) but correlation between the number of clusters and responses was strong (r=0.883, p<0.001). The number of items on the SVF was statistically significant with MMSE score (p=0.01) and there was a tendency for significance on the CDR (p=0.06). The results indicated little activity regarding what we propose to call cluster recalling in the two groups. Discussion: The SVF test, using number of items generated, was found to be more effective than classic screening tests in terms of speed and ease of application in patients with CDR 2 and 3.

Resumo ­ A Fluência Verbal Semântica (FVS) requer a geração de palavras de determinada categoria, num tempo pré-fixado de 60 segundos. Objetivos: Verificar se os dados sociodemográficos e clínicos de indivíduos com demências se correlacionam com a FVS; apontar possíveis diferenças entre critérios de número de respostas, agrupamentos e dados distribuídos nos intervalos predizem resultados clínicos. Métodos: Este é um estudo retrospectivo de 49 prontuários de pacientes com demência, classificados de acordo com a escala de estadiamento de demência (Clinical Dementia Rating-CDR). Foram correlacionados os dados de educação, idade e gênero e CDR e Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM) ao número de respostas, agrupamentos e mudanças de critério (switchings) gerados, em quatro intervalos de 15 segundos. Resultados: As correlações entre número de respostas, quartis e entre número de respostas e de quartis foram baixas (r=0.407, p=0.004; r=0.484, p<0.001); porém, a correlação foi alta entre número de agrupamentos e de respostas (r=0.883, p<0.001). O número de itens gerados na SVF foi estatisticamente significante com o MMSE (p=0.01) e houve tendência à significância no CDR (p=0.06). Os resultados indicaram pouca atividade daquilo que chamamos de cluster recalling nos dois grupos. Discussão: A FVS com o critério de itens gerados pode ser considerado instrumento clínico vantajoso em relação às varreduras clássicas, em pacientes com CDR 2 e 3, pela rapidez e facilidade de aplicação.

Dermatomicoses e enteroparasitoses em escolares da comunidade de Brasília Teimosa, Recife-PE, Brasil / Dermatomycosis and enteroparasitosis in students of the Brasília Teimosa community, Recife-PE, Brasil

A detecção de dermatomicoses e de enteroparasitoses foi verificada em escolares da Comunidade de Brasília Teimosa,Recife-PE, Brasil, no período de janeiro a dezembro de 2000. Foram avaliados 1063 escolares dos quais 100 foram selecionados por apresentarem lesões sugestivas de dermatomicoses e desses foram solicitadas amostras coprológicas. Entre os escolares selecionado, 61% são do sexo masculino com faixa etária entre 3 a 14 anos e 39%...