Ley chilena de tolerancia cero al alcohol: fortalezas, falencias y carencias que no deben ser obviadas / Alcohol zero tolerance law in Chile: strengths, flaws and shortcomings that should not be overlooked

Background: Chile has recently entered into force Act No. 20.580, which modifies the legal limits of blood alcohol concentration in drivers and increases the penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or psychotropic substances. The aim of this review was to give an account of the strengths of this new law but, at the same time, to alert the scientific and legal community about its flaws. We also present some shortcomings of Chilean regulatory framework that remain uncorrected, those that should be considered in the design of public policies for improving road safety and the criteria that judges should ponder during judgment, to determine either conviction or acquittal.

Costo directo de la farmacoterapia de la leucemia aguda en el Hospital Clínico Regional de Valdivia, Chile: análisis del período 2003 a 2006 / Direct costs of pharmacotherapy for acute leukemia at a Regional Hospital in Chile

Background: In Chile, leukemia is one of the diseases whose treatment is guaranteed by a special law called AUGE (universal access and explicit guaranties). Therefore, the knowledge of its treatment costs is of utmost importance. Aim: To determine and to characterize the direct costs of pharmacotherapy for leukemia at a regional hospital in Chile. Material and methods: Data were retrospectively obtained from electronic and manual records of the hospital for all patients treated for leukemia between 2003 and 2006. Patients were classified into four groups: pediatric and adult patients treated for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL children and ALL adults, respectively), and pediatric and adult patients treated for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML children and AML adults, respectively). Results: Total accumulated costs of pharmacotherapy for acute leukemia between 2003 and 2006 were 304,724,845 Chilean pesos (USD 574,952). The higher total or per patient costs, were generated by drugs for chemotherapy compared to other required medications. The exception were AML children, where support drugs, such as antimicrobials, ant emetic drugs and colony stimulating factors, generated the higher costs per patient. Among ALL adults, AML children and AML adults, the costs were concentrated in the first 6 months of treatment. NO children followed this tendency concentrating the costs between the seventh and twenty-fourth months. Conclusions: Annual costs of pharmacotherapy per patient for acute leukemia in this regional hospital were approximately USD 4,717. Chemotherapy was the item with the greatest impact on cost.

Clareamento caseiro em dentes vitais / Night-Guard dental bleaching

Na Odontologia atual, o clareamento dental caseiro tem sido requisitado com maior freqüência por pacientes que desejam uma estética melhorada. O Cirurgião-Dentista, como peça fundamental para o sucesso do tratamento, deve empregar a melhor técnica de acordo com a indicação e contra-indicação, levando-se em conta o diagnóstico da alteração de cor e conservação das estruturas dentais, orientando corretamente o paciente, antes, durante e após o tratameto e saber agir adequadamente em casos de sensibilidade. Possibilitar uma correta indicação, aletar para possíveis efeitos adversos e limitações, discutir riscos e benefícios do clareamento de dentes vitais é o objetivo deste trabalho.