Consumo de bebidas alcoólicas e direção de veículos nas capitais brasileiras e no Distrito Federal, segundo dois inquéritos nacionais de saúde / Alcohol consumption and driving in Brazilian capitals and Federal District according to two national health surveys

RESUMO: Objetivo Apresentar os resultados dos indicadores sobre consumo de álcool e direção para as capitais brasileiras obtidos em dois inquéritos populacionais realizados em 2013 no Brasil. Métodos: Estudo transversal realizado com dados da população adulta (≥ 18 anos) participante da Vigilância de Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico (Vigitel) e da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (PNS). Foram calculadas as prevalências para os indicadores de consumo de bebida alcoólica e direção veicular. Resultados: A proporção de motoristas adultos de carro ou moto que dirigiram logo depois de beber foi significativamente maior no sexo masculino (29,3% - Vigitel; 24,4% - PNS), entre jovens de 18 a 29 anos (31,6% - Vigitel; 24,1% - PNS) e entre os residentes das capitais da Região Centro-Oeste (33,7% - Vigitel; 28,3% - PNS). A proporção de adultos que referiram beber e dirigir foi maior no sexo masculino (9,4% - Vigitel; 7,4% - PNS), no grupo de 18 a 29 anos (7,1% - Vigitel; 4,5% - PNS) e entre os residentes das capitais da Região Centro-Oeste (7,9% - Vigitel; 6,1% - PNS). Conclusão: O estudo permitiu estimar a prevalência do hábito de dirigir após ingestão de bebida alcoólica entre motoristas e na população em geral e mostrou coerência entre os resultados dos dois inquéritos epidemiológicos de abrangência nacional.

ABSTRACT: Objective: To present the results of indicators of alcohol consumption and driving for Brazilian capitals based on two population surveys performed in Brazil in 2013. Methods: Cross sectional study with data from adults (≥ 18 years) participants of the Telephone Survey on Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases (Vigitel) and the National Health Survey (NHS). Prevalence for indicators of alcohol consumption and driving was then calculated. Results: The proportion of adult drivers who drove soon after drinking was significantly higher among males (29.3% - Vigitel and 24.4% - NHS), the young aging 18 to 29 years (31.6% - Vigitel and 24.1% - NHS) and among residents of the capitals of the Midwest (33.7% - Vigitel and 28.3% - NHS). The proportion of adults who reported drinking and driving was higher among males (9.4% - Vigitel and 7.4% - NHS) in the 18 to 29 age group (7.1% - Vigitel; 4.5% - NHS), and among residents of the capitals of the Midwest (7.9% - Vigitel and 6.1% - NHS). Conclusion: The study estimated the prevalence of the habit of driving after alcohol consumption among drivers and in the general population. There was consistency between the results from two nationwide surveys.

Swim training and the genetic expression of adipokines in monosodium glutamate-treated obese rats

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic expression of adipokines in the adipocytes of monosodium glutamate (MSG)-treated obese rats submitted to physical activity.Materials and methods Obesity was induced by neonatal MSG administration. Exercised rats (MSG and control) were subjected to swim training for 30 min for 10 weeks, whereas their respective controls remained sedentary. Total RNA was obtained from sections of the mesenteric adipose tissue of the rats. mRNA levels of adiponectin (Adipoq), tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (Ppara), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg) adipokines were quantified by quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR).Results In the exercise-trained control group, the expression of Adipoq increased compared to the sedentary control, which was not observed in the MSG-obese rats. Increased levels of Tnf in MSG-obese rats were not reversed by the swim training. The expression of Ppara was higher in sedentary MSG-obese rats compared to the sedentary control. Swimming increased this adipokine expression in the exercise-trained control rats compared to the sedentary ones. mRNA levels of Pparg were higher in the sedentary MSG-rats compared to the sedentary control; however, the exercise did not influenced its expression in the groups analyzed.Conclusions In conclusion, regular physical activity was not capable to correct the expression of proinflammatory adipokines in MSG-obese rat adipocytes.

Trends in adjuvant development for vaccines: DAMPs and PAMPs as potential new adjuvants

Aluminum salts have been widely used in vaccine formulations and, after their introduction more than 80 years ago, only few vaccine formulations using new adjuvants were developed in the last two decades. Recent advances in the understanding of how innate mechanisms influence the adaptive immunity opened up the possibility for the development of new adjuvants in a more rational design. The purpose of this review is to discuss the recent advances in this field regarding the attempts to determine the molecular basis and the general mechanisms underlying the development of new adjuvants, with particular emphasis on the activation of receptors of innate immune recognition. One can anticipate that the use of these novel adjuvants will also provide a window of opportunities for the development of new vaccines.

Optimization of Allergen Standardization

Preparation of high quality allergen extracts is essential for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of allergic disorders. Standardization of allergen extracts concerns determination of the allergen unit, development of reference material and measurement of the overall IgE binding capacity of an allergen extract. Recently, quantification of individual allergens has been the main focus of allergen standardization because the allergenicity of most allergen extracts is known to be mainly dependent on the content of a small number of allergen molecules. Therefore, characterization of major allergens will facilitate the standardization of allergens. In this article, we review the current state of allergen standardization. In addition, we briefly summarize the components of allergen extracts that should be under control for the optimization of allergen standardization, since its adjuvant-like activities could play an important role in allergic reactions even though the molecule itself does not bind to the IgE antibodies from subjects.

Dehydroepiandrosterone-dependent induction of peroxisomal proliferation can be reduced by aspartyl esterification without attenuation of inhibitory bone loss in ovariectomy animal model

The purpose of this study was to determine whether esterification of dehydroepiandrosterone with aspartate (DHEA-aspartate) could reduce peroxisomal proliferation induced by DHEA itself, without loss of antiosteoporotic activity. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized, then DHEA or DHEA-aspartate was administered intraperitoneally at 0.34 mmol/kg BW 3 times a week for 8 weeks. DHEA-aspartate treatment in ovariectomized rats significantly increased trabeculae area in tibia as much as DHEA treatment. Urinary Ca excretion was not significantly increased by DHEA or DHEA-aspartate treatment in ovariectomized rats, while it was significantly increased by ovariectomy. Osteocalcin concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity in serum and cross linked N-telopeptide type I collagen level in urine were not significantly different between DHEA-aspartate and DHEA treated groups. DHEA-aspartate treatment significantly reduced liver weight and hepatic palmitoyl-coA oxidase activity compared to DHEA treatment. DHEA-aspartate treatment maintained a nearly normal morphology of peroxisomes, while DHEA treatment increased the number and size of peroxisomes in the liver. According to these results, it is concluded that DHEA-aspartate ester has an inhibitory effect on bone loss in ovariectomized rats with a marked reduction of hepatomegaly and peroxisomal proliferation compared to DHEA.

Immunomodulación en la práctica pediátrica / Immunomodulation in pediatric practice

En los últimos años la inmunoterapia ha tomado un gran auge debido, primordialmente, a la variedad de alternativas descritas, fundamentadas en una gran cantidad de estudios clínicos, lo que ha permitido que enfermedades aparentemente poco complicadas, pero cuya resolución es frecuentemente problemática, como las infecciones recurrentes de las vías respiratorias, hasta enfermedades crónicas como tuberculosis, lepra, colagenopatías y enfermedades malignas, etc., ahora puedan tener un mejor pronostico. Es importante resaltar la importancia de conocer las características farmacologicas de estos medicamentos, así como sus indicaciones precisas. con el fin de no caer en el mal uso de los mismos y poder ofrecer a los pacientes un recurso valioso y eficaz de cara al nuevo milenio