Absenteísmo-doença no serviço público municipal de Goiânia / Sickness absence in a municipal public service of Goiânia, Brazil

INTRODUÇÃO: O absenteísmo-doença, enquanto falta ao trabalho justificada por licença médica, é um importante indicador das condições de saúde dos trabalhadores. Em geral, características sociodemográficas e ocupacionais situam-se entre os principais fatores associados ao absenteísmo-doença. A administração pública é responsável por 21,8% dos empregos formais no Brasil. Esta população permite o estudo de uma grande variedade de categorias profissionais. OBJETIVO: Analisar o perfil e os indicadores de absenteísmo-doença entre servidores municipais de Goiânia, no Estado de Goiás, Brasil. Métodos: Estudo transversal das licenças certificadas para tratamento de saúde superiores a três dias, de todos os servidores, desde janeiro de 2005 a dezembro de 2010. Foram calculadas as prevalências, utilizando como critérios o número de indivíduos, os episódios e os dias de afastamento. RESULTADOS: Foram concedidas 40.578 licenças certificadas para tratamento de saúde a 13.408 servidores numa população média anual de 17.270 pessoas, o que resultou em 944.722 dias de absenteísmo. A prevalência acumulada de licença no período foi de 143,7%, com média anual de 39,2% e duração de 23 dias por episódio. A prevalência acumulada de absenteísmo-doença foi maior entre mulheres (52,0%) com idade superior a 40 anos (55,9%), com companheiro (49,9%), de baixa escolaridade (54,4%), profissionais de educação (54,7%), > 10 anos de serviço (61,9%) e múltiplos vínculos profissionais (53,7%). Os grupos de diagnósticos (CID-10) com as maiores prevalências acumuladas de licenças foram os do capítulo de transtornos mentais (26,5%), doenças osteomusculares (25,1%) e lesões (23,6%). CONCLUSÕES: Os indicadores de absenteísmo-doença expressam a magnitude desse fenômeno no serviço público e podem auxiliar no planejamento das ações de saúde do trabalhador, priorizando os grupos ocupacionais mais vulneráveis. .

BACKGROUND: Sickness absence, as work absenteeism justified by medical certificate, is an important health status indicator of the employees and, overall, sociodemographic and occupational characteristics are among the main factors associated with sickness absence. Public administration accounts for 21.8% of the formal job positions in Brazil. This population allows the study of a wide range of professional categories. OBJECTIVE: To assess the profile and indicators of sickness absence among public workers from the municipality of Goiania, in the State of Goiás, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on certified sick leaves, lasting longer than three days, of all civil servants from January 2005 to December 2010. Prevalence rates were calculated using as main criteria the number of individuals, episodes and sick days. RESULTS: 40,578 certified sick leaves were granted for health treatment among 13,408 public workers, in an annual average population of 17,270 people, which resulted in 944,722 days of absenteeism. The cumulative prevalence of sick leave for the period was of 143.7%, with annual average of 39.2% and duration of 23 days per episode. The cumulative prevalence of sickness absence was higher among women (52.0%), older than 40 years old (55.9%), with a partner (49.9%), low schooling (54.4%), education professionals (54.7%), > 10 years of service (61.9%), and with multiple work contracts (53.7%). Diagnoses groups (ICD-10) with higher cumulative prevalence of sick leaves were those with mental disorders (26.5%), musculoskeletal diseases (25.1%), and injuries (23.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Indicators of sickness absence express the magnitude of this phenomenon in the public sector and can assist in planning health actions for the worker, prioritizing the most vulnerable occupational groups. .

Lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of cell surface receptors and cell activation of neutrophils and monocytes in whole human blood

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates neutrophils and monocytes, inducing a wide array of biological activities. LPS rough (R) and smooth (S) forms signal through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), but differ in their requirement for CD14. Since the R-form LPS can interact with TLR4 independent of CD14 and the differential expression of CD14 on neutrophils and monocytes, we used the S-form LPS from Salmonella abortus equi and the R-form LPS from Salmonella minnesota mutants to evaluate LPS-induced activation of human neutrophils and monocytes in whole blood from healthy volunteers. Expression of cell surface receptors and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) generation were measured by flow cytometry in whole blood monocytes and neutrophils. The oxidative burst was quantified by measuring the oxidation of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and the NO production was quantified by measuring the oxidation of 4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluorofluorescein diacetate. A small increase of TLR4 expression by monocytes was observed after 6 h of LPS stimulation. Monocyte CD14 modulation by LPS was biphasic, with an initial 30 percent increase followed by a 40 percent decrease in expression after 6 h of incubation. Expression of CD11b was rapidly up-regulated, doubling after 5 min on monocytes, while down-regulation of CXCR2 was observed on neutrophils, reaching a 50 percent reduction after 6 h. LPS induced low production of ROS and NO. This study shows a complex LPS-induced cell surface receptor modulation on human monocytes and neutrophils, with up- and down-regulation depending on the receptor. R- and S-form LPS activate human neutrophils similarly, despite the low CD14 expression, if the stimulation occurs in whole blood.

Involvement of nitric oxide and its up/down stream molecules in the immunity against parasitic infections

Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent mediator with diverse roles in regulating cellular functions and signaling pathways. The NO synthase (NOS) enzyme family consists of three major isoforms, which convey variety of messages between cells, including signals for vasorelaxation, neurotransmission and cytotoxicity. This family of enzymes are generally classified as neuronal NOS (nNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS). Increased levels of NO are induced from iNOS during infection; while eNOS and nNOS may be produced at the baseline in normal conditions. An association of some key cytokines appears to be essential for NOS gene regulation in the immunity of infections. Accumulating evidence indicates that parasitic diseases are commonly associated with elevated production of NO. NO plays a role in the immunoregulation and it is implicated in the host non-specific defence in a variety of infections. Nevertheless, the functional role of NO and NOS isoforms in the immune responses of host against the majority of parasites is still highly controversial. In the present review, the role of parasitic infections will be discussed in the controversy related to the NO production and iNOS gene expression in different parasites and a variety of experimental models.

Effects of Cytokine Milieu Secreted by BCG-treated Dendritic Cells on Allergen-Specific Th Immune Response

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is reported to suppress Th2 response and asthmatic reaction. Dendritic cells (DCs), the major antigen-presenting cells, infections with BCG are known to result in inducing various cytokines. Thus, DCs are likely to play a role in the effects of BCG on asthma. This study aims at investigating that cytokine milieu secreted by BCG-treated DCs directly enhances allergen-specific Th1 response and/or suppresses Th2 response in allergic asthma. DCs and CD3+ T cells were generated from Dermatophagoides farinae-sensitive asthmatics. DCs were cultured with and without BCG and subjected to flow cytometric analysis. IL-12 and IL-10 were determined from the culture supernatants. Some DCs were cocultured with T cells in the presence of D. farinae extracts after adding the culture supernatants from BCG-treated DCs, and IL-5 and IFN-gamma were determined. BCG-treated DCs enhanced significantly the expressions of CD80, CD86, and CD40, and the productions of IL-12 and IL-10. Addition of culture supernatants from BCG-treated DCs up-regulated production of IFN-gamma by T cells stimulated by DCs and D. farinae extracts (p0.05). The cytokine milieu secreted by BCG-treated DCs directly enhanced allergen-specific Th1 response, although did not suppress Th2 response.