Adherence to standard precautions from the standpoint of the Health Belief Model: the practice of recapping needles / Adesão às precauções padrão sob o prisma do Modelo de Crenças em Saúde: a prática de reencapar agulhas

The aim of this study was to applythe Health Belief Model to explain the adherence to the recommendation not to recap needles by dentists and dental assistants of the public health system in a municipality in the State of São Paulo. A questionnaire validated and adapted for the oral health area was used, which included variables related to the frequency of recapping and health beliefs using Likert-type scales. The relationship between beliefs and adherence to the recommendation not to recap needles was obtained by regression analysis. Of all the professionals in this study (n=79), the majority (83.5%) reported recapping needles at least once in the last month. Through regression analysis, it was observed that the relationship between the beliefs described by the model and the attitude whether or not to follow the recommendation not to recap needles was explained by a lower perception of psychological barriers and a greater perception of stimuli not to recap needles. The conclusion reached is that the acceptance of recommendations to prevent working accidents with biological material was explained by some dimensions of the Health Belief Model, enabling discussion about reformulation of training offered to professionals of the public health system.

Objetivou-se neste estudo aplicar o Modelo de Crenças em Saúde a fim de explicar a adesão à recomendação de não reencapar agulhas por cirurgiões-dentistas e auxiliares de saúde bucal da rede pública de um município paulista. Utilizou-se um questionário validado e adaptado para a área de saúde bucal, que contemplava variáveis relativas à frequência do reencape e crenças em saúde, por meio de escalas tipo Likert. A relação entre as crenças e a adesão à recomendação de não reencapar agulhas foi obtida por meio da análise de regressão. Da amostra de profissionais obtida por adesão ao estudo (n = 79), a maioria (83,5%) relatou ter reencapado agulhas pelo menos alguma vez no último mês. Por meio da análise de regressão, foi observado que a relação entre as crenças descritas pelo modelo e a atitude de aderir ou não à recomendação de não reencapar agulhas foi explicada por uma menor percepção de barreiras psicológicas e por uma maior percepção de estímulos para não reencapar agulhas. Conclui-se que a aceitação das recomendações para prevenir acidentes do trabalho com material biológico foi explicado por algumas dimensões do Modelo de Crenças em Saúde, possibilitando a discussão sobre a reformulação de capacitações oferecidas para profissionais do sistema público de saúde.

Isolation of 34 kDa protein from spinach chloroplasts having ferrooxidase and H2O2-dependent dark O2 evolution activities.

A latent form of 'Ferrooxidase' exhibiting ferrocyanide-dependent O2 uptake was detected in the isolated spinach chloroplasts. Presence of a cationic detergent hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) in the medium was essential to induce this activity. The association of this enzyme activity with photosystem II (PSII) particles as well as the ability of PSII particles to show oxidation of H2O2 (catalase like activity) indicated its possible relationship with water oxidation system. The protein catalysing this activity was purified to homogeneity and its molecular mass was found to be 34 kDa. The purified protein showed a complete dependence on an electron acceptor, namely ferricyanide, for the oxidation of H2O2. While with ferrocyanide in the presence of CTAB, the protein exhibits the ferrooxidase activity. For both activities, a sharp pH optima at 6.1 was observed. The km for H2O2 was 12.2 mM. The purified enzyme protein contained 4 atoms of calcium and 2 atoms of iron per mole of the enzyme. Unlike catalase, the enzyme reaction was insensitive to sodium azide even at 500 microM concentration. The enzyme was found to be sensitive to metal chelators like ethylene-glycol-bis-(beta-aminoethylether) N, N+ tetra acetic acid (EGTA) (2mM), alpha,alpha-dipyridyl (500 microM) and 1,10-orthophenanthroline (200 microM). The sensitivity of the reaction to alpha,alpha-dipyridyl and 1,10-orthophenanthroline suggested the involvement of Fe2+ in the reaction. Inhibition of enzyme activity by EGTA and restoration of activity by supplementation of CaCl2 to the EGTA-dialysed sample confirmed the absolute requirement for calcium for this activity. Calcium was absent in the EGTA-dialysed enzyme. Apart from these inhibitors, NaF and NH2OH were potent inhibitors of the enzyme reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of sodium nitroprusside on potassium induced contracture in isolated vascular smooth muscle

Se investigaron los efectos de nitroprusiato de sodio sobre la actividad contráctil isométrica (TCI) y sobre la contractura inducida por ClK 60 mM en vena porta aislada de rata e incubada en condiciones en que se modifican el influjo y eflujo de calcio. En condiciones control (medio (KRB) la TCI fue de 10.61ñ0.56mN(n=13). La adición de concentraciones crecientes de NPS (no acumulativas) disminuyó la TCI de manera dosis dependente directa. El componente tónico de la contractura inducida por ClK 60 mM decayó en un 27.04ñ10.9% (n=6) depués del agregado de NPS 10-4M. El efecto relajante de la droga fue más pronunciado en presencia de nifedipina 10-10M (72.35ñ7.5% de inhibición). La sensibilidad de la preparación a NPS se redujo fuertemente en condiciones en que el eflujo de Ca+2 estaba disminuido (medio pobre en sodio = KRB sucrosa). Los experimentos aquí presentados apoyan la hipótesis de que el efecto vasodilatador de NPS podría ser atribuido a un incrementado eflujo del catión

Characterization of lnhibition by Nifedipine and Nitroprusside of the Pressor Respones to alpha1-Adrenoceptor Agonists Cirazoline and Sgd 101/75 in Pithed Rats

In this study the effects of two unrelated vasodilators, nifedipine and nitroprusside, on the pressor responsiveness to the 1-adrenoceptor full agonist cirazoline and partial agonist Sgd 101/75 in pithed rats were examined. The experiments were performed on the vasoconstriction which was mediated by newly synthetized 1-adrenoceptors after removal of existing 1-adrenoceptors by phenoxybenzamine treatment(5mg/kg, i. p.). The t1/2 for recovery of the maximum response and ED50 of cirazoline were 23.1 +/- 5.5 and 26.9 +/- 7.4 hours, respectively, while that for recovery of the maximum response of Sgd 101/75 was 59.2 +/- 18.9 hours. The relationship between the pressor response and the fractional receptor occupancy for cirazoline showed a rectangular hyperbola. This occupancy-response curve markedly shifted to the right one day after phenoxybenzamine and subsequently returned to the control, indicative of a large receptor reserve. However, for Sgd 101/75 the occupancy-response curve exerted less of a hyperbola and shifited little after phenoxybenzamine. While the maximum response to cirazoline in the control rats was resistant to inhibition by the calcium entry blocker nifedipine, this resistance was significantly reduced one and 3 days after phenoxybenzamine, just as the maximum response to Sgd 101/75 was sensitive to nifedipine in the control rats. Likewise, when nitroprusside was used instead, the results were similar for the cirazoline and Sgd 101/75 effects. In summary, it seems unlikely that the resistance to the calcium entry blocker of the full agonist effect can be wholly ascribed either to the receptor reserves or to the differential calcium utilization itself. Alternatively, it is suggested that the differential resistance to calcium antagonists can result from the magnitude of the variables involved in the activation of 1-adrenoceptor coupling processes depending on the full or partial agonist.