Clindamicina para el tratamiento de infecciones dentales / Clindamycin for the treatment of dental infections

La clindamicina es un antibiótico de amplio espectro con actividad contra los aerobios grampositivos y una extensa gama de bacterias anaerobias, entre ellas los patógenos productores de betalactamasa. Los estudios in vitro e in vivo han demostrado que este fármaco alcanza una concentración elevada en el punto de infección, reduce la virulencia de las bacterias y refuerza las actividades fagocíticas de los linfocitos inmunitarios del huésped. La clindamicina por vía oral se absorbe con rapidez y eficacia, y su concentración permanece por encima de la concentración inhibidora mínima de la mayoría de los organismos por lo menos durante 6 horas. En este análisis, presentaremos pruebas de la eficacia e inocuidad de la clindamicina en el tratamiento de las infecciones odontogénicas con datos de estudios preclínicos y clínicos, los cuales avalan la aplicación general de este antibiótico como antiinfeccioso en el campo de la odontología.

Clindamycin is an antibiotic of wide range of action with a great activity against aerobic gram-positive germs and a broad spectrum of anaerobic bacteria, among which we can find the pathogenic agents that produce Beta-lactamase. The in vitro and in vivo have shown that this medicine reaches a high concentration at the infection point, reduces the bacteria virulence, and strengthens the phagocytic activity of the immunizing lymphocyte of the host. Clindamycin through oral ingestion is absorbed very quickly and effectively, and its concentration remains the same above the minimum inhibitory concentration of most of the organisms at least for six hours. In this analysis, we will introduce some proofs about the effectiveness and innocuousness of clindamycin in the treatment of odontogenic infections. This data is based upon clinical and pre-clinical studies that support the general use of this mentioned antibiotic as an anti-infectious agent in the field of odontology.

An evaluation of the use of colonized periphyton as an indicator of wastewater impact in near-coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

Receiving water impacts of point source discharges to the Gulf of Mexico are seldom reported on indigenous flora. The objective of this research was to evaluate the ability of colonized periphyton to provide this information. Water quality and biomass and pigment concentrations of the periphyton were determined at 27 stations located above and below 8 wastewater discharges. Most physicochemical parameters and concentrations of pesticides and PCBs were either unchanged or below detection in the receiving waters, which contrasted occasional increases in concentrations of several trace metals and nutrients. The response of the periphyton was specific to the wastewater, colonization station, response parameter, and colonization period. Statistically significant differences in biomass and pigment content occurred for at least one colonization station located below each of the eight outfalls. This represented a total of 18 of the 21 stations located in wastewater-impacted areas. Phytostimulation was more common than inhibition. Ash-free dry weight increased, on average, by 181% (+/- 1 SD = 123%) and chlorophyll a increased by 356% (+/- 593%) in wastewater-impacted areas. The in situ phytostimulation paralleled the stimulatory trend observed in standardized NPDES whole effluent tests conducted with cultured microalgae for four of eight wastewaters. The use of colonized periphyton as an indicator of wastewater impact was not simple. Spatial variation in response needs consideration to ensure relevancy of the results if this assessment methodology is used for near-coastal wastewater hazard evaluations.

Measuring public hospital costs: empirical evidence from the Dominican Republic.

Effective analysis of hospital performance requires the existence of accurate cost and output data. However, these are missing ingredients in most developing countries due to lack of information systems or other sources of data. Typically, expenditures are substituted for actual costs in analyzing hospital finance. This paper presents a methodology and analysis of the actual costs of inpatient, emergency, and outpatient services in a Dominican hospital. Through applying a set of survey instruments to a large sample of patients, the study measures and costs all hospital staff time, in-kind goods (drugs, medical supplies, reagents, etc.), overhead, and the depreciated value of plant and equipment related to the treatment of each patient. The results are striking. The budget is over 50% higher than the actual costs of services, reflecting the high cost of waste, down time, and low productivity. For example, high fixed costs translate into immunizations that on the average cost over 20% more than outpatient surgical interventions. The most disturbing finding is that although physicians represent the bulk of personnel spending, the surveys could account for only 12% of the contracted time of staff physicians, including time dedicated to treatment, supervision, administration, and teaching. As a proportion of the hospital total budget, personnel spending represents a high 84%. Yet staff costs for patient treatment never exceed 12%. These results suggest gross inefficiency, chaotic medical care organization, and poor hospital management.

Private payers of health care in Brazil: characteristics, costs and coverage

The private sector is the predominant provider of health care in Brazil, particularly for inpatient services, and financing is a mix of public (through a prospective reimbursement system) and private. Roughly a quarter of the population has private insurance coverage, reflecting rapid growth in the past decade fuelled by the crisis in the public reimbursement system and the perceived deterioration of publicly provided care. Four major forms of insurance exist: (1) prepaid group practice; (2) medical cooperatives, physician owned and operated preferred provider organizations; (3) company health plans where employers ensure employee access to services under various types of arrangements from direct provision to purchasing of private services; and (4) health indemnity insurance. Each type of plan includes a wide variety of subplans from basic individual/family coverage to comprehensive executive coverage. The paper discusses the characteristics, costs and utilization patterns of all types of privately financed care, as well as the major problems associated with private financing: the limited package of benefits and low payout ceilings, inadequate consumer information and virtually no regulation.

Private payers of health care in Brazil: characteristics, costs and coverage.

The private sector is the predominant provider of health care in Brazil, particularly for inpatient services, and financing is a mix of public (through a prospective reimbursement system) and private. Roughly a quarter of the population has private insurance coverage, reflecting rapid growth in the past decade fuelled by the crisis in the public reimbursement system and the perceived deterioration of publicly provided care. Four major forms of insurance exist: (1) prepaid group practice; (2) medical cooperatives, physician owned and operated preferred provider organizations; (3) company health plans where employers ensure employee access to services under various types of arrangements from direct provision to purchasing of private services; and (4) health indemnity insurance. Each type of plan includes a wide variety of subplans from basic individual/family coverage to comprehensive executive coverage. The paper discusses the characteristics, costs and utilization patterns of all types of privately financed care, as well as the major problems associated with private financing: the limited package of benefits and low payout ceilings, inadequate consumer information and virtually no regulation.

Policy and implementation of user fees in Jamaican public hospitals.

User fees and other forms of copayment for health care are becoming of increasing interest to policymakers in developing countries. As indigenous populations continue to expand in response to current and historically high fertility, and government resources become constrained due to macroeconomic circumstances, publicly provided health care is being squeezed financially. Most developing countries have committed their governments to either providing for all health care or at least ensuring that all citizens have access to health care regardless of ability to pay. This has translated in most contexts into blanket coverage for the entire population financed and generally provided by the government. Recent periods of slow growth, high debt burdens and restricted spending on high recurrent cost sectors, such as health care under International Monetary Fund and other donor agreements have reduced many developing countries' budgets and often the real value of health expenditures. The costs of inputs (personnel, drugs and consumables), however, have not declined and quality or quantity have been necessarily reduced. At the same time, options for financial relief outside the tax system have become of increasing interest to financially constrained governments. User charges are straightforward, easily understood and can in theory be profitable in the short term. From a fairness perspective, they also charge those who actually use the health system. Their major drawback for policymakers is the potential for undermining equity in the health system.

Impact of the Children's Epilepsy Program on parents.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Santiago, Chile to test the efficacy of the Children's Epilepsy Program, a child-centered, family-focused intervention developed and pilot tested in Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A., using a counseling model for parents of children with seizure disorders to help them (a) deal with their anger, resentment, and grief related to the loss of a normal child; (b) increase their knowledge about caring for their child; (c) reduce anxieties related to having a child with a seizure disorder; and (d) improve their decision-making skills. All parents were pretested and then retested 5 months after the educational interventions. Parents in the experimental group (n = 185) and their children separately attended four 1 1/2-h sessions and then met together at the end of each session to share learning experiences. Comparison group parents (n = 180) and their children jointly attended three 2-h lecture sessions followed by question-and-answer periods. Although parents' overall knowledge of epilepsy was relatively high initially, it improved considerably in both comparison and experimental groups. With regard to anxiety, at the 5-month evaluation, experimental group parents and mothers in particular were more likely than control parents to state that they were less anxious (p less than 0.001), and their anxiety, as measured by the Taylor Manifest Anxiety scale, was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01).