ABSTRACT
La silicosis es la principal neumoconiosis en Brasil. El número de trabajadores registrados ocupacionalmente expuestos por más de 30 por ciento de la jornada de trabajo es superior a 2.000.000, concentrados en los sectores de industrias de la construcción, minería, transformación de minerales no metálicos y metalúrgica. El número real de expuestos es mayor pues la informalidad del trabajo actualmente es superior al 50 por ciento. El límite de tolerancia a la sílice es 0,1 mg por m3 para una jornada de 48 horas semanales y están previstos exámenes médicos y de laboratorio periódicos para todos los expuestos a sílice. Hay datos disponibles para algunos sectores como: cerámicas, minería de carbón y mármol, que apuntan a situaciones frecuentes de exposición que sobrepasan el límite de tolerancia. Hay también datos médicos sobre la ocurrencia de silicosis, que es un grave problema en actividades ligadas a la industria naval, extracción de material de relleno y cavado de pozos. El año 2001 fue lanzado el Programa Nacional para la Eliminación de la Silicosis (PNES), en consonancia con la propuesta Internacional del Programa de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) y la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), con el objetivo de disminuir la incidencia de silicosis para el 2015 y eliminarla como problema de Salud Pública para el 2030.
Subject(s)
Humans , Occupational Diseases , Silicosis , Brazil , Silicon Dioxide/adverse effects , PneumoconiosisABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Despite the established implication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in congenital infection, there are still conflicting reports regarding the association of HCMV with spontaneous abortion. Viral antigens and nucleic acid were already described in tissues from abortions cases, but did not indicate HCMV pathogenical role. OBJECTIVES: (1) To access viral seroprevalence (total and IgM antibodies) in pregnant, non-pregnant and in women in abortion process, (2) to evaluate if antigenemia assay can detect active infection in these populations, (3) to detect viral DNA in peripheral leukocytes, and (4) in abortion tissues. STUDY DESIGN: Blood samples from 95 patients in abortion process and from two control groups (40 pregnant and 60 non-pregnant women) were obtained for determination of viral seroprevalence, for detection of antigen and viral DNA by PCR from peripheral leukocytes. Specimens obtained from 88 patients in abortion process, spontaneous or induced, were submitted to gB gene amplification (PCR and nested-PCR). RESULTS: Viral seroprevalence were found in 97.3 with 2.5% of IgM positive cases. Antigenemia assay were negative in all cases, however, viral nucleic acid were found in 6.3 and in 6.0% of the patients in abortion and in control groups, respectively. Nucleic acid in conception tissue was present in 6.6%. CONCLUSION: This high seroprevalence observed is according to previous surveys in Brazil. If active infection due to viral reactivation occurred during the abortion process, it cannot be accessed by antigenemia or anti-IgM assays. Nucleic acid found by PCR in peripheral blood cells enriched with polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) corresponds to viral circulation in immunocompetent person, as similar results were found for the three groups. Although viral DNA had been found in 6.6% from abortion tissues, this result does not support HCMV as a major abortion-related factor as we could not found any correlation between abortion and active HCMV infection.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Spontaneous/epidemiology , Abortion, Spontaneous/virology , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Cytomegalovirus Infections/epidemiology , Cytomegalovirus/immunology , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology , Brazil/epidemiology , Cytomegalovirus/isolation & purification , Cytomegalovirus Infections/virology , DNA, Viral/blood , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/virology , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Viral Envelope Proteins/geneticsABSTRACT
Twenty children, with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP) and under classical, physiotherapeutical and pedagogical, treatment, received piracetam (pyrrolidine acetamide) as an auxiliary drug. The goal was to better spasticity, learning and nervous instability problems aiming at better results of over-all treatment of CP. The group that received the drug has been compared to a control group of 20 children treated by the customary treatment only. The comparison showed favourable results for the medicated group. The drug was administered in the dose of 80 mg/kg/day during 10 weeks. The criteria for evaluation have been psychological, clinical, physiotherapeutical and pedagogical. The drug has been given in a new form of presentation: 6% solution for oral use.
