Medicalização do sofrimento psíquico na Atenção Primária à Saúde em um município do interior do Ceará / Medicalization of psychic suffering in Primary Health Care in a small town in the state of Ceara, Brazil

Resumo Este trabalho objetiva discutir como o fenômeno da medicalização do sofrimento psíquico se apresenta no discurso e na prática dos profissionais da Atenção Primária à Saúde. Foram realizadas observações sistemáticas e entrevistas semidiretivas com sete trabalhadores do município de Iguatu, Ceará, Brasil. A análise dos dados foi feita através da Análise de Conteúdo, de Bardin. Os resultados apontaram para uma centralidade no uso de medicação para atender o sofrimento psíquico que chega às unidades de saúde. Os profissionais discorreram sobre o medicamento enquanto uma estratégia rápida e eficiente, que, em consonância com a literatura pesquisada, pode ser utilizada como um dispositivo de controle do sujeito em adoecimento psíquico. Considera-se possível mobilizar, junto aos profissionais, espaços de discussão que apontem para o cuidado da pessoa com sofrimento psíquico através do uso de tecnologias leves, como escuta, vínculo e diálogo.

Abstract This paper aims to discuss how the phenomenon of the medicalization of psychological distress appears in the discourse and practice of Primary Health Care professionals. Systematic observations and semi-directive interviews were conducted with seven workers in the city of Iguatu, Ceará, Brazil. Data analysis was performed using Bardin's Content Analysis. The results pointed to a centrality in the use of medication to attend the psychological suffering that reaches the health units. The professionals spoke about the medication as a quick and efficient strategy, which, in line with the researched literature, can be used as a device to control the subject in psychic illness. It is considered possible to mobilize discussion spaces with professionals that point to the care of people with psychological distress through the use of light technologies, such as listening, bonding and dialogue.Resumo: Este trabalho objetiva discutir como o fenômeno da medicalização do sofrimento psíquico se apresenta no discurso e na prática dos profissionais da Atenção Primária à Saúde. Foram realizadas observações sistemáticas e entrevistas semidiretivas com sete trabalhadores do município de Iguatu, Ceará, Brasil. A análise dos dados foi feita através da Análise de Conteúdo, de Bardin. Os resultados apontaram para uma centralidade no uso de medicação para atender o sofrimento psíquico que chega às unidades de saúde. Os profissionais discorreram sobre o medicamento enquanto uma estratégia rápida e eficiente, que, em consonância com a literatura pesquisada, pode ser utilizada como um dispositivo de controle do sujeito em adoecimento psíquico. Considera-se possível mobilizar, junto aos profissionais, espaços de discussão que apontem para o cuidado da pessoa com sofrimento psíquico através do uso de tecnologias leves, como escuta, vínculo e diálogo.

Potentially inappropriate prescriptions to Brazilian older people with Alzheimer disease: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: Older adults are the leading users of medications, where this can be associated with a high number of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) and consequent harm to health. No Brazilian study evaluating potentially inappropriate prescribing in older patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) was found. This study determined and analyzed the prevalence of PIP and PIM prescribed for older people with AD.A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Specialty Drugs Pharmacy in the city of Sorocaba, São Paulo State, Brazil. The MEDEX system provided the register in older people with AD and data were collected during interviews with patients and/or caregivers between June and September 2017. The PIMs were identified according to the 2019 Beers Criteria. The association between PIMs and independent variables was analyzed by Poisson regression.This study included 234 older patients with AD. The prevalence of PIP prescribed was 66.7% (n = 156). Of the 1073 medications prescribed, 30.5% (n = 327) were inappropriate with most affecting the central nervous system or cardiovascular, particularly quetiapine (12.8%) and acetylsalicylic acid (11.6%), respectively. Around 45.2% of the PIMs should be avoided in older people, especially sertraline (14.2%) and clonazepam (7.4%). After adjusted analysis, the PIMs were associated with the diagnosis of depression (P = 0.010) and the number of comorbidities (P = 0.005).There was a high number of PIMs among older people, a substantial number of which should have been avoided in this population. Health care professionals can apply these findings to improve safety in the use of medications for treating patients with AD.

A systematic review on the neuroprotective perspectives of beta-caryophyllene.

Beta (ß)-caryophyllene (BCAR) is a major sesquiterpene of various plant essential oils reported for several important pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, nephroprotective, antimicrobial, and immune-modulatory activity. Recent studies suggest that it also possesses neuroprotective effect. This study reviews published reports pertaining to the neuropharmacological activities of BCAR. Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, MedLine Plus, and Google Scholar with keywords "beta (ß)-caryophyllene" and other neurological keywords were searched. Data were extracted by referring to articles with information about the dose or concentration/route of administration, test system, results and discussion, and proposed mechanism of action. A total of 545 research articles were recorded, and 41 experimental studies were included in this review, after application of exclusion criterion. Search results suggest that BCAR exhibits a protective role in a number of nervous system-related disorders including pain, anxiety, spasm, convulsion, depression, alcoholism, and Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, BCAR has local anesthetic-like activity, which could protect the nervous system from oxidative stress and inflammation and can act as an immunomodulatory agent. Most neurological activities of this natural product have been linked with the cannabinoid receptors (CBRs), especially the CB2R. This review suggests a possible application of BCAR as a neuroprotective agent.

Lactancia materna y tratamiento con litio: Caso clínico / Lithium while breastfeeding: Case report

El tratamiento con litio forma parte de la terapia habitual en las personas que sufren el trastorno bipolar. Habitualmente, aquellas madres que desean dar el pecho a sus hijos son sometidas a la disyuntiva entre modificar el tratamiento o bien administrar lactancia artificial. La administración de litio durante la lactancia materna se ha asociado con diversos efectos adversos en el lactante, tales como alteraciones tiroideas, hipotermia o hipotonía, entre otros. Son pocas las publicaciones en las que no se observan dichas anomalías en los lactantes. A continuación, se presenta el caso de un lactante amamantado por su madre en tratamiento con litio que no presentó alteraciones renales ni tiroideas.

Lithium therapy is currently a cornerstone of treatment for mothers who suffer bipolar disorders. Those who wish to breastfeed their children are often told they have to decide whether modifying the treatment for their disorder or even avoiding lactation. Lithium administration during breastfeeding has been described to produce certain side effects such as thyroid disorders, hypothermia and hypotonia. To our knowledge, there are few publications where infants have no laboratory abnormalities. Here we present the case of an infant without renal or thyroid alteration while he was breastfed.

[Lithium while breastfeeding: Case report]. / Lactancia materna y tratamiento con litio: Caso clínico.

Lithium therapy is currently a cornerstone of treatment for mothers who suffer bipolar disorders. Those who wish to breastfeed their children are often told they have to decide whether modifying the treatment for their disorder or even avoiding lactation. Lithium administration during breastfeeding has been described to produce certain side effects such as thyroid disorders, hypothermia and hypotonia. To our knowledge, there are few publications where infants have no laboratory abnormalities. Here we present the case of an infant without renal or thyroid alteration while he was breastfed.

El tratamiento con litio forma parte de la terapia habitual en las personas que sufren el trastorno bipolar. Habitualmente, aquellas madres que desean dar el pecho a sus hijos son sometidas a la disyuntiva entre modificar el tratamiento o bien administrar lactancia artificial. La administración de litio durante la lactancia materna se ha asociado con diversos efectos adversos en el lactante, tales como alteraciones tiroideas, hipotermia o hipotonía, entre otros. Son pocas las publicaciones en las que no se observan dichas anomalías en los lactantes. A continuación, se presenta el caso de un lactante amamantado por su madre en tratamiento con litio que no presentó alteraciones renales ni tiroideas.

Prescribing errors intercepted by pharmacist intervention in care of patients hospitalised with breast and gynaecological cancer at a Brazilian teaching hospital.

Oncologic inpatients often require multiple drug therapy. They may be at higher risk of experiencing prescribing errors, which pharmacist interventions may help to avoid. This study aimed to evaluate the types of prescribing errors, pharmaceutical interventions and differences in clinical significance, in prescriptions for hospitalised patients with breast and gynaecological cancer. A cross-sectional, prospective study was conducted at the oncology ward of a clinic specialised in breast and gynaecology cancer. A clinical pharmacist analysed prescriptions, identified errors, performed interventions and classified clinical significance. A total of 1,874 prescriptions of 248 patients were evaluated; 11.5% prescriptions were involved at least in one prescribing error, totalising 283 errors. The most common error was unsafe medication due to drug interaction (89[31.4%]). Drugs for the alimentary tract and metabolism, and nervous system were the most involved in errors with statistical association (p = .0246 and p = .0002 respectively). Of the 294 interventions, 73.5% were accepted. The clinical significance of prescribing errors and interventions were classified as significant and very significant respectively. The pharmacist interventions obtained a good acceptance rate and impact significantly, avoiding prescribing errors classified as significant.

[Autism spectrum disorder: Etiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects]. / El trastorno del espectro autista: aspectos etiológicos, diagnósticos y terapéuticos.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was described for the first time in 1943 by Leo Kanner, and since 2004, 18 490 articles in the subject have been published, which in turn have been cited 48 416 times.1 Almost half of these publications come from the United States of America and the vast maority of the efforts to improve the quality of life of these patients have taken place in developed countries. This disorder consists of an inability to acquire social and emotional skills during early development that progressively results in variable degrees of social adaptation discapacity. The etiology is multifactorial and includes functional and structural neurological abnormalities, some of them with putative genetic and/or epigenetic origin. There is an alarming lack of knowledge in the subject among health care professionals. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the most relevant historical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of ASD.

El trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) fue descrito por primera vez en 1943 por Leo Kanner, y desde entonces se han publicado 18 490 artículos, los cuales han sido citados 48 416 veces.1 Cerca de la mitad de estas publicaciones provienen de los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica y la mayoría de los esfuerzos para mejorar las condiciones de vida de estos pacientes tienen lugar en países desarrollados. El trastorno consiste en un desfase en la adquisición de habilidades socioemocionales durante el desarrollo temprano y, como consecuencia, la instalación progresiva y variable de una discapacidad de adaptación social. La etiología es multifactorial e incluye alteraciones neurológicas funcionales y estructurales de origen genético y epigenético. Existe un grave desconocimiento de este tema entre los profesionales de la salud por lo que esta revisión sistemática pretende resumir los aspectos históricos, diagnósticos y terapéuticos más relevantes del TEA.

What Have Proteomic Studies Taught Us About Novel Drug Targets in Autism?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a heterogeneous group of conditions with complex behavioural phenotypes. Although ASDs show a high rate of heritability, genetic research alone has not provided a complete understanding of the underlying causes. Recent developments using imaging techniques and proteomic-based molecular profiling approaches have now begun to generate new insights into the underlying pathways affected in both the brain and the periphery in individuals with these conditions. Of potential high importance is the constant finding of gender-specific biomarker profiles in ASD patients. This suggests that there are either distinct adaptive mechanisms or different aetiological causes in male and female ASD patients. This chapter addresses the findings using these approaches with a view to identification of novel drug targets or new treatment strategies based on personalized medicine objectives. Eventually, this will lead to a better disease understanding of ASD at the physiological and molecular levels, which may facilitate novel drug discovery efforts in this challenging area of medicine.

Fish oil improves anxiety-like, depressive-like and cognitive behaviors in olfactory bulbectomised rats.

Depression is increasingly present in the population, and its pathophysiology and treatment have been investigated with several animal models, including olfactory bulbectomy (Obx). Fish oil (FO) supplementation during the prenatal and postnatal periods decreases depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors. The present study evaluated the effect of FO supplementation on Obx-induced depressive-like behavior and cognitive impairment. Female rats received supplementation with FO during habituation, mating, gestation, and lactation, and their pups were subjected to Obx in adulthood; after the recovery period, the adult offspring were subjected to behavioral tests, and the hippocampal levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serotonin (5-HT) and the metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic (5-HIAA) were determined. Obx led to increased anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors, and impairment in the object location task. All behavioral changes were reversed by FO supplementation. Obx caused reductions in the levels of hippocampal BDNF and 5-HT, whereas FO supplementation restored these levels to normal values. In control rats, FO increased the hippocampal level of 5-HT and reduced that of 5-HIAA, indicating low 5-HT metabolism in this brain region. The present results indicate that FO supplementation during critical periods of brain development attenuated anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors and cognitive dysfunction induced by Obx. These results may be explained by increased levels of hippocampal BDNF and 5-HT, two major regulators of neuronal survival and long-term plasticity in this brain structure.

A current overview of cannabinoids and glucocorticoids in facilitating extinction of aversive memories: potential extinction enhancers.

Emotional learning is extremely important for the survival of an individual. However, once acquired, emotional associations are not always expressed. The regulation of emotional responses under different environmental conditions is essential for mental health. Indeed, pathologic feelings of fear and anxiety are defining features of many serious psychiatric illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and specific phobias. The simplest form of regulation of emotional responses is extinction, in which the conditioned response to a stimulus decreases when reinforcement (stimulus) is omitted. In addition to modulating basal anxiety states, recent studies suggest an important role for the endocannabinoid (eCB) and glucocorticoid systems in the modulation of emotional states and extinction of aversive memories in animals. The purpose of this review is to briefly outline the animal models of fear extinction and to describe how these have been used to examine the potential of extinction enhancing agents which specifically alter the eCB and glucocorticoid systems. Pharmacological manipulations of these systems by agents such as cannabinoid or glucocorticoid agonists can enhance the extinction process and avoid the retention of memories which have the potential to trigger trauma. A better understanding of these findings through animal models highlights the possibilities of using combined extinction enhancing agents in exposure-based psychotherapies for anxiety disorders related to inappropriate retention of aversive memories. This article is part of a special issue entitled 'Cognitive Enhancers'.