Longitudinal assessment of D-dimer and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 plasma levels in pregnant women with risk factors for preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: Investigating D-Dimer/D-Di and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1/PAI-1 levels throughout gestation in women with preeclampsia/PE risk factors. METHODS: D-Di and PAI-1 plasma levels were determined in 28 women at 12-19, 20-29, 30-34 and 35-40 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: D-Di was lower at 12-19 weeks and higher at 30-34 weeks in women who developed PE versus who did not develop it. D-Di increased throughout gestation in both groups, peaking earlier in pregnant women who developed PE versus who did not develop it. PA1-1 increased across gestation, but it didn't differ between groups. CONCLUSION: D-Di was able to discriminate these groups of women at 12-19 and 30-34 weeks of gestation.

Integração ensino-serviço: experiência potencializada pelo Programa de Educação pelo Trabalho para a Saúde - Eixo Educação Permanente / Teaching-service integration: experiences of the Health Work Education Program designed around the core theme Continuing Education / Integración enseñanza-servicio: experiencia potenciada por el Programa de Educación por medio del Trabajo para la Salud - Eje Educación Permanente

O objetivo deste estudo é relatar as experiências do Programa de Educação pelo Trabalho para a Saúde (PET-Saúde) em uma maternidade pública de João Pessoa, Paraíba (PB), Brasil, pontuando as ações desenvolvidas na integração ensino-serviço. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, do tipo relato de experiência, acerca da vivência do grupo PET-Saúde no desenvolvimento de oficinas problematizadoras com os trabalhadores, voltadas à temática da educação permanente. Temas como humanização do cuidado, integração ensino-serviço e necessidade de espaços formativos para os profissionais foram discutidos. Como desdobramento, o PET sugeriu a pactuação de uma nova dinâmica para funcionamento do Centro de Estudos da instituição e criação de um informativo para potencializar a comunicação institucional. Nota-se que a inserção do PET-Saúde no serviço possibilitou a construção de novos processos formativos, orientados na perspectiva da educação permanente.(AU)

This article documents the experiences of the Health Work Education Program ( PET-Saúde ) in a public maternity facility in João Pessoa, Brazil, highlighting teaching-service integration actions. A descriptive study was conducted to investigate the experiences of the PET-Saúde group during the development of staff workshops designed to problematize continuing education. Themes like the humanization of care, teaching-service integration, and the need for formative spaces for professionals were discussed. As a result of this process, the PET suggested the agreement of a new dynamic for the day-to-day functioning of the facility's study center and creation of a bulletin to increase the effectiveness of institutional communication. The PET-Saúde enabled the facility to build new formative processes shaped by a continuing education perspective.(AU)

El objetivo de este estudio es relatar las experiencias del Programa de Educación por el Trabajo para la Salud (PET-Salud) en una maternidad pública de la ciudad de João Pessoa, Estado de Paraíba/PB, Brasil, puntuando las acciones desarrolladas en la integración enseñanza-servicio. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, del tipo de relato de experiencia, sobre la vivencia del grupo PET-Salud en el desarrollo de talleres de problematización con los trabajadores, enfocados en la temática de la educación permanente. Se discutieron temas como humanización del cuidado, integración enseñanza-servicio y necesidad de espacios formativos para los profesionales. Como desdoblamiento, el PET sugirió el pacto de una nueva dinámica para funcionamiento del Centro de Estudios de la institución y creación de un informativo para potenciar la comunicación institucional. Se observa que la inserción del PET-Salud en el servicio posibilitó la construcción de nuevos procesos formativos, orientados hacia la perspectiva de la educación permanente.(AU)

Equine infectious anemia prevalence in feral donkeys from Northeast Brazil.

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Although the virus infects all members of the Equidae the vast majority of studies have been conducted in horses (Equus caballus) with comparatively little information available for other equid species. Brazil has one of the most abundant donkey (E. asinus) populations of any nation although the economic importance of these animals is declining as transportation becomes increasingly mechanized. As a result, considerable numbers of donkeys especially in the Northeast of the country have been released and allowed pursue an almost feral existence. Consequently, this large and growing population constitutes a significant risk as a reservoir for the maintenance and transmission of important equine infectious diseases such as glanders and equine arteritis virus in addition to EIAV. This study examines the prevalence of EIA in a semi-wild donkey population from Mossoró city, in Northeast Brazil, using AGID followed by cELISA, rgp90 ELISA and immunoblot (IB). Serum samples were collected from 367 donkeys without obvious EIA clinical signs. Subsequent testing revealed seropositive rates of 1.6% (6/367) in officially approved AGID tests, 3.3% (12/367) in cELISA and 14.4% (53/367) in the rgp90 ELISA. However, 88.7% (47/53) of the rgp90 ELISA positive samples were almost certainly false reactions because they failed to react with two or more antigens in IB. Consequently, the rpg90 ELISA has a similar sensitivity to AGID with donkey serum samples. Such high false positive rates have not been observed previously with serum samples from horses. Another highly significant finding is that 56.9% (33/58) of the donkey serum samples tested in IB had reactivity to EIAV p26 only. Although this could result from recent infection with the virus, it has been found that in some equids p26 only reactivity persists for extensive periods of time suggesting exposure to antigens possessing cross-reactive determinants or EIAV strains with envelope glycoproteins that are different from any that have been previously characterized and so undetectable by current IB techniques.

Dangerous universal donors: the reality of the Hemocentro in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

BACKGROUND: The term dangerous universal blood donor refers to potential agglutination of the erythrocytes of non-O recipients due to plasma of an O blood group donor, which contains high titers of anti-A and/or anti-B hemagglutinins. Thus, prior titration of anti-A and anti-B hemagglutinins is recommended to prevent transfusion reactions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of dangerous universal donors in the blood bank of Belo Horizonte (Fundação Central de Imuno-Hematologia - Fundação Hemominas - Minas Gerais) by determining the titers of anti-A and anti-B hemagglutinins in O blood group donors. METHOD: A total of 400 O blood group donors were randomly selected, from March 2014 to January 2015. The titers of anti-A and anti-B hemagglutinins (IgM and IgG classes) were obtained using the tube titration technique. Dangerous donors were those whose titers of anti-A or anti-B IgM were ≥128 and/or the titers of anti-A or anti-B IgG were ≥256. Donors were characterized according to gender, age and ethnicity. The hemagglutinins were characterized by specificity (anti-A and anti-B) and antibody class (IgG and IgM). RESULTS: Almost one-third (30.5%) of the O blood group donors were universal dangerous. The frequency among women was higher than that of men (p-value=0.019; odds ratio: 1.66; 95% confidence interval: 1.08-2.56) and among young donors (18-29 years old) it was higher than for donors between 49 and 59 years old (p-value=0.015; odds ratio: 3.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.22-7.69). There was no significant association between dangerous universal donors and ethnicity, agglutinin specificity or antibody class. CONCLUSION: Especially platelet concentrates obtained by apheresis (that contain a substantial volume of plasma), coming from dangerous universal donors should be transfused in isogroup recipients whenever possible in order to prevent the occurrence of transfusion reactions.

Dangerous universal donors: the reality of the Hemocentro in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Background: The term dangerous universal blood donor refers to potential agglutination of the erythrocytes of non-O recipients due to plasma of an O blood group donor, which contains high titers of anti-A and/or anti-B hemagglutinins. Thus, prior titration of anti-A and anti-B hemagglutinins is recommended to prevent transfusion reactions. Objective: The aim ofthis study was to estimate the frequency of dangerous universal donors in the blood bank of Belo Horizonte (Fundac¸ão Central de Imuno-Hematologia ­ Fundac¸ão Hemominas ­ Minas Gerais) by determining the titers of anti-A and anti-B hemagglutinins in O blood group donors. Method: A total of 400 O blood group donors were randomly selected, from March 2014 to January 2015. The titers of anti-A and anti-B hemagglutinins (IgM and IgG classes) were obtained using the tube titration technique. Dangerous donors were those whose titers of anti-A or anti-B IgM were ≥128 and/or the titers of anti-A or anti-B IgG were ≥256. Donors were characterized according to gender, age and ethnicity. The hemagglutinins were characterized by specificity (anti-A and anti-B) and antibody class (IgG and IgM). Results: Almost one-third (30.5%) of the O blood group donors were universal dangerous. The frequency among women was higher than that of men (p-value = 0.019; odds ratio: 1.66; 95% confidence interval: 1.08­2.56) and among young donors (18­29 years old) it was higher than for donors between 49 and 59 years old (p-value = 0.015; odds ratio: 3.05; 95% confi- dence interval: 1.22­7.69). There was no significant association between dangerous universal donors and ethnicity, agglutinin specificity or antibody class. Conclusion: Especially platelet concentrates obtained by apheresis (that contain a substantial volume of plasma), coming from dangerous universal donors should be transfused in isogroup recipients whenever possible in order to prevent the occurrence of transfusion reactions

Estudo comparativo de protocolos de imunodifusão em gel de agar para o diagnóstico da anemia infecciosa equina no Brasil / Comparative study of agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) protocols for the diagnosis of equine infectious anemia in Brazil

Para avaliar diferentes protocolos da imunodifusão em gel de ágar (IDGA) para diagnóstico da anemia infecciosa equina (AIE), foram utilizados dois kits comerciais de IDGA: kit A importado e kit B fabricado no Brasil. O kit A foi submetido aos protocolos recomendados pela Organização Mundial de Saúde Animal (OIE) e Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA). O kit B, nacional, foi submetido somente ao protocolo recomendado pelo MAPA e foi utilizado como referência nesse estudo. Foi utilizado um total de 345 amostras de soro que incluiu amostras de campo, amostras de laboratórios oficiais e controle fraco positivo proveniente do National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL, EUA). Foram avaliados parâmetros tais como a sensibilidade do kit A nos dois protocolos, o limite de detecção dos kits e a ocorrência de reações não específicas ou não-identidade. O teste IDGA com o kit A, quando realizado de acordo com o protocolo recomendado pelo OIE, demonstrou boa concordância com o kit B e 99% de sensibilidade relativa. No entanto, quando o kit A foi executado com o protocolo recomendado pelo MAPA, houve falha na detecção de 1,16% de amostras fracas positivas, e sua sensibilidade relativa diminuiu para 96%. O limite de detecção do kit A foi menor do que o limite de detecção do kit B para amostras fracas positivas em ambos os protocolos. A ocorrência de reações inespecífi

To evaluate the Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) protocols, two different kits commercially available in Brazil were used: an imported kit (kit A) and a domestically produced kit (kit B). Kit A was submitted to the protocols recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the protocol recommended by the Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA). Kit B, the Brazilian kit, was submitted only to the MAPA-recommended protocol and was used as a reference in this study. A total of 345 equid serum samples, including field samples, serum sets from official laboratories and a weak positive serum control from National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), were used. Parameters such as the sensitivity of kit A in the two protocols, the detection limit of kits and the occurrence of nonspecific reactions or non-identity were evaluated. When Kit A was used for an AGID procedure performed according to the OIE-recommended protocol, the kit demonstrated good agreement with kit B and 99 % relative sensitivity. However, when kit A was processed according to the MAPA-recommended protocol, it failed to detect 1.16 % of weak positive samples and its relative sensitivity decreased to 96 %. The detection limit of kit A was lower than the detection limit of kit B for weak positive samples in both protocols. The occurrence of nonidentity

Estudo comparativo de protocolos de imunodifusão em gel de agar para o diagnóstico da anemia infecciosa equina no Brasil / Comparative study of agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) protocols for the diagnosis of equine infectious anemia in Brazil

Para avaliar diferentes protocolos da imunodifusão em gel de ágar (IDGA) para diagnóstico da anemia infecciosa equina (AIE), foram utilizados dois kits comerciais de IDGA: kit A importado e kit B fabricado no Brasil. O kit A foi submetido aos protocolos recomendados pela Organização Mundial de Saúde Animal (OIE) e Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA). O kit B, nacional, foi submetido somente ao protocolo recomendado pelo MAPA e foi utilizado como referência nesse estudo. Foi utilizado um total de 345 amostras de soro que incluiu amostras de campo, amostras de laboratórios oficiais e controle fraco positivo proveniente do National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL, EUA). Foram avaliados parâmetros tais como a sensibilidade do kit A nos dois protocolos, o limite de detecção dos kits e a ocorrência de reações não específicas ou não-identidade. O teste IDGA com o kit A, quando realizado de acordo com o protocolo recomendado pelo OIE, demonstrou boa concordância com o kit B e 99% de sensibilidade relativa. No entanto, quando o kit A foi executado com o protocolo recomendado pelo MAPA, houve falha na detecção de 1,16% de amostras fracas positivas, e sua sensibilidade relativa diminuiu para 96%. O limite de detecção do kit A foi menor do que o limite de detecção do kit B para amostras fracas positivas em ambos os protocolos. A ocorrência de reações inespecífi

To evaluate the Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) protocols, two different kits commercially available in Brazil were used: an imported kit (kit A) and a domestically produced kit (kit B). Kit A was submitted to the protocols recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the protocol recommended by the Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA). Kit B, the Brazilian kit, was submitted only to the MAPA-recommended protocol and was used as a reference in this study. A total of 345 equid serum samples, including field samples, serum sets from official laboratories and a weak positive serum control from National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), were used. Parameters such as the sensitivity of kit A in the two protocols, the detection limit of kits and the occurrence of nonspecific reactions or non-identity were evaluated. When Kit A was used for an AGID procedure performed according to the OIE-recommended protocol, the kit demonstrated good agreement with kit B and 99 % relative sensitivity. However, when kit A was processed according to the MAPA-recommended protocol, it failed to detect 1.16 % of weak positive samples and its relative sensitivity decreased to 96 %. The detection limit of kit A was lower than the detection limit of kit B for weak positive samples in both protocols. The occurrence of nonidentity

Recombinant envelope protein (rgp90) ELISA for equine infectious anemia virus provides comparable results to the agar gel immunodiffusion.

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is an important viral infection affecting horses worldwide. The course of infection is accompanied generally by three characteristic stages: acute, chronic and inapparent. There is no effective EIA vaccine or treatment, and the control of the disease is based currently on identification of EIAV inapparent carriers by laboratory tests. Recombinant envelope protein (rgp90) was expressed in Escherichia coli and evaluated via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There was an excellent agreement (95.42%) between the ELISA results using rgp90 and agar gel immunodiffusion test results. AGID is considered the "gold-standard" serologic test for equine infectious anemia (EIA). After 1160 serum samples were tested, the relative sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA were 96.1% and 96.4%, respectively. Moreover, analysis diagnostic accuracy of the ELISA was performed. The ELISA proved robust. Furthermore, good reproducibility was observed for the negative controls and, positive controls for all plates tested.

Frequência de grupos sanguíneos dos sistemas ABO e Rh na população de Belo Horizonte - MG / Frequence of ABO and Rh blood groups in the population of Belo Horizonte - MG

A frequência de grupos sanguíneos dos sistemas ABO e Rh são variáveis entre as diversas populações do mundo. No período de 1999 a 2007, no Setor de Patologia Clínica do Colégio Técnico da UFMG foi realizada a tipagem sanguínea nos sistemas ABO e Rh em uma amostra populacional representada por 4800 pessoas por meio de coleta de amostras de sangue por punção digital e/ou coleta venosa, de indivíduos residentes em Belo Horizonte e sua região metropolitana. Os resultados revelaram uma frequência média de 38% para o grupo sanguíneo do tipo A; 12% para o grupo B, 4% para o grupo AB e 46% para o grupo O. Na determinação de fator Rh a frequência encontrada foi de 93% para o grupo Rh+ e 7% para Rh-. Dessa forma, por meio de uma amostragem significativa populacional, observou-se que o tipo sanguíneo O/Rh+ é o mais encontrado em Belo Horizonte e região metropolitana.