[Definition of abilities profile in public health based on the experience of dentists of public service]. / Definição do perfil de competências em saúde coletiva a partir da experiência de cirurgiões-dentistas atuantes no serviço público.

A curriculum by skills should prepare the student for a critical and reflective know-how, so that he can feel as an active part of his social context, mobilizing resources to solve problems that appear in the professional exercise. It was investigated the difficulties faced by dentists from the public service of Rio Grande do Norte State about the public health in order to establish a profile of skills for the new vocational curriculum. Data were collected through a questionnaire with a test of free association of words and an interview analyzed by EVOC 2000 and Thematic Content Analysis. The main difficulties found were: working in teams, lack of commitment of managers with the continuity of the health actions, unprepared professionals to face the collective problems, and the precariousness of work. Considering the profile of the health professional suggested by the new curriculum guidelines, the results signal for a need for changes in the curriculum, to graduate professionals compatible with the requirements of the actual labour market, which includes knowledge, know-how and know-be, with a critic view. Thus, as soon as the courses of Dentistry adhere the changes in education, more likely the new graduated will be able from the view of competencies and skills to deal with possible difficulties.

[The macrophages in the placenta during labor]. / Os macrófagos na placenta durante o trabalho de parto.

PURPOSE: to verify the amount of CD68+ cells in chorionic villosities in placentae from gestations submitted or not to labor. METHODS: transversal study with healthy near-term pregnant women, among whose placentae, 31 have been examined by immunohistochemical technique. Twenty placentae were obtained after vaginal delivery (VAGG) and eleven after elective cesarean sections (CESG). Slides were prepared with chorionic villosities samples and labeled with anti-CD68 antibody, specific for macrophages. Labeled and nonlabeled cells were counted inside the villosities. Non-parametric statistical tests were used for the analysis. RESULTS: among the 6,424 cells counted in the villosities' stroma from the 31 placentae, 1,135 cells (17.6%) were stained by the CD68+. The mean of cells labeled by the anti-CD68 was 22+/-18 for the VAGG group and 20+/-16 for the CESG, in each placentary sample. CONCLUSIONS: there were no significant differences in the percentage of macrophages (CD68+) in association with labor.