Prevalence and factors associated with oral potentially malignant disorders in Brazil's rural workers.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) in a population of rural workers in the northeast of Brazil and to investigate the association with sociodemographic, occupational, and health factors. METHODS: A total of 1385 workers answered a validated questionnaire and were examined by calibrated dentists. A descriptive analysis, chi-square homogeneity test, and binary logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of OPMDs was 29.6%. Actinic cheilitis was the most predominant (28.4%), followed by leukoplakia (2.3%) and erythroplakia (0.3%). Gender, type of skin, and time exposed to the sun explained the presence of OPMD (P < 0.0001). The study found increased prevalence, especially for males over the age of 60 years and being exposed to the sun for more than 45 years. CONCLUSION: Rural workers showed high vulnerability to the presence of OPMDs, as estimated prevalence exhibited was high.

Infection control in a Brazilian regional multihospital system.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the organization of infection control committees in a Brazilian multihospital system, identifying their major problems. Our goal is to discuss the main deficiencies in infection control and to target some interventions that can improve the efficiency of these actions in Brazilian hospitals. DESIGN AND SETTING: We used a descriptive epidemiologic design. We interviewed the chairs and the nurses of the infection control committees and visited the main areas to observe infection control in a multihospital system with 3146 beds. For analysis of the results, we performed a standardization process, establishing a score for each hospital by using infection control organization as a surrogate marker for quality outcome. The mean hospital scores for infection control, existence of policies, and infrastructure at each hospital were compared by using different stratification and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found among surveyed hospitals by using stratification by size, funding status, and presence of teaching activities. CONCLUSIONS: Diverse patterns of infection control organization were found among surveyed hospitals. Small hospitals represented the major problem in providing effective infection control. Chiefly for these hospitals, the epidemiologic indicators and the surveillance and control system proposed by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention model showed poor suitability.

[The process if teaching-learning in blood pressure monitoring]. / O processo ensino-aprendizagem na verificação da pressão arterial.

The nurse is considered the professional that obtains more trustworthy data in the measures insinuations of arterial pressure for inducing less reactions of alert in the customer, generating of values falsely high. Even so, a lot of times, she presents spaces in the knowledge of the subject, so much in the technical aspects, as in the anátomo-physiologic ones. That prioritizes the development of teaching strategies, seeking to minimize flaws and to turn the effective learning process. Objectifying to promote the knowledge of the technique of measurement of the arterial pressure close to a research group, it took place a reciclation and avaliation questionnaire of the knowledge of the group was applied before and after the same. The effectiveness of that method was evidenced, because 100% of the sample (nine) they referred contribution for better of the fundamentation theoretical-practice, decreasing difficulties originating from of the verification of the arterial pressure. It is ended that, being the education actions in extremely valid and necessary health, the male nurse, as educator that is, needs to recycle its knowledge and its better techniques continually.

Reflectance in situ hybridization (RISH): detection, by confocal reflectance laser microscopy, of gold-labelled riboprobes in breast cancer cell lines and histological specimens.

A method for reflectance in situ hybridization (RISH) is presented. The importance of the method is demonstrated by results obtained on cytological and histological breast cancer specimens. Scattering reflectance signals from 1-nm colloidal-gold particles after RNA/RNA in situ hybridization, using digoxigenin-labelled riboprobes, were detected by confocal scanning laser microscopy. The mRNA expression of two ras-related genes, rho B and rho C, was analysed in human histological breast cancer specimens and in human breast cancer cell lines. Horizontal (x, y) and vertical (z) optical sections after three-dimensional imaging were used for visualization. A marked heterogeneity (between individual cells and between specimens) was noted for the expression of the rho B gene, both in cytological and in histological samples. On the other hand, rho C was always expressed and showed no heterogeneity. This method allows the identification of several cellular constituents in an heterogeneous tissue structure, as demonstrated by the simultaneous detection of rho B (or rho C) by reflectance and of DNA, cytokeratin and/or vimentin by fluorescence.

[Serologic study of experimental infections by Trypanosoma evansi, in guinea pigs]. / Estudo sorológico de infecções experimentais por Trypanosoma evansi, em cobaias.

Sera of 20 guinea-pigs experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi were obtained in order to compare the efficacy of gel diffusion, indirect immunofluorescence and agglutination tests, to detect antibodies to T. evansi. The fluorescent antibody test was positive in six (6) animals and the antibody titres were very low (1:4 to 1:16). The agglutination test detected trypanosomal antibodies in sera one (1) week after infection. After two (2) weeks all animals were positive with high titres (1:8.000 to 1:250.000). Agglutination was inhibited when sera were treated with 2-Mercapto-ethanol. This fact suggests that IgM is the principal class of antibodies in sera of infected guinea-pigs. Precipitating antibodies were not detected during the course of infection.

[Implementation of epidemiological surveillance actions at regional level]. / Implementação de ações de vigilância epidemiológica em nível regional.

An attempt at a reorganization of the Epidemiological Surveillance Service at regional level in the Central Health Region of Governador Valadares, MG, Brasil, undertaken during 1985 is reported on. This study discusses simple measures that may be taken with a view to increasing interest in Epidemiological Surveillance actions at the local level and emphasizes the fact that the of data to the local level is essential to this interest.