Objective: To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in children 0-18 years of age with recurrent wheezing and/or asthma residing in the microregion of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and treated at a referral center, and to determine its association with major risk factors for wheezing. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using a semi-structured questionnaire, which was administered by trained interviewers to the legal guardians of the study participants. Data were obtained regarding general characteristics of recurrent wheezing; general sociodemographic, environmental, and biologic factors; and atopy-related factors. The magnitude of the statistical association was assessed by calculating ORs and their corresponding 95% CIs by using multiple logistic regression. Results: We included 124 children in the study. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in the sample was 57.3%. Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency was found to be associated with wheezing in the first year of life, personal history of atopic dermatitis, environmental pollution, and vitamin D supplementation until 2 years of age. Conclusions: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency was high in our sample. Vitamin D concentrations were directly associated with vitamin D supplementation until 2 years of age and were inversely associated with wheezing events in the first year of life, personal history of atopic dermatitis, and environmental pollution.

Despite advances in treatment and campaigns for prevention and control of malaria on the various continents where it is still rampant, this disease remains significantly relevant to the contemporary world. Plasmodium falciparum is the organism that is mainly responsible for severe malaria, which is characterized by disturbances in different organs and systems, with possibly fatal outcomes. Although incipient, proteomic studies of malaria have yielded favorable prospects for elucidating the biological aspects of Plasmodium as well as the pathophysiological, diagnostic, prophylactic, and therapeutic mechanisms of the disease. Thus, the aim of the present article is to present a brief review of the applications of proteomic analysis in P. falciparum malaria.

A investigação dos problemas bioéticos na Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) permanece, ainda, como tema negligenciado nas publicações acadêmicas contemporâneas, a despeito das candentes questões que se apresentam nessa esfera da atenção à saúde. Nesse âmbito, elementos atinentes à relação entre usuários e profissionais de saúde ganham relevância. O estudo dessa temática é mote do presente artigo, no qual são apresentados resultados obtidos junto aos profissionais da ESF do município de Viçosa/MG, durante a realização de oficina de formação em bioética e atenção primária à saúde – enfatizando as conversações sobre o sigilo, a privacidade e a confidencialidade – desenvolvidas ao longo do processo pedagógico.

Wheezing is a clinical expression of numerous respiratory-related conditions. Although asthma is the leading cause of wheezing during childhood. The present study aims to evaluate the inflammatory and oxidative profile of pediatric patients with recurrent wheezing. Seventy-eight volunteers were divided into three groups according to their age (≤ 36, 36 to 72 and ≥ 73 months). Blood was collected for hematological evaluation, serum detections of total immunoglobulin E (IgE), and C-reactive protein (PCRus). The oxidative profile was evaluated by total antioxidant capacity (FRAP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonylated protein markers. There was no significant difference in the IgE and PCRus levels among the three groups evaluated. However, a significant positive correlation was observed for PCRus with total leukocyte and with neutrophils for the group of patients ≥ 73 months of age. The intermediate age group presented significantly reduced FRAP values in the serum, while significant values of oxidative damage markers were observed in the group of patients ≥ 73 months of age. When determining the correlation between inflammatory and oxidative markers, only the ≥ 73 months group showed significant. The group ≥ 73 months stands out with significant alterations of the oxidative stress markers and their correlations with the inflammatory profile.

Objetivo: Realizar a análise de uma epidemia de dengue por meio da aplicação de um instrumento específico para triagem de pacientes em um serviço ambulatorial de atendimento exclusivo do sistema de saúde Ubá/MG. Metodologia: Estudo transversal e observacional. Os dados foram obtidos a partir da análise de prontuários, mais especificamente a ficha de acolhimento e triagem. Resultados: Do total dos indivíduos analisados (1260), observou-se que 72,8% foram identificados como sintomáticos para a dengue e 43,4% apresentaram sinais de alarme. Observou-se que a média de dias em que os pacientes procuraram auxílio no serviço de atendimento exclusivo para a dengue foi de 3 dias, após o início dos sintomas. A mialgia e a cefaleia foram os sinais clínicos, respectivamente, que estiveram presentes em todas as faixas etárias, em maior número de pacientes. Conclusão: O instrumento utilizado no estudo revelou-se uma ferramenta eficaz para o enfrentamento de novas epidemias de dengue na região, sendo necessária a atenção aos sinais de alarme mais frequentes, a não subestimação dos sinais e sintomas de doenças transmitidas pelo Aedes Aegypti, garantindo que os óbitos sejam evitáveis. A existência de um instrumento que direcione o gerenciamento do paciente, de acordo com as diretrizes do Ministério da Saúde, em vez de decisões individualizadas, poderá direcionar os recursos de saúde e evitar hospitalizações/observações desnecessárias, as quais, geralmente, sobrecarregam os sistemas de saúde, especialmente durante surtos.