RESUMEN
This study analyzes 131 chagasic patients from different endemic areas that came to the Chagas' disease laboratory at the Maringa State University. The subjects discovered they were infected principally because they presented symptoms (58%) or donated blood (29.4%). During etiologic treatment for Trypanosoma cruzi, 45.2% of benznidazole users complained of side effects. Based on these data, the ACHEI program (Chagas' Disease Awareness through Comprehensive Education) was developed, which is a multiprofessional/interdisciplinary extension project. Monthly meetings are held that are divided into two parts: The first half of the meetings provide specific information, including the distribution of brochures explaining Chagas' disease transmission, symptoms and treatment. The second half of the meetings focuses on psycho-social assistance and includes topics such as self-esteem and personal responsibility. The meetings provide an environment for chagasic patients to share their concerns regarding post-diagnosis quality of life, fear, anxiety, stigma and family and social group relationships. In short, the meetings offer an opportunity for patients to reflect on their situation and to discover ways to deal with their disease.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Chagas/terapia , Educación en Salud , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Brasil , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de SaludRESUMEN
Human growth hormone (hGH) circulates in different molecular forms, with the 22-kDa monomer being the predominant one and the 20-kDa variant corresponding to 5 to 15% of the serum hGH on a weight basis. Using monoclonal antibodies with different specificities we developed two immunoenzymometric assays, one with 22 + 20-kDa specificity and the other specific only for the 22-kDa form. Both assays used microtiter plates as solid phase and streptavidin-peroxidase for color development; intra-assay CV was less than 10% in the range of 1 to 100 mIU/l for the 22 + 20-kDa assay and in the range of 3 to 100 for the 22-kDa assay, with an inter-assay CV of less than 14% for both assays; sensitivity was 0.2 mIU/l for the 22 + 20-kDa assay and 0.5 mIU/l for the 22-kDa assay. The two assays were compared by measuring 200 serum samples with detectable hGH levels by both assays. Higher values were obtained with the 22 + 20-kDa assay (62.1 +/- 5.9 vs 59.2 +/- 6.1 mIU/l, mean +/- SD) with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.99. In no clinical condition (28 patients with growth retardation and 14 acromegalics) did the two assays give discrepant values. We conclude that there was no practical advantage in using an assay with specificity restricted to the 22-kDa form for measuring hGH in clinical serum samples.
Asunto(s)
Hormona del Crecimiento/sangre , Técnicas para Inmunoenzimas , Humanos , Peso MolecularRESUMEN
Human growth hormone (hGH) circulates in different molecular forms, with the 22-kDa monomer being the predominant one and the 20-k-Da variant corresponding to 5 to 15% of the serum hGH on a weight basis. Using monoclonal antibodies with different specificities we developed two immunoenzymometric assays, one with 22 + 20 k-Da specificity and the other specific only for the 22-kDa form. Both assays used microtiter plates as solid phase and streptavidin-peroxidase for color development; intra-assay CV was less than 10% in the range of 1 to 100 mlU/l for the 22 + 20 kDa assay and in the range of 3 to 100 for the 22-kDa assay, with an inter-assay CV of less than 14% for both assays, sensitivity was 0.2 mlU/l for the 22 + 20 kDa assay and 0.5 mlU/l for the 22-kDa assay. The two assays were compared by measuring 200 serum samples with detectable hGH levels by both assays. Higher values were obtained with the 22 + 20 kDa assay (62.1 ñ 59.2 ñ 6.1 mlU/l, mean ñ SD) with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.99. In no clinical condition (28 patients with growth retardation and 14 acromegalics) did the two assays give discrepant values. We conclude that there was no practical advantage in using an assay with specificity restricted to the 22-kDa form for measuring hGH in clinical serum samples