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Background: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is complex and many factors contribute to a patient's response to initial therapy including adherence, drug effectiveness, and tolerance. Close HAART follow-up is needed, particularly when there are concurrent therapies such as prophylactic antibiotics and medications for the treatment of comorbidities. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of pharmacist intervention in reducing drug related problems in HIV/AIDS outpatients (intervention group) and in improving clinical parameters in the intervention group compared to the control group. Methods: We conducted a prospective controlled intervention study with patients paired by gender and initial T CD4+ lymphocyte (CD4) count. HIV-infected patients of a public outpatient service were enrolled for the study by consecutive and convenience sampling. Patients selected for the study were divided into a control group and an intervention group. Both groups were followed for one year; however, only the intervention group received pharmaceutical care. The primary outcome was the drug related problem (DRP) analysis for the intervention group. Secondary outcomes were CD4 count and viral load evaluation for both groups. Results: There was a total of 143 patients enrolled in this study, with 53 (37.06%) patients in the control group and 90 (62.94%) patients in the intervention group. A total of 202 pharmacist interventions with 193 pharmacist-patient and 9 pharmacist-physician interventions were proposed. After one year of pharmaceutical care, a reduction of 38.43% between the initial and final DRP was found (p = 0.0001). The most common DRPs found were related to medication safety. The intervention group showed a mean increase of 84% for the CD4 count in comparison with that observed in the control group. The viral load was not significantly different between the final and initial mean values for both groups. Conclusion: Pharmacist appointments enabled identification, prevention, and solving of drug related problems, especially those related to drug safety. Also, pharmacist interventions improved adherence and increased HAART effectiveness as suggested by the higher elevation in the CD4 count seen in the intervention group in comparison with the control group.

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RESUMO O ensino da acupuntura ainda não está presente na maioria das escolas médicas do Brasil apesar de a acupuntura ser indicada pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), ser reconhecida como especialidade médica pelo Conselho Federal de Medicina desde 1995, estar disponível no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), especialmente após a publicação da Política Nacional de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares (2006), e apresentar um número crescente de adeptos entre profissionais de saúde e pacientes. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar o conhecimento, interesse e experiência com acupuntura dos estudantes de uma escola médica do Sudeste brasileiro. Foi realizado um estudo prospectivo e descritivo no período de agosto de 2011 a julho de 2012, com aplicação de questionário fechado composto por 17 questões, sobre o conhecimento, interesse e utilização da acupuntura. Foram incluídos no estudo 458 estudantes do primeiro ao sexto ano do curso. O nível declarado de conhecimento sobre acupuntura pelos estudantes foi, em sua maioria, pequeno ou nenhum. Entre os estudantes que declararam ter algum conhecimento em acupuntura, o estudo livre (autodidata) foi o meio de acesso à acupuntura mais citado pelos estudantes. Foi verificado grande interesse dos estudantes em aprender acupuntura e incluir uma disciplina de acupuntura no currículo do curso médico, sendo uma disciplina optativa a opção mais escolhida pelos estudantes. Entre os participantes, a maioria já foi tratada com acupuntura, possui familiares que já foram tratados, e os resultados de eficácia foram favoráveis. Quanto à aceitação do tratamento com a acupuntura por pacientes, a maioria dos participantes não só aceitaria, mas também estimularia o uso. Conclui-se, portanto, que há interesse e desconhecimento dos estudantes em relação à acupuntura e que a implantação de disciplina sobre a acupuntura receberia o apoio dos estudantes e seria essencial para proporcionar o contato deles com essa especialidade, contribuindo, desse modo, para uma atualização necessária no currículo dos cursos médicos brasileiros.

ABSTRACT The teaching of acupuncture is not yet provided by the majority of medical schools in Brazil, despite its recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the fact that it gained recognition as a medical specialization by the National Medical Council in 1995. Acupuncture is also increasingly offered by the Brazilian Unified Health System (UHS), particularly since the implementation of National Politics on Complementary and Integrative Practices (2006), with its usage among both health professionals and patients on the rise. This study aims to analyze awareness, interest and experience in acupuncture among medical students from a southeastern Brazilian medical school. By means of a prospective and descriptive study held from August 2011 to July 2012, questionnaires containing seventeen questions on acupuncture awareness, interest and usage were distributed to 458 students ranging from first to sixth year. The awareness of acupuncture declared by the students was little to none, with students who did profess an awareness of the discipline mostly informed by means of free self-study. The research demonstrated that there is strong interest among students to learn about acupuncture and to include it on the medical curriculum, with it currently an optional subject chosen by the majority of students. The majority of students interviewed had been treated with acupuncture themselves and/or had relatives that had been treated with it, with favorable results. In terms of acceptance, the majority of students would not only accept acupuncture treatment, but would also encourage it. In conclusion, medical students demonstrated both an interest in and unfamiliarity with acupuncture. The implementation of the discipline as a subject on the medical curriculum would receive support among students and prove essential to placing them into contact with this specialization, thus contributing to a much needed update to the curriculum taught in Brazilian medical schools.

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BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that pharmaceutical care can result in favorable clinical outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, however, few studies have assessed the economic impact. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical and economic impact of pharmaceutical care of HIV-infected patients. METHODS: A controlled ambispective study was conducted in Brazil from January 2009 to June 2012. Patients were allocated to either intervention or control group. The control group was followed according to standard care while the intervention group was also followed by a pharmacist at each physician appointment for one year. Effectiveness outcomes included CD4+ count, viral load, absence of co-infections and optimal immune response, and economic outcomes included expenses of physician and pharmaceutical appointments, laboratory tests, procedures, and hospitalizations, at six months and one year. RESULTS: Intervention and control groups included 51 patients each. We observed significant decreases in total pharmacotherapy problems during the study. At six months, the intervention group contained higher percentages of patients without co-infections and of patients with CD4+ >500 cells/mm(3). None of the differences between intervention and control group considering clinical outcomes and costs were statistically significant. However, at one year, the intervention group showed higher percentage of better clinical outcomes and generated lower spending (not to procedures). An additional health care system daily investment of US$1.45, 1.09, 2.13, 4.35, 1.09, and 0.87 would be required for each additional outcome of viral load <50 copies/ml, absence of co-infection, CD4+ >200, 350, and 500 cells/mm(3), and optimal immune response, respectively. CONCLUSION: This work demonstrated that pharmaceutical care of HIV-infected patients, for a one-year period, was able to decrease the number of pharmacotherapy problems. However, the clinical outcomes and the costs did not have statistical difference but showed higher percentage of better clinical outcomes and lower costs for some items.

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BACKGROUND: Substantial complexity has been introduced into treatment regimens for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Many drug-related problems (DRPs) are detected in these patients, such as low adherence, therapeutic inefficacy, and safety issues. We evaluated the impact of pharmacist interventions on CD4+ T-lymphocyte count, HIV viral load, and DRPs in patients with HIV infection. METHODS: In this 18-month prospective controlled study, 90 outpatients were selected by convenience sampling from the Hospital Dia-University of Campinas Teaching Hospital (Brazil). Forty-five patients comprised the pharmacist intervention group and 45 the control group; all patients had HIV infection with or without acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Pharmaceutical appointments were conducted based on the Pharmacotherapy Workup method, although DRPs and pharmacist intervention classifications were modified for applicability to institutional service limitations and research requirements. Pharmacist interventions were performed immediately after detection of DRPs. The main outcome measures were DRPs, CD4+ T-lymphocyte count, and HIV viral load. RESULTS: After pharmacist intervention, DRPs decreased from 5.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] =4.1-6.2) to 4.2 (95% CI =3.3-5.1) per patient (P=0.043). A total of 122 pharmacist interventions were proposed, with an average of 2.7 interventions per patient. All the pharmacist interventions were accepted by physicians, and among patients, the interventions were well accepted during the appointments, but compliance with the interventions was not measured. A statistically significant increase in CD4+ T-lymphocyte count in the intervention group was found (260.7 cells/mm(3) [95% CI =175.8-345.6] to 312.0 cells/mm(3) [95% CI =23.5-40.6], P=0.015), which was not observed in the control group. There was no statistical difference between the groups regarding HIV viral load. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that pharmacist interventions in patients with HIV infection can cause an increase in CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts and a decrease in DRPs, demonstrating the importance of an optimal pharmaceutical care plan.

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INTRODUCTION: There are no published reports on pediatric phenytoin toxicity, resulting from the drug interaction between phenytoin and valproic acid. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 12-year-old patient with refractory epilepsy syndrome presented with phenytoin toxicity, following a concomitant treatment with phenytoin, valproic acid, and lamotrigine. The phenytoin concentration detected in the capsules used by the patient was in accordance with the prescribed dose and was appropriate for the age and weight of the patient. However, a supratherapeutic phenytoin serum concentration was observed (21.92 µg phenytoin/mL of blood). Consequently, the phenytoin dose was reduced, and the patient was monitored; 24 hours later the patient did not present with any signs/symptoms of toxicity. DISCUSSION: Despite the appropriate phenytoin concentration in the capsules, the patient presented with phenytoin toxicity. This toxicity likely resulted from the drug interaction between phenytoin and valproic acid that leads to phenytoin displacement from plasmatic proteins and inhibits phenytoin metabolism, thereby increasing the concentration of free drug in the serum.

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The aim of the present study was to quantify drug interactions in prescriptions for women undergoing supportive therapy in an oncology setting at a women’s hospital in Brazil and compare the information provided by different databases regarding these drug interactions. A convenience sample was selected of prescriptions for patients diagnosed with breast or gynecological tumors hospitalized in the clinical oncology and surgery wards from April to June 2009. DRUGDEX/Micromedex (Thomson Micromedex) was the main database used for the identification of drug interactions and was compared with two other databases: Drugs.com and Lexicomp. The search was performed by inputting all drug combinations found in the prescriptions in Micromedex and Drugs.com. All interactions identified and classified by Micromedex and/or Drugs.com as of major severity were then checked in Lexicomp. A total of 152 interactions were identified by Micromedex (61 major, 69 moderate and 22 minor). In Drugs.com, 614 interactions were identified (85 major, 464 moderate and 65 minor). Forty-four were classified as major drug interactions in at least one of the databases: 30 in Micromedex, 26 in Drugs.com and 14 in Lexicomp. The present findings reveal discrepancies among the three databases analyzed. Thus, standardization should be proposed. Moreover, both the pharmacist and multidisciplinary team should perform a critical analysis of prescriptions to promote safe practices in the use of medications and minimize potential complications caused by drug interactions.

O objetivo deste estudo foi quantificar as interações medicamentosas em prescrições de mulheres submetidas à terapia de suporte no setor de oncologia de um hospital universitário brasileiro especializado na saúde da mulher e comparar as informações fornecidas por diferentes bases de dados em relação a estas interações medicamentosas. Foram selecionadas, por amostra de conveniência, prescrições de pacientes diagnosticadas com tumores mamários ou ginecológicos internadas nas unidades de Oncologia Clínica (CLO) e Cirúrgica (SUO), durante o período de abril a junho de 2009. A principal base de dados utilizada foi a DrugDex/Micromedex (Thomson Micromedex), a qual foi comparada com outras duas bases de dados: Drugs.com e LexiComp. A busca foi realizada inserindo todas as combinações de drogas encontradas nas prescrições, na Micromedex e na Drugs.com. Todas as interações classificadas como de severidade maior identificadas pela Micromedex e/ou Drugs.com foram verificadas na LexiComp. Um total de 152 interações foram identificadas na Micromedex (61 maiores, 69 moderadas, 22 menores). Utilizando-se a Drugs.com, 614 interações foram identificadas (85 maiores, 464 moderadas, 65 menores). Quarenta e quatro interações medicamentosas foram classificadas como maiores em pelo menos uma das bases de dados: 30 pela Micromedex, 26 pela Drugs.com e 14 pela LexiComp. Estes resultados evidenciam discrepâncias entre as três bases de dados analisadas e, por isso, considera-se necessária uma padronização, além da análise criteriosa das prescrições por um farmacêutico junto à equipe multidisciplinar, a fim de promover práticas seguras no uso dos medicamentos, reduzindo, desta forma, possíveis complicações causadas por interações medicamentosas.

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