Facultad de Farmacia

RESUMEN Bothrops atrox es reconocida por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) como una de las serpientes suramericanas, que comúnmente causa incapacidad física o muerte. En Vene-zuela, esta especie se localiza en los estados Amazonas, Bolí-var y Delta Amacuro siendo responsable de un cuadro fisiopa-tológico caracterizado por edema, hemorragia, necrosis, incoa-gulabilidad sanguínea y hemólisis. Para el tratamiento del en-venenamiento por esta especie, en Venezuela se produce un antiveneno polivalente desde hace más de 30 años, sin em-bargo, no se ha estudiado su capacidad neutralizante contra las actividades letal, hemorrágica, edematizante, desfibrinante, coagulante y hemolítica indirecta inducidas por esta especie como recomienda la OMS. Este estudio planteó la caracteriza-ción de las actividades tóxicas del veneno total de B. atrox (Puerto Ayacucho-Edo. Amazonas) y la valoración del poten-cial neutralizante del antiveneno venezolano sobre estas acti-vidades, empleando pruebas...

A519 population was men (1-39 years) and women (1-49 years) residing in Fortaleza in 2007 (1,009,270 inhabitants). The two cohorts were compared against costs and cumulative number of rubella cases over time. Transition probabilities were taken from a pre-post vaccination study of militaries in Fortaleza where rubella cases were found (N 600). The societal perspective and a 5-year time-horizon were used. Costs included were: vaccines, rubella management (physician, ER visits, drugs, laboratory tests and absenteeism), vaccine adverse reactions, and labor. Costs were reported in 2009 Reais (1BRZ 0.42USD). Univariate sensitivity analysis evaluated variations in input parameters. RESULTS: Following 5 years, the intensive vaccination program resulted in 24.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the do-nothing strategy 79.7 cases. The resultant cost per 100,000 inhabitants of the two comparators were R$42,916 and R$43,405 for the intense vaccination program and the do-nothing strategies, respectively. The vaccination intervention was dominant over do-nothing in an incremental analysis. Parameters sensitive to variations were vaccine cost, immunization rate, and growth rate of rubella cases. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that improving compliance rates to vaccination programs is considered a cost-effective alternative to prevent future illnesses, even in the case of rubella, a self-limited disease with mild-to-moderate symptoms and complications.

OBJECTIVES: Different instruments are available to assess health in individuals with psychotic illness. We aimed to identify the complementary value of some different instruments to assess health and health changes in schizophrenic patients. METHODS: We analysed data from a naturalistic, prospective cohort study, called COMETA, which involved 637 patients aged 18-40 years, 65.0% male, with schizophrenia (86.5%) or schizophreniform disorder (13.5%), enrolled in 2006-2007 and followed up to 52 weeks. Symptoms and functional changes were assessed with the physicians' rated scales Positive-And-Negative-Syndrome-Scale (PANSS), Global-Assessment-of-Functioning (GAF), Clinical-Global-Impression-Severity (CGI-S). The physicians' opinion was asked to assess compliance toward antipsychotic treatment. Patients reported their attitude toward treatment with the Drug-Attitude-Inventory (DAI-30). QoL was assessed with EQ-5D and SF-36. We investigated whether relationships exist between scores obtained from the different scales. RESULTS: At enrolment, significant correlations were found between PANSS, GAF, CGI-S scores (r, absolute value = 0.674-0.766). Every QoL score significantly correlated each other (r = 0.360-0.582). Correlations were lower between QoL and clinical scores (0.189-0.393). Low correlations were estimated between QoL scores and physicians' reported compliance (r = 0.113-0.282) or DAI-30 score (0.142-0.274). Each instrument showed an average improvement in the patients' condition after 52 weeks. However, scarce correlation was found between clinicians' and patients' reported changes. CONCLUSIONS: Both clinicians' and patients' reported outcomes are necessary for a complete evaluation of schizophrenic patients' health. Furthermore, its brevity, and its immediateness of data reading and interpretation are reasons for considering its introduction into the physicians' armamentarium for practice.

To compare socio-demographic, reproductive and prenatal attention conditions among women who perform work outside the home (as opposed to housework); in the case of those going out to work, to describe the conditions of such work; and finally to show whether health-related differences exist that correlate with working situation (at home vs. outside the home). METHODS: Transversal study (pilot) carried out in a family medicine unit of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) between April and July 2003, during which period interviews were effected with 537 pregnant women engaged in either paid work, housework, or both, and registered with the Family Medicine external consultation services. A questionnaire was applied in order to establish demographic and reproductive characteristics, as well as variables related with prenatal control

discomfort in EQ-5D profi le responses. Sufferers' mean pain scores on an 11-point Likert scale were 4.0, 5.7 and 8.6 on their best, average and worst days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Online DCEs provide a practical means to compare preferences between physicians and patients, whose concerns overlap substantially but are expressed differently. Sufferers balance pain relief and side-effects. Their refusal to trade between undesirable profi les mirrors high reported rates of treatment discontinuation.

The goals of this study were to assess the self-reported health status of Venezuelan pharmacy students, and to examine the association between self-reported health status and health behaviors in these individuals. Methods: A random sample 171 of pharmacy students, ranging in age from 18 to 35 years were surveyed using a written questionnaire. Health status was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study Health Survey Short-Form 36 (SF-36). The sample consisted of 127 women and 44 men. The sample had a mean age of 22.3 Ϯ 2.71 years. The associations between health status and health behaviors were examined using both bivariate and multivariate models. The bivariate association was examined by t tests. Multiple regression analysis was used to model each SF-36 score separately using as independent variables sex, lack of regular exercise, regular smoking, and alcohol consumption. Results: The regression model explained between 6% and 12% of the variance in perceived health status. Controlling for other variables in the model, male students had significantly higher scores in bodily pain, general health, vitality, and social functioning than female students. Controlling for other variables in the model, lack of regular exercise was associated with significantly lower scores in physical functioning, bodily pain, and vitality; and regular smoking with significantly lower scores in physical functioning and general health. Controlling for other variables in the model, students who reported consuming alcohol had significantly higher scores in role-physical, bodily pain, and social functioning than students who did not report to consuming alcohol. Conclusions: This exploratory study demonstrates sex differences in health behaviors and perceived health status in pharmacy students. Health status is associated with several health behaviors in this sample of pharmacy students.

To evaluate the relationship of self reported general health [GH] on the EQ-5D preference scores (time trade-off [TTO]) as well as its independent influence when demographic, socioeconomic, and risk factors are included. METHODS: 41,392 adults from the first general population survey from a nationally representative sample were included: National Risk Factor [RF] Survey (2005). Variables included GH, sociodemographic parameters (SD) and RF (diabetes [DBT], high blood pressure [HBP], dyslipemia [DLP], obesity [OB], smoking [SMK], healthy diet [HD], physical activity [PA]), and the EQ-5D instrument. EQ-5D profiles were mapped to TTO preference values using a local EQ-5D Value study. We assessed the independent relationships between EQ-5D scores with GH, SD, and RF. We used multivariable linear regression modeling. RESULTS: Final models included 33,964 subjects (representing 17,586,759 subjects). Before including GH the following variables were statistically, consistently, and clinically associated with EQ-5D scores: age, gender, income, selected provinces, health coverage, DBT, HBP, DLP, PA, OB (R2 0.16). Nevertheless, when GH was incorporated, it showed to be the most important explanatory variable (R2 0.35) and most health variables lost their association (DBT, HBP, DLP, OB). Moreover, a significant interaction was found in relation with age (50), gender and income. Although GH was still significant in all the eight subgroups defined by the three variables with positive interactions, the magnitude of the coefficients corresponding with each category of GH significantly varied (subgroup numbers ranged between 1501 and 8637, and R2 from 0.16 to 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: In Argentina, GH is the strongest parameter associated with scores on the EQ-5D. The magnitude of this association varied according to age, gender an income level. Based on these findings, we suggest that the influence of GH on individuals' preferences should be evaluated by subgroup since its relevance seems to vary according to selected individual's attributes. PCV25 EVALUATION OF THREE METHODS: OF SCHEDULING APPOINTMENT

Slices of the caudate nucleus of rabbits were preincubated with 3H-choline and then superfused. Stimulation by electrical pulses at 3 Hz or by 25 retool/1 potassium elicited an increase in tritium outflow which was calcium-dependent and, in the case of electrical stimulation, tetr odotoxin-sensitive.