Errores de medicación en pediatría

Concerns regarding patient safety affect healthcare, and medication errors are the most frequent category of medical errors and linked with severe consequences. This study discusses epidemiologic characteristics of medication errors in pediatric patients and points out prevention strategies. Approximately 8% of the studies on the subject of medication errors identified in different national and international databases are distinctively related to the pediatric population. Children are vulnerable to medication errors due to intrinsic factors, such as proper anatomic and physiological characteristics; and due to extrinsic factors, with emphasis on the lack of public health politics and changes in the pharmaceutical industry to attend children's needs. The available evidences indicate, as imperative, the implementation of strategies to prevent medication errors, contributing to promote patient safety.La seguridad del paciente es un problema de salud pública y los errores con medicamentos son los más frecuentes y más graves. Este artículo describe características epidemiológicas de errores de medicación en áreas de atención pediátrica y algunas estrategias de prevención. Aproximadamente 8% de las investigaciones sobre errores de medicación identificadas en las bases de datos nacionales e internacionales se refieren específicamente a niños. Los niños tienen mayor vulnerabilidad a la ocurrencia de errores debidos a factores intrínsecos, con destaque para características anatómicas y fisiológicas, e extrínsecos, en particular con respecto a falta de políticas sanitarias y de la industria farmacéutica orientada a la atención de tales características. Evidencias muestran la necesidad de aplicar estrategias para prevenir errores de medicación, promoviendo la seguridad del paciente.A segurança do paciente constitui problema de saúde pública, e erros com medicamentos são os mais freqüentes e graves. O artigo apresenta características epidemiológicas dos erros de medicação em diferentes áreas de atendimento pediátrico, e aponta estratégias de prevenção. Aproximadamente 8% das pesquisas sobre erros de medicação identificadas em bases de dados nacionais e internacionais referem-se à população pediátrica. Crianças apresentam maior vulnerabilidade à ocorrência de erros devido a fatores intrínsecos, destacando-se características anatômicas e fisiológicas; e extrínsecos, relativos à falta de políticas de saúde e da indústria farmacêutica voltadas ao atendimento de tais especificidades. As evidências apontam para a necessidade de implementação de estratégias de prevenção de erros de medicação, contribuindo para promover a segurança do paciente.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de EnfermagemUNIFESP, Depto. de EnfermagemSciEL

Two-photon absorption spectra of a near-infrared 2-azaazulene polymethine dye: solvation and ground-state symmetry breaking

Polymethine dyes (PDs) with absorption bands in the near-infrared region undergo symmetry breaking in polar solvents. To investigate how symmetry breaking affects nonlinear optical responses of PDs, an extensive and challenging experimental characterization of a cationic 2-azaazulene polymethine dye, including linear absorption, fluorescence, two-photon absorption and excited-state absorption, has been performed in two solvents with different polarity. Based on this extensive set of experimental data, a three-electronic-state model, accounting for the coupling of electronic degrees of freedom to molecular vibrations and polar solvation, has been reliably parameterized and validated for this dye, fully rationalizing optical spectra in terms of spectral position, intensities and bandshapes. In low-polarity solvents where the dye is mainly in its symmetric form, a nominally forbidden two-photon absorption band is observed, due to a vibronic activation mechanism. Inhomogeneous broadening plays a major role in polar solvents: absorption spectra represent the weighted sum of contributions from states with a variable amount of symmetry breaking, leading to a complex evolution of linear and nonlinear optical spectra with solvent polarity. In more polar solvents, the dominant role of the asymmetric form leads to the activation of two-photon absorption as a result of the symmetry lowering. The subtle interplay between the two mechanisms for two-photon absorption activation, vibronic coupling and polar solvation, can be fully accounted for within the proposed microscopic model allowing a detailed interpretation of the optical spectra of PDs

Cation-Dependent Fluorescent Properties of Naphthalimide Derivatives with N-Benzocrown Ether Fragment

The investigation of N-phenyl-4-amino- and N-phenyl 4-acetamido-1,8-naphthalimides containing N-benzo- 15-crown-5 ether substituent showed that the presence of ionophoric fragment as N-substituent in naphthalimide molecule provides the design of compound possessing the properties of fluorescent receptor. The addition of metal cations does not change the position of absorption and emission bands but substantial increases the fluorescence intensity. The study of molecules included the theoretical and experimental (optical, NMR) methods, analysis of intramolecular charge (electron) transfer and fluorescence properties in the presence and absence of metal ions