Programa de vigilància de l'afectació dels residus de l'embassament de Flix en aigües de consum humà

Aigües de consum humà; Compostos contaminants; VigilànciaWater for human consumption; Polluting compounds; SurveillanceAguas de consumo humano; Compuestos contaminantes; VigilanciaMitjançant el Programa de vigilància, el Departament de Salut, seguirà l'evolució de l’afectació dels residus de l’embassament de Flix en aigües de consum humà, per tal de garantir l’aptitud i la qualitat de les aigües de consum captades del riu Ebre.The Surveillance program allows to Department of Health to follow the evolution of waste impact in Flix reservoir water for human consumption, in order to ensure the suitability and quality of drinking water taken from Ebre river.Mediante el Programa de vigilancia, el Departamento de Salud seguirá la evolución de la afectación de los residuos del embalse de Flix en aguas de consumo humano, a fin de garantizar la aptitud y la calidad de las aguas de consumo captadas del río Ebre

Programa de vigilància de l'afectació dels residus de l'embassament de Flix en aigües de consum humà

Aigües de consum humà; Compostos contaminants; VigilànciaWater for human consumption; Polluting compounds; SurveillanceAguas de consumo humano; Compuestos contaminantes; VigilanciaMitjançant el Programa de vigilància, el Departament de Salut, seguirà l'evolució de l’afectació dels residus de l’embassament de Flix en aigües de consum humà, per tal de garantir l’aptitud i la qualitat de les aigües de consum captades del riu Ebre.The Surveillance program allows to Department of Health to follow the evolution of waste impact in Flix reservoir water for human consumption, in order to ensure the suitability and quality of drinking water taken from Ebre river.Mediante el Programa de vigilancia, el Departamento de Salud seguirá la evolución de la afectación de los residuos del embalse de Flix en aguas de consumo humano, a fin de garantizar la aptitud y la calidad de las aguas de consumo captadas del río Ebre

Equidad y reformas de los sistemas de salud en Latinoamérica Equity and health systems reform in Latin America

El fin último de cualquier sistema de salud es contribuir a la mejora de la salud de la población y hacerlo de la manera más eficiente posible. Buscando mejorar las condiciones de eficiencia y equidad en que se prestan los servicios de salud, numerosos países en todo el mundo, incluyendo los latinoamericanos, han implementado reformas. A pesar de la aparente coincidencia en los objetivos de las reformas, la forma en que se implementan responden a conceptos y valores diferentes. En este artículo analizamos los valores, igualitarios y neoliberales, subyacentes en los distintos conceptos de equidad. A partir de ellos desarrollamos criterios que nos permitan interpretar algunas de las estrategias, financiamiento y prestación de los servicios de salud aplicados por las reformas de los sistemas de salud en Latinoamérica. Estos criterios son aplicados a las políticas de financiamiento y prestaciones de las reformas aplicadas en los sistemas de salud de Colombia y Costa Rica.<br>The aim of any health care system is to help improve the people's health, and to do so as efficiently as possible. In order to improve the efficiency and equity of health services provision, many countries around the world have implemented reforms, including several Latin American nations. However similar the objectives may appear, the various ways societies implement such reforms reflect different values and concepts. This article analyzes the egalitarian and neoliberal values underlying different concepts of equity in health care. The authors develop criteria to interpret selected health services funding and provision strategies in Latin American health system reforms. These criteria are then applied to health care financing and delivery policies under the reforms currently being implemented in Colombia and Costa Rica

A 'teoria da práxis': retomando o referencial marxista para o enfrentamento do capitalismo no campo da saúde The 'theory of praxis: ' retrieving the marxist framework to confront capitalism in the health field

Este ensaio tem a intenção de recolocar o marxismo - como corpo epistemológico, teórico, metodológico e político voltado para a superação do capitalismo - na pauta do debate conceitual e político do campo da Saúde Coletiva. Discute o campo simbólico como campo de expressão de ideologias que sustentam o capitalismo e que utiliza, dentre outras estratégias, o silenciamento sobre o marxismo, e mesmo sobre o capitalismo, para esvaziar a crítica e o questionamento político. Relaciona estes mecanismos à saúde, identificando alguns campos onde o capitalismo opera nesta área. Apresenta alguns fundamentos filosóficos, teóricos e metodológicos da 'teoria da práxis', destacando a unidade indissolúvel entre teoria crítica e ação transformadora. Por fim, conclama os profissionais, pesquisadores e educadores do campo sanitário a se (re)engajarem na luta contra o capitalismo, retomando a bandeira do socialismo, rumo à conquista do efetivo direito à saúde.<br>This essay is intended to retrieve Marxism - as an epistemological, theoretical, methodological and political body aimed toward overcoming Capitalism - in the political and conceptual debate agenda in field of Collective Health. It discusses the symbolic field as a field for the expression of ideologies that underpin capitalism and which uses, among other strategies,the silencing of Marxism, and even of capitalism, to eliminate criticism and political questioning. It relates these mechanisms to health, identifying some fields in which capitalism operates in this area. It presents a few philosophical, theoretical and methodological foundations of the 'theory of praxis,' highlighting the indissoluble unity between critical theory and transformative action. Finally, it urges health care practitioners, researchers and educators to (re)engage in the struggle against Capitalism, taking up the banner of Socialism aiming to achieve the actual right to health

International Guillain-Barr\uc3\ua9 Syndrome Outcome Study: protocol of a prospective observational cohort study on clinical and biological predictors of disease course and outcome in Guillain-Barr\uc3\ua9 syndrome

Guillain-Barr\uc3\ua9 syndrome (GBS) is an acute polyradiculoneuropathy with a highly variable clinical presentation, course, and outcome. The factors that determine the clinical variation of GBS are poorly understood which complicates the care and treatment of individual patients. The protocol of the ongoing International GBS Outcome Study (IGOS), a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study that aims to identify the clinical and biological determinants and predictors of disease onset, subtype, course and outcome of GBS is presented here. Patients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for GBS, regardless of age, disease severity, variant forms, or treatment, can participate if included within 2 weeks after onset of weakness. Information about demography, preceding infections, clinical features, diagnostic findings, treatment, course, and outcome is collected. In addition, cerebrospinal fluid and serial blood samples for serum and DNA is collected at standard time points. The original aim was to include at least 1,000 patients with a follow-up of 1\ue2\u80\u933 years. Data are collected via a web-based data entry system and stored anonymously. IGOS started in May 2012 and by January 2017 included more than 1,400 participants from 143 active centers in 19 countries across 5 continents. The IGOS data/biobank is available for research projects conducted by expertise groups focusing on specific topics including epidemiology, diagnostic criteria, clinimetrics, electrophysiology, antecedent events, antibodies, genetics, prognostic modeling, treatment effects, and long-term outcome of GBS. The IGOS will help to standardize the international collection of data and biosamples for future research of GBS

Safety and efficacy of eculizumab in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalised myasthenia gravis (REGAIN): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study

Background Complement is likely to have a role in refractory generalised myasthenia gravis, but no approved therapies specifically target this system. Results from a phase 2 study suggested that eculizumab, a terminal complement inhibitor, produced clinically meaningful improvements in patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalised myasthenia gravis. We further assessed the efficacy and safety of eculizumab in this patient population in a phase 3 trial. Methods We did a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study (REGAIN) in 76 hospitals and specialised clinics in 17 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Eligible patients were aged at least 18 years, with a Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score of 6 or more, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class II\ue2\u80\u93IV disease, vaccination against Neisseria meningitides, and previous treatment with at least two immunosuppressive therapies or one immunosuppressive therapy and chronic intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange for 12 months without symptom control. Patients with a history of thymoma or thymic neoplasms, thymectomy within 12 months before screening, or use of intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange within 4 weeks before randomisation, or rituximab within 6 months before screening, were excluded. We randomly assigned participants (1:1) to either intravenous eculizumab or intravenous matched placebo for 26 weeks. Dosing for eculizumab was 900 mg on day 1 and at weeks 1, 2, and 3; 1200 mg at week 4; and 1200 mg given every second week thereafter as maintenance dosing. Randomisation was done centrally with an interactive voice or web-response system with patients stratified to one of four groups based on MGFA disease classification. Where possible, patients were maintained on existing myasthenia gravis therapies and rescue medication was allowed at the study physician's discretion. Patients, investigators, staff, and outcome assessors were masked to treatment assignment. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change from baseline to week 26 in MG-ADL total score measured by worst-rank ANCOVA. The efficacy population set was defined as all patients randomly assigned to treatment groups who received at least one dose of study drug, had a valid baseline MG-ADL assessment, and at least one post-baseline MG-ADL assessment. The safety analyses included all randomly assigned patients who received eculizumab or placebo. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01997229. Findings Between April 30, 2014, and Feb 19, 2016, we randomly assigned and treated 125 patients, 62 with eculizumab and 63 with placebo. The primary analysis showed no significant difference between eculizumab and placebo (least-squares mean rank 56\uc2\ub76 [SEM 4\uc2\ub75] vs 68\uc2\ub73 [4\uc2\ub75]; rank-based treatment difference \ue2\u88\u9211\uc2\ub77, 95% CI \ue2\u88\u9224\uc2\ub73 to 0\uc2\ub796; p=0\uc2\ub70698). No deaths or cases of meningococcal infection occurred during the study. The most common adverse events in both groups were headache and upper respiratory tract infection (ten [16%] for both events in the eculizumab group and 12 [19%] for both in the placebo group). Myasthenia gravis exacerbations were reported by six (10%) patients in the eculizumab group and 15 (24%) in the placebo group. Six (10%) patients in the eculizumab group and 12 (19%) in the placebo group required rescue therapy. Interpretation The change in the MG-ADL score was not statistically significant between eculizumab and placebo, as measured by the worst-rank analysis. Eculizumab was well tolerated. The use of a worst-rank analytical approach proved to be an important limitation of this study since the secondary and sensitivity analyses results were inconsistent with the primary endpoint result; further research into the role of complement is needed. Funding Alexion Pharmaceuticals