Liga de Prevenção à Cegueira – 29 anos de ensino, pesquisa e assistência em oftalmologia

Uma parcela significante das doenças sistêmicas mais prevalentes em nosso meio vem acompanhada de acometimento ocular e muitas doenças oftalmológicas exigem atendimento imediato e cuidados específicos para evitar-se a cegueira. O curso de Oftalmologia da graduação abrange os temas essenciais à adequada formação do médico generalista, porém carece de treinamento prático e cirúrgico. A fim de suprir tal deficiência, a Liga de Prevenção à Cegueira foi fundada em 1985 como alternativa para aprofundar os conhecimentos na área, aproximar-se da prática oftalmológica e atender indagações profissionais futuras. [...

Detection of coronavirus-2 by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in conjunctival swabs from patients with severe form of Coronavirus disease 2019 in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVES: To test conjunctival swabs from patients with laboratory-confirmed severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). METHODS: Fifty conjunctival swabs were collected from 50 in-patients with laboratory-confirmed severe forms of COVID-19 at the largest teaching hospital and referral center in Brazil (HCFMUSP, São Paulo, SP). The samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 on rRT-PCR with the primers and probes described in the CDC protocol which amplify the region of the nucleocapsid N gene (2019_nCoV_N1 and 2019_nCoV_N2) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and compared with naso/oropharyngeal swabs collected within 24 hours of the conjunctival swabs. RESULTS: Five conjunctival samples (10%) tested positive (amplification of the N1 and N2 primer/probe sets) while two conjunctival samples (4%) yielded inconclusive results (amplification of the N1 primer/probe set only). The naso/oropharyngeal swabs were positive for SARS-CoV-2 on rRT-PCR in 34 patients (68%), negative in 14 (28%) and inconclusive in 2 (4%). The 5 patients with positive conjunctival swabs had positive (n=2), negative (n=2) or inconclusive (n=1) naso/oropharyngeal swabs on rRT-PCR. Patients with negative or inconclusive naso/oropharyngeal swabs had the diagnosis of COVID-19 confirmed by previous positive rRT-PCR results or by serology. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to present conjunctival swab rRT-PCR results for SARS-CoV-2 in a Brazilian population. In our sample of 50 patients with severe forms of COVID-19, 10% had positive conjunctival swabs, most of which were correlated with positive naso/oropharyngeal rRT-PCR results

Human islet xenotransplantation in rodents: A literature review of experimental model trends

Among the innovations for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, islet transplantation is a less invasive method of treatment, although it is still in development. One of the greatest barriers to this technique is the low number of pancreas donors and the low number of pancreases that are available for transplantation. Rodent models have been chosen in most studies of islet rejection and type 1 diabetes prevention to evaluate the quality and function of isolated human islets and to identify alternative solutions to the problem of islet scarcity. The purpose of this study is to conduct a review of islet xenotransplantation experiments from humans to rodents, to organize and analyze the parameters of these experiments, to describe trends in experimental modeling and to assess the viability of this procedure. In this study, we reviewed recently published research regarding islet xenotransplantation from humans to rodents, and we summarized the findings and organized the relevant data. The included studies were recent reports that involved xenotransplantation using human islets in a rodent model. We excluded the studies that related to isotransplantation, autotransplantation and allotransplantation. A total of 34 studies that related to xenotransplantation were selected for review based on their relevance and current data. Advances in the use of different graft sites may overcome autoimmunity and rejection after transplantation, which may solve the problem of the scarcity of islet donors in patients with type 1 diabetes

“Extensão Médica Acadêmica”: healthcare humanization and clinical training of medicine, nutrition and physical therapy students from the School of Medicine of University of São Paulo

A Extensão Médica Acadêmica (EMA) foi fundada em 1998 na FMUSP visando à formação de médicos que valorizam o exame clínico e o relacionamento humano. É um projeto de voluntariado atualmente organizado por estudantes de medicina, fisioterapia e nutrição da USP. O EMA é sustentado por três pilares: ensino, assistência e pesquisa. O projeto é realizado aos sábados em dois bairros carentes da cidade de São Paulo, e tem como objetivo oferecer um atendimento ambulatorial gratuito de qualidade, que priorize cuidados em saúde e humanização na relação médico-paciente. Os pacientes são atendidos por alunos e os casos são discutidos com profissionais de saúde, e durante a semana são realizadas reuniões com todos os membros do projeto, na Faculdade de Medicina da USP, contribuindo para a consolidação e aprofundamento dos conceitos em saúde. Este modelo de ensino complementa os estudos em sala de aula, pois permite o desenvolvimento de habilidades geralmente pouco exploradas durante o início da graduação tradicional. O EMA incentiva seus alunos a valorizarem a relação médico-paciente desde o primeiro ano da graduação. Assim, o projeto tem êxito em reunir pessoas dispostas a lidar com pacientes, aprender sobre saúde e ensinar outros estudantes. Como resultado, muitos de seus membros continuam a participar do projeto após o término da faculdade, tornando-se orientadores comprometidos a passar adiante o conhecimento adquirido durante sua prática profissional.The Academic Medical Extension (EMA) is a volunteer project of the School of Medicine of University of São Paulo organized by students of Medicine, Physical Therapy and Nutrition of University of São Paulo. It was founded in 1998 in order to provide a better academic developmentto students who value physical examination and human relations, besides providing to students in the beginningof graduation an early contact with patients and promotingan exchange of information between those three areas of health. EMA is sustained by three pillars: assistance, education and research, thus constituting an alternative to community-based education and assistance with a focus on humanization. The project is carried in two regions in the city of São Paulo and aims to offer these needy populations a free ambulatory care with quality, promote health and prevention. On Saturdays, undergraduate students see the patients and discuss the clinical case with a health professional;once a week, they attend a meeting with their group, which includes students of the three areas of health. During this meeting, the students report the clinical case and are assisted by other students to conduct the case and teach what they’ve learnt about the patient, collaborating with the establishment and deepening of the concepts in health. The project seeks to encourage their students since the first year of college to value the physician-patient relationship. Thus, it brings together people willing to work without the intention to earn a profit, but to learn more about health and to teach other students. As a result, members still participate in the project after graduation, as doctors committed to pass on their experience and knowledge