Pharmaceutical services for endemic situations in the Brazilian Amazon: organization of services and prescribing practices for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum non-complicated malaria in high-risk municipalities

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In spite of the fact that pharmaceutical services are an essential component of all malaria programmes, quality of these services has been little explored in the literature. This study presents the first results of the application of an evaluation model of pharmaceutical services in high-risk municipalities of the Amazon region, focusing on indicators regarding organization of services and prescribing according to national guidelines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A theoretical framework of pharmaceutical services for non-complicated malaria was built based on the Rapid Evaluation Method (WHO). The framework included organization of services and prescribing, among other activities. The study was carried out in 15 primary health facilities in six high-risk municipalities of the Brazilian Amazon. Malaria individuals ≥ 15 years old were approached and data was collected using specific instruments. Data was checked by independent reviewers and fed to a data bank through double-entry. Descriptive variables were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A copy of the official treatment guideline was found in 80% of the facilities; 67% presented an environment for receiving and prescribing patients. Re-supply of stocks followed a different timeline; no facilities adhered to forecasting methods for stock management. No shortages or expired anti-malarials were observed, but overstock was a common finding. On 86.7% of facilities, the average of good storage practices was 48%. Time between diagnosis and treatment was zero days. Of 601 patients interviewed, 453 were diagnosed for <it>Plasmodium vivax</it>; of these, 99.3% received indications for the first-line scheme. Different therapeutic schemes were given to <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>patients. Twenty-eight (4.6%) out of 601 were prescribed regimens not listed in the national guideline. Only 5.7% individuals received a prescription or a written instruction of any kind.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results show that while diagnostic procedure is well established and functioning in the Brazilian malaria programme, prescribing is still an activity that is actually not performed. The absence of physicians and poor integration between malaria services and primary health services make for the lack of a prescription or written instruction for malaria patients throughout the Brazilian Amazon. This fact may lead to a great number of problems in rational use and in adherence to medication.</p

Enhancing in the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells by the incorporation of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes into TiO2 films: The role of MWCNT addition

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)TiO2-MWCNT composite electrodes were prepared by a direct mixing method. The presence of acid-treated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH) into the titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanode was investigated by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphological properties of the composite photoanodes were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The performance of quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) using TiO2-MWCNT photoanodes was dependent on the MWCNT loading. Compared with a DSSC based on conventional TiO2 electrodes, the TiO2-MWCNT film containing 0.02 wt.% of carbon nanotubes provided an increase of ca. 30% in device's efficiency, which was attributed to an enhanced short-circuit current density (J(sc)). The improvement on J(sc) was correlated with an enhanced interconnectivity between MWCNT-COOH and TiO2 nanoparticles. The carbonaceous materials introduced an alternative electrical conduction pathway which facilitates rapid electron transport in the photoelectrode, as suggested from Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) measurements. At high MWCNT loading, we observed that the energy conversion efficiency decreased due to energy losses from the optical absorption of carbonaceous materials, and also due to an increase in charge recombination. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.2517884Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)FAPESP [2006/58998-3, 2008/51001-9, 2009/50596-1, 2010/18656-1