Activity

WC and WHtR showed no association consistent with all-cause mortality after adjustment for confounding factors. Considering the loss of significance in the sensitivity analyses, ABSI’s predictive capacity for mortality is still weak. Thus, adopting ABSI in clinical practice or in epidemiological surveys, in conjunction or replacing BMI and WC, requires more in-depth studies.

This paper aims to analyze the use of off label (OL) medicines, according to the National Regulatory Agency, in a neonatal intensive care unit of a high-risk maternity hospital in Northeast Brazil.

A cross-sectional study was carried out, using a convenience sample of newborns that used mechanical ventilation at the Intensive Care Unit. As a reference, OL medications were considered for those without an approval for newborn usage by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária – ANVISA) and by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

The sample consisted of 158 newborns, 58.3% male, 87.7% premature, and 70.2% of low or very low birth weight. According to ANVISA, 440 out of the 1,167 prescriptions analyzed were OL, with 98.1% of newborns exposed to at least one of these drugs. According to the FDA, 484 prescriptions were OL, with 75.8% of newborns exposed to at least one of them. Anti-infectives were the most prescribed OL medications. Neonates who presented respiratory failure and pneumonia used these drugs more often; and there was no relation between their use and the number of deaths.

Nearly all newborns at the Intensive Care Units, mainly preterm infants, are exposed to at least one off-label (OL) medication during hospital stay, according to the national and international regulatory agencies. No association was found between off-label prescriptions and the frequency of complications or neonatal deaths.

Nearly all newborns at the Intensive Care Units, mainly preterm infants, are exposed to at least one off-label (OL) medication during hospital stay, according to the national and international regulatory agencies. No association was found between off-label prescriptions and the frequency of complications or neonatal deaths.

To verify the association of anthropometric parameters at birth, socioeconomic and biological variables, physical activity, and parental nutritional status with overweight and abdominal obesity in adolescents.

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 39 public and private schools in Recife (state of Pernambuco, Brazil). The sample consisted of 1,081 teenagers aged from 12 to 17 years. Data were collected from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA). Body mass index according to age (BMI-for-age), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) were considered as outcome variables, whereas the explanatory variables were birth weight, Röhrer’s Ponderal Index (RPI), biological and socioeconomic variables, physical activity, and parental nutritional status. The crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) for the studied association were estimated by Poisson Regression.

The multivariate Poisson regression showed that the variable that remained significantly associated with overweight in adolescence was maternal overweight, PR=1.86 (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.09-3.17). High birth weight also remained significantly associated with abdominal obesity assessed by WC, PR=3.25 (95%CI 1.0-9.74).

High birth weight may be a marker for abdominal obesity in adolescence; and high maternal BMI, for overweight.

High birth weight may be a marker for abdominal obesity in adolescence; and high maternal BMI, for overweight.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can be a devastating condition in children with cancer and alveolar recruitment maneuvers (ARMs) can theoretically improve oxygenation and survival. The study aimed to assess the feasibility of ARMs in critically ill children with cancer and ARDS.

We retrospectively analyzed 31 maneuvers in a series of 12 patients (median age of 8.9 years) with solid tumors (n=4), lymphomas (n=2), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n=2), and acute myeloid leukemia (n=4). Patients received positive end-expiratory pressure from 25 up to 40 cmH20, with a delta pressure of 15 cmH2O for 60 seconds. We assessed blood gases pre- and post-maneuvers, as well as ventilation parameters, vital signs, hemoglobin, clinical signs of pulmonary bleeding, and radiological signs of barotrauma. Pre- and post-values were compared by the Wilcoxon test.

Median platelet count was 53,200/mm3. Post-maneuvers, mean arterial pressure decreased more than 20% in two patients, and four needed an increase in vasoactive drugs. Hemoglobin levels remained stable 24 hours after ARMs, and signs of pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, or subcutaneous emphysema were absent. selleck chemicals llc Fraction of inspired oxygen decreased significantly after ARMs (FiO2; p=0.003). Oxygen partial pressure (PaO2)/FiO2 ratio increased significantly (p=0.0002), and the oxygenation index was reduced (p=0.01), but all these improvements were transient. Recruited patients’ 28-day mortality was 58%.

ARMs, although feasible in the context of thrombocytopenia, lead only to transient improvements, and can cause significant hemodynamic instability.

ARMs, although feasible in the context of thrombocytopenia, lead only to transient improvements, and can cause significant hemodynamic instability.

To describe lockdown-type containment measures and COVID-19 incidence in South Africa, Germany, Brazil, Spain, United States, Italy and New Zealand.

This is a descriptive ecological study with data on daily incidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases from February 22 to August 31 2020, as well as information on lockdown measures implemented by the governments of each country.

Daily COVID-19 incidence (cases per 1 million inhabitants) decreased within three weeks after lockdown started in the countries that implemented it South Africa (3.7 to 1.7), Germany (37.5 to 33.7) Spain (176.3 to 82.0), Italy (92.0 to 52.1) and New Zealand (7.5 to 1.7). As for Brazil and the United States, which did not implement lockdown, there was no considerable decrease.

After lockdown implementation, there was a considerable decrease in the number of confirmed cases.

After lockdown implementation, there was a considerable decrease in the number of confirmed cases.