Vaccination Coverage at Birth in Brazil: Spatial and Temporal Trends in the Impact of COVID-19 on Uptake of BCG and Hepatitis B Vaccines.

Introduction: Vaccines are a significant public health achievement, which are crucial for child survival and disease control globally. In Brazil, the National Immunization Program (PNI) manages vaccination schedules, including essential vaccines like BCG and Hepatitis B, administered at birth. Despite achieving over 95% coverage for years, vaccination rates have declined since 2016, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Muscle stretching exercises and resistance training in fibromyalgia: which is better? A three-arm randomized controlled trial.

Background: Exercise therapy is an effective component of fibromyalgia (FM) treatment. However, it is important to know the effects and specificities of the different types of exercise: muscle stretching and resistance training.

Aim: To verify and compare the effectiveness of muscle stretching exercise and resistance training for symptoms and quality of life in FM patients.

Brazilian-Portuguese translation and cross cultural adaptation of the activities-specific balance confidence (ABC) scale.

Background: The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale was developed to quantify the self-perceived level of confidence in performing specific activities without losing balance or becoming unsteady. The ABC scale has been adopted in clinical practice and in research, although cross-cultural differences may impose difficulties in its use.

Objective: To translate, cross-culturally adapt and verify the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the ABC scale and describe the self-perceived balance confidence of elderly Brazilian people.

Quality of life and discriminating power of two questionnaires in fibromyalgia patients: Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey.

Background: Fibromyalgia is a painful syndrome characterized by widespread chronic pain and associated symptoms with a negative impact on quality of life.

Objectives: Considering the subjectivity of quality of life measurements, the aim of this study was to verify the discriminating power of two quality of life questionnaires in patients with fibromyalgia: the generic Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the specific Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 participants divided into Fibromyalgia Group (FG) and Control Group (CG) (n=75 in each group).

Prevalence of fibromyalgia in a low socioeconomic status population.

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of fibromyalgia, as well as to assess the major symptoms of this syndrome in an adult, low socioeconomic status population assisted by the primary health care system in a city in Brazil.

Methods: We cross-sectionally sampled individuals assisted by the public primary health care system (n = 768, 35-60 years old). Participants were interviewed by phone and screened about pain.

Pain in fibromyalgia and discrimination power of the instruments: Visual Analog Scale, Dolorimetry and the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the discriminative power of the most widely used pain assessment instruments.

Methods: The sample consisted of 279 subjects divided into Fibromyalgia Group FM- 205 patients with fibromyalgia and Control Group CG-74 healthy subjects), mean age 49.29 +/- 10.