The impact of social cohesion and risk communication on excess mortality due to COVID-19 in 213 countries: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Tools for assessing a country's capacity in the face of public health emergencies must be reviewed, as they were not predictive of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social cohesion and risk communication, which are related to trust in government and trust in others, may have influenced adherence to government measures and mortality rates due to COVID-19.

Objective: To analyse the association between indicators of social cohesion and risk communication and COVID-19 outcomes in 213 countries.

All-fiber broadband spectral acousto-optic modulation of a tubular-lattice hollow-core optical fiber.

We demonstrate a broadband acousto-optic notch filter based on a tubular-lattice hollow-core fiber for the first time to our knowledge. The guided optical modes are modulated by acoustically induced dynamic long-period gratings along the fiber. The device is fabricated employing a short interaction length (7.

National governance and excess mortality due to COVID-19 in 213 countries: a retrospective analysis and perspectives on future pandemics.

Background: National governance may have influenced the response of institutions to the Covid-19 pandemic, being a key factor in preparing for the next pandemics. The objective was to analyze the association between excess mortality due to COVID-19 (daily and cumulative per 100 thousand people) and national governance indicators in 213 countries.

Method: Multiple linear regression models using secondary data from large international datasets that are in the public domain were performed.

Post-marketing authorisation safety and efficacy surveillance of advanced therapy medicinal products in Brazil, the European Union, the United States and Japan.

Background Aims: Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are a class of biological products for human use that are based on gene, tissues or cells. ATMPs have peculiar characteristics when compared with traditional medicines. In this regard, long-term safety and efficacy follow-up systems of individuals treated with ATMPs have become necessary and may present unique challenges, because unlike conventional drugs and biologics, these products can exert their effects for years after administration.

Combined transcatheter aortic valve replacement and left atrial appendage occlusion in patients ineligible for oral anticoagulation: A case series.

Unlabelled: Patients presenting with aortic stenosis and atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are commonly at increased risk for stroke and bleeding complications. Concomitant left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) after TAVR may be an alternative to oral anticoagulation (OAC).Between 2018 and 2022, 7 consecutive patients who were ineligible for OAC underwent simultaneous TAVR and LAAO.

The High "Cost" of Experimental Drugs Obtained Through Health Litigation in Brazil.

Background: Brazilian patients have legal right to access unlicensed medicines undergoing clinical research, if there is evidence of efficacy and safety. This study investigated the occurrence of serious adverse events related to very high-cost medicines from clinical studies, expanded access and compassionate use programs, obtained by patients though health litigation.

Methods: A descriptive study using secondary data investigated unlicensed medicines obtained through lawsuits from 2010 to 2017, costing more than 1 million Brazilian reais (BRL), adjusted by the Brazilian Consumer Index to July 2017.

The Impact of Sacral Neuromodulation on Sexual Dysfunction.

Background/aims: Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is a well-established treatment in several urinary and bowel dysfunctions, nevertheless its role on sexual dysfunction remains unclear. We evaluate the impact of SNM on sexual function and its association with age at SNM, functional diagnosis and post-void residual urine (PVR) before SNM.

Methods: Patients who had SNM were retrospectively analyzed.

Niobium pentoxide and hydroxyapatite particle loaded electrospun polycaprolactone/gelatin membranes for bone tissue engineering.

Effective methods of accelerating the bone regeneration healing process are in demand for a number of bone-related diseases and trauma. This work developed scaffolds with improved properties for bone tissue engineering by electrospinning composite polycaprolactone-gelatin-hydroxyapatite-niobium pentoxide (PGHANb) membranes. Composite membranes, with average fiber diameters ranging from 123 to 156 nm, were produced by adding hydroxyapatite (HA) and varying concentrations of niobium pentoxide (NbO) particles (0, 3, 7, and 10 wt%) to a polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin (GL) matrix prior to electrospinning.

Incentives and challenges related to technological research and innovation within the Unified Health System in the Federal District of Brazil.

This article analyzes the profile of research conducted in the Federal District of Brazil funded through public calls for proposals issued by the Research for the SUS Program: shared health management/Federal District (PPSUS/DF) and a research support program run by the Superior School of Health Sciences, maintained by the Health Sciences Teaching and Research Foundation (ESCS/FEPECS, acronym in Portuguese). A document analysis was undertaken of all research funded by the PPSUS/DF and ESCS/FEPECS's Research Support Program between 2008 and 2017 using the following variables: year, title, research themes of the National Agenda for Health Research Priorities (ANPPS, acronym in Portuguese), implementing organization, area of application of research, and amount of funding. PPSUS/DF funded 73 projects with a total investment of approximately R$8 million, while ESCS/FEPECS funded 85 projects with a total investment of R$2.

Energy partitioning in cattle fed diets based on tropical forage with the inclusion of antibiotic additives.

The aim of this study was to describe energy partitioning in dairy crossbreed bulls fed tropical forage-based diets supplemented with different additives. Twenty F1 crossbred bulls (Holstein x Gyr) with initial and final live weight (LW) averages of 190 ± 17 and 275 ± 20 kg were fed sorghum (Sorghum bicolour) and Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania) silage (70:30 DM basis) with supplemented concentrate at a forage to concentrate ratio of 50:50.

Research Priorities and Resource Allocation in the Investigation of New Drugs for Cancer in Least Developed Countries.

Cancer incidence has increased significantly in low- and middle-income countries. The priorities of international health research are not always aligned with the global burden of cancer. This study aims to analyze global tendencies in clinical trials in oncology and discuss research priorities and resource allocation in the investigation of new drugs for cancers that significantly affect the least developed countries.

The patient's safety and access to experimental drugs after the termination of clinical trials: regulations and trends.

Purpose: Participants' rights and safety must be guaranteed not only while a clinical trial is being conducted but also when a clinical trial finishes. The criteria for post-trial access to experimental drugs, however, are unclear in various countries. The objectives of this study were (i) to ascertain if there were regulations or guidelines related to patients' access to drugs after the end of clinical trials in the countries selected in the study and (ii) to analyze trends in post-trial access in countries classified by their level of economic development.

Factors Contributing to Exacerbating Vulnerabilities in Global Clinical Trials.

Although policies and guidelines make use of the concept of vulnerability, few define it. The European Union's directive for clinical trials does not include explanations for or the reasoning behind the designation of certain groups as vulnerable. Emerging economies from lower middle-income countries have, in recent years, had the largest average annual growth rate, as well as increase, in number of clinical trials registered in the US government's database.

International Clinical Trials in Latin American and Caribbean Countries: Research and Development to Meet Local Health Needs.

Although international health research involves some benefits for the host countries, such as access to innovative treatments, the research itself may not be aligned with their communities' actual health needs. To map the global landscape of clinical trials run in Latin American and Caribbean countries and discuss the addressing of local health needs in the agenda of international clinical trials. The present study is a cross-sectional overview and used data referent to studies registered between 01/01/2014 and 12/31/2014 in the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP).

Laparoscopic Psoas Hitch Double Ureteral Re-implantation in the Duplex Urinary System for Treatment of Ureterovaginal Fistula.

Introduction: Although laparoscopy is widely established for ablative urologic procedures, pelvic reconstructive procedures are still mostly performed by open-surgery. As urologists continue to introduce advanced laparoscopic skills to reconstructive urologic procedures, we present our experience with a laparoscopic psoas hitch double ureteral re-implantation in a patient with an ureterovaginal fistula and an ipsilateral duplex urinary system.

Materials And Methods: A 42-year-old patient presented with continuous involuntary urine loss from the vagina after an abdominal hysterectomy.

Effectiveness of chlorthalidone/amiloride versus losartan in patients with stage I hypertension: results from the PREVER-treatment randomized trial.

Objectives: To compare the blood pressure (BP)-lowering efficacy of a chlorthalidone/amiloride combination pill with losartan, during initial management of stage I hypertension.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, 655 participants were followed for 18 months in 21 Brazilian academic centers. Trial participants were adult volunteers aged 30-70 years with stage I hypertension (BP 140-159 or 90-99 mmHg) following 3 months of a lifestyle intervention.

All-fiber 10 MHz acousto-optic modulator of a fiber Bragg grating at 1060 nm wavelength.

Acousto-optic modulation of a 1 cm fiber Bragg grating at 10.9 MHz frequency and 1065 nm wavelength is demonstrated for the first time. A special modulator design is employed to acoustically induce a dynamic radial long period grating which couples power of the fundamental mode to the higher-order modes supported by the Bragg grating.

Trends in research involving human beings in Brazil.

Developing countries have experienced a dramatic increase in the number of clinical studies in the last decades. The aim of this study was to describe 1) the number of clinical trials submitted to the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, Anvisa) from 2007 to 2012 and the number of human-subject research projects approved by research ethics committees (RECs) and the National Research Ethics Committee (Comissão Nacional de Ética em Pesquisa, CONEP) in Brazil from 2007 to 2011 and 2) the diseases most frequently studied in Brazilian states in clinical trials approved in the country from 2009 to 2012, based on information from an Anvisa databank. Two databases were used: 1) the National Information System on Research Ethics Involving Human Beings (Sistema Nacional de Informação Sobre Ética em Pesquisa envolvendo Seres Humanos, SISNEP) and 2) Anvisa's Clinical Research Control System (Sistema de Controle de Pesquisa Clínica, SCPC).

Detailed analysis of the longitudinal acousto-optical resonances in a fiber Bragg modulator.

The interaction frequencies between longitudinal acoustic waves and fiber Bragg grating are numerically and experimentally assessed. Since the grating modulation depends on the acoustic drive, the combined analysis provides a more efficient operation. In this paper, 3-D finite element and transfer matrix methods allow investigating the electrical, mechanical and optical resonances of an acousto-optical device.