Clinical impact of healthcare-associated infections in Brazilian ICUs: a multicenter prospective cohort.

Background: Limited data is available to evaluate the burden of device associated healthcare infections (HAI) [central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP)] in low and-middle-income countries. Our aim is to investigate the population attributable mortality fraction and the absolute mortality difference of HAI in a broad population of critically ill patients from Brazil.

Methods: Multicenter cohort study from September 2019 to December 2023 with prospective individual patient data collection.

Self-perceived physical fitness and occurrences of individual levels of autistic traits in adolescents: a cluster association study.

Background: The association between physical fitness and autistic traits in adolescents remains under explored, especially in adolescents. Understanding this relationship can provide strategies to improve the quality of life of these people.

Objective: To identify the association between cluster characteristics derived from levels of self-perceived physical fitness and the occurrences of individual levels of autistic traits in Brazilian adolescents.

Development of a digital memory and learning test for elderly individuals.

Background: Population aging and the increase in memory-related diseases have motivated the search for accessible cognitive screening instruments. To develop a digital memory and learning test (DMLT) based on Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) principles to assess cognition in the elderly and identify early cognitive decline.

Methods: The research was divided into two phases: developing the digital test and the experimental phase of comparison with a reference test.

Comparison between AI and human expert performance in acute pain assessment in sheep.

This study explores the question whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) can outperform human experts in animal pain recognition using sheep as a case study. It uses a dataset of N = 48 sheep undergoing surgery with video recordings taken before (no pain) and after (pain) surgery. Four veterinary experts used two types of pain scoring scales: the sheep facial expression scale (SFPES) and the Unesp-Botucatu composite behavioral scale (USAPS), which is the 'golden standard' in sheep pain assessment.

Effects of conditional cash transfers on tuberculosis incidence and mortality according to race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors in the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort.

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have been implemented globally to alleviate poverty. Although tuberculosis (TB) is closely linked to poverty, the effects of CCT on TB outcomes among populations facing social and economic vulnerabilities remain uncertain. Here we estimated the associations between participation in the world's largest CCT program, the Brazilian Bolsa Família Program (BFP), and the reduction of TB incidence, mortality and case-fatality rates using the nationwide 100 Million Brazilian Cohort between 2004 and 2015.

Modeling, evaluation and metrics performance of the SyncLMKD in distributed kinematics variations.

Modeling the Digital Twin (DT) is an important resource for accurately representing the physical entity, enabling it to deliver functional services, meet application requirements, and address the disturbances between the physical and digital realms. This article introduces the Log Mean Kinematics Difference Synchronization (SyncLMKD) to measure the kinematic variations distributed among Digital Twin elements to ensure symmetric values relative to a reference. The proposed method employs abductive reasoning and draws inspiration from the Log Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD).

Optimization of a Conventional Assay into SYBR Green Real-Time PCR for the Detection of the Nc5 Segment from Neospora caninum.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to establish a SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay for detection of the Nc5 segment from the Neospora caninum genome.

Methods: The oligonucleotides sequences targeting the Nc5 gene previously reported and designed in-house were validated. Two Primer sets were evaluated and tested in four different combinations.

Building a growing genomic repository for maternal and fetal health through the PING Consortium.

Background: Prenatally transmitted viruses can cause severe damage to the developing brain. There is unexplained variability in prenatal brain injury and postnatal neurodevelopmental outcomes, suggesting disease modifiers. Of note, prenatal Zika infection can cause a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, including congenital Zika syndrome.

Artificial Intelligence and Cancer Health Equity: Bridging the Divide or Widening the Gap.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on cancer health equity, specifically investigating whether AI is addressing or widening disparities in cancer outcomes.

Recent Findings: Recent studies demonstrate significant advancements in AI, such as deep learning for cancer diagnosis and predictive analytics for personalized treatment, showing potential for improved precision in care. However, concerns persist about the performance of AI tools across diverse populations due to biased training data.

Application of a targeted amplicon sequencing panel to screen for insecticide resistance mutations in Anopheles darlingi populations from Brazil.

Large-scale surveillance and informed vector control approaches are urgently needed to ensure that national malaria programs remain effective in reducing transmission and, ultimately, achieving malaria elimination targets. In South America, Anopheles darlingi is the primary malaria vector and is responsible for the majority of Plasmodium species transmission. However, little is known about the molecular markers associated with insecticide resistance in this species.

Clonal shift and impact of azithromycin use on antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bloodstream infection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staphylococcus aureus is a relevant pathogen in bloodstream infections (BSI), and the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic increased its antimicrobial resistance. S. aureus isolates from BSI (September/2019 - March/2021) were analyzed phenotypically and molecularly, in addition to the clinical features of the patients.

Very low prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (pfhrp2) gene deletion in the Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana tri-border.

Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) have been an important diagnostic tool for detecting P. falciparum malaria in resource-limited settings. Most tests are designed to detect the Histidine-rich Protein 2 (HRP2).

Acute severe ulcerative colitis: defining the precise moment for colectomy.

Introduction: Acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) is a critical manifestation of ulcerative colitis (UC), often necessitating colectomy when medical management fails. Despite advancements in therapeutic interventions such as corticosteroids, biologics, and JAK inhibitors, a significant proportion of patients require surgery, with colectomy rates ranging from 10% to 15%.

Areas Covered: This paper reviews the factors influencing the timing and necessity of colectomy in ASUC management, emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary decision-making involving gastroenterologists and surgeons.

Case Report: osteonecrosis of the maxilla and mandible related to trastuzumab, docetaxel and carboplatin.

We present a case of a patient with HER-2 positive breast cancer who developed extensive areas of osteonecrosis in the mandible and maxilla due to the combination of trastuzumab, carboplatin, and docetaxel. The pathogenesis is discussed based on the literature.

Preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate to predict cardiac events in major noncardiac surgery: a secondary analysis of two large international studies.

Background: Optimised use of kidney function information might improve cardiac risk prediction in noncardiac surgery.

Methods: In 35,815 patients from the VISION cohort study and 9219 patients from the POISE-2 trial who were ≥45 yr old and underwent nonurgent inpatient noncardiac surgery, we examined (by age and sex) the association between continuous nonlinear preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the composite of myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery, nonfatal cardiac arrest, or death owing to a cardiac cause within 30 days after surgery. We estimated contributions of predictive information, C-statistic, and net benefit from eGFR and other common patient and surgical characteristics to large multivariable models.

Transvenous embolization of brain arteriovenous malformations featuring multiple draining veins with 4D-DSA: a case series and technical insights.

Background: Hemorrhage is a major complication of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) embolization, which can be related to persistent arteriovenous shunts that were not completely occluded during the embolization. In transvenous embolization (TVE) this risk is deemed higher for AVMs larger than 3 cm featuring multiple veins of drainage. Herein, we will discuss a few selected cases where brain AVMs with more than one draining vein were deemed safe for curative embolization with advanced endovascular techniques after a careful anatomical study through the four dimensional-digital subtraction angiography (4D-DSA) imaging.

Buprenorphine versus full agonist opioids for acute postoperative pain management: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background/importance: Opioids continue to play a key role in managing acute postoperative pain, but their use contributes to adverse outcomes. Buprenorphine may offer effective analgesia with a superior safety profile.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of buprenorphine with other opioids for acute postoperative pain management in adults.

The Effectiveness of Video Animations as a Tool to Improve Health Information Recall for Patients: Systematic Review.

Background: Access to clear and comprehensible health information is crucial for patient empowerment, leading to improved self-care, adherence to treatment plans, and overall health outcomes. Traditional methods of information delivery, such as written documents and oral communication, often result in poor memorization and comprehension. Recent innovations, such as animation videos, have shown promise in enhancing patient understanding, but comprehensive investigations into their effectiveness across various health care settings are lacking.

Platform-Based Patient-Clinician Digital Health Interventions for Care Transitions: Scoping Review.

Background: Care transitions are complex and can make patients vulnerable to adverse events. Poor communication among clinicians, patients, and their caregivers is a critical gap during these periods of transition. Technology solutions such as platform-based patient-clinician digital health interventions (DHIs) can provide support and education to patients.

Worldwide prevalence of the double burden of malnutrition in children and adolescents at the individual level: systematic review and meta-regression.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) at the individual level in children and adolescents through a comprehensive literature review.

Sources: Electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched for articles published up until September 9, 2022. Studies reporting individual-level DBM in children and adolescents were included, and meta-regression models were used to investigate potential causes of heterogeneity across studies.

Classification of non-TCGA cancer samples to TCGA molecular subtypes using compact feature sets.

Molecular subtypes, such as defined by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), delineate a cancer's underlying biology, bringing hope to inform a patient's prognosis and treatment plan. However, most approaches used in the discovery of subtypes are not suitable for assigning subtype labels to new cancer specimens from other studies or clinical trials. Here, we address this barrier by applying five different machine learning approaches to multi-omic data from 8,791 TCGA tumor samples comprising 106 subtypes from 26 different cancer cohorts to build models based upon small numbers of features that can classify new samples into previously defined TCGA molecular subtypes-a step toward molecular subtype application in the clinic.

Characterizing features affecting local ancestry inference performance in admixed populations.

In recent years, significant efforts have been made to improve methods for genomic studies of admixed populations using local ancestry inference (LAI). Accurate LAI is crucial to ensure that downstream analyses accurately reflect the genetic ancestry of research participants. Here, we test analytic strategies for LAI to provide guidelines for optimal accuracy, focusing on admixed populations reflective of Latin America's primary continental ancestries-African (AFR), Amerindigenous (AMR), and European (EUR).

Association of 30-s Sit-to-Stand Power Test Outcome With Body Balance in Physically Active Older Adults.

Amount of serial sitting and standing movements has been employed in clinical and research settings to assess legs' muscular strength. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to test the correlation between the 30-s sit-to-stand power test (30STSp) outcome and body balance in older adults. We evaluated physically active male and female (n = 51) individuals with an age range of 60-80 years (M = 69.

EEFSEC deficiency: A selenopathy with early-onset neurodegeneration.

Inborn errors of selenoprotein expression arise from deleterious variants in genes encoding selenoproteins or selenoprotein biosynthetic factors, some of which are associated with neurodegenerative disorders. This study shows that bi-allelic selenocysteine tRNA-specific eukaryotic elongation factor (EEFSEC) variants cause selenoprotein deficiency, leading to progressive neurodegeneration. EEFSEC deficiency, an autosomal recessive disorder, manifests with global developmental delay, progressive spasticity, ataxia, and seizures.

A pupillary image dataset: 10,000 annotated and 258,790 non-annotated images of patients with glaucoma, diabetes, and subjects influenced by alcohol, coupled with a segmentation performance evaluation.

The Pupillary Light Reflex (PLR) is the involuntary movement of the pupil adapting to lighting conditions. The measurement and qualification of this information have a broad impact in different fields. Thanks to technological advancements and algorithms, obtaining accurate and non-invasive records of pupillary movements is now possible, expanding practical applications.