Lung ultrasound score and diaphragm ultrasound in weaning from mechanical ventilation: are they different in patients with and without COVID-19?

Objective: To compare pre-extubation physiological characteristics and ultrasound variables between patients intubated for COVID-19 compared to a clinical population and those intubated for other reasons.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for more than 48 h. Patients were divided into two groups: those intubated for COVID-19-induced ARDS and those intubated for other clinical reasons.

Intraoral appliance treatment modulates inflammatory markers and oxidative damage in elderly with sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes intermittent hypoxia, increased production of reactive oxygen species, and inflammation, which may elevate morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of the intraoral appliance (IOA) as a treatment for OSA when it comes to the modulation of inflammatory markers and oxidative damage in elderly individuals. This "before and after" clinical trial included 9 patients diagnosed with OSA recruited from a multicenter randomized clinical trial study that evaluated the treatment with IOA for 60 days.

Efficacy and safety of risankizumab versus methotrexate in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: results from IMMbrace, a randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study with an open-label extension period in Brazil.

Background: Psoriasis, a chronic, inflammatory skin disease, requires long-term therapy. Risankizumab is a humanized immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody that specifically inhibits interleukin 23 by binding to its p19 subunit.

Objective: The authors assessed the efficacy and safety of risankizumab compared with methotrexate in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

World Stroke Organization: Global Stroke Fact Sheet 2025.

Background: Among non-communicable disorders (NCDs), stroke remains the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of death and disability combined (as expressed by disability-adjusted life-years lost-DALYs) in the world.

Aims: The study was aimed to estimate global, regional and nationa burden of stroke and its risk factors from 1990 to 2021.

Methods: Finding presented in this paper were derived mainly from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 Study on stroke burden published in The Lancet Neurology 2024:23:973-1003.

World Stroke Organization (WSO): Global intracerebral hemorrhage factsheet 2025.

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is stroke caused by non-traumatic bleeding into the brain.

Aim: This factsheet provides summary statistics for ICH from the 2021 Global of Burden of Diseases Study.

Methods: Data were downloaded from the GBD results platform using "intracerebral hemorrhage" as a Level 4 cause of death or injury, extracting key metrics (number, percent, rate) for measures (incidence, disabilty adjusted life years [DALYs], deaths) described in this factsheet.

Cluster headache and galcanezumab: the first real-world Brazilian study and an expert consensus on its use among other treatments.

Objective: To present the first Brazilian real-world results with galcanezumab and provide a consensus expert opinion on the prophylactic treatment of cluster headache (CH) in Brazil.

Methods: The first part of the study (real-world results) was observational, prospective, uncontrolled, and descriptive. A sample of 44 consecutive patients with episodic or chronic CH were evaluated and treated in a traditional tertiary clinic from March 2020 to June 2024.

Return to work after parenting in thoracic surgery: a call to action.

Objectives: Women in our modern era are facing considerable challenges in the workplace, particularly in Cardiothoracic Surgery where women are under-represented in leadership and academic roles. Returning to work after parental leave may potentially uncover or exacerbate existing gender biases within the workplace, with important consequences on professional and personal lives. Our goal was to characterize the experiences and the impact of return-to-work after parenting on Thoracic Surgery careers across Europe.

Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac against COVID-19-related severe outcomes among children and adolescents: A Brazilian nationwide cohort study.

Introduction: Nationwide databases from large countries may provide real-world evidence about COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE). This study sought to assess the VE of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac against COVID-19-related severe outcomes in school-aged children and adolescents during the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Methods: A nationwide population-based cohort study compared the incidence risk ratios (IRRs) of hospitalization due to COVID-19-associated severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), need for invasive ventilatory support, and death among school-aged children (age 5 to 11 years) and adolescents (age 12 to 17 years), stratified by vaccination status (none, one, or two doses), in 2022.

Association between vaccination and persistent COVID-19-related symptoms among patients with mild Omicron infection: A prospective cohort study.

Background: While COVID-19 vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of severe illness, its impact on the occurrence of persistent symptoms in patients with mild Omicron infection remains uncertain. Our objective was to investigate whether COVID-19 vaccination reduces the occurrence of persistent COVID-19-related symptoms 3 months after mild Omicron infection.

Methods: Multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted in Brazil between January 2022 and June 2023 when Omicron was predominant.

The impact of COVID-19 infection on multiple sclerosis disease course across 12 countries: a propensity-score-matched cohort study.

Background: The relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse and disease progression remains unclear. Previous studies are limited by small sample sizes and most lack a propensity-matched control cohort.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 infection on MS disease course with a large propensity-matched cohort.

Exploring Perceived Gender Disparities in Latin America's Vascular Neurology Workforce: Insights from a Survey-Based Study.

Introduction: Limited research exists on women's challenges as specialized healthcare professionals in Latin America's stroke field. This survey-based study addresses the potential gender disparities in these professionals' work environments.

Methods: This exploratory study used an online survey to investigate the work environment of women healthcare professionals in stroke across several Latin American countries.

Acute stroke care in low and middle-income countries.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this article is to discuss the global impact of stroke, the disparities and barriers to implement stroke care, and the global efforts to improve access to acute treatments in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Recent Findings: Disparities in access to stroke care are influenced by socioeconomic inequalities, geographic disparities, and limited healthcare infrastructure, particularly in LMICs. Effective stroke care requires a coordinated approach involving emergency services, rapid diagnosis, timely treatment, and early rehabilitation.

Value-based health care in heart failure: Quality of life and cost analysis.

Objectives: To measure Quality of Life (QoL) and costs of Heart Failure (HF) outpatients in Brazil as an introduction to the Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) concept.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional study, patients with HF, with ejection fraction <50%, were recruited from three hospitals in Brazil. Two QoL (36-Item Short Form Survey [SF-36] and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire [MLHFQ]) and two anxiety/depression questionnaires were applied.

Implementation of Basic Patient Safety Protocols: a quality improvement project.

Objective: To analyze the effect of an improvement project on the implementation of Basic Patient Safety Protocols in Brazilian public hospitals.

Method: This is an intervention study aimed at comparing measurements before-and-after the implementation of an improvement project in 35 public hospitals across three Brazilian regions, between July 2021 and September 2023. The intervention consisted of a set of activities to support the implementation of six Basic Patient Safety Protocols, with semimonthly collection of indicators.

The cost burden of adolescent and young adult pregnancy: real-world evidence from the Brazilian public health care system.

Background: In low- and middle-income countries, pregnancy in adolescence represents an important public health issue. Rates of early pregnancy have significant social and economic consequences that extend beyond the individual sphere, impacting public/governmental budgets.

Aim: To estimate the cost implications of early pregnancies from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Public Health System.