Helminth and protozoan intestinal infections in pregnant women in their first consultation at Health Centers of the State in the Butant? Subdistrict, S?o Paulo City]

481 pregnant women attended at first consultation from a S?o Paulo city suburb-subdistrict of Butantan-S?o Paulo State, Brazil, from April to October of 1988, were investigated regarding the prevalence of verminosis. The mean age was 24.5 years (range 14-46), the average family income was 0.97 PCMW (per capita minimum wage) and the average number of members of the family was 4 (1 to 15). The verminosis prevalence was 45.1% among the women. The most frequent parasites were: Ascaris lumbricoides (19.0%), ancilostomídeos (16.7%) and Trichuris trichiura (15.9%). The verminosis prevalence was significantly higher among the pregnant women (p < 0.05) who belonged to the families with income below 0.5 PCMW and greater than 4 members.     

The case for global eradication of poliomyelitis

Global eradication of poliomyelitis can be achieved by a programme strategy that includes achievement and maintenance of high immunization levels, effective surveillance to detect all new cases, and a rapid vigorous response to the occurrence of new cases. Regional eradication targets have already been set in Europe and the Americas. Possible impediments to eradication include the necessity to generate political and social will; managerial constraints; issues of vaccine efficacy, stability, and cost; and adequacy of surveillance. We believe that the impediments can be overcome and that with intensified effort and increased international collaboration, global eradication could be achieved as early as 1995.     

Can energy drinks reduce the depressor effect of ethanol? An experimental study in mice

Although the popularization of the combined use of alcoholic beverages and energy drinks (ED) containing caffeine, taurine and other substances has increased, there are no controlled experimental studies on the effects of ED alone or combined with ethanol. This work aimed at evaluating the effects of different doses of ED combined or not with ethanol, on the locomotor activity of Swiss mice. The administration of 3.57, 10.71 or 17.86 ml/kg of ED alone increased the locomotor activity of the animals in relation to a control group. Low doses of ethanol (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg) alone or in combination with 10.71 ml/kg of ED did not affect their locomotor activity. However, the reduction of activity observed after 2.5 g/kg of ethanol was antagonized by 10.71 ml/kg of ED. Further studies on the mechanisms of this interaction are still needed.     

Elevated sperm DNA fragmentation does not predict recurrent implantation failure

In this study, we sought to determine whether sperm DNA fragmentation (DFI%) and high DNA stainability (HDS%) evaluated by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) predict recurrent implantation failure (RIF) or pregnancy rate. A retrospective study was performed of consecutive cycles of ICSI treatment from 2009 to 2018. A total of 386 couples that underwent 1,216 frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles were analysed. Mean female and male age was 34 ± 3.6 years and 37.3 ± 6.6 years, respectively, and a median total motile sperm count (TMSC) was 43.5 [9.9–105.5] million. Overall median DFI% and HDS% was 12 [7.1–18.9] and 9.6 [6.5–14.4] respectively. On multivariable analysis, DFI% and HDS% were not associated with RIF (DFI%: OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.98–1.04, p = .414; HDS%: OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94–1.01, p = .107) or IVF success, defined as clinical pregnancy (DFI%: OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.99–1.01, p = .641; HDS%: OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99–1.02, p = .565). We found that neither DFI% or HDS%, as assessed by SCSA, were predictive of RIF or pregnancy rate. This finding suggests that sperm DNA fragmentation does not predict RIF or pregnancy rate.     

Presence of micronuclei in lymphocytes of mercury exposed workers

We have investigated the presence of micronuclei in mercury exposed workers. The study group consisted of 15 workers from a mercury-producing plant, mean age 39.5 years and a mean exposed period of 12 years. At the time of testing and for the six previous months, the exposed population had urinary mercury levels below the currently accepted limit of 50 ug/g creatinine. A significant increase in the percentage of micronuclei was observed in the mercury exposed individuals when compared to the non exposed group. We have not found any correlation between the percentage of micronuclei and age, length of exposure or urinary mercury concentrations. Our results suggest a genotoxic effect of mercury, which is observed in workers exposed chronically to levels considered biologically safe for the exposed population.     

Coverage and focus of a cervical cancer prevention program in southern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the coverage and focus of cervical cancer screening (Pap smears) in a population-based sample in Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional cluster survey covering 1730 women aged 20 years or older with a history of sexual activity. Information was collected on social, demographic and behavioral variables, knowledge of and use of the Pap test. RESULTS: Of women aged 25-59 years, who are the target population of the national cervical cancer screening program, 78.7% had had at least one Pap test in their lifetime, and 68.8% had had a Pap test in the last 3 years. Statistics for focus of the program showed that of the 637 women who reported having a Pap test in the last year, only 20.6% actually required one. The remainder were either outside the age range or had had another test less than 30 months previously. Prevalence of not having been tested in the previous 3 years was highest among black (41.7%) and low-income women (64.3%), and among those at greatest risk for cervical cancer (62.3% for women with three or more risk factors). Focus was inversely related to socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: Coverage rates were similar to those reported in other national studies, but this is the first report to examine the focus of the national program. We show that 8 of every 10 Pap tests were not necessary. Coverage levels remain unacceptably low among women of low socioeconomic status and those at greatest risk for cervical cancer.     

Acute cardiac injury is associated with adverse outcomes,including mortality in COVID-19 patients: A single-center experience

Objectives:To evaluate acute cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients and its association with adverse outcomes including mortality in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population.Methods:A retrospective study conducted between February and June 2020 in Dubai, UAE, for all laboratory-confirmed Coronavirus disease-19 patients. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with and without acute cardiac injury.Results:During the study period, 203 patients were included, of which, 44 (21.7%) had evidence of acute cardiac injury. Compared with patients without acute cardiac injury, patients with acute cardiac injury were: older, had more shortness of breath, diabetes, hypertension, and more bilateral airspace shadowing on admission chest radiography. These patients also had a higher neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, ferritin, D-dimers and lactate dehydrogenase but lower lymphocyte count. Regarding outcomes, these patients had higher intensive care admissions; a higher rate of complications including acute kidney and liver injury, acidosis, septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, needed more mechanical ventilation, and had a significantly higher risk of death.Conclusion:Acute cardiac injury is common among Coronavirus disease-19 patients. These patients present with higher comorbidities, have high inflammatory markers and have greater risk for in-hospital multi-organ damage, need for mechanical ventilation, and death. Prompt full assessment and intervention are recommended.     

Absolute and Relative Agreement between the Current and Modified Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program Dietary Index (BALANCE DI) and the American Heart Association Healthy Diet Score (AHA-DS) in Post Myocardial Infarction Patients

The American Heart Association Diet Score (AHA-DS) defines the cardiovascular health, and the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program Dietary Index (BALANCE DI) was designed to evaluate diet quality in secondary cardiovascular prevention settings. Our aim was to assess the absolute and relative agreement between both tools in Brazilian adults after a myocardial infarction (MI). In this cross-sectional study, 473 individuals were included and had their diet assessed by a 24 h food recall and a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. The weighted Kappa between BALANCE DI and primary AHA-DS was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.08–0.21), and between BALANCE DI and total AHA-DS was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.20–0.32). To improve the agreement between the tools, modifications were made to the BALANCE DI scoring system. The weighted Kappa between New BALANCE DI and primary AHA-DS was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.36–0.48), and between BALANCE DI and total AHA-DS was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.34–0.46). The mean bias observed between the New BALANCE DI as compared to the primary and total AHA-DS was −16% (−51 to 19) and −8% (−41 to 24), respectively. Our results suggest that the New BALANCE DI may be a useful tool to evaluate diet quality in post MI patients.