Highlights Seventy-four (33.18%) municipalities in the state of Paraíba registered live births with microcephaly. The highest proportion of cases (23.03%) was concentrated in the capital, João Pessoa. Number of inhabitants, number of cases of Zika virus, water supply, and average household income were associated with a higher proportion of new cases. ABSTRACT Objective To analyze the relationship between microcephaly and social inequality indicators in the state of Paraíba during the biennium January 2015 and December 2016. Methods Ecological study with […]

Highlights • Neurology trainees and program directors recognized a lack of structured breaking bad news training. • Program directors reported that many factors hinder the implementation of breaking bad news education. • Trainees felt capable of breaking bad news, but most did not have lectures, simulations, nor feedback. • Trainees acknowledged negative feelings when breaking bad news, including sadness and helplessness. ABSTRACT Objective We aimed to evaluate how breaking bad news training was implemented in neurology residency programs in Brazil […]

Highlights The levonorgestrel intrauterine system treatment prevents 67.7% of surgeries in patients with heavy menstrual bleeding and enlarged uteri.   ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system in the treatment of patients with heavy menstrual bleeding and an enlarged uterus and to compare satisfaction and its complications with hysterectomy. Methods This was a comparative cross-sectional observational study of women with heavy menstrual bleeding and an enlarged uterus. Sixty-two women were treated and followed up for four […]

Highlights History of sexually transmitted infections and first sexual intercourse by the age of 15. History of syphilis in the partner, and partners using illicit drugs were all positively associated with gestational syphilis. ABSTRACT Objective To estimate the prevalence of syphilis and its associated factors in women who were treated at public maternity hospitals and received prenatal care in a primary healthcare unit. Methods This cross-sectional study included 399 postpartum women. Interviews were conducted, and additional data were extracted from […]

Highlights Understanding how diagnostic radiology is taught in Brazilian medical schools. The students’ perception on their radiology training and its importance. Which methods are used to teach, both in pre-clinical and clinical years.   ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to assess diagnostic radiology training and exposure during medical school, from the perspective of medical students in Brazil. Methods In this multicenter study approved by the Institutional Review Board, medical students from multiple universities in Brazil filled out an online questionnaire […]

Highlights Patients at nutritional risk had a lower survival than those not at nutritional risk. Nutritional risk had good discriminatory accuracy to predict death. Nutritional screening should be included as an essential part of care for these patients.   ABSTRACT Objective To verify whether the presence of related nutritional risk indicators prior to COVID-19 diagnosis is associated with poor survival in patients with cancer. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of hospitalized cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 between […]

Highlights Lymphoproliferative disorders were associated with lower vaccine response rates than other disorders. Previous exposure to COVID-19 before vaccination was associated with higher antibody values. The duration of anti-B-lymphocyte therapy related to vaccination had an effect on response rates. The incidence of adverse effects of patients with onco-hematological diseases was similar to that of the healthy population.   ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the influence of onco-hematological pathologies on seroconversion to COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to the effects of chemotherapy treatment […]

Highlights The evaluated method showed moderate reproducibility when compared to the gold standard practice. This new method had a high specificity and a low sensitivity. The observed high range of SpO2 levels between the methods could lead to a wrong patient referral. The use of telemedicine to assess oxygen saturation in patient with dyspnea is a viable resource, although requiring improvement.   ABSTRACT Objective To calculate the positive likelihood ratio to determine whether telemedicine is able to optimize referral to […]

Highlights Karyotype was normal in 60% of patients and altered in 40%. The variants most often detected in the myeloid panel were: JAK2 (54%), ASXL1 (50%), TET2 (31%), and CALR (22%). The median follow-up of transplant patients was 2.4 years and the two-year overall survival was 80%.   ABSTRACT Objective To analyze the karyotype test and myeloid panel with next-generation sequencing findings in patients with myelofibrosis, and to compare transplant characteristics in patients referred for bone marrow transplantation. Methods Retrospective, […]

Highlights The incidence of acute myeloid leukemia was slightly higher in women. The most frequent aberrant marker in B-cell ALL was CD66c, followed by CD13 and CD33. Expression of CD34, HLA-DR, CD13, MPO, CD15, CD64, CD2 and CD7 was different in the non-APL and APL AML groups. Differences in expression of CD10, CD13, CD33, CD66c and CD34 were observed in different age groups with B-cell ALL.   ABSTRACT Objective To characterize the immunophenotypic profile of acute leukemias in the population […]