Psychometric study of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale with health professionals.

Objective: To assess the validity of the internal structure and reliability of the Brazilian version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for screening depressive and anxious symptoms in primary care health professionals.

Methods: A psychometric study carried out with health professionals from primary health care services in a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2023. The quality of the HADS instrument was assessed by internal structural validity, using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and internal consistency, using Cronbach's Alpha and McDonald's Omega coefficients.

HIV prevalence in men hospitalized for alcohol use disorder in Brazil: a silent epidemic?

Alcohol is widely consumed in Brazil, yet the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)-particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess HIV prevalence in a sample of hospitalized alcohol users undergoing detoxification and to explore associations with demographic and clinical factors. A consecutive sample of 445 men with AUD was recruited from a treatment unit in a capital city in southern Brazil between 2013 and 2020.

Determination of drugs of abuse in oral fluid using dried oral fluid spot assisted by 24-well plate and LC-MS/MS.

Background: Oral fluid has proven to be an excellent matrix for drug testing. Several analytical techniques are available, including the use of dried spots, which have gained increasing recognition in recent years. In this study, a new method was developed and validated using dried oral fluid spot (DOFS) assisted by a 24-well plate for the simultaneous determination of thirteen drugs of abuse and metabolites in oral fluid by LC - MS/MS.

Insights on Health Burden, Needs, and Prevention Strategies After the Flood Catastrophe in Southern Brazil.

Brazil has experienced a significant increase in climate emergencies and environmental disasters. Rio Grande do Sul (RS), the southern state of the country, shows an annual rise in climate, hydrological, and meteorological disasters, underscoring its vulnerability to extreme events and the urgent need for proactive mitigation and adaptation strategies. Despite this growing concern, the literature has provided limited focus on the specific public health demands arising from these disasters, particularly regarding prevention.

Oral fluid device performance in identifying amphetamine, methamphetamine, and cocaine use in Brazilian drivers.

Stimulant use while driving is a high-risk factor for collisions and fatalities. In recent years, several strategies to curtail impaired driving were employed on highways, including on-site oral fluid testing. This study evaluated four roadside oral fluid testing devices (AquilaScan®, Dräger DrugTest®, Druglizer®, and DrugWipe®) for the detection of amphetamine, methamphetamine, and cocaine in oral fluid from Brazilian drivers.

Development, Content Validation and Usability of a Chatbot for Disseminating Scientific Information About Cannabis Among Young Adults.

Despite the high prevalence of cannabis consumption, there is limited information about cannabis based on scientific evidence available and targeted toward young adults, especially considering accessible language and ease of access. The present study aimed to develop the proof of concept of a chatbot for the dissemination of evidence and scientific information about cannabis, focused on a young adult audience. The proof of concept involved stages of literature review, conversation flow development, content evaluation through a panel of experts ( = 10) and usability analysis using a sample of potential users (young adults,  = 10).

Hematological inflammatory biomarkers in patients with alcohol and cocaine use disorders.

Background: Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelets-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are biomarkers easy-to-obtain and could be used in clinical practice to verify an inflammatory status and are associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cocaine use disorder (CUD). Our aim was to compare NLR, MLR and PLR among men with AUD and CUD and to assess the relationship between these biomarkers and addiction-related outcomes.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study comprising 979 inpatient men diagnosed with substance use disorder (391 with AUD and 588 with CUD) under hospital treatment for drug addiction.

A rapid review of machine learning approaches for telemedicine in the scope of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread around the world. The rapid transmission of the virus is a threat that hinders the ability to contain the disease propagation. The pandemic forced widespread conversion of in-person to virtual care delivery through telemedicine.

First and second COVID-19 waves in Brazil: A cross-sectional study of patients' characteristics related to hospitalization and in-hospital mortality.

Background: Background The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was more aggressive in Brazil compared to other countries around the globe. Considering the Brazilian peculiarities, we analyze the in-hospital mortality concerning socio-epidemiological characteristics of patients and the health system of all states during the first and second waves of COVID-19.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of hospitalized patients with positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil.

The next pandemic: impact of COVID-19 in mental healthcare assistance in a nationwide epidemiological study.

Background: Studies have reported the worsening of psychiatric symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have evaluated the impact on the access to mental health services during COVID-19. Our aim was to analyze temporal trends and prediction of appointments held in Brazil's public health system, to compare the observed and expected number of mental healthcare appointments during the COVID-19 pandemics.

Making the COVID-19 Pandemic a Driver for Digital Health: Brazilian Strategies.

The COVID-19 outbreak exposed several problems faced by health systems worldwide, especially concerning the safe and rapid generation and sharing of health data. However, this pandemic scenario has also facilitated the rapid implementation and monitoring of technologies in the health field. In view of the occurrence of the public emergency caused by SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil, the Department of Informatics of the Brazilian Unified Health System created a contingency plan.

Increase in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels during early withdrawal in severe alcohol users.

Introduction: Changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been linked to the neuroadaptative consequences of chronic alcohol use and associated with disease severity and prognosis. Few studies have evaluated the influence of drug withdrawal and clinical and sociodemographic data on BDNF levels in severe alcohol users.

Objectives: Our goals were (1) to evaluate variation in BDNF levels during alcohol withdrawal and, (2) to assess the influence of putative confounding factors on BDNF levels.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder reinforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is unquestionably impacting on the mental health of the population worldwide. Fear of contamination can both increase levels of stress in healthy individuals and intensify psychiatric symptoms in patients with pre-existing conditions, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the imminent risk of contamination creates a logical need for self-surveillance and hygiene habits.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on substance use: Implications for prevention and treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major challenges to healthcare systems and public health policies globally, as it requires novel treatment and prevention strategies to adapt for the impact of the pandemic. Individuals with substance user disorders (SUD) are at risk population for contamination due to multiple factors-attributable to their clinical, psychological and psychosocial conditions. Moreover, social and economic changes caused by the pandemic, along with the traditional difficulties regarding treatment access and adherence-will certainly worsen during this period, therefore aggravate their condition.

Re-traumatization Cycle: Sexual Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Club Drug Users.

Club drug users are high risk and vulnerable population for adverse drug-related consequences and sexual risk behaviors. Few investigations have addressed the possible interrelationship between early trauma and PTSD among young club drug using populations. Exposure to traumatic experiences - especially in childhood, has been linked to risk behaviors exposure and substance use disorder.

User experience and operational feasibility of four point-of-collection oral fluid drug-testing devices according to Brazilian traffic agents.

Objective: Traffic fatalities in Brazil still rank among the highest worldwide, with an overall rate of 23.4 deaths/100,000 inhabitants/year. Although alcohol and drug use play an important role in traffic accidents, national data about their relative influence are scarce.