Effectiveness of tuberculosis preventive treatment on disease incidence among people living with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Clinical trials have shown the protective efficacy of tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) for averting disease and death from tuberculosis among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). TPT has been recommended for PLHIV since the 1980s. However, tuberculosis is still the first cause of death in PLHIV.

A City Under Siege: Time-Series Analysis of Shootouts and the Association with Health and Living Conditions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2017 to 2022.

Armed violence is a multifactorial phenomenon resulting from adverse living conditions and difficulty in access to (or absence of) services that might otherwise mitigate it, besides broad behavioral, social, and historical characteristics such as spatial segregation, territorial disputes (turf wars), the consolidation of organized armed groups, and structural racism. To analyze time trends of episodes of armed violence and their association with health and living conditions in the city of Rio de Janeiro, 2017 to 2022. Ecological time-series study applying the model based on data on shootouts in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 2017 to 2022.

A time-series analysis of the use of opioid medications in a network of Brazilian hospitals, 2009-2020.

Background: To date, no studies in Brazil have described the profile of hospital opioid use. This study aimed to describe the temporal evolution of opioid consumption in hospitalised patients in a Brazilian hospital network.

Methods: This study describes a 12-year time-series (2009-2020) of hospital use of opioids in 28 hospitals of a private network in Brazil.

Lifestyle-based interventions targeting neurocognition in bipolar disorders - a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: A substantial proportion of individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) show some degree of cognitive impairment. Emerging evidence suggests that lifestyle-based interventions (LBIs) can improve clinical outcomes in BD, although few studies have assessed their efficacy on cognition.

Aim: To evaluate the methodological quality and efficacy of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comprising LBIs for improving cognition in people with BD.

Trachoma prevalence surveys in 15 indigenous and non-indigenous evaluation units in Brazil, 2018-2023.

Background: To provide the groundwork for a future declaration of elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Brazil, we conducted house-to-house surveys following WHO methodological guidance.

Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 non-indigenous and five indigenous evaluation units (EUs) from 2018 to 2023; data on six EUs are reported here for the first time. Two-stage cluster sampling was used: 30 clusters per EU, and 30 households per cluster.

Determinants of self-rated health among Venezuelan migrant women in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Migration between countries in the Global South remains under-researched, with even less focus on the intersections of migration, transnational motherhood, and health. This study examines factors that impact health self-perception among Venezuelan migrant women in Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using Respondent-Driven Sampling with 2012 Venezuelan migrant women, aged 15 to 49, who migrated to Brazil between 2018 and 2021.

Evaluation of statistical process control charts for infant mortality monitoring in Brazilian cities with different population sizes.

Objectives: The control chart is a classic statistical technique in epidemiology for identifying trends, patterns, or alerts. One meaningful use is monitoring and tracking Infant Mortality Rates, which is a priority both domestically and for the World Health Organization, as it reflects the effectiveness of public policies and the progress of nations. This study aims to evaluate the applicability and performance of this technique in Brazilian cities with different population sizes using infant mortality data.

Multiple substance use and associated factors in transgender women and travestis: findings from the TransOdara Study, Brazil.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of concomitant substance consumption and analyze associated risk factors in a non-probabilistic sample of the Brazilian population of transgender women and travestis.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with recruitment via respondent-driven sampling. The sample included transgender women and travestis residing in São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Manaus, and Campo Grande, aged 18 years or older, between 2019 and 2021.

Prevalence of HIV infection among transgender women and travestis in Brazil: data from the TransOdara study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among transgender women and travestis and to analyze factors associated with HIV infection in Brazil.

Methods: TransOdara was a cross-sectional study on sexually transmitted infections among transgender women and travestis in five Brazilian cities between 2019 and 2021. Self-identified transgender women and travestis aged ≥18 years were recruited using respondent-driven sampling, completed an interviewer-led questionnaire, and provided samples to detect HIV.

TransOdara study: the challenge of integrating methods, settings and procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Objective: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionately affect transgender women and travestis (TGW), who often lack access to healthcare due to stigma and discrimination. We describe the approach and methodology of a study investigating the prevalence of syphilis, HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), and human papillomavirus (HPV) among TGW, as well as their knowledge and perceptions regarding syphilis, to better inform policies to curb STIs among this vulnerable population.

Methods: TransOdara was a multicentric, cross-sectional study conducted among TGW in five capital cities from major Brazilian regions between December 2019 and July 2021.

Barriers and facilitators for HIV rapid testing among transgender women and gay and other men who have sex with men in Brazil: A scoping review.

Transgender women (TGW) and men who have sex with other men (MSM) often encounter disparities in accessing HIV testing, leading to delayed diagnoses and worse prognoses. We analysed barriers and facilitators for accessing HIV rapid testing by TGW and MSM in Brazil, 2004-2023. Citations were included whether the study population consisted of individuals aged ≥18y old, and studies addressed HIV testing and have been conducted in Brazil.

Migration process of Venezuelan women to Brazil: living conditions and use of health services in Manaus and Boa Vista, 2018-2021.

Background: The last decade saw the emergence of a new significant migration corridor due to the mass migration of Venezuelans to neighboring countries in South America. Since 2018, Brazil became the third host country of Venezuelan displaced populations. Little is known about how migratory processes affect needs, access to social programs, and public health services of migrant women.

The unequal impact of the pandemic at subnational levels and educational attainment-related inequalities in COVID-19 mortality, Brazil, 2020-2021.

Objectives: We estimated COVID-19 mortality indicators in 2020-2021 to show the epidemic's impact at subnational levels and to analyze educational attainment-related inequalities in COVID-19 mortality in Brazil.

Study Design: This was an ecological study with secondary mortality information.

Methods: Crude and age-standardized COVID-19 mortality rates were calculated by gender, major regions, and states.

Tropical Data: Approach and Methodology as Applied to Trachoma Prevalence Surveys.

Purpose: Population-based prevalence surveys are essential for decision-making on interventions to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. This paper outlines the methodologies of Tropical Data, which supports work to undertake those surveys.

Methods: Tropical Data is a consortium of partners that supports health ministries worldwide to conduct globally standardised prevalence surveys that conform to World Health Organization recommendations.

Lifestyle in bipolar disorder: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Modifiable lifestyle behaviors are important factors for improving mental health, yet there has been a lack of research studying lifestyle as a multidimensional construct in bipolar disorder (BD). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare the lifestyle patterns of individuals with BD in a current mood episode with healthy controls (HCs) using the Short Multidimensional Inventory Lifestyle Evaluation (SMILE).

Materials And Methods: The sample consisted of 46 individuals with BD currently experiencing a depressive or manic episode and 50 HC, assessed using the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS).

Shift in hospital opioid use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: a time-series analysis of one million prescriptions.

The pronounced change in the profile of hospitalized patients during COVID-19 and the severe respiratory component of this disease, with a great need for mechanical ventilation, led to changes in the consumption pattern of some medicines and supplies. This time-series study analyzed the in-hospital consumption of opioids during the COVID-19 pandemic in 24 Brazilian hospitals compared to the pre-pandemic period. Data included 711,883 adult patients who had opioids prescribed.

Using model-based geostatistics for assessing the elimination of trachoma.

Background: Trachoma is the commonest infectious cause of blindness worldwide. Efforts are being made to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem globally. However, as prevalence decreases, it becomes more challenging to precisely predict prevalence.

Lifestyle interventions for bipolar disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This review and meta-analysis aimed to describe the existing literature on interventions for bipolar disorder (BD) targeting the 6 pillars of Lifestyle Psychiatry: diet, physical activity (PA), substance use (SU), sleep, stress management, and social relationships (SR). Randomized Controlled Trials that examined the efficacy of lifestyle interventions targeting improvement in depressive/(hypo)manic symptom severity, lifestyle patterns, functioning, quality of life, and/or circadian rhythms were included. The systematic review included 18 studies, while the meta-analysis included studies targeting the same lifestyle domains and outcomes.

Primary health care coverage in Brazil: a dataset from 1998 to 2020.

Objectives: Primary health care builds the backbone of an effective healthcare system and can improve population health, reduce cost growth, and lessen inequality. We offer a machine-readable and open-access dataset on primary health care coverage in Brazil from 1998 to 2020. This dataset is interoperable with epidemiological data from two major studies and reusable by the research community worldwide for other purposes, such as monitoring progress toward universal health coverage and studying the association between primary health care and health outcomes.

Lifestyle Behaviors, Depression, and Anxiety Among Individuals Living in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The aim of our study was to investigate the association between lifestyle behaviors and symptoms of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. A web survey was conducted between July 3-August 3, 2020, across Canada. The main outcomes considered were a positive screening for depression, as evaluated by the PHQ-2 and positive screening for anxiety, as evaluated by the GAD-7.

Dataset on child vaccination in Brazil from 1996 to 2021.

We present a machine-readable and open-access dataset on vaccination results among children under five years old in Brazil from 1996 to 2021. This dataset is interoperable with epidemiological data from the VAX*SIM project and reusable by the research community worldwide for other purposes, such as monitoring vaccination coverage and studying its determinants and impacts on child morbidity and mortality. The dataset gathers official and public information from the Brazilian National Immunisation Program, the Institute of Geography and Statistics, the Institute for Applied Economic Research, and the Ministry of Health.

Prelacteal feeding and its relationship with exclusive breastfeeding and formula consumption among infants in low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Early feeding practices are important determinants of optimal feeding patterns later in life. We aimed to investigate if giving any fluids or foods other than breast milk during the first three days after birth (prelacteal feeds) affects exclusive breastfeeding and consumption of formula among children under six months of age in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from 85 nationally representative Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) in LMICs (2010-2019).

COVID-19 mortality in Brazil, 2020-21: consequences of the pandemic inadequate management.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought countless challenges to public health and highlighted the Brazilian health system vulnerabilities in facing the emergency. In this article, we analyze data on COVID-19-related deaths in 2020-21 to show the epidemic consequences in Brazil.

Methods: The Mortality Information System and the Live Birth Information System were the primary information sources.