Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine.

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Background and objectives Because of its beneficial off‐target effects against non‐mycobacterial infectious diseases, bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination might be an accessible early intervention to boost protection against novel pathogens. Multiple epidemiological studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are investigating the protective effect of BCG against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Using samples from participants in a placebo‐controlled RCT aiming to determine whether BCG vaccination reduces the incidence and severity of COVID‐19, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of BCG on in vitro immune responses to SARS‐CoV‐2. Methods This study used peripheral blood taken from participants in the multicentre RCT and BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID‐19 on healthcare workers (BRACE trial). The whole blood taken from BRACE trial participants was stimulated with γ‐irradiated SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected or mock‐infected Vero cell supernatant. Cytokine responses were measured by multiplex cytokine analysis, and single‐cell immunophenotyping was made by flow cytometry. Results BCG vaccination, but not placebo vaccination, reduced SARS‐CoV‐2‐induced secretion of cytokines known to be associated with severe COVID‐19, including IL‐6, TNF‐α and IL‐10. In addition, BCG vaccination promoted an effector memory phenotype in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and an activation of eosinophils in response to SARS‐CoV‐2. Conclusions The immunomodulatory signature of BCG’s off‐target effects on SARS‐CoV‐2 is consistent with a protective immune response against severe COVID‐19.

Epidemiological profile of scalping victim-patients Epidemiological profile of scalping victim-patients treated at the Fundação Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará Perfil epidemiológico de pacientes vítimas de escalpelamento tratados na Fundação Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará ABSTRACT Background: Scalping is a trauma caused by partial or total avulsion of the scalp. It is primarily due to accidental contact of long hair with the rotary shaft of a motor. Rotary shafts suck in the victim's hair, causing traction and abruptly pulling the scalp off. Methods: A longitudinal, observational, retrospective, and descriptive study of 62 scalping victim-patients treated at Fundação Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará was conducted. Results: The most commonly affected patients were children between 7 and 16 years of age (56.4%) and women (93.5%); 59.7% were students and 43.5% were Catholics. Conclusions: Prophylactic campaigns about the risks of traveling in and maintaining a vessel without motor shaft protection are essential because scalping is primarily caused by hair twisting around the motor shaft.

Acromegaly is a systemic disease associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Most of these comorbidities can be prevented or delayed with adequate disease treatment. Although three modalities of treatment (surgery, medical treatment, and radiotherapy) are available and new drugs were approved in the last decades, there are still some patients that maintain disease activity despite treatment. Therefore, there is a need for novel therapies for acromegaly and for that purpose new formulations of currently used drugs and also new drugs are currently under study. In this review, we summarize the novel therapies for acromegaly.