Objective:The aim of the present study was to define normative data of phrenic nerve conduction parameters of a healthy population. Methods: Phrenic nerve conduction studies were performed in 27 healthy volunteers. Results: The normative limits for expiratory phrenic nerve compound muscle action potential were: amplitude (0.47 mv -0.83 mv), latency (5.74 ms -7.10 ms), area (6.20 ms/mv -7.20 ms/mv) and duration (18.30 ms -20.96 ms). Inspiratory normative limits were: amplitude (0.67 mv -1.11 mv), latency (5.90 ms -6.34 ms), area (5.62 ms/mv -6.72 ms/mv) and duration (13.77 ms -15.37 ms). Conclusion: The best point of phrenic nerve stimulus in the neck varies among individuals between the medial and lateral border of the clavicular head of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and stimulation of both sites, then choosing the best phrenic nerve response, seems to be the appropriate procedure.Keywords: electrodiagnosis; reference values; phrenic nerve; spirometry; neural conduction. RESUMOObjetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi definir os dados normativos de condução do nervo frênico de uma população saudável. Métodos: Foram realizados estudos de condução do nervo frênico em 27 voluntários saudáveis. Resultados: Os limites normais do potencial de ação muscular composto do nervo frênico durante a expiração foram: amplitude (0.47 mv -0.83 mv), latência (5.74 ms -7.10 ms), área (6.20 ms/mv -7.20 ms/mv) e duração (18.30 ms -20.96 ms). E durante a inspiração os limites normais foram: amplitude (0.67 mv -1.11 mv), latência (5.90 ms -6.34 ms), área (5.62 ms/mv -6.72 ms/mv) e duração (13.77 ms -15.37 ms). Conclusão: O melhor ponto de estímulo do nervo frênico no pescoço varia entre a borda medial e lateral da cabeça clavicular do músculo esternocleidomastóideo. Estimular ambos os locais e escolher a melhor resposta do nervo frênico parece ser o procedimento mais adequado.Palavras-chave: eletrodiagnóstico; valores de referência; nervo frênico; espirometria; condução nervosa.Phrenic nerve conduction has found increasing application in the diagnosis of respiratory dysfunction associated with surgical, neuromuscular, and pulmonary disorders 1,2,3,4,5,6 , which are important causes of respiratory failure and frequently contribute to difficulties in weaning patients off the ventilator in the critical care unit 7 . To determine a neuromuscular cause of hypercapnic respiratory failure, respiratory electrodiagnostic studies are often used 8 . Recently, many authors have correlated phrenic nerve conduction abnormalities with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These studies demonstrated abnormal phrenic compound motor action potential (CMAP) amplitudes and latencies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients 9,10,11,12 .Innervated by the phrenic nerve, the diaphragm is the principal respiratory muscle in humans. The diaphragmatic CMAPs are recorded with chest surface electrodes following phrenic nerve stimulation in the neck. Amplitude, latency, and area are measures used to evaluate phrenic nerve integrity 1,2,3,4,5,...

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Quantitative electromyography is an important tool to evaluate myopathies, and some difficult-to-treat asthmatic patients may have a subclinical corticosteroid myopathic process, using only inhaled corticosteroid, according to some studies. In this report, diaphragm quantitative electromyography was used to evaluate asthmatic difficult-to-treat patients, comparing them with a control group. Significant differences were obtained in amplitude, duration and size index of motor unit action potentials, with lower parameters in the asthmatic patients, which may indicate a myopathic process.

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Trans women are specifically vulnerable to interpersonal violence. Being perceived as the gender that a transgender person identifies with, defined in some contexts as passing, may influence violence ratings. The EVAS (Violence and Health Self-Evaluation) study was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 121 trans women between 2019 and 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aiming to investigate the association between self-reported passing and different types of interpersonal violence. We enrolled 121 participants who had a median age of 36.3 (interquartile range [IQR] 13.7). Most of them were Black/mixed (78.5%) and had at least a high school education (63%). Most participants considered themselves as trans women (71.9%). Their median monthly income was $252.50 (IQR $302.50). Only 40 (33.1%) trans women had a main partner. Trans women with high passing had a higher prevalence of family violence and lower prevalence of observed police violence, violence in open and closed public spaces. Participants that reported a high passing had higher prevalence of family violence (p = .016); moreover, they reported observing less frequently police violence in the neighborhood they lived in for the last 12 months (p = .012) as well as having lower rates of suffering violence. Trans women who reported high passing had 81% (56%-92%) lower chance of suffering violence in open public places more than once, while prior racism experience had a positive association with violence in an open public place (aOR = 3.93, 95% CI [.48, 15.40]). Passing seems to protect from violence in public spaces, whilst it increases family violence. Data also suggest that observing police violence and violence in close public spaces. There is an urgent need to better understand the complex relationships around violence and foster its prevention.

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Dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), and Zika (ZIKV) virus infections are widespread throughout the Rio de Janeiro state. The co-circulation of these emergent arboviruses constitutes a serious public health problem, resulting in outbreaks that can spatially and temporally overlap. Environmental conditions favor the presence, maintenance, and expansion of Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of these urban arboviruses. This study assessed the detection of clusters of urban arboviruses in the Rio de Janeiro state from 2010 to 2019. Notified cases of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika were grouped by year according to the onset of symptoms and their municipality of residence. The study period recorded the highest number of dengue epidemics in the state along with the simultaneous circulation of chikungunya and Zika viruses. The analyzes showed that the central municipalities of the metropolitan regions were associated with higher risk areas. Central municipalities in metropolitan regions were the first most likely clusters for dengue and Zika, and the second most likely cluster for chikungunya. Furthermore, the northwest and north regions were comprised clusters with the highest relative risk for the three arboviruses, underscoring the impact of these arboviruses in less densely populated regions of Brazil. The identification of high-risk areas over time highlights the need for effective control measures, targeted prevention and control interventions for these urban arboviral diseases.