Special efforts must be made to improve quality of care in the public sector. Poor and black women should be actively encouraged to start antenatal care early in pregnancy so that they can fully benefit from it. There is a need for regular monitoring of antenatal attendances and quality of care with an equity lens, in order to assess how different social groups are benefiting from progress in health care.

Our goal was to define the risks of preterm birth associated with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among pregnant women. We accessed clinical records from July 2005 to February 2008. The study population included all pregnant women who gave birth to a singleton newborn of at least 20 weeks' gestation, and who had antenatal care information. We estimated the impact of CT and other STI on the odds of preterm birth using logistic regression. Overall, 2127 women were included in this analysis. The prevalence of CT infection was 4.7%. CT diagnosis was not associated with preterm birth. In conclusion, this study did not find an association between CT and preterm birth. The lack of an association may be explained by early treatment. Future studies evaluating the timing of screening for STIs may help clarify whether pregnant women would benefit more from earlier screening.

Pelotas, Brazil, with approximately 4000 births per year. The sample for the Newborn Cross-Sectional Study (NCSS) was drawn from four hospitals, covering 99% of births in the city. The Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) sample was recruited from one of the largest private ultrasound clinics in the city and 30 smaller, private, antenatal clinics serving middle to high socioeconomic status women. Among this site's major challenges was the recruitment of women for FGLS from numerous different clinics. Several public relations activities were conducted to improve collaborative efforts between the research team and obstetricians, paediatricians and community leaders in Pelotas.

Our goal was to define the risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection among pregnant women at a large urban medical centre. In a retrospective study, clinical records at a US maternity unit from July 2005 through February 2008 were reviewed. The study population included all pregnant women with a singleton newborn of at least 20 weeks gestation and antenatal care information. Logistic regression was used to analyse the association between a positive CT test and demographic, behavioural and prenatal care variables. A total of 2127 women were included in this analysis. The prevalence of CT infection was 4.7%. Cases were more likely to be younger, black and single. Other risk factors included tobacco use and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection. Our findings suggest that factors other than age may impact upon the diagnosis of CT in pregnant women and that a more comprehensive testing strategy should be considered.

The frequently asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) are poorly diagnosed in Brazil and can lead to severe complications/sequelae without timely detection and treatment. We investigated prevalence of CT, NG, and MG infections and associated demographic, behavioral, and clinical factors in consecutive women attending a gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinic in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. Vaginal swab samples were prospectively obtained from asymptomatic and symptomatic women (n = 498) from August 2015 to December 2016 and tested with Aptima Combo2 and Aptima M. genitalium assays (Hologic). The prevalence of CT, NG, and MG was 6.8% (34/498), 1.0% (5/498), and 4.2% (21/498), respectively. Three (0.6%) cases of CT and NG co-infection and one (0.2%) case of CT and MG co-infection were identified. The risk factors associated with these bacterial STIs were youth (<30 years), no steady sexual partner, infection with additional STI, and lack of income. Bacterial STIs, particularly CT and MG, were prevalent among women, including pregnant women (60% of positive cases), in Pelotas, Brazil. Sensitive and specific diagnostic testing and early treatment are essential to control STIs, limit transmission chains, avoid future complications/sequelae, and reduce health and cost burdens on the population.

Objectives The aim of this study was to verify whether a single oral dose of gabapentin (100 mg) or melatonin (3 mg) given 60 mins before a cardiac evaluation would reduce anxiety without interfering with heart rate (HR), systemic blood pressure (SBP), electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiographic indexes. Methods Seventy-five client-owned healthy cats underwent two sets of cardiac assessments 60 mins apart, randomly divided into gabapentin, melatonin and placebo groups. The interval between treatment and the second ECG and SBP measurement was 60 mins, and 70 mins for echocardiography. A compliance score (CS) classified the behavior, focusing on the ease of handling. Results Most variables did not change between the examinations. The placebo group showed more significant changes (SBP, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, HR during echocardiography, aortic flow velocity, S′ wave from lateral mitral annulus), but they were not considered to be hemodynamically relevant. Gabapentin and melatonin significantly increased the cats’ compliance without interfering with cardiac assessment. Eight cats presented with mild sedation, seven after gabapentin and one after melatonin. No major side effects were observed. Conclusions and relevance Gabapentin tranquilized the cats when it was given 60 mins prior to ECG and SBP measurement, and 70 mins prior to echocardiography, without interfering with systolic echocardiographic indexes. Melatonin also decreased the CS, but without sedation in most cases. The waiting period may have relaxed the cats in the placebo group, resulting in lower SBP measurements. However, this tranquility did not last as some echocardiographic changes signaled a sympathetic predominance.

Os sarcomas de tecidos moles são neoplasmas que compreendem os tumores de origem mesenquimal localizados na pele, tecido subcutâneo e vísceras. A grande capacidade de infiltração tecidual perineoplásica é a característica mais evidente desse grupo, cujas metástases são menos importantes se comparadas a outros neoplasmas. O objetivo deste estudo foi o de quantificar a frequência de sarcomas de tecidos moles caninos e felinos em um período de 30 anos de levantamento (1978 a 2008) no Laboratório Regional de Diagnóstico da Universidade Federal de Pelotas, caracterizando as raças e idades dos animais acometidos. Num total de 1668 neoplasmas desse período, 100 eram sarcomas de tecidos moles, sendo 87 caninos e 13 felinos, não se observando a prevalência de sexo nas espécies analisadas. Em cães, a maior prevalência foi de hemangiossarcomas (n = 34) e fibrossarcomas (n = 20), sendo os sem raça definida (n = 35) os mais acometidos. Em gatos, não houve uma prevalência acentuada, destacando-se os hemangiossarcomas (n = 4) e fibros sa rcomas (n = 4). Proporcionalmente, a maior frequência desses neoplasmas nas duas espécies indicou certo grau de semelhança na ocorrência.

We report heart murmur in Jaguars and Cougars found during reproductive procedures for semen and oocyte collection.  Two male Cougars (n=2) and three female Jaguars (n=3) were examined.  Anesthesia was performed with ketamine and medetomidine in males.  Females also received propofol and were maintained with isoflurane.  The animals were evaluated during anesthetic monitoring with multiparameter monitor alongside clinical examination, ambulatory electrocardiogram and echocardiogram.  All animals presented mitral valve regurgitation under anesthesia, but without morphological changes in the cardiac structure or hemodynamic changes.  Medetomidine may cause transitory heart murmur in healthy Jaguars and Cougars.