Introduction: Patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) and kidney transplant recipients (KTR) present multiple factors that may increase the risk of death from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and impact of COVID-19 in RRT patients and KTRs. Methods: Between March 2020 and February 2021, we monitored the RRT population of thirteen dialysis facilities that refer patients for transplantation to our center, a tertiary hospital in Southern Brazil. In the same period, we also monitor COVID-19 incidence and mortality in our KTR population. Demographical, clinical, and COVID-19-related information were analyzed. Results: We evaluated 1545 patients in the dialysis centers, of which 267 (17.4%) were infected by COVID-19 and 53 (19.9%) died. Among 275 patients on the kidney transplant waiting list, 63 patients (22.9%) were infected and seven (11.1%) died. COVID-19 was the leading cause of death (29.2%) among patients on the waiting list. Within the population of 1360 KTR, 134 (9.85%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 and 20 (14.9%) died. The number of kidney transplants decreased by 56.7% compared with the same period in the previous twelve months. Conclusion: In the study period, patients on RRT and KTRs presented a high incidence of COVID-19 and high COVID-19-related lethality. The impact on the patients on the transplant waiting list was less pronounced. The lethality rate observed in both cohorts seems to be related to age, comorbidities, and disease severity.

Neonatal mortality still remains a complex challenge to be addressed. In Brazil, 60% of neonatal deaths occur among preterm infants with a gestational age of 32 weeks or less (≤32w). The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors involved in the high mortality rates among newborns with a gestational age ≤32w in a socioeconomically developed southern city in Brazil. Data on retrospective births and deaths (2000-2014) were analyzed from two official Brazilian national databases. The risk of neonatal death for all independent variables (mother's age and schooling, prenatal visits, birth hospital, delivery method, gestational age, and the newborn's sex, age, and birth year, gemelarity, congenital anomalies and birthplace) was assessed with a univariable and a multivariable model of Cox's semiparametric proportional hazards regression (p < 0.05). Data of 288,904 newborns were included, being 4,514 with a gestational age ≤32w. The proportion of these early newborns remained stable among all births, while the neonatal mortality rate for this group tended to decrease (p < 0.001). The adjusted risk was significantly for lower birthweight infants (mean 659.13 g) born from Caesarean (HR 0.58 [95% CI 0.47-0.71]), but it was significantly higher for heavier birth weight infants (mean 2,087.79) also born via Caesarean section (HR 3.71 [95% CI 1.5-9.15]). Newborns with lower weight seemed to benefit most from Cesarean deliveries. Effort towards reducing unacceptably high surgical deliveries must take into account cases that the operations may be lifesaving for mother and/or the baby. The reduction in infant mortality rates over the past few years has enabled Brazil to attain the fourth goal of the eight Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations: to reduce infant mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015 1. However, unlike postneonatal mortality, neonatal mortality has not yet reached acceptable rates considering the country's technological and economic development. Neonatal mortality in Brazil still remains a complex challenge to be addressed 2. Most neonatal deaths occur among preterm newborns 3. In Brazil, 60% of neonatal deaths occur among preterm infants with a gestational age of 32 weeks or less 4. Of all neonatal deaths, 75% occurred between zero and six days of age, and one in four deaths occurred during the first 24 hours of life 1,5,6. Despite this scenario, there are few studies that seek to elucidate the causes or factors contributing to mortality in this population. This study investigated the possible contributing factors involved in the high mortality rates among newborns with a gestational age of up to 32 weeks at a socioeconomically developed capital city in southern Brazil. Data were obtained through the vital statistics published by two official health information systems combined by means of a record linkage in a time series. Methods Porto Alegre is the capital city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with a population of 1,467,823 (2013) and a very high Human Development Index...

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é analisar as causas de internações da FASE do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul e a sua relação com a mortalidade de adolescentes egressos entre os anos de 2002 a 2014. Estudo observacional realizado com o banco de dados de adolescentes privados de liberdade nas unidades da FASE-RS de Porto Alegre, desligados nos anos de 2002 a 2012 (n = 8290). Informações sobre data de desligamento, ato infracional, tempo de internação e variáveis biológicas foram obtidas de banco de dados. Essa amostra foi comparada com o Sistema de Verificação de Óbitos da Secretaria Estadual de Saúde para analisar a mortalidade entre os anos de 2002 e 2014. Os adolescentes foram internados predominantemente por atos infracionais de cunho patrimonial e ligados a entorpecentes, os quais sofreram um aumento de aproximadamente 700% no período. O desfecho óbito associou-se (p < 0,001) às variáveis gênero masculino e número de entradas (≥ 3). Essa amostra apresentou alta taxa de mortalidade sendo a principal causa homicídio. Os achados evidenciam o alto grau de vulnerabilidade psicossocial dos egressos do sistema penal juvenil de internação. Nota-se uma associação entre crimes de baixo poder ofensivo e altas taxas de mortalidade pós-liberdade.

Background There is no specific recommendation for nutrition therapy for critically ill older adults. However, targeting energy and protein balance and avoiding fasting could improve outcomes in this population with high‐risk nutrition outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between nutrition and mortality/functionality in critically ill older patients. Methods A single‐center retrospective observational study of critically ill patients aged 65 years or older was conducted. We extracted data from the dietitian evaluations on energy, protein, and the type of diet (fasting, oral, enteral, or parenteral) prescribed in the first week of intensive care unit admission. Primary outcomes were intrahospital mortality and independence and functional capacity evaluated after hospital discharge. Results Of the 2043 patients screened, 533 were included in the study. Most patients were men (52.1%), with a median age of 73 (68–78) years. Overall, the intrahospital mortality rate was 53.8%. Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3), serum albumin and C‐reactive protein levels, and surgical patients were independently associated with fasting in a multivariate analysis. The multivariate regression analyses showed that SAPS 3, serum albumin level, and fasting were independently associated with mortality. Each fasting day increases the risk of mortality by 16.7%. Also, independence and functional capacity were not related to nutrition prescription. Conclusion Older adults (65 years or older) constitute a fragile population in whom nutrition breaks were associated with increased hospital mortality. Furthermore, a prospective clinical trial is necessary to establish the best strategy to feed this population.