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Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common causes of childhood morbidity and mortality, causing about two million deaths per year worldwide. The complicated CAP (CCAP) results from the worsening of CAP. Their incidence has reduced in the last 30 years due to vaccination. However, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic reduced vaccination coverage, resulting in increased incidence of CCAP in 2021 and 2022. Objective: To analyze the clinical and epidemiological profile of CAP in children under five years of age in two periods: pre- (2018 to 2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 to 2022). Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted at the Professor Fernando Figueira Institute of Integral Medicine (IMIP). We analyzed the sociodemographic and clinical variables of children with CAP aged below five years who were admitted to IMIP from 2018 to 2022. Analysis encompassed the Pearson's Chi-square test, Fischer's exact test, and Student's T tests. Results: A total of 468 children were analyzed: 382 in the pre-pandemic period and 86 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerning the antibiotic therapy, the most prescribed was Ampicillin (45.00%) in both periods. The combination of Oxacillin and Ceftriaxone was prescribed in 6.86% of cases in the pre-pandemic period; this value increased to 20.90% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pleural effusion represented 12.10% of cases in the pre-pandemic period and 24.40% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presence of pleural empyema went from 1.60% to 8.20%, and necrotizing pneumonia from 1.30% to 5.90% in the respective periods. Regarding ICU admission, 5.30% were admitted during the pre-pandemic period and 34.10% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical suspicion of influenza presented a positivity rate of 17.60%. Conclusion: Children with CAP presented a higher frequency of complications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed to find the cause of increased CAP complications in this period.
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INTRODUCTION: Medical residency (MR) programs consist of medical education systems based on the healthcare network as a teaching place. The Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP) is a referral center for several medical specialties and presents one of the largest MR programs in Brazil. OBJECTIVE: To assess the main reasons why residents choose a reference hospital to apply for a medical residency position. METHODS: Cross-sectional study performed with 165 medical residents of a reference hospital (IMIP) located in the Northeast region of Brazil between 2019 and 2020. Sociodemographic characteristics, medical formation, preparation for the residency exam, expectations regarding the program, and the reasons leading the residents to choose the IMIP were assessed. RESULTS: Most participants initiated the residency program 2 to 3 years after graduating the medical school. Most of the sample (78.8%) took preparation courses for the residency. The main expectations that led the residents to choose the IMIP were: the complexity of cases (81.2%), the number of patients (79.4%), technical quality of the preceptors (76.4%), prestige of the institution (75.1%), and preceptors' motivation (57.6%). CONCLUSION: Medical residents join residency programs based on expectations of medical practice scenarios that enable an adequate number of patients and quality preceptorship.
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INTRODUCTION: PE is associated with maternal vascular dysfunction, leading to serious cardiovascular risk both during and following pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To assess microvascular reactivity in pregnant women with PE. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 36 pregnant women with PE and 36 normotensive pregnant women (C) in the third trimester. Skin microvascular blood flow was measured using LDF at rest (RF), during the maximum hyperemic response to brief arterial occlusion (MF) and during the sympathetically mediated constrictor response to deep IBH. RESULTS: In pregnant women with PE, RF was higher [C, 8.1 (4.6); PE, 12.0 (7.6), P<.001; PU perfusion units; median (IQR)] and MF/RF [C, 6.1 (3.7); PE, 3. 9 (4.9) P<.001] and peak CVC lower (P=.009) compared to normotensive controls. The constrictor response to IBH [C, 62.4% (27.9); PE, 33.0% (50.6), P=.008] was reduced in women with PE. In univariate analysis, MF/RF was associated with PE status (r=-.417, P=.0001), systolic (r=-.385, P=.001), and diastolic (r=-.388, P=.001) blood pressure, but not BMI (r=.077, P=.536). CONCLUSIONS: Women with PE are more than three times more likely to exhibit a reduced microvascular reactivity in the third trimester of pregnancy than normotensive pregnant controls. These differences may be attributable in part to an altered sympathetic neural microvascular tone in PE.