Correction: Analgesic use among the Brazilian population: Results from the National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines (PNAUM).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214329.].

Correction: Analgesic use among the Brazilian population: Results from the National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines (PNAUM).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214329.].

Analgesic use among the Brazilian population: Results from the National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines (PNAUM).

PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of use of analgesics in Brazil; and to characterize this use, according to sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study (National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines, PNAUM) was conducted between September 2013 and February 2014. A total of 41,433 people of all ages in Brazilian urban households were interviewed. Occasional use (within the last 15 days) and continuous use of non-opioid analgesics, opioid analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were investigated, regardless of whether this use occurred through prescription or self-medication. The main outcome was the use of at least one analgesic. RESULTS: The majority of the individuals were female (52.8%), aged between 20 and 59 years (57.2%), with 1 to 8 years of schooling (45.6%). The overall prevalence of analgesic use was 22.8% [95% CI: 21.4-24.2]. The use of analgesics was significantly higher among women, adults and elderly (20 years or more), highly educated individuals and respondents who referred: diagnosis of one or more chronic diseases, using three or more medications, possession of health insurance and with one or more emergency care admittances or hospitalizations within the last year. Non-opioid analgesics were the agents most used (18.5% of the sample), followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (6.9%) and opioid analgesics (0.5%). The most commonly used drugs were metamizole (37.8% of all analgesics), paracetamol (25.3%) and diclofenac (10.7%). These drugs were used mainly to manage occasional health conditions, particularly pain. CONCLUSION: One in five Brazilians used some analgesic, especially non-opioid analgesics, to manage acute health problems such as painful conditions.

Effectiveness of final irrigant protocols for debris removal from simulated canal irregularities.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the effectiveness of saline, 2.5% sodium hypochlorite, and 2% chlorhexidine, with or without passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), in debris removal from simulated canal irregularities within prepared root canals. METHODS: Ninety bovine lateral incisors were randomly divided into 3 main groups (n = 30) based on the irrigant and prepared with hand files attached to an oscillating handpiece (NSK, Tokyo, Japan) up to a size #80 K-file. Next, the teeth were split longitudinally, and a standardized groove was prepared into the apical third and filled with dentin debris. After the halves were reassembled, they were placed in a muffle. Each main group was randomly subdivided into 2 groups (n = 14) and was treated with different final irrigation protocols. In the sodium hypochlorite/PUI, chlorhexidine/PUI, and saline/PUI groups, the solution was ultrasonically activated 3 times for 20 seconds. In the remaining groups, PUI was not performed. Specimens were scored for debris removal and analyzed under a scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: An association was observed between the score of debris removal and protocols using PUI (P < .05). No association was observed between the scores of debris removal and the irrigants (P = .87). CONCLUSIONS: Final irrigation protocols that used PUI were more effective in removing debris from simulated canal irregularities into the apical third than those that did not use it.

Adverse drug reactions: a cohort study in internal medicine units at a university hospital.

OBJECTIVES: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are important causes of hospitalization, morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. In addition to the impact they have on human life, they also significantly influence health costs. This study intended to (1) identify suspected ADRs and establish their frequency of development, (2) establish a causal relationship with the suspected drug(s) and (3) verify if there is an association between the development of an ADR and factors such as age, gender, number of diagnoses and number of prescribed medications. METHODS: This cohort study considered hospitalized patients at five inpatient internal medicine units in a university hospital located in southern Brazil. Patients were intensively monitored in order to identify suspected ADRs during hospitalization. The types of reactions were classified and a causal relationship was established using an algorithm. RESULTS: The cohort study followed 333 patients and approximately 43% of them presented at least one suspected ADR. Three hundred and sixty suspected ADRs were identified, with 19.7% manifesting before the patient was admitted and 80.3% during hospitalization. Medications that were most commonly involved in these suspected cases were anti-infectious agents followed by drugs that act on the central nervous system (CNS). The follow-up length and number of medications in use were independent risk factors for the development of an ADR. The same relationship was not observed for age, gender and number of diagnoses. CONCLUSION: ADRs are a major problem in our setting and measures must be adopted to minimize them.