The aims of this study were to assess the impact of ceremonial use of ayahuasca—a psychedelic brew containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carboline —and attendance at União do Vegetal (UDV) meetings on substance abuse; here we report the findings related to alcohol and tobacco use disorder. A total of 1,947 members of UDV 18+ years old were evaluated in terms of years of membership and ceremonial attendance during the previous 12 months. Participants were recruited from 10 states from all major regions of Brazil. Alcohol and tobacco use was evaluated through questionnaires first developed by the World Health Organization and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Analyses compared levels of alcohol and tobacco use disorder between the UDV and a national normative sample (n = 7,939). Binomial tests for proportions indicated that lifetime use of alcohol and tobacco was higher in UDV sample compared to the Brazilian norms for age ranges of 25–34 and over 34 years old, but not for the age range of 18–24 years old. However, current use disorders for alcohol and tobacco were significantly lower in the UDV sample than the Brazilian norms. Regression analyses revealed a significant impact of attendance at ayahuasca ceremonies during the previous 12 months and years of UDV membership on the reduction of alcohol and tobacco use disorder.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has an incidence rate of 5-6% among intensive care unit (ICU) patients and sepsis is the most frequent etiology. Aims: To assess patients in the ICU that developed AKI, AKI on chronic kidney disease (CKD), and/or sepsis, and identify the risk factors and outcomes of these diseases. Methods: A prospective observational cohort quantitative study that included patients who stayed in the ICU > 48 hours and had not been on dialysis previously was carried out. Results: 302 patients were included and divided into: no sepsis and no AKI (nsnAKI), sepsis alone (S), septic AKI (sAKI), non-septic AKI (nsAKI), septic AKI on CKD (sAKI/CKD), and non-septic AKI on CKD (nsAKI/CKD). It was observed that 94% of the patients developed some degree of AKI. Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) stage 3 was predominant in the septic groups (p = 0.018). Nephrologist follow-up in the non-septic patients was only 23% vs. 54% in the septic groups (p < 0.001). Dialysis was performed in 8% of the non-septic and 37% of the septic groups (p < 0.001). Mechanical ventilation (MV) requirement was higher in the septic groups (p < 0.001). Mortality was 38 and 39% in the sAKI and sAKI/CKD groups vs 16% and 0% in the nsAKI and nsAKI/CKD groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with sAKI and sAKI/CKD had worse prognosis than those with nsAKI and nsAKI/CKD. The nephrologist was not contacted in a large number of AKI cases, except for KDIGO stage 3, which directly influenced mortality rates. The urine output was considerably impaired, ICU stay was longer, use of MV and mortality were higher when kidney injury was combined with sepsis.

Background: Population-based studies analyzing neonatal deaths in middle-income countries may contribute to design interventions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, established by United Nations. This study goal is to analyze the annual trend of neonatal mortality in São Paulo State, Brazil, over a 10-year period and its underlying causes and to identify maternal and neonatal characteristics at birth associated with neonatal mortality. Method: A population-based study of births and deaths from 0 to 27 days between 2004 and 2013 in São Paulo State, Brazil, was performed. The annual trend of neonatal mortality rate according to gestational age was analyzed by Poisson or by Negative Binomial Regression models. Basic causes of neonatal death were classified according to ICD-10. Association of maternal demographic variables (block 1), prenatal and delivery care variables (block 2), and neonatal characteristics at birth (block 3) with neonatal mortality was evaluated by Poisson regression analysis adjusted by year of birth. Results: Among 6,056,883 live births in São Paulo State during the study period, 48,309 died from 0 to 27 days (neonatal mortality rate: 8.0/1,000 live births). For the whole group and for infants with gestational age 22–27, 28–31, 32–36, 37–41 and ≥ 42 weeks, reduction of neonatal mortality rate was, respectively, 18 %, 15 %, 38 %, 53 %, 31 %, and 58 %. Median time until 50 % of deaths occurred was 3 days. Main basic causes of death were respiratory disorders (25 %), malformations (20 %), infections (17 %), and perinatal asphyxia (7 %). Variables independently associated with neonatal deaths were maternal schooling, prenatal care, parity, newborn sex, 1st minute Apgar, and malformations. Cesarean delivery, compared to vaginal, was protective against neonatal mortality for infants at 22–31 weeks, but it was a risk factor for those with 32–41 weeks. Conclusions: Despite the significant decrease in neonatal mortality rate over the 10-year period in São Paulo State, improved access to qualified health care is needed in order to avoid preventable neonatal deaths and increase survival of infants that need more complex levels of assistance.

Objective: To measure the level of satisfaction regarding the usability of a neonatal health information system and identify if demographic factors can influence the usability of a health information system.