Objective: To systematically analyze the relationship between maternal anemia and low birth weight. Methods: A search of studies was conducted in the main databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and Lilacs), the gray literature, and the reference lists of selected articles. Cohort and case-control studies that met the eligibility criteria were included in the review. There was no limitation on the language or date of publication. Article selection and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Meta-analyses with random effects, subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were performed. Publication bias was measured using Egger regression and visual funnel plot inspection. Results: A total of 7243 articles were found, of which 71 comprised the systematic review and 68 were included in the meta-analyses. Maternal anemia was associated with low birth weight with an adjusted OR: 1.23 (95% CI: 1.06–1.43) and I²: 58%. The meta-regressions confirmed that the sample size and the methodological quality may partially explain the statistical heterogeneity. Conclusions: Maternal anemia was considered a risk factor for low birth weight.

Smoking during pregnancy may negatively impact newborn birth weight. This study investigates the relationship between maternal active smoking during pregnancy and low birth weight in the Americas through systematic review and meta-analysis. A literature search was conducted through indexed databases and the grey literature. Case-control and cohort studies published between 1984 and 2016 conducted within the Americas were included without restriction regarding publication language. The article selection process and data extraction were performed by two independent investigators. A meta-analysis of random effects was conducted, and possible causes of between-study heterogeneity were evaluated by meta-regressions and subgroup analyses. Publication bias was assessed by visual inspection of Begg’s funnel plot and by Egger’s regression test. The literature search yielded 848 articles from which 34 studies were selected for systematic review and 30 for meta-analysis. Active maternal smoking was associated with low birth weight, OR = 2.00 (95% CI: 1.77–2.26; I² = 66.3%). The funnel plot and Egger’s test (p = .14) indicated no publication bias. Meta-regression revealed that sample size, study quality, and the number of confounders in the original studies did not account for the between-study heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis indicated no significant differences when studies were compared by design, sample size, and regions of the Americas. Low birth weight is associated with maternal active smoking during pregnancy regardless of the region in the Americas or the studies’ methodological aspects. A previous search of the major electronic databases revealed that no studies appear to have been conducted to summarize the association between maternal active smoking during pregnancy and low birth weight within the Americas. Therefore, this systematic review may help to fill the information gap. The region of the Americas contains some of the most populous countries in the world; therefore, this study may provide useful data from this massive segment of the world’s population.

Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have experienced a rapid increase in their proportion of older people. This region is marked by a high prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities among aging adults. Frailty appears in the context of LAC negatively affecting quality of life among many older people. To investigate the prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling older people in LAC through a systematic review and meta-analysis. A literature search was performed in indexed databases and in the grey literature. Studies investigating the prevalence of frailty with representative samples of community-dwelling older people in Latin America and the Caribbean were retrieved. Independent investigators carried out the study selection process and the data extraction. A meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed using STATA 11 software. The systematic review was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews under the number CRD42014015203. A total of 29 studies and 43,083 individuals were included in the systematic review. The prevalence of frailty was 19.6% (95% CI: 15.4–24.3%) in the investigated region, with a range of 7.7% to 42.6% in the studies reviewed. The year of data collection influenced the heterogeneity between the studies. Frailty is very common among older people in LAC. As a result, countries in the region need to adapt their health and social care systems to demands of an older population.

Introdução: A violência contra a mulher é um fenômeno grave que atinge os mais variados grupos. O Norte do Brasil é líder nacional em casos de violência contra a mulher, e o estado de Rondônia, é detentor da sétima maior taxa de feminicídio no Brasil. Objetivos: investigar o perfil da vítima e as características da violência contra a mulher no estado de Rondônia no período de 2007 a 2015. Materiais e Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo ecológico, descritivo, de abordagem quantitativa. As informações utilizadas foram processadas na base de dados do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação. Resultados: De 2007 a 2015 foram notificados 1696 casos de violência contra a mulher no estado de Rondônia, com os maiores índices de prevalência na região de saúde Madeira-Mamoré e Cone Sul. A faixa etária foi a de jovens adultas, dos 19 aos 39 anos, negras/pardas, solteiras e que possuíam o ensino fundamental. As agressões ocorreram em zona urbana, na própria residência da usuária, sendo perpetrada pelo seu parceiro íntimo. A violência física foi vista em 1147 (47,36%) casos notificados, porém, destacou-se também a violência sexual – estupro em 491 (85,99%) mulheres. Sendo que as principais condutas assistenciais tomadas foram a coleta de sangue (26,03%) e as profilaxias contra IST (21,75%) e HIV (21,75%). Discussão e Conclusões: Este estudo demonstrou um elevado número de notificações de violência contra a mulher, tornando-se necessário ampliar os pontos de atenção e fortalecer os já existentes, bem como qualificar os profissionais das diversas áreas de atendimento à mulher em situação de violência.Como citar este artigo: Oliveira CAB, Alencar LN, Cardena RR, Moreira KFA, Pereira PPS, Fernandes DER. Perfil da vítima e características da violência contra a mulher no estado de Rondônia - Brasil. Rev Cuid. 2019; 10(1): e573. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.v10i1.573

Background: Timely detection of cleaning failure is critical for quality assurance within Sterilising Service Units (SSUs). Rapid Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) testing provides a real time and quantitative indication of cellular contaminants, when used to measure surface or device cleanliness. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of an ATP algorithm and to whether it could be used as a routine quality assurance step, to monitor surgical instruments cleanliness in SSUs prior to sterilisation. Methods: Cleanliness monitoring using rapid ATP testing was undertaken in the SSUs of four hospitals located in the western (Amazonia) region of Brazil. ATP testing was conducted (Clean Trace, 3M) on 163 surgical instruments, following manual cleaning. A sampling algorithm using a duplicate swab approach was applied to indicate surgical instruments as (i) very clean, (ii) clean, (iii) equivocal or (iv) fail, based around a ‘clean’ cut-off of 250 Relative Light Units (RLU) and a ‘very clean’ <100 RLU. Results: The four cleanliness categories were significantly differentiated (P≤0.001). The worst performing locations (hospitals A & C) had failure rates of 39.2% and 32.4%, respectively, and were distinctly different from hospitals B & D (P≤0.001). The best performing hospitals (B & D) had failure rates of 7.7% and 2.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The ATP testing algorithm provides a simple to use method within SSUs. The measurements are in real time, quantitative and useful for risk-based quality assurance monitoring, and the tool can be used for staff training. The four-tiered approach to the grading of surgical instrument cleanliness provides a nuanced approach for continuous quality improvement within SSU than does a simple pass/fail methodology.

Objective To investigate the relationship between maternal exposure to alcohol and low birthweight (LBW). Methods The literature search was performed in January 2017 using the following electronic databases: Medline, Embase, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, Scopus, CINHAL, Proquest, and PsychInfo. The search strategy used the following terms: alcohol drinking, binge drinking, alcohol-related disorders, alcoholism, alcohol addiction/use/abuse/consumption, light/moderate/social/low drinking, low birthweight, case-control studies, retrospective studies, and cohort studies. No restrictions regarding language or publication date were considered. The literature search yielded 2,383 articles, and after screening and eligibility assessment, 39 articles were included in the systematic review, and 38 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Results Maternal alcohol consumption was associated with LBW among retrospective cohort studies (relative risk [RR] = 1.37; 95%CI [confidence interval]:1.10–1.77; I² = 98.4%; p < 0.01). Prospective cohort studies (RR = 1.11; 95%CI: 0.98–1.25; I² = 81.5%; p < 0.01), and case-control studies (odds ration [OR] = 1.16; 95%CI: 0.68–1.97; I² = 61.2%; p = 0.05) showed no association between alcohol and LBW. No publication bias was identified, and the meta-regression showed that the sample size influenced the high heterogeneity among retrospective cohort studies. The subgroup analysis showed differences in association between groups when compared by sample size, type of adjustment, or crude measures and publication year. Conclusions We have not found an association between alcohol consumption during gestation and LBW in the analysis in all of the subgroups. In addition, we have found a high heterogeneity between the primary studies, which is related to methodological differences in the conduction of these studies. Objetivo Investigar a associação entre a exposição maternal ao álcool e o baixo peso ao nascer. Método A busca na literatura ocorreu em janeiro de 2017 nas seguintes bases de dados eletrônicas: Medline, Embase, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, Scopus, CINHAL, Proquest, e PsychInfo. A estratégia de busca utilizou os seguintes termos: alcohol drinking, binge drinking, alcohol-related disorders, alcoholism, alcohol addiction/use/abuse/consumption, light/moderate/social/low drinking, low birthweight, case-control studies, retrospective studies, e cohort studies. Não houve restrição de idioma e ano de publicação. A busca na literatura identificou 2.383 artigos, e depois de analisados conforme os critério de elegibilidade, foram incluídos na revisão sistemática 39 estudos, e 38 estudos foram incluídos na metanálise. Resultados A amostra foi composta por 497.023 gestantes. O consumo materno de álcool foi associado ao baixo peso ao nascer entre os estudos de coorte retrospectiva (risco relativo [RR] = 1,37; IC [intervalo de confiança] 95%: 1,10–1,77; I² = 98,4%; p < 0,01). Os estudos de coorte prospectiva (RR = 1,11; IC95%: 0,98–1,25; I² = 81,5%; p < 0,01) e caso-controle (razão de chances [OR, na sigla em inglês] = 1,16; IC95%: 0,68–1,97; I² = 61,2%; p = 0,05) não apresentaram associação entre o consumo e o desfecho. Não foi identificado viés de publicação, e a metarregressão mostrou que o tamanho da amostra influenciou a heterogeneidade entre os estudos de coorte prospectiva. Na análise por subgrupo, houve diferenças entre os grupos por tamanho de amostra, por tipo de ajuste e por ano de publicação. Conclusão Não encontramos associação entre o consumo e o baixo peso ao nascer em todas as análises por subgrupo. Além disso, encontramos alta heterogeneidade entre os estudos primários, e isto se deve possivelmente às diferenças metodológicas na condução destes estudos.