Folic acid supplementation during the periconceptional period is a well-established strategy to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). However, emerging uncertainties surrounding optimal dosage, alternative folate forms, duration of use, and the role of genetic variability have sparked scientific and policy debates. In Brazil, these challenges are amplified by unique contextual factors, including the routine distribution of high-dose folic acid (5000 µg) through the public health system, social vulnerability, low adherence, and limited population-specific evidence for the country’s highly admixed population. This narrative review critically examined the scientific evidence and public health policies surrounding folic acid supplementation, with a focus on Brazil. We examined historical developments, international recommendations, and emerging controversies, including the emerging influence of misinformation. Despite the worldwide progress in NTD prevention, both local and global challenges persist, including delayed initiation, inconsistent adherence, and uncertainty regarding alternative supplementation regimens. Addressing these demands requires the development of context-specific guidelines, alongside coordinated strategies in provider training, public education, monitoring, and research investments to ensure effective, safe, and equitable folic acid supplementation.

In this paper, we advocate in favor of smartphone apps as low-cost, easy-to-deploy solution for raising awareness among the population on the proliferation of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Nevertheless, devising such a smartphone app is challenging, for many reasons, including the required maturity level of techniques for identifying mosquitoes based on features that can be captured using smartphone resources. In this paper, we identify a set of (non-exhaustive) requirements that smartphone apps must meet to become an effective tooling in the fight against Ae. aegypti, and advance the state-of-the-art with (i) a residual convolutional neural network for classifying Ae. aegypti mosquitoes from their wingbeat sound, (ii) a methodology for reducing the influence of background noise in the classification process, and (iii) a dataset for benchmarking solutions for detecting Ae. aegypti mosquitoes from wingbeat sound recordings. From the analysis of accuracy and recall, we provide evidence that convolutional neural networks have potential as a cornerstone for tracking mosquito apps for smartphones.

Rio Grande do Sul ranks among the Brazilian states with the highest pesticide consumption and one of the highest prevalences of hypospadias, a congenital anomaly often associated with prenatal exposure to endocrine‐disrupting chemicals. We assessed the relationship between prenatal pesticide exposure and hypospadias risk through an ecological study of 1 776 670 live births in the state from 2010 to 2022. Using a spatial Bayesian hierarchical model, we examined associations between hypospadias and municipal‐level indicators: relative crop area, pesticide sales, and probability of pesticide detection in water samples. The prevalence was 4.69 cases per 10 000 live births, with 10 municipalities at high risk and 15 at low risk. Higher risk was associated with tobacco cultivation. Sales of metaflumizone and Melaleuca alternifolia were associated with increased risk, while detection probabilities of alachlor and DDT showed the largest estimated effects, although these estimates were accompanied by substantial uncertainty. While causal inference is not possible in this ecological design, findings generate hypotheses for future research on prenatal pesticide exposure. Considering other environmental risk factors may further clarify hypospadias etiology. Identifying modifiable determinants is key to guiding interventions and public policies to reduce this condition's burden, particularly in rural areas and agricultural populations.

There is limited evidence about the use of medications among pregnant women with COVID‐19, as well as risk factors for hospitalization due to COVID‐19 in pregnancy. We aimed to describe the use of medications among SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive pregnant women at the time around infection and identify predictors for hospitalization due to COVID‐19 in two hospitals in Brazil. This is a hospital record‐based study among pregnant women with positive SARS‐CoV‐2 tests between March 2020 and August 2022 from two Brazilian hospitals. Characteristics of sociodemographic, obstetrical, and COVID‐19 symptoms were extracted retrospectively. The prevalence use of medications was based on self‐reported use, and this was administered at the hospital. Logistic regression was used to estimate predictors of hospitalization due to COVID‐19. There were 278 pregnant women included in the study, of which 41 (14.7%) required hospitalization due to COVID‐19. The remaining 237 (85.3%) had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic. Most of the women had the infection in the third trimester (n = 149; 53.6%). The most prevalent medications used across all trimesters were analgesics (2.4% to 20.0%), antibacterials (15.0% to 23.1%), and corticosteroids (7.2% to 10.4%). Pre‐ or gestational hypertensive disorder (odds ratio (OR) 4.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.65, 14.87) and having at least one dose of vaccine against SARS‐CoV‐2 (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04, 0.39) were associated with hospitalization due to COVID‐19. Analgesics, antibacterials, and corticosteroids were the most frequently used medications among pregnant women with COVID‐19. Women with hypertensive disorders have almost a five‐fold increased risk of hospitalization due to COVID‐19. Vaccination was the strongest protective factor for severe COVID‐19. The COVID‐19 vaccination among pregnant women should be promoted, and pregnant women diagnosed with COVID‐19 who have hypertensive disorders should be closely monitored.