BACKGROUND In patients with schizophrenia, early non-response to oral antipsychotic therapy robustly predicts subsequent non-response to continued treatment with the same medication. This study assessed whether early response predicted later response when using a long-acting injection (LAI) antipsychotic. METHODS Data were taken from an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled stu...

This study assessed the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of hearing complaints in outpatients attending an university ear, nose and throat clinic. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Canoas, Southern Brazil, from 1999 to 2002. Seven-hundred and ninety-five subjects who underwent the audiometric test were analyzed. The results showed that the complaint of hearing loss present...

OBJECTIVE To Translate into Portuguese and evaluate the measuring properties of the Sunderland Scale and the Cubbin & Jackson Revised Scale, which are instruments for evaluating the risk of developing pressure ulcers during intensive care. METHODS This study included the process of translation and adaptation of the scales to the Portuguese language, as well as the validation of these tools. T...

Background Endometriosis has been widely implicated as one of the causes of chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and infertility. The purpose of our study was to define the presumed correlation between visual and histologic diagnostic features of endometriosis based on the peritoneal findings identified in laparoscopy as a diagnostic trial with a standardized technique. So, all the specimens inclu...

Background Endometriosis has been widely implicated as one of the causes of chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and infertility. The purpose of our study was to define the presumed correlation between visual and histologic diagnostic features of endometriosis based on the peritoneal findings identified in laparoscopy as a diagnostic trial with a standardized technique. So, all the specimens inclu...

The Chemstrip LN (Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals, Indianapolis, Ind.), designed to detect pyuria and bacteriuria, was compared with culture of 1,020 unselected, consecutive midstream urine specimens and evaluated on its ability to predict colony counts at three levels. At the level of greater than or equal to 10(5) CFU/ml, the combined test (detection of leukocyte esterase and nitrite) had se...

Previous studies showed that early age at menarche is associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome. However, the definition of early menarche at these studies was based on background data in the communities at which these studies was carried on. The aim of this work is to determine a cutoff for age at menarche discriminating presence or absence of metabolic syndrome in overweight/obese ...

In 271 Enterobacter blood culture isolates from 12 hospitals, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) prevalence varied between 0% and 30% per hospital. High prevalence was associated with dissemination, indicating the potential relevance of infection control measures. Screening with cefepime or Vitek 2, followed by a cefepime/cefepime-clavulanate Etest, was an accurate strategy for ESBL detect...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the Portuguese version of the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is a valid instrument to measure asthma control in adult outpatients in Brazil. METHODS We selected 278 outpatients diagnosed with asthma. All of the patients completed the questionnaire, underwent spirometry and were clinically evaluated by a physician in order to characterize the control of the di...

BACKGROUND It is unknown whether it is more cost-effective to test for varicella antibody or to immunize without testing in immigrant populations. The reliability of history of varicella disease is also unclear. METHODS The prevalences of varicella antibody in immigrant children from six regions of the world were used in a cost-effectiveness model to calculate the antibody prevalence above wh...