Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational systems all over the world have been facing unprecedented challenges. The World Bank reported that an estimated 1.4 billion students were away from school in more than 156 countries (). Schools and universities implemented, with varying degrees of success, various forms of distance learning (DL) and remote learning (RL), in an attempt to diminish the educational impacts of the pandemic. The guiding principles of RL are the same as those of the teaching and […]

To the Editor, Health care often places patient assistance centered on prescriptive acts that frequently result in procedures effective only in the biomedical dimensions without considering the social, environmental, and circumstantial factors that affect the evolution of the health status of a person with a chronic disease (). […]

Considering the characteristics and social needs of Brazil, I believe that most of our ophthalmologists should meet the following requirements: Subspecialist ophthalmologists are important, but in limited capacity, to receive referrals for complex cases that a well-trained generalist specialist may not be able to solve (). Subspecialists, in general, depend on advanced technology and work in large urban centers. Their expertise, when called on more frequently than necessary, leads to more expensive treatment and raises difficulties in the access to […]

The consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the early postoperative course after liver transplantation (LT) are still not fully known. While data is scarce, it indicates that the incidence of early post-transplant coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) may reach up to 38% (). Some centers have developed strategies for performing LT during the pandemic and, after implementing a multimodal stepwise approach, these facilities could minimize the risk of recipient SARS-CoV-2 infection (,). These measures may be summarized as […]

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS Arantes MF was responsible for the editorial idea and conception, manuscript drafting and final approval of the version to be published.Rodrigues CE, Seabra VF, Seabra VF, Reichert BV, Sales GTM, Smolentzov I and Cabrera CPS were responsible for critical review of the manuscript, intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be published. Andrade L was responsible for mentoring, critical review, and final approval of the version to be published. […]

CONCLUSION The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant global public health challenge, especially concerning the pursuit of effective drugs for its prevention and treatment. Considering the prevalence of obesity worldwide and the complications associated with excessive body mass ratio, special attention should be given to patients with obesity. In a condition of obesity, reduced TAS2R expression could affect the response to medications such as CQ. Altogether, we highlighted the importance of obese patient care, particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic. […]

COVID-19 AND SEMEN Due to the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus disease, researchers internationally have started to utilize their efforts in understanding its pathophysiology and method of action (). Ongoing studies have reported that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) is easily found in most human bodily fluids (-). In relation to semen, there is great interest in unraveling the possible interaction between this fluid sample and the SARS-Cov-2 microorganism, as well as the possible long term consequences […]

As health professionals and medical educators, we have had a huge challenge in the past few months to adapt our professional lives to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been the most important and necessary modification of our professional activities in the last few decades (,). Suddenly, much of what we used to do as teachers has had to be interrupted and/or modified, and we have had to exercise flexibility and creativity, adapting medical education to virtual environments. The COVID-19 pandemic […]

In 2019, in Brazil, respiratory diseases accounted for more than 1 million hospital admissions and cost the Brazilian’s Unified Health System (SUS) more than R$ 1 billion; in contrast, while diseases due to circulatory problems also led to practically the same number of hospital admissions, they imposed a three-fold higher economic burden. In the same year, in the State of São Paulo, respiratory diseases had a mortality rate of approximately 13% (DATASUS), which increased to 52% if the patient was […]

General considerations for SCI patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic The global COVID-19 pandemic has already caused an unprecedented impact on populations around the world and plausibly increased the concerns and anxiety of professionals and patients with SCI (). In addition to general recommendations such as social isolation (if feasible), avoidance of sharing household items, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and maintenance of personal hygiene, specific care for these individuals is essential. Restricting visitors and caregivers and training […]

On January 30, 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations (2005) (). As an immediate response effort, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP) mobilized its Crisis Management Committee (CMC) to deal with the outbreak by assisting with strategic planning. As stipulated in the CMC’s organogram for outbreak incidents (), the Epidemiologic Surveillance […]

CONTEXT The confirmation of a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 proved that the SARS-CoV-2 virus would become a worldwide health issue (). The Brazilian situation was no different from other countries: there was pressure on the health system and health workers. According to an article published by former Brazilian Health Ministry members, the country has been preparing itself for the COVID-19 disease since January 10, 2020 (), and in many cities and states, isolation protocols […]

INTRODUCTION The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019; by March 11, 2020, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) (). The response to COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has impacted health care routines worldwide. There has been a global demand for medical supplies to equip new intensive care units and improve personnel protection. Human and material resource allocation is also now a high priority for the […]

- Decreasing the fear of infection Health professionals’ safety is a priority during disasters, particularly when dealing with a contagious disease. Managing COVID-19 patients requires continuous provision of sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), along with establishment of clear rules and guidelines on where, when, and how to use PPE, as well as its correct donning and doffing (). These aspects were managed by sizing and stocking PPE in advance, improving the logistics of PPE distribution to wards, maintaining written PPE-use […]

At the time of the widespread availability of rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2—the causative virus of the COVID-19 pandemic—from drugstores throughout Brazil, there is a distinct lack of use of rapid diagnostic tests for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) at the bedsides of hospitalized patients. These tests are mainly distributed by the Ministério da Saúde do Brazil-MS (Ministry of Health) only to the Laboratórios Centrais de Saúde Publica - LACENs (Central Public Health Laboratories) and are predominantly provided to public hospitals. VL […]