Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Infective Endocarditis at three Tertiary Centers in Brazil from 2003 to 2017

Abstract Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease with high morbimortality and an increasing incidence. With improved diagnosis and treatment, a number of epidemiological changes have been reported over time. Objectives We sought to describe the epidemiological profile, mortality predictors, and analysis of a possible microbiological transition in patients admitted to three tertiary centers in Brazil. Methods In this cross-sectional retrospective study, data from 211 patients with definite or probable IE were analyzed according to the modified Duke criteria between 2003 and 2017. The association between categorical variables was assessed using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test, and binary logistic models were built to investigate mortality. We considered p <0.05 statistically significant. Results The median age of the sample was 48 (33-59) years old, 70.6% were men, and the most prevalent pathogen was Staphylococcus spp. (19%). Mortality was 22.3%, with increasing age being the leading risk factor for death (p = 0.028). Regarding the location of the disease, native valves were the most affected site, with the aortic valve being more affected in men than women (p = 0.017). The mean number of cases of Staphylococcus spp. (τ = 0.293, p = 0.148) and Streptococcus spp. (τ = -0.078, p = 0.727) has remained stable over the years. Conclusion No trend towards reduced or increased mortality was evident between 2003 and 2017. Although Staphylococcus spp. were the most prevalent pathogen, the expected epidemiological transition could not be observed.

The positive impact of physical activity on the reduction of anxiety scores: a pilot study

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES: To compare anxiety scores between physical activity practitioners and sedentary, men and women and to relate them to physical activity frequency and age. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 256 regular aerobic physical activity practitioners was compared to a sample of 256 sedentary individuals (control group). Anxiety scores were quantified by Anxiety Inventory Spielberger State-Trait (STAI). The scores of the groups were compared using the Student t-test and chi-square test for parametric and non-parametric data, respectively. The correlation between scores of different variables was performed using the Pearson test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the average anxiety scores (p <0.001) and the chi-square test proved there is a higher prevalence of severe anxiety (p <0.001) in the sedentary group. Age did not correlate with worse anxiety scores (p <0.05). Comparing by gender, women had a higher prevalence of intense anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who engage in regular physical activity have lower levels of anxiety, and both sexes are benefited with the anxiolytic potential of physical activity. Therefore, this study proved that the Roman poet Juvenal was right, and his expression "Mens sana in corpore sano," could also be interpreted in the opposite direction, i.e., a healthy body correlates with a healthy mind.

RESUMO OBJETIVOS: Comparar escores de ansiedade entre praticantes de atividade física e sedentários, entre homens e mulheres e relacioná-los com frequência de atividade física e idade. MÉTODOS: Amostra de 256 praticantes de atividade física aeróbica regular foi comparada à amostra de 256 sedentários (grupo controle). Escores de ansiedade foram quantificados por meio do Inventário de Ansiedade Estado-Traço de Spielberger (Idate). Os escores dos grupos foram comparados por meio dos testes t de Student e qui-quadrado para dados paramétricos e não paramétricos, respectivamente. A correlação entre escores de diferentes variáveis foi realizada pelo teste de Pearson. RESULTADOS: Houve diferença significativa entre os escores médios de ansiedade (p < 0,001) e o teste qui-quadrado comprovou haver maior prevalência de escores de ansiedade intensa (p < 0,001) no grupo de sedentários. Idade não se correlacionou com piores escores de ansiedade (p < 0,05). Em relação ao sexo, mulheres apresentaram maior prevalência de escores de ansiedade intensa. CONCLUSÕES: Praticantes de atividade física possuem menores escores de ansiedade e ambos os sexos se beneficiam com o potencial ansiolítico da prática de atividade física. Portanto, foi comprovado que a máxima de Juvenal, Mens sana in corpore sano, também pode ser interpretada em sentido inverso, em que um corpo são se correlaciona com uma mente sã.