How Startups and Entrepreneurs Survived in Times of Pandemic Crisis: Implications and Challenges for Managing Uncertainty

The recent pandemic crisis has greatly impacted startups, and some changes are expected to be long-lasting. Small businesses usually have fewer resources and are more vulnerable to losing customers and investors, especially during crises. This study investigates how startups' business processes were affected and how entrepreneurs managed this sudden change brought by the COVID-19 outbreak. Data were analyzed using qualitative research methods through in-depth interviews with the co-founders of eighteen startups. Results show that the three core business processes affected by the COVID-19 crisis were marketing and sales, logistics and operations, and organizational support. The way to succeed is to be flexible, agile, and adaptable, with technological knowledge focusing on digital channels to find novel opportunities and innovate. Additionally, resilience, self-improvement, education, technology readiness and adoption, close relationship with customers and other stakeholders, and incubation experience seem to shield startups against pandemic crisis outbreaks. © 2023, Small Business Institute. All rights reserved.

Cash transfer in the Covid-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean

Este artigo apresenta resultados parciais de uma investigação em desenvolvimento por pesquisadores de universidades brasileiras, argentinas e uruguaias. Os programas de transferência de renda são vistos como medidas sociais para mitigar a pobreza, bem como para diminuir o aumento do desemprego, do trabalho informal e do desperdício de renda. A metodologia de pesquisa foram estudos bibliográficos e documentais;dados secundários;acesso a sites e dados da Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe. A discussão enfoca concepções, modalidades e o debate sobre Programas Focalizados de Transferência de Renda e Renda Básica Universal como referência para discutir a realidade dos programas de transferência de renda na América Latina e Caribe. Os resultados apontaram para a ampliação dos programas focalizados de transferência de renda;criação de programas emergenciais para atender as consequências econômicas e sociais geradas pela pandemia de Covid-19, mas não foi identificada a implementação da Renda Básica Universal e Incondicional.Alternate :Este artículo presenta resultados parciales de una investigación en desarrollo por investigadores de universidades brasileñas, argentinas y uruguayas. Los programas de transferencias monetarias son vistos como medidas sociales para mitigar la pobreza, así como para disminuir el aumento del desempleo, el trabajo informal y el desperdicio de ingresos. La metodología de investigación fueron estudios bibliográficos y documentales;Datos secundarios;acceso a sitios web y datos de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe. La discusión se centra en las concepciones, modalidades y el debate sobre los Programas de Transferencias Monetarias Focalizadas y la Renta Básica Universal como referencia para discutir la realidad de los programas de transferencias monetarias en América Latina y el Caribe. Los resultados señalaron la ampliación de los programas de transferencias monetarias focalizadas;creación de programas de emergencia para atender las consecuencias económicas y sociales generadas por la pandemia del Covid-19, pero no se identificó la implementación de la Renta Básica Universal e Incondicional.Alternate :This article presents partial results of an investigation under development by researchers at Brazilian, Argentine and Uruguayan Universities. The cash transfer programs are seen as social measures to mitigate poverty, as well as to decrease the rise of unemployment, informal work and waste of income. The research methodology were bibliographic and documental studies;secondary data;access to websites and data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The discuss focus on conceptions, modalities and the debate on Focalized Cash Transfer Programs and Universal Basic Income as reference to discuss the reality of cash transfer programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The outcomes pointed out the enlargement of the focalized cash transfer programs;creation of emergence programs to meet the economic and social consequences generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, but it was not identified the implementation of the Universal and Unconditional Basic Income.

The Challenge of Remote Learning with the Elderly during the Covid-19 Pandemic

This article aimed to discuss the challenges faced by teachers of Youth and Adult Education (YAE) in the municipality of João Pessoa/PB, to teach the elderly during the covid-19 pandemic. The qualita-tive method was adopted and information was collected with 10 teachers through a questionnaire in Google Forms virtual format. They were exam-ined with the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The results revealed the difficulties that teachers face in dealing with remote teaching, especially with the elderly, since this portion of the population has its own technological deficiencies and is not used to this teaching format. © 2023, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,Faculdade de Educacao. All rights reserved.

Machine Learning Approaches for Temporal and Spatio-Temporal Covid-19 Forecasting: A Brief Review and a Contribution

In December 2019 an outbreak of a new disease happened, in Wuhan city, China, in which the symptoms were very similar to pneumonia. The disease was attributed to SARS-CoV-2 as the infectious agent and it was called the new coronavirus or Covid-19. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a worldwide pandemic of the new coronavirus. We have already counted more than 110 million cases and almost 2.5 million deaths worldwide. In order to assist in decision-making to contain the disease, several scientists around the world have engaged in various efforts, and they have proposed a lot of systems and solutions for tracking, monitoring, and predicting confirmed cases and deaths from Covid-19. Mathematical models help to analyze and understand the evolution of the disease, but understanding the disease was not enough, it was necessary to understand the problem in a quantitative way to lead the decision-making during the pandemic. Several initiatives have made use of Artificial Intelligence, and models were designed using machine learning algorithms with features for temporal and spatio-temporal investigation and prediction of cases of Covid-19. Among the algorithms used are Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest, Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), Ecological Niche Models (ENMs), Long-Short Term Memory Networks (LSTM), linear regression, and others. And these had good results, and to analyze them, the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Log Root Mean Squared Error (RMSLE), correlation coefficient, and others were used as metrics. Covid-19 presents a huge problem to public health worldwide, so it is of utmost importance to investigate it, and with these two approaches it is possible to track not only how the disease evolves but also to know which areas are at risk. And these solutions can help in supporting decision-making by health managers to make the best decisions for the disease that is in the outbreak. This chapter aims to present a literature review and a brief contribution to the use of machine learning methods for temporal and spatio-temporal prediction of Covid-19, using Brazil and its federative units as a case study. From canonical methods to deep networks and hybrid committee-based, approaches will be investigated. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Rivaroxaban to prevent major clinical outcomes in non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19: the CARE - COALITION VIII randomised clinical trial.

Background: COVID-19 progression is associated with an increased risk of arterial and venous thrombosis. Randomised trials have demonstrated that anticoagulants reduce the risk of thromboembolism in hospitalised patients with COVID-19, but a benefit of routine anticoagulation has not been demonstrated in the outpatient setting. Methods: We conducted a randomised, open-label, controlled, multicentre study, evaluating the use of rivaroxaban in mild or moderate COVID-19 patients. Adults ≥18 years old, with probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, presenting within ≤7 days from symptom onset with no clear indication for hospitalization, plus at least 2 risk factors for complication, were randomised 1:1 either to rivaroxaban 10 mg OD for 14 days or to routine care. The primary efficacy endpoint was the composite of venous thromboembolic events, need of mechanical ventilation, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, acute limb ischemia, or death due to COVID-19 during the first 30 days. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04757857. Findings: Enrollment was prematurely stopped due to sustained reduction in new COVID-19 cases. From September 29th, 2020, through May 23rd, 2022, 660 patients were randomised (median age 61 [Q1-Q3 47-69], 55.7% women). There was no significant difference between rivaroxaban and control in the primary efficacy endpoint (4.3% [14/327] vs 5.8% [19/330], RR 0.74; 95% CI: 0.38-1.46). There was no major bleeding in the control group and 1 in the rivaroxaban group. Interpretation: On light of these findings no decision can be made about the utility of rivaroxaban to improve outcomes in outpatients with COVID-19. Metanalyses data provide no evidence of a benefit of anticoagulant prophylaxis in outpatients with COVID-19. These findings were the result of an underpowered study, therefore should be interpreted with caution. Funding: COALITION COVID-19 Brazil and Bayer S.A.

Effect of Early Treatment with Pegylated Interferon Lambda for Covid-19

Background: We assessed the efficacy of a single dose of peginterferon lambda in preventing clinical events among acutely symptomatic COVID-19 outpatients. Method(s): We conducted a placebo-controlled, randomized, adaptive platform trial among predominantly vaccinated SARS-CoV-2-positive adults in Brazil and Canada receiving either one subcutaneous injection of peginterferon lambda or placebo. The primary composite endpoint was medical admission to hospital, defined as either observation in a COVID-19 emergency setting for > 6 hours, or transfer to a tertiary hospital due to symptomatic COVID-19 within 28 days post-randomization. Result(s): For this evaluation, 931 patients received peginterferon lambda and 1018 received placebo. 84% of the population were vaccinated and the trial occurred across multiple COVID-19 variants. In the primary analysis of patients, the primary outcome was reduced by 51% in the peginterferon lambda vs. placebo groups (relative risk 0.49 [25/916 vs 57/1003], 95% Bayesian credible interval 0.30-0.76, posterior probability >99.9%). This effect was maintained in subgroup analyses including COVID-19-related hospitalization alone (relative risk 0.57, 95% Bayesian credible intervals 0.33-0.95, ) and COVID-19-related hospitalization or death (Hazard ratio 0.59, 95% Bayesian credible interval 0.35- 0.97). The effects were consistent across dominant variants and vaccination status. Among individuals with a high viral level at baseline, peginterferon lambda resulted in lower viral loads by Day 7, compared to placebo. The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups. Conclusion(s): Among predominantly vaccinated outpatients with COVID-19, single-dose of peginterferon lambda resulted in significantly decreased clinical events.

Are Non-Structural Proteins From SARS-CoV-2 the Target of Hydroxychloroquine? An in Silico Study

COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 which has structural and non-structural proteins (NSP) essential for infection and viral replication. There is a possible binding of SARS-CoV-2 to the beta-1 chain of hemoglobin in red blood cells and thus, decreasing the oxygen transport capacity. Since hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) can accumulate in red cells, there is a chance of interaction of this drug with the virus. To analyze possible interactions between SARS-CoV-2 NSP and hemoglobin with the HCQ using molecular docking and implications for the infected host. This research consisted of a study using bioinformatics tools. The files of the protein structures and HCQ were prepared using the AutoDock Tools software. These files were used to perform molecular docking simulations by AutoDock Vina. The binding affinity report of the generated conformers was analyzed using PyMol software, as well as the chemical bonds formed. The results showed that HCQ is capable of interacting with both SARS-CoV-2 NSP and human hemoglobin. The HCQ/NSP3 conformer, HCQ/NSP5, HCQ/NSP7-NSP8-NSP12, HCQ/NSP9, HCQ/NSP10-NSP16 showed binding affinity. In addition, the interaction between HCQ and hemoglobin resulted in polar bonds. Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 NSP and HCQ indicates that this drug possibly acts by preventing the continuity of infection.Copyright © 2023 Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Paralympic boccia in Brazil: use of coping strategies by athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic

The measure of physical isolation adopted during a pandemic affected the daily routine of the whole world, including in the sports environment. Therefore, the study sought to compare the coping strategies used by Paralympic boccia athletes during the pandemic period. The sample consisted of 43 athletes (30 men and 13 women) aged 29.95-11,76 years. To identify and measure coping strategies, the ACSI-28 (athletic coping skills inventory) questionnaire was used in its version adapted to Portuguese and added to an electronic form. In data analysis, normality was verified by the Shapiro-Wilk test. After that, all inferential comparison analyzes were measured via nonparametric statistical tests with paired post-hoc DSCF tests. Thus, the results showed that there were significant differences between comparisons in terms of experience, "+10 years", "5 to 10 years", and "1 to 3 years" on the subscales "goals and mental preparation" (6.00+or-1.75 vs 5+or-1.50 vs 5+or-1.50;p<0.05;ES: 0.26) and "trainability" (9.00+or-3.25 vs 6.00+or-0.500 vs 8.00+or-3.00;p<0.05;ES: 0.19). More and less experienced athletes in the boccia modality showed superiority in facing the pandemic period, as they obtained better indices in the "goals and mental preparation and trainability" dimensions of coping strategies compared to their peers with less experience.

The political trajectory of biogas in Brazil from a multilevel perspective (PMN)

This research aims to analyze the political trajectory of biogas in Brazil according to the Multi -Level Perspective (MLP). Political trajectory is understood as the set of political events that constitute the path taken by a given transition towards sustainability. Politics, in turn, is understood as a regime dimension that is influenced by pressures from both the landscape and the socio-technical niche. In this context, policy can be used to create barriers to innovations and maintain the dominant position of regime actors, or it can facilitate their advancement. Therefore, this research is classified as documentary research focusing on the National Biofuels Policy (RenovaBio) enacted in 2017. Its realization involved documentary research in several national and international institutions. The main results point to a policy built on mandatory targets, Decarbonization Credits (CBIOs), and biofuel certification. Thereafter, the regulation of RenovaBio, the pandemic of COVID-19 and the taxation of CBIOs emerge as major developments. It is concluded that RenovaBio emerges as a response to the Paris Agreement that provoked the adaptation of the socio-technical system of fossil fuels in Brazil.

COVID-19 Infection Changes the Functions and Morphology of Erythrocytes: A Multidisciplinary Study

Hematological problems are associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Respiratory impairment is the higher point studied, although without experimental studies related to the oxygen transport performed by erythrocytes. Therefore, we decided to investigate if erythrocytes from COVID-19 patients have their functionality changed. The case-control study included hospitalized patients with a positive real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result admitted to University Hospital. Volunteers (negative RT-PCR results) were recruited as a control group. Thus, we assessed different erythrocytes parameters, oxidative stress markers, and biophysical studies using whole blood and isolated hemoglobin. We found a decrease of 51% in oxygen uptake and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity in COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Raman spectrometry showed structural changes in the hemoglobin and lipids of the erythrocytes from COVID-19 patients;thus, these results were consolidated with an increase in Young's modulus in erythrocytes followed by morphology changes. Besides, isolated hemoglobin from COVID-19 patients has a distinct interaction profile using a ligand model compared to the control. COVID-19 leads to structural, functional, and morphological damage to human erythrocytes. Our data showed structural and molecular changes and induction of oxidative stress in erythrocytes by COVID-19, a new perspective on the contribution of erythrocytes to a respiratory commitment in COVID-19.

The aging seen from prison: psychosocial analysis of LGBT old age with womens and men deprived of freedom at the brazilian context of COVID-19

Old age is a universal phenomenon that has notably expanded in the Brazilian population, including within the prison system. However, the arrival of the coronavirus in Brazilian prisons reinforced the need to pay attention to the psychosocial vulnerabilities that permeate this environment and affect the population in prison. The study aimed to analyze and compare the social representations of women and men in deprivation of liberty about the conditions that LGBT elderly people have to experience a safe old age in the context in which they live. It is characterized as a qualitative research, based on the Theory of Social Representations, of a descriptive and comparative nature, with cross-sectional data and a non-probabilistic convenience sample. There were 28 people living in deprivation of liberty in male and female penal units, during the pandemic period in a Brazilian state. It is evident that in the representations of the participants, old age is not a phase full of tranquility, as there are conditions and resources necessary to live it well. It is concluded that there is a predominance of many stereotypes about sexual orientation, lifestyle, loneliness in old age and sexuality among the elderly, which can be justified by the lack of knowledge on the subject or even the lack of contact with people LGBT's. © 2022, Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia. All rights reserved.

Disposition Effect: Brazilian Investors' Behavior during the Covid-19 Pandemic

This study investigates the disposition effect with regard to Brazilian investors, with focus on the year 2020. The database is composed by more than 12,000 trades by 274 investors. We follow the method of Odean (1998) to estimate the proportions of gains and losses realized and test the null hypothesis of equality of these proportions in each portfolio. The results suggest that Brazilian investors behave in line with the disposition effect. They sell winning stocks too early and hold losing stocks too long. A stock that is gaining value is more likely to be sold from day to day compared to a stock that is losing value. The disposition effect was not found in March, which suggests that investors employed a loss-limit during periods of market stress, no matter if the stock went up or down. © 2023 FUCAPE Business School. All rights reserved.

Physical therapy follow-up before and during COVID-19 pandemic of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is marked by a gradual decline in functional capacity and increased morbidity from respiratory infections due to progressive loss of muscle strength. The regular monitoring by a multidisciplinary team, adjustments in ventilatory parameters, and maintenance of NIV are essential for disease management. This study aimed to monitor functional progression of patients with ALS during COVID-19 pandemic using telemedicine. Method(s): This is longitudinal case series with patients with ALS. Five assessments were performed, being two occurred in-person and three were performed remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. First assessments included pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, functionality (ALSFRS-R), rate of disease progression, and disease staging. The further assessments included a clinical evaluation form, use and parameters of NIV. Result(s): We followed 11 patients for 30 months. Most patients had spinal onset ALS (72.7%), were male (72.7%), had a median age of 51 years. Total ALSFRS-R (P < 0.01) and motor domain (P < 0.01) scores reduced during the pandemic. However, total and domain scores were not different between patients with spinal and bulbar onset. According to ALSFRS-R, 90.9% of patients presented a slow disease progression. Most patients used NIV at night and during a half-day shift. Conclusion(s): The telemedicine facilitates monitoring clinical and seems to influence functional progression of patients with ALS during COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with ALS have a slow rate of disease progression and a functional decrease during 14 months follow-up period.

Utilization of Lung Transplantation in Patients with Covid-19

Lung transplantation (LTx) had been the only survival option in selected Covid-19 infected ARDS patients. We evaluated surgical outcome in such group from multi-center ECLS study. LTx patient data (n=1488)were collected from multiple institutions through the National ECLS Registry and was stratified on presence of COVID-19 infection. LTx procedure details, patient demographics and post-operative outcomes were compared between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients along with pre-op ECMO vs. no ECMO COVID-19 patients using Wilcoxon rank sum test or Chi-square testing to determine distribution. Time to 30-day post-operative survival was analyzed in combination with Kaplan-Meier survival curves with log-rank testing to assess mortality in these groups of patients. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Out of 1488 LTx patients, our results included a total of 34 patients infected with COVID-19 at time of LTx. When compared between covid LTx (n=34) vs. non-covid LTx (n=1,454), demographic data revealed significant differences in tracheostomy (p=0.0001), lung allocation score (p=0.0001), type of pre-op ECMO support (p=0.0001), type of ECMO support (p=0.001), conversion (p=0.006), and ventilator support time (p=0.0001);but no significant differences in gender (p=0.30), BMI (p=0.32), EVLP (p=0.078), PGD score at T24 (p=0.13), and waitlist time (p=0.75). 30-day post-operative mortality analysis showed K-M graph with no statistical significance (p=0.41) in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. In addition, we compared pre-ECMO utilized COVID-19 patients (n=21) vs. non-ECMO utilized COVID-19 patients (n=13) who were transplanted. Covid-19 infected patients when transplanted showed no significant differences in survival. Propensity score matched study indicated similar results. Selective ARDS patients may benefit from end-stage surgical options like lung transplantation. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Heart & Lung Transplantation is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Unconventional food plants in the context of gastronomy and food and nutritional education

Non-conventional food plants represent a potential food for the Brazilian population since they are found throughout the national territory, are easy to handle and can be used in various culinary preparations. However, as the consumption of PANC is not yet a habit in Brazilian food culture, it is necessary to expand food and nutrition education actions to spread its consumption. Considering these premises, supported by a bibliographic review, the present work evaluated the potential of non-conventional food plants linked to multidisciplinary actions that also address the gastronomic perspectives associated with EAN. The use of this type of ingredient demands educational actions to disseminate its nutritional benefits, as well as to develop healthier eating habits through the insertion of non-conventional food plants in different menus. In order for these plants to be effectively present in Brazilian food culture, it is necessary to highlight their use in culinary preparations, as well as correlate them with anthropological and gastronomic aspects. It should be noted that, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-conventional food plants still represent a tool to contribute to food and nutritional security, as they are easily accessible to the most vulnerable layers of the Brazilian population, who eventually do not recognize these plants as options for foods.

Imaging markers of neurologic damage in COVID-19: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection commonly leads to neurologic manifestations. In the present review, we aimed to investigate potential neuroimaging markers of early diagnosis and prognosis of neurologic manifestations in COVID-19. METHODS: Our study was registered in the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under the protocol CDR42021265443. Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we selected 51 studies for whole-manuscript analysis. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was the most common imaging method. The pattern, sites of lesion, signs, and symptoms of neurologic injury varied. Such manifestations possibly resulted from a direct viral infection or, most likely, from indirect mechanisms including coagulation disturbances, hypoxemia, and immunological responses. CONCLUSION: The heterogeneity of the studies precludes any generalization of the findings. Brain MRI is the most informative imaging exam. Population studies including the entire spectrum of COVID-19 are missing. There is still a need for future population studies evaluating neurologic manifestations of all COVID-19 severities acutely and chronically.

Modified Treatment for Pediatric Multisystemic Histiocytosis during Sars-Cov2 Lockdown. Series of Cases

Purpose: Backbone treatment ofmultisystemic histiocytosis (MS-LCH) is steroids in combination with chemotherapy (vinblastine/vincristine and/or cytarabine). This approach requires a central venous access (CVA) placement because of the possibility of citostatic extravasation and length of treatment. SARS-CoV2 lockdown forced us to adapt standard treatment in order to skip CVA placement, use of available cytostatics, reduce toxicity and hospital visits. We report here our experience using a modified treatment (MT) Methods:Series of 4 pediatric patients (pt) of MS-LCH treated during 2020 with a MT. Induction: Oral Methylprednisone 40 mg/m2 daily for 4weeks, tapering for 2weeks, and subcutaneous/intravenous cytarabine 100 mg/m2/day for 4 days, day 1-14. Evaluation at 6th week. If NAD or ADB, continuation treatment: Methylprednisone 40 mg/m2/day for 5 days every 15 days and subcutaneous/intravenous cytarabine 100 mg/m2/day for 4 days every 3 weeks. Clinical and hematologic evaluation every 3 weeks. We studied the presence of circulating CD207+/CD1a+ cells (cc) by flow cytometry Results:Female 3pt. Identical twins (pt#1,2). Age at diagnosis: 7, 7, 11 and 29 months. Involvement: skin, lymph nodes and hematopoietic (pt#1,2,3,4), ear (pt#2,3,4), bone (pt#3), hepatosplenomegaly (pt#4) All pt achieved ADB after 6 weeks of treatment. Reactivation: 1pt because of non-adherence to treatment. No grade 3/4 toxicity. COVID infection with mild symptoms (pt#1,2). Status: all alive with NAD at 2 years (pt#1,2) and 1 year (pt#3,4) of treatment. All pt started with a low score for cc and increased them with the treatment in negative trend to their clinical status Conclusion(s): This MT was feasible to treat pt with MS-LCH during the SAR-Cov2 lockdown, even those with risk organ involvement.We were able to skip CVA and reduce toxicity. Treatment could be restraining cc migration to the lesions.

Search trends analysis: How the COVID-19 pandemic affected other health campaigns

This chapter studies how COVID-19 pandemic affected the awareness and search for information on internet about cancer in Brazil. To elucidate it, this work will analyse data gathered from Google Trends and observe the consumption of information about breast cancer and prostate cancer, during Pink October and Blue November in Brazilian internet, comparing three years (2017, 2018 and 2019) of data and the results from March to June of 2020 for these two terms in comparison with the term "Coronavírus”. We have discovered that, during 2017–2019, Brazilian users of Google have looked more about the addressed topics to the cancers campaigns. This means that, during the measured time, a high amount of news and data about the campaigns and the diseases were consumed. This is very important to the early diagnosis of breast and prostate cancers. But in 2020, Brazil searched a lot more about COVID-19, showing a loss of interest in cancer information. This means that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the 2020 cancer campaigns. The pandemic took attention away from the messages and actions used to prevent the types of cancers analysed in this work. The public, in a wrong way, could perceive that these diseases have "disappeared”. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Katarzyna Kopecka-Piech and Bartłomiej Łódzki;individual chapters, the contributors.

Relationship between nutritional status and catheter-related infection in COVID-19 patients

Introduction: Malnutrition is associated with an increased risk of infection, longer hospital stays, and increased mortality [1]. COVID-19 infection is known to require several days or even weeks in hospital care, leading patients to nutritional risk [2]. Catheter-related infection (CRI) is associated with mortality, prolonged stays, and higher hospital costs [3]. Objetive: To assess the relationship between nutritional status (mNUTRIC) and central venous catheter (CVC) infection. Method(s): In this study we included patients admitted to the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (UCI) in 2020. Two groups were formed: mNUTRIC <5 (low risk) and mNUTRIC >=5 (high risk). The mNUTRIC score (0-9 points) is based on the NUTRIC score without the inclusion of the IL-6 value. It consists of 5 variables: age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), number of comorbidities and days in the hospital before ICU admission [4]. Two groups were formed: positive blood and catheter tip cultures and the group with negative blood cultures. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to assess the relationship between nutritional status (mNUTRIC) and CVC infection. Result(s): Were admitted 51 patients to the ICU with COVID-19, and seven patients were removed from the final dataset due to lack of data. Of a total of 44, 77.3% were male, with ages ranging between 34 and 90 years, with an average of 70.3 years and a mean ICU stay was 15.05 days. With positive blood and catheter tip cultures, CRI was diagnosed in 8 patients (18.2%). There is a significant relationship between the mNUTRIC Score and CRI with chi2 = 5.5, p < .05. Discussion & conclusion: Nutritional status of COVID- 19 patients is undoubtedly related to complications and increased risk of death [5]. The relationship between high nutritional risk, present in 50% of the patients, and the presence of CRI has been statistically proven. The main recommendation after this study is that, through the mNUTRIC score, patients at risk are identified and nutritional intervention and CRI prevention strategies can be implemented early.