Causally estimating the effect of YouTube's recommender system using counterfactual bots.

In recent years, critics of online platforms have raised concerns about the ability of recommendation algorithms to amplify problematic content, with potentially radicalizing consequences. However, attempts to evaluate the effect of recommenders have suffered from a lack of appropriate counterfactuals-what a user would have viewed in the absence of algorithmic recommendations-and hence cannot disentangle the effects of the algorithm from a user's intentions. Here we propose a method that we call "counterfactual bots" to causally estimate the role of algorithmic recommendations on the consumption of highly partisan content on YouTube. By comparing bots that replicate real users' consumption patterns with "counterfactual" bots that follow rule-based trajectories, we show that, on average, relying exclusively on the YouTube recommender results in less partisan consumption, where the effect is most pronounced for heavy partisan consumers. Following a similar method, we also show that if partisan consumers switch to moderate content, YouTube's sidebar recommender "forgets" their partisan preference within roughly 30 videos regardless of their prior history, while homepage recommendations shift more gradually toward moderate content. Overall, our findings indicate that, at least since the algorithm changes that YouTube implemented in 2019, individual consumption patterns mostly reflect individual preferences, where algorithmic recommendations play, if anything, a moderating role.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: temporal trend from 2010 to 2019 in the Brazilian Network on Neonatal Research.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the temporal trend of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants who survived to at least 36 weeks' post-menstrual age (PMA) and BPD or death at 36 weeks' PMA, and to analyse variables associated with both outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort with data retrieved from an ongoing national registry. SETTING: 19 Brazilian university public hospitals. PATIENTS: Infants born between 2010 and 2019 with 23-31 weeks and birth weight 400-1499 g. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Temporal trend was evaluated by Prais-Winsten model and variables associated with BPD in survivors or BPD or death were analysed by logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 11 128 included infants, BPD in survivors occurred in 22%, being constant over time (annual per cent change (APC): -0.80%; 95% CI: -2.59%; 1.03%) and BPD or death in 45%, decreasing over time (APC: -1.05%; 95% CI: -1.67%; -0.43%). Being male, small for gestational age, presenting with respiratory distress syndrome, air leaks, needing longer duration of mechanical ventilation, presenting with treated patent ductus arteriosus and late-onset sepsis were associated with an increase in the chance of BPD. For the outcome BPD or death, maternal bleeding, multiple gestation, 5-minute Apgar <7, late-onset sepsis, necrotising enterocolitis and intraventricular haemorrhage were added to the variables reported above as increasing the chance of the outcome. CONCLUSION: The frequency of BPD in survivors was constant and BPD or death decreased by 1.05% at each study year. These results show some improvement in perinatal care in Brazilian units which resulted in a reduction of BPD or death, but further improvements are still needed to reduce BPD in survivors.

Deplatforming did not decrease Parler users' activity on fringe social media.

Online platforms have banned ("deplatformed") influencers, communities, and even entire websites to reduce content deemed harmful. Deplatformed users often migrate to alternative platforms, which raises concerns about the effectiveness of deplatforming. Here, we study the deplatforming of Parler, a fringe social media platform, between 2020 January 11 and 2021 February 25, in the aftermath of the US Capitol riot. Using two large panels that capture longitudinal user-level activity across mainstream and fringe social media content (N = 112, 705, adjusted to be representative of US desktop and mobile users), we find that other fringe social media, such as Gab and Rumble, prospered after Parler's deplatforming. Further, the overall activity on fringe social media increased while Parler was offline. Using a difference-in-differences analysis (N = 996), we then identify the causal effect of deplatforming on active Parler users, finding that deplatforming increased the probability of daily activity across other fringe social media in early 2021 by 10.9 percentage points (pp) (95% CI [5.9 pp, 15.9 pp]) on desktop devices, and by 15.9 pp (95% CI [10.2 pp, 21.7 pp]) on mobile devices, without decreasing activity on fringe social media in general (including Parler). Our results indicate that the isolated deplatforming of a major fringe platform was ineffective at reducing overall user activity on fringe social media.

Volunteer contributions to Wikipedia increased during COVID-19 mobility restrictions.

Wikipedia, the largest encyclopedia ever created, is a global initiative driven by volunteer contributions. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and mobility restrictions ensued across the globe, it was unclear whether contributions to Wikipedia would decrease in the face of the pandemic, or whether volunteers would withstand the added stress and increase their contributions to accommodate the growing readership uncovered in recent studies. We analyze [Formula: see text] million edits contributed from 2018 to 2020 across twelve Wikipedia language editions and find that Wikipedia's global volunteer community responded resiliently to the pandemic, substantially increasing both productivity and the number of newcomers who joined the community. For example, contributions to the English Wikipedia increased by over [Formula: see text] compared to the expectation derived from pre-pandemic data. Our work sheds light on the response of a global volunteer population to the COVID-19 crisis, providing valuable insights into the behavior of critical online communities under stress.

Deep neural network-estimated electrocardiographic age as a mortality predictor.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most commonly used exam for the evaluation of cardiovascular diseases. Here we propose that the age predicted by artificial intelligence (AI) from the raw ECG (ECG-age) can be a measure of cardiovascular health. A deep neural network is trained to predict a patient's age from the 12-lead ECG in the CODE study cohort (n = 1,558,415 patients). On a 15% hold-out split, patients with ECG-age more than 8 years greater than the chronological age have a higher mortality rate (hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, p < 0.001), whereas those with ECG-age more than 8 years smaller, have a lower mortality rate (HR 0.78, p < 0.001). Similar results are obtained in the external cohorts ELSA-Brasil (n = 14,236) and SaMi-Trop (n = 1,631). Moreover, even for apparent normal ECGs, the predicted ECG-age gap from the chronological age remains a statistically significant risk predictor. These results show that the AI-enabled analysis of the ECG can add prognostic information.

Popular knowledge of stroke in São Paulo: a cross-sectional study within the World Stroke Campaign

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Stroke is the second leading cause of death in Brazil and the main cause of disability. Inability to identify alarm signals causes delays in seeking emergency services, thereby leading to a worse prognosis. OBJECTIVES: To assess the population's knowledge of how to recognize and prevent stroke. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cross-sectional study on data derived from a questionnaire that was administered during the 2016 World Stroke Campaign, launched in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Data on 806 interviewees were evaluated using descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Among all the interviewees, 52.1% knew how to conceptualize stroke; 70.07% knew someone who had suffered a stroke; and 29.03% listed three or more risk factors. Only 27.5% mentioned controlling high blood pressure as a preventive measure. In the event of witnessing a stroke, 57.8% would call the emergency service and 2.9% would check the timing. Less educated individuals were 5.6 times more likely (95% confidence interval, CI 3.45-9.02) to have poor knowledge of stroke, compared with the more educated group. Knowing someone who had had a stroke reduced the chances of not knowing the terms relating to the disease (odds ratio, OR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.4-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the severity and prevalence of stroke, the population still has little information on this disease. In this context, the importance of mounting campaigns to improve prevention and treatment and to contribute to healthcare policies becomes evident.

Popular knowledge of stroke in São Paulo: a cross-sectional study within the World Stroke Campaign.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the second leading cause of death in Brazil and the main cause of disability. Inability to identify alarm signals causes delays in seeking emergency services, thereby leading to a worse prognosis. OBJECTIVES: To assess the population's knowledge of how to recognize and prevent stroke. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cross-sectional study on data derived from a questionnaire that was administered during the 2016 World Stroke Campaign, launched in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Data on 806 interviewees were evaluated using descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Among all the interviewees, 52.1% knew how to conceptualize stroke; 70.07% knew someone who had suffered a stroke; and 29.03% listed three or more risk factors. Only 27.5% mentioned controlling high blood pressure as a preventive measure. In the event of witnessing a stroke, 57.8% would call the emergency service and 2.9% would check the timing. Less educated individuals were 5.6 times more likely (95% confidence interval, CI 3.45-9.02) to have poor knowledge of stroke, compared with the more educated group. Knowing someone who had had a stroke reduced the chances of not knowing the terms relating to the disease (odds ratio, OR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.4-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the severity and prevalence of stroke, the population still has little information on this disease. In this context, the importance of mounting campaigns to improve prevention and treatment and to contribute to healthcare policies becomes evident.

Incidência de dengue e indicadores socioeconômicos e entomológicos em Santos, São Paulo, 2012-2016 / Incidence of dengue and socioeconomic and entomological indicators in Santos, São Paulo State, 2012-2016 / Incidência de dengue e indicadores socioeconómicos y entomológicos en Santos, Estado De São Paulo, 2012-2016

Objetivo: descrever incidência de dengue em Santos/SP e relacionar coeficiente de incidência (CI) de dengue com indicadores socioeconômicos e entomológicos de 2012-2016. Método: estudo epidemiológico, descritivo, ecológico dos casos confirmados de dengue, residentes em Santos, de 2012-2016, do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação-Online; foram obtidos seis indicadores socioeconômicos da base de setores censitários do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística-2010; o sétimo do Índice Paulista de Vulnerabilidade Social-2010 e os indicadores entomológicos da Secretaria de Saúde; foi aplicada Correlação bivariada de Spearman (SPSS-Statistics®). Aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa-CAAE nº79776017.1.0000.5479. Resultados: de 2012-2016 ocorreram 16.451 casos, com CI de 117,4 (2012) a 2.122,8 (2013) casos/100.000 habitantes, maior no sexo feminino e de 15-29 anos; os fatores socioeconômicos foram mais significativos entre 2015-2016; o Índice de Densidade de fêmeas Aedes aegypti apresentou maior correlação positiva. Conclusão: descreveu-se perfil epidemiológico/entomológico da dengue, apoiando gestores nas ações locais de controle.(AU)

Objectives: describe incidence of dengue in Santos/SP and relate dengue incidence coefficient (IC) with socioeconomic and entomological indicators from 2012-2016. Methods: epidemiological, descriptive, ecological study of confirmed cases of dengue, resident in Santos, from 2012-2016, of the Online-Notifiable Diseases Information System; six socioeconomic indicators were obtained from census sectors base of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics-2010; the seventh from the São Paulo Index of Social Vulnerability-2010 and the entomological indicators from the Health Department; Spearman's Bivariate Correlation (SPSS-Statistics®) was applied. Approved by the Research Ethics Committee-CAAE nº79776017.1.0000.5479. Results: from 2012-2016 there were 16.451 cases, with IC from 117,4 (2012) to 2.122,8 (2013) cases/100.000 inhabitants, higher in females and between 15-29 years old; socioeconomic factors were more significant between 2015-2016; the Density Index of Aedes aegypti females showed a greater positive correlation. Conclusion: epidemiological/entomological profile of dengue was described, supporting managers in local control actions.(AU)

Objetivos: describir incidencia del dengue en Santos/SP y relacionar coeficiente de incidencia (CI) del dengue con indicadores socioeconómicos y entomológicos para 2012-2016. Métodos: estudio epidemiológico, descriptivo, ecológico de casos confirmados de dengue, residentes en Santos, desde 2012-2016, del Sistema de Información de Enfermedades de Notificación-Online; obtuvieron-se seis indicadores socioeconómicos desde base de sectores censales del Instituto Brasileño de Geografía y Estadística-2010, el séptimo del Índice de Vulnerabilidad Social de São Paulo-2010 y los indicadores entomológicos del Departamento de Salud. Aplicó-se Correlación Bivariada de Spearman (SPSS-Statistics®). Aprobado por el Comité de Ética en Investigación-CAAE nº79776017.1.0000.5479. Resultados: desde 2012-2016 hubo 16.451 casos, con CI de 117,4 (2012) a 2.122,8 (2013) casos/100.000 habitantes, mayor en mujeres y de 15-29 años; los factores socioeconómicos fueron más significativos entre 2015-2016; el Índice de Densidad de hembras Aedes aegypti mostró mayor correlación positiva. Conclusión: describió-se perfil epidemiológico/entomológico del dengue, apoyando a los gerentes en acciones de control local.(AU)

Prevalence and Outcomes of Congenital Heart Disease in Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants: An Observational Study From the Brazilian Neonatal Network Database.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of congenital heart disease and their outcomes in a Brazilian cohort of very low birth weight preterm infants. DESIGN: Post hoc analysis of data from the Brazilian Neonatal Network database, complemented by retrospective data from medical charts and a cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Twenty public tertiary-care university hospitals. PATIENTS: A total of 13,955 newborns weighing from 401 to 1,499 g and between 22 and 36 weeks of gestational age, born from 2010 to 2017. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The prevalence of congenital heart disease was 2.45% (95% CI, 2.20-2.72%). In a multivariate regression analysis, risk factors associated with congenital heart disease were maternal diabetes (relative risk, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.11-2.20) and maternal age above 35 years (relative risk, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.73-2.51), whereas the protection factors were maternal hypertension (relative risk, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.43-0.69), congenital infection (relative risk, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.21-0.94), and multiple gestation (relative risk, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.55-0.97). The pooled standardized mortality ratio in patients with congenital heart disease was 2.48 (95% CI, 2.22-2.80), which was significantly higher than in patients without congenital heart disease (2.08; 95% CI, 2.03-2.13). However, in multiple log-binomial regression analyses, only the presence of major congenital anomaly, gestational age (< 29 wk; relative risk, 2.32; 95% CI, 2.13-2.52), and Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology and Perinatal Extension II (> 20; relative risk, 3.76; 95% CI, 3.41-4.14) were independently associated with death, whereas the effect of congenital heart disease was spotted only when a conditional inference tree approach was used. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of congenital heart disease in this cohort of very low birth weight infants was higher and with higher mortality than in the general population of live births. The occurrence of a major congenital anomaly, gestational age (< 29 wk), and Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology and Perinatal Extension II (> 20) were significantly and independently associated with death, whereas the association of congenital heart disease and death was only evident when a major congenital anomaly was present.

Evaluation of Mortality in Atrial Fibrillation: Clinical Outcomes in Digital Electrocardiography (CODE) Study.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a public health problem and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. Electronic cohorts, with large electrocardiogram (ECG) databases linked to mortality data, can be useful in determining prognostic value of ECG abnormalities. Our aim is to evaluate the risk of mortality in patients with AF from Brazil. Methods: This observational retrospective study of primary care patients was developed with the digital ECG database from the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais, Brazil. ECGs performed from 2010 to 2017 were interpreted by cardiologists and the University of Glasgow automated analysis software. An electronic cohort was obtained linking data from ECG exams and those from a national mortality information system, using standard probabilistic linkage methods. We considered only the first ECG of each patient. Patients under 16 years were excluded. Hazard ratios (HR) for mortality were adjusted for demographic and self-reported clinical factors and estimated with Cox regression. Results: From a dataset of 1,773,689 patients, 1,558,421 were included, mean age 51.6 years; 40.2% male. There were 3.34% deaths from all causes in 3.68 years of median follow up. The prevalence of AF was 1.33%. AF was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (HR 2.10, 95%CI 2.03-2.17) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 2.06, 95%CI 1.86-2.29). Females with AF had a higher risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality compared with males (p < 0.001). Conclusions: AF was a strong predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in a primary care population, with increased risk in women. Condensed abstract: To assess risk of mortality in AF patients, an electronic cohort was obtained linking data from ECG exams of Brazilian primary care patients and a national mortality information system. From 1,558,421 patients, AF (prevalence 1.33%) carried a higher risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality, with increased risk in women. What's New: This is the first study with a large Brazilian electronic cohort to evaluate the risk of mortality linked to AF in primary care patients.AF patients from a Brazilian primary care population had a higher risk of death for all causes (HR 2.10, 95%CI 2.03-2.17) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 2.06, 95%CI 1.86-2.29).Female patients with AF had an increased risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality compared with male patients (p < 0.001).

Author Correction: Automatic diagnosis of the 12-lead ECG using a deep neural network.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Automatic diagnosis of the 12-lead ECG using a deep neural network.

The role of automatic electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis in clinical practice is limited by the accuracy of existing models. Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are models composed of stacked transformations that learn tasks by examples. This technology has recently achieved striking success in a variety of task and there are great expectations on how it might improve clinical practice. Here we present a DNN model trained in a dataset with more than 2 million labeled exams analyzed by the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais and collected under the scope of the CODE (Clinical Outcomes in Digital Electrocardiology) study. The DNN outperform cardiology resident medical doctors in recognizing 6 types of abnormalities in 12-lead ECG recordings, with F1 scores above 80% and specificity over 99%. These results indicate ECG analysis based on DNNs, previously studied in a single-lead setup, generalizes well to 12-lead exams, taking the technology closer to the standard clinical practice.

TEMPORAL TREND OF HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR ACUTE BRONCHIOLITIS IN INFANTS UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE IN BRAZIL BETWEEN 2008 AND 2015.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the trend of hospitalization for acute bronchiolitis in infants under one year of age, in the past eight years and after the implementation of the palivizumab immunization program in Brazil. METHODS: The study is a retrospective analysis of data on infants younger than one year of age, who were hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis between 2008 and 2015 in Brazil. The Brazilian National Health System database was used. The rates of hospitalization in the pre-implementation (2008-2012) and post-implementation (2014-2015) periods of the palivizumab immunization program were evaluated. The total number of admissions in the same period was used as a comparison. RESULTS: Between January 2008 and December 2015, 263,679 hospitalizations for bronchiolitis were recorded in infants younger than one year of age, 60% represented by boys. The incidence of hospitalization for bronchiolitis increased by 49% over this period (8.5 to 12.7 per 1,000 inhabitants per year). Between 2013 and 2014, the incidence rate of hospitalization for acute bronchiolitis decreased by 8% (12.5 to 11.5 per 1,000 inhabitants per year). However, in the second year of the program, hospitalization rate increased again by 10% (12.7 per 1,000 inhabitants per years). CONCLUSIONS: Acute bronchiolitis presented increasing rates of hospitalization over the study period. Hospitalization incidence for acute bronchiolitis declined one year after the implementation of palivizumab but increased again in the second year of the program.

Temporal trend of hospitalizations for acute bronchiolitis in infants under one year of age in brazil between 2008 and 2015 / Tendência temporal das hospitalizações por bronquiolite aguda em lactentes menores de um ano no brasil entre 2008 e 2015

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the trend of hospitalization for acute bronchiolitis in infants under one year of age, in the past eight years and after the implementation of the palivizumab immunization program in Brazil. Methods: The study is a retrospective analysis of data on infants younger than one year of age, who were hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis between 2008 and 2015 in Brazil. The Brazilian National Health System database was used. The rates of hospitalization in the pre-implementation (2008-2012) and post-implementation (2014-2015) periods of the palivizumab immunization program were evaluated. The total number of admissions in the same period was used as a comparison. Results: Between January 2008 and December 2015, 263,679 hospitalizations for bronchiolitis were recorded in infants younger than one year of age, 60% represented by boys. The incidence of hospitalization for bronchiolitis increased by 49% over this period (8.5 to 12.7 per 1,000 inhabitants per year). Between 2013 and 2014, the incidence rate of hospitalization for acute bronchiolitis decreased by 8% (12.5 to 11.5 per 1,000 inhabitants per year). However, in the second year of the program, hospitalization rate increased again by 10% (12.7 per 1,000 inhabitants per years). Conclusions: Acute bronchiolitis presented increasing rates of hospitalization over the study period. Hospitalization incidence for acute bronchiolitis declined one year after the implementation of palivizumab but increased again in the second year of the program.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar a tendência de hospitalização por bronquiolite aguda (BA) em lactentes menores de um ano de idade nos últimos oito anos no Brasil e, secundariamente, após a implementação do programa de imunização por palivizumabe. Métodos: Análise retrospectiva dos dados de lactentes menores de um ano de idade, hospitalizados com diagnóstico de BA entre 2008 e 2015 no Brasil, utilizando o banco de dados do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Foram avaliadas as taxas de hospitalização nos períodos pré-implementação (2008-2012) e pós-implementação (2014-2015) do programa de imunização por palivizumabe. O número total de internações no mesmo período foi utilizado como comparação. Resultados: Entre janeiro de 2008 e dezembro 2015 foram registradas 263.679 internações por bronquiolite em lactentes menores de um ano de idade, 60% representado por meninos. A incidência de hospitalização por bronquiolite aumentou em 49% ao longo desse período (8,5 para 12,7 por mil ­habitantes/­ano). Entre 2013 e 2014, a taxa de incidência de hospitalização por BA diminuiu 8% (12,5 para 11,5 por mil habitantes/ano). Porém, no segundo ano do programa, a taxa de internação aumentou novamente em 10% (12,7 por mil habitantes/ano). Conclusões: A BA apresentou taxas de hospitalização crescente ao longo do período estudado. A incidência de hospitalizações de BA apresentou declínio um ano após a implementação de palivizumabe e retornou à tendência crescente no segundo ano do programa.

Evaluation of mortality in bundle branch block patients from an electronic cohort: Clinical Outcomes in Digital Electrocardiography (CODE) study.

BACKGROUND: Left bundle branch block is recognized as a marker of higher risk of death, but the prognostic value of the right bundle branch block in the general population is still controversial. Our aim is to evaluate the risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality in patients with right (RBBB) and left bundle branch block (LBBB) in a large electronic cohort of Brazilian patients. METHODS: This observational retrospective study was developed with the database of digital ECGs from Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais, Brazil (TNMG). All ECGs performed from 2010 to 2017 in primary care patients over 16 years old were assessed. The electronic cohort was obtained by linking data from ECG exams (name, sex, date of birth, city of residence) and those from national mortality information system, using standard probabilistic linkage methods (FRIL: Fine-grained record linkage software, v.2.1.5, Atlanta, GA). Only the first ECG of each patient was considered. Clinical data were self-reported, and ECGs were interpreted manually by cardiologists and automatically by the Glasgow University Interpreter software. Hazard ratio (HR) for mortality was estimated using Cox regression. RESULTS: From a dataset of 1,773,689 patients, 1,558,421 primary care patients over 16 years old underwent a valid ECG recording during 2010 to 2017. We excluded 17,359 patients that didn't have a valid QRS measure from the Glasgow program and 11,091 patients from the control group that had QRS equal or above 120 ms and were not RBBB or LBBB. Therefore, 1,529,971 were included (median age 52 [Q1:38; Q3:65] years; 40.2% were male). In a mean follow-up of 3.7 years, the overall mortality rate was 3.34%. RBBB was more frequent (2.42%) than LBBB (1.32%). In multivariate analysis, adjusting for sex, age and comorbidities, both patients with RBBB (HR 1.32; CI 95% 1.27-1.37) and LBBB (HR 1.69; CI 95% 1.62-1.76) had higher risk of overall mortality. Women with RBBB had an increased risk of all-cause death compared to men (p < 0.001). Cardiovascular mortality was higher in patients with LBBB (HR 1.77; CI 95% 1.55-2.01), but not for RBBB. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with RBBB and LBBB had higher risk of overall mortality. Women with RBBB had more risk of all-cause death than men. LBBB was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Tele-electrocardiography and bigdata: The CODE (Clinical Outcomes in Digital Electrocardiography) study.

Digital electrocardiographs are now widely available and a large number of digital electrocardiograms (ECGs) have been recorded and stored. The present study describes the development and clinical applications of a large database of such digital ECGs, namely the CODE (Clinical Outcomes in Digital Electrocardiology) study. ECGs obtained by the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2010 to 17, were organized in a structured database. A hierarchical free-text machine learning algorithm recognized specific ECG diagnoses from cardiologist reports. The Glasgow ECG Analysis Program provided Minnesota Codes and automatic diagnostic statements. The presence of a specific ECG abnormality was considered when both automatic and medical diagnosis were concordant; cases of discordance were decided using heuristisc rules and manual review. The ECG database was linked to the national mortality information system using probabilistic linkage methods. From 2,470,424 ECGs, 1,773,689 patients were identified. After excluding the ECGs with technical problems and patients <16 years-old, 1,558,415 patients were studied. High performance measures were obtained using an end-to-end deep neural network trained to detect 6 types of ECG abnormalities, with F1 scores >80% and specificity >99% in an independent test dataset. We also evaluated the risk of mortality associated with the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF), which showed that AF was a strong predictor of cardiovascular mortality and mortality for all causes, with increased risk in women. In conclusion, a large database that comprises all ECGs performed by a large telehealth network can be useful for further developments in the field of digital electrocardiography, clinical cardiology and cardiovascular epidemiology.

Rapid diagnosis of respiratory distress syndrome by oral aspirate in premature newborns / Diagnóstico rápido da síndrome do desconforto respiratório por aspirado bucal em recém-nascidos prematuros

Abstract Objective: The stable microbubble test on gastric aspirate and on amniotic fluid has been used for the diagnosis of respiratory distress syndrome in the newborn. However, no study has performed this test on oral aspirates from premature infants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the stable microbubble test on oral aspirates from preterm newborns to predict respiratory distress syndrome. Method: This study included infants with gestational age <34 weeks. Oral fluids were obtained immediately after birth and gastric fluids were collected within the first 30 minutes of life. The samples were frozen and tested within 72 hours. Results: The sample was composed of paired aspirates from 64 newborns, who were divided into two groups: respiratory distress syndrome group (n = 21) and control group (n = 43). The median (interquartile range) of the stable microbubble count in the oral samples of infants with respiratory distress syndrome was significantly lower than that of infants who did not develop respiratory symptoms: respiratory distress syndrome group = 12 (8 -22) stable microbubbles/mm2; control group = 100 (48 -230) microbubbles/mm2 (p < 0.001). The correlation between microbubble count in gastric and oral aspirates was 0.90 (95% confidence interval = 0.85 -0.95; p < 0.001). Considering a cut-off point of 25 microbubbles/mm2, the sensitivity and the specificity of the stable microbubble test were 81.4% and 85.7%, respectively. Conclusion: The study suggests that the stable microbubble test performed on oral aspirate is a reliable alternative to that performed on gastric fluid for the prediction of respiratory distress syndrome in the newborn.

Resumo Objetivo: O teste das microbolhas estáveis no aspirado gástrico e no líquido amniótico foi usado no diagnóstico da síndrome do desconforto respiratório do recém-nascido. Contudo, nenhum estudo fez esse teste nos aspirados bucais de neonatos prematuros. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o desempenho do teste das microbolhas estáveis em aspirados bucais de recém-nascidos prematuros para prever síndrome do desconforto respiratório. Método: Este estudo incluiu neonatos com idade gestacional < 34 semanas. Os fluidos orais foram obtidos imediatamente após o nascimento e os fluidos gástricos foram coletados nos primeiros 30 minutos de vida. As amostras foram congeladas e testadas em 72 horas. Resultados: A amostra foi composta de aspirados pareados de 64 recém-nascidos, divididos em dois grupos: grupo de síndrome do desconforto respiratório (n = 21) e grupo de controle (n = 43). A mediana (intervalo interquartil) da contagem das microbolhas estáveis nas amostras de fluido oral dos neonatos com síndrome do desconforto respiratório foi significativamente menor que a dos neonatos que não desenvolveram sintomas respiratórios: grupo de síndrome do desconforto respiratório = 12 (8-22) microbolhas estáveis/mm2; grupo de controle = 100 (48-230) microbolhas/mm2 (p < 0,001). A correlação entre a contagem das microbolhas nos aspirados gástricos e bucais foi 0,90 (intervalo de confiança de 95% = 0,85-0,95; p < 0,001). Considerando um ponto de corte de 25 microbolhas/mm2, a sensibilidade e a especificidade do teste das microbolhas estáveis foram 81,4% e 85,7%, respectivamente. Conclusão: O estudo sugere que o teste das microbolhas estáveis feito no aspirado bucal é uma opção confiável ao fluido gástrico para a predição da síndrome do desconforto respiratório do recém-nascido.

Author Correction: Resistance training regulates gene expression of molecules associated with intramyocellular lipids, glucose signaling and fiber size in old rats.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.