High incidence of prostate cancer metastasis in Afro-Brazilian men with low educational levels: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated factors related to ethnicity and educational level, their correlation with tumor stage at the time of diagnosis, and their influence on treatment outcomes in patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed the medical records of 1,349 male patients treated for prostatic adenocarcinoma. We collected information about sociodemographic variables, including educational level and self-reported skin color. We also classified the disease according whether it was to more likely to present with metastasis and measured the tumor response to treatment. RESULTS: Less-educated (<8 years of education) individuals were 4.8 times more likely to develop metastasis than those with more education (>11 years of education; p < 0.001). Similarly, patients with a self-reported black skin color had a 300% increased risk of metastasis at diagnosis (p = 0.001). Distant metastasis was independently correlated with worse outcomes, such that individuals with distant metastasis were 10 times more likely to die than were those without distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with self-reported black skin color and <8 years of education were more likely to display advanced disease at the time of diagnosis compared with their counterparts. Only the presence of metastasis was independently associated with mortality or progressive disease.

[Opinion of medical and law students of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte about abortion in Brazil]. / Opinião de estudantes dos cursos de Direito e Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte sobre o aborto no Brasil.

PURPOSE: To analyze and compare the knowledge and opinions of Law and Medical students regarding the issue of abortion in Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 125 graduate students from the class of 2010. Of these, 52 were medical students (MED group) and 73 law students (LAW group). A questionnaire was applied based on published research about the topic. Dependent variables were: monitoring the abortion debate, knowledge concerning situations where abortion is permitted under Brazilian law, opinion about situations that agree with extending legal permission to terminate pregnancy and prior knowledge of someone who has undergone induced abortion. Independent variables were: sex, age, household income and graduation course. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: χ² and Fisher's exact tests, with the level of significance set at 5%. RESULTS: Most interviewees reported monitoring the debate on abortion in Brazil (67.3% of the MED group and 70.2% of the LAW group, p>0.05). When assessing knowledge on the subject, medical students had a significantly higher percentage of correct answers than law students (100.0 and 87.5%, respectively; p=0.005) regarding the legality of abortion for pregnancies resulting from rape. Elevated percentages of correct responses were also recorded for both groups in relation to pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother (94.2 and 87.5% for MED and LAW groups, respectively), but without statistical significance. A significant percentage of respondents declared they were in favor of extending legal abortion to other situations, primarily in cases of anencephaly (68%), pregnancy severely harming the mother's physical health (42.1%) or that of the fetus in cases of severe congenital malformation (33.7%). CONCLUSION: Results showed a satisfactory knowledge on the part of law and medical school graduate students regarding the legality of abortion in Brazil, combined with a favorable trend towards extending legal permission to other situations not covered by the law. It is important to underscore the inclusion of this topic in the undergraduate curriculum and the development of inter-professional teaching strategies.

Opinião de estudantes dos cursos de Direito e Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte sobre o aborto no Brasil / Opinion of Medical and Law students of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte about abortion in Brazil

OBJETIVO: Analisar e comparar o conhecimento e opiniões de estudantes dos cursos de Direito e Medicina sobre a questão do aborto no Brasil. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado estudo transversal envolvendo 125 alunos concluintes do ano de 2010, sendo 52 de Medicina (grupo MED) e 73 de Direito (grupo DIR), com uso de questionário construído com base em estudos publicados sobre o tema. As variáveis dependentes foram: acompanhamento do debate sobre aborto, conhecimento sobre situações em que o aborto é permitido por lei no Brasil, opinião sobre situações em que concorda com a ampliação do permissivo legal para interrupção da gestação e conhecimento prévio de alguém que já induziu o aborto. As variáveis independentes incluíram dados sociodemográficos como sexo, idade, renda familiar e curso de graduação. Análise estatística: testes do χ² e exato de Fisher, com nível de significância de 5 por cento. RESULTADOS: A maioria dos entrevistados relatou acompanhar a discussão sobre o aborto no Brasil (67,3 por cento do grupo MED e 70,2 por cento grupo DIR, p>0,05). Na avaliação do conhecimento sobre o tema, os estudantes de Medicina demonstraram percentual de acerto significativamente superior aos estudantes de Direito (100,0 e 87,5 por cento, respectivamente; p=0,005), em relação à legalidade do aborto na gravidez resultante de estupro. Elevados percentuais de acertos também foram observados nos dois grupos, em relação à gravidez impondo risco de vida à gestante, mas sem significância estatística (94,2 e 87,5 por cento para os grupos MED e DIR, respectivamente). Percentuais significativos dos entrevistados declararam-se favoráveis à ampliação legal do aborto em outras situações, com destaque para: anencefalia (68 por cento), gravidez com prejuízos graves à saúde física da mulher (42,1 por cento) e para feto com qualquer malformação congênita grave (33,7 por cento). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados demonstraram um conhecimento satisfatório dos concluintes dos cursos de Direito e Medicina quanto à legalidade do aborto no Brasil, aliado a uma tendência favorável à ampliação do permissivo legal para outras situações não previstas em lei. Ressalta-se a importância da inclusão dessa temática nos currículos de graduação e do desenvolvimento de estratégias de ensino interprofissional.

PURPOSE: To analyze and compare the knowledge and opinions of Law and Medical students regarding the issue of abortion in Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 125 graduate students from the class of 2010. Of these, 52 were medical students (MED group) and 73 law students (LAW group). A questionnaire was applied based on published research about the topic. Dependent variables were: monitoring the abortion debate, knowledge concerning situations where abortion is permitted under Brazilian law, opinion about situations that agree with extending legal permission to terminate pregnancy and prior knowledge of someone who has undergone induced abortion. Independent variables were: sex, age, household income and graduation course. Statistical analysis: χ² and Fisher's exact tests, with the level of significance set at 5 percent. RESULTS: Most interviewees reported monitoring the debate on abortion in Brazil (67.3 percent of the MED group and 70.2 percent of the LAW group, p>0.05). When assessing knowledge on the subject, medical students had a significantly higher percentage of correct answers than law students (100.0 and 87.5 percent, respectively; p=0.005) regarding the legality of abortion for pregnancies resulting from rape. Elevated percentages of correct responses were also recorded for both groups in relation to pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother (94.2 and 87.5 percent for MED and LAW groups, respectively), but without statistical significance. A significant percentage of respondents declared they were in favor of extending legal abortion to other situations, primarily in cases of anencephaly (68 percent), pregnancy severely harming the mother's physical health (42.1 percent) or that of the fetus in cases of severe congenital malformation (33.7 percent). CONCLUSION: Results showed a satisfactory knowledge on the part of law and medical school graduate students regarding the legality of abortion in Brazil, combined with a favorable trend towards extending legal permission to other situations not covered by the law. It is important to underscore the inclusion of this topic in the undergraduate curriculum and the development of inter-professional teaching strategies.