Microbiological and host features associated with corynebacteriosis in cancer patients: a five-year study

During a five-year period, 932 clinical isolates from cancer patients treated in a Brazilian reference centre were identified as corynebacteria; 86% of the cultures came from patients who had been clinically and microbiologically classified as infected and 77.1% of these patients had been hospitalised (71.1% from surgical wards). The adult solid tumour was the most common underlying malignant disease (66.7%). The univariate and multivariate analyses showed that hospitalised patients had a six-fold greater risk (OR = 5.5, 95% CI = 1.15-26.30 p = 0.033) related to 30-day mortality. The predominant species were Corynebacterium amycolatum (44.7%), Corynebacterium minutissimum (18.3%) and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum (8.5%). The upper urinary tracts, surgical wounds, lower respiratory tracts, ulcerated tumours and indwelling venous catheters were the most frequent sources of C. amycolatum strains. Corynebacterium jeikeium infection occurred primarily in neutropenic patients who have used venous catheters, while infection caused by C. amycolatum and other species emerged mainly in patients with solid tumours

Associação entre o estado de saúde autorreferido de adultos e a área de localização do domicílio: uma análise de regressão logística ordinal usando a PNAD 2008 Association between self-reported state of health among adults and the location of the home: ordinal logistic regression analysis using PNAD 2008

O ambiente urbano influencia a saúde e os comportamentos humanos, sendo necessário um melhor entendimento dos determinantes da saúde das populações que vivem nas cidades. A partir dos dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) 2008, usando modelos logísticos ordinais incorporando o plano amostral, o presente artigo avalia a associação entre a área de localização do domicílio (urbana e rural) e o estado de saúde autorreferido da população adulta brasileira, controlando para um conjunto de fatores individuais e do ambiente intradomiciliar e extradomiciliar. Os resultados indicam que ao controlar por fatores individuais e ambientais, a associação entre a área de localização do domicílio e o estado de saúde autorreferido dos adultos se modifica (passando de OR=1,51 para OR=0,96) e perde a sua significância estatística (p-valor=0,208). Entretanto, foram observadas interações estatisticamente significantes entre a área de localização do domicílio e as seguintes variáveis: sexo, cor/raça, morbidade autorreferida, posse de bens básicos e percentual de domicílios adequados quanto a qualidade de moradia.<br>The urban environment influences human health and behavior, and a clearer understanding of the health determinants of populations living in cities is needed. Using data from the National Household Sampling Survey (PNAD) 2008, with ordinal logistic models incorporating the sampling plan, this study assessed the association between the location of the home (urban or rural) and the self-reported state of health of the adult Brazilian population, taking into account a set of individual and environmental factors inside and outside the home. The results indicated that after allowing for individual and environmental factors, the association between the location of the home and the self-reported state of health is changing (going from OR = 1.51 to OR = 0.96) and losing its statistical significance (p-value = 0.208). However, statistically significant interactions were observed between the location of the home and the following variables: sex, color/race, self-reported morbidity, possession of basic goods and percentage of households with adequate living conditions