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Este artigo descreve características sócio-demográficas e clínicas dos óbitos classificados como de causa mal definida, ocorridos no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, em 1998, e faz a reclassificação dos grupos de causas prováveis desses óbitos, com base nas informações contidas nas Declarações de Óbito do Sistema de Informações de Mortalidade e do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares do Sistema Único de Saúde (SIH-SUS) de 1997 e 1998. Para isso, foi necessário relacionar uma amostra aleatória de óbitos de causas definidas com o SIH-SUS. Foi utilizada técnica de relacionamento probabilístico de registros. Comparando com os óbitos de causa definida, os óbitos de causa mal definida ocorreram mais em indivíduos de cor da pele não branca e com menor escolaridade; foram mais frequentes na região metropolitana e os indivíduos internaram menos no SUS e morreram mais em domicílios, e sem assistência médica. Foi possível reclassificar cerca de 20% dos óbitos de causa mal definida. A reclassificação apresentou pequeno impacto na mortalidade proporcional, por causa do tamanho deste grupo (10% dos óbitos). No entanto, se os resultados pudessem ser aplicados ao total de óbitos de causa mal definida, poderiam ocorrer alterações de maior impacto na mortalidade proporcional.

Poucos estudos avaliaram a acurácia do método do relacionamento probabilístico de registros para a identificação de desfechos em estudos de coorte. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a acurácia do método para a identificação de óbitos em uma coorte de 250 idosos hospitalizados por fratura decorrente de queda. O estado vital dos membros da coorte foi determinado por meio de visitas domiciliares realizadas um e seis meses após a hospitalização. O método probabilístico foi usado para relacionar os registros da coorte (padrão-ouro) com aqueles da base de mortalidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, visando à identificação de óbitos. O estado vital de vinte membros da coorte não pôde ser determinado. Entre os 230 restantes, 60 faleceram dentro do período de 180 dias após a admissão hospitalar. O método apresentou uma sensibilidade de 85,5%, uma especificidade de 99,4%, um valor preditivo positivo de 98,1% e um valor preditivo negativo de 94,9%. Concluindo, o relacionamento probabilístico de registros parece ser uma ferramenta útil para a identificação de óbitos em estudos de coorte realizados no Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential advantages and limitations of the use of the Brazilian hospital admission authorization forms database and the probabilistic record linkage methodology for the validation of reported utilization of hospital care services in household surveys. METHODS: A total of 2,288 households interviews were conducted in the county of Duque de Caxias, Brazil. Information on the occurrence of at least one hospital admission in the year preceding the interview was obtained from a total of 10,733 household members. The 130 records of household members who reported at least one hospital admission in a public hospital were linked to a hospital database with 801,587 records, using an automatic probabilistic approach combined with an extensive clerical review. RESULTS: Seventy-four (57%) of the 130 household members were identified in the hospital database. Yet only 60 subjects (46%) showed a record of hospitalization in the hospital database in the study period. Hospital admissions due to a surgery procedure were significantly more likely to have been identified in the hospital database. The low level of concordance seen in the study can be explained by the following factors: errors in the linkage process; a telescoping effect; and an incomplete record in the hospital database. CONCLUSIONS: The use of hospital administrative databases and probabilistic linkage methodology may represent a methodological alternative for the validation of reported utilization of health care services, but some strategies should be employed in order to minimize the problems related to the use of this methodology in non-ideal conditions. Ideally, a single identifier, such as a personal health insurance number, and the universal coverage of the database would be desirable.

OBJETIVO:Analisar a mortalidade por diabetes mellitus em idosos e a subenumeração do diabetes como causa do óbito de acordo com estatísticas baseadas unicamente em causa básica de óbito. MÉTODOS:Foram revisadas todas as 2.974 declarações de óbito ocorridas em 1994 de idosos residentes em um núcleo habitacional localizado na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Destas, foram estudados 291 óbitos, tendo o diabetes mellitus como causa básica (150) e associada (141). A proporção de óbitos em que a diabetes aparece como causa básica em relação ao total de óbitos por diabetes foi calculada de forma global e segundo sexo e faixa etária. RESULTADOS:Dos 291 óbitos estudados, 138 (47,4%) ocorreram em homens, e 153, em mulheres (52,6%). As taxas de mortalidade apresentaram crescimento contínuo com o avançar da idade, sendo superiores no sexo masculino, embora a diferença entre sexos tenha sido menor para a análise baseada unicamente na causa básica. Observou-se proporção elevada de óbitos domiciliares (22%). A proporção de óbitos por diabetes como causa básica foi de 51,5%, sendo maior nas mulheres do que nos homens. CONCLUSÕES:A análise das estatísticas de mortalidade baseadas unicamente na causa básica do óbito pode levar a perfis distorcidos, em função da subenumeração não ocorrer aleatoriamente. Estudos adicionais em coortes de idosos brasileiros diabéticos são necessários para permitir uma avaliação mais acurada da mortalidade nesse grupo.

Apresenta-se um sistema de relacionamento de bases de dados fundamentado na técnica de relacionamento probabilístico de registros, desenvolvido na linguagem C++ com o ambiente de programação Borland C++ Builder versão 3.0. O sistema foi testado a partir de fontes de dados de diferentes tamanhos, tendo sido avaliado em tempo de processamento e sensibilidade para a identificação de pares verdadeiros. O tempo gasto com o processamento dos registros foi menor quando se empregou o programa do que ao ser realizado manualmente, em especial, quando envolveram bases de maior tamanho. As sensibilidades do processo manual e do processo automático foram equivalentes quando utilizaram bases com menor número de registros; entretanto, à medida que as bases aumentaram, percebeu-se tendência de diminuição na sensibilidade apenas no processo manual. Ainda que em fase inicial de desenvolvimento, o sistema apresentou boa performance tanto em velocidade quanto em sensibilidade. Embora a performance dos algoritmos utilizados tenha sido satisfatória, o objetivo é avaliar outras rotinas, buscando aprimorar o desempenho do sistema.

A metodologia de captura-recaptura é utilizada na área da ecologia para a estimativa do tamanho de populações de animais selvagens. Esta técnica pode ser empregada no âmbito da epidemiologia para a obtenção de estimativas de doenças transmissíveis e não transmissíveis em uma forma relativamente barata e rápida. Sistemas de vigilância baseados na utilização desta metodologia representam uma alternativa potencial para o monitoramento de doenças não transmissíveis em nosso meio. Este artigo apresenta uma revisão sucinta dos fundamentos da metodologia de captura-recaptura e de suas aplicações no âmbito da epidemiologia. Adicionalmente, é apresentado um modelo teórico para a implantação de um sistema de vigilância do diabetes mellitus na população idosa baseado na utilização de fontes de morbidade e mortalidade usualmente disponíveis em nosso meio e na aplicação da metodologia de captura-recaptura.

Abstract Background The association between self-rated health (SRH) and mortality is well documented in the literature, but studies on the subject among young adults in Latin America are rare, as are those evaluating this association using repeated SRH measures, beyond the baseline measurement. This study aims to evaluate the association between SRH evaluated at three data collection stages and mortality. Methods Cox regression models were used to examine the association between SRH (Very good, Good, Fair/Poor) varying over time and mortality, over a 10 year period, in a cohort of non-faculty civil servants at a public university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Pró-Saúde Study, n = 4009, men = 44.4%). Results About 40% of the population changed their self-rating over the course of follow-up. After adjustment for self-reported physician-diagnosed chronic diseases and other covariates, men who reported “Fair/Poor” SRH showed relative hazard of death of 2.13 (CI95% 1.03-4.40) and women, 3.43 (CI95% 1.23-9.59), as compared with those who reported “Very good” SRH. Conclusions In a population of young adults, our findings reinforce the role of SRH as a predictor of mortality, even controlling for objective measures of health.

Background We aimed to provide personalized risk estimates for cardiac events (CEs) and life-threatening events in women with either type 1 or type 2 long QT. Methods and Results The prognostic model was derived from the Rochester Long QT Syndrome Registry, comprising 767 women with type 1 long QT (n=404) and type 2 long QT (n=363) from age 15 through 60 years. The risk prediction model included the following variables: genotype/mutation location, QTc-specific thresholds, history of syncope, and β-blocker therapy. A model was developed with the end point of CEs (syncope, aborted cardiac arrest, or long QT syndrome-related sudden cardiac death), and was applied with the end point of life-threatening events (aborted cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac death, or appropriate defibrillator shocks). External validation was performed with data from the Mayo Clinic Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic (N=467; type 1 long QT [n=286] and type 2 long QT [n=181]). The cumulative follow-up duration among the 767 enrolled women was 22 243 patient-years, during which 323 patients (42%) experienced ≥1 CE. Based on genotype-phenotype data, we identified 3 risk groups with 10-year projected rates of CEs ranging from 15%, 29%, to 51%. The corresponding 10-year projected rates of life-threatening events were 2%, 5%, and 14%. C statistics for the prediction model for the 2 respective end points were 0.68 (95% CI 0.65-0.71) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.66-0.76). Corresponding C statistics for the model in the external validation Mayo Clinic cohort were 0.65 (95% CI 0.60-0.70) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.70-0.84). Conclusions This is the first risk prediction model that provides absolute risk estimates for CEs and life-threatening events in women with type 1 or type 2 long QT based on personalized genotype-phenotype data. The projected risk estimates can be used to guide female-specific management in long QT syndrome.

Background: Expanding delivery of primary healthcare to urban poor populations is a priority in many low- and middle-income countries. This remains a key challenge in Brazil despite expansion of the country's internationally recognized Family Health Strategy (FHS) over the past two decades. This study evaluates the impact of an ambitious program to rapidly expand FHS coverage in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, since 2008., Methods and Findings: A cohort of 1,241,351 low-income adults (observed January 2010-December 2016; total person-years 6,498,607) with linked FHS utilization and mortality records was analyzed using flexible parametric survival models. Time-to-death from all-causes and selected causes were estimated for FHS users and nonusers. Models employed inverse probability treatment weighting and regression adjustment (IPTW-RA). The cohort was 61% female (751,895) and had a mean age of 36 years (standard deviation 16.4). Only 18,721 individuals (1.5%) had higher education, whereas 102,899 (8%) had no formal education. Two thirds of individuals (827,250; 67%) were in receipt of conditional cash transfers (Bolsa Família). A total of 34,091 deaths were analyzed, of which 8,765 (26%) were due to cardiovascular disease; 5,777 (17%) were due to neoplasms; 5,683 (17%) were due to external causes; 3,152 (9%) were due to respiratory diseases; and 3,115 (9%) were due to infectious and parasitic diseases. One third of the cohort (467,155; 37.6%) used FHS services. In IPTW-RA survival analysis, an average FHS user had a 44% lower hazard of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.56, 95% CI 0.54-0.59, p < 0.001) and a 5-year risk reduction of 8.3 per 1,000 (95% CI 7.8-8.9, p < 0.001) compared with a non-FHS user. There were greater reductions in the risk of death for FHS users who were black (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.46-0.54, p < 0.001) or pardo (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.54-0.60, p < 0.001) compared with white (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.56-0.63, p < 0.001); had lower educational attainment (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.46-0.55, p < 0.001) for those with no education compared to no significant association for those with higher education (p = 0.758); or were in receipt of conditional cash transfers (Bolsa Família) (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.49-0.54, p < 0.001) compared with nonrecipients (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.60-0.67, p < 0.001). Key limitations in this study are potential unobserved confounding through selection into the program and linkage errors, although analytical approaches have minimized the potential for bias., Conclusions: FHS utilization in urban poor populations in Brazil was associated with a lower risk of death, with greater reductions among more deprived race/ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Increased investment in primary healthcare is likely to improve health and reduce health inequalities in urban poor populations globally., Competing Interests: I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: BD was Undersecretary of Health Promotion, Surveillance, and Primary Care at the Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, Rio de Janeiro when this project was conceived. VS is a Coordinator of Health Situation Analysis in the Health Surveillance Department, at the Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, Rio de Janeiro. All other authors declare they have no competiing interests.

Background: A comprehensive report on the clinical course of the three major genotypes of the long QT syndrome (LQTS) in a large U.S. patient cohort is lacking., Methods: Our study consisted of 1,923 U.S. subjects from the Rochester-based LQTS Registry with genotype-positive LQT1 (n = 879), LQT2 (n = 807), and LQT3 (n = 237). We evaluated the risk of a first cardiac event (syncope, aborted cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac death, whichever occurred first) from birth through age 50 years. Cox proportional hazards regression models incorporating clinical covariates were used to assess genotype-specific risk of cardiac events., Results: For all three genotypes, the cumulative probability of a first cardiac event increased most markedly during adolescence. Multivariate analysis identified proband status and QTc > 500 ms as predictors of cardiac events in all three genotypes, and males <14 years and females >14 years as predictors of cardiac events in LQT1 and LQT2 only. Beta-blockers significantly reduced the risk of cardiac events in LQT1 (HR: 0.49, p = .002) and LQT2 patients (HR: 0.48, p = .001). A trend toward beta-blocker benefit in reducing cardiac events was found in LQT3 females (HR: 0.32, p = .078), but not in LQT3 males (HR: 1.37, p = .611)., Conclusion: Risk factors and outcomes in LQTS patients varied by genotype. In all three genotypes, proband status and prolonged QTc were risk factors for cardiac events. Younger males and older females experienced increased risk in LQT1 and LQT2 only. Beta-blockers were most effective in reducing cardiac events in LQT1 and LQT2, with a potential benefit in LQT3 females., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Risk stratification in patients with type 3 long-QT syndrome (LQT3) by clinical and genetic characteristics and effectiveness of β-blocker therapy has not been studied previously in a large LQT3 population., Methods: The study population included 406 LQT3 patients with 51 sodium channel mutations; 391 patients were known to be event free during the first year of life and were the focus of our study. Clinical, electrocardiographic, and genetic parameters were acquired for patients from 7 participating LQT3 registries. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent contribution of clinical, genetic, and therapeutic factors to the first occurrence of time-dependent cardiac events (CEs) from age 1 to 41 years., Results: Of the 391 patients, 118 (41 males, 77 females) patients (30%) experienced at least 1 CE (syncope, aborted cardiac arrest, or long-QT syndrome-related sudden death), and 24 (20%) suffered from LQT3-related aborted cardiac arrest/sudden death. The risk of a first CE was directly related to the degree of QTc prolongation. Cox regression analysis revealed that time-dependent β-blocker therapy was associated with an 83% reduction in CEs in females (P=0.015) but not in males (who had many fewer events), with a significant sex × β-blocker interaction (P=0.04). Each 10-ms increase in QTc duration up to 500 ms was associated with a 19% increase in CEs. Prior syncope doubled the risk for life-threatening events (P<0.02)., Conclusions: Prolonged QTc and syncope predispose patients with LQT3 to life-threatening CEs. However, β-blocker therapy reduces this risk in females; efficacy in males could not be determined conclusively because of the low number of events., Competing Interests: Disclosures: Dr. Wilde serves on the scientific advisory board of Lilanova. Dr. Ackerman is a consultant for Boston Scientific, Gilead Sciences, Medtronic, and St. Jude Medical. Dr. Ackerman and Mayo Clinic receive royalties from Transgenomic for their FAMILION-LQTS and FAMILION-CPVT genetic tests. None of these entities provided financial support for this study. The other authors report no conflicts., (© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.)

The activity of specific inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels is regulated by any of a number of different modulators, such as protein kinase C, G(q) -coupled receptor stimulation, pH, intracellular Mg(2+) or the betagamma-subunits of G proteins. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)) is an essential factor for maintenance of the activity of all Kir channels. Here, we demonstrate that the strength of channel-PIP(2) interactions determines the sensitivity of Kir channels to regulation by the various modulators. Furthermore, our results suggest that differences among Kir channels in their specific regulation by a given modulator may reflect differences in their apparent affinity of interactions with PIP(2).

Capture-recapture methodology is used in Ecology to estimate the total size of wild animal populations. This method can be used in Epidemiology to estimate the incidence and prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases in a relatively inexpensive and quick way. Surveillance systems based on the use of this methodology are a potential alternative for monitoring non-communicable diseases in Brazil. This paper presents a brief review of fundamental capture-recapture methodology and its applications to Epidemiology. We also present a theoretical model for implementation of a diabetes mellitus surveillance system in the elderly using publicly available morbidity and mortality data sources and the capture-recapture methodology.

This paper presents a system for database linkage based on the probabilistic record linkage technique, developed in the C++ language with the Borland C++ Builder version 3.0 programming environment. The system was tested in the linkage of data sources of different sizes, evaluated both in terms of processing time and sensitivity for identifying true record pairs. Significantly less time was spent in record processing when the program was used, as compared to manual processing, especially in situations where larger databases were used. Manual and automatic processes had equivalent sensitivities in situations where we used databases with fewer records. However, as the number of records grew we noticed a clear reduction in the sensitivity of the manual process, but not in the automatic one. Although in its initial stage of development, the system performed well in terms of both processing speed and sensitivity. Although overall performance of algorithms was satisfactory, we intend to evaluate other routines in the attempt to improve the system's performance.