Toxicology of suicide cases in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2017 to 2019

Objective.

To describe the toxicology of suicide cases recorded in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 2017 to 2019.

Method.

The present descriptive, cross-sectional study examined all the medico-legal reports and police records related to suicide deaths in the state. Multiple correspondence analyses were performed along with independent logistic regression models having ethanol, anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs, illicit drugs, and non-medical substances as dependent variables.

Excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages in Latin America and the Caribbean

Objective.

To characterize the design of excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in Latin America and the Caribbean and assess opportunities to increase their impact on SSB consumption and health.

Methods.

A comprehensive search and review of the legislation in effect as of March 2019, collected through existing Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization monitoring tools, secondary sources, and surveying ministries of finance. The analysis focused on the type of products taxed, and the structure and base of these excise taxes.

Embedding research into health services in Latin America and the Caribbean: experiences and challenges of the Technical Support Center*

This article describes the main models for embedding research and the successful experiences and challenges faced in joint work by researchers and decisionmakers who participated in the Embedding Research for the Sustainable Development Goals (ER-SDG) initiative, and the experience of the Technical Support Center.

São Paulo call to action for the prevention and control of high blood pressure: 2020

• About 1/4th of adults have high blood pressure which is the single most important risk for death (including heart disease and stroke).
• There are effective policies that could facilitate people making healthy choices to prevent raised blood pressure, and if fully implemented, could largely prevent hypertension from occurring.
• Hypertension is easy to screen and treat for BUT only about 50% of adults with hypertension are aware of their condition and only about 1 in 7 is adequately treated.

National Network for Knowledge Management, Research, and Innovation in Tuberculosis in Colombia

In 2018, the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection, in collaboration with the National Health Institute and the Pan American Health Organization, convened all actors associated with the National Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Program (PNPCT) and the National Science, Technology, and Innovation System to form an ational network to coordinate operations research on tuberculosis (TB) in the country.

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