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To assess the adequacy of medical prescriptions for community-acquired pneumonia at the emergency department of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, we conducted a prospective cohort study, from January through April 2011. All patients with suspected pneumonia were selected from the first prescription of antimicrobials held in the emergency room. Patients with a description of pneumonia, community-acquired pneumonia, respiratory infection, or other issues related to community-acquired pneumonia were selected for review. Two-hundred and fifteen patients were studied. Adherence to the hospital care protocol was: 11.2% for the initial recommended tests (chest X-ray and collection of sputum sample), 34.4% for blood cultures, and 92.1% for the antimicrobial choice. Sixty percent of the prescriptions consisted of a combination of drugs, and the association of beta-lactam and macrolide was the most common. The Hospital Infection Control Committee evaluated patients' prescriptions within a median time of 23.5h (IQR 25-75%, 8-24). Negative evaluations accounted for 10% of prescriptions (n=59). Fourteen percent of the patients died during hospitalization. In the multivariate analysis, Pneumonia Severity Index Score and use of ampicillin+sulbactam alone were independently related to in-hospital mortality. There was a high adherence to the hospital's CAP protocol, in relation to antimicrobial choice. Severity score and use of ampicillin+sulbactam alone were independently associated to in-hospital death., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

Obesity, an ever-increasing problem in the industrialized world, has long been a target of research for a cure or, at least, control of its expansion. In the search for treatment, the recently discovered endocannabinoid system has emerged as a new target for controlling obesity and its associated conditions. The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in controlling weight and energy balance in humans. This system is activated to a greater extent in obese patients, and the specific blockage of its receptors is the aim of rimonabant, one of the most recent drugs created for the treatment of obesity. This drug acts as a blockade for endocannabinoid receptors found in the brain and peripheral organs that play an important role on carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Clinical studies have confirmed that, when used in combination with a low calorie diet, rimonabant promotes loss in body weight, loss in abdominal circumference, and improvements in dyslipidemia. Rimonabant is also being tested as a potential anti-smoking treatment since endocannabinoids are related to the pleasurable effect of nicotine. Thus, rimonabant constitutes a new therapeutic approach to obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Studies show effectiveness in weight loss; however, side effects such as psychiatric alterations have been reported, including depression and anxiety. These side effects have led the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to not approve this drug in the United States. For a more complete evaluation on the safety of this drug, additional studies are in progress.