Access to primary healthcare services among adults with disabilities in Brazil.

Objective: To investigate perspectives of people with disabilities in Brazil regarding the access to primary healthcare.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 44 individuals with disabilities in Pernambuco, Distrito Federal, and São Paulo between March 2020 and November 2021. These interviews were transcribed, coded, and analysed thematically, using the Levesque framework to identify healthcare access barriers.

The impact of a physical exercise program on quality of life, fatigue, physical performance, and level of physical activity in patients with cancer.

Objective: Increasing evidence suggests that exercise programs are of great value in the rehabilitation and survivorship of patients with cancer. However, challenges remain regarding maintaining patients more physically active. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a supervised exercise program on quality of life, fatigue, physical performance, and levels of physical activity of patients with cancer.

[Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on health services for people with disabilities: report from rehabilitation professionals].

Several healthcare processes, including rehabilitation, require prompt initiation and cannot be interrupted. Therefore, these processes underwent important adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not fully known how healthcare facilities adapted their strategies and what the results were.

Establishing a Cancer Rehabilitation Service in a Middle-Income Country: an Experience from Brazil.

Purpose Of Review: Our aim is to provide a historical review of the implementation of a cancer rehabilitation center in Brazil, active since 2008. We expect this data to support the implementation of other centers both in Brazil and worldwide.

Recent Findings: Cancer rehabilitation delivery is fragmented and punctuated in most cases, and cancer rehabilitation centers are rare.

Efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation with combined low and high frequencies on body composition, peripheral muscle function and exercise tolerance in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing haemodialysis: a protocol for a randomised, double-blind clinical trial.

Introduction: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) as an adjunctive strategy to increase isolated muscular strength or endurance has been widely investigated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing haemodialysis (HD). However, the efficacy of combined low and high frequencies, to improve both muscular strength and endurance, is unknown. This trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of this combined NMES strategy in this population.

Functional Recovery Groups in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients and Their Associated Factors: From ICU to Hospital Discharge.

Objectives: To analyze functional recovery groups of critically ill COVID-19 survivors during their hospital stay and to identify the associated factors.

Design: Prospective observational multicenter study.

Setting: Demographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables were collected, and physical and functional status were evaluated.

Barriers to the access of people with disabilities to health services: a scoping review.

Objective: To analyze the scientific evidence regarding barriers to the access of people with disabilities to health services.

Methods: A scoping review was carried out from the main question: "What are the main barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing health services?" The articles were surveyed in July 2019 in six scientific literature databases. Of the 1,155 documents identified in the searches, after selection by title and abstract, 170 publications were read in full and, thus, 96 articles were included and categorized according to the theoretical framework.

Acupuncture for Climacteric-Like Symptoms in Breast Cancer Improves Sleep, Mental and Emotional Health: A Randomized Trial.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant neoplasm in women. Optimal treatment frequently includes a hormonal-blockage phase maintained for 5-10 years. Pharmacologic agents used for this blockage induce many climacteric-like symptoms, which often exact a heavy toll on patients' quality of life.

Corrigendum: Determinants of Health and Physical Activity Levels Among Breast Cancer Survivors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.

Bleeding frequency during physiotherapy in thrombocytopenic patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: During hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) the patients perform activities of low and moderate intensity because have reduced hematological lineages, leaving them susceptible to hemorrhagic events. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency of bleeding events, severity, and possible association with physical exercise in thrombocytopenic patients.

Methods: A retrospective study with seventy-seven HSCT patients hospitalised, that had a platelet count ≤ 50,000 /μL and received physical exercise during physiotherapy intervention.

Skeletal Muscle Wasting and Function Impairment in Intensive Care Patients With Severe COVID-19.

Intensive care patients commonly develop muscle wasting and functional impairment. However, the role of severe COVID-19 in the magnitude of muscle wasting and functionality in the acute critical disease is unknown. To perform a prospective characterization to evaluate the skeletal muscle mass and functional performance in intensive care patients with severe COVID-19.

Determinants of Health and Physical Activity Levels Among Breast Cancer Survivors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Increased exercise and physical activity levels are recommended throughout cancer therapy and survivorship. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent social distancing are likely to cause a decline in physical activity. to evaluate the level of unsupervised physical activity of breast cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors associated with difficulties in engaging and maintaining recommended physical activity levels.

Relationship of phase angle and peak torque of knee extensors with the performance in six-minute step test in haemodialysis patients.

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a systemic disease affecting not only renal function, but also endocrine, cardiovascular, and skeletal muscle systems, with broad impact on functionality. Therefore, the assessment of body composition, peripheral muscle function, and exercise tolerance is also of great importance in this population. In addition, the development of reliable strategies that use feasible tools in clinical practice is of great importance in the functional diagnosis, clinical management and prescription of physical activity.

Dynamic hyperinflation induced by the 6-minute pegboard and ring test in hospitalized patients with exacerbated COPD.

Background: The six-minute pegboard and ring test (6-PBRT) has been used to evaluate functional capacity of the upper limbs in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have evaluated dynamic hyperinflation (DH) during exercise with upper limbs in the hospital setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate physiological responses and DH induced by 6-PBRT in hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD).

Physiotherapy Care of Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - A Brazilian Experience.

Some patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) present with severe acute respiratory syndrome, which causes multiple organ dysfunction, besides dysfunction of the respiratory system, that requires invasive procedures. On the basis of the opinions of front-line experts and a review of the relevant literature on several topics, we proposed clinical practice recommendations on the following aspects for physiotherapists facing challenges in treating patients and containing virus spread: 1. personal protective equipment, 2.

Acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: a randomised controlled pilot study.

Unlabelled: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) can cause loss of independence and poor quality of life (QoL) due to severe disabilities, but in spite of its importance there is still a lack of data for the management of CIPN. Acupuncture has showed promising results and may be a cost-effective option for the treatment.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of acupuncture treatment on neurological symptoms of CIPN and QoL of oncological patients.

Is the 6-minute pegboard and ring test valid to evaluate upper limb function in hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of COPD?

Background: The 6-minute pegboard and ring test (6-PBRT) is a useful test for assessing the functional capacity of upper limbs in patients with stable COPD. Although 6-PBRT has been validated in stable patients, the possibility of a high floor effect could compromise the validity of the test in the hospital setting. The aim of this study was to verify the convergent validity of 6-PBRT in hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD).

Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms (CIPN): a preliminary case-control study.

[Purpose] The aim of this double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled study is to investigate the effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for reducing the side effects of Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with oxaloplatin or paclitaxel. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four patients were randomly allocated into two groups: active or placebo stimulation. All patients were assessed for pain, numbness/tingiling, frequency of symptoms, and quality of life.

Reference equations for handgrip strength: Normative values in young adult and middle-aged subjects.

Background & Aims: Handgrip strength (HS) has been widely used as a functionality parameter of the upper limbs (UL) and general health. The measurement of HS by dynamometry is a low cost, non-invasive method of simple applicability, widely used in pulmonary rehabilitation and in critical care units. However, there are no reports in the literature of reference equations for the Brazilian population involving young and middle-aged adults.

Unidirectional Expiratory Valve Method to Assess Maximal Inspiratory Pressure in Individuals without Artificial Airway.

Introduction: Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (MIP) is considered an effective method to estimate strength of inspiratory muscles, but still leads to false positive diagnosis. Although MIP assessment with unidirectional expiratory valve method has been used in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, no previous studies investigated the application of this method in subjects without artificial airway.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the MIP values assessed by standard method (MIPsta) and by unidirectional expiratory valve method (MIPuni) in subjects with spontaneous breathing without artificial airway.

Functional evolution of critically ill patients undergoing an early rehabilitation protocol.

Objective: Evaluation of the functional outcomes of patients undergoing an early rehabilitation protocol for critically ill patients from admission to discharge from the intensive care unit.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted that included 463 adult patients with clinical and/or surgical diagnosis undergoing an early rehabilitation protocol. The overall muscle strength was evaluated at admission to the intensive care unit using the Medical Research Council scale.