The accuracy of respiratory muscle strength in identifying systolic dysfunction in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Purpose: To verify the accuracy of respiratory muscle strength in identifying systolic dysfunction in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC), and to validate optimal cutoff points based on respiratory muscle strength.

Methods: First, 72 patients with ChC were enrolled and underwent echocardiography and assessment of respiratory muscle strength by manovacuometry. Inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength was defined by maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), respectively.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESIDUAL DIURESIS AND SARCOPENIA IN PATIENTS ON HEMODIALYSIS.

Objective: To assess the association of residual diuresis with sarcopenia in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) on hemodialysis.

Methods: Through a cross-sectional study, patients on hemodialysis were subjected to a Dual Energy Radiologic Absorption (DEXA) exam to record muscle mass. Based on the volume of urine collected in 24 hours, patients were classified as anuric (diuresis ≤ 100 mL/day) or non-anuric (diuresis > 100 mL/day).

Factors associated with clinical severity in chronic venous disease: The role of functional parameters.

Introduction: Chronic venous disease (CVD) is a highly prevalent disease that presents a wide spectrum of clinical expressions due to abnormalities in the venous system. Patients often have major functional changes that can limit daily activities. However, the functional factors associated with the severity of the disease remain poorly understood.

The usefulness of patient-reported outcome measures in decision making in Chagas cardiomyopathy: a scoping review.

Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC) presents many biopsychosocial complexities, highlighting the need to have patient self-report questions. This study demonstrates the scope of the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients with ChC and highlights the main research gaps. This is a scoping review and the search strategy was performed in the Online Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), Accumulated Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Central, Latin American Literature and Caribbean in Health Sciences (LILACS) and Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DITA).

Aquatic exercise for people with asthma: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Aquatic exercises are among the types of exercise most tolerated by people with asthma. Therefore, the objective of this study was to synthesize the evidence on the effects of aquatic exercise on lung function and quality of life in asthmatic patients.

Data Sources: A systematic search encompassing the Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, AMED, SPORTDiscus, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database databases was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of aquatic exercise in comparison to control conditions or land-based exercise on lung function and quality of life in individuals diagnosed with asthma.

Assessment of health-related quality of life in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy using Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire: A validation study.

Objective: Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC) is the most severe clinical form of Chagas disease and, in association with psychosocial factors, can compromise the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of affected patients. To date, there is no specific instrument to assess the HRQoL of these patients, and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLwHFQ), specific for heart failure, is being used both in research and current clinical practice. Therefore, we aimed to verify the validity of the MLwHFQ in the assessment of HRQoL of patients with ChC.

Functional predictors of poor outcomes in Chagas cardiomyopathy: The value of end-tidal carbon dioxide at peak exercise.

Background: Functional impairment can be detected from the onset of heart disease in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC) and the prognostic value of the end-tidal carbon dioxide at peak exercise (PETCO peak) should be investigated.

Objective: To verify the prognostic value of PETCO peak in patients with ChC.

Methods: Seventy-six patients with ChC (49.

Accuracy of handgrip and respiratory muscle strength in identifying sarcopenia in older, community-dwelling, Brazilian women.

Certain cut-off points for sarcopenia screening and diagnosis are arbitrary and based on European populations, with normative references often obtained from healthy young adults. Although respiratory skeletal muscle strength tests represent low-cost clinical measures commonly performed in clinical practice by health professionals, a gap remains regarding whether respiratory skeletal muscle strength tests are adequate and sensitive measures for sarcopenia screening. This study aimed to verify the value of handgrip and respiratory muscle strength as possible discriminators to identify sarcopenia and to establish cut-off points for sarcopenia screening in community-dwelling, Brazilian women.

Reliability and validity of the Patient Generated Index (PGI) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis, a new approach to quality of life.

Purpose: To evaluate the test-retest reliability and validity of the Patient Generated Index (PGI) in individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease (CDK) undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods: Through a non-experimental study with repeated measures, PGI was applied twice to assess internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Correlations with the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF), the Human Activity Profile (HAP) questionnaire, the Social Participation Scale, and the Glittre ADL Test were used.

Health-Related Quality of Life Reported by Patients With Chagas Disease: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence With GRADE Recommendations.

Patients with Chagas disease have reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Hence, we aimed to identify the factors that mostly affected their HRQoL. This was a systematic review of qualitative studies.

Reliability and validity of specific quality of life assessment questionnaires related to chronic venous insufficiency: a systematic review.

This systematic review aimed to discuss the main findings regarding the reliability and validity of health-related quality of life questionnaires for chronic venous insufficiency. Searches were performed on the MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, and Scopus databases. The search terms used were related to "venous insufficiency", and "quality of life".

Environmental opportunities facilitating cognitive development in preschoolers: development of a multicriteria index.

Access to environmental opportunities can favor children's learning and cognitive development. The objectives is to construct an index that synthesizes environmental learning opportunities for preschoolers considering the home environment and verify whether the index can predict preschoolers' cognitive development. A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study was conducted with 51 preschoolers using a multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT).

Association between executive functions and gross motor skills in overweight/obese and eutrophic preschoolers: cross-sectional study.

Background: Preschool age (3-5 years old) is a crucial period for children to acquire gross motor skills and develop executive functions (EFs). However, the association between the qualitative gross motor skills and EFs remains unknown in preschoolers, especially among overweight and obese children.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, exploratory, and quantitative study carried out on 49 preschool children, divided into two subgroups according to their body mass index (overweight/obese: 24; eutrophic [normal weight]: 25).

Double Product and Autonomic Function as Predictors of Quality of Life in Heart Transplant Recipients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Heart rate control by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is impaired in heart transplant (HT) recipients, leading to increased resting heart rate, metabolic demand, and fatigue, which can impair their quality of life (QoL). In this study, we hypothesized the association of hemodynamics and autonomic function as predictors of QoL in HT recipients.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with HT recipients aged ≥ 18 years at ambulatorial accompaniment.

Efficacy of Acupuncture on Quality of Life, Functional Performance, Dyspnea, and Pulmonary Function in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease characterized by the presence of chronic airflow obstruction. Previous studies have evaluated the effect of acupuncture treatment (AT) in patients with COPD. Nevertheless, these studies show a great deal of heterogeneity in treatment protocols, having sample sizes that are too small to estimate and clarify effect size and heterogeneity in patients' baseline.

Determinants of High Fat Mass Index in Preschoolers Living in Brazilian Urban Areas.

Objective: Determine the social, environmental, and personal factors associated with high fat mass index in preschoolers.

Design: A quantitative, exploratory, and cross-sectional study.

Setting And Participants: Fifty-one Brazilian preschoolers from public schools living in urban areas.

The superior beneficial effects of exercise training versus hormone replacement therapy on skeletal muscle of ovariectomized rats.

Previous studies have highlighted the positive effects of Estradiol (E2) replacement therapy and physical exercise on skeletal muscle during menopause. However, the comparison effects of exercise training (ET) and estradiol replacement therapy during menopause on skeletal muscle have not been investigated to date. This study aimed to compare the effects of endurance exercise training versus E2 replacement therapy on mitochondrial density, redox status, and inflammatory biomarkers in the skeletal muscle of ovariectomized rats.

The health-related quality of life in patients with post-COVID-19 after hospitalization: a systematic review.

Symptoms in post-COVID-19 patients who require hospitalization can persist for months, significantly affecting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Thus, the present study aimed to discuss the main findings regarding HRQoL in post-COVID-19 patients who required hospitalization. An electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, and Scopus databases, without date and language restrictions, until July 2021.

Determining factors of functioning in hemodialysis patients using the international classification of functioning, disability and health.

Background: Hemodialysis (HD) treatment affects functioning, physical activity level, clinical biomarkers, and body composition. However, the association between these variables with functioning, considering International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) domains remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between physical activity, biomarkers, and body composition with functioning in HD patients in reference to the ICF.

The health-related quality of life in patients with Chagas disease: the state of the art.

Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected tropical disease associated with poverty in which patients are surrounded by stigma. These factors can contribute to reducing health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, a broad discussion of HRQoL in the CD population is required.