Bedside ultrasound is a practical measurement tool for assessing muscle mass.

Objective: To evaluate the intra- and inter-reliability and the ease of measuring the quadriceps muscle thickness using bedside ultrasound.

Methods: This is a prospective, observational study. The assessment of quadriceps muscle thickness was performed at two reference points and was quantified using portable B-mode ultrasound in two healthy volunteers.

An interdisciplinary approach aiding the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia: A case report.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the most common causes of early-onset dementia with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) being the second-most-frequent form of this degenerative disease. Despite the similarity with progressive dementia (especially in early stages of Alzheimer´s disease), three types of PPA can be differentiated: semantic, agrammatic and logopenic (subtype discussed in this study). To date, no medications have been shown to improve or stabilize cognitive deficits in patients with PPA.

Epidemiologic analysis of prevalence of the hyperhidrosis.

Background: The present paper aims to study the prevalence of the various manifestations of hyperhidrosis in patients who sought treatment in a specialized ambulatory in the state of São Paulo.

Objectives: Opposite to previous studies, this paper studies the different combinations of sweating sites, not being restricted to the main complaint site of the patients, but taking into consideration secondary complaints patients may present.

Methods: This was a retrospective approach of a database containing more than 1200 patients in which were mapped: combination of sweating sites, age of onset, age spectrum, mean age, body mass index and gender of patients.

Ventilatory changes during the use of heat and moisture exchangers in patients submitted to mechanical ventilation with support pressure and adjustments in ventilation parameters to compensate for these possible changes: a self-controlled intervention study in humans.

Objective: To evaluate the possible changes in tidal volume, minute volume and respiratory rate caused by the use of a heat and moisture exchanger in patients receiving pressure support mechanical ventilation and to quantify the variation in pressure support required to compensate for the effect caused by the heat and moisture exchanger.

Methods: Patients under invasive mechanical ventilation in pressure support mode were evaluated using heated humidifiers and heat and moisture exchangers. If the volume found using the heat and moisture exchangers was lower than that found with the heated humidifier, an increase in pressure support was initiated during the use of the heat and moisture exchanger until a pressure support value was obtained that enabled the patient to generate a value close to the initial tidal volume obtained with the heated humidifier.

Perceived stress among Primary Health Care Professionals in Brazil.

Objective:: To evaluate the perceived stress (PS) of professionals in Primary Health Care and its association with the characteristics of the teams in the Family Health Program (FHP). The association between PS and self-referred morbidity was also investigated.

Methods:: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 450 employees from 60 teams in 12 Basic Health Units (BHUs) in a region of São Paulo.

Assessment in the primary care of the State of São Paulo, Brazil: incipient actions in sexual and reproductive health.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess performance in sexual and reproductive health of primary health care services of the Brazilian Unified Health System, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: An evaluative framework was built for sexual and reproductive health with the categorization of 99 indicators in three domains: sexual and reproductive health promotion (25), sexually transmitted infections/AIDS prevention and care (43), and reproductive health care (31). This framework was applied to assess the services responses to the questionnaire of Quality Evaluation of Primary Health Care in the Municipalities of São Paulo State (QualiAB), in 2010.

Use of and access to health services in Brazil, 2013 National Health Survey.

Objective: To analyze the use of health services in the Brazilian population by sociodemographic factors, according to data from the 2013 Brazilian National Health Survey.

Methods: The study analyzed data from 205,000 Brazilian citizens in all age groups who participated in the Brazilian National Health Survey, a cross-sectional study carried out in 2013. Prevalence and confidence intervals were estimated for indicators related to access to and use of health services according to age group, level of education of head of household, and Brazilian macroregions.

Hepatitis C among blood donors: cascade of care and predictors of loss to follow-up.

Objective: To investigate the HCV cascade of care and to identify the factors associated with loss or absence to follow-up of patients identified as infected with hepatitis C through blood donation.

Methods: Blood donors from 1994 to 2012, identified with positive anti- HCV by enzyme immunoassay and immunoblot tests were invited to participate in the study, through letters or phone calls. Patients who agreed to participate were interviewed and their blood samples were collected for further testing.

Thromboelastometry-guided blood transfusion in septic shock complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation: a case report.

Approximately 25-50% of septic patients develop disseminated intravascular coagulation. The thromboelastometry evaluates whole blood clot formation and dissolution in real time and has been considered for management of bleeding in diverse clinical conditions. We present a case of thromboelastometry-guided bleeding management of a septic shock patient with overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

Stress, self-esteem and well-being among female health professionals: A randomized clinical trial on the impact of a self-care intervention mediated by the senses.

Background: Stress levels are evident among health professionals. However, there are few studies on sensory-based self-care aimed at stress management, self-esteem and subjective well-being in this group of professionals.

Objective: To assess the impact of a self-care intervention mediated by the senses on the stress levels, self-esteem and well-being of health professionals in a hospital environment.

ANOCVA in R: A Software to Compare Clusters between Groups and Its Application to the Study of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Understanding how brain activities cluster can help in the diagnosis of neuropsychological disorders. Thus, it is important to be able to identify alterations in the clustering structure of functional brain networks. Here, we provide an R implementation of Analysis of Cluster Variability (ANOCVA), which statistically tests (1) whether a set of brain regions of interest (ROI) are equally clustered between two or more populations and (2) whether the contribution of each ROI to the differences in clustering is significant.

Balanced crystalloids for septic shock resuscitation.

Timely fluid administration is crucial to maintain tissue perfusion in septic shock patients. However, the question concerning which fluid should be used for septic shock resuscitation remains a matter of debate. A growing body of evidence suggests that the type, amount and timing of fluid administration during the course of sepsis may affect patient outcomes.

Oral Rivaroxaban for the Treatment of Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism in 400 Patients With Active Cancer: A Single-Center Experience.

Purpose: To study the safety and efficacy of rivaroxaban-a direct oral anticoagulant-use in patients with active cancer and venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Patients And Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 400 patients with active cancer and associated VTE, defined as deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. This single-center study was carried out from January 2012 to June 2015.

Taking care of the newborn dying and their families: Nurses' experiences of neonatal intensive care.

Objective: To understand the experiences of nurses when caring for dying newborns and their families in the NICU; and redeem their perceptions about acting before the death and grieving process.

Method: A descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach, developed with nine nurses at the ICU of a hospital in São Paulo (SP), Brazil. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD).

Degludec: the new ultra-long insulin analogue.

The development of extended-action insulin analogues was motivated by the unfavorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of the conventional long-acting insulin formulations, generally associated with marked inter and intra patient variability and site- and dose-dependent effect variation. The new ultra-long insulin analogue degludec (IDeg) has the same amino acid sequence as human insulin except for the removal of threonine in the position 30 of the B chain (Des-B30, "De") and the attachment, via a glutamic acid linker ("glu"), of a 16-carbon fatty diacid (hexadecanoic diacid, "dec") to lysine in the position 29 of the B chain. These modifications allow that, after changing from the pharmaceutical formulation to the subcutaneous environment, IDeg precipitates in the subcutaneous tissue, forming a depot that undergoes a highly predictable gradual dissociation.

Analysis of electrocorticographic patterns in rats fed standard or hyperlipidic diets in a normal state or during status epilepticus.

Objective: The consumption of hyperlipidic diets has grown markedly in recent decades, and several studies have linked this consumption with the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Conversely, hyperlipidic diets have been used as an alternative therapy for refractory epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a hyperlipidic diet on brain electrical activity before and during status epilepticus (SE) using computational and mathematical methods.

Time of exercise as indicator of quality control in ergometry services.

Background: The search for quality requires assessment tools in the various subdivisions of a health complex. In diagnostic medicine, they are scarce and in ergometry suggestions of indicators were not found.

Objective: To establish indicator for quality control on ergometry based on III Guidelines of the Brazilian Cardiology Society About Ergometric Test; to verify the percentage of tests that have presented the indicator within the compliance in two services of the same institution before and after the publication of the document.

[Cryotherapy after childbirth: the length of application and changes in perineal temperature].

We present a descriptive study based on the data from two clinical trials conducted at a maternity hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2008 and 2009. This study aimed to describe perineal temperature after the application of an ice pack during the postpartum period. Three groups of 38 postpartum women (n=114 total) received an ice pack between 2 and 48 h after delivery.

disseminated infection and schistosomiasis in an AIDS patient.

hyperinfection syndrome is classically associated with impaired host response and implies in an overburden of larvae in its usual cycle. It has been recognized as a severe and potentially fatal condition in immunocompromised individuals, especially those using oral corticosteroids. Infection with not only increases the susceptibility to HIV infection, but also promotes progression to disease.

Risk factors for nosocomial infections in a critically ill pediatric population: a 25-month prospective cohort study.

We studied risk factors for nosocomial infections among 500 critically ill children who were admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit from August 1994 through August 1996 and who were prospectively followed until death, transfer, or discharge. Age, gender, postoperative state, length of stay, device-utilization ratio, pediatric risk of mortality score, and total parenteral nutrition were the risk factors studied. Through multivariate analysis, we identified three independent risk factors for nosocomial infection: device-utilization ratio (odds ratio [OR], 1.

The rebound effect in the treatment of complex hemangioma with interferon alpha 2A.

The authors report the case of an infant with an extensive face hemangioma with subglottic airway obstruction which had been successfully treated with interferon alpha 2A but then reoccurred with the same dimensions and airway blockage after treatment was abruptly interrupted. The authors suggest the implementation of a standard procedure for the interruption of interferon alpha 2A treatment in order to avoid this rebound effect and advise on the need for further studies to properly evaluate dosage and administration parameters for interferon alpha 2A in the treatment of difficult hemangioma.