São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Observational Study
Physical condition and perceived fatigue in post-covid patients: An observational descriptive study.
Patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) often require hospital admission and experience sequelae such as chronic fatigue or low muscle mass. ⋯ Post-COVID-19 patients showed low muscle function and low levels of physical fitness associated with high perceived fatigue.
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The Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) scale is used to assess psychosocial benefits provided to caregivers by the task of caring. The PAC scale consists of nine items, assessed using a five-point Likert scale, with higher values indicating greater positive perceptions and gains from the caregiving experience. ⋯ The PAC scale was translated and culturally adapted for use by informal caregivers of people with dementia in Brazil. However, a psychometric analysis of the instrument is necessary to provide normative data for this population group.
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Accelerated development of atherosclerosis has been observed in renal transplant recipients (RTRs). Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are vascular enzymes that play important roles in vascular development and angiogenesis. ⋯ Increased serum angiogenic growth factor levels and increased atherosclerosis development were detected in RTRs compared to healthy individuals. No relationship was observed between angiogenic growth factors and atherosclerosis. This may be due to the decreased synthesis and effect of angiogenic growth factor receptors synthesized from atherosclerotic plaques due to atherosclerosis, which improves after renal transplantation.
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The diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are crucial for tuberculosis (TB) control. Household contacts (HHC) of patients with pulmonary TB are at a high risk of LTBI due to their close proximity to source cases. ⋯ This study revealed a high prevalence of LTBI among HHC, particularly among women and individuals aged 25-34 years, underscoring the ongoing TB transmission within the community. Only 26.1% of the diagnosed HHC initiated treatment, with approximately 64% completing their course. This highlights the challenges in managing LTBI and emphasizes the need for targeted screening and interventions for high-risk groups.