Health literacy, a more complex concept than knowledge, is a required capacity to obtain, understand, integrate and act on health information [1], in order to enhance individual and community health, which is defined by different levels, according to the autonomy and personal capacitation in decision making [2]. Medium levels of Health literacy in an adolescent population were found in a study conducted in 2013/2014, being higher in sexual and reproductive health and lower in substance use. It was also noticed that the higher levels of health literacy were in the area adolescents refer to have receipt more health information. The health literacy competence with higher scores was communication skills, and the lower scores were in the capacity to analyze factors that influence health. Higher levels were also found in younger teenagers, but in a higher school level, confirming the importance of health education in these age and development stage. Adolescents seek more information in health professionals and parents, being friends more valued as a source information in older adolescents, which enhance the importance of peer education mainly in older adolescents [3]. As a set of competences based on knowledge, health literacy should be developed through education interventions, encompassing the cultural and social context of individuals, since the society, culture and education system where the individual is inserted can define the way the development and enforcement of the health literacy competences [4]. The valued sources of information should be taken into account, as well as needs of information in some topics referred by adolescents in an efficient health education. Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic mental illness which has a profound effect on the health and well-being related with the well-known nature of psychotic symptoms. The exercise has the potential to improve the life of people with schizophrenia improving physical health and alleviating psychiatric symptoms. However, most people with schizophrenia remains sedentary and lack of access to exercise programs are barriers to achieve health benefits. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of exercise on I) the type of intervention in mental health, II) in salivary levels of alpha-amylase and cortisol and serum levels of S100B and BDNF, and on III) the quality of life and selfperception of the physical domain of people with schizophrenia. The sample consisted of 31 females in long-term institutions in the Casa de Saúde Rainha Santa Isabel, with age between 25 and 63, and with diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). Physical fitness was assessed by the six-minute walk distance test (6MWD). Biological variables were determined by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Psychological variables were assessed using SF-36, PSPP-SCV, RSES and SWLS tests. Walking exercise has a positive impact on physical fitness (6MWD -p = 0.001) and physical components of the psychological test...

Background: Fusarium spp. is being isolated with increasing frequency as a pathogen in oncohematologic patients. Caspofungin and amphotericin B have been reported to have synergistic activity against Fusarium spp.

Autoimmune haemolytic anaemias (AIHAs) are extracorpuscular haemolytic anaemias produced by antierythrocyte autoantibodies which cause a shortened red blood cell life span. There are several reasons why the diagnosis and treatment of AIHAs in children represent a bigger challenge than in adult patients, including the presence of particular AIHA types, the uncertainty of serological tests and the limited clinical experience. All these facts have added up to a poor understanding and management of some topics in childhood AIHA. We discuss some of these questions, for example, the occurrence of AIHA with negative direct antiglobulin (Coombs) test, the correct diagnosis and actual incidence of paroxysmal cold haemoglobinuria, the most appropriate second-line therapy of AIHA in childhood or the management of transfusion procedures in these patients. This review takes a practical point of view, providing with some ground rules on how to identify and deal with these paediatric patients.

We assessed the efficacy of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab in combination (FCR) as frontline treatment in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) followed by rituximab maintenance. Seventy-five untreated patients with FL received FCR followed by maintenance with rituximab 375 mg/m(2) weekly during 4 weeks and every 6 months for 2 years. The overall response rate was 100%, with 89% complete remission (CR) and 11% partial remission (PR). Molecular remission was observed in all but one patient. Only eight patients completed all therapy planned. With a median follow-up of 47 months, the 5-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and event-free survival (EFS) were 77%, 93%, and 72%, respectively. Age below 60 and low Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) correlated with a better EFS. Ten patients died due to toxic complications. The FCR regimen is highly effective in untreated patients with FL, with 89% CR, including molecular responses, and a low progression rate. However, the high incidence of treatment-related mortality makes this regimen unsafe and it cannot be recommended as an upfront therapy in FL.

Background and objective Fludarabine in combination with cyclophosphamide (FC) plus rituximab (R) is an effective treatment for newly diagnosed as well as relapsed follicular lymphoma (Tam 2004; Keating 2005; Sacchi 2007). Maintenance treatment with R, after different induction treatments, improves overall and progression-free survival (Forstpointner 2006; van Oers 2006). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the FC-R regime followed by maintenance doses of R. Patients and Methods We present an intermediate report of the one-arm study in which 75 previously untreated patients with a diagnosis of follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Ann Arbor stage II–IV were included between October 2004–2006. Seventy four were assessed for safety after receiving at least one FC-R dose (F: 3x25 mg/m2 and C: 1 g/m2; R: 375mg/m2), and 72 for response to treatment. Patients aged 53.4 years in average, one in five showed bulky disease and 72.2% Ann Arbor IV staging. FLIPI index determined 23.9% patients with low (0–1) score, 38% with intermediate (2) and 38% with poor score (3). A total of 47 patients presented some molecular alteration in PB or BM. Results Induction therapy was delivered throughout 4–6 courses, resulting in 91% complete responses (CR) and 9% partial responses (PR) (Table 1). From the patients who presented monoclonal population at diagnosis, 40 were evaluated for molecular response after induction and only 1 remained MDR positive for bcl2/IgH. Overall survival (OS) at 24 months was 87.5%, and two patients presented progressive disease within this period. The median OS has not been reached at this evaluation. To the date, 262 adverse effects grade 3–4 (32.6%) have been documented (80.9% neutropenias) and 80 infectious complications were recorded (23.8% grade 3–4). Three patients died from respiratory diseases, two from acute leukemia, and six from other causes. Table 1 EVOLUTION OF RESPONSE Evaluated Response at End of Induction Therapy Evaluated Response Post-Course 3 Assesable End Ind. (n=67) Missing End Ind. (n=5) CR: complete response; uCR: unconfirmed CR; PR: partial response; NE: not evaluated; WD: withdrawn; EX: exitus. Assesable PC3 (n=70) CRITERIA CR PR NE WD EX 14 CR 12 - 1 1 - 32 uCR 31 - 1 - - 24 PR 16 6 - - 2 2 Missing PC3 (NE) 2 - - - - 72 Total 61 6 2 1 2 Conclusions The FC-R has proven a potent antitumoral activity in untreated follicular lymphoma patients, rendering very high clinical and molecular responses. However, as reported in similar studies (Hochster 2007 ASCO), the high incidence of prolonged neutropenias and lymphopenias developed as consequence of the chemotherapy regime, questions the safety of the induction treatment.