RESUMEN
Introdução: A estimulação elétrica transcutânea em pontos de acupuntura (TAES) foi testada como terapia antiemética. Objetivo: Avaliar a eficácia de duas frequências diferentes de corrente elétrica como terapia adjuvante para a prevenção de náusea e vômito. Métodos: Este ensaio clínico controlado por placebo comparou a incidência de náusea e vômito (nas primeiras 24 horas após a infusão de quimioterapia emética de alto grau) em 61 mulheres (54 ± 11 anos) com câncer de mama em três modos de TAES: alta frequência (HF:150 Hz), baixa frequência (LF:10 Hz) e placebo (P). Os eletrodos foram fixados no ponto de acupuntura PC6 e uma corrente bipolar simétrica (largura de pulso 200 µs) foi aplicada em uma única sessão de 30 minutos antes do início da infusão de quimioterapia. Todos os pacientes recebem infusões fixas de tratamento antiemético (ondansetrona - 8mg) e orientação de uso de medicação de resgate, se necessário, conforme rotina para infusões de ciclofosfamida associada à antraciclina. Resultados: A incidência de náusea foi de 47% no P, 45% na HF e 26% na LF. Embora não significativa, a intervenção com LF-TAES no ponto de acupuntura PC6, alcançou valores relevantes na redução do risco relativo de desenvolver náuseas (RR = 0,51; IC 95% = 0,18 a 1,44; p = 0,18) e tendência de melhora na sensação de bem estar (p = 0,06) e pontuação mais baixa na Edmonton Symptom Rating Scale (p = 0,08). A incidência de vômitos e o consumo de doses antieméticas de resgate foram muito semelhantes entre os grupos. Conclusão: Novos estudos com LF e HF de TAES como terapia adjuvante na prevenção de náuseas e vômitos devem ser realizados para confirmar essa hipótese.
RESUMEN
Each day more women around the world practice high impact physical activities and this may be a risk factor for urinary incontinence (UI) in young. We verified the prevalence of UI and the impact in quality of life (QoL) in high-performance swimmers, through a cross-sectional observational study with 9 high performance swimmers and 9 sedentary women who responded the International Consultation on incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF), participated in a functional evaluation of pelvic floor muscles with bidigital palpation and pad test. We verifed that was present in 78% of high-performance swimmers, and the quality of life was significantly worse (p =.037) when compared to sedentary women. These findings led us to conclude that presence of UI affects the quality of life, even if it is not a factor of abandonment of the sport.
RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the dimensions of the vaginal canal in patients undergoing gynaecological brachytherapy and the effect of the use of vaginal dilators (VD) used in the follow-up of pelvic physiotherapy. METHODS: A total of 88 patients were randomly allocated to the control group (CG) and intervention group (IG). Three evaluations were performed: pre-brachytherapy, post-brachytherapy and follow-up of 3 months. The CG received standard guidance from the health team while the IG was instructed to use VD for 3 months. The dimensions of the vaginal canal (main outcome) were defined by the length of the vagina (centimetres), width (number of full clockwise turns of the opening thread of a gynaecological speculum) and area (defined by the size of the VD). Quality of life and pelvic floor (PF) functionality were also evaluated. RESULTS: There was no effect of the VD on vaginal length, width and area among the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. However, in the analysis stratified by adhesion, the CG had a significant decrease in the vaginal area. PF was predominantly hypoactive throughout the follow-up. Quality of life improved in both groups, but the reduction of constipation, vaginal dryness and stress urinary incontinence manifested only in the IG. CONCLUSION: The use of VD did not alter the dimensions of the vaginal canal within the first 3 months after the end of radiotherapy treatment. However, there was a large sample loss during follow-up so studies with a larger sample number and longer follow-up time need to be conducted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03090217.
