Dear Editor, According to recent studies, approximately 33% of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) should require intensive care, and up to 20% of those admitted to hospital may need invasive mechanical ventilation.() Considering the performance of multidisciplinary teams composed of physicians, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, and other health professionals at intensive care units (ICU) for treatment of COVID-19 patients,(–) and evidence pointing to a decrease in viral load of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in saliva […]

Dear Editor, Health professionals can contribute for transmission of influenza-like illness to susceptible patients while providing care.() One asymptomatic professional may transmit pathogens directly to others and contaminate shared surfaces with touch, cough, and sneeze if not wearing a facemask.(,) Little attention has been given in an attempt to understand and prevent pathogens transmission from health professionals to their patients.() […]

Dear Editor, The letter of Pasternak() raised controversial issues about the relationship between religion and health. We intend here to bring some elements for a conciliatory position. In the majority of research on the subject, religious-spiritual well-being is directly and positively associated with better parameters of physical and mental health, quality of life, and longevity.() The benefit of religiosity to general health may be comparable to that are achieved from the consumption of fruits and vegetables.() […]

Dear Editor, Akerman et al.,() allude to possible usefulness of religious beliefs toward health. There were 69,333 publications on this subject indexed in PubMed® as by Aug 26, 2020, and the hard evidence for health gains to persons with religious convictions is not overwhelming, to say the least. According to Levin there are hints of association, but none that shows that the possible health gains are casual.() Papers exist suggesting that religion is a protective factor for health. Some are […]

Dear Editor, The author of the letter aims to make explicit, through the evidence represented by the volume of publications, that religious beliefs can be “bad for your health.” We cannot refute such a statement. However, accepting it does not imply refusing the possibility that religion and religiosity act as protective factors. Religion, like other complex social practices, generally does not respect the dichotomies established by the reductions in our masterful ways of thinking. […]

Dear Editor, Hemodialysis leads to sarcopenia, a syndrome characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass with reduction of physical performance.() Likewise, neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been used as strategy for improvement in muscle mass and strength.(,) We performed a prospective, short-term and single-arm study that evaluated adult men (38.18±12.86 years) undergoing hemodialysis for 40.73±36.98 months ( ). Of 15 patients, four women were excluded and 11 men met the inclusion criteria ( ). This study was approved […]

Dear Editor, Szpak et al., demonstrated an expressive increase in expenses by the State Health Authority of Paraná associated to judicialization of access to tiotropium bromide for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the relevant individual financial impact provided by the drug.() Based on these findings, the authors indicated the need to revise the clinical protocol of the disease, and insert new therapeutic options on the National Formulary of Essential Medicines. However, although we agree with this observation, […]

Dear Editor, I have some considerations about the article “Epidemiology of hypertension in pregnant women”.() The study is strongly based on evidence scientific, shows that health education is important in this scenario, and demonstrates that inappropriate individual and collective may be associated to onset of hypertension. The following factors are related to hypertension: advanced age, family history, preexisting hypertension, diabetes, obesity and consumption of ultra-processed foods, and strongly corroborate the need for health education.() Nurses and physicians are the first […]

Dear Editor, Because of the spreading of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) the use of personal protective equipment was adopted by whole-population and, within a short period of time, these medical supplies became scarce and expensive, therefore leading to a severe global crisis, mainly in health services. Based on this scenario, rapid and low-cost methods are required to stop the virus spread.(,) […]

Dear Editor, Several studies have been carried out and highlighted the severity of many cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).(–) Nonetheless, the criteria that have been adopted so far by many countries, such as Brazil, for progression to cure of patients with mild symptoms or asymptomatic individuals, may pose risks due to some limitations in monitoring the evolution of the infection. In such situations, the current recommendation includes laboratory tests to confirm cure only in the severe cases of […]