An overall assessment of all of the selected studies suggests at least 3 possible associations between depression and tinnitus: depression affecting tinnitus, tinnitus predisposing individuals to depression, and tinnitus appearing as a comorbidity in patients with depression. There is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in individuals with tinnitus, but the mechanisms by which depression and tinnitus mutually interact, are not fully understood.

A review on adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy and the quality of life of patients living with HIV in the scientifi c literature, indexed in MEDLINE between 1998 and 2008, was performed. Studies published in Portuguese, Spanish or English with patients over 18 years of age were included. Reviews, case reports and letters were excluded. Of the 21 studies found, 12 were included (three clinical trials, three prospective cohorts and six cross-sectional studies). The relationship between quality of life and treatment adherence remains controversial, despite descriptive studies indicating the possibility of a positive association. The results may have been infl uenced by the specifi c characteristics of the described clinical trials and do not show a consensus regarding the impact of treatment adherence on patients' quality of life.

No abstract

Summary Simultaneous pancreas‐kidney transplantation (SPKT) aimed at increasing the life expectancy for diabetic patients with end‐stage kidney disease (ESKD). However, the risks of surgery complications and immunosuppression therapy make it unclear if the SPKT positively impacts patient's quality of life (QoL). Using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life—Short‐Form Health Survey (KDQOL‐SF36) and Problems Areas in Diabetes (PAID) measurement tools, we compared the QoL of 57 patients on the pretransplant waiting list with that of 103 patients who had undergone SPKT. Posttransplantation patients were assessed within different time intervals (<1, 1–3, and >3 years). Mean KDQOL‐SF36 scores were better among posttransplantation patients in the SF36 and KDQOL domains. It was also observed patients’ stress reduction in PAID mean score (P = 0.011) after SPKT. We concluded that patients receiving SPKT had a better perception of QoL than did patients on the waiting list, and this positive perception remained almost entirely comparable over the three different intervals of the posttransplantation time. These positive results showed better outcomes when excluding patients that lost pancreas graft function. Further research is needed to compare diabetic patients with kidney transplant alone using specific measurement tools to evaluate patient's QoL.

Objective: To evaluate quality of life, religiosity and anxiety and depressive symptoms in liver transplant candidates. Method: An epidemiological and cross-sectional study carried out with liver transplant candidates attended at the outpatient clinic of a University Hospital from 2014 to 2016. Results: Fifty (50) patients with a mean age of 52.5 years old participated in the study, predominantly male (58.0%), having access to primary education (48.0%), Model for End-Stage Liver Disease between 10-19 and having viral hepatitis as the main etiology. They presented an average quality of life score (4.1), high intrinsic religiosity index (5.6) and the presence of anxiety (52.0%) and depressive symptoms (48.0%). It was possible to observe an association between religiosity and quality of life in the worry domain, with higher non-organizational religiosity leading to higher quality of life; anxiety and depressive symptoms were not associated with quality of life and religiosity. However, patients with higher levels of education were more likely to present depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The analysis of quality of life and religiosity was significant, reinforcing the need for the care team to consider religiosity as a coping strategy for the disease.

“Bad news”, defined as information with huge emotional valence and potential to change personal perspectives, is, by definition, a challenge for physicians. However, the subject is not always taught in medical schools. This systematic literature review compiles all articles regarding communication of bad news after researching in databases for “medical school” and “bad news” in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The criterion was to include articles that elucidated about teaching techniques. From all 313 papers, we included 27 and classified their strategies. Most results showed that mixed strategies are more common and that, in general, the subject is well-received and appreciated by students, who reported an improvement in communicative capability after the training. We conclude that all techniques are valid and medical schools should focus on integrating this training in their regular curriculum.

Nesse estudo realizaram-se a tradução para o português e a adaptação cultural do instrumento Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) para uso no Brasil. O instrumento foi traduzido da versão original (inglês) para a língua portuguesa pelos autores e, posteriormente, revisado e avaliado quanto ao grau de dificuldade das traduções e equivalência por tradutores bilíngües. O instrumento foi, então, aplicado em 20 pacientes com hepatopatia crônica selecionados aleatoriamente. Não houve dificuldade na compreensão do instrumento, todas as questões foram consideradas aplicáveis pelos pacientes, e a equivalência cultural do CLDQ foi demonstrada sem que mudanças na tradução original precisassem ser feitas. A tradução e a adaptação cultural do CLDQ para o português, no Brasil, foram realizadas, tendo sido cumprida esta importante etapa para sua validação e utilização em nosso meio.

Objetivo: avaliar as intervenções da equipe multiprofissional que proporcionam a melhora da adesão ao tratamento após o transplante de fígado.Método: revisão integrativa da literatura. Os critérios de inclusão foram artigos publicados entre 2012 e 2017, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol, realizados na população adulta submetida ao transplante hepático.Resultado: a busca inicial resultou em 84 publicações sendo selecionados 10 estudos. Os dados foram tabulados de acordo com a relevância do conteúdo, objetivos, tipo de intervenção, número de pacientes e nível de evidência. Foram encontradas quatro categorias analíticas: intervenções educativas; adoção de um plano terapêutico individual; alteração do regime imunossupressor; suporte emocional, psicológico e fortalecimento da rede de apoio.Conclusão: a equipe multiprofissional deve prover informações sobre o processo de transplantação, realizar o manejo adequado da imunossupressão, avaliar regularmente o paciente quanto aos sinais de depressão, ansiedade, crenças e valores, e instituir um plano de cuidados individualizado.