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Background and Objectives: The II Brazilian Consensus Conference on Mechanical Ventilation was published in 2000. Knowledge on the field of mechanical ventilation evolved rapidly since then, with the publication of numerous clinical studies with potential impact on the ventilatory management of critically ill patients. Moreover, the evolving concept of evidence - based medicine determined the grading of clinical recommendations according to the methodological value of the studies on which they are based. This explicit approach has broadened the understanding and adoption of clinical recommendations. For these reasons, AMIB - Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira and SBPT - Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia - decided to update the recommendations of the II Brazilian Consensus. Physical therapy during mechanical ventilation has been one of the updated topics. This objective was described the most important topics on the physical therapy during mechanical ventilation., Methods: Systematic review of the published literature and gradation of the studies in levels of evidence, using the key words: mechanical ventilation and physical therapy., Results: Recommendations on the most important techniques applied during mechanical ventilation., Conclusions: Physical therapy has a central role at the Intensive Care environment, mainly in patients submitted to a mechanical ventilatory support invasive or non invasive.

The objectives were to study: (1) acceptance of STD screening in non-clinical settings for asymptomatic individuals; (2) risk factors and STD prevalence among individuals in non-clinical and clinical settings; and (3) non-clinical screening of asymptomatic populations as a feasible method for STD control. We recruited 139 males and 486 females between 18 and 30 years of age from a family planning clinic, schools, and community centers in low-income neighborhoods. We asked about STD symptoms and STD/HIV risk behaviors and tested the individuals for gonorrhea, Chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Except for HIV, women recruited directly from the community had higher STD rates than those who came in for care at the clinic. Screening in non-clinical settings in Brazil is feasible and has a high yield among young adults in low-income communities. Infected participants would likely never have otherwise sought care or been tested or treated. STD control efforts could be implemented in any site that can reach populations at risk and become a routine procedure in health care settings where people report for problems unrelated to STDs.

This study approaches nursing care as related to the aged. The studied situation involved health care needs of hospitalized persons, using the following central question: which is the meaning of nurses' actions when attending hospitalized aged patients without expectation of recovery and when technology is no longer that important? We aimed to reflect about hospitalized elders' needs in nursing reality. Comprehensive Sociology was used as a theoretical-methodological framework. The study was carried out at an Intensive Care Service of a Municipal Hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro-Brazil. The subjects were nurses who attend hospitalized aged persons without any expectation of recovery, who were approached through a phenomenological interview. Through a comprehensive analysis, we identified care by being together, providing at the same time physical comfort and well-being to cope with the situation as typical of nursing actions. This study indicates some contributions for nursing care, assistance, teaching and research, aimed at strengthening nurses' attitude as an action tool in care for aged patients.