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This article examines the effects of a moderate-intensity, home-based exercise intervention on the fatigue levels of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Findings indicate that exercise significantly reduces fatigue and helps maintain functional ability in breast cancer patients receiving treatment.

The fungi candida is similar to yeast and is very common in nature. The severity of infection with candida can range from mild symptoms to fungemia (the presence of fungi in the blood) and internal organ involvement. Some types of candidal infections can affect the spleen, liver and kidneys. These infections occur in surgical patients, burn and trauma patients, and patients who require catheters (tubes used for adding or removing fluids from the body). In addition, patients with tissue or organ transplants are particularly susceptible to this type of infection because they are treated with drugs that suppress the immune system (the body's natural defense system for fighting infection). To identify risk factors associated with candida infections, 1,506 bone marrow transplant patients were studied between 1980 and 1986. Blood cultures and biopsies showed that 171 patients developed candida infections. Test results showed that 102 of the patients had fungemia; 39 percent of these patients died. Mortality was 90 percent among the patients who had tissue involvement. Age, graft-versus-host disease (rejection of the transplanted tissue) and tissue mismatch were factors that increased the risk of candida infection. Irradiation, cyclophosphamide and transplantation for aplastic anemia decreased the risk of infection. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

The dysplastic nevus syndrome (DNS) is characterized by excessive numbers of pigmented moles or birthmarks (nevi), six or more unusual nevi, and dysplasia, or abnormal tissue development, detected in at least one nevus. Patients with DNS may also have a history of multiple nevi or melanoma, a pigmented tumor that may or may not be malignant. Patients with DNS can be distinguished from normal subjects by the number of nevi. Recent studies suggest that patients with DNS have decreased hair density, and a reduced hair density may be a risk factor for dysplastic nevi. The relation between densities of terminal hair and nevi were assessed in 19 men participating in a DNS photographic registry and 22 normal subjects. Counting the exact number of hairs is tedious, and a standard grading scale for measuring terminal hair density was used. The terminal hair density was graded, or rated, at seven separate sites. The results showed that as terminal hair density decreased, the density of nevi increased in patients and normal subjects. Patients with DNS also had lower terminal hair density as compared with that of normal subjects. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)