Comparison of different treatments during acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: results of classical vs. network meta-analysis

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

Identification of clinical phenotypes of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

Clinical characteristics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): are they different

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

Beliefs on Marital Violence and Self-Reported Dating Violence: A Comparative Study of Cape Verdean and Portuguese Adolescents

In this study, we compare Portuguese and Cape Verdean youths’ upholding of traditional beliefs about intimate partner violence (IPV) and the frequency of selfreported violent behavior in dating relationships. The sample (n =404) consisted of 183 Cape Verdean and 221 Portuguese secondary school students of both sexes (56 % female; mean age = 16). We used two questionnaires that had previously been validated in the Portuguese population. The results revealed that young Cape Verdean adolescents uphold stronger traditional beliefs than Portuguese adolescents do, but there were no differences in overall prevalence of abuse between the two samples. The relationship between traditional beliefs and self-reported violence was significant only in the Cape Verdean sample, suggesting that campaigns against IPV have not, so far, been as effective in Cape Verde as in Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recombination of asphalt with bio-asphalt : binder formulation and asphalt mixes application

The bio-oil from fast pyrolysis is mainly produced using organic waste materials. This is a viscoelastic material, and after a heat treatment it has a viscosity and high/intermediate thermal rheological behavior similar to many types of asphalt used in the paving industry. These two characteristics show that this material could be a good alternative to replace asphalt. In order to improve the performance of bio-oil, it was hypothesized that the addition of crumb rubber would change the rheology of the modified bio-oil, making it rheologically similar to the conventional paving asphalts. Therefore, two sources of ground rubber from used tires (GTR), from different manufacturing processes, were used to modify the bio-oil. Then, two blends were produced by adding 20% (w/w) of this bio-binder to two different asphalts, a PG58-28 and a PG64-22. The binders were aged, and then storage stability tests (separation sensibility) were performed. The rheology of the initial bio-oil, bio-binder, asphalts and resulting binder-blends were assessed by using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), namely by performing frequency sweeps at different temperatures. The results were then used to build the master curves of the materials, and to determine their high temperature continuous performance grade. Additionally, the performance related behavior of mixtures produced with this new material was also assessed, in order to evaluate the advantages of its use in pavements. Therefore, two mixes were produced with the binder that showed better performance regarding thermal rheological behavior, aging susceptibility and separation tendency. These new mixes were finally studied using performance related tests that are able to estimate their future behavior in situ in different environmental and traffic conditions, in particular in regard to water susceptibility, fatigue cracking, dynamic modulus, flow number and low temperature fracture resistance. The results from this first set of experiments showed that this material can perform as well or better than conventional asphalts over a large range of temperatures.FEDER -Federación Española de Enfermedades Rara

Literature in Portuguese as foreign language teaching. A project discussion

El artículo defiende (i) el uso del resumen simplificado de un texto literario en el nivel de iniciación de la enseñanza del portugués como idioma extranjero (ii) y la lectura extensiva a este nivel de aprendizaje. Para ello, toma como referencia los textos en inglés modificado, analiza los criterios para usar una contextualización, así como los análisis de la situación en Portugal y la adaptación de las herramientas existentes para este proceso. Finalmente, se ilustra la reflexión teórica con un fragmento del resumen simplificado de” El Señor Ventura”, de Miguel Torga (1943/1985), para el nivel inicial, y se termina con una breve presentación del proyecto de adaptación de textos literarios "Literatura en la enseñanza del portugués como lengua extranjera "(LEPLE).The essay argues (i) the use of simplified versions of literary texts in the first stage (Beginners Level) of Portuguese as a Foreign Language, (ii) as well as extensive reading at the same level. It takes the modified English language literary texts as criteria reference for this retextualization. It overviews the state of literary adaptation in Portugal and current tools for this process. This article ends with a didactic proposal of a simplified summary of O Senhor Ventura by Miguel Torga (1943/1985) for Beginners Level, and a brief presentation of the literary texts’ adaptation project "Literature in Portuguese Foreign Language Teaching” (LEPLE).O ensaio defende (i) o resumo simplificado de texto literário no nível de iniciação do ensino de Português Língua Estrangeira (ii) e a leitura extensiva neste nível de aprendizagem. Para isso, toma como referência os textos modificados de língua inglesa, discute os critérios a usar na retextualização, assim como analisa a situação da adaptação em Portugal e das ferramentas existentes para processo. No final, ilustra a reflexão teórica com um fragmento do resumo simplificado de O Senhor Ventura, de Miguel Torga (1943/1985), para o nível inicial, e termina com uma breve apresentação do projeto de adaptação de textos literários “Literatura no Ensino de Português Língua Estrangeira” (LEPLE).peerReviewe

Design of pulmonary rehabilitation programmes during acute exacerbations of COPD: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

This systematic review aimed to systematise the different designs used to deliver pulmonary rehabilitation during acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and explore which ones are the most effective. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO and Cochrane were searched. Randomised controlled trials comparing pulmonary rehabilitation or at least one of its components with usual care or comparing different components of pulmonary rehabilitation were included. Network meta-analysis was conducted in MetaXL 5.3 using a generalised pairwise modelling framework. Pooled effects compared each treatment to usual care. 42 studies were included. Most studies were conducted in an inpatient setting (57%) and started the intervention 24-48 h after hospital admission (24%). Exercise training (71%), education and psychosocial support (57%) and breathing techniques (55%) were the most used components. Studies combining exercise with breathing techniques presented the larger effects on exercise capacity (weighted mean difference (WMD) -41.06, 95% CI -131.70-49.58) and health-related quality of life (WMD 16.07, 95% CI 10.29-21.84), and breathing techniques presented the larger effects on dyspnoea (WMD 1.90, 95% CI 0.53-3.27) and length of hospitalisation (effect size =0.15, 95% CI -0.28-0.57). A few minor adverse events were found.Pulmonary rehabilitation is a safe intervention during AECOPD. Exercise, breathing techniques, and education and psychosocial support seem to be the core components for implementing pulmonary rehabilitation during AECOPD. Studies may now focus on comparisons of optimal timings to start the intervention, total duration of the intervention, duration and frequency of sessions, and intensity for exercise prescription.publishe

Effect of pomegranate peels and extract in barrier, optical and mechanical properties of polylactic acid-based active packaging

Being more than 50 % of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) constituted by non-edible parts, namely peels (50%) and seeds (10%), pomegranate is an excellent source of by-products. Its peels and seeds present excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and a high content of phenolic compounds, namely ellagitannins. This work aimed to evaluate the mechanical and optical properties of two polylactic acid (PLA)-based active packaging with 3 wt.% pomegranate peels (3PP) or 3 wt.% pomegranate peel extract (3PPE). All the samples were produced on a laboratory scale with techniques and processing conditions used in industry. The production of packaging with flexible films is mainly carried out by tubular film extrusion. With this processing method it is possible to produce samples with molecular orientation and reduced thickness equal to that of the packages currently on the market. The structural and morphological characterization of the films were evaluated by FTIR and SEM, and the color by UV-vis. Water vapor transmission and mechanical properties were also measured. The color was measured by Shimadzu UV2401PC reflectance spectrophotometer. Water vapor transmission, oxygen permeability and mechanical properties were also measured. The FTIR and SEM results indicate the incorporation of the pomegranate peels and peels extract in the PLA matrix, where PLA/3PPE showed better particle homogenization than the PLA/3PP. Regarding the color variations, the PLA/3PPE presented higher variations in terms of L*, a*, and b*. The incorporation of pomegranate derivates has a negative effect on the tensile strength and Young modulus, but a significant increase of the elongation at break for PLA/3PPE. The PLA film's water vapor barrier properties do not suffer any alteration with the incorporation of pomegranate extract.Cássia H. Barbosa thanks the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, for the PhD. Grant 2021.08154.BD. This work was carried out under the MobFOOD Project (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024524 and LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-024524), funded by POCI (Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Internationalization”) and POR Lisboa (Lisbon Regional Operational Programme), through ANI, and by the Programa de Cooperación Interreg-A España–Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020 (project 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E). This research was also funded by PT national funds (FCT/MCTES, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through the grant UIDB/00211/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clinical characteristics of COPD Phenotypes

publishe