Physical activity, physical fitness and screen-time among Ecuadorian adolescents

Similar to various low and middle income countries (LMICs), in Ecuador, the leading cause death is lifestyle related non-communicable disease (NCDs). Unfortunately preventive action to decrease the incidence of NCDs risk factors during adolescence is scarce. To our knowledge, there are no studies in Ecuador focused on improving the dietary intake, physical activity, physical fitness or sedentary patterns among adolescents. The present doctoral work aims to provide evidence on strategies to promote a healthy lifestyle in Ecuadorian adolescents. For this purpose, first we evaluated the current physical fitness among adolescents, and its association with dyslipidemia as the most prevalent NCD risk factor. Second, we analyzed the effect of a school-based health promotion program on physical fitness, physical activity and sedentary behaviors among adolescents. Finally, we assessed whether adolescents that are already at health risk such as overweight/obese and those with a low fitness level respond differently to the intervention program. In order to study the current state of physical fitness among Ecuadorian adolescents, a cross sectional study in an urban (Cuenca city) and a rural (Nabón canton) area was conducted (Chapter 2.1). In total of 648 adolescents (52.3% boys), attending 8th, 9th and 10th grade of the secondary schools participated in this study. We found that the majority of adolescents (59%) had poor physical fitness according to the FITNESSGRAM standards. Urban participants showed better scores in the majority of EUROFIT tests compared to their rural peers. The physical fitness of the whole population was worse compared to that of adolescents from some other countries e.g. Spain, Belgium, Turkey, Poland and Mexico. These findings indicate the need for specific health promotion programs aiming to improve physical fitness among Ecuadorian adolescents. In this study we also found a weak association between physical fitness and blood lipid profile, even after adjustment for energy intake (Chapter 3). A school-based health promotion program entitled “ACTIVITAL” was designed using the Intervention Mapping protocol and Comprehensive Participatory Planning and Evaluation approach. The program involved an individual and environmental component tailored to the local context and resources. The individual component included the delivery of an educational package organized at classroom level. The environmental component included (i) workshops with parents and staff in school canteens; (ii) social events at school such as an interactive session with famous young athletes and the preparation of a healthy breakfast and (iii) a walking trail that was drawn on the school playground (Chapter 2.2). A total of 1440 from 8th and 9th grade adolescents (intervention: n=700, 48.6%) from 20 schools (intervention: n=10, 50%) participated in the cluster-randomized pair-matched trial that lasted 28 months. Primary outcomes were dietary intake (24 recall questionnaire), physical fitness (EUROFIT battery), physical activity (accelerometers) and sedentary behaviors (screen-time self-reported questionnaire); the BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference were secondary outcomes. Results related to dietary intake, blood pressure and waist circumference were presented in a previous doctoral dissertation. We found that the school-based health promotion program can improve physical fitness, minimize the decline in physical activity levels (Chapter 4) and mitigate the increase in screen-time among Ecuadorian adolescents (Chapter 5). Specifically, the intervention program increased the vertical jump (mean intervention effect=2.5cm; 95%CI 0.8-4.2; P=0.01). Although marginally insignificant, adolescents from the intervention group increased less time for speed shuttle run (mean intervention effect=-0.8s, 95%CI -1.58-0.07; P=0.05). The proportion of students achieving over 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity / day decreased over time with the change in proportion significantly less in the intervention schools (6 vs. 18 percentage points, P<0.01). Adolescents on the intervention group reported watching less television (intervention effect =-14.8 min, 95%CI -27.4 -2.5; P=0.02) and they also showed decreased total screen-time (intervention effect =-25 min, 95%CI -47.9 -2.8; P=0.03) on a weekend day. Our results also suggest that the school-based health promotion program might improve the speed and muscular strength fitness components among low-fit and overweight/obese adolescents (Chapter 6). Specifically, the intervention effect on speed shuttle run was higher in overweight (intervention effect=-1.9 s, 95%CI -3.62 -0.08; P=0.04) adolescents compared to underweight (intervention effect =-1.7 s, 95%CI -6.31 to 2.97; P=0.5) or normal weight (intervention effect =-0.4s, 95%CI -1.63 to 0.93; P=0.6) peers. The intervention effect on vertical jump was higher in adolescents with poor physical fitness (intervention effect =3.7 cm, 95%CI 1.15; 6.28; P=0.005) compared to their fit (intervention effect =1.3 cm, 95%CI -1.77 to 4.32; P=0.4) peers. We conclude that a school-based health promotion program with relatively few intervention objectives, strategies and activities, but refined with stakeholder participation could have an effect on physical fitness, physical activity and screen-time behaviors of Ecuadorian adolescents. Future interventions should try to include the health education program as a part of the official school curriculum as well as try to identify the barriers to parents’ participation in order to improve the effectiveness of the program (Chapter 7)

Cochlear implant hearing rehabilitation in elderly patients

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of cochlear implant in adults with more than 65 years of age at time of surgery compared with those obtained by adults implanted at younger ages. The author also intended to evaluate the impact of cochlear implantation in the quality of life of older patients. Results: Outcomes of verbal discrimination performance in elderly cochlear implant users were generally lower than those obtained by the remaining adult population, with a statistical difference in 7 of 11 tests used in the study. The results obtained at the questionnaires answered by the elderly group revealed a significant reduction of hearing handicap after cochlear implantation. Conclusions: Age alone should not be a contraindication for hearing rehabilitation by cochlear implant. Despite producing a lower performance compared to that achieved by younger patients, cochlear implant in the elderly provides a significant improvement in quality of life.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Abordagens plurais nos primeiros anos de escolaridade: reflexões a partir de contextos de intervenção

Tout en cherchant des réponses aux défis qui se placent, aujourd’hui, aux systèmes éducatifs, dans la gestion de multiples diversités, nous voulons dans ce texte réfléchir sur les approches plurielles, notamment sur les possibilités ouvertes par l’éveil aux langues. Les études présentées montrent différentes formes d’éducation des éléves, dès les premières années de scolarité, au plurilinguisme (respect et mise en valeur de l’autre, de ses langues et de ses cultures ; conscience du langage ; compréhension des problèmes du monde), dans un engagement avec le développement durable et l’intercompréhension.Taking into consideration the challenges facing education today, namely the need to deal with the multiple diversities ever more present within the classrooms, it is our goal in this text to reflect upon the possibilities of plural approaches, in particular of the awakening to languages approach, in the first school years. In this sense, we present two studies which show possible ways of educating young children to value and respect Others with their languages and cultures, to become aware and reflect upon language and linguistic diversity, and to understand World issues, in a serious commitment with pluralism, multiculturalism and an education for sustainable development

Analysis of the Magnetic Properties of Nitrogenase FeMo Cofactor by Single-Crystal EPR Spectroscopy

The catalytic center of nitrogenase, the [Mo:7Fe:9S:C]:homocitrate FeMo cofactor, is a S=3/2 system with a rhombic magnetic g tensor. Single-crystal EPR spectroscopy in combination with X-ray diffraction were used to determine the relative orientation of the g tensor with respect to the cluster structure. The protein environment influences the electronic structure of the FeMo cofactor, dictating preferred orientations of possible functional relevance

A prestação do serviço educativo: asserções nos relatórios de avaliação externa de três agrupamentos de escolas – concelho de Serpa

A avaliação externa das escolas, da responsabilidade da Inspeção-Geral da Educação, obedece a um quadro de referência organizado em cinco domínios de análise, sustentados por um conjunto de fatores. Considerando-se o domínio “Prestação do serviço educativo” aquele que tem uma relação mais próxima com os resultados educativos, fez-se a análise detalhada da sua avaliação nos relatórios dos agrupamentos de escolas do concelho de Serpa. Para o efeito, procede-se a uma análise crítica comparativa com o objetivo de verificar a conformidade da avaliação efetuada com o quadro de referência e a sua coerência com a classificação atribuída a cada um dos agrupamentos, no domínio supramencionado. Conclui-se que, atendendo ao cariz discursivo apresentado em cada um dos relatórios analisados, a existência de um quadro de referência não assegura a aplicação de critérios avaliativos uniformes e objetivos pelas equipas avaliativas, no que ao domínio “Prestação do serviço educativo” respeita

Hydrogen evolution and consumption in AOT–isooctane reverse micelles by Desulfovibrio gigas hydrogenase

The enzyme hydrogenase isolated from the sulphate reducing anaerobic bacterium Desulfovibrio gigas was encapsulated in reverse micelles of AOT–water–isooctane. The enzyme ability to consume molecular hydrogen was studied as a function of the micelle size (given by Wo = [H2O]/[organic solvent]). A peak of catalytic activity was obtained for Wo = 18, a micelle size theoretically fitting the heterodimeric hydrogenase molecule. At this Wo value, the recorded catalytic activity was slightly higher than in a buffer system(Kcat = 169.43 s−1 against the buffer value of 151 s−1). The optimal buffer used to encapsulate the enzyme was found to be imidazole 50 mM, pH 9.0. The molecular hydrogen production activity was also tested in this reverse micelle medium