ENTENDIMENTO SOBRE O HIV E A AIDS ENTRE JOVENS DO SEXO MASCULINO ANCORADO NA TEORIA DAS REPRESENTAÇÕES SOCIAIS.

The present study of qualitative research boarding was focused on concepts included into the Social Representation Theory, carried out within a fundamental and intermediate level state school located at João Pessoa city, Paraíba (PB), Northeast of Brazil. The adoption of a theoretical–methodological referent to guide this study capacitated the investigation to organize the concepts’ sets which compose a given theory and also capture with highest accuracy, the essence of the phenomenon under study. Semi-structured interviews based on present studies propose was the technique used in order with 21 male youngsters; the interviews were previously ascertained according to each the subjects’ availability. Results were attained by the use or part of the Content Analysis technique viewing that this technique may be applied to any communication with the transference of meanings from an issuing agent to a receiver an also because it makes use of systematic procedures to describes the messages’ content and thus able to extract from them the indicators which allow to infer the knowledge related to the these messages’ production condition, known as one of she Social Representation theory goals one category could be defined: 1) Understanding about the HIV and AIDS. The results had pointed the wealth and the diversity of the information elaborated from the contents of the interviews as well, fellow representations at the same time that they had given to account in the different ways for which these they had perceived it and they organized them from beliefs, attitudes, values also focused on experiences acquired in the sexuality individual exercise and/or shared, prevailing in almost all you say them as dangerous strong illnesses, that cause fears, social isolations and in the prevention necessity.Estudio desarrollado mediante un abordaje cualitativo, con el objetivo de conocer las Representaciones Sociales respecto al VIH y al SIDA de estudiantes de sexo masculino de una escuela estatal de educación primaria y secundaria de la ciudad de João Pessoa, Paraíba (PB), Nordeste de Brasil. Se empleó un guión semi-estructurado para la recogida de informaciones sobre 21 jóvenes relativas a la complejidad de las relaciones sociales que interfieren en la comprensión del IVH y del SIDA. Para el análisis se utilizó parte de la técnica de Análisis de Contenido por medio de procedimientos sistemáticos para describir los contenidos de los mensajes y extraer de éstos indicadores que permitan inferir conocimientos relativos a las condiciones de producción de estos mensajes. Los resultados señalaron la riqueza y diversidad de informaciones elaboradas a partir de los contenidos de las entrevistas así como semejantes representaciones, al tiempo que trataron de las diferentes formas mediante las cuales estos se dieron cuenta y las organizaron a partir de creencias, actitudes, valores basados en experiencias adquiridas en el ejercicio de la sexualidad individual o compartida, prevaleciendo en casi todas las conversaciones como enfermedades peligrosas, fuertes, que causan miedos, aislamientos sociales y la necesidad de prevención.Estudo desenvolvido numa abordagem qualitativa, com o objetivo de conhecer as Representações Sociais respeito do HIV e da AIDS de estudantes do sexo masculino de uma escola estadual de ensino fundamental e médio da cidade de João Pessoa, Paraíba (PB), Nordeste do Brasil. Um roteiro semi-estruturado foi empregado para coletar as informações de 21 jovens relacionadas com a complexidade das relações sociais que interferem no entendimento sobre o HIV e a AIDS. Para a análise, foi empregada parte da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo por meio de procedimentos sistemáticos para descrever os conteúdos das mensagens e extrair delas indicadores que permitiram inferir conhecimentos relativos às condições de produção destas mensagens. Os resultados apontaram a riqueza e a diversidade das informações elaboradas a partir dos conteúdos das entrevistas como também, semelhantes representações ao mesmo tempo em que deram conta das diferentes maneiras pelas quais estes a perceberam e organizaram-nas a partir de crenças, atitudes, valores com base em experiências adquiridas no exercício da sexualidade individual e/ou partilhada, prevalecendo em quase todas as falas como doenças perigosas, fortes, que causam medos, isolamentos sociais e na necessidade de prevenção

Health-related quality of life in patients with venous leg ulcer treated in primary care in Brazil and Portugal

Background Venous ulcers constitute an important public health problem as they can cause disability with consequences for multiple dimensions of quality of life. Objective To describe the quality of life in patients with venous leg ulcer treated in primary care in two cities from Brazil and Portugal. Methods This was a cross-sectional comparative study with a non-probabilistic sample of 171 patients with venous leg ulcers who were treated in primary care in two cities from Brazil and Portugal, namely, Natal and Évora. A form covering sociodemographic and health data and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey were used, and descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. Results Significant differences in age and income were observed between the two samples. Patients with venous leg ulcer from Brazil had lower income and were younger than those from Portugal. Quality of life scores were significantly higher in Portugal for the physical aspects, pain, and social functioning, among domains, and for the physical health dimension and total score of QOL. Conclusion The quality of life was better in Portugal than in Brazil and the differences between the countries need further investigation

ATENA–A Novel Rapidly Manufactured Medical Invasive Ventilator Designed as a Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Testing Protocol, Safety, and Performance Validation

Background: The urgent need for mechanical ventilators to support respiratory insufficiency due to SARS-CoV-2 led to a worldwide effort to develop low-cost, easily assembled, and locally manufactured ventilators. The ATENA ventilator project was developed in a community-based approach targeting the development, prototyping, testing, and decentralized manufacturing of a new mechanical ventilator. Objective: This article aims to demonstrate ATENA's adequate performance and safety for clinical use. Material: ATENA is a low-cost ventilator that can be rapidly manufactured, easily assembled, and locally produced anywhere in the world. It was developed following the guidelines and requirements provided by European and International Regulatory Authorities (MHRA, ISO 86201) and National Authorities (INFARMED). The device was thoroughly tested using laboratory lung simulators and animal models. Results: The device meets all the regulatory requirements for pandemic ventilators. Additionally, the pre-clinical experiences demonstrated security and adequate ventilation and oxygenation, in vivo. Conclusion: The ATENA ventilator had a good performance in required tests in laboratory scenarios and pre-clinical studies. In a pandemic context, ATENA is perfectly suited for safely treating patients in need of mechanical ventilation.Financial support and sponsorship by CEiiA, INOV4COVID program, donations from scientific patronage, and commercial sales

Distinctive features of spatial planning nearby estuaries – an exploratory analysis of water-related rules in municipal master plans in Portugal

Land-use types and related intensities are often associated with pressures and disturbances on estuarine envi- ronmental values and ecosystem services provided by water. Although with varied legal frameworks across countries, broadly, spatial planning has been expected to contribute to the protection of environmentally sen- sitive areas, such as estuaries. Among the various planning tools are the plan’s land-use control rules. This article studies the incorporation of water-related terms in the regulations of municipal master plans to assess if land-use rules established on estuarine areas are significantly different from others, such as in upstream areas. It does so by developing a content analysis of a set of plans’ regulations located in estuarine and upstream areas of two river basins of Mainland Portugal. The results show greater incorporation of water-related terms in plans’ reg- ulations located in estuarine areas. Moreover, they show a greater diversity of water-related topics, types, and focus of rules on estuarine areas, whereas on upstream areas the regulatory approaches look poorer. Although the incorporation of water-related terms is globally higher in younger plans, and to a certain extent, in more arti- ficialized and dense territories, a clear distinctiveness of water-related concerns in land-use regulations of municipal plans on estuarine areas remains visible. Surprisingly, the results bring to the fore fragilities of land- use regulations on upstream areas worthy of attention in future studies. The methodology used for content analysis disclosed a valuable path for future research as it is easily expandable to take into consideration different land-uses or to be applied to different regions, to further refine if the distinctive features are explicitly related with estuarine areas or with other types of water problems.publishe