Fatores relevantes na adesão ao processo de reabilitação

Mestrado em PsicologiaA adesão ao processo de reabilitação é influenciada por vários fatores. Deste modo, este estudo pretende perceber a relação existente entre algumas variáveis e qual o grau de influência destas, no nível de adesão. A amostra é constituída por 30 participantes, vítimas de acidente vascular cerebral, traumatismo crânio encefálico e lesão medular, em regime de internamento no Centro de Medicina da Reabilitação da Região Centro – Rovisco Pais. A amostra apresenta uma média de idades de 49,6 anos e é maioritariamente masculina. Os resultados apresentam relações positivas e significativas entre o comportamento de adesão e a idade, sexo, motivação intrínseca e qualidade da relação com os terapeutas. Os valores médios indicativos do nível de adesão ao processo de reabilitação são altos e como preditoras destes resultados temos a qualidade da relação com os terapeutas, a competência percebida para os exercícios de reabilitação e a variável sexo, explicando no conjunto cerca de 71% da adesão.The adherence to the rehabilitation process is influenced by several factors. Thus, this study aims to understand the relationship between some variables and the degrees of influence of these on the adherence level. The sample consisted if 30 victims of stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. All of them are inpatients of Center for Medical Rehabilitation in de center region of Portugal – Rovisco Pais. The sample had a mean age of 49,6 years and is mostly male. The results show significant and positive relationships between adherence behavior and age, gender, intrinsic motivation and quality of the relationship with the therapist. Mean values indicative of the level of adherence to the rehabilitation process are high and as predictors of these outcomes, the results suggest the quality with the therapist, the perceived competence for rehabilitation exercises and gender, explaining the whole about 71% of the adherence’s variance

Perfil dos observadores de aves no Parque Natural da Ria Formosa

In the Algarve the potential for birdwatching tourism is widely recognized, especially in the Ria Formosa Natural Park (RFNP). This study aims to describe birdwatchers' profile in the RFNP. For this purpose, a survey was applied. The results show that the most frequent nationalities of birdwatchers are: British (39%), Dutch (17%) and Portuguese (17%). The majority of birdwatchers are male (55%) and married (57%). The average age is 50 years old. They are highly educated (74% have an academic degree). Concerning profession, the most frequent answer was retired (41%). Respondents are committed to the activity as the majority possess special equipment and practice birdwatching in vacations. This study also tests if nationality is related to other characteristics of the birdwatchers, by using the Kruskal-Wallis and the Chi-square tests. Overall, the results of this study highlight that regional management organizations should invest in developing birdwatching in the RFNP.O potencial para o turismo de birdwatching é vastamente reconhecido, especialmente no Parque Natural da Ria Formosa (PNRF). Este estudo tem como objetivo descrever o perfil dos observadores de aves que visitam o PNRF. Para esse propósito, foi aplicado um questionário. Os resultados mostram que as nacionalidades mais frequentes dos observadores de aves são: britânica (39%), holandesa (17%) e portuguesa (17%). A maioria dos observadores de aves é do sexo masculino (55%), sendo o seu estado civil casado (57%). A idade média é de 50 anos. O seu nível educacional é elevado (74% têm um grau académico). Quanto à profissão, a resposta mais frequente foi aposentado (41%). Os inquiridos estão comprometidos com a atividade, pois a maioria possui equipamentos especiais e pratica observação de aves nas férias. Este estudo também testa se a nacionalidade está relacionada com outras características dos observadores de aves, através de testes Kruskal-Wallis e Qui-quadrado. Os resultados deste estudo indicam que as organizações de gestão regional devem investir no desenvolvimento do birdwatching no PNRF.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multi-organ histological observations on juvenile senegalese soles exposed to low concentrations of waterborne cadmium

A histopathological screening was performed on juvenile Senegalese soles exposed to environmentally realistic concentrations of waterborne Cd (0.5, 5 and 10 lg L-1 ) for 28 days. The severity and dissemination of histopathological changes were variable and limited to the kidney, liver, spleen, gills and skin goblet cells. Contradicting available literature that refers the liver as the most affected organ upon acute exposure and the kidney following chronic exposure, the liver was the most impacted organ (even at the lowest concentration), in a trend that could relate to the duration of exposure and Cd concentration. The most noticeable hepatic alterations related to inflammation, although hepatocellular alterations like lipidosis and eosinophilic foci also occurred. The trunk kidney of exposed fish endured moderate inflammation, apoptosis and necrosis, however, without a clear time-dependent effect. The spleen of fish subjected to the highest concentrations revealed diffuse necrotic foci accompanied by melanomacrophage intrusion. The gills, albeit the most important apical uptake organ of dissolved toxicants, sustained only moderate damage, from epithelial hyperplasia and pavement cell detachment to the potentially more severe chloride cell alterations. In the skin, an increase in goblet cell size occurred, most notoriously correlated to Cd concentration at earlier stages of exposure. The results show that a metal-naı¨ve juvenile fish can endure deleterious effects when exposed to low, ecologically relevant, concentrations of a common toxic metal and that the pattern of Cdinduced histopathological alterations can be complex and linked to organ-specific responses and metal translocation within the organism.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An integrative assessment to determine the genotoxic hazard of estuarine sediments: combining cell and whole-organism responses

The application of the Comet assay in environmental monitoring remains challenging in face of the complexity of environmental stressors, e.g., when dealing with estuarine sediments, that hampers the drawing of cause-effect relationships. Although the in vitro Comet assay may circumvent confounding factors, its application in environmental risk assessment (ERA) still needs validation. As such, the present work aims at integrating genotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage induced by sediment-bound toxicants in HepG2 cells with oxidative stress-related effects observed in three species collected from an impacted estuary. Distinct patterns were observed in cells exposed to crude mixtures of sediment contaminants from the urban/industrial area comparatively to the ones from the rural/riverine area of the estuary, with respect to oxidative DNA damage and oxidative DNA damage. The extracts obtained with the most polar solvent and the crude extracts caused the most significant oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells, as measured by the formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (FPG)-modified Comet assay. This observation suggests that metals and unknown toxicants more hydrophilic than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be important causative agents, especially in samples from the rural part of the estuary, where oxidative DNA damage was the most significant. Clams, sole, and cuttlefish responded differentially to environmental agents triggering oxidative stress, albeit yielding results accordant with the oxidative DNA damage observed in HepG2 cells. Overall, the integration of in vivo biomarker responses and Comet assay data in HepG2 cells yielded a comparable pattern, indicating that the in vitro FPG-modified Comet assay may be an effective and complementary line-of-evidence in ERA even in particularly challenging, natural, scenarios such as estuarine environments

Cultivating the macroalgal holobiont: effects of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture on the microbiome of Ulva rigida (chlorophyta)

Ulva is a ubiquitous macroalgal genus of commercial interest. Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems promise large-scale production of macroalgae due to their high productivity and environmental sustainability. Complex host-microbiome interactions play a decisive role in macroalgal development, especially in Ulva spp. due to algal growth- and morphogenesis-promoting factors released by associated bacteria. However, our current understanding of the microbial community assembly and structure in cultivated macroalgae is scant. We aimed to determine (i) to what extent IMTA settings influence the microbiome associated with U. rigida and its rearing water, (ii) to explore the dynamics of beneficial microbes to algal growth and development under IMTA settings, and (iii) to improve current knowledge of host-microbiome interactions. We examined the diversity and taxonomic composition of the prokaryotic communities associated with wild versus IMTA-grown Ulva rigida and surrounding seawater by using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. With 3141 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs), the prokaryotic richness was, overall, higher in water than in association with U. rigida. Bacterial ASVs were more abundant in aquaculture water samples than water collected from the lagoon. The beta diversity analysis revealed distinct prokaryotic communities associated with Ulva collected in both aquacultures and coastal waters. Aquaculture samples (water and algae) shared 22% of ASVs, whereas natural, coastal lagoon samples only 9%. While cultivated Ulva selected 239 (8%) host-specific ASVs, wild specimens possessed more than twice host-specific ASVs (17%). Cultivated U. rigida specimens enriched the phyla Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Proteobacteria. Within the Gammaproteobacteria, while Glaciecola mostly dominated the microbiome in cultivated algae, the genus Granulosicoccus characterized both Ulva microbiomes. In both wild and IMTA settings, the phylum Bacteroidetes was more abundant in the bacterioplankton than in direct association with U. rigida. However, we observed that the Saprospiraceae family within this phylum was barely present in lagoon water but very abundant in aquaculture water. Aquaculture promoted the presence of known morphogenesis-inducing bacteria in water samples. Our study suggests that IMTA significantly shaped the structure and composition of the microbial community of the rearing water and cultivated U. rigida. Detailed analysis revealed the presence of previously undetected taxa associated with Ulva, possessing potentially unknown functional traits.European Union (EU)642575; German Research Foundation (DFG) CRC 1127 ChemBioSys;COST Action "Phycomorph" FA1406info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Benthic meiofauna as indicator of ecological changes in estuarine ecosystems: The use of nematodes in ecological quality assessment

a b s t r a c t Estuarine meiofauna communities have been only recently considered to be good indicators of ecological quality, exhibiting several advantages over macrofauna, such as their small size, high abundance, rapid generation times and absence of a planktonic phase. In estuaries we must account not only for a great natural variability along the estuarine gradient (e.g. sediment type and dynamics, oxygen availability, temperature and flow speed) but also for the existence of anthropogenic pressures (e.g. high local population density, presence of harbors and dredging activities). Spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns of meiofauna and freeliving marine nematodes were studied in the Mondego estuary (Portugal). Both taxonomic and functional approaches were applied to nematode communities in order to describe the community structure and to relate it with the environmental parameters along the estuary. At all sampling events, nematode assemblages reflected the estuarine gradient, and salinity and grain size composition were confirmed to be the main abiotic factors controlling the distribution of the assemblages. Moreover, the low temporal variability may indicate that natural variability is superimposed by the anthropogenic pressures present in some areas of the estuary. The characterization of both meiofauna and nematode assemblages highlighted the usefulness of the integration of both taxonomic and functional attributes, which must be taken into consideration when assessing the ecological status of estuaries

Effects of relaxation on anxiety and salivary IgA levels in puerperae

Este estudo experimental teve como objetivos avaliar os efeitos da técnica de relaxamento nos níveis de ansiedade e a relação entre ansiedade e concentração de imunoglobulina A. Foi realizado em uma maternidade de um município do Estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil. A amostra foi composta por 60 puérperas. As informações referentes às variáveis idade, grau de instrução, estado civil, tipo de parto, paridade foram coletadas por meio de formulário específico; o traço e estado de ansiedade com base no Inventário de Ansiedade Traço e Estado (IDATE) e o nível de IgA saliva através da imunoturbidimetria. A aplicação dos testes estatísticos Mann-Whytney, Wilcoxon e a correlação de Pearson evidenciaram diminuição significativa dos níveis do estado de ansiedade no grupo experimental (p=0,01), ausência de correlação entre as variáveis traço e estado de ansiedade e nível de IgA salivar. Os dois grupos (controle e experimental) apresentaram Traço e Estado de média ansiedade.Este estudio experimental tiene como objetivos evaluar los efectos de la técnica de relajamiento en los niveles de ansiedad y la relación que existe entre la ansiedad y la concentración de Inmunoglobulina A. El estudio fue realizado en una maternidad, en un municipio del Estado de Espíritu Santo, en Brasil. La muestra estaba constituida por 60 puérperas. Las informaciones referentes a las variables: edad, grado de instrucción, estado civil, tipo de parto y número de hijos, fueron recolectadas por medio de un formulario específico; el trazo y el estado de ansiedad tuvieron como base el Inventario de Ansiedad Trazo y Estado (IDATE), y el nivel de IgA de la saliva a través de la inmunoturbidimetría. La aplicación de las pruebas estadísticas Mann-Whytney, Wilcoxon y la correlación de Pearson mostraron: una disminución significativa de los niveles del estado de ansiedad en el grupo experimental (p= 0,01) y la ausencia de correlación entre las variables trazo y estado de ansiedad y el nivel de IgA salivar; los dos grupos (control y experimental) presentaron un valor promedio para Trazo y Estado de ansiedad.This experimental study aimed to evaluate the effect of relaxation techniques on anxiety levels, and the relation between anxiety and the concentration of Immunoglobulin A. The study was carried out in a maternity hospital in a city of the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The sample was composed of 60 puerperae. The information on the variables: age, education, marital status, type of childbirth, and parity were collected with a specific form; the trait and state of anxiety were based on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI/IDATE); and the level of salivary IgA was obtained through immunoturbidimetry. The application of the Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, and Pearson's correlation statistical tests showed a significant reduction in the levels of the state of anxiety in the experimental group (p = 0.01); there was no correlation between the trait and state variables of anxiety and the salivary IgA level; both groups (experimental and control) showed trait and state of medium-intensity anxiety

The measurement of musculoskeletal pain intensity: a comparison of four methods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of four scales of pain intensity measurement in patients with musculoskeletal disorders and low educational level. Verbal rating scale, face scale, visual analogy scale, and numeric scale were used. Reliability was evaluated by the stability (test-retest) using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, and the participant’s perception on understanding and completing the scale forms. Numerical scale presented the highest reliability value (r = 0,99), and verbal rating scale, had the lowest reliability value (r = 0,88). The numerical scale was considered the easiest to understand and to complete, while the most difficult was the visual analogy scale

Cinema brasileiro e o mito “Rio de Janeiro: a cidade maravilhosa”

Esse trabalho discute a representação do “mito” da cidade maravilhosa atribuído à cidade do Rio de Janeiro através de uma reflexão sobre a produção cinematográfica brasileira contemporânea e a criação de novos paradigmas de representação e entendimento da identidade cultural brasileira. Trata-se aqui também do conceito de produção do espaço por meio da análise da representação fílmica do Rio de Janeiro no filme O Homem do Ano (The Man of the Year, José Guilherme Fonseca, 2002). Esse filme discute de forma genérica sobre vários elementos relacionados ao entendimento da vida urbana brasileira contemporânea e sua identidade cultural comentando sobre conceitos e discussões do tipo: a cidade da imaginação; a cidade como produto de certa instabilidade em relação à problemática do conceito de identidade e sua relação confusa com/no tempo e espaço; a cidade que comporta a representação imagética de todo o país; e, finalmente, a cidade que combina dois polos opostos: a cidade como um espaço moderno e civilizado e a cidade tradicional do espaço primitivo.This paper will discuss the representation of the “myth” of the marvelous city attributed to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro by looking at the contemporary Brazilian film production and its creation of new paradigms for representing and understanding Brazilian cultural identity. It will also comment on the concept of production of space through the analysis of the cinematic representation of Rio de Janeiro in the film The Man of the Year (O Homem do Ano, José Guilherme Fonseca, 2002). This film generally touches on many relevant matters related to the understanding of contemporary Brazilian urban life and cultural identity commenting on the concepts and discussion such as: the city of imagination; the city as a product of a certain cultural uneasiness in relation to current concerns about identity and its confusing relationship to time and space; the city as embodying the notion of an entire country imagery; and finally, the city combining two opposing poles: the city as a civilized and modern space and the city as a traditional and primitive space