2,908 research outputs found
Pesticide Application as a Risk Factor/Behaviour for Workers' Health: A Systematic Review
The main objective of this review was to determine the main risks that agricultural workers are exposed to during pesticide application, which may have a harmful effect on their health and on public health. This systematic review was based on the PRISMA guidelines. A search for articles was conducted in the Medline/PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases. Fifteen articles were selected considering their assessment of agricultural workers' knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, practices, and behaviours, identifying the main risks and risk factors for disease associated with the unsafe handling of pesticides. The main risk factors identified were age, education, pesticide safety training, farming experience, and contact with other farmers/intermediaries resulting in pesticide access. The most frequent risk behaviour was an application of pesticides without personal protective equipment (PPE), incorrect disposal of empty packaging and waste, and undervaluation of label information, as well as other unsafe practices. Multidisciplinary and more effective training must be delivered to enhance pesticide-safe usage. This will empower workers to adopt more conscious and safer behaviours while using pesticides
The modern role of antipsychotics for the treatment of agitation and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordINTRODUCTION: Antipsychotics have long been the mainstay of treatment for agitation and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease. Despite their current use successive studies have shown that they only confer a modest benefit which must be balanced against their well-established serious side effects (extrapyramidal symptoms, stroke, accelerated cognitive decline and mortality). Areas covered: This review outlines the current guidance on antipsychotic usage and the evidence of their continued usage against a backdrop of emerging pharmacological treatments and an increasing emphasis on the importance of non-pharmacological interventions. Expert Commentary: The current justification for antipsychotic us in the context the changing landscape of prescribing and provide a view on the most promising alternative candidates to this class of drug are appraised
Water quality supply in a Portuguese teaching hospital: monitoring and studies on detection of critical points
Surveillance of drinking water quality is extremely important to human health, assuming greater relevance in hospital environments, especially to those individuals who are immunocompromised. This study is aimed to determine the effect of increasing free chlorine (Cl) concentration in a hospital water network in regard to water quality monitoring and microbial growth control, between 2010 and 2013 in Porto. The average of free Cl concentration in the period under analysis showed some heterogeneity per floor, varying between 0.84 and 1.25 mg/L. In addition, there was a rise in proportion of samples that exceeded WHO guidelines (free Cl ≥ 0.5 mg/L), particularly in the last two years of the same period. With respect to microbial analysis, 22.4% of the samples were positive for Legionella spp., 6.4% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 15% and 30.4% for aerobic plate counts at 36 and 22 ºC, respectively. The proportion of positive samples decreased throughout the period under analysis, in particular for Legionella spp. (41.7% in 2010 vs. non-detectable in 2013) and P. aeruginosa (10.8% in 2010 vs. 3.3% in 2013). These results are in accordance with the gradual rise in free Cl concentration (0.78 ± 0.94 mg/L in 2010 vs. 1.16 ± 0.51 mg/L in 2013). In conclusion, a suitable plan for drinking water quality was instituted which resulted in reducing microbiological growth in the waterwork network, improving public health protection. However, the detection of critical points associated with lower levels of free Cl were found on certain floors/points-of-use, requiring the need to improve the monitoring water treatment system and/or implementation of additional technologies
Evidence-based radiography : a new methodology or the systematisation of an old practice?
Introduction: Evidence based radiography (EBR) is the logical development of
evidence based practice applied to radiography. The aim of this study was to
investigate the opinion of a cohort of Portuguese radiographers in Southern Portugal
working in public hospitals regarding evidence based practice (EBP), namely about the
levels of knowledge about EBR, how they access information and how they use it
within daily practice.
Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was applied to a sample of 40
radiographers in the Portuguese region of Algarve. This questionnaire was validated for
Portuguese speakers using the translation-retranslation method.
Results: The final response rate was 69% (40/58). Results suggest that most
radiographers trained EBR during their undergraduate training. Although, no
statistically significant correlations were found in the practice of EBR against participant
gender, age, training, career level, reading papers and workplace. The most frequent
reason to read papers is the “interest” to do so, and national professional journals are
read more often. It was found that radiographers that read scientific papers more
frequently know more about research (p=0.005), understand the importance of
research for the professional activity (p=0.023), and know more on how to conduct
research papers (p=0.034).
Conclusion: EBR within radiography is not yet well established, and radiographers’
have varying viewpoints. Radiographers that read scientific papers more frequently
understand better the philosophy behind this concept but it is very important to deepen
the knowledge on this area.
Implications for Practice: When practicing radiography based on the best available
scientific knowledge, professionals are ensuring the best for patients and for
profession. To achieve this, and before taking any action, it is important to evaluate the
current situation, and this research presents a way to do so
Bioactive compounds as potential angiotensin-converting enzyme II inhibitors against COVID-19: a scoping review
Objective and design The current study aimed to summarize the evidence of compounds contained in plant species with the ability to block the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-II), through a scoping review. Methods PubMed and Scopus electronic databases were used for the systematic search and a manual search was performed Results Studies included were characterized as in silico. Among the 200 studies retrieved, 139 studies listed after the exclusion of duplicates and 74 were included for the full read. Among them, 32 studies were considered eligible for the qualitative synthesis. The most evaluated class of secondary metabolites was flavonoids with quercetin and curcumin as most actives substances and terpenes (isothymol, limonin, curcumenol, anabsinthin, and artemisinin). Other classes that were also evaluated were alkaloid, saponin, quinone, substances found in essential oils, and primary metabolites as the aminoacid l-tyrosine and the lipidic compound 2-monolinolenin. Conclusion This review suggests the most active substance from each class of metabolites, which presented the strongest affinity to the ACE-II receptor, what contributes as a basis for choosing compounds and directing the further experimental and clinical investigation on the applications these compounds in biotechnological and health processes as in COVID-19 pandemic
Noncompliance in people living with HIV: accuracy of defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis
ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the accuracy of the defining characteristics of the NANDA International nursing diagnosis, noncompliance, in people with HIV. Method: study of diagnostic accuracy, performed in two stages. In the first stage, 113 people with HIV from a hospital of infectious diseases in the Northeast of Brazil were assessed for identification of clinical indicators of noncompliance. In the second, the defining characteristics were evaluated by six specialist nurses, analyzing the presence or absence of the diagnosis. For accuracy of the clinical indicators, the specificity, sensitivity, predictive values and likelihood ratios were measured. Results: the presence of the noncompliance diagnosis was shown in 69% (n=78) of people with HIV. The most sensitive indicator was, missing of appointments (OR: 28.93, 95% CI: 1.112-2.126, p = 0.002). On the other hand, nonadherence behavior (OR: 15.00, 95% CI: 1.829-3.981, p = 0.001) and failure to meet outcomes (OR: 13.41; 95% CI: 1.272-2.508; P = 0.003) achieved higher specificity. Conclusion: the most accurate defining characteristics were nonadherence behavior, missing of appointments, and failure to meet outcomes. Thus, in the presence of these, the nurse can identify, with greater security, the diagnosis studied
Doppler and birth weight Z score: predictors for adverse neonatal outcome in severe fetal compromise
BACKGROUND: An adequate placental perfusion is crucial for the normal growth and well being of the fetus and newborn. The blood flow through the placenta can be compromised in a variety of clinical situations, always causing important damage to the gestation. Our objective is to identify significant predictors for adverse neonatal outcome in severe fetal compromise. METHODS: Consecutive premature fetuses at between 25 and 32 weeks with severe placental insufficiency were examined prospectively. Inclusion criteria were: (i) singletons (ii) normal anatomy; (iii) abnormal umbilical artery Doppler pulsatility index (PI); (iv) abnormal cerebroplacental ratio; (v) middle cerebral artery (MCA) PI < - 2SD ("brain sparing"); (vi) last Doppler examination performed within 24 hours prior to delivery. All 46 patients that met criteria and started the study were followed to the end. We considered as independent potential predicting variables: absent or reversed end diastolic flow in umbilical artery, abnormal ductus venosus S/A ratio, absent or reversed flow during atrial contraction in the ductus venosus and birth weight Z score. Outcome parameters were: neonatal mortality and severe neonatal morbidity. RESULTS: Backward stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to determine the optimal model for the prediction of neonatal mortality and severe neonatal morbidity. In this analysis birth weight Z score index showed the strongest association OR = 1,87 [1,17-2,99] with all neonatal outcome, all other independent variables were excluded for the optimal model. There was no mortality for the group with normal birth weight Z score. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that birth weight Z score is the strongest predictor of adverse neonatal outcome in severe placental insufficiencies. Such use of Z scores, allowing to get rid of gestational age or sex covariates could be extended to estimated fetal weight and might help in making important decisions in the management of compromised pregnancies
Studies of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities in red blood cells of Colossoma macropomum exposed to methylmercury
The frequencies of micronuclei (MN) and morphological nuclear abnormalities (NA) in erythrocytes in the peripheral blood of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), treated with 2 mg.L−1 methylmercury (MeHg), were analyzed. Two groups (nine specimens in each) were exposed to MeHg for different periods (group A - 24 h; group B - 120 h). A third group served as negative control (group C, untreated; n = 9). Although, when compared to the control group there were no significant differences in MN frequency in the treated groups, for NA, the differences between the frequencies of group B (treated for 120 h) and the control group were extremely significant (p < 0.02), thus demonstrating the potentially adverse effects of MeHg on C. macropomum erythrocytes after prolonged exposure
Mode II fracture energy in the adhesive bonding of dissimilar substrates: carbon fibre composite to aluminium joints
The end-notched flexure (ENF) test calculates the value of mode II fracture energy in adhesive
bonding between the substrates of same nature. Traditional methods of calculating
fracture energy in the ENF test are not suitable in cases where the thickness of the adhesive
is non-negligible compared with adherent thicknesses. To address this issue, a specific
methodology for calculating mode II fracture energy has been proposed in this paper. To
illustrate the applicability of the proposed method, the fracture energy was calculated by
the ENF test for adhesive bonds between aluminium and a composite material, which considered
two different types of adhesive (epoxy and polyurethane) and various surface treatments.
The proposed calculation model provides higher values of fracture energy than
those obtained from the simplified models that consider the adhesive thickness to be zero,
supporting the conclusion that the calculation of mode II fracture energy for adhesives with
non-negligible thickness relative to their adherents should be based on mathematical models,
such as the method proposed in this paper, that incorporate the influence of this thickness
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