Determinants of quality of life after stroke in Southern Portugal: a cross sectional community-based study

Introduction: the perception of Quality of Life (QoL) has been used to evaluate the treatment and evolution of several pathologies. QoL evaluation allows a better understanding of the patient and his adaptation to the disease. An observational, community-based and descriptive correlational study was carried out to analyze stroke survivors’ perception of QoL. Methods: consecutive case-series of stroke survivors (≥3 months) followed in a single public primary health center (“Tavira Primary Health Centre”) from Algarve, southern Portugal. The Portuguese version of the World Health Organization Quality of life instrument was administered in 102 stroke survivors. Results: Perception of QoL was associated (p 2 = 0.406; F = 8.757; p 2 = 0.286; F = 5.536; p 2 = 0.357; F = 7.287; p 2 = 0.160; F = 3.156; p < 0.005) on environmental domain, emerged as predictors of QoL. Conclusion: Different socio-demographic, economic and health factors are associated with post-stroke QoL. Description of QoL contributes to the overall evaluation of the impact of stroke on health and should be a priority for health professionals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An App about healthy habits as an educational resource during the pandemic

Educational institutions and their agents play a fundamental role in improving people’s health literacy and quality of life. We intend here to describe and justify an educational resource embodied in an application for mobile devices developed through a subsidized project by the Ministry of Health (Government of Andalusia); the purpose of this app is to educate young people in healthy habits. The application was designed to be easily used in both smartphones and tablets with the aim of achieving good physical, psychological and social health. The project comprises several phases and the results we have so far show that, from an early age, health institutions and educational settings must work in partnership, increasing health literacy levels. This cooperative work combined with the use of this innovative approach presents an important potential for change in the lifestyles of younger generations. This type of intervention took on a special role in the pandemic context, allowing for the maintenance of the educational stimulus in a safe context.Project of the three-year period 2017–2019. This study was funded by the Health Council of the Government of Andalusia, in compliance with Resolution of 20 December 2016, of the General Secretariat of Healthcare Research, Development and Innovation, in the call of grants for the funding of Research in Biomedicine, Life Sciences, Development and Innovation in Andalusia for the year 2016, with file number PIN-0445-2016 and a total duration of 36 months. This study was funded by EPIT 2021 (University of Huelva, Spain). Currently it is also supported by the Andalusian ERDF Operational Program 2014–2020 (reference UHU-202062).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nursing education during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: assessment of students’ satisfaction with e-Learning environment

The disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus led to the disruption of normality with respect to education, public healthcare and new technologies. Education is a fundamental pillar to increase the knowledge and morale of people. However, due to the lockdown implemented to protect the population from an infection of unknown aetiology, the education system decided to switch from face-to-face education to virtual education. This modality has affected the teaching–learning process in the Degree of Nursing, since its competencies and knowledge demand in-presence learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact that telematic education had on students of the Degree of Nursing who were studying in the final year of said degree, which involves their imminent entry into the labour market. We used the client satisfaction questionnaire of Bob Hayes to gather data and analyse the satisfaction level of the nursing students. As a result, a considerable amount of information was obtained about teaching, which shows the absence of practical activities and the lack of information about safety and protection measures related to the pandemic. Most educators themselves were struggling to understand the implications of the virus and implement appropriate safety measures, since there was quite a bit of conflicting information relating to the effectiveness of personal protective safety equipment and the lifespan of the virus on various media outside of the host. It is, therefore, not surprising that education for students in this regard was lacking. In general, most of the students showed dissatisfaction with the virtual education they received.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Work–family interaction, self-perceived mental health and burnout in specialized physicians of Huelva (Spain): a study conducted during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Background: The medical staff who work in specialized healthcare are among the professionals with a greater risk of presenting negative indicators of mental health. These professionals are exposed to numerous sources of stress that can have a negative influence on their personal life. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 poses an additional and relevant source of stress. The aim of this study was to identify the interactions between the work and family environments, as well as to analyze self-perceived mental health and burnout in physicians who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, carried out their jobs in public health in Huelva (Spain), also considering a series of sociodemographic variables. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Information from 128 participants was collected using the SWING, MBI-HSS and GHQ-12 questionnaires, along with sociodemographic data and possible situations of contact with SARS-CoV-2. The data were analyzed, and correlations were established. Results: Most of the sample obtained a positive interaction result of work over family. Those who had been in contact with SARS-CoV-2 represented higher percentages of a positive result in GHQ-12, negative work–family interaction, burnout, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. In general, the men showed a worse mental health state than women. Conclusions: The medical staff of Huelva who had been in contact with situations of SARS-CoV-2 in their work environment presented worse indicators of mental health and greater negative interaction of work over family than those who had not been in contact with these situations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reduction of Preneoplastic Lesions Induced by 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine in Rat Colon by Maslinic Acid, a Pentacyclic Triterpene from Olea europaea L.

Maslinic acid triggers compelling antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in different human cancer cell lines. Hence, the chemopreventive activity was investigated on early stages of carcinogenesis induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) which is a model that mimics human sporadic colorectal cancer. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered either maslinic acid at 5, 10 or 25 mg/kg dissolved in (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin 20% (w/v) or the solvent for 49 days. After one week of treatment, animals received three weekly intraperitoneal injections of DMH at the dose of 20 mg/kg. Maslinic acid reduced the preneoplastic biomarkers, aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and mucin-depleted foci (MDF), already at 5 mg/kg in a 15% and 27%, respectively. The decline was significant at 25 mg/kg with decreases of 33% and 51%, respectively. Correlation analysis showed a significant association between the concentrations of maslinic acid found in the colon and the reduction of ACF (r = 0.999, P = 0.019) and MDF (r = 0.997, P = 0.049). The present findings demonstrate that maslinic acid induced an inhibition of the initiation stages of carcinogenesis. The assessment of this pentacyclic triterpene at the colon sheds light for designing diets with foods rich in maslinic acid to exert a chemopreventive activity in colorectal cancer

Estimación de la incidencia de incontinencia urinaria asociada al embarazo y el parto

Incontinència urinària; Dones embarassades; Part; Incontinence; Pregnant women; Childbirth; Incontinencia urinaria; Mujeres embarazadas; PartoAquest és el primer estudi que ha avaluat prospectivament la IU en el nostre medi i s'ha fet amb una cohort de gestants nul·lípares el sòl pelvià de les quals romania intacte. Els resultats han posat de manifest l'elevada incidència d'IU durant l'embaràs i la seva correlació amb la qualitat de vida. Pel que fa als factors de risc, s'ha corroborat la importància del part vaginal i s'han confirmat altres factors identificats amb altres dissenys d'estudi. La informació obtinguda és important per destacar la IU com un problema de salut comú i, tanmateix, ocult o infravalorat. Els factors de risc identificats, tant en l'embaràs com en el part, es corresponen amb estils de vida i pràctiques obstètriques susceptibles de ser modificades

Occurrence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in opossums caught in urban areas of Bauru, state of São Paulo, Brazil

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common zoonoses worldwide. It was initially described in rodents and rabbits. There are few data on the morbidity and mortality of this disease among Brazilian marsupial fauna, such as opossums. These animals are of great importance regarding the epidemiology of this disease, given that they are prey for felids and other carnivores. With the aim of ascertaining the serological response to Toxoplasma gondii among marsupials (Didelphis spp.), 38 animals that had been caught in 14 districts of the urban area of the municipality of Bauru, state of São Paulo, were evaluated. The modified agglutination test (MAT) showed that 26.3% (10/38) of the samples analyzed were seropositive. It can be suggested that the opossums’ behavior and persistent proximity to human housing results in contact with cats and T. gondii infection, based on the frequency found in this study. This was the first study on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in opossums caught in the urban area of the municipality of Bauru, SP, and it highlights the need for environmental and health authorities of the municipality to monitor this zoonosis. A toxoplasmose é uma das zoonoses mais comuns no mundo, tendo sido descrita inicialmente em roedores e em coelhos. Todavia, poucos são os dados sobre morbidade e mortalidade da toxoplasmose nos marsupiais da fauna brasileira, como os gambás, sendo de grande importância na epidemiologia da doença, como presas para felídeos e outros carnívoros. Com o objetivo de verificar a resposta sorológica para Toxoplasma gondii em marsupiais (Didelphis spp.), foram avaliados 38 animais capturados em 14 regiões da área urbana do município de Bauru-SP. Foi encontrada uma frequência, de acordo com o teste de aglutinação modificada (MAT), de 26,3% (10/38) nas amostras analisadas. Pode-se sugerir que o comportamento dos gambás e sua permanência próxima a habitações humanas resultam em contato com gatos e infecção por T. gondii, tendo em vista a frequência encontrada neste estudo. Este é o primeiro estudo de soroprevalência de T. gondii em gambás capturados na área urbana do município de Bauru-SP, alertando-se para a necessidade do monitoramento desta zoonose pelas autoridades de vigilância ambiental e sanitária do município