The South Region Cancer Registry: an evaluation of its exhaustiveness in a cohort of lung cancer patients

Poster presented at the 2nd International Congress of CiiEM: Translational Research and Innovation in Human and Health Sciences, 11-13 June 2017, Campus Egas Moniz, Caparica, PortugalN/

Attitudes toward money and control strategies of financial behavior: a comparison between overindebted and non-overindebted consumers

This paper addresses whether overindebted and non-overindebted consumers differ in their attitude toward money (specifically, the degree to which consumers care about money and feel difficulties keeping track of their money) and how this attitude impacts three different financial behavior categories: record keeping (e.g., recording spending in writing), adjusting balance (e.g., trying to find ways to decrease one’s expenses to match income), and monitoring balance (e.g., monitoring one’s spending to see if it is in line with what is expected). Overindebted consumers were recruited via an NGO for consumer defense and were categorized (whenever possible) into two subgroups: consumers who became overindebted due to internal causes (e.g., bad financial management) and consumers who became overindebted due to external causes (e.g., unemployment). Non-overindebted consumers were a convenience sample. Non-overindebted consumers showed more positive attitudes toward money than both groups of overindebted consumers and overindebted due to external causes showed more positive attitudes than overindebted consumers due to internal causes. All groups share similar financial management behaviors except for monitoring balance, which was more frequent among non-overindebted consumers. Furthermore, a regression analysis indicates that money attitudes helped explain financial behavior differences between consumers above and beyond their indebtedness status. Consumers’ attitude predicted financial behaviors, even when controlling for relevant socioeconomic variables (education, income, age, and gender). Further analyses comparing money attitudes and financial behavior for the three subgroups (non-overindebted, overindebted due to internal causes, and overindebted due to external causes) showed no differences.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perceived causes and attitudes regarding overindebtedness and their effects on public agreement with government financial aid

In order to better understand how the problem of overindebtedness is perceived from a laypeople standpoint, Study 1 inquired both overindebted and non-overindebted consumers on the perceived causes of and attitudes toward the overindebted. Situational and dispositional factors were perceived to have similar impact as causes of overindebtedness, but non-overindebted consumers showed stronger agreement with those causes than overindebted consumers. Regarding attitudes, non-overindebted consumers tended to blame overindebted people for their situation rather than perceiving them as victims, whereas overindebted consumers showed the opposite pattern. Study 2 used a sample of (non-overindebted) consumers to assess the impact of perceived causes of overindebtedness, attitudes toward the overindebted, and political orientation on public support of government policies for aiding overindebted people. We discuss the contributions of the present findings to design public policies aimed at aiding overindebted households that are more aligned with the beliefs and attitudes of the general public.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An Analysis of the Mechanisms Influencing Health, Sleep, Life Satisfaction, and Emotional Well-Being

Ferreira, M. B., de Almeida, F., Soro, J. C., Herter, M. M., Pinto, D. C., & Silva, C. S. (2021). On the Relation Between Over-Indebtedness and Well-Being: An Analysis of the Mechanisms Influencing Health, Sleep, Life Satisfaction, and Emotional Well-Being. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-14. [591875]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.591875This paper aims to explore the association between over-indebtedness and two facets of well-being – life satisfaction and emotional well-being. Although prior research has associated over-indebtedness with lower life satisfaction, this study contributes to the extant literature by revealing its effects on emotional well-being, which is a crucial component of well-being that has received less attention. Besides subjective well-being (SWB), reported health, and sleep quality were also assessed. The findings suggest that over-indebted (compared to non-over-indebted) consumers have lower life satisfaction and emotional well-being, as well as poorer (reported) health and sleep quality. Furthermore, over-indebtedness impacts life satisfaction and emotional well-being through different mechanisms. Consumers decreased perceived control accounts for the impact of over-indebtedness on both facets of well-being (as well as on reported health and sleep). Financial well-being (a specific component of life satisfaction), partly mediates the impact of indebtedness status on overall life satisfaction. The current study contributes to research focusing on the relationship between indebtedness, well-being, health, and sleep quality, and provides relevant theoretical and practical implications.publishersversionpublishe

Phenylketonuria: Protein content and amino acids profile of dishes for phenylketonuric patients. The relevance of phenylalanine

Phenylketonuria is an inborn error of metabolism, involving, in most cases, a deficient activity of phenylalanine hydroxylase. Neonatal diagnosis and a prompt special diet (low phenylalanine and natural-protein restricted diets) are essential to the treatment. The lack of data concerning phenylalanine contents of processed foodstuffs is an additional limitation for an already very restrictive diet. Our goals were to quantify protein (Kjeldahl method) and amino acid (18) content (HPLC/fluorescence) in 16 dishes specifically conceived for phenylketonuric patients, and compare the most relevant results with those of several international food composition databases. As might be expected, all the meals contained low protein levels (0.67–3.15 g/100 g) with the highest ones occurring in boiled rice and potatoes. These foods also contained the highest amounts of phenylalanine (158.51 and 62.65 mg/100 g, respectively). In contrast to the other amino acids, it was possible to predict phenylalanine content based on protein alone. Slight deviations were observed when comparing results with the different food composition databases

The extracellular matrix modulates H2O2 degradation and redox signaling in endothelial cells

AbstractThe molecular processes that are crucial for cell function, such as proliferation, migration and survival, are regulated by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Although environmental cues, such as growth factors, regulate redox signaling, it was still unknown whether the ECM, a component of the cell microenvironment, had a function in this process.Here, we showed that the extracellular matrix (ECM) differently regulated H2O2 consumption by endothelial cells and that this effect was not general for all types of cells. The analysis of biophysical properties of the endothelial cell membrane suggested that this modification in H2O2 consumption rates was not due to altered membrane permeability. Instead, we found that the ECM regulated GPx activity, a known H2O2 scavenger. Finally, we showed that the extent of PTEN oxidation was dependent on the ECM, indicating that the ECM was able to modulate H2O2-dependent protein oxidation.Thus, our results unraveled a new mechanism by which the ECM regulates endothelial cell function by altering redox balance. These results pinpoint the ECM as an important component of redox-signaling

Desempenho Cognitivo na Infância: A Mãe e o Meio Urbano fazem a Diferença

Despite the controversies over the concept and evaluation of intelligence, cognitive achievement plays afundamental role in educational context, and multiple factors are related to it. The current study uses a random and representative sample of 1201 2nd grade children from Portuguese public schools, between 9 and 14 years old. This study aims to discuss the impact of social and familial variables (mother and father’s jobs, mother and father’s educational level, and urban or rural environment of belonging). The results highlight the importance of social and familial variables as an explanation to students’ cognitive achievement, with great relevance to mother’s educational level and urban environment of belonging. Practical considerations aiming a better equity in educational system are presented.Apesar das controvérsias sobre o conceito e a avaliação da inteligência, o desempenho cognitivo assume um papel fundamental no contexto educativo e são múltiplos os fatores que lhe estão associados. Este estudo toma uma amostra aleatória e representativa de 1201 crianças do 2.º ciclo do ensino básico de escolas públicas portuguesas, com idades entre 9 e 14 anos. Discute-se o impacto das variáveis sociofamiliares (profssão da mãe e do pai, escolaridade da mãe e do pai e meio de pertença urbano vs rural). Os resultados destacam a relevância dessas variáveis para a explicação do desempenho cognitivo dos alunos, especialmente a escolaridade da mãe e o meio urbano de proveniência. Apresentam-se considerações práticas voltadas à equidade do sistema educativo. Palavras-chave: desenvolvimento intelectual, aptidão cognitiva, aprendizagem, fatores socioculturais, nível socioeconômic

Hypomagnesaemia – One Cause To Remember!

A 71-year-old female presented with 5 days of diarrhoea and asthenia. Past medical history of rheumatoid arthritis, arterial hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and chronic gastritis was treated with leflunomide, deflazacort, esomeprazole, carvedilol and spironolactone. At admission, the patient’s physical examination showed signs of dehydration. Lab results revealed leucocytosis, increased C-reactive protein, hypomagnesaemia, hypocalcaemia and hypokalaemia. A presumption of acute infectious diarrhoea causing hypomagnesaemia with hypocalcaemia and hypokalaemia was made. She was started on ciprofloxacin, IV hydration and electrolyte supplementation with an adequate response. However, magnesium levels fell repeatedly. After excluding other causes for hypomagnesaemia, chronic use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was considered a plausible cause therefore PPI was discontinued, with normalisation of magnesium levels. Hypomagnesaemia is a common disturbance, mainly caused by diarrhoea, gastrointestinal malabsorption, medications, alcoholism and volume expansion. Clinical manifestations include neuromuscular symptoms, cardiovascular manifestations, hypokalaemia and changes in calcium metabolism. PPI-related hypomagnesaemia has been described in later years particularly in chronic use cases, with a medium prevalence of 27%, but further studies remain necessary to clarify its pathophysiologic mechanism. Since PPIs are widely used, it is essential to be aware of hypomagnesaemia as a possible side effect, particularly in refractory cases and after excluding other common causes

Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of portuguese olive oil

The main goal of this paper was to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of olive oil production in Portugal. A life-cycle model and inventory were implemented for the entire production process, including a comprehensive analysis of olive cultivation, olive oil extraction, packaging, and distribution. Data originates from five differently-sized Portuguese olive growers and from a total of six olive oil mills, representing the three extraction processes in use: three-phase extraction, two-phase extraction, and traditional pressing. The results show that the GHG intensity lies in the range 1.8-8.2 kg CO2eq/liter and that the main contributors were fertilizers (production and field emissions). Efficient use of fertilizers thus seems to be a key factor for mitigating the GHG intensity of olive oil production

Mineral content and volatile profiling of Prunus avium L. (sweet cherry) y-Products from Fundão Region (Portugal)

Large amounts of Prunus avium L. by-products result from sweet cherry production and processing. This work aimed to evaluate the mineral content and volatile profiling of the cherry stems, leaves, and flowers of the Saco cultivar collected from the Fundão region (Portugal). A total of 18 min erals were determined by ICP-MS, namely 8 essential and 10 non-essential elements. Phosphorus (P) was the most abundant mineral, while lithium (Li) was detected in trace amounts. Three different preparations were used in this work to determine volatiles: hydroethanolic extracts, crude extracts, and aqueous infusions. A total of 117 volatile compounds were identified using HS-SPME/GC MS, distributed among different chemical classes: 31 aldehydes, 14 alcohols, 16 ketones, 30 esters, 4 acids, 4 monoterpenes, 3 norisoprenoids, 4 hydrocarbons, 7 heterocyclics, 1 lactone, 1 phenol, and 2 phenylpropenes. Benzaldehyde, 4-methyl-benzaldehyde, hexanal, lilac aldehyde, and 6-methyl 5-hepten-2-one were the major volatile compounds. Differences in the types of volatiles and their respective amounts in the different extracts were found. This is the first study that describes the mineral and volatile composition of Portuguese sweet cherry by-products, demonstrating that they could have great potential as nutraceutical ingredients and natural flavoring agents to be used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio