Research on the Portuguese building stock and its impacts on energy consumption – an average u-value approach

The article aims to evaluate the Portuguese building stock energy policies and strategy for energy saving in buildings among the EU members. It was found out the average heat transfer coefficients of the main structural elements of Portuguese Buildings and analyzed the U-values of this elements considering different time periods. The fundamentals of this study were funded by the Agency for Development and Innovation (ADI) and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors (POFC) assigned to the Building Physics and Construction Technology Laboratory with the reference SB Tool SPT_2011_4

A comparison of the CARATKids and CARAT10 questionnaires for the evaluation of control of asthma and allergic rhinitis in adolescents

[Excerpt] The Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) was introduced to assess control of allergic rhinitis and asthma (ARA) simultaneously. It is the first tool to implement ARIA guidelines in clinical practice [1-5].CARAT10 was developed for adults [5], and CARATKids was designed for children aged 6 to 12 years [6]. There is no validated questionnaire to assess control of ARA in patients between the ages of 12 to 17 years.Financial support for this work was provided by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme Competitiveness Factors—COMPETE and National Funds through FCT— Foundation for Science and Technology under project POCI-01-0145-FEDER--007038 and project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

The modified patient enablement instrument: a Portuguese cross-cultural adaptation, validity and reliability study

"Article number: 16087"Enabling patients with asthma to obtain the knowledge, confidence and skills they need in order to assume a major role in the management of their disease is cost effective. It should be an integral part of any plan for long-term control of asthma. The modified Patient Enablement Instrument (mPEI) is an easily administered questionnaire that was adapted in the United Kingdom to measure patient enablement in asthma, but its applicability in Portugal is not known. Validity and reliability of questionnaires should be tested before use in settings different from those of the original version. The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of the mPEI to Portuguese asthma patients after translation and cross-cultural adaptation, and to verify the structural validity, internal consistency and reproducibility of the instrument. The mPEI was translated to Portuguese and back translated to English. Its content validity was assessed by a debriefing interview with 10 asthma patients. The translated instrument was then administered to a random sample of 142 patients with persistent asthma. Structural validity and internal consistency were assessed. For reproducibility analysis, 86 patients completed the instrument again 7 days later. Item-scale correlations and exploratory factor analysis were used to assess structural validity. Cronbach's alpha was used to test internal consistency, and the intra-class correlation coefficient was used for the analysis of reproducibility. All items of the Portuguese version of the mPEI were found to be equivalent to the original English version. There were strong item-scale correlations that confirmed construct validity, with a one component structure and good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.8) as well as high test-retest reliability (ICC=0.85). The mPEI showed sound psychometric properties for the evaluation of enablement in patients with asthma making it a reliable instrument for use in research and clinical practice in Portugal. Further studies are needed to confirm its responsiveness.Financial support for this work was provided by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE and National Funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology under the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038, and by the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The respiratory research agenda in primary care in Portugal: a Delphi study

Background: A research agenda can help to stimulate and guide research. The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) published a Research Needs Statement (RNS) in 2010 in which 145 research questions were identified. In 2012, priorities for respiratory research were established, based on these questions. To date, there has been no statement on primary care respiratory research needs in Portugal. The aim of the study was to develop a national consensus on research priorities in respiratory diseases in primary care in Portugal and to assess the applicability of the priorities for respiratory research set by the IPCRG. Method: We conducted a Delphi study by electronic mail with a panel of experts on respiratory disease from primary and secondary care in Portugal. In the first round, the research needs in respiratory disease in Portugal were identified. In the second round, 196 research questions in six disease areas, derived from the first round and from the IPCRG Respiratory needs statement, were prioritised on a five-point Likert-type scale. In the third round, the questions were prioritized again with feed-back provided on the median scores for each item in the second round. Consensus was considered to have been reached when 80 % of the participants gave a score of 4 or 5 out of five on a given item. Results: The 40 experts identified 121 respiratory research questions in Round 1 and expressed their views on 196 questions in Rounds 2 and 3. Twelve research questions (6 %) reached consensus. There were five questions in the asthma domain on early diagnosis, pulmonary function tests, the use of inhalers, and adherence to treatment. There were four questions in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease domain on vaccinations, on routine monitoring and evaluation of treatment, on diagnosis, and on adherence to treatments. There was one question in the smoking domain on the effects of brief counselling. There were two questions on respiratory tract infections on the treatment of children and on the prescription of antibiotics. An additional 23 research questions (12 %) achieved consensus between 75 and 79 %. Conclusion: The results reflect the Portuguese reality in response the international agenda for research on respiratory diseases published by the IPCRG. They can support the development of future respiratory disease research in Portugal.Financial support for this work was provided by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme Competitiveness Factors - COMPETE and National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038; and by the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). PMT is partially supported by a grant from the International Primary Care Respiratory Group

REALMS Study: Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Fingolimod in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in Portugal

Background: Fingolimod, an oral sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulator, is approved by EMA for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and safety of fingolimod in patients with RRMS in real-world clinical practice in Portugal. Methods: Retrospective, multicentre, non-interventional study, reporting 3 years follow-up of data collected from October 2015 to July 2016. Sociodemographic data and previous treatments at baseline and data regarding disease evolution, including number of relapses, annualised relapse rates (ARR) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), were collected. Results: Two-hundred and seventy-five participants were enrolled in the REALMS study. Results showed that the main reason to switch to fingolimod was failure of previous treatment (56.7%) and only 3.6% were naïve patients. In the total population, there was a significant decrease in ARR of 64.6% in the first year of treatment, 79.7% in the second year and 82.3% in the third year, compared with baseline. More than 67.0% of patients had no relapses during the 3 years after switching to fingolimod. EDSS remained stable throughout the study. Conclusions: Therapy with fingolimod showed a sustained effectiveness and safety over the 3 years, particularly on patients switched from first-line drugs (BRACE). No new safety issues were reported.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aprendendo com o insucesso: um estudo de caso de aplicação da resolução criativa de problemas ao projeto educativo

O Projeto Educativo, como instrumento fundamental para a autonomia das escolas, em Portugal, deve aglutinar as principais expectativas da comunidade escolar, implicando rigor na metodologia de investigação, utilizada para sua elaboração, e na implementação da mudança requerida. O presente artigo relata a forma como foi possível obter esses aspectos, numa escola secundária, ao longo de mais de um ano, por meio do uso do método de Resolução Criativa de Problemas, que envolveu toda a comunidade escolar. Conforme o planeamento definido, a elaboração do Projeto Educativo seguiu os passos de um trabalho de investigação e resultou num documento estratégico e operacional, sujeito, posteriormente, a várias tentativas de implementação que, no entanto, tiveram apenas sucesso relativo. A discussão das condições necessárias para que o documento final possa servir de base à implementação das políticas e ações definidas, o que simplificaria todo o esquema de funcionamento escolar, sob um prisma de gestão efetiva das organizações, é aqui iniciada e sugerida para futuras investigações

Electrochemical studies on small electron transfer proteins using membrane electrodes

Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 541 (2003) 153-162Membrane electrodes (ME) were constructed using gold, glassy carbon and pyrolytic graphite supports and a dialysis membrane, and used to study the electrochemical behavior of small size electron transfer proteins: monohemic cytochrome c522 from Pseudomonas nautica and cytochrome c533 as well as rubredoxin from Desulfovibrio vulgaris . Different electrochemical techniques were used including cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SW) and differential pulse voltammetry (DP). A direct electrochemical response was obtained in all cases except with rubredoxin where a facilitator was added to the protein solution entrapped between the membrane and the electrode surface. Formal potentials and heterogeneous charge transfer rate constants were determined from the voltammetric data. The influence of the ionic strength and the pH of the medium on the electrochemical response at the ME were analyzed. The benefits from the use of the ME in protein electrochemistry and its role in modulating the redox behavior are analyzed. A critical comparison is presented with data obtained at non-MEs. Finally, the interactions that must be established between the proteins and the electrode surfaces are discussed, thereby modeling molecular interactions that occur in biological systems

Consenso Português para a Identificação Precoce de Esclerose Múltipla Secundária Progressiva: Painel Delphi

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis is a disease with a heterogeneous evolution. The early identification of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis is a clinical challenge, which would benefit from the definition of biomarkers and diagnostic tools applicable in the transition phase from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. We aimed to reach a Portuguese national consensus on the monitoring of patients with multiple sclerosis and on the more relevant clinical variables for the early identification of its progression. Material and methods: A Delphi panel which included eleven Portuguese Neurologists participated in two rounds of questions between July and August of 2021. In the first round, 39 questions which belonged to the functional, cognitive, imaging, biomarkers and additional evaluations were included. Questions for which no consensus was obtained in the first round (less than 80% of agreement), were appraised by the panel during the second round. Results: The response rate was 100% in both rounds and consensus was reached for a total of 33 questions (84.6%). Consensus was reached for monitoring time, evaluation scales and clinical variables such as the degree of brain atrophy and mobility reduction, changes suggestive of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Additionally, digital devices were considered tools with potential to identify disease progression. Most questions for which no consensus was obtained referred to the cognitive assessment and the remaining referred to both functional and imaging domains. Conclusion: Consensus was obtained for the determination of the monitorization interval and for most of the clinical variables. Most questions that did not reach consensus were related with the confirmation of progression taking into account only one test/domain, reinforcing the multifactorial nature of multiple sclerosis.Introdução: A esclerose múltipla é uma doença de evolução heterogénea. A identificação precoce da forma secundária progressiva é um desafio clínico, carecendo da definição de biomarcadores e ferramentas de diagnóstico aplicáveis na fase de transição da forma surto-remissão para a forma secundária progressiva. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estabelecer um consenso nacional português sobre a monitorização dos doentes e das variáveis clínicas mais relevantes para a identificação precoce da progressão da esclerose múltipla. Material e Métodos: Um painel Delphi constituído por 11 neurologistas portugueses respondeu a duas rondas de perguntas entre julho e agosto de 2021. Na primeira ronda foram incluídas 39 questões relacionadas com a avaliação funcional, cognitiva, imagiológica, de biomarcadores e outras, e na segunda, as questões para as quais não foi atingido consenso (menos de 80% de concordância) na primeira ronda voltaram a ser submetidas a avaliação pelo painel. Resultados: A taxa de resposta foi de 100% em ambas as rondas e 33 das 39 questões (84,6%) atingiram concordância. Foi atingido consenso relativamente ao tempo de monitorização dos doentes, às escalas de avaliação a empregar e a variáveis clínicas tais como o grau de atrofia cerebral ou redução da mobilidade, cuja alteração é sugestiva de esclerose múltipla secundária progressiva. Adicionalmente, os dispositivos digitais foram considerados ferramentas com potencial para identificar a progressão da doença. A maioria das questões para as quais não foi obtido consenso dizem respeito à avaliação cognitiva, estando as restantes inseridas nos domínios funcional e imagiológico. Conclusão: Foi obtido consenso para a determinação do intervalo de monitorização e para a maioria das variáveis clínicas. A maioria das questões sem consenso estavam relacionadas com a confirmação do diagnóstico de progressão tendo em conta apenas um teste/domínio, realçando a natureza multifatorial da esclerose múltipla.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio