A gestão do dinheiro em casais com filhos. Um estudo com entrevistas diádicas ao casal

6º Congreso Iberoamericano de Investigación Cualitativa (CIAIQ2017). Salamanca, 12-14 Julho de 2017.Gerir o dinheiro é uma parte relevante das dinâmicas de decisão económica intrafamiliar. A literatura mostra que, embora a maioria dos casais afirme partilhar o controlo e a gestão do dinheiro, outras modalidades são possíveis, incluindo as dominadas por um dos conjugues e as que possibilitam autonomia individual de decisão. Trata-se, contudo, de uma temática difícil de abordar pelos casais o que suscita dificuldades metodológicas várias. Neste artigo mostramos como uma metodologia qualitativa (entrevistas diádicas a casais) permite enriquecer o conhecimento sobre o tema e contribuir para superar algumas das principais limitações das abordagens que auscultam individualmente os membros do casal. O estudo apresentado recorreu a 42 entrevistas diádicas a casais heterossexuais com filhos, salvaguardando diversidade de estatutos socioeconómicos e pertença a diferentes configurações conjugais e familiares.Money management in couples is a relevant part of intra-family economic decision-making. The literature shows that control and management of money are shared in most couples. But other arrangements are found, including those dominated by one of the spouses and those denoting individual autonomy. Being a difficult issue to address by couples, the research on money in marriage faces several methodological difficulties. This paper shows how a qualitative methodology (dyadic interviews with couples) might enrich the knowledge about the theme while also contributing to clarify some of the perplexities found in studies using methods that collect data individually. The study comprises 42 dyadic interviews to heterosexual couples with children, assuring diversity of both socioeconomic status and conjugal and family configurations

Age-associated alterations in CXCL1 chemokine expression by murine B cells

BACKGROUND: The CXCL1 chemokines, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (KC), have been shown to play a role in a number of pathophysiological disease states including endotoxin-induced inflammation and bacterial meningitis. While the expression of these chemokines has been identified in a variety of cell types in the mouse, little is known about their expression with murine B-lymphocytes. RESULTS: Here, we demonstrate that highly purified murine splenic B cells are capable of expressing both MIP-2 and KC protein and mRNA upon activation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but not in response to anti-μ and anti-CD40 in combination with interleukin-4 (IL-4) stimulation. Moreover, these chemokines are expressed at higher levels in B cells derived from young (4 m) compared to old (24–29 m) mice. Upon fractionation into distinct B-cell subsets, we found that the expression of MIP-2 and KC by aged follicular (FO) B cells is significantly decreased when compared to the same cells from younger mice, while only MIP-2 production was found to be diminished in aged marginal zone (MZ) B cells. Interestingly, MIP-2 and KC production by newly formed (NF) B cells did not significantly differ with age. Moreover, the potential relevance of these findings is supported by the poor ability of LPS-activated aged B cells to specifically mediate CXCL1-dependent leukocyte recruitment when compared to younger B cells. CONCLUSION: Overall, the decreased expression of CXCL1 chemokines by aged B cells in response to LPS may have potential implications on the secondary recruitment of leukocytes to sites of microbial infections and inflammation possibly contributing to the increased susceptibility of older subjects to pathogen challenge

Production of a distilled spirit using cassava flour as raw material: chemical characterization and sensory profile

Cassava plays a key role in the food production and economies of several countries worldwide. Due to its starch content, alcoholic fermentation is a promising transformation process for adding value to cassava. However, most of the existing cassava beverages are from traditional origin, with the yields and quality often poorly known or controlled due to the use of artisanal production processes. This work aims at the application of easily implementable biotechnological tools for the production of cassava spirits, in order to add value to this raw material. Cassava flour was liquefied and saccharified using enzymatic cocktails, generating a fermentable broth with ~184 g L−1 of fermentable sugars. This was then fermented into an alcoholic product with ~10% ethanol by volume and distilled for spirit production. Cassava spirits with 40% ethanol by volume, with or without application of oak wood, were produced. For further valorization, volatile fractions of cassava spirits were characterized by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and GC–MS. These showed a predominance of yeast fermentation metabolites, complemented by wood extractives where oak chips were applied. Both produced spirits showed desirable sensory traits, receiving good acceptance by experienced tasters, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed process to add value to cassava surplus.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 -Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Do coping responses predict better/poorer mental health in portuguese adults during Portugal's national lockdown associated with the COVID-19?

Background This study aimed at assessing the mental health status of adults living in Portugal during the national lockdown of March 2020 to May 2020, how study participants coped with stress during the national lockdown, as well as the association between coping responses and mental health status. Methods 430 adults from the general population living in Portugal completed measures of mental health status and coping. Results Participants reported a mental health status in the normal range. Most commonly used coping responses were acceptance, planning and active coping. The use of instrumental and emotional support, self-blame, venting, denial, behavioural disengagement, and substance use were associated with poorer mental health. Active coping, positive reframing, acceptance, and humour were associated with better mental health. However, only positive reframing and humour significantly predicted better mental health, while only substance use predicted poorer mental health. Conclusions Findings suggest that there was not a significant negative impact of the Portuguese national lockdown in the adults living in Portugal. Findings supported positive reframing and humour as being adaptive coping responses in this context. These responses should be encouraged by healthcare professionals and targeted in the context of psychosocial intervention programs directed to most vulnerable populations.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ovos de Toxocara spp. em praças públicas no município de Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brasil

The visceral larva migrans (VLM) is a syndrome observed in human infection with helminth larval eggs such as the Toxocara spp. that usually infects dogs and cats. Among the risk factors involved in the occurrence of VLM, particularly important is the size of these animal populations. Sorocaba is a city with a dog population twice as large as that recommended by the World Health Organization. This fact has led to a survey of the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs in public square soils of this city. Thirty squares were selected, fifteen located in the outskirts of the city and fifteen downtown. Soil samples were collected from five distinct sites in the same area. The material was homogenized and drained and 100 g was mixed with a saturated solution of magnesium sulfate and 5% potassium iodine. The floating material was analyzed under the light microscope. Toxocara spp. eggs were found in 16 squares, nine of which were located in the outskirts of the city and seven downtown. It was concluded that Sorocaba squares present a high rate of contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs. The squares in the outskirts of the city presented a higher occurrence of these eggs in comparison with those downtown, although the difference was not statistically significant (p >; 0.05).A larva migrans visceral - LMV - é uma síndrome causada pela infecção humana por ovos larvados de helmintos como o Toxocara spp., que usualmente compromete o cão e o gato. Dentre os fatores de risco para a ocorrência da LMV, destaca-se o tamanho da população desses animais. Sorocaba é uma cidade com uma população canina duas vezes superior à recomendada pela Organização Mundial de Saúde. Este fato levou à pesquisa da presença de ovos de Toxocara spp. no solo de áreas públicas nessa cidade. Foram escolhidas 30 praças, sendo 15 de regiões periféricas e 15 centrais. Coletaram-se amostras de solo de 5 locais distintos da mesma área. O material foi homogeneizado, tamisado e, em seguida, 100g foram misturados com uma solução saturada de MgSO4 com KI a 5%. O material flutuante foi analisado ao microscópio óptico comum. Encontraram-se ovos de Toxocara spp. em 16 praças, sendo 9 periféricas e 7 centrais. Conclui-se que a cidade de Sorocaba apresenta elevado índice de contaminação de suas praças por ovos de Toxocara spp. A periferia apresenta maior ocorrência desses ovos em relação às praças centrais, porém não-significante (p >; 0,05)

A step forward

Funding: Authors gratefully acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through projects UIDB/00645/2020, UIDB/04138/2020, PTDC/MED-QUI/31721/2017, UIDP/04138/2020 and Lusófona University, ULHT. Authors are also thankful to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020, UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds.Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a very rare subtype of thyroid carcinoma and one of the most lethal malignancies. Poor prognosis is mainly associated with its undifferentiated nature, inoperability, and failing to respond to the typically used therapies for thyroid cancer. Photothermal Therapy (PTT) entails using light to increase tissues’ temperature, leading to hyperthermia-mediated cell death. Tumours are more susceptible to heat as they are unable to dissipate it. By using functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that transform light energy into heat, it is possible to target the heat to the tumour. This study aims to formulate ATC-targeted AuNPs able to convert near-infrared light into heat, for PTT of ATC. Different AuNPs were synthetized and coated. Size, morphology, and surface plasmon resonances band were determined. The optimized coated-AuNPs were then functionalized with ligands to assess ATC’s specificity. Safety, efficacy, and selectivity were assessed in vitro. The formulations were deemed safe when not irradiated (>70% cell viability) and selective for ATC. However, when irradiated, holo-transferrin-AuNPs were the most cytotoxic (22% of cell viability). The biodistribution and safety of this formulation was assessed in vivo. Overall, this novel formulation appears to be a highly promising approach to evaluate in a very near future.publishersversionpublishe

Desenvolvimento da competência cultural na formação dos estudantes de enfermagem

The aim was to identify and map the strategies for the development of cultural competence during the training of students in nursing education institutions. For the elaboration of this Integrative Literature Review, the PCC method was used to develop the research question: What are the strategies used by Nursing Education Institutions to develop cultural competence during the training of students? To answer the question asked, a search was carried out, using the EBSCO-host and PubMed search engines, and the respective databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MedLine. No time horizon limits were applied. The established languages ​​were Portuguese, English and Spanish. For the assessment of methodological quality, we used a critical assessment instrument, specific for each type of study (qualitative and quantitative). Seven studies were included in the selection, which after being analyzed showed that there are strategies through which students can develop CC, but the most used are: Mobility Programs and Cultural Competence Courses. These results provide evidence of the potential use of educational strategies for the development of CC in nursing students.Objetivou-se identificar e mapear as estratégias de desenvolvimento da competência cultural durante a formação dos estudantes nas instituições de ensino de enfermagem. Para a elaboração da presente Revisão Integrativa da Literatura, recorreu-se ao método PCC, de forma a desenvolver a questão de investigação: Quais são as estratégias utilizadas pelas Instituições de Ensino de Enfermagem para Desenvolvimento da competência cultural durante a formação dos estudantes? De modo a dar resposta à questão formulada, realizou-se uma pesquisa, com recurso aos motores de busca EBSCO-host e PubMed, e às respectivas bases de dados Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature e MedLine. Não foram aplicados limites de horizonte temporal. Os idiomas estabelecidos foram, português, inglês e espanhol. Para a avaliação da qualidade metodológica, utilizamos um instrumento de avaliação crítica, específico para cada tipo de estudo (qualitativo e quantitativo). Sete estudos foram incluídos na seleção, que após analisados demonstraram que há estratégias através das quais os estudantes podem desenvolver CC, porém as mais utilizadas são: os Programas de Mobilidade e os Cursos de Competência Cultural. Estes resultados fornecem evidências do potencial da utilização das estratégias educativas relativamente ao desenvolvimento da CC nos estudantes de Enfermagem

Desenvolvimento da competência cultural na formação dos estudantes de enfermagem

The aim was to identify and map the strategies for the development of cultural competence during the training of students in nursing education institutions. For the elaboration of this Integrative Literature Review, the PCC method was used to develop the research question: What are the strategies used by Nursing Education Institutions to develop cultural competence during the training of students? To answer the question asked, a search was carried out, using the EBSCO-host and PubMed search engines, and the respective databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MedLine. No time horizon limits were applied. The established languages ​​were Portuguese, English and Spanish. For the assessment of methodological quality, we used a critical assessment instrument, specific for each type of study (qualitative and quantitative). Seven studies were included in the selection, which after being analyzed showed that there are strategies through which students can develop CC, but the most used are: Mobility Programs and Cultural Competence Courses. These results provide evidence of the potential use of educational strategies for the development of CC in nursing students.Objetivou-se identificar e mapear as estratégias de desenvolvimento da competência cultural durante a formação dos estudantes nas instituições de ensino de enfermagem. Para a elaboração da presente Revisão Integrativa da Literatura, recorreu-se ao método PCC, de forma a desenvolver a questão de investigação: Quais são as estratégias utilizadas pelas Instituições de Ensino de Enfermagem para Desenvolvimento da competência cultural durante a formação dos estudantes? De modo a dar resposta à questão formulada, realizou-se uma pesquisa, com recurso aos motores de busca EBSCO-host e PubMed, e às respectivas bases de dados Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature e MedLine. Não foram aplicados limites de horizonte temporal. Os idiomas estabelecidos foram, português, inglês e espanhol. Para a avaliação da qualidade metodológica, utilizamos um instrumento de avaliação crítica, específico para cada tipo de estudo (qualitativo e quantitativo). Sete estudos foram incluídos na seleção, que após analisados demonstraram que há estratégias através das quais os estudantes podem desenvolver CC, porém as mais utilizadas são: os Programas de Mobilidade e os Cursos de Competência Cultural. Estes resultados fornecem evidências do potencial da utilização das estratégias educativas relativamente ao desenvolvimento da CC nos estudantes de Enfermagem

Hydrolysates containing xylooligosaccharides produced by different strategies: structural characterization, antioxidant and prebiotic activities

" Available online 22 May 2022"This study explores the structural characterization, antioxidant and prebiotic activities of hydrolysates containing xylooligosaccharides (XOS) produced by different strategies: direct fermentation of beechwood xylan (FermBX) and enzymatic treatment of beechwood (EnzBX) and rice husk (EnzRH) xylans. EnzBX and EnzRH showed XOS with a backbone of (1 4)-linked-xylopyranosyl residues and branches of arabinose, galactose, and uronic acids. FermBX presented the highest content of total phenolic compounds (14 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (0.6 mg QE/g), which may contribute to its antioxidant capacity 39.1 mol TE/g (DPPH), 45.7 mol TE/g (ABTS), and 79.9 mol Fe II/g (FRAP). The fermentation of hydrolysates decreased the abundance of microorganisms associated with intestinal diseases from Eubacteriales, Desulfovibrionales and Methanobacteriales orders, while stimulating the growth of organisms belonging to Bacteroides, Megamonas and Limosilactobacillus genera. The production of short-chain fatty acids, ammonia, and CO2 suggested the prebiotic potential. In conclusion, hydrolysates without previous purification and obtained from non-chemical approaches demonstrated promising biological activities for further food applications.This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) – Finance Code 001; by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) – Grant numbers 423285/2018-1 and 304857/2018-1; by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit; by the BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte; by the COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145- FEDER-006684); by the FoSynBio (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029549); and LAQV/REQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP/50006/2020) through national founds and, where applicable, co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. GG acknowledges the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande for the financial support from Postgraduate Student Mobility Program (PROPESP/FURG). BC, CA, and SPS acknowledge their grants (SFRH/BD/132324/2017, 2020.00293 CEECIND, and SFRH/BD/136471/2018) from FCT. LB also acknowledge FCT for the junior research contract (CEECIND/03280/2020). EC thanks the research contract (CDL-CTTRI-88-ARH/2018 – REF. 049-88-ARH/2018) funded by national funds (OE), through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio