Classroom teachers’ perception about physical education and physical activity: A typology

Introduction: According to the socioecological model teachers may act as facilitators or barriers in a school physical activity (PA) program. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to characterize classroom teachers’ perceptions about Physical Education (PE). Methods: 297 teachers answered a questionnaire about PE past experience, status, aims, and academic benefits of PA. The Multiple Correspondence Analysis was used aiming to identify teachers’ profiles. Results: Dimension 1 combines the view that the PA affects academic achievement (AA) with the idea that PE must be optional or compulsory, but non-examinable. In dimension 2 the biggest difference is between a standard that refers to a relatively neutral position in relation to PA (PE as important for promotion of healthy lifestyles associated with the idea that PA does not affect AA, and PE should be compulsory but non-examinable), as opposed to positions, either in favour (PA benefits AA and PE should be compulsory and examinable) or against PA (PE should be optional). The joint analysis of the two dimensions allowed to identify three distinct patterns of teacher’s perceptions which made possible to build a typology, regardless the cluster they belong to. Considering their personal experience teachers make a misjudgment of PE in schools they attended specially in cluster 3. As for the relation between PA and AA, most teachers say that the PA benefits AA (65% in cluster 1; 96% in cluster 2). In cluster 3, 70% of the teachers say that PA impairs AA. Conclusions: These results support the importance of the earliest good experiences in PE, in generating positive attitudes towards PE. PE teachers should explain to other teachers that PA does not affect academic performance, and that PA prevents deviant behaviours.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation in Health: Reflections Inscribed in the Paradigm of Contemporary Health

Objectives: To analyze the methods of health evaluation from the point of view of users\u27 needs and the care perspective

Reutilização de águas residuais : modelação da adsorção de nutrientes no solo

O presente estudo incide na modelação da remoção de nutrientes presentes em águas residuais domésticas por adsorção no solo e na avaliação do risco de contaminação de aquíferos por parte destes. Nesse sentido, desenvolveu-se um modelo matemático e efectuou-se a determinação experimental dos parâmetros que caracterizam as isotérmicas de adsorção dos iões nitrato, fosfato e amónio. Os resultados experimentais indicaram que o solo tem principalmente carga iónica positiva, visto que os iões de carga contrária (tais como o nitrato e fosfato) foram os que principalmente adsorveram. Os resultados da simulação demonstraram que o fosfato é totalmente adsorvido e que a concentração de nitrato e amónio na água intersticial, após o período de um ano, é de 0.250 mg/L e 0.023 mg/L respectivamente, a 2 m de profundidade. Em relação ao exercício de simulação, estudouse o efeito de uma sobrecarga de nutrientes assim como a possibilidade de ocorrer saturação da coluna de solo. No caso de ocorrer uma sobrecarga de nutrientes no solo proveniente da descarga de água residual com uma concentração até quatro vezes superior ao valor médio, verificou-se que a concentração do ião amónio foi a mais afectada, aumentando de 27 % a uma profundidade de 2 m e ao fim de um ano. Finalmente, os parâmetros das isotérmicas de adsorção (segundo os modelos de Freundlich e Langmuir) foram sujeitos a uma análise de sensibilidade, tendo-se comprovado que o modelo desenvolvido é extremamente sensível à constante α da isotérmica de Freundlich

Environmental Air Pollutants Inhaled during Pregnancy Are Associated with Altered Cord Blood Immune Cell Profiles

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy may be a risk factor for altered immune maturation in the offspring. We investigated the association between ambient air pollutants during pregnancy and cell populations in cord blood from babies born to mothers with asthma enrolled in the Breathing for Life Trial. For each patient (n = 91), daily mean ambient air pollutant levels were extracted during their entire pregnancy for sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, particulate matter <10 μm (PM10) or <2.5 μm (PM2.5), humidity, and temperature. Ninety-one cord blood samples were collected, stained, and assessed using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Principal Component (PC) analyses of both air pollutants and cell types with linear regression were employed to define associations. Considering risk factors and correlations between PCs, only one PC from air pollutants and two from cell types were statistically significant. PCs from air pollutants were characterized by higher PM2.5 and lower SO2 levels. PCs from cell types were characterized by high numbers of CD8 T cells, low numbers of CD4 T cells, and by high numbers of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) and low numbers of myeloid DCs (mDCs). PM2.5 levels during pregnancy were significantly associated with high numbers of pDCs (p = 0.006), and SO2 with high numbers of CD8 T cells (p = 0.002) and low numbers of CD4 T cells (p = 0.011) and mDCs (p = 4.43 × 10−6) in cord blood. These data suggest that ambient SO2 and PM2.5 exposure are associated with shifts in cord blood cell types that are known to play significant roles in inflammatory respiratory disease in childhoo

Cord blood group 2 innate lymphoid cells are associated with lung function at 6 weeks of age.

Objective: Offspring born to mothers with asthma in pregnancy are known to have lower lung function which tracks with age. Human group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) accumulate in foetal lungs, at 10-fold higher levels compared to adult lungs. However, there are no data on foetal ILC2 numbers and the association with respiratory health outcomes such as lung function in early life. We aimed to investigate cord blood immune cell populations from babies born to mothers with asthma in pregnancy. Methods: Cord blood from babies born to asthmatic mothers was collected, and cells were stained in whole cord blood. Analyses were done using traditional gating approaches and computational methodologies (t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding and PhenoGraph algorithms). At 6 weeks of age, the time to peak tidal expiratory flow as a percentage of total expiratory flow time (tPTEF/tE%) was determined as well as Lung Clearance Index (LCI), during quiet natural sleep. Results: Of 110 eligible infants (March 2017 to November 2019), 91 were successfully immunophenotyped (82.7%). Lung function was attempted in 61 infants (67.0%), and 43 of those infants (70.5% of attempted) had technically acceptable tPTEF/tE% measurements. Thirty-four infants (55.7% of attempted) had acceptable LCI measurements. Foetal ILC2 numbers with increased expression of chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule (CRTh2), characterised by two distinct analysis methodologies, were associated with poorer infant lung function at 6 weeks of age." Conclusion: Foetal immune responses may be a surrogate variable for or directly influence lung function outcomes in early life

Using the Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein level: results from the Portuguese register

Our aims were to evaluate the correlation between Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score 27-joint reduced count (JADAS27) with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and JADAS27 with C-reactive protein (CRP) scores and to test the agreement of both scores on classifying each disease activity state. We also aimed at verifying the correlation of the 2 scores across juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) categories and to check the correlation between JADAS27-ESR and clinical JADAS27 (JADAS27 without ESR)