Psychologists’ dilemmas in career counselling practice

In this study, we explored main dilemmas psychologists face in career counselling in two main professional settings: employment and education. Participants included 24 experienced Portuguese psychologists, working in employment (n = 14) and educational (n = 10) settings. We used consensual qualitative research to conduct and analyse semi-structured interviews. Results revealed dilemmas’ in five domains: neutrality, assessment, dual loyalty, role boundaries, and confidentiality, with the typical dilemma in the domain of neutrality. Differences between groups were found in the domains of dual loyalty and role boundaries.Dans cette étude, nous avons exploré les principaux dilemmes rencontrés par les psychologues dans le conseil en orientation dans deux milieux professionnels centraux: le placement et l’éducation. Parmi les participants figuraient 24 psychologues portugais expérimentés travaillant dans des contextes de placement (n = 14) et d’éducation (n = 10). Nous avons utilisé la recherche qualitative consensuelle pour mener et analyser les entretiens semi-structurés. Les re´sultats ont révé lé des dilemmes dans cinq domaines: la neutralité, l’évaluation, la double loyauté, les limites du rôle, et la confidentialité, avec le dilemme typique dans le domaine de la neutralité. Les différences entre les groupes ont été identifiees dans les domaines de la double loyauté et les limites du rôle.In dieser Studie untersuchten wir die hauptsä chlichen Dilemmata, mit denen Psychologen in der Berufsberatung in zwei wesentlichen professionellen Einrichtungen konfrontiert sind: Beruf und Bildung. Zu den Teilnehmern geho ¨rten 24 erfahrene portugiesische Psychologen, die in Einrichtungen von Beruf (n = 14) und Bildung (n = 10) arbeiteten. Wir verwendeten einvernehmliche qualitative Forschung um semi-strukturierte Interviews durchzufu¨hren und zu analysieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigten Dilemmata in fünf Bereichen: Neutralität, Beurteilung, doppelte Loyalität, Rollengrenzen und Vertraulichkeit, mit dem typischen Dilemma in der Domäne der Neutralität. Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen wurden in den Bereichen der doppelten Loyalität und Rollengrenzen gefunden

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

AbstractOptimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was &lt;1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.</jats:p

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI 2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/images/research_banner_face_lab_290.jpgunderweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity

The profile of the dermatoses in children with the HIV virus at the Fundação de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas Perfil das dermatoses em crianças portadoras do vírus HIV na Fundação de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas

BACKGROUND: The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) constitutes a sub-epidemic in Brazil. Due to the increasing number of women infected by the virus, the vertical transmission increased substantially, and due to the lack of adequate prophylactic treatment, many children are infected and show manifestations of the disease in early ages. Multiple systems are affected by the HIV virus, and the skin is often the first organ to be involved. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to analyze the clinic, dermatological and epidemiological profiles of children carriers of the virus in the City of Manaus aiming at identifying the most frequent dermatoses that affect these children and try to relate these dermatoses to the immunologic deterioration. METHODS: A study was conducted where children carriers of the HIV virus from the Fundação Alfredo da Matta and Fundação de Medicina Tropical were studied from March 2007 to July 2008. These children were submitted to dermatological and laboratorial exams such as viral load dosage and CD4+ and CD8+ counts. RESULTS: During the study period, 70 HIV + children were examined; all of them had AIDS and had been contaminated by vertical transmission. The average number of dermatoses by children was 1.73, and 95.5% had at least one dermatosis during the study period. The most frequent manifestations were atopic dermatitis (22.9%), childhood prurigo (20%) and warts (18,6%). CONCLUSIONS: Children with HIV/AIDS have more skin disorders than children without HIV/AIDS. There was no statistical difference between the children in the group using ARVT and the group that wasn't using it.<br>FUNDAMENTOS: A Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida (AIDS) tem se configurado como uma sub-epidemia no Brasil, devido ao crescente número de mulheres infectadas pelo vírus, a transmissão vertical aumentou significativamente, e devido à falta de tratamento profilático adequado, muitas crianças são infectadas e convivem com as manifestações da doença precocemente. Múltiplos são os sistemas acometidos pelo vírus HIV, sendo a pele muitas vezes o primeiro órgão acometido. OBJETIVOS: O estudo teve por objetivo analisar o perfil clínico-dermatológico e imunológico das crianças portadoras do vírus HIV na cidade de Manaus com a finalidade de identificar as dermatoses mais freqüentes que as acometem e relacioná-las com a deterioração de seu sistema imunológico. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se um estudo onde foram acompanhadas entre março de 2007 a julho de 2008, crianças portadoras do vírus HIV atendidas na Fundação de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas. Estas foram submetidas a exame dermatológico e a exames laboratoriais como dosagem de carga viral, CD4+, CD8+. RESULTADOS: Durante o período estudado, foram atendidas 70 crianças HIV+, todas já apresentavam AIDS e tinham sido contaminadas por transmissão vertical. A média de dermatose por criança foi de 1,73 sendo que 95,5% apresentaram pelo menos uma dermatose. As manifestações mais freqüentes foram: dermatite atópica (22,9%), prurigo estrófulo (20%) e verruga (18,6%). CONCLUSÃO: As crianças com HIV/AIDS apresentaram mais dermatoses do que as crianças sem HIV/AIDS. Não houve diferença estatística em relação às dermatoses entre o grupo de crianças que estava em uso de Terapia antiretroviral (TARV) e o que não estava

Antimicrobial activity of heterotrophic bacterial communities from the marine sponge Erylus discophorus (Astrophorida, Geodiidae)

10 páginas, 3 tablas.Heterotrophic bacteria associated with two specimens of the marine sponge Erylus discophorus were screened for their capacity to produce bioactive compounds against a panel of human pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus wild type and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumanii, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus), fish pathogen (Aliivibrio fischeri) and environmentally relevant bacteria (Vibrio harveyi). The sponges were collected in Berlengas Islands, Portugal. Of the 212 isolated heterotrophic bacteria belonging to Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, 31% produced antimicrobial metabolites. Bioactivity was found against both Gram positive and Gram negative and clinically and environmentally relevant target microorganisms. Bioactivity was found mainly against B. subtilis and some bioactivity against S. aureus MRSA, V. harveyi and A. fisheri. No antifungal activity was detected. The three most bioactive genera were Pseudovibrio (47.0%), Vibrio (22.7%) and Bacillus (7.6%). Other less bioactive genera were Labrenzia, Acinetobacter, Microbulbifer, Pseudomonas, Gordonia, Microbacterium, Micrococcus and Mycobacterium, Paenibacillus and Staphylococcus. The search of polyketide I synthases (PKS-I) and nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) genes in 59 of the bioactive bacteria suggested the presence of PKS-I in 12 strains, NRPS in 3 strains and both genes in 3 strains. Our results show the potential of the bacterial community associated with Erylus discophorus sponges as producers of bioactive compounds.This research was supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE - Operational Competitiveness Programme and national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, under the projects PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2013, PEst-OE/QUI/UI0612/2011 and PTDC/ QUI-QUI/098053/2008. Ana Patrícia Graçaa acknowledges an ERAMUS fellowship. Joana Bondoso was financed by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology (PhD grant SFRH/BD/35933/2007). Joana R. Xavier’s research is funded by an FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology postdoctoral fellowship (grant no. SFRH/BPD/62946/2009). In addition, this work was funded by the Fundación MEDINA, a public-private partnership of Merck Sharp and Dohme of España/ Universidad de Granada/Junta de AndalucíaPeer reviewe