Addressing the ageing workforce phenomenon in the food retail sector: challenges and solutions

Demographics have been changing inverting the age pyramid in developed countries. This shift raises challenges to many companies, which must regard the current tendency of an ageing workforce with increasing concerns and looking forward to anticipate the adversities that may come with this new tendency as the food retail sector seems to be no exception. This study concludes that companies are being reactive towards this phenomenon, therefore, the purpose is to identify the key challenges and solutions in order to mitigate both the risks and negative effects taking the example of a Portuguese company that operates in the mentioned sector of activity. The challenges and solutions identified are related to human resources management policies and practices as well as initiatives and implications that will be further discussed in this study

Hypocalcaemia as a Reversible Cause of Acute Heart Failure in a Long-Term Survivor of Childhood Cancer

Hypocalcaemia is known for its neuromuscular symptoms, which are rapidly alleviated by intravenous supplementation. Calcium is also essential for both cardiac cell excitability and contraction. We present a case of acute heart failure due to hypocalcaemia in a young male with a complex medical history

Microbial antigen identification and vaccine delivery systems

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

mRNA vaccines: a new opportunity for malaria, tuberculosis and HIV

The success of the first licensed mRNA-based vaccines against COVID-19 has created a widespread interest on mRNA technology for vaccinology. As expected, the number of mRNA vaccines in preclinical and clinical development increased exponentially since 2020, including numerous improvements in mRNA formulation design, delivery methods and manufacturing processes. However, the technology faces challenges such as the cost of raw materials, the lack of standardization, and delivery optimization. MRNA technology may provide a solution to some of the emerging infectious diseases as well as the deadliest hard-to-treat infectious diseases malaria, tuberculosis, and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), for which an effective vaccine, easily deployable to endemic areas is urgently needed. In this review, we discuss the functional structure, design, manufacturing processes and delivery methods of mRNA vaccines. We provide an up-to-date overview of the preclinical and clinical development of mRNA vaccines against infectious diseases, and discuss the immunogenicity, efficacy and correlates of protection of mRNA vaccines, with particular focus on research and development of mRNA vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and HIV

Implementação dos serviços de segurança e saúde no trabalho nas unidades de saúde de ilha da Região Autónoma dos Açores

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ambiente, Saúde e Segurança.O presente trabalho, releva a importância da saúde ocupacional, analisando a problemática dos riscos profissionais. Por forma e ir de encontro aos propósitos desta área de intervenção, é de crucial importância a gestão do risco profissional, que constitui um conjunto de metodologias que permitem identificar, avaliar e controlar o risco. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho de projeto visa a organização dos serviços de Segurança e Saúde do Trabalho, da Região Autónoma dos Açores e posterior implementação. Esta necessidade decorre da inexistência de serviços desta natureza nas Unidades de Saúde de Ilha, apesar de a lei prever a obrigatoriedade dos mesmos fazerem parte dos serviços de saúde. Pretende-se assim com o presente trabalho, delinear o possível Serviço de Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho nas Unidades de Saúde de Ilha na Região Autónoma dos Açores. A metodologia utilizada para a obtenção da informação necessária, para um maior conhecimento da realidade das Unidades de Saúde de Ilha, consistiu na aplicação de um inquérito por questionário a todas as Unidades de Saúde de Ilha da região, seguindo-se a análise e interpretação dos dados obtidos. Ao analisar e interpretar os dados foi possível constatar os défices e/ou lacunas, em termos de recursos humanos e materiais necessários à implementação de serviços desta natureza. No entanto, o projeto foi elaborado no sentido de fazer face a estes condicionalismos, procurando minimizá-los.ABSTRACT: This work intends to show the importance of occupational health through the analysis of the professional risks. In order to fulfill the goals of this area of intervention, it is very important to manage the professional risk, which is a set of methodologies that allow the identification, evaluation and control of the risk. So, this project work regards the organization of the Work Health and Safety Services of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and its farther implementation. This need comes from the nonexistence of such services in the health departments of the island in spite of the law that appoints the compulsory of their existence in the Health Services. Thus, the purpose of this work is to draw the main lines of this future Work Health and Safety Services of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. The methodology used to get the information we needed in order to acquire a deeper knowledge of the Island Health Units reality, was the application of an enquiry to all the Island Health Units of the Region and the further data analysis and interpretation. The data analysis and interpretation gave us the opportunity of verifying the lacks and/or gaps regarding the required human and material resources to the implementation of this kind of services. However, the project has been drawn up in order to deal with these factors, trying to minimize them

Sumário executivo

Três espécies de térmitas são conhecidas actualmente nos Açores: Kalotermes flavicollis (térmita de madeira húmida europeia), Cryptotermes brevis (térmita de madeira seca das Índias Ocidentais), Reticulitermes grassei (térmita subterrânea europeia). Destas, duas, a Cryptotermes brevis e a Reticulitermes grassei estão a provocar grandes prejuízos nas cidades principais dos Açores (Angra do Heroísmo, Ponta Delgada e Horta) e prevê-se que nas próximas décadas possam igualmente ocorrer noutras partes do arquipélag

Ultrastructural study of in vivo produced ovine embryos: characterization of secretory vesicles

The ultrastructure of in vivo produced ovine embryos, at the morula, early blastocyst and late blastocyst stages, was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy. In vivo produced embryos (n=14) were obtained from Portuguese Black Merino ewes, superovulated during Spring. Embryos were recovered by abdominal laparotomy, under general anesthesia, on day 6 or 7 after sponge removal. Embryos were processed for electronic microscopy observation and ultrathin sections (700A) were observed in a transmission electron microscope JEOL 100CXII. Embryonic cells presented intact intercellular junctions, numerous mitochondria, smooth endoplasmic reticulum cisternae and light vesicles. Polyribosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae, secondary lysosomes, Golgi complexes and lipid droplets were also observed in the cytoplasm. The nucleus was well defined with one or more reticular nucleolus. The most noticeable aspect of the cytoplasm of ovine embryos was the presence of abundant cytoplasmic small light vesicles with heterogeneous contents. These light vesicles seem associated to small cisternae of Golgian and endoplasmic reticulum origin and their labile membrane enabled them to rapidly coalesce into medium size vesicles that began to engulf mitochondria and lipid droplets, forming giant vacuoles mostly filled with fat. Incomplete matured secretory vesicles were observed to exocytate into the perivitelline space of morulae, whereas fully matured secretory vesicles appeared only in trophectoderm cells, being exocytated into the blastocoelic cavity

Putting Portuguese and European data into perspective

Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia.Introduction and Objectives Acute heart failure (AHF) is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome requiring urgent therapy. The prognosis is poor after the index hospitalization, with a high risk for rehospitalization and early death. The costs of managing AHF are thus increasing rapidly. A literature review was performed to gather and compare data on prevalence and treatment and to identify gaps in AHF management, based on European and Portuguese studies. Methods A literature search from 1995 to 2014 was conducted in selected databases (BIOSIS Previews, EMBASE and Ovid MEDLINE). Results and Discussion Seven Portuguese and nine European studies were analyzed. The mean age of AHF patients was ≥65 years and 30-50% were women. Coronary artery disease (42.3% vs. 61.9%) and hypertension (53.3% vs. 76.7%) were identified as primary etiologies in Europe and in Portugal. Similar proportions of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction were found in the Portuguese (19.9-44.7%) and European (32.8-39.1%) studies. Overall, all-cause mortality rates were comparable (six months: 9.3-25.5% vs. 13.5-27.4%; one year: 15.9-31% vs. 17.4-46.5%), as was in-hospital mortality (5.5-14% vs. 3.8-12%) in Portuguese and European studies, respectively. Length of stay was comparable. The studies were performed in very different hospital settings and data on treatment were scarce. Conclusions Gaps were identified in treatment and clinical pathways of patients with AHF. Based on the results of this review, collection and investigation of data on the disease and treatment solutions, training in disease management, and improved organization of healthcare should be the subject of further investment.publishersversionpublishe