Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia among adults in Dande municipality, Angola

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia in an Angolan population aged 15 to 64 years and to determine relationships with sociodemographic, behavioural and anthropometric characteristics. Methods: A total of 2 354 individuals were assessed for behavioural, sociodemographic and physical characteristics in a cross-sectional, community-based survey. Post-stratification survey weights were applied to obtain prevalence levels. Adjusted odds ratios for each variable related to the conditions were calculated using logistic regression models. Results: Overall, the prevalence of hypertension was 18.0%, diabetes 9.2% and hypercholesterolaemia 4.0%. Among hypertensive individuals, the awareness rate was 48.5%; 15.8% were on treatment and 9.1% had their blood pressure controlled. Only 10.8% were aware they had diabetes, 4.5% were on treatment and 2.7% were controlled. The awareness level for hypercholesterolaemia was 4.2%, with 1.4% individuals on treatment and 1.4% controlled. Conclusion: The prevalence levels of hypertension and diabetes, which were higher than previous findings for the region, together with the observed low rates of awareness, treatment and control of all conditions studied, constitute an additional challenge to the regional health structures, which must rapidly adapt to the epidemiological shift occurring in this population.This study was funded by the promoters of the CISA as follows: Camões, Institute of Cooperation and Language, Portugal; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal; Government of Bengo Province, Angola; and the Angolan Ministry of Health. Also, the Eduardo dos Santos Foundation, Angola and the Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Portugal (ref UID/DTP/04750/2013) funded this study. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Metabolic Effects of an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Compared to the Mixed Meal Tolerance Tests: A Narrative Review

The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is recommended for assessing abnormalities in glucose homeostasis. Recognised as the gold standard test for diagnosing diabetes, the OGTT provides useful information about glucose tolerance. However, it does not replicate the process of absorption and digestion of complex foods, such as that which occurs with a mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT), an alternative that is still not well explored in the diagnosis of metabolic alterations. The MMTT could be an asset in detecting glucose homeostasis disorders, including diabetes since it has more similarities to the common dietary pattern, allowing early detection of subtle changes in metabolic homeostasis in response to combined nutrients. This alternative has the advantage of being more tolerable and pleasant to patients since it induces a more gradual increase in blood glucose, thus reducing the risk of rebound hypoglycemia and other related complications. The present article reviewed the clinical data available regarding the possibility of screening or diagnosing altered glucose homeostasis, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, with the MMTT

FLUID MECHANICS ANALYSIS IN VOLLEYBALL SERVICES

The service is considered the first attack action in volleyball games. Erratic behavior also appears along the trajectory, hindering reception. We suspect that these effects can be related to the ‘drag crisis’ phenomenon described in fluid mechanics. Thus, we decided to quantify the trajectories of four types of services (underhand, floater, floater with jump, overhand with jump). Altogether, twenty-six real trajectories of service balls were recorded and 3D reconstructed with the DVIDEOW system. Polynomials of the 4th degree of time were adjusted to the coordinates of each trajectory, obtaining the speed and acceleration of the balls. We compared, in the horizontal and vertical planes, the real trajectories with simulated ones in which the ball was submitted to the same initial conditions but without any aerodynamic drag forces. We calculated the Reynolds Number (Re), the drag coefficient (CD) and the drag force (FD), applying the model presented at the XVI ISB Congress (Deprá et al., 1997). We observed that all services are placed in the region of the so-called drag crisis (1.105 < Re < 3.105) and present great variations of drag coefficient (Fig. 1). We also observed that the four types of services analyzed can be ordered in an increasing sequence of Reynolds numbers. The first three types presented a decreasing sequence of median values of CD, accompanying the CD(Re) literature curve (line in Fig. 1). Even so, we observed the growth of the drag force (FD) as a function of Re (Fig. 2). Comparing the magnitude of the two forces that act on the ball, we estimated that in the case of the overhand service with jump the drag force becomes up to 1.4 times larger than the weight force (mg = 2.55 N). All these kind of quantification may also be used to compare characteristics of different players

Diet and Asthma: A Narrative Review

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that impacts millions of people worldwide. Recent studies suggest that diet may play a role in asthma pathophysiology. Several dietary factors have been recognized as potential contributors to the development and severity of asthma for its inflammatory and oxidative effects. Some food groups such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats appear to exert positive effects on asthma disease. On the other hand, a high consumption of dietary salt, saturated fats, and trans-fat seems to have the opposite effect. Nonetheless, as foods are not consumed separately, more research is warranted on the topic of dietary patterns. The mechanisms underlying these associations are not yet fully understood, but it is thought that diet can modulate both the immune system and inflammation, two key factors in asthma development and exacerbation. The purpose of this review is to examine how common food groups and dietary patterns are associated with asthma. In general, this research demonstrated that fruits and vegetables, fiber, healthy fats, and dietary patterns considered of high quality appear to be beneficial to asthma disease. Nonetheless, additional research is needed to better understand the interrelation between diet and asthma, and to determine the most effective dietary interventions for asthma prevention and management. Currently, there is no established dietary pattern for asthma management and prevention, and the nuances of certain food groups in relation to this disease require further investigation

34. Grip strength across Europe –North/ South and East/West divides

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Experimental measurement of bridge deflection using Digital Image Correlation

Civil engineering bridges usually face a multitude of loads, ranging from strong winds to intense traffic. Thus, it is important to understand their behaviour for adequate maintenance design and prevention of catastrophic failure. The present work reports an image sensing methodology for deflection measurement that was successfully employed on the Entre-Águas bridge in Caniçal, Madeira, Portugal. For the application of two-dimensional Digital Image Correlation, it was necessary to build and deploy a patterned target onto the bridge in the monitored area and a camera setup in stable ground on a plane orthogonal to the target. Two different 2D DIC software packages were used for calculations, one commercial and one self-developed, enabling their comparison and increasing the confidence in the experimental results. The developed system was applied in order to analyze the effects of the passage of 30-ton trucks in the bridge, with promising results.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of food eviction on the nutritional status and adequacy of nutritional intake on children with food allergy

[resumo][abstract

Object oriented programming : data preparation and visualization of FEM models

In this paper two object oriented applications are described. The former is intended to generate data associated with the finite element method (FEM) and the later is a three-dimensional visualization tool named 3DMesh. Both are based on the principles of object oriented programming, namely encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism. To support the preparation of FEM data, a language named 3DO was developed. Its syntax is similar to a subset of the C++ programming language. 3DO is based on object construction and modification by methods that require a small number of arguments. With this tool, mesh generation, definition of properties and loads and mesh refinement can be performed with limited user effort, even when the model is complex. All the generated information can be visualized with the program 3DMesh. This application is based on the OpenGL library and uses the Microsoft Foundation Classes to simplify its integration in the MS-Windows environment. 3DMesh implements an interactive navigation technique that allows the visualization of the model interior, preserving its integrity. Model attributes and the results of the FEM analysis can also be visualized

Field and Molecular Epidemiology: How Viral Sequencing Changed Transmission Inferences in the First Portuguese SARS-CoV-2 Infection Cluster

Field epidemiology and viral sequencing provide a comprehensive characterization of transmission chains and allow a better identification of superspreading events. However, very few examples have been presented to date during the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the first COVID-19 cluster detected in Portugal (59 individuals involved amongst extended family and work environments), following the return of four related individuals from work trips to Italy. The first patient to introduce the virus would be misidentified following the traditional field inquiry alone, as shown by the viral sequencing in isolates from 23 individuals. The results also pointed out family, and not work environment, as the primary mode of transmission.This work was funded by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT; Research4COVID19 projects 198_596862267, 617_613735895, 186_596855206). FCT also financed the PhD grant to NP (SFRH/BD/136299/2018) and post-doc grant to VF (SFRH/BPD/114927/2016)