Perceção de saúde e avaliação das necessidades de intervenção em população sem-abrigo institucionalizada

A população em condição sem-abrigo tem aumentado de dia para dia. A par disto aumentaram também os estudos sobre esta problemática. Neste contexto, a presente investigação diz respeito a um estudo descritivo, exploratório de abordagem qualitativa, realizada com dez utentes (oito do sexo masculino e dois do sexo feminino) de uma instituição de apoio aos sem-abrigo e com quatro elementos da Equipa Técnica da mesma. Os objetivos do presente estudo são: Explorar a perceção de saúde dos utentes da Associação dos Albergues Nocturnos do Porto (AANP); Explorar a perceção de saúde e a promoção da saúde dos utentes segundo a perspetiva da equipa técnica; avaliar as necessidades de intervenção dos utentes da AANP; Avaliar a satisfação dos serviços da AANP. A recolha dos dados foi feita através de dois guiões de entrevista semi-estruturadas (um para os utentes e um para os técnicos) e de um questionário sociodemográfico. A análise dos resultados, foi feita através de análise de conteúdo segundo a perspetiva de Bardin. Assim, das entrevistas realizadas aos utentes obteve-se as seguintes classes temáticas: saúde dos utentes; serviços da instituição e satisfação com os mesmos; alojamento e entraves à reabilitação e reinserção social. Das entrevistas realizadas à Equipa Técnica obteve-se as seguintes classes temáticas: saúde e comportamentos de saúde dos utentes; promoção da saúde; serviços da AANP e apoios aos Sem-Abrigo e entraves à sua reabilitação e reinserção social.The homeless population is growing day by day. So as a consequence, the development of studies in this area is now increasing too. In this context, this investigation is in fact a descriptive study that will explore a qualitative approach, carried out with ten users (eight males and two females) of an institution that gives support to the homeless and with the participation of four members of the institution technical team. The goals of this study are: Explore the perception of health in the “Associação dos Albergues Nocturnos do Porto (AANP)” users; Explore the perception of health and promotion of health to the users of the institution AANP, from the perspective of the technical team; Evaluation of intervention needs of the AANP users; and Evaluation of the satisfaction with the AANP services. The collection of data was made using two interview guides (one for the users and one for the technicians) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The analysis of data recovered was made by content analysis following the Bardin perspective. So, from all the interviews realized to the users was possible to yield the following thematic classes: health of users; institution services and satisfaction with them; accommodation; barriers to reintegration and social rehabilitation. In the interviews performed to the technical team was possible to yield the following thematic classes: health and health behaviors of users; health promotion; AANP services; the support and help to the reintegration and social rehabilitation

Simulation study

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 JMIR Publications Inc.. All rights reserved.Background: Contact tracing is a fundamental intervention in public health. When systematically applied, it enables the breaking of chains of transmission, which is important for controlling COVID-19 transmission. In theoretically perfect contact tracing, all new cases should occur among quarantined individuals, and an epidemic should vanish. However, the availability of resources influences the capacity to perform contact tracing. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate its effectiveness threshold. We propose that this effectiveness threshold may be indirectly estimated using the ratio of COVID-19 cases arising from quarantined high-risk contacts, where higher ratios indicate better control and, under a threshold, contact tracing may fail and other restrictions become necessary. Objective: This study assessed the ratio of COVID-19 cases in high-risk contacts quarantined through contact tracing and its potential use as an ancillary pandemic control indicator. Methods: We built a 6-compartment epidemiological model to emulate COVID-19 infection flow according to publicly available data from Portuguese authorities. Our model extended the usual susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered model by adding a compartment Q with individuals in mandated quarantine who could develop infection or return to the susceptible pool and a compartment P with individuals protected from infection because of vaccination. To model infection dynamics, data on SARS-CoV-2 infection risk (IR), time until infection, and vaccine efficacy were collected. Estimation was needed for vaccine data to reflect the timing of inoculation and booster efficacy. In total, 2 simulations were built: one adjusting for the presence and absence of variants or vaccination and another maximizing IR in quarantined individuals. Both simulations were based on a set of 100 unique parameterizations. The daily ratio of infected cases arising from high-risk contacts (q estimate) was calculated. A theoretical effectiveness threshold of contact tracing was defined for 14-day average q estimates based on the classification of COVID-19 daily cases according to the pandemic phases and was compared with the timing of population lockdowns in Portugal. A sensitivity analysis was performed to understand the relationship between different parameter values and the threshold obtained. Results: An inverse relationship was found between the q estimate and daily cases in both simulations (correlations >0.70). The theoretical effectiveness thresholds for both simulations attained an alert phase positive predictive value of >70% and could have anticipated the need for additional measures in at least 4 days for the second and fourth lockdowns. Sensitivity analysis showed that only the IR and booster dose efficacy at inoculation significantly affected the q estimates. Conclusions: We demonstrated the impact of applying an effectiveness threshold for contact tracing on decision-making. Although only theoretical thresholds could be provided, their relationship with the number of confirmed cases and the prediction of pandemic phases shows the role as an indirect indicator of the efficacy of contact tracing.publishe

Seafood processing, preservation, and analytical techniques in the age of industry 4.0

Fish and other seafood products are essential dietary components that are highly appreciated and consumed worldwide. However, the high perishability of these products has driven the development of a wide range of processing, preservation, and analytical techniques. This development has been accelerated in recent years with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) technologies, digitally transforming almost every industry, including the food and seafood industry. The purpose of this review paper is to provide an updated overview of recent thermal and nonthermal processing and preservation technologies, as well as advanced analytical techniques used in the seafood industry. A special focus will be given to the role of different Industry 4.0 technologies to achieve smart seafood manufacturing, with high automation and digitalization. The literature discussed in this work showed that emerging technologies (e.g., ohmic heating, pulsed electric field, high pressure processing, nanotechnology, advanced mass spectrometry and spectroscopic techniques, and hyperspectral imaging sensors) are key elements in industrial revolutions not only in the seafood industry but also in all food industry sectors. More research is still needed to explore how to harness the Industry 4.0 innovations in order to achieve a green transition toward more profitable and sustainable food production systems.José S. Câmara and Rosa Perestrelo acknowledge FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through the CQM Base Fund—UIDB/00674/2020, and Programmatic Fund—UIDP/00674/2020, Madeira 14–20 Program, project PROEQUIPRAM—Reforço do Investimento em Equipamentos e Infraestruturas Científicas na RAM (M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000008), and ARDITI—Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação, through M1420-01-0145- FEDER-000005—Centro de Química da Madeira—CQM+ (Madeira 14–20 Program) for their support. The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting the Ramón y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891); by Xunta de Galicia for supporting the program EXCELENCIAED431F 2020/12; and the pre-doctoral grant of P. Garcia-Oliveira (ED481A-2019/295); and by the program BENEFICIOS DO CONSUMO DAS ESPECIES TINTORERA-(CO-0019-2021).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Caracterização da carcaça e carne de bovinos submetidos ao sistema de Carne Carbono Neutro.

Objetivou-se, nesse trabalho, comparar o produto gerado em um sistema passível de receber o selo CCN com o produto em condições similares, porém, sem a presença de árvores. Foram realizados três abates experimentais (2016, 2017 e 2018) nos quais foram avaliadas as características de carcaça e a qualidade da carne de animais tipo CCN ou não

Establishment of Monstera deliciosa fruit volatile metabolomic profile at different ripening stages using solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

The volatile metabolomic profile of Monstera deliciosa fruits (M. deliciosa, ceriman) at three ripening stages, ripe, half-ripe and unripe, was established using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry detection (GC–qMS). To obtain the optimal HS-SPME conditions, the main experimental parameters that influence the extraction efficiency and experimental response were analyzed. The highest extraction efficiency was achieved with 1 g of ceriman sample, using a polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber for 60 min at 40 °C with 15% NaCl (w/w). After optimization, all ceriman samples were analyzed with the best extraction conditions that allowed to identify 80 volatile metabolites (VOMs), belonging to different chemical groups namely ethyl esters (88.61–77.94%), terpenoids (18.08–9.83%), carbonyl compounds (3.41–1.05%), higher alcohols (1.41–0.51%) and lactones (0.14–0.03%). Thirty-eight of the identified volatile metabolites (47.50%) have not been reported in M. deliciosa, so far, providing a more complete characterization of its volatile composition. The predominant VOMs identified in M. deliciosa fruits were ethyl butanoate, linalool, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl 2-methyl butanoate, butanoic acid, ethyl benzoate and propyl butanoate. Remarkable differences were found in both the quantitative and qualitative composition of M. deliciosa fruits at different ripening stages. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided a suitable tool to differentiate the volatile profile of target fruits among three ripening stages.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chronic Copper Sulfate Poisoning

Copper, as a salt, is toxic and has the potential to harm multiple organs. Copper intoxication causes intravascular haemolysis followed by liver and kidney failure that can be fatal. We present a case of chronic copper sulfate poisoning in a 66-year-old man with dysphagia to solids and liquids, anaemia, acute kidney injury, liver cytolysis and hypocalcaemia. The patient improved with supportive care, but chronic kidney disease was established. Anamnesis was crucial for the diagnosis, given the non-specific signs and symptoms. The history of chronic exposure to pest treatment with a blue dust cloud made us suspect copper sulfate poisoning