Acute kidney injury in severe trauma assessed by RIFLE criteria: a common feature without implications on mortality?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been hard to assess due to the lack of standard definitions. Recently, the Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss and End-Stage Kidney (RIFLE) classification has been proposed to classify AKI in a number of clinical settings. This study aims to estimate the frequency and levels of severity of AKI and to study its association with patient mortality and length of stay (LOS) in a cohort of trauma patients needing intensive care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between August 2001 and September 2007, 436 trauma patients consecutively admitted to a general intensive care unit (ICU), were assessed using the RIFLE criteria. Demographic data, characteristics of injury, and severity of trauma variables were also collected.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Half of all ICU trauma admissions had AKI, which corresponded to the group of patients with a significantly higher severity of trauma. Among patients with AKI, RIFLE class R (Risk) comprised 47%, while I (Injury) and F (Failure) were, 36% and 17%, respectively. None of these patients required renal replacement therapy. No significant differences were found among these three AKI classes in relation to patient's age, gender, type and mechanism of injury, severity of trauma or mortality. Nevertheless, increasing severity of acute renal injury was associated with a longer ICU stay.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AKI is a common feature among trauma patients requiring intensive care. Although the development of AKI is associated with an increased LOS it does not appear to influence patient mortality.</p

Context storage for M2M scenarios

As the number of environmental sensors grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage, store and process all these sources of information. Several context representation schemes try to standardize this information, however none of them have been widely adopted. Instead of proposing yet another context representation scheme, we discuss efficient ways to deal with this diversity of representation schemes. We defined the basic requirements for flexible context storage systems, proposed an implementation and compared our implementation against two other approaches. Our solution provides more value than the remaining solutions without suffering a significant decrease in performance

Tutorial usefulness in videogame Wii consoles : fast learning of guidelines and game movements

One of the key challenges of video game design is teaching new players how to play. Although game developers frequently use tutorials to teach game mechanics, little is known about how tutorials affect game learnability and player engagement. Seeking this problem, this paper intends to analyse the efficiency and usability of the Wii Sports tutorials and also the user s learning curve. The study was based upon heuristics, direct observation of the users and questionnaires, in order to evaluate all possible variables.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Suitability of dynamic environments in virtual reality for schizophrenia therapies

Serious Games (SG) have a significant positive impact on a wide range of purposes. Serious virtual games focused on the rehabilitation of schizophrenia are able to bring improvements to patients who require constant and individualized rehabilitation. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that has no cure and requires intensive rehabilitation for symptoms relief. Virtual Reality (VR) has gained acceptance in the medical field for a variety of rehabilitation by virtue of its immersiveness and versatility. Virtual environments can assist this process, seeking to contemplate important topics for their daily lives, facilitating the understanding of their situation and difficulties. To achieve more effective results, a virtual scenario must be dynamic and suitable to each patient. Nonplayable Character (NPC), which in this work can be human-like or pet-like representations, tasks, varied and objective interactions, and the ambiance all play an important role in determining the expected result. The work described in this paper approaches previously mentioned topics by investigating the contribution of previous works in this context for approaching multiple elements that control the dynamic environment, bringing new modalities and research for the development of a SG for VR focused on the rehabilitation of schizophrenia by facilitating schizophrenics’ daily lives.This work is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project GreenHealth - Digital strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote Green health, Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of a 12-Week Strength Training Program on Muscle Strength Measures of Institutionalized Older Adults—A Pilot Study

Institutionalized older adults are characterized by high levels of dependence and low levels of physical activity compared to those living in the community. This combination of factors leads to an increased risk of loss of muscle mass. Sarcopenia can be countered through strength training. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a strength training program on the physical fitness of institutionalized older adults. This study included a sample of 31 institutionalized older adults (20 females, 11 males) aged between 65 and 96 years (M = 81.64, SD = 8.67). Participants reported an average institutionalization duration of 2.43 years (SD = 2.20), ranging from half a year to ten years. A 12-week strength training program was implemented, with sessions held twice a week. Strength fitness was assessed through the following parameters: handgrip strength, upper limb muscular endurance, lower limb muscular endurance, agility and balance, body mass index, and waist circumference. The results demonstrated that a 12-week strength training program improved physical fitness in terms of lower limb muscular endurance, upper limb muscular endurance, agility, and dynamic balance (p < 0.05).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O conceito de saturação em Volumina de Ligeti

UID/EAT/00693/2013publishersversionpublishe

Disciplinas semestrais e reorganização institucional de uma escola privada

Encontro realizado na Escola Superior de Educação de Bragança, nos dias 5 e 6 de Maio de 2017A presente investigação centra-se no papel que a reorganização do currículo em disciplinas do 3.º ciclo do ensino básico poderá ter na promoção de desenvolvimento profissional docente e, em última instância, no desenvolvimento organizacional da escola. O propósito desta investigação, que recorre ao contexto específico de uma escola particular e cooperativa da Grande Lisboa, no ano letivo de 2016/2017, consistiu em procurar perceber como teve lugar, em termos operacionais, a reorganização do currículo do 3.º ciclo do ensino básico, em que algumas disciplinas anuais funcionaram em regime semestral. O enquadramento legal que norteou esta organização curricular é o que está estabelecido no Decreto-lei n.º 65/2016, de 4 de abril, onde são elencados os princípios orientadores da organização e da gestão dos currículos dos ensinos básico e secundário, da avaliação do ensino e das aprendizagens e do processo de desenvolvimento do currículo dos ensinos básico e secundário. A nível metodológico, a investigação revestiu-se de uma natureza predominantemente qualitativa, na linha de um paradigma interpretativo, tendo sido aplicado um questionário a professores, bem como a chefias de topo e intermédias, para além da recolha documental. O questionário foi concebido pelos autores, com uma escala de Likert de 5 pontos, tendo em vista dar resposta à problematização enunciada. No tratamento dos dados recorreu-se a técnicas de natureza quantitativa, ao nível da estatística descritiva. Em termos de resultados, esperava-se que a investigação pudesse contribuir para uma maior reflexão sobre diferentes formas de organizar o currículo, ajudando a compreender algumas das dinâmicas organizacionais da escola e de como estas poderão contribuir para um desenvolvimento profissional docente e da própria estrutura organizacional. Os resultados apontam para uma valoração, por parte dos respondentes, das disciplinas semestrais para o reforço dos níveis motivacionais dos alunos, ajudando-os a envolver-se mais nas aprendizagens, bem como a assunção de estratégias inovadoras no reportório de práticas docentes, decorrentes da implementação de disciplinas semestrais no ensino básico, não sendo consensual, contudo, a ideia que a reorganização curricular poderá contribuir para o desenvolvimento organizacional da escola.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Odontometrics analysis from a commingled archaeological human population related to 1755 Lisbon’s earthquake

Introduction: The variation observed when studying odontometrics has immensely contributed over time to the investigation of hominid evolution and the population groups’ diversity, according to their geographic distribution. The present study consists in the evaluation of odontometrics belonging to commingled human remains found in Academia das Ciências de Lisboa from the 1755 Lisbon’s Earthquake. Aims: The first purpose is to comprehend if the odontometrics obtained in this study’s sample fit its time and region, through the comparison of other populations in different locations. The second one is focused on the analysis of odontometrics’ evolution through time, in the same region. Materials and methods: The whole sample of 1479 teeth was weighed in two different types of electronic scales and measured, using a digital caliper, through three diameters: mesiodistal (MD), buccopalatine (BP) and crown height (CH). Results: The average values of mesiodistal and buccopalatine diameter of upper incisors are respectively, 8.200 mm and 7.021 mm for the central incisor, and 6.296 mm and 6.209 mm for the lateral. The upper canine has an average value of mesiodistal diameter of 7.435 mm and an average value of buccopalatine diameter of 8.016 mm. The measurements revealed a high concentration of observations with values close to the median and few observations with distant values (very few outliers). Conclusion: Odontometrics obtained in Lisboa’s sample are within the expected standards for that epoch. Plus, the results captured in recent studies reveal MD and BP diameters values slightly high

Analysis of Human skeletal remains in 1755 Lisbon earthquake commingled and disarticulated population: estimating stature from long limb bones except femur

Introduction: Stature estimation is a parameter of great value for the reconstruction of the history and evolution of populations. Trotter and Gleser developed a study in which the stature estimation was obtained through the measurement of the maximum length of long bones, being possible to identify populations by determining these measurements. Aims: The main purpose of this study is focused on the paleodemographic characterization of the catastrophic population from the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, by obtaining stature estimation through the measurement of upper and lower long limb bones (except femurs). Material and Methods: The sample covers a total of 1039 bones, 324 whole (75% or more percentage of bone remaining) and 715 fragments, including 177 humeri, 290 radii, 286 ulnae, 77 tibiae and 209 fibulae. For the 324 whole bones, there was an exclusion of 123 bones since it wasn’t possible to measure their maximum length. The “White” Terry Collection equations by Trotter and Gleser (1952), with corrigenda to this (1977), were the most indicated for this study. Results: It was determined a minimum number of 151 individuals for the sample of this study, discriminated in 68 right whole radii and 83 right radii diaphysis. The average values of stature estimation for this population were 160,50 cm for females and 162,54 cm for males. Conclusions: The sample of this study presents a pronounced similarity, concerning the stature estimation, with the 19th century Portuguese sample from Mendes-Corrêa study. Trotter and Gleser formulas and its application have shown to be an accurate method for stature estimation