A Laje da Churra (Paço, Carreço, Viana do Castelo) : estudo monográfico de um lugar gravado

Dissertação de mestrado em ArqueologiaOs vestígios arqueológicos no noroeste português são vastos especialmente no que concerne à arte rupestre de ar livre. Na orla litoral, a norte de Viana do Castelo, o espaço encontra-se repleta de lugares gravados que outrora marcaram e ou celebraram o meio e promoveram a identidades de determinadas comunidades. Um destes lugares é a Laje da Churra. Localizando-se no sopé da vertente oeste da serra de Santa Luzia, entre a montanha e o mar, este lugar encontra-se num terreno propício à acumulação de águas, adjacente ao ribeiro da Fonte Quente. Cingido por casas e parcialmente destruído por muros que dividem propriedades e por uma pequena estrada, a Laje da Churra corresponde, ainda, a um afloramento granítico de aproximadamente 400 m2, bem destacado do solo. Com uma inclinação suave para sul e pendentes mais declivosas para nascente e poente, esta superfície rochosa foi gravada com um grande número de motivos rupestres de diferentes temáticas. Centrámos os objetivos deste trabalho em tentar perceber a biografia deste lugar e entender a importância simbólica e social que teve para as comunidades que viveram nesta área litoral. Desenvolvemos várias metodologias de investigação para alcançar estes objetivos. Reali zámos prospeção no seu espaço circundante e o estudo do afloramento gravado que se focou na sua limpeza, no levantamento gráfico e fotográfico das gravuras rupestres e na escavação de uma área a nascente e adjacente ao afloramento. Tivemos ainda em atenção as características físicas do afloramento e da sua envolvente. Usámos, ainda um Sistema de Informação Geográfica para podermos entender a relação espacial da Laje da Churra com outros sítios e efetuar a simulação da sua área de visualização. Os 1170 motivos gravados, os diferentes motivos e técnicas e as sobreposições sugerem que este lugar foi utilizado e reutilização, sobretudo, por comunidades que habitaram a zona entre o Neolítico / Calcolítico e a Idade do Ferro, embora existam alguns elementos de períodos históricos. As relações entre motivos e as características do afloramento, nomeadamente a sua forma, a exposição solar e a proximidade de águas, indicam que existiu um diálogo e uma intenção de gravar motivos específicos em certos pontos da superfíc ie rochosa. Também colocámos a hipótese de que existiu um certo modo de movimentação da audiência por forma a que todos os motivos da Laje da Churra pudessem ser observados. Estas duas características fazemnos colocar a hipótese de que estamos face a um lugar cerimonial. Depreendemos, igualmente, que a visibilidade da Laje da Churra para o meio envolvente é um pouco restrita, sendo fechada para muitos quadrantes e apenas aberta para áreas de grande potencialidade agrícola, abundantes em linhas de água que desaguam no oceano, pelo que a agricultura e a fertilidade seria importante para as comunidades que gravaram na Churra. No que consta a visualização e a inter-visibilidade deste lugar com outros seus contemporâneos, percebemos que existe pouca visibilidade entre eles, sendo apenas visíveis o monumento funerário da Cova da Moura do Bronze Final e o Castro de Montedor ou Monte da Gandra da Idade do Ferro, pelo que talvez este lugar fosse intencionalmente “escondido”.In the Portuguese northwest, the archaeological vestiges are vast, especially regarding open air rock art. On the coast, north of Viana do Castelo, the space is full of engraved places that in the past marked and or celebrated their surroundings and promoted identity of such communities. One of these places is Laje da Churra. Located at the base of the western facade of Santa Luzia Mountains, between the mountains and the sea, this place is situated on a land prone to water accumulation, near Fonte Quente stream. Surrounded by houses, and partially destroyed by walls that divide proprieties and a small road, Laje da Churra corresponds to a granite outcrop of approximately 400m2, well detached from the soil. With a soft incline to the south and a more accentuated pendent’s to east and west, this rock surface was engraved with a large number of different thematic motifs. The objectives of this study focused on trying to understand the biography of this place and comprehend the symbolic and social importance that it had to the communities that lived in this coastal area. We developed various investigation methodologies to reach these goals. We made a prospection on the surrounding area and studied the engraved outcrop. This was focused on cleaning, graphic tracing and photographic recording of the engravings, and an archaeological excavation on the adjacent area, east of the outcrop. We paid more attention to the physical characteristics of the outcrop and its surroundings. We also used, Geographic Information Systems, so we could understand the spatial relationship to other places and perform the simulation of its visualisation area. Of the 1170 engravings, the different motifs, techniques and overlaps suggests that this place was used and re-used, especially by communities that lived in this area between the Neolithic / Chalcolithic and Iron Age, even though there are some elements of the historic period. The relationship between motifs and the outcrop characteristics, mainly it’s shape, sun exposure, and the proximity to waters, indicate that a dialog existed and there was an intention of engraving specific motifs to certain points of the rock surface. Also, we put the hypothesis that a certain manner in the movement of audiences existed, and in such a way that all the engravings at Laje da Churra could be observed. These two characteristics make us put the hypothesis that we are facing a ceremonial place. We also believe that the visibility from Laje da Churra to its surroundings is a little restricted, being locked to most quadrants and only opened to agricultural areas, abundant in water lines that run into the sea, therefore the agriculture and fertility were important for the communities that engraved in Churra. Regarding the visibility and inter-visibility of this place to others dated the same period, we understand that there is diminutive visibility among them. The only visible sites are the funerary monument Cova da Moura dated Late Bronze Age, and Castro of Montedor or Monte da Gandra dating from the Iron Age, maybe this place was intentionally “hidden”.Programa Operacional Temático Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE).Fundo Comunitário Europeu FEDE

Breakfast Cereals Intended for Children: Opportunities for Reformulation and Potential Impact on Nutrient Intake

This article belongs to the Section Food NutritionReady-to-eat cereals (RTECs) have become a popular breakfast option claiming to provide important nutrients to children’s diets, despite being a source of excess sugar and, therefore, a health concern. Thus, food reformulation constitutes an important public health strategy that could benefit from inputs provided by nutrient profiling. This study aimed to assess the adequacy of the RTECs for children available in Portuguese supermarkets, applying three nutrient profile models (NPMs)—the nutrient profile model of the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe (WHO-EURO), the profile of the private-sector EU Pledge (EU-Pledge), and the national model developed by the Directorate-General of Health (NPM-PT)—in order to explore the potential for reformulation of the RTECs identified as not adequate and evaluate the impact of RTECs’ reformulation on the nutritional quality of Portuguese children’s diets. In total, 78 RTECs intended for children were assessed and two scenarios—current (not considering reformulation) and alternative (considering reformulation to accomplish the nutrient profile requirements)—were considered to assess the impact of reformulation on nutritional quality. Across all RTECs, only 5.1% could be promoted to children according to the considered NPMs. The most common nutrients requiring reformulation were sugar, saturated fatty acids (SFA), salt, and dietary fiber. The scenarios of reformulation considered could reduce the RTECs average content of total sugars, SFA, and salt by 43%, 8.7%, and 1.1%, respectively, and dietary fiber intake could be increased by 34%. Thus, these results support policies to implement reformulation strategies for developing healthier food products to be promoted to children.The authors appreciate the financial support of AHFES project (EAPA_1071_2018AHFES). This project was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Atlantic Area Program. Ricardo Assunção thanks FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020) through national funds, and the FCT Individual CEEC 2018 Assistant Researcher Grant CEECIND/01570/2018. The IAN-AF 2015–2016 was supported by funding received from the EEA Grants Program, Public Health Initiatives (PT06-000088SI3).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nutritional quality of foods consumed by the Portuguese population according to the Nutri-Score and consistency with nutritional recommendations

In the last few years, public health authorities have shown interest in introducing front-of-pack labelling (FOPL), as one of the main policies to combat diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Nutri-Score is a FOPL that categorizes a food product into five categories according to its nutritional value. This study aimed to investigate the ability of Nutri-Score to discriminate the nutritional quality of foods consumed by the Portuguese population and the consistency with the food-based dietary guidelines. The applicability of Nutri-Score was assessed by applying it to 165 food products that were considered under the PT-Total Diet Study (PT-TDS). At least three categories (colours/letters) of the Nutri-Score were observed for most of the food groups and for sub-groups a minimum of two categories were identified. The Nutri-Score showed moderate agreement with the Portuguese Nutrient Profile Model (PT-NPM) (k = 0.416). The food classification according to the Nutri-Score was consistent with the nutritional recommendations. Food groups in which consumption is encouraged were more favourably classified than those in which consumption should be limited (i.e., Vegetables and Pastries were classified as A (93.0%) and E (57.1%), respectively). Appropriate food labelling with a system such as Nutri-Score can be relevant to health-promoting purchasing choices, improving diet quality and consequently public health.This work has been funded by the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge, I.P., under the project ‘Incentivo aos Estudos de Dieta Total’ (Reference number 2016DAN1260). Elsa Vasco and M. Graça Dias previous work (unpublished) contributed to this study, and they were responsible for the sampling plan, collection and treatment of food products, which we thank. This manuscript was developed under the scope of WHO Collaborating Centre on Nutrition and Childhood Obesity—National Health Institute Dr. Ricardo Jorge. Ricardo Assunçao ˜ thanks FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Life-cycle greenhouse gas assessment of portuguese chestnut

This paper presents a life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) assessment of various chestnut production systems in northern Portugal. Life-cycle models and inventories were implemented for three chestnut cultivation systems and two processing lines (fresh and frozen chestnut). The overall GHG intensity ranged between 0.4-2.7 (fresh) and 0.6-2.9 (frozen) kg CO2eq kg-1 harvested chestnut. The cultivation contribution to the overall GHG intensity varied considerably (from 0.36 to 2.69 kg CO2eq kg-1 harvested chestnut) mainly due to different yields and input requirements (diesel and fertilizers) among the three chestnut cultivation systems analysed. The GHG emissions associated with chestnut processing ranged between 0.05 (for fresh chestnut, mostly from propane consumption) and 0.23 kg CO2eq kg-1 harvested chestnut (for frozen chestnut, mainly due to electricity consumption). The results demonstrate the importance of cultivation management practices, in particular an efficient use of fertilizers in order to minimize the GHG intensity of Portuguese chestnut.This research was supported by ECODEEP project (Eco-efficiency and Eco-management in the Agro Industrial sector, FCOMP–05–0128–FEDER–018643), FEDER funds through “Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade” - COMPETE and by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-029055 (PTDC/EMS-ENE/1839/2012), project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-021495 (PTDC/SEN-TRA/117251/2010), and project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022692. Was also supported by the R&D project EMSURE (CENTRO-07-0224-FEDER-002004).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Nutrient profile models a useful tool to facilitate healthier food choices: A comprehensive review

Background: The term “nutrient profile” (NP) has been associated with several concepts arising from the need to regulate the choice of food products, and to allow consumers to make informed and healthier food choices. The use of NP models as a policy tool to improve public health nutrition and reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, is receiving increasing attention. Scope and approach: To clarifying the importance of NP models as tools to establish public health interventions concerning consumers’ food choices, a literature review of the guiding principles to implement NP models was conducted. The covered topics include main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and associated gaps of the considered NP models. Key findings and conclusions: From the selected studies, a total of 85 documents were included. Nutrient profiling has a wide range of applications including front-of-pack (FoP) food labelling, regulation of food marketing to children, regulation of health and nutrition claims and school food standards. Sodium, saturated fatty acids (SFA), and total sugars were the nutrients most frequently to limit; on the contrary fibre was the most used qualifying nutrient. This review gathers, through a holistic approach, the scientific basis behind the development of the NP model, reinforcing the importance of these tools, and enabling regulators with information to establish an appropriate model.Highlights: A ‘healthy’ diet requires informed and healthy food choices by the consumers; Nutrient Profile (NP) models result from the need to promote healthier food choices; NP models can be a useful tool to help consumers choose healthier food; Different nutrient profile models are needed for different purposes; Key points should be considered in the development and sustainable application of NP models.Ricardo Assunção thanks FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

are they a matter of concern?

Proper nutrition in infancy and early childhood is crucial to ensuring optimal child development, growth, and better health outcomes later in life. The nutrient profile model proposed by WHO/Europe aims to assess the nutritional quality and promotional/marketing aspects of commercial baby foods aimed at children up to 36 months. We used commercial data from 191 baby foods collected between March 2021 and July 2021, from eight supermarket chains in the Lisbon Metropolitan area. According to the model specifications and the NOVA classification system, we assessed the nutritional quality and promotion aspects and the degree of processing, respectively. The presence of at least one sugar-contributing ingredient was found in 34.0% of the products; 13.9% of products listed sugars and 15.0% listed fruit juices or concentrates as an ingredient. The claim "No added sugar" was present in 69.6% of products. Only 35.1% of products comply with all the nutritional requirements of the model. Concerning processing classification, 61.8% of products were ultra-processed, and about 57.0% were indicated for children < 12 months. These findings reinforce the importance of implementing measures to ensure that commercial foods for infants are marketed appropriately and to promote foods with a lower degree of processing.publishersversionpublishe

Surveillance of the nutritional quality of hospital meals, between 2017 and 2019

A alimentação em meio hospitalar tem vindo a ser objeto de debate junto dos profissionais de saúde, dado o papel determinante que desempenha no tratamento e recuperação do doente. O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade nutricional de refeições hospitalares recolhidas entre 2017 e 2019. Foram analisadas laboratorialmente 32 refeições completas constituídas por prato de carne (53,1 %), prato de pescado (40,6%) e vegetariano (6,3%). A avaliação nutricional incluiu a quantificação dos valores de energia, hidratos de carbono, proteína, gordura total, fibra alimentar e sal e posterior estudo da adequabilidade nutricional, através da verificação dos desvios relativos às recomendações nutricionais estabelecidas para uma população que se considerou como sendo de doentes adultos na faixa etária entre os 19 e os 74 anos. As refeições constituídas por prato de carne apresentaram valores médios superiores de densidade energética, proteína, gordura e hidratos de carbono, comparativamente com as restantes refeições. As refeições com prato vegetariano foram as que revelaram um teor médio de sal mais baixo. Nos três tipos de refeições verificou-se um incumprimento das recomendações nutricionais relativamente aos teores de energia, proteína e sal. Este estudo vai ao encontro dos que consideram a vigilância nutricional periódica como uma forma de evidenciar tendências e identificar desvios, permitindo a implementação de ações corretivas apropriadas e atempadas para a melhoria da qualidade nutricional das refeições hospitalares.The provision of hospital meals has been a topic of debate among health professionals, given the decisive role it plays in the treatment and recovery of patients. This study aimed to assess the nutritional quality of hospital meals collected between 2017 and 2019. A total of 32 complete meals consisting of meat dishes (53.1 %), fish dishes (40.6%) and vegetarian (6.3%) were laboratory analysed. The nutritional evaluation included the quantification of energy, carbohydrates, protein, total fat, dietary fibre and salt contents and subsequent study of nutritional adequacy, through the verification of the deviations relative to the nutritional recommendations established for a population, which was considered to be adult patients aged between 19-74 years. The meals consisting of a meat dish presented higher mean values of energy, protein, fat and carbohydrates when compared with the other meals. In the vegetarian meals, it was observed the lowest mean salt content. In all three types of meals, there was a lack of compliance with the nutritional recommendations in terms of energy, protein and salt content. This study is in accordance with those who consider periodic nutritional surveillance as a way to highlight trends and identify deviations, allowing the implementation of appropriate and timely corrective actions to improve the nutritional quality of hospital meals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Life-cycle greenhouse gas assessment of Portuguese chestnut

This paper presents a life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) assessment of various chestnut production systems in northern Portugal. Life-cycle models and inventories were implemented for three chestnut cultivation systems and two processing lines (fresh and frozen chestnut). The overall GHG intensity ranged between 0.4-2.7 (fresh) and 0.6-2.9 (frozen) kg CO2eq kg-1 harvested chestnut. The cultivation contribution to the overall GHG intensity varied considerably (from 0.36 to 2.69 kg CO2eq kg-1 harvested chestnut) mainly due to different yields and input requirements (diesel and fertilizers) among the three chestnut cultivation systems analysed. The GHG emissions associated with chestnut processing ranged between 0.05 (for fresh chestnut, mostly from propane consumption) and 0.23 kg CO2eq kg-1 harvested chestnut (for frozen chestnut, mainly due to electricity consumption). The results demonstrate the importance of cultivation management practices, in particular an efficient use of fertilizers in order to minimize the GHG intensity of Portuguese chestnut.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio