Patient Safety Culture in Portuguese Primary Care: Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Medical Office Survey

Background: Assessing patient safety culture is a strategic priority worldwide, and Portugal is no exception

from bioprocess development to final formulation

Viral products, including viral vaccines and viral vectors, are important tools for disease prevention and therapy. Viral vaccines, such as attenuated or inactivated rabies virus, influenza virus or hepatitis virus vaccines are powerful tools to limit the number of serious viral infections and pandemics. This type of biopharmaceuticals are used to improve human quality of life with vaccination being the most cost-effective method available for preventing economic losses and increasing the lifespan of both people and livestock. On the other hand, adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses and retroviruses are among the viral vectors currently being developed for delivering genetic material to the target cell in a growing number of gene therapy clinical applications(...

Portuguese Validation of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Scale (UTAUT) to a COVID-19 mobile application: a pilot study

The use of technology has proven to be a powerful tool in the fight against COVID-19 and its variants of concern (Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron). The urgency of responding to this worldwide pandemic has accelerated the development of monitoring systems and contact tracing applications. Without technology's contribution, the adverse effects on humanity economically, socially, and psychologically would be even more devastating. This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model in a Portuguese university population, to evaluate adherence to a mobile application for tracking COVID-19. An observational cross-sectional study was developed using a sample with 1081 participants (71% female, 59.2% with ages between 16 and 24, and 78.2% of the respondents university students). The Portuguese version model showed good reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.82) and an acceptable overall adjustment to the sample under study (χ2/df = 3.732, CFI = 0.955, TLI = 0.944, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.06); however, this model could be improved, as we proved. Since this is a pilot study, more studies are needed. The results indicated that the P-UTAUT can be improved for evaluating adherence to a COVID-19 mobile application.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing the ability of Lactobacillus strains to counteract enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) infection by using a Galleria mellonella in vivo model

Enteric colibacillosis is a common disease in weanling pigs, with postweaning diarrhea (PWD) as the main symptom in piglets. It is caused by the colonization of the small intestine by enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli (ETEC). Of the control strategies, antibiotics and zinc oxide have been the most effective in reducing the economic losses caused by PWD. However, concerns about antibiotic resistance have led to restrictions on the use of critically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals, and in June 2021 zinc oxide was banned in the European Union due to the environmental risks it poses. As a result, efforts are underway to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives to combat ETEC infections, such as probiotics. In this study, we evaluated the ability of three potential probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri, L. acidophilus and L. reuteri) to reduce the ETEC infection by using a Galleria mellonella in vivo model in 2 different perspectives: co-infection (i.e. Lactobacillus + ETEC); and prophylactic strategy (i.e. prior infection with Lactobacillus for 4 h followed by ETEC infection). Survival rate and health index scores of G. mellonella were assessed at 24, 48, and 72 h post-infection. In addition, real-time PCR was also performed to determine the transcript levels of genes encoding the G. mellonella antimicrobial peptides to infer the immune response to ETEC infection. Our results suggest that a co-infection strategy was not effective in controlling ETEC infection. On the other hand, when a prophylactic strategy was used, we observed significant differences between the treated larvae and the control. Overall, we observed that L. acidophilus was able to reduce ETEC strain SP11 infection. Differences in the expression of antimicrobial peptides were also found when comparing treated and control conditions. In conclusion, specific Lactobacillus species seem to have the potential to protect against ETEC infection.This work was financially supported by the Project PTDC/CVT-CVT/4620/2021, funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020–Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTES. It was also supported by: LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), UIDB/00511/2020 and UIDP/00511/2020 (LEPABE), funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); and under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit (CEB). J.C. also thanks FCT for the CEEC Individual (2022.06886.CEECIND)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Desacyl-ghrelin does not influence insulin sensitivity

Acyl-ghrelin has been reported to increase food intake and adiposity and it is the best studied of the orexigenic gastrointestinal hormones. On the other hand, desacyl-ghrelin – DAG (the unacylated form of the hormone) has been reported as a potential player on carbohydrate metabolism. However, the potential impact of DAG on glucose homeostasis remains uncertain. In this study we aim to assess the association between DAG and insulin sensitivity

The hospital survey on patient safety culture in Portuguese hospitals: instrument validity and reliability

Purpose – Quantitative instruments to assess patient safety culture have been developed recently and a few review articles have been published. Measuring safety culture enables healthcare managers and staff to improve safety behaviours and outcomes for patients and staff. The study aims to determine the AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) Portuguese version's validity and reliability. Design/methodology/approach – A missing-value analysis and item analysis was performed to identify problematic items. Reliability analysis, inter-item correlations and inter-scale correlations were done to check internal consistency, composite scores. Inter-correlations were examined to assess construct validity. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to investigate the observed data's fit to the dimensional structure proposed in the AHRQ HSPSC Portuguese version. To analyse differences between hospitals concerning composites scores, an ANOVA analysis and multiple comparisons were done. Findings – Eight of 12 dimensions had Cronbach's alphas higher than 0.7. The instrument as a whole achieved a high Cronbach's alpha (0.91). Inter-correlations showed that there is no dimension with redundant items, however dimension 10 increased its internal consistency when one item is removed. Originality/value – This study is the first to evaluate an American patient safety culture survey using Portuguese data. The survey has satisfactory reliability and construct validity

Para uma cartografia imaginária: desfragmentação de "As cidades invisíveis" de Italo Calvino

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em ArquitecturaPara uma Cartografia Imaginária pretende interpretar todos os lugares que o leitor/a vê ao viajar pelas Cidades Invisíveis. O caminho traçado por Calvino desvendanos subtis relações entre personagens sem nome, que nos contam como vivem, onde vivem ou onde poderiam viver. Ao deixar em aberto quais são as cidades descritas, o autor conduz o nosso imaginário por diversos cenários e épocas sem nunca ser possível identificar, com uma certeza inequívoca, a cidade que o autor retrata. Esbate-se a cidade real e a cidade utópica para nascer a cidade invisível. A desfragmentação que se apresenta nesta dissertação resulta de uma intenção de refletir sobre a cidade. Neste sentido, a nova sequência narrativa que aqui propomos corresponde a uma análise realizada sob o ponto de vista arquitetónico e urbanístico, mas abriu espaço a que outras áreas que se consideraram pertinentes se inscrevessem e diluíssem nesta análise. As cidades foram reagrupadas e analisadas sequencialmente, segundo o tema em que se inserem, e foram realizados vários quadros onde se procuraram conexões variáveis, consoante os pressupostos que interessava analisar. À semelhança do que acontece num tabuleiro de xadrez, tema recorrente no texto, as cidades (como peças) foram deslocadas, propondo novas ligações. Foi possível estabelecer uma conexão entre as várias narrativas de As Cidades Invisíveis; aliás, a sua leitura individual torna-as incompletas, sendo apenas na sua continuidade que se complementam. A estrutura dúplice presente na obra é uma das características que estimula a criação de esquemas abstratos, onde se estabelecem ligações que impulsionam a especulação sobre diversos temas, tendo sempre como pretexto uma vontade de pensar a cidade.The intention of this Imaginary Map is to interpret all the places which the reader visits while he is traveling through The Invisible Cities. The path traced by Calvino unveils to us the subtle relationships between unnamed characters who tell us how they live, where they live or where they could live. In order to leave the described cities open for interpretation, the author leads our imagination through several scenes and times without identifying, with certainty, which city he is describing. The real city and the utopian city merge into the Invisible City. The intended defragmentation of this dissertation is the result of a reflection upon the city. In this sense, we propose a narrative which corresponds sequentially to an architectural and urban analysis, but gives way to other areas. The cities were grouped according to the subject in which they belonged, and were charted according to their themes even as other connections appeared in the process. The recurring theme in the text is similar to a chessboard, where the cities, like pawns, were displaced by proposing new connections. It was possible to establish a connection between the various narratives of The Invisible Cities and even though each city’s individual reading makes them incomplete (on their own), only in its continuity do they complement each other. The dual structure (of good and bad) in this work is one of the characteristics that stimulates the creation of abstract schemes, which establish connections that drive speculation on various topics, always having, as a pretext, a willingness to think about the City

From Moore to Cavino: the invisible cities of 20th Century planning

The contrast between the social and urban Utopia of Thomas Moore and the English Society of the sixteenth century can be used as an excuse to reflect on the concept of Utopia as an idea that is not possible to concretize when it is proposed but can be feasible some years later. In the planning of 20th-Century New Towns we often find a strong component of Utopia due to the inadequacy to the social and/or technical conditions of the moment. The contrast between the ideal plan and the construct results (when there are any) is often strong, allowing us to consider the existing of an invisible city that is hidden behind the actual urban spaces; it can be a utopia waiting to be concretized or a dystopia caused by an unforeseen evolution of urban spaces and social dynamics. In the 1972 work of Calvino, The Invisible Cities, we find a poetic discourse about the city that can be interpreted as a critical reflection on the ideas and results of the coeval urban practices. In this paper, we intent to present an interpretation of some of the 20th Century urban ideas based on the reading of the eleven themes of this book. The links that can be established between the various Invisible Cities (moving and combining them, like the pieces of a chess game) inspire the formulation of several assumptions that can be related to the images, forms and ideas of some Archetypes and Utopias of 20th Century planning: Corbusier’s Ville Radieuse, Mies van der Rohe’s plan for the IIT in Chicago, Minoru Yamasaki’s Pruitt-Igoe housing complex, Robert Ventury’s (et al.) studies on Las Vegas and Levittown, the images produced by Archigram and the theoretical work of Jane Jacobs, Aldo Rossi, Kevin Lynch, Rem Koolhaas, François Ascher and Joel Garreau

A lealdade em contexto de hospitalização privada: um estudo de caso

Mestrado em GestãoA criação de valor para o cliente é um dos grandes objectivos das empresas prestadoras de serviços. Por parte da sua gestão empresarial, as organizações sentem a necessidade em satisfazer, reter e fidelizar os seus clientes através de uma orientação para as relações a longo prazo. O presente trabalho propôs-se, neste âmbito, a testar um modelo relacional que identificasse os construtos fundamentais para a identificação dos principais mobilizadores do fenómeno lealdade. Neste âmbito, foi elaborado um modelo de investigação que interligou as quatro dimensões do domínio relacional nomeadamente a satisfação, a confiança, o compromisso e a lealdade, tomando como ponto de partida a percepção da qualidade dos serviços prestados. Foi elaborado, para o efeito, um questionário, que foi aplicado a uma amostra de 175 indivíduos, clientes de uma unidade de hospitalização privada de saúde. Os resultados permitiram constatar as relações significativas entre as quatro dimensões e aspectos da qualidade do serviço que concorrem para a activação desta relação.The creation of value for the customer is one of the major objectives of service providers. Concerning their business management, organizations feel the need to satisfy, retain and engage their customers by means of an orientation towards long-term relationships. With this work it was proposed, in this context, to test a relational model which could identify the basic constructs for the identification of the main drivers for the loyalty phenomenon. Within this framework, a research model has been created, where the four dimensions of relational domain were linked, namely satisfaction, trust, commitment and loyalty, taking as starting point the quality perception of the service provided. For this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared and applied to a sample of 175 individuals, clients of a private hospital unit. The results allowed identifying significant relationships among the four dimensions and aspects of the service quality that contribute to the activation of this relationship

Realidade(s) familiares de crianças e jovens com necessidades educativas especiais

As famílias de crianças com Necessidades Educativas Especiais (NEE) vivenciam dificuldades e barreiras durante o seu dia-a-dia. Esses obstáculos acrescentam desafios ao exercício parental, afetando a vida desses pais, assim como a dos seus filhos. O presente projeto de investigação enquadra-se no tipo de estudo de casos múltiplos e tem como objetivo geral conhecer a perceção de uma amostra de famílias (N=5), mães/ cuidadoras de crianças e adolescentes com NEE, sobre o funcionamento parental e familiar, especificamente, as competências parentais, necessidades, bem-estar (satisfação com a vida) e rede de apoio social da família. Na recolha dos dados foram utilizados os instrumentos: Questionário de Autoavaliação da Competência Educativa Parental (QACEP), versão portuguesa de Costa (2010); a Escala de Autoeficácia Parental (EAEP), de Brites (2010); a Escala de Satisfação com a Vida (SWLS), versão portuguesa de Simões (1992 e uma entrevista semiestruturada elaborada com base na revisão da literatura. De uma forma geral, os resultados mostram-nos que o nascimento de um filho com NEE faz emergir novas exigências e necessidades de apoio à família. Neste sentido, todos os casos revelaram carências na rede de apoio formal, sendo que o apoio informal apareceu como um suporte fundamental, especialmente na área emocional. Verificou-se que a maior preocupação das mães se relacionava com a previsão do futuro dos seus filhos. Na generalidade, as participantes apresentaram-se satisfeitas nas suas funções parentais; contudo, revelaram também sentimentos de alguma tensão e stress. Os dois casos com valores mais baixos na autoavaliação das competências parentais evidenciaram também um maior descontentamento com a sua rede de apoio formal.The families of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) experience difficulties and barriers during their daily lives. These obstacles add challenges to parental exercise, affecting the lives of these parents, as well as that of their children. The present research project fits the type of multiple case study and aims to know the perception of a sample of families (N = 5), mothers / caregivers of children and adolescents with SEN, on parental and family functioning, Specifically, parental skills, needs, well-being (satisfaction with life) and family social support network. In the data collection, the Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Parental Educational Competence (QACEP), Portuguese version of Costa (2010) was used; The Parental Self-efficacy Scale (EAEP), by Brites (2010); The Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS), Portuguese version of Simões (1992) and a semi-structured interview based on the literature review. In general, the results show that the birth of a child with SEN brings new demands In this sense, all the cases revealed deficiencies in the formal support network, and informal support appeared as a fundamental support, especially in the emotional area. It was verified that the greater concern of the mothers was related to the However, they also revealed feelings of tension and stress, and the two cases with lower values in the self-assessment of parental competences also showed a greater dissatisfaction with Their formal support network