Empoderamiento y satisfacción profesional en Enfermería: una revisión integradora, según la Teoría Estructur

Context: Power is a central concept in professional development and one of the characteristics of the decision-making process, together with the use of a unique body of knowledge. Through the process of Empowerment, the professional is able to influence others, being considered a key aspect in contemporary organisations. Objectives: To study the relationship between Empowerment and Job Satisfaction, in a first analysis, from a structural perspective. Methodology: An integrative literature review was conducted of articles published in MEDLINE and CINAHL databases between 2005 and 2011, according to the PICOD methodology. Results: Twenty-two articles from different contexts were identified, of which most of them were conducted in America (64%) and Asia (32%). Conclusion: Despite this diversity, a clear and directly proportional association between Empowerment and Job Satisfaction was found. The perception of Empowerment is influenced by age, context of professional performance, and academic and professional qualifications. Our search retrieved no studies conducted in Portugal, thus it is important to further explore this issue..Contexto: Poder é um conceito central para o desenvolvimento profissional, sendo uma das características do processo de tomada de decisões, em conjunto com o recurso a um corpo único de conhecimentos. Através do processo de Empoderamento o profissional está apto a influenciar o outro sendo considerado um elemento chave nas organizações contemporâneas. Objetivos: Estudar a relação existente entre Empoderamento e Satisfação Profissional, numa primeira análise, do ponto de vista estrutural. Metodologia: Procedeu-se a uma revisão integrativa da literatura (2005-2011) de artigos das bases de dados Medline® e CINAHL, de acordo com a metodologia PICOD. Resultados: Foram identificados 22 artigos, provenientes de contextos variados, sendo a maioria efetuados no continente americano (64%) e asiático (32%). Conclusão: Apesar desta diversidade, constata-se a clara relação expressa entre Empoderamento e Satisfação Profissional, sendo diretamente proporcionais. Salienta-se ainda a influência da idade, contexto de desempenho profissional, formação académica e qualificação profissional na percepção de Empoderamento. Dado, da nossa pesquisa, não ter sido possível localizar estudos conduzidos em Portugal, importa o desenvolvimento desta temática.Contexto: El poder es un concepto central para el desarrollo profesional y una de las características del proceso de toma de decisiones, junto con el recurso a un único cuerpo de conocimiento. A través del proceso de empoderamiento, el profesional es capaz de influir en el otro y se le considera un elemento clave en las organizaciones contemporáneas. Objetivos: Estudiar la relación entre el empoderamiento y la satisfacción profesional en un primer análisis, según la teoría estructural. Metodología: Los autores realizaron una revisión integradora de la literatura (2005-2011) de artículos en las bases de datos Medline y CINAHL®, de acuerdo con la metodología PICOD. Resultados: Se identificaron 22 artículos de diversos contextos, la mayoría realizados en el continente americano (64 %) y asiático (32 %). Conclusión: A pesar de esta diversidad, se ha observado una clara relación directamente proporcional entre empoderamiento y satisfacción profesional. Asimismo, es importante destacar la influencia de la edad, el contexto de desempeño profesional, la formación académica y la cualificación profesional en la percepción del empoderamiento. Puesto que, en nuestro estudio, no se han podido localizar los estudios llevados a cabo en Portugal, es importante ir más allá de este tema.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Warm-up for Sprint Swimming: Race-Pace or Aerobic Stimulation? A Randomized Study

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 2 different warm-up intensities on 100-m swimming performance in a randomized controlled trial. Thirteen competitive swimmers performed two 100-m freestyle time-trials on separate days after either control or experimental warm-up in a randomized design. The control warm-up included a typical race-pace set (4 × 25 m), whereas the experimental warm-up included an aerobic set (8 × 50 m at 98-102% of critical velocity). Cortisol, testosterone, blood lactate ([La]), oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2), heart rate, core (Tcore and Tcorenet) and tympanic temperatures, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were monitored. Stroke length (SL), stroke frequency (SF), stroke index (SI), and propelling efficiency (ηp) were assessed for each 50-m lap. We found that V[Combining Dot Above]O2, heart rate, and Tcorenet were higher after experimental warm-up (d > 0.73), but only the positive effect for Tcorenet was maintained until the trial. Performance was not different between conditions (d = 0.07). Experimental warm-up was found to slow SF (mean change ±90% CL = 2.06 ± 1.48%) and increase SL (1.65 ± 1.40%) and ηp (1.87 ± 1.33%) in the first lap. After the time-trials, this warm-up had a positive effect on Tcorenet (d = 0.69) and a negative effect on [La] (d = 0.56). Although the warm-ups had similar outcomes in the 100-m freestyle, performance was achieved through different biomechanical strategies. Stroke length and efficiency were higher in the first lap after the experimental warm-up, whereas SF was higher after control warm-up. Physiological adaptations were observed mainly through an increased Tcore after experimental warm-up. In this condition, the lower [La] after the trial suggests lower dependency on anaerobic metabolism.UBI/FCSH/Santander/2010info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Effects of Different Warm-up Volumes on the 100-m Swimming Performance: A Randomized Crossover Study

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 3 different warm-up (WU) volumes on 100-m swimming performance. Eleven male swimmers at the national level completed 3 time trials of 100-m freestyle on separate days and after a standard WU, a short WU (SWU), or a long WU (LWU) in a randomized sequence. All of them replicated some usual sets and drills, and the WU totaled 1,200 m, the SWU totaled 600 m, and the LWU totaled 1,800 m. The swimmers were faster after the WU (59.29 seconds; confidence interval [CI] 95%, 57.98-60.61) and after the SWU (59.38 seconds; CI 95%, 57.92-60.84) compared with the LWU (60.18 seconds; CI 95%, 58.53-61.83). The second 50-m lap after the WU was performed with a higher stroke length (effect size [ES] = 0.77), stroke index (ES = 1.26), and propelling efficiency (ES = 0.78) than that after the SWU. Both WU and SWU resulted in higher pretrial values of blood lactate concentrations [La] compared with LWU (ES = 1.58 and 0.74, respectively), and the testosterone:cortisol levels were increased in WU compared with LWU (ES = 0.86). In addition, the trial after WU caused higher [La] (ES ≥ 0.68) and testosterone:cortisol values compared with the LWU (ES = 0.93). These results suggest that an LWU could impair 100-m freestyle performance. The swimmers showed higher efficiency during the race after a 1200-m WU, suggesting a favorable situation. It highlighted the importance of the [La] and hormonal responses to each particular WU, possibly influencing performance and biomechanical responses during a 100-m race.Santander Totta bank (UBI/FCSH/Santander/2010). COP/Millenium BCPSport Sciences 2014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Distribution and Etiology of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Primary Healthcare Departments in Cape Verde

Data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) are scarce or unavailable in most African countries. We aimed to determine the prevalence of CRD and associated risk factors in Cape Verde, at the primary healthcare level

Remote spinal epidural hematoma after spinal anesthesia for caesarean section

In the last few decades there has been a widespread of the use of central neuraxial blockages (CNB) in obstetric patients. The complications from the CNB range from the bothersome to the crippling and life-threatening. Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) is one of such severe complications. A 29-year-old pregnant woman at term, ASA II, was proposed for a caesarean section after inadequate progression of labour. Spinal anesthesia was administered and surgery was uneventful. The patient recovered from the motor and sensitive blockage but, twelve hours after the procedure, she started complaining of paresthesia over the lower limbs that progressed to paraplegia. An urgent magnetic resonance revealed a dorsally located SEH extending from D7 to D9, remote from the site of needle puncture. The patient was transferred and an emergency laminectomy and evacuation of the hematoma was conducted. One year after the event she remained with neurological deficits.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Oral Administration of GW788388, an Inhibitor of Transforming Growth Factor Beta Signaling, Prevents Heart Fibrosis in Chagas Disease

Cardiac damage and dysfunction are prominent features in patients with chronic Chagas disease, which is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) and affects 10–12 million individuals in South and Central America. Our group previously reported that transforming growth factor beta (TGFß) is implicated in several regulatory aspects of T. cruzi invasion and growth and in host tissue fibrosis. In the present work, we evaluated the therapeutic action of an oral inhibitor of TGFß signaling (GW788388) administered during the acute phase of experimental Chagas disease. GW788388 treatment significantly reduced mortality and decreased parasitemia. Electrocardiography showed that GW788388 treatment was effective in protecting the cardiac conduction system, preserving gap junction plaque distribution and avoiding the development of cardiac fibrosis. Inhibition of TGFß signaling in vivo appears to potently decrease T. cruzi infection and to prevent heart damage in a preclinical mouse model. This suggests that this class of molecules may represent a new therapeutic tool for acute and chronic Chagas disease that warrants further pre-clinical exploration. Administration of TGFß inhibitors during chronic infection in mouse models should be further evaluated, and future clinical trials should be envisaged

Beyond element-wise interactions: identifying complex interactions in biological processes

Background: Biological processes typically involve the interactions of a number of elements (genes, cells) acting on each others. Such processes are often modelled as networks whose nodes are the elements in question and edges pairwise relations between them (transcription, inhibition). But more often than not, elements actually work cooperatively or competitively to achieve a task. Or an element can act on the interaction between two others, as in the case of an enzyme controlling a reaction rate. We call “complex” these types of interaction and propose ways to identify them from time-series observations. Methodology: We use Granger Causality, a measure of the interaction between two signals, to characterize the influence of an enzyme on a reaction rate. We extend its traditional formulation to the case of multi-dimensional signals in order to capture group interactions, and not only element interactions. Our method is extensively tested on simulated data and applied to three biological datasets: microarray data of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, local field potential recordings of two brain areas and a metabolic reaction. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that complex Granger causality can reveal new types of relation between signals and is particularly suited to biological data. Our approach raises some fundamental issues of the systems biology approach since finding all complex causalities (interactions) is an NP hard problem

Staphylococcus epidermidis glucose uptake in biofilm versus planktonic cells

The aim of this work was to compare the glucose uptake of biofilms formed by four different Staphylococcus epidermidis strains as well as to compare between sessile and planktonic cells of the same strain. Biofilm cells showed a lower level of glucose uptake compared to planktonic cells. Moreover, glucose uptake by cells in the sessile form was strongly influenced by biofilm composition. Therefore, this work helps to confirm the phenotypic variability of S. epidermidis strains and the different behaviour patterns between sessile and free cells.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - POCTI/ESP/42688/2001; SFRH/BD/19265/2004

Dengue during pregnancy and live birth outcomes: a cohort of linked data from Brazil

OBJECTIVES: Dengue is the most common viral mosquito-borne disease, and women of reproductive age who live in or travel to endemic areas are at risk. Little is known about the effects of dengue during pregnancy on birth outcomes. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of maternal dengue severity on live birth outcomes. // DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a population-based cohort study using routinely collected Brazilian data from 2006 to 2012. // PARTICIPATING: We linked birth registration records and dengue registration records to identify women with and without dengue during pregnancy. Using multinomial logistic regression and Firth method, we estimated risk and ORs for preterm birth (<37 weeks' gestation), low birth weight (<2500 g) and small for gestational age (<10thcentile). We also investigated the effect of time between the onset of the disease and each outcome. // RESULTS: We included 16 738 000 live births. Dengue haemorrhagic fever was associated with preterm birth (OR=2.4; 95% CI 1.3 to 4.4) and low birth weight (OR=2.1; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.0), but there was no evidence of effect for small for gestational age (OR=2.1; 95% CI 0.4 to 12.2). The magnitude of the effects was higher in the acute disease period. // CONCLUSION: This study showed an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes in women with severe dengue during pregnancy. Medical intervention to mitigate maternal risk during severe acute dengue episodes may improve outcomes for infants born to exposed mothers

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation acutely improves spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity in healthy young men: A randomized placebo-controlled trial

Background Despite positive outcomes of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) via the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN), the mechanisms underlying these outcomes remain unclear. Additionally, previous studies have not been controlled the possible placebo effects of tVNS. Objective To test the hypothesis that tVNS acutely improves spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS) and autonomic modulation, and that these effects are specific to stimulation of ABVN. Methods Thirteen healthy men (23±1yrs) were randomized across three experimental visits. In active tVNS, electrodes were placed on the tragus of the ear and electrical current was applied by using a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation device. A time-control visit was performed with the electrodes placed on tragus, but no current was applied (sham-T). Additionally, to avoid a placebo effect, another sham protocol was performed with same electrical current of the active visit, but the electrodes were placed on the ear lobe (an area without cutaneous nerve endings from the vagus – tLS). Beat-to-beat heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were monitored at rest, during stimulation (active, sham-T and tLS) and recovery. cBRS was measured via sequence technique. Both HR (HRV) and BP variability (BPV) were also measured. Results Arterial BP and BPV were not affected by any active or sham protocols (P&gt;0.05). Resting HR and LF/HF ratio of HRV decreased (Δ–3.4±1% and Δ–15±12%, P&lt;0.05, respectively) and cBRS increased (Δ24±8%, P&lt;0.05) during active tVNS, but were unchanged during both sham protocols. Conclusion tVNS acutely improves cBRS and autonomic modulation in healthy young men