Adesão à utilização do cheque-dentista nas crianças e jovens : intervenção de enfermagem comunitária

As doenças orais são um sério problema de saúde pública, sendo as doenças não transmissíveis com maior prevalência mundial. Em Portugal, os indicadores de saúde oral encontram-se abaixo da média europeia. Existem necessidades de cuidados de saúde oral, de diferentes naturezas, que não se encontram satisfeitas, sendo a barreira financeira um dos principais obstáculos, senão o principal, a uma melhor saúde oral da população. Para colmatar esta carência e efetivar o acesso da população a consultas de medicina dentária, surge em 2008, no âmbito do Programa Nacional de Promoção da Saúde Oral, o cheque-dentista, destinado a grupos considerados vulneráveis, assegurando cuidados de saúde oral preventivos e curativos. O projeto de intervenção comunitária decorreu numa Unidade de Saúde Pública, em que, em dois dos seus concelhos, existiu um aumento do índice de CPOD (dentes perdidos, cariados e obturados), nas crianças e jovens (7, 10 e 13 anos de idade), e onde os números de utilização do cheque se situam abaixo da média nacional. Teve como foco a promoção da saúde oral, através da criação de estratégias para aumentar a utilização do cheque-dentista nestas coortes. Foi suportado na metodologia do planeamento em saúde de Tavares (1990), e no referencial teórico do Modelo de Promoção da Saúde de Nola Pender. Para o diagnóstico de situação recorreu-se à metodologia qualitativa, com a realização de entrevistas. Foi identificada como intervenção prioritária a melhoria das vias de transmissão da informação, relativa à utilização e benefícios do cheque-dentista, dirigida aos encarregados de educação. Consoante os objetivos e estratégias selecionadas foram realizadas atividades, que permitiram a criação de documentação e melhoria das vias de transmissão de informação que favorecessem a consecução do comportamento de promoção de saúde desejado. O projeto permitiu a aquisição de competências como mestre e especialista em enfermagem comunitária, na área de enfermagem de saúde comunitária e de saúde pública.Oral diseases are a serious public health problem, they are the non-transmissible diseases with the highest prevalence worldwide. In Portugal, oral health indicators are below the European average. There are oral health care needs of different natures that are not met, and the financial barrier is one of the obstacles, if not the main one, to better oral health of the population. In order to fill this lack and allow the population's access to dental consultations, in 2008, within the framework of the National Program for the Promotion of Oral Health, the dentist voucher was created, intended for groups considered vulnerable, ensuring preventive and curative oral health care. The community intervention project took place in a Public Health Unit, in which, in two of its municipalities, there was an increase in the CPOD index (lost, decayed and filled teeth), in children and young people (7, 10 and 13 years of age), and where the numbers of use of the voucher are below the national average. It focused on the promotion of oral health, through the creation of strategies to increase the use of the dentist voucher in these cohorts. It was supported in Tavares' health planning methodology (1990), and in the theoretical framework of Nola Pender's Health Promotion Model. For the diagnosis of the situation, the qualitative methodology was used, performing interviews. The identified priority intervention was to improve the transmission of information, concerning the use and benefits of the dentist voucher, addressed to parents. Depending on the objectives and strategies selected, activities were carried out, which allowed the creation of documentation and improvement of the transmission of information that favored the achievement of the desired health promotion behavior. The project allowed the acquisition of competencies as a master and specialist in community nursing, in the area of community health nursing and public health

Emerging trends in upper-limb embedded devices: A qualitative research study

Framework This paper explores how a qualitative systematic literature review (SLR) can contribute to our understanding of the trends in upper-limb wearable devices. These devices are pieces of electronic equipment that can be worn as accessories, such as watches, or embedded in clothing, including gloves and sleeves, and could play an essential role in subjects' quality of life after any occurrence that affects their possibility to perform basic activities autonomously. Moreover, these devices can be used to improve manual performance tasks like surgical or precision tasks, and even more so when performed under extreme ambient temperature conditions. Goals and Methods: A SLR on upper-limb embedded devices was conducted based on scientific documents retrieved from the Scopus database. Two research questions were outlined: "How has this technology been evolving?" and "What is the trend according to the fields of application?". The combination of keywords (upper-limb* AND wearable* AND device*) was used in the title, abstract, and keywords fields. Results: A total of 555 documents were obtained. Descriptive statistical and bibliometric analyses were conducted, identifying trends, knowledge gaps, and the future direction of research. The free software VOSviewer was used to construct data visualization bibliometric maps of the co-authorship and co-citation network. A subset of 26 documents was considered for the critical qualitative synthesis. This step facilitated the visualization and exploration of the interconnectedness among authors and the citation patterns within the literature. Combining the information gathered enables addressing the extent and the emerging trends in upper-limb embedded devices' development according to the field they are applied. Final considerations: With this research, a starting point in developing a proof of concept of a novel device aimed at improving dexterity in challenging environments is established

The influence of serious games in the promotion of healthy diet and physical activity health: a systematic review

(1) Background: serious games seem to show promising strategies to promote treatment compliance and motivate behavior changes, and some studies have proven to contribute to the literature on serious games. (2) Methods: this systematic review aimed to analyze the effect of serious games in promoting healthy eating behaviors, effectively preventing childhood obesity, and improving physical activity in children. Five electronic bibliographic databases-PubMed, ACM Digital Library, Games for Health Journal, and IEEE Xplore were used to conduct a systematic literature search based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2003 and 2021 were selected for data extraction. (3) Results: a total of 26 studies were identified, representing 17 games. Half of the studies tested interventions for healthy eating and physical education. Most of the intervention's games were designed according to specific behavioral change theories, predominantly the social cognitive theory. (4) Conclusions: studies confirmed the potential of serious games for obesity prevention but considering the restrictions encountered, we exhort for novel designs with different theoretical perspectives.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Barthel’s Index: A Better Predictor for COVID-19 Mortality Than Comorbidities

Background: The most consistently identified mortality determinants for the new coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection are aging, male sex, cardiovascular/respiratory diseases, and cancer. They were determined from heterogeneous cohorts that included patients with different disease severity and previous conditions. The main goal of this study was to determine if activities of daily living (ADL) dependence measured by Barthel’s index could be a predictor for COVID-19 mortality. Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed with a consecutive sample of 340 COVID-19 patients representing patients from all over the northern region of Portugal from October 2020 to March 2021. Mortality risk factors were determined after controlling for demographics, ADL dependence, admission time, comorbidities, clinical manifestations, and delay-time for diagnosis. Central tendency measures were used to analyze continuous variables and absolute numbers (proportions) for categorical variables. For univariable analysis, we used t test, chi-square test, or Fisher exact test as appropriate (α=0.05). Multivariable analysis was performed using logistic regression. IBM SPSS version 27 statistical software was used for data analysis. Results: The cohort included 340 patients (55.3% females) with a mean age of 80.6±11.0 years. The mortality rate was 19.7%. Univariate analysis revealed that aging, ADL dependence, pneumonia, and dementia were associated with mortality and that dyslipidemia and obesity were associated with survival. In multivariable analysis, dyslipidemia (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17–0.71) was independently associated with survival. Age ≥86 years (pooled OR, 2.239; 95% CI, 1.100–4.559), pneumonia (pooled OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.362–6.606), and ADL dependence (pooled OR, 6.296; 95% CI, 1.795–22.088) were significantly related to mortality (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve, 82.1%; p<0.001). Conclusion: ADL dependence, aging, and pneumonia are three main predictors for COVID-19 mortality in an elderly population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cartilage tissue engineering using electrospun PCL nanofiber meshes and MSCs

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been recognized for their ability to differentiate into cells of different tissues such as bone, cartilage, or adipose tissue, and therefore are of great interest for potential therapeutic strategies. Adherent, colony-forming, fibroblastic cells were isolated from human bone marrow aspirates, from patients undergoing knee arthroplasties, and the MSCs phenotype characterized by flow cytometry. Afterward, cells were seeded onto electrospun polycaprolactone nanofiber meshes and cultured in a multichamber flow perfusion bioreactor to determine their ability to produce cartilagineous extracellular matrix. Results indicate that the flow perfusion bioreactor increased the chondrogenic differentiation of hBM-MSCs, as confirmed either by morphological and RT-PCR analysis. Cartilage-related genes such as aggrecan, collagen type II, and Sox9 were expressed. ECM deposition was also detected by histological procedures. Collagen type II was present in the samples, as well as collagen type I. Despite no statistically significant values being obtained for gene expression, the other results support the choice of the bioreactor for this type of culture.M. Alves da Silva would like to acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for her grant (SFRH/BD/28708/2006). The authors would like to acknowledge the patients of Hospital de S. Marcos, Braga, Portugal, for the donation of the biological samples, as well to its medical staff. The authors would also like to thank the Institute for Health and Life Sciences (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, for allowing the use of their research facilities. Authors would like specially to acknowledge Luis Martins for his valuable help with the histological procedures and Goreti Pinto for the aid in the microscopy. We thank Ana M. Frias for the important help with the FACS procedure. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the European NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283). This work was partially supported by the European FP7 Project Find and Bind (NMP4-SL-2009-229292)

Conflict mediation in the improvement plan: contribution in a school context

El Plan de Mejora es un documento estratégico de las escuelas en Portugal. Se hizo pertinente preguntar sobre la posición atribuida a la mediación de conflictos dentro del contexto de la estrategia de mejora, definida en este tipo de documento de estructurante. Este artículo presenta un estudio cualitativo, de cuatro Planes de Mejora, de una escuela en la región Centro de Portugal, utilizando la técnica de análisis de contenido. Con el apoyo del software webQDA®, se obtuvieron categorías emergentes: mediación, dominios/ejes, acciones, oficina de mediación, áreas/problemas, objetivos e indicadores de puntos de inicio y finalización. Se concluyó que la consagración de la mediación en los Planes de Mejora puede permitir a la escuela asumir esta metodología de intervención como una estrategia para la realización del cambio cultural y la mejora socioeducativa, a través de la inscripción y promoción de valores, dispositivos, acciones y prácticas en la cultura escolar.The Improvement Plan is a strategic document for schools in Portugal. It became pertinent to inquire about the position attributed to conflict mediation within the scope of the improvement strategy, defined in this type of structuring document. This article presents a qualitative study, of four Improvement Plans, of a school in the Center of Portugal region, using the content analysis technique. With the support of the webQDA® software, emerging categories were obtained: mediation, domains/axes, actions, mediation office, areas/problems, objectives and indicators of starting and ending points. It was concluded that the consecration of mediation in the Improvement Plans can allow the school to assume this intervention methodology as a strategy for the realization of cultural change and socio-educational improvement, through the the inscription and promotion of values, devices, actions and practices in school culture.O Plano de Melhoria é um documento estratégico das escolas em Portugal. Tornou-se pertinente indagar qual a posição atribuída à mediação de conflitos no âmbito da estratégia de melhoria, definida nesse tipo de documento estruturante. Neste artigo apresenta-se um estudo qualitativo, de quatro Planos de Melhoria, de uma escola da região Centro de Portugal, recorrendo à técnica de análise de conteúdo. Com o apoio do software webQDA®, obtiveram-se as categorias emergentes: mediação, domínios/eixos, ações, gabinete de mediação, áreas/problemas, objetivos e indicadores de ponto de partida e ponto de chegada. Concluiu-se que a consagração da mediação nos Planos de Melhoria pode permitir à escola assumir esta metodologia de intervenção como uma estratégia para a concretização de uma mudança cultural e de melhoria socioeducativa, através da inscrição e promoção de valores, dispositivos, ações e práticas na cultura escolar.peerReviewe

Ergonomics applied to the development and evaluation of insoles for protective footwear

Knowledge of ergonomics/human factors plays an important role in the creation and design of safety shoes and insoles, contributing to worker protection, comfort, and stability. The purpose of this study is to compare previous insole designs and analyze the plantar pressure and gait pattern kinematics using the Oxford foot model protocol. The tests were performed comparing the environments on the three rockers of the gait, represented by the heel, midfoot, and forefoot, according to the classification of foot type. The analysis of plantar pressure, regarding its total and maximum distribution, showed that the innovative insole presents a better load distribution in terms of the maximum plantar pressure exerted in the hindfoot and forefoot regions. In the biomechanical analysis of gait, the five variables studied did not show variation in the normal mechanics of the foot in any of the three environments considered. The hallux joint was the one that presented the greatest divergences with the barefoot in terms of amplitude and variability, as expected.SHOE@FUTURE: Technological Solutions for Professional Footwear, POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033835, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program under the “Portugal 2020” Program. This work has been supported by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

Ambiente térmico no setor dos transportes de mercadorias - o caso de um veículo sem ar condicionado

The thermal environment in the workplace is decisive in creating the optimal conditions and maximizing the productivity of the workers. The value of the different environmental variables such as temperature, radiant heat, relative humidity and individual variables (such as metabolism and clothing) are determinants to evaluate the thermal stress exposure of workers during their daily activity. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the occupational exposure to the thermal environment of a heavy goods vehicle driver, motivated by frequent complaints, such as the difficulty of sleeping in the vehicle with high temperatures during the day. To determine the conditions to which the driver is exposed, the globe temperature, dry and wet bulb temperatures, as well as the air velocity inside the vehicle were measured, considering both the work and the rest situation. In addition, the metabolism related to physical activity and the thermal insulation conferred by clothing were also determined. Once the parameters were obtained, Professor Malchaire's Excel (R) sheet was used for obtaining the values for the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which were above the occupational exposure limit values (ISO 7243). Results point to a hot work environment where thermal stress is liable for the dissatisfaction of workers. The need to act on thermal stress is imperative, preferably through the implementation of engineering and organizational protection measures that can improve the workplace. The need to establishment of a legislation set to address this particular issue was also an outcome of this work

A segmentação do enoturista: o caso português

O enoturismo adquire importância crescente para as regiões vitivinícolas, como setor que potencia o crescimento económico e o emprego. Contudo, o enoturismo permanece pouco desenvolvido e uma das causas apontadas consiste na falta de investigação sobre o visitante que se desloca às empresas produtoras de vinho. O presente trabalho tem como principais objetivos a determinação do perfil demográfico e psicográfico dos visitantes que se deslocam às quintas, adegas e caves e a segmentação dos enoturistas em Portugal. Para alcançar os objetivos indicados, aplicou-se um questionário aos turistas que se deslocavam às quintas, adegas e caves, das 12 rotas de vinho existentes em Portugal. Os dados foram sujeitos a testes paramétricos e a técnicas estatísticas multivariadas, de modo a obterem-se diferentes clusters. Obtiveram-se quatro segmentos de enoturistas, que foram designados por: o turista apaixonado pelo vinho, o turista com curiosidade pelo vinho, o turista interessado pelo vinho e o turista indiferente. As conclusões indicam que o aumento do conhecimento sobre enoturistas e suas motivações para visitarem uma região permite melhorar a satisfação e a interação com eles, apoiando estratégias de marketing, de modo a reforçar a sua motivação e o apelo das empresas vinícolas

Bioimaging of lysosomes with a BODIPY pH-dependent fluorescent probe

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules27228065/s1, Synthesis and characterization of BODIPYs 1-3 and Figure S1: Comparison between the absorption and fluorescence emission spectra of anthracene and BODIPY 1 in tetrahydrofuran solutions at room temperature; Figure S2: Normalized absorption and fluorescence emission spectra for the investigated BODIPY derivatives in acetonitrile solution at room temperature.Fluorescence-based probes represent a powerful tool for noninvasive imaging of living systems in real time and with a high temporal and spatial resolution. Amongst several known fluorophores, 3-difluoroborodipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives have become a cornerstone for innovative fluorescent labelling applications, mainly due to their advantageous features including their facile synthesis, structural versatility and exceptional photophysical properties. In this context, we report a BODIPY-based fluorescent probe for imaging of lysosomes in living cells. The BODIPY derivative displayed a remarkable fluorescence enhancement at low pH values with a pKa* of 3.1. In vitro studies by confocal microscopy in HeLa cells demonstrated that the compound was able to permeate cell membrane and selectively label lysosome whilst remaining innocuous to the cell culture at the maximum concentration tested. Herein, the BODIPY derivative holds the promise of investigating lysosomal dynamics and function in living cells through fluorescence imaging.This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development)-COMPETE-QRENEU through the Chemistry Research Centre of the University of Minho (ref. CQ/UM (UID/QUI/00686/2020) and the Coimbra Chemistry Centre (refs. UIDB/00313/2020 and UIDP/00313/2020), project PTDC/QUI-COL/28052/2017 and a PhD grant of R.C.R. Gonçalves (SFRH/BD/05278/2020). The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance III 400 is part of the National NMR Network and was purchased within the framework of the National Program for Scientific Re-equipment, contract REDE/1517/RMN/2005 with funds from POCI 2010 (FEDER) and FCT