Years of sunlight exposure and cataract: a case-control study in a Mediterranean population.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the relation between sunlight exposure and risk of cataract. METHODS: We carried out a frequency-matched case-control study of 343 cases and 334 controls attending an ophthalmology outpatient clinic at a primary health-care center in a small town near Valencia, Spain. All cases were diagnosed as having a cataract in at least one eye based on the Lens Opacification Classification system (LOCS II). Controls had no opacities in either eye. All cases and controls were interviewed for information on outdoor exposure, "usual" diet, history of severe episodes of diarrhea illness, life-style factors and medical and socio-demographic variables. Blood antioxidant vitamin levels were also analyzed. We used logistic regression models to estimate sex and age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) by quintiles of years of occupational outdoor exposure, adjusting for potential confounders such as smoking, alcohol consumption, serum antioxidants and education. RESULTS: No association was found between years of outdoor exposure and risk of cataract. However, exploratory analyses suggested a positive association between years of outdoor exposure at younger ages and risk of nuclear cataract later in life. CONCLUSION: Our study does not support an association with cataract and sunlight exposure over adult life

Economía urbana y calidad de vida. Una revisión del estado del conocimiento en España

Quality of life is increasingly becoming a concept researched empirically and theoretically in the field of economics. In urban economics in particular, this increasing interest stems mainly from the fact that quality of life affects urban competitiveness and urban growth: research shows that when households and businesses decide where to locate, quality of life considerations can play a very important role. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the way economic literature and urban economic literature in particular, have adopted quality of life considerations in the economic thinking. Moreover, it presents the ways various studies have attempted to capture the multidimensional nature of the concept, and quantify it for the purposes of empirical research. Additionally we focus on the state of the art in Spain. Looking at the experiences in the last years we see very important possibilities of developing new studies in the field

Economía Urbana y calidad de vida. Una revisión del estado del conocimiento en España

Quality of life is increasingly becoming a concept researched empirically and theoretically in the field of economics. In urban economics in particular, this increasing interest stems mainly from the fact that quality of life affects urban competitiveness and urban growth: research shows that when households and businesses decide where to locate, quality of life considerations can play a very important role. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the way economic literature and urban economic literature in particular, have adopted quality of life considerations in the economic thinking. Moreover, it presents the ways various studies have attempted to capture the multidimensional nature of the concept, and quantify it for the purposes of empirical research. Additionally we focus on the state of the art in Spain. Looking at the experiences in the last years we see very important possibilities of developing new studies in the field.Economia urbana, Qualitat de vida

Economía Urbana y Calidad de Vida. Una revisión del estado del conocimiento en España.

Quality of life is increasingly becoming a concept researched empirically and theoretically in the field of economics. In urban economics in particular, this increasing interest stems mainly from the fact that quality of life affects urban competitiveness and urban growth, research shows that when households and businesses decide where to locate, quality of life considerations can play a very important role. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the way economic literature and urban economic literature in particular, have adopted quality of life considerations in the economic thinking. Moreover, it presents the ways various studies have attempted to capture the multidimensional nature of the concept, and quantify it for the purposes of empirical research. Additionally we focus on the state of the art in Spain. Looking at the experiences in the last years we see very important possibilities of developing new studies in the field.Quality of life, urban economics.

Avaliação toxicológica de nanoestruturas de óxido de zinco aplicadas em argamassas

TCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental.A deterioração de argamassas de revestimento decorre de diferentes formas de ataques, entre elas a biodeterioração. Os principais agentes causadores desse dano às estruturas na construção civil são as bactérias, algas, fungos, liquens e vegetais, os quais podem causar agravos estéticos, estruturais e econômicos. Uma alternativa para prevenir a bioincrustação nas argamassas é a incorporação de nanomateriais (NM) a sua composição. Dentre os materiais em nanoescala estudados, o óxido de zinco (ZnO) se destaca pelas suas excelentes propriedades biocidas já comprovadas na literatura. Dessa forma, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar toxicologicamente nanoestruturas de ZnO através de testes de toxicidade aguda com microcrustáceo Daphnia magna e com a bactéria marinha bioluminescente Aliivibrio fischeri, teste de toxicidade crônica com D. magna, incorporação e aplicação de nanomateriais em diferentes concentrações (0,5 – 2%) em argamassas comerciais e avaliação toxicológica in situ através da aspersão de soluções em superfícies que apresentavam bioincrustação. Neste estudo, trabalhou-se com nanobastões de óxido de zinco puros (NB de ZnO) e amina-funcionalizados (NB de ZnO@NH2). Os NB foram caracterizados através de Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão (MET), Difração de Raio-X (DRX) e Espectroscopia no Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourier (FTIR). A CE50,48h com D. magna e a CE50,15min, resultado dos ensaios com a bactéria A. fischeri, indicaram maior toxicidade aguda para o NB de ZnO@NH2. Nos ensaios com os elutriatos com ambos os organismos, obteve-se também maior toxicidade com o NB de ZnO@NH2, porém observou-se que o aumento da concentração de NB ZnO puro incorporado a argamassa reduzia a toxicidade do elutriato. Os ensaios em superfícies com bioincrustação comprovaram esses resultados, uma vez que a menor concentração de incorporação de NM aspergida apresentou melhor resultado na eliminação dos microrganismos. No ensaio de toxicidade crônica, o NB de ZnO mostrou-se mais tóxico para os parâmetros reprodução e longevidade enquanto que o NB de ZnO@NH2 apresentou maior efeito para o parâmetro crescimento

Implementing dose management systems in Radiology Departments: pros and cons

The increasing use of radiodiagnostic modalities has led to an increased focus and awareness on patient safety and consequent search for optimization of radiographer’s practices 1. The Basic Safety and Standards Directive (BSSD), 2013/59/Euratom lays down standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation2. This Directive was adopted by the Council of the European Union in 2013 and there was a requirement for transposition and implementation into national legislation in EU member state by February 2018. One of the key points...info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improving patient health literacy in imaging departments

Health Literacy is a key issue in the healthcare and its operational definition developed for the National Library of Medicine mention that is the “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” 1. Health literacy skills are needed for dialogue and discussion, reading health information, making decisions about participating in research activities, using medical tools for personal or familial health care, and even for voting on health or environmental...info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Análise das práticas e procedimentos em tomografia computorizada: um contributo para a melhoria da qualidade e segurança do paciente em serviços de imagiologia do Algarve

Mestrado em Gestão e Avaliação de Tecnologias em SaúdeNas últimas décadas, o recurso à técnica imagiológica de Tomografia Computorizada tem aumentado significativamente, sobretudo devido à expansão do conhecimento e ao célere desenvolvimento tecnológico vivenciados. As questões relacionadas com o aumento da exposição a radiações ionizantes provocam um correspondente aumento do foco na segurança do paciente e consequente procura da otimização das práticas e procedimentos com o intuito de minimizar a sua exposição. O presente estudo teve como principal objetivo analisar as práticas e procedimentos dos Técnicos Superiores de Radiologia na modalidade imagiológica de Tomografia Computorizada. Neste estudo foi utilizado o método quantitativo, através de uma análise retrospetiva e descritiva-comparativa, tendo sido registados os dados relativos aos protocolos de estudo implementados no serviço de imagiologia em estudo, e os respetivos parâmetros técnicos e descritores de dose para cada um dos exames analisados. Foram analisados 192 exames de TC realizados a pacientes adultos para cinco categorizações clínicas. Com base nos dados obtidos, foram determinados valores de percentil 75 de CTDIvol (mGy) e DLP (mGy.cm), respetivamente, para as categorizações clínicas de traumatismo crânio-encefálico (58 mGy; 848 mGy.cm), Via Verde do Acidente Vascular Cerebral (22 mGy; 1174 mGy.cm), Sinusite Crónica (11 mGy; 149 mGy.cm), suspeita de tromboembolismo pulmonar (7 mGy; 415 mGy.cm) e estadiamento oncológico (6 mGy; 1010 mGy.cm). Os resultados obtidos no presente estudo apontam para a inexistência de diferenças estatisticamente significativas (p > 0,05) entre os valores de descritores de dose deste estudo e os resultados publicados na literatura recente. No que respeita aos parâmetros de exposição e protocolos implementados, verificou-se que os mesmos se encontram em conformidade com as recomendações dispostas no Decreto-Lei 108/2018 da legislação nacional. Apesar de os resultados deste estudo serem, de uma forma geral, positivos, conclui-se que existe uma margem considerável de oportunidade de melhoria à luz do princípio da otimização, principalmente no que respeita à adequação dos protocolos implementados no serviço de imagiologia às recomendações internacionais.ABSTRACT - In the last decades, the resource to Computed Tomography has significantly increased, mostly due to the knowledge expansion and technological development experienced. Issues related to the increased exposure to ionizing radiation caused an increased focus on patient safety and a consequent search for practice and procedure optimization to minimize exposure. The main objective of this study was to analyze radiographers’ practices and procedures in the Computed Tomography imaging technique. A quantitative retrospective and descriptive-comparative method were used, and data regarding study protocols implemented in the radiology service, the technical parameters adopted and the dose descriptors obtained for each of the examinations analyzed were collected. A total of 192 Computed Tomography examinations, performed in adult patients, were analyzed for five clinical indications. The 75th percentile values of CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy.cm), respectively, were obtained for the clinical indications of head trauma (58 mGy; 848 mGy.cm), stroke with less than 6 hours onset (22 mGy; 1174 mGy.cm), chronic sinusitis (11 mGy; 149 mGy.cm), pulmonary embolism suspect (7 mGy; 415 mGy.cm) and oncological staging (6 mGy; 1010 mGy.cm). The results obtained in the present study point to the inexistence of statistically significant differences (p=0,05) between the dose descriptors values of this study and the results presented in recent literature. Concerning the technical parameters and study protocols implemented, it was found that it follows the recommendations established in the Decree-Law 108/2018 of the national legislation. Although the results of this study are, in general, positive, it can be concluded that there is still a considerable margin for improvement in the light of the principle of optimization, mainly regarding the adequacy of the protocols implemented in the imaging service to the international recommendations.N/

The paradigm shift in medical imaging education and training in Europe

The main goal of this literature review is to discuss the emerging trends, challenges and opportunities in the field of medical imaging education in Europe due to the Covid-19 pandemic scenario that forced the remodeling of the teaching and learning process. A bibliographic search was carried out in the main databases and from resources available in scientific and professional associations in Europe. Exclusion criteria included articles without contributions on distance learning or active learning. Education and training in medical imaging field had to readapt and the usual opportunities for medical imaging and radiotherapy (MIR) students to learn in person in the classroom, lab and clinical settings, had to be quickly transformed into distance learning opportunities. Thus, online education became a pedagogical shift from traditional method to the modern approach of teaching and learning from classroom to Zoom, from personal to virtual and from seminars to webinars, leading to the emergence of innovative teaching models. Moreover, student-centered strategies such as flipped classroom and game-based learning have been recently applied in health professions education with positive and very promising results. In conclusion, due to the pandemic crisis, MIR educators and students find themselves in the situation where they felt compelled to embrace the digital academic experience, allowing the progressive innovation of e-learning. In this context, game-based learning appears to be effective for improving knowledge, skills, attitudes and satisfaction and should be considered as a potential systematic tool in the field of medical imaging education. Therefore, preparedness of radiographers depends on the application of effective training and education methodologies that allows excellent clinical performance and maintaining high quality and safety standards, both through undergraduate course and continuous professional development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio