Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-11-25"
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- Fractional CO2 laser versus fractional radiofrequency for skin striae treatment: study protocol for a randomized controlled trialPublication . Mendes, Nuno; Alves, Paulo Jorge; Barros, Mafalda; Machado, JorgeStriae are common dermal lesions associated with physiological and psychological alterations, affecting the quality of life. This proposed randomized controlled trial protocol will evaluate the clinical efficacy and treatment safety of fractional CO2 laser versus fractional radiofrequency (FRF) in clinical trials. We will randomly allocate 60 subjects who present abdominal striae into two different groups for the treatment, which will be performed once a month for a 3-month period. The results will be assessed by quartile scoring criteria; by comparing digital photos taken before and after each treatment; and also, by the measurement of cutaneous temperature, skin pH, and elasticity before and after the treatment. This paper describes the rationale and the design of the randomized controlled trial, which may provide evidence for clinical application of the methodology and the quality related to the efficacy and safety of fractional CO2 laser versus the FRF protocol for striae treatment.
- Incorporation of Akkermansia muciniphila DSM 22959 in chocolate matricesPublication . Vedor, R.; Machado, D.; Barbosa, J. C.; Andrade, J. C.; Gomes, A. M.
- Scientific publications on nursing for COVID-19 in patients with cancer: scoping reviewPublication . Lima, Vivian Cristina Gama Souza; Soares, Raquel de Souza; Santos, Willian Alves dos; Alves, Paulo; Fuly, Patricia dos Santos ClaroBackground: The needs of patients with cancer must be met, especially in times of crisis. The advent of the pandemic triggered a series of strategic actions by the nursing team to preserve the health of patients and professionals—hence the importance of studies on nursing care actions provided to patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is known that these patients are susceptible to severe COVID-19. However, no previous review has summarized the findings of scientific studies on nursing for COVID-19 in patients with cancer. Objective:This study aims to map the topics addressed in scientific studies on nursing for COVID-19 in patients with cancer. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the methodology described in the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers' Manual 2015. The research question was elaborated using the population, concept, and context framework: What topics have been studied in nursing publications about COVID-19 in adult patients with cancer? The searches were carried out in 8 databases between April and November 2021 without time restrictions. Results: In total, 973 publications were identified using the search strategies in the databases, and 12 papers were retrieved by consulting the references. A total of 31 (3.2%) publications were included in the final analysis, generating 4 thematic categories on the subject: “restructuring the services: how oncology nursing was adapted during the pandemic,” “experiences of patients and performance of the nursing team during the COVID-19 pandemic,” “protocols and recommendations for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” and “challenges and the role of oncology nurses facing the COVID-19 pandemic.” Conclusions: Several strategies used by oncology nurses to face the COVID-19 pandemic in the international scenario were identified. Reports about the restructuring of services and the team's reactions to the pandemic predominated. However, there is a lack of reports regarding emotional support strategies for health care professionals. Another gap identified was the scarcity of clinical studies on the activities developed by oncology nurses. Therefore, there is a need for clinical research in the oncology area and emotional coping strategies to support oncology nurses.
- O contributo da EMRC na construção do projeto de vida : uma abordagem a partir da unidade letiva 3 do 9º anoPublication . Brum, Ana Cristina Martins; Tuna, Cátia Sofia Ferreira; Garcia Ambrosio, Juan FranciscoO presente Relatório Final da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada surge a partir da temática O Projeto de Vida explorada na Unidade Letiva Três do programa de nono ano de Educação Moral e Religiosa Católica (EMRC) e pretende explorar O contributo da EMRC na construção do Projeto de Vida. Neste sentido, o grande objetivo é perceber o que os jovens entendem por Projeto de Vida, conhecer que tipo de Projeto idealizam, analisar o contributo da disciplina de EMRC no processo de construção do Projeto de Vida e observar se esta permite estratégias de autoconhecimento, um alargamento de horizontes e a integração de novos objetivos de vida. A exploração dos conteúdos da presente Unidade demonstra-se muito relevante para os jovens, porque a adolescência é uma fase muito importante na construção e afirmação da identidade e personalidade e os alunos são chamados, nesta fase, a tomar grandes decisões. No entanto, os jovens revelam, atualmente, uma certa dificuldade na definição de escolhas pessoais, no delineamento de metas a obter para poder atingir um determinado objetivo e demonstram um défice de perspetiva futura. Neste sentido, considero indispensável proporcionar momentos de reflexão e autoconhecimento, elemento facilitador na construção progressiva do seu projeto de vida e descoberta da sua vocação. Portanto, refletir sobre a temática Projeto de Vida e a importância da sua exploração desde a infância é essencial, porque auxilia os jovens a construírem gradualmente o seu próprio projeto, um projeto de felicidade e concretização de sonhos.
- Educação no sistema penitenciário feminino do Distrito Federal : a educação como forma de inclusão socialPublication . Santos, Daniele da Hora dos; Estêvão, Carlos Alberto VilarEsta pesquisa consiste em um estudo de caso com o objetivo de analisar os impactos da Educação oferecida pelo Sistema Penitenciário Feminino do Distrito Federal sob o olhar das estudantes. Adota-se o estudo de caso e metodologia qualitativa, tendo o questionário como instrumento de coleta de dados, aplicado às alunas em situação de cárcere. A análise dos dados foi realizada de forma discursiva, com inferências e interpretações das relações entre os elementos textuais que se mostraram significativos para compreensão dos discursos adotados pelas detentas, bem como o alcance dos objetivos, buscando desvelar os reflexos do ensino para a ressocialização e diminuição da reincidência de crimes. Com as repostas e observações das participantes, evidenciou-se que educação no Presídio Feminino do DF é uma esfera política que tem avançado no decorrer do tempo, contudo ainda existem desafios para que esta modalidade seja desenvolvida em todo o seu potencial ressocializador e humanitário. As detentas veem o ensino em um enquadre positivo, o qual contribui para a melhoria da autoestima e para experimentarem a esperança de um retorno mais digno para participação de forma saudável na sociedade.
- Incorporation of the next generation probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila in a chocolate matrixPublication . Vedor, Rita; Machado, Daniela; Barbosa, Joana Cristina; Gomes, Ana Maria; Andrade, José CarlosChocolate is one of the most attractive food products worldwide and has been proposed as a suitable carrier for probiotic delivery. Probiotics are recognized as live microorganisms that, when administered adequately, confer health benefits. Among those, Akkermansia muciniphila has emerged as a promising next generation probiotic candidate, given its key bioactivities in diet-related disorders. Herein, A. muciniphila DSM 22959 strain was incorporated into chocolates with 3 different cocoa contents (33.6%; 54.5%, and 70.5%), and its viability was assessed throughout aerobic storage at 25ºC for 28 days. Moreover, each probiotic chocolate was characterized in terms of pH, phenolic compound content, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic activities, using control chocolates (without bacteria) for comparative purposes. Our results showed that higher A. muciniphila levels were obtained in chocolates with 33.6% and 54.5% of the cocoa content (≥ 106 CFU/g). Furthermore, similar pH values for control and probiotic chocolates were detected without considerable oscillations during storage. This suggests that the probiotic bacteria are metabolically inactive, which may be related to their viability maintenance over time. Additionally, the phenolic compounds content analysis revealed an increase in total compounds with increasing cocoa content in the food matrix. However, probiotic incorporation did not interfere with the phenolic content. Also, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic analyses showed a growing trend with the increase of cocoa content in the chocolate matrix. In conclusion, chocolate may be considered a potential and valuable carrier for the next generation probiotic A. muciniphila and is concurrently emerging as a novel functional food.
- EditorialPublication . Pais, Sofia Oliveira
- Decision making in the investment in renewal energy according to each EU regionPublication . Neto, Sérgio Miguel Couto; Despic, Ozren; Faria, Gonçalo Manuel A. Pereira Oliveira deThe European Commission is increasingly pressuring its members to become carbon neutral. Wherefore, it is pertinent to develop a decision support tool for investing in renewable energy projects customised for each member of the European Union. To accomplish this objective, the use of Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was considered appropriate, either through CRS models or VRS, when possible, as the valuation method for the various existing investment options. Therefore, based on the primary renewable sources described by IRENA, geothermal energy, hydropower, solar energy (photovoltaic and thermal) and wind energy (onshore and offshore), it was possible to build 62 portfolios through their combinations. In this way, each investment option is mirrored as DMUs that will be evaluated on four different thematic: economic, technology, environmental and social, thus resulting in what will be defined as sustainable efficiency. With the objective of exploring different alternatives for the inclusion of themes in the models, four hypotheses were developed, considering the use of weight restriction, the equal distribution of the weight of energies in the portfolios and alternatives for the representation of the technological thematic in the model. The inclusion of more comprehensive variables from the four previously mentioned groups allows the reduction of the gap in the evaluation of renewable energy investment projects, considering the most studied factors in the academic environment over the years, and, thus, allowing a more sustainable vision. The support tool was personalised in this Business Project, considering the German context. In this sense, it was intended to collect the German figures of the representative variables and to perceive the usefulness of the developed models' results. After the elaboration of the models, it was possible to perceive that several suffered from difficulties in discriminating the DMUs; however, their results showed significant similarities in terms of the average evaluation of efficiency and the number of efficient DMUs between the VRS models and between the models CRS, with exceptions. In total, 19 different DMUs were considered efficient, of which 12 were shared by three or more models of the different hypotheses. Taking into account their compositions, it was perceived the substantial importance of wind energy, particularly onshore and solar energy, especially photovoltaic, thus corresponding to the energy sources highlighted as fundamental for the conversion of the economy into a greener one by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. Despite the presence of several limitations, such as the lack of data related to the German context, or the impossibility of implementing restrictions to create a lower limit on the weight of the variables, it is possible to observe the inherent value of DEA as a tool that enhances opportunities and allows a possible resolution of problems in complex contexts. Regardless this project insights, further studies are recommended, considering additional renewable energies, such as Bioenergy and the use of DEA models that better consider the complexity of the renewable energy environment, such as the geometric efficiency model. Additionally, inserting new comprehensive variables representing the four thematic would be advantageous for perceiving the capacity and the relative differences in the evaluation of DMUs through this method. Nevertheless, DEA seems to prove to be a valuable and transparent tool in analysing investment possibilities, thus serving as an essential support to decision-makers.
- Melhoramentos cognitivos : a necessidade de regulação normativa urgente para prevenção de resultados potencialmente catastróficosPublication . Vieira, Jorge Maria Fachadas de Assunção Moita; Guedes, Armando MarquesA evidência científica aponta cada vez mais no sentido de que nos encontramos no advento da era dos melhoramentos genéticos aplicados à capacidade cognitiva. As consequências de um avanço tecnológico rápido e não regulado podem ser potencialmente catastróficas, ao ponto de alterar definitivamente a existência dos seres humanos. Por estes motivos, o esforço regulatório é urgente e complexo: enormes desafios se afiguram no domínio da ética e da moral bem como na sua compatibilização com uma estrutura regulatória ágil e capaz de dar resposta a este avanço tecnológico em tempo útil. Na presente dissertação apresentarei alguns caminhos possíveis para que se inicie este esforço normativo, bem como uma sugestão de uma base de princípios que confira ao Direito a agilidade necessária para dar uma resposta atempada ao surgimento dos procedimentos conducentes a melhoramentos cognitivos.