Translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Nurse Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ) for Portuguese nursing students.

BACKGROUND: The professional self-concept of nursing students significantly influences their attitude and identity within the profession, ultimately impacting their mental health and overall well-being. Recent evidence underscores the importance of assessing students' professional self-concept to prevent adverse outcomes such as burnout and stress. Since there are currently no validated instruments available in Portugal for this purpose, our objective was to translate, adapt, and validate the Nurse Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ) with nursing students in Portugal. METHODS: A two-phase research study with a non-probabilistic sample of 216 undergraduate nursing students, using the QualtricsXM electronic platform for data collection. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to verify the validity of the theoretical construct and its internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha was calculated, and a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the model fit. RESULTS: The final instrument, designated as Questionário de Autoconceito dos/as Enfermeiros/as (Pt - NSCQ), is composed of 24 items distributed across five dimensions: "General self-concept", "Staff relations", "Leadership", "Communication-care" and "Knowledge", which explain 67.71% of the total variance. All dimensions and the global scale revealed good internal consistency values, ranging from 0.775 to 0.927. The resulting factorial structure is coherent with the theoretical framework. CONCLUSION: The Pt - NSCQ proved to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess Portuguese nursing students' professional self-concept. Future studies should be carried out on larger samples and different educational contexts, aligned with the importance to ensure the continuity of the psychometric analysis of the instrument.

Exposure of Undergraduate Nursing Students to Standing Environments: A Longitudinal Study on Plantar Force and Pressure Distribution.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the link between plantar force, pressure, and foot discomfort is important for nursing students' well-being, given the prevalence of foot and ankle musculoskeletal disorders among nurses. Assessing these factors can inform tailored self-care interventions, supporting holistic nursing education. PURPOSE: To assess the plantar force and pressure distribution of third-year nursing students at baseline and after 5 months of exposure to a clinical setting. METHODS: A prospective cohort study in a Portuguese nursing school measured changes in podiatric profile at 5 months, including peak pressure, maximum force, and contact area. RESULTS: Elevated mean peak pressure in the heel correlated positively with maximum force and contact area. Negative correlations were found between the contact area and edema. Peak pressure correlated positively with thigh pain, indicating pressure transfer to metatarsal heads. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the importance of integrating ergonomic education into nursing curricula and raising awareness of self-care interventions.

Foot and Ankle Disorders in Nurses Exposed to Prolonged Standing Environments: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged standing environments constitute an occupational risk factor for nurses, particularly for developing foot and ankle disorders. The definitions and potential relationship to hours spent walking or standing are poorly understood. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the main disorders found on nurses' ankles and feet, their prevalence, the influence of hours spent walking or standing, and gender differences. METHODS: This review followed a previously published protocol. Primary and secondary studies were retrieved from relevant databases from December 2020 to March 2021. Potential articles were collated to Mendeley, and two independent reviewers assessed the title and abstracts. Studies meeting inclusion criteria were included. Two researchers retrieved and reviewed the full text of these studies independently. A predetermined extraction tool was used to retrieve relevant data, summarized in a tabular and narrative format. FINDINGS: The most common disorder was pain, followed by numbness, burning feet, bunions, structural deformities, and calluses. Prevalence differed among studies, depending on settings and specific local policies. Discussion: Various foot and ankle disorders and related variables have been found, with clear gaps that may be addressed in the future. CONCLUSION/APPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE:: Few studies have focused on nurses' foot and ankle disorders. Mapping signs and symptoms may contribute to the future development of preventive interventions for nurses' workplaces.

Overnutrition during Pregnancy and Lactation Induces Gender-Dependent Dysmetabolism in the Offspring Accompanied by Heightened Stress and Anxiety.

Maternal obesity and gestational diabetes predispose the next generation to metabolic disturbances. Moreover, the lactation phase also stands as a critical phase for metabolic programming. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms originating these changes remain unclear. Here, we investigate the consequences of a maternal lipid-rich diet during gestation and lactation and its impact on metabolism and behavior in the offspring. Two experimental groups of Wistar female rats were used: a control group (NC) that was fed a standard diet during the gestation and lactation periods and an overnutrition group that was fed a high-fat diet (HF, 60% lipid-rich) during the same phases. The offspring were analyzed at postnatal days 21 and 28 and at 2 months old (PD21, PD28, and PD60) for their metabolic profiles (weight, fasting glycemia insulin sensitivity, and glucose tolerance) and euthanized for brain collection to evaluate metabolism and inflammation in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex using Western blot markers of synaptic dynamics. At 2 months old, behavioral tests for anxiety, stress, cognition, and food habits were conducted. We observed that the female offspring born from HF mothers exhibited increased weight gain and decreased glucose tolerance that attenuated with age. In the offspring males, weight gain increased at P21 and worsened with age, while glucose tolerance remained unchanged. The offspring of the HF mothers exhibited elevated levels of anxiety and stress during behavioral tests, displaying decreased predisposition for curiosity compared to the NC group. In addition, the offspring from mothers with HF showed increased food consumption and a lower tendency towards food-related aggression. We conclude that exposure to an HF diet during pregnancy and lactation induces dysmetabolism in the offspring and is accompanied by heightened stress and anxiety. There was sexual dimorphism in the metabolic traits but not behavioral phenotypes.

Intergenerationality Programs-Between Children and Older Adults-For Portuguese Population: A Scoping Review.

The aging process is characterized by diverse and complex changes in the individual's various dimensions, requiring continuous adaptation. In this sense, this transition can be faced from an active aging standpoint through strategies such as intergenerationality programs/projects, resulting in an active social participation and valorization that is so important to life in society. This review aimed to map existing programs/projects to promote interaction between children and older adults in Portugal to understand the extent and type of evidence available. A scoping review was developed guided by the JBI methodology and using PRISMA-ScR. The studies included six programs/projects promoting intergenerationality identified in Portugal, focusing their actions on promoting active aging and preventing problems associated with aging. The evaluated dimensions along the implementation of these programs were in the cognitive, motor, emotional and communicational domains, including parameters such as self-esteem, self-confidence, self-worth, well-being, loneliness and depression. These programs/projects present themselves as potential senior mental health promoters. However, other dimensions have been evaluated during these programs'/projects' applications.

Baropodometric Assessment of the Podiatric Profile of Nursing Students in Clinical Settings: A Study Protocol.

Introduction: Nursing students are exposed to increased risks of developing foot and ankle disorders due to prolonged standing and walking positions during clinical settings. This can lead to high dropout rates from nursing degree, thus contributing to a future shortage in nursing professionals. This protocol aims to develop a study to understand the influence of prolonged standing and walking positions on nursing students' foot health, and specifically to study the relationship between the podiatric profile (regional force and pressure exerted on the foot) and related signs and symptoms. Methods and Analysis: A prospective observational cohort study will be conducted with 194 nursing students. Participants will be asked to walk through a baropodometric platform before and after a 5-month clinical training session. Assessment will focus on the change in podiatric profile, namely foot posture and foot function, at 5 months, and changes in foot health at 5 months. The study will start in January 2022 and it's expected to end by June 2022. Discussion: The study aims to perform an innovative assessment of nursing students' podiatric profile, which will allow for a comprehensive description of foot/ankle changes and their relationship with prolonged standing and walking contexts. Ethics and Dissemination: The study was approved by The Ethical Committee of the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), of the Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), with the approval code nr. P799_07_2021. The study was also recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov on the number NCT05197166. Findings will be used to publish articles in peer-review scientific journals and oral communications and posters at scientific meetings.

Aflatoxin B1 and zearalenone in dairy feeds in Portugal, 2009-2011.

This paper presents 3 years of data (2009-2011) on the occurrence of two mycotoxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and zearalenone (ZEA), in samples of feedstuff for dairy cows (n = 963), ewes (n = 42), and goats (n = 131) produced in Portugal. AFB1 was found in 15 samples of cow feed (1.6%), 3 samples of ewe feed (2.3%) and in 2 samples of goat feed (4.8%). All but two samples contained AFB1 at levels below the European Union maximum level (5 µg/kg). Nearly half (45%) of the samples were contaminated with ZEA, but its levels were relatively low, at 5-136.9 µg/kg, well below the European Union guidance value (500 µg/kg).

Occurrence of fumonisins in feed for swine and horses.

BACKGROUND: Fumonisin B1 (FB1), fumonisin B2 (FB2), and overall mycotoxins feed contamination may cause several effects on crops production and animal health. The contamination occurred predominantly in corn and corn-based foods and feeds. AIMS: This survey intends to provide the occurrence of fumonisins in swine and equine mixed feeds in Portugal, making an overview from 2007 to 2010. METHODS: A total of 363 samples were analyzed, 258 from swine feed and 105 from horse feed with HPLC method. The detection limit was 50 µg/kg for FB1 and 100 µg/kg for FB2. RESULTS: The overall results were 13% of FB1 occurrence from 2007 to 2010. FB1 was detected in about 17.0% of swine feed samples, being more frequent in 2010 (32.9%). In this year (2010) levels ranged between 66.7 and 3815.5 µg/kg. FB2 occurred only in 2010 in swine feed (6 samples, ranging between 104.0 to 467.2 µg/kg) and in horse feed (1 sample). CONCLUSIONS: This represents an increase in occurrence through the analyzed years, but this may not be a threat to animal health, once the values were below the recommended guidance values from European Commission.