Alternate Wetting and Drying in the Center of Portugal: Effects on Water and Rice Productivity and Contribution to Development.

Rice irrigation by continuous flooding is highly water demanding in comparison with most methods applied in the irrigation of other crops, due to a significant deep percolation and surface drainage of paddies. The pollution of water resources and methane emissions are other environmental problems of rice agroecosystems, which require effective agronomic changes to safeguard its sustainable production. To contribute to this solution, an experimental study of alternate wetting and drying flooding (AWD) was carried out in the Center of Portugal in farmer's paddies, using the methodology of field irrigation evaluation. The AWD results showed that there is a relevant potential to save about 10% of irrigation water with a reduced yield impact, allowing an additional period of about 10 to 29 days of dry soil. The guidelines to promote the on-farm scale AWD automation were outlined, integrating multiple data sources, to get a safe control of soil water and crop productivity. The conclusions point out the advantages of a significant change in the irrigation procedures, the use of water level sensors to assess the right irrigation scheduling to manage the soil deficit and the mild crop stress during the dry periods, and the development of paddy irrigation supplies, to allow a safe and smart AWD.

HIV infection among children in Malanje province, Angola: a twelve-year follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) infection has been a serious health problem in pediatric age groups globally, and especially in African countries such as Angola. Our aim was to determine the prevalence rate, accumulate incidence rate, and mortality rate of HIV/AIDS infection in children under 14 years of age residing in four municipalities of Malanje (Malanje, Cacuso, Calandula, and Caculama), from 2010 to 2021. METHODOLOGY: This was a documentary research study, with data from 2010 to 2021, developed from a sample size of 10,984 children. RESULTS: The prevalence rate data showed a certain level of dispersion, and no relationship was identified in its behavior over the years (R2 = 0.0036). On the other hand, the accumulate incidence rate presented a tendency to decrease, indicating a moderate level of correlation in its behavior over the years (R2 = 0.4278). Finally, the mortality rate has been decreasing and presented a high correlation in its association with the years under analysis (R2 = 0.8142). Primary schooling and low purchasing power were frequent (60% and 82%, respectively) among the families of HIV-infected children under study. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the temporal variation of HIV in children under 14 years of age living in the different municipalities, there was a tendency of its diminishing in the later part of the period, from 2010 to 2021. Nevertheless, the key players should focus on strengthening community strategies for prevention, investigation, and diagnosis of HIV infections in this population.

Validation of the ICU Mobility Scale for Nursing Use: Portuguese Multicentric Observational Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mobilization of critical patients should be precocious and the inclusion of nursing in this task can be decisive in paradigm shift. The purpose of this study was to validate the Portuguese version of the intensive care unit Mobility Scale for nursing use. METHODS: Prospective multicenter observational study. Patients' mobility was evaluated by rehabilitation nurses in order to determine interobserver agreement. The validation criteria was tested by determining the correlation between the evaluation results of mobility, strength, and functionality levels at discharge. RESULTS: Good interobserver agreement (R = 0.98; K = 0.76). Positive correlation with muscle strength (R = 0.77) and functionality (R = 0.85) levels at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the correlations observed the scale is a valid instrument for nurses and could be a useful tool for routine use. More research is recommended to make the results more robust.

Characterization of oral health in a Portuguese population with mild intellectual disability.

AIMS: This study aims to characterize the hygiene habits, the self-perception of the need for treatment and the oral condition of a population with a disability. METHODS AND RESULTS: This research is part of an observational, cross-sectional epidemiological study on oral health and quality of life of people with mild intellectual disabilities living in (or attending) institutions of the Central Region of Portugal that were affiliated with HUMANITAS (Portuguese Federation for Mental Disability) in 2016. A sociodemographic and oral health questionnaire, applied on the form of an interview to 240 individuals aged between 18 and 64 years, was used. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 22.0. It was verified that 32.9% of the individuals had less than 20 teeth. Only 15% of all individuals used removable prosthesis. About 21% didn't do oral hygiene daily. Only 28.4% of the sample visited the dentist in the last 6 months. Note that 75.2% of the sample stated their need for dental treatment and less than half (37.4%) described their oral condition as good or superior. CONCLUSION: Dental care among adults with intellectual disability is one of the most unattended health needs. Evidence suggests that inadequate oral health habits are more prevalent in the studied population than in the Portuguese population.

Validation of a Portuguese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile adapted to people with mild intellectual disabilities (OHIP-14-MID-PT).

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to develop a Portuguese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and validate it for people with mild intellectual disability (OHIP-14-MID-PT). METHODS: The Portuguese version of the questionnaire was drawn up from the original English version, following internationally defined guidelines. Interviews were conducted with 240 individuals living in (or attending) institutions of the central region of Portugal that are affiliated with Humanitas (Portuguese Federation for Intellectual Disability) to measure oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL). The interview also included a sociodemographic and oral health questionnaire followed by an intraoral examination. Two types of reliability were analyzed: test-retest (ICC) and internal consistency (Cronbach´s α, inter-item and item-total correlations). Convergent and divergent validities were also assessed, and a confirmatory factor analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method. RESULTS: The OHIP-14-MID-PT presented high reliability (ICC = 0.999; Cronbach's α = 0.922). The inter-item correlation coefficient ranged from 0.277 to 0.749, and the item-total correlation coefficient varied between 0.529 and 0.718. Lower OHIP-14-MID-PT total scores were significantly associated with: a self-perception of better oral health status (r = -0.545, p<0,001) and reduced need for dental treatment (U = 2366.5, p<0,001), more natural teeth (χ2 = 29.74, p<0,001) and better results in the clinical oral health index (COHI) (χ 2 = 18.50, p<0,001); the results support the convergent and divergent validities of the questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: OHIP-14-MID-PT has proved to be a consistent, valid and reliable instrument with good psychometric properties to determine the impact of oral health on quality of life in adults with mild intellectual disabilities in Portugal.

Oral health-related quality of life of Portuguese adults with mild intellectual disabilities.

Individuals with disabilities are regarded as a highly vulnerable population group, particularly as far as oral health is concern. However, few studies have assessed the impact of the oral condition on the quality of life of these individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study is to expand knowledge on the oral health status of the Portuguese adults with mild intellectual disability, and to assess how the patient's oral health is related to their quality of life. A sample of 240 adults with mild intellectual disabilities linked to the Portuguese Federation for Intellectual Disability, were interviewed using a previously validated version of the Oral Health Impact Profile. An oral health examination was also conducted using three oral health indexes: Clinical Oral Health Index (COHI); Clinical Oral Care Needs Index (COCNI) and the Clinical Oral Prevention Index (COPI). Sociodemographic characteristics and dental health factors were also collected, following statistical analysis. More than half of the individuals (54,9%) presented one or more problems of major to severe impact on health (COHI level 2); only 4,6% of the individuals do not need treatment or examination (COCNI level 0) and 85% of the study sample needs measures of educational or preventive action (COPI level 1). In 76,9% of the participants, oral health had impact on the quality of life. The most affected dimensions of life were physical pain with 61,9%, followed by psychological discomfort and psychological disability with 45,1% and 45%, respectively. With relation to oral health factors and sociodemographic variables it was verified that fewer teeth and higher self-perception of need for dental treatment had a negative impact on the quality of life. On the other hand, institutionalization and an increase in at least one category in the self-perception of the oral health status had a positive impact on the quality of life. Given the high burden of oral disease and the considerable impact on quality of life found in this study, the establishment of guidelines to improve the oral health and quality of life of these individuals should be regarded as imperative.

Organization of rehabilitation care in Portuguese intensive care units. / Organização dos cuidados de reabilitação nas unidades de cuidados intensivos portuguesas.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the different rehabilitation care models in practice in Portuguese adult intensive care units. METHODS: A simple observational (cross-sectional) study was conducted through an online survey sent to the head nurses or individuals responsible for the 58 adult intensive care units that are part of the database of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Cuidados Intensivos. RESULTS: We identified three models of organization of rehabilitation care: care provided by the staff of the intensive care unit (22.9%), care provided by specialized external teams (25.0%), and a mixture of the previous models, combining the two situations (52.1%). In the first model, the care was provided mainly by nurses with specialization in rehabilitation and, in the second model, the care was provided by physiotherapists. No significant differences were found between the models regarding the availability of care, in hours/day or days/week (p = 0.268 and 0.994, respectively), or results such as length of hospital stay in intensive care, ventilation time, or mortality rate in the unit (p = 0.418, 0.923, and 0.240, respectively). CONCLUSION: The organization of rehabilitation care in Portuguese intensive care units is unique and heterogeneous. Despite different care organization models, the availability of hours of care is similar, as are the overall results observed in patients.

Photodegradation of Diquat and Paraquat in aqueous solutions by titanium dioxide: evolution of degradation reactions and characterisation of intermediates.

The titanium dioxide assisted photodegradation of Diquat and Paraquat herbicides solutions has been the subject of the present investigation, considering its direct application in the treatment of contaminated waters and soils. To have a better understanding of the photodegradation process, different types of TiO2, commercial and 'home prepared' Ti(1-x)FexO2 (x = 0% and 4%), were used as catalysts, using an UV light as radiation source. The degradation reactions were followed by UV spectroscopy and the intermediates and reaction products were characterised by electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESIMS) combined with collision-induced dissociation (CID) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The present study shows that, for photocatalytic degradation of Diquat and Paraquat solutions, a basic pH can be determinant, as well as the type of catalyst. The type of catalyst can also strongly influence the degradation pattern of the herbicide. Regarding complete degradation, we were able to show that Diquat is more persistent than Paraquat. During the photocatalytic processes, several intermediate and reaction products are sequentially formed, to which structures are proposed.

Atenção à saúde bucal na atenção primária à saúde em Portugal: percepção dos médicos de família / Oral health care in primary health care in Portugal: perception of family physicians

Objetivos: o presente estudo objetivou abstrair as percepções dos médicos de família relativamente a implementação da atenção à saúde bucal na atenção primária à saúde em Portugal. Métodos: estudo exploratório- descritivo, de abordagem qualitativa, realizado com recurso a entrevista semiestruturada gravada aplicada a 30 médicos. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre janeiro de 2017 e junho de 2017, sendo utilizada para a análise a técnica da análise de conteúdo. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética da Unidade Local de Saúde de Castelo Branco. Resultados: as falas revelam uma visão positiva sobre a realização de tratamentos e educação em saúde bucal em complemento do trabalho da equipe de saúde. Conclusões: Em conformidade com a literatura, os médicos destacam a importância do reforço da atenção à saúde bucal com a integração de médicos dentistas no sistema público de saúde, que permitiu um maior acesso a tratamentos (até então exclusivos da medicina privada) e contribuiu para o reforço da educação em saúde nessa área.

Objectives: This study aimed to abstract the perceptions of family physicians regarding the implementation of oral health care in primary health care in Portugal. Methods: an exploratory- descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, performed using a semi-structured recorded interview applied to 30 physicians. Data collection took place between January 2017 and June 2017, and the content analysis technique was used for the analysis. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Local Health Unit of Castelo Branco. Results: the speeches reveal a positive view on the accomplishment of treatments and education in oral health in addition to the work of the family health team. Conclusions: According to the literature, doctors emphasize the importance of strengthening oral health care with the integration of dentists in the public health system, which has allowed greater access to treatments (previously exclusive to private medicine) and has contributed to the strengthening of health education in this area.

Avanços na política de saúde bucal em Portugal / Advances in portuguese oral health policy / Avances en la política de salud bucal portuguesa

A aposta na saúde bucal, apesar de não ser devidamente valorizada por muitos Governos, é importante para o desenvolvimento da população já que a patologia oral pode ter efeitos nefastos nos mais diversos sistemas orgânicos que asseguram a sobrevivência dos pacientes. Em Portugal, a promoção da saúde bucal nunca foi uma prioridade para os sucessivos Governos. Apenas no ano de 2005 se implementou, no âmbito do Plano Nacional de Saúde, o Programa Nacional de Promoção da Saúde Oral (PNSO), que dez anos mais tarde, em 2015, sofreu novas alterações. O presente artigo realiza uma revisão teórica do desenvolvimento da promoção da saúde oral em Portugal, retratando toda a história da sua criação, evolução e perspectivas futuras e cobertura, desde o início do Programa até ao projeto de integração da Saúde Oral no âmbito da atenção primária à saúde. (AU)

The focus on oral health, not valued by many governments, is important for the development of the population, because the oral pathology can have harmful effects on the most diverse organ systems, that ensure patient survival. In Portugal, the promotion of oral health has never been a priority for successive Governments. In 2005, the National Program for the Promotion of Oral Health (PNSO) was implemented under the National Health Plan. Ten years later, in 2015, it underwent new changes. This article presents a theoretical review of the development of oral health promotion in Portugal, describing the whole history of its creation, evolution and future perspectives and coverage, from the beginning of the Program to the integration project of Oral Health in primary health care the health. (AU)

La apuesta a la salud bucal, a pesar de no ser debidamente valorada por muchos Gobiernos, es importante para el desarrollo de la población ya que la patología oral puede tener efectos nefastos en los más diversos sistemas orgánicos que aseguran la supervivencia de los pacientes. En Portugal, la promoción de la salud bucal nunca fue una prioridad para los sucesivos gobiernos. Sólo en el año 2005 se implementó, en el marco del Plan Nacional de Salud, el Programa Nacional de Promoción de la Salud Oral (PNSO), que diez años más tarde, en 2015, sufrió nuevas alteraciones. El presente artículo realiza una revisión teórica del desarrollo de la promoción de la salud oral en Portugal, retratando toda la historia de su creación, evolución y perspectivas futuras y cobertura, desde el inicio del Programa hasta el proyecto de integración de la Salud Oral en el ámbito de la atención primaria la salud. (AU)

Atenção à saúde bucal na atenção primária à saúde em Portugal: perceção dos médicos dentistas portugueses / Oral health care in primary health care in Portugal: perception of Portuguese dentists

Objetivos: o presente estudo objetivou analisar as perceções dos médicos dentistas relativamente à implementação da atenção à saúde bucal na atenção primária à saúde em Portugal. Métodos: estudo exploratório-descritivo, de abordagem qualitativa, realizado com recurso a entrevista semiestruturada gravada aplicada a 75 médicos dentistas. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre julho e dezembro de 2017, sendo utilizada para a análise a técnica da análise de conteúdo. Resultados: as falas revelam a importância da realização de tratamentos e educação em saúde bucal integrada na equipe de saúde da atenção primária à saúde. Conclusões: Em conformidade com a literatura, os dentistas destacam a importância do reforço da atenção à saúde bucal de acesso universal integrada no Serviço Nacional de Saúde, reforçam a necessidade de criar mais equipes de saúde bucal (médico dentista, higienista e assistentes) em toda a atenção primária e destacam a necessidade da implementação de uma carreira médica de medicina dentária para promover a colocação de mais médicos dentistas em zonas mais carenciadas. (AU)

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the perceptions of dentists regarding the implementation of oral health care in primary health care in Portugal. Methods: an exploratory-descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, performed using a semi-structured interview applied to 75 dentists. Data collection took place between July and December 2017, and the content analysis technique was used for the analysis. Results: the speeches reveal the importance of performing treatments and oral health education integrated in the health team of primary health care. Conclusions: According to the literature, physicians emphasize the importance of strengthening oral health care for universal access integrated into the National Health Service, reinforcing the need to place oral health teams (dentist, hygienist and assistants) throughout the country. primary care and highlight the need to implement a medical career in dentistry to promote the placement of more dentists in more needy areas. (AU)

Organização dos cuidados de reabilitação nas unidades de cuidados intensivos portuguesas / Organization of rehabilitation care in Portuguese intensive care units

RESUMO Objetivo: Descrever os diferentes modelos de prestação de cuidados de reabilitação em prática nas unidades de cuidados intensivos de adultos portuguesas. Métodos: Estudo observacional simples (transversal), realizado por meio de inquérito on-line enviado aos enfermeiros-chefes ou responsáveis das 58 unidades de cuidados intensivos de adultos que integram a base de dados da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cuidados Intensivos. Resultados: Foram identificados três modelos de organização dos cuidados de reabilitação: cuidados prestados pela equipe da unidade de cuidados intensivos (22,9%), cuidados prestados por equipes externas especializadas (25,0%), um misto dos modelos anteriores, conjugando as duas situações (52,1%). No primeiro modelo, os cuidados eram prestados essencialmente por enfermeiros com especialização em reabilitação e, no segundo, por fisioterapeutas. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os modelos no que diz respeito à disponibilidade de cuidados, em horas/dia ou dias/semana (p = 0,268 e 0,994 respetivamente), ou a resultados como tempo de internamento em cuidados intensivos, tempo de ventilação ou taxa de mortalidade na unidade (p = 0,418, 0.923 e 0,240 respetivamente). Conclusão: A organização dos cuidados de reabilitação nas unidades de cuidados intensivos portuguesas é singular e heterogênea. Apesar dos diferentes modelos de organização de cuidados, a disponibilidade de horas de cuidados é semelhante, bem como os resultados gerais observados nos doentes.

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the different rehabilitation care models in practice in Portuguese adult intensive care units. Methods: A simple observational (cross-sectional) study was conducted through an online survey sent to the head nurses or individuals responsible for the 58 adult intensive care units that are part of the database of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Cuidados Intensivos. Results: We identified three models of organization of rehabilitation care: care provided by the staff of the intensive care unit (22.9%), care provided by specialized external teams (25.0%), and a mixture of the previous models, combining the two situations (52.1%). In the first model, the care was provided mainly by nurses with specialization in rehabilitation and, in the second model, the care was provided by physiotherapists. No significant differences were found between the models regarding the availability of care, in hours/day or days/week (p = 0.268 and 0.994, respectively), or results such as length of hospital stay in intensive care, ventilation time, or mortality rate in the unit (p = 0.418, 0.923, and 0.240, respectively). Conclusion: The organization of rehabilitation care in Portuguese intensive care units is unique and heterogeneous. Despite different care organization models, the availability of hours of care is similar, as are the overall results observed in patients.

Desafios para a política de saúde num quadro de transição demográfica no interior de Portugal / Challenges for health policy in a context of demographic transition in the interior of Portugal / Desafíos para la política de salud en un marco de transición demográfica en el interior de Portugal

O interior de Portugal está vivendo um envelhecimento demográfico. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as transições demográficas ocorridas numa região do interior rural de Portugal, e discutir os desafios para a política de saúde nessa região que atravessou um período de crise econômica. Para atingir esses objetivos, foram utilizados dados dos sistemas de informação do Ministério da Saúde, e foram realizadas entrevistas com os principais atores da política de saúde nacional e local. Como resultados, ficou claro que existiu um reforço de investimento nos cuidados de saúde, mas também se verificaram baixas das taxas de fecundidade, natalidade e mortalidade, e um crescimento da esperança média de vida. Para agravar, houve um aumento do desemprego, uma redução do rendimento. Passada a crise, as modificações demográficas exigem uma nova resposta e uma ação imediata de novas políticas de saúde para superar as suas sequelas.

Portugal is experiencing an aging population in its population. This study aims to analyze the demographic transitions occurring in a rural inland region of Portugal and discuss the challenges to health policy in this region that has experienced a period of economic crisis. In order to achieve these objectives, we used data from the information systems of the Ministry of Health and conducted interviews with the main actors of national and local politics. As a result, investment in the health response, reduction in fertility, birth and death rates and a growth in average life expectancy were clear. But there was an increase in unemployment, a reduction in income. After the crisis, demographic changes require a new response and immediate action on new health policies to overcome the effects of the crisis.

Portugal está viviendo un envejecimiento demográfico en su población. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar las transiciones demográficas ocurridas en una región del interior rural de Portugal y discutir los desafíos para la política de salud en esa región que atravesó un período de crisis económica. Para concretar estos objetivos, se recurrió a datos de los sistemas de información del Ministerio de Salud y se realizaron entrevistas con los principales actores de la política nacional y local. Como resultados, quedó claro la inversión en la respuesta en salud, la reducción de las tasas de fecundidad, natalidad y mortalidad y un crecimiento de la esperanza de vida media. Pero hubo un aumento del desempleo, una reducción del rendimiento. Tras la crisis, las modificaciones demográficas exigen una nueva respuesta y una acción inmediata de nuevas políticas de salud para superar los efectos de la crisis.

Titanium dioxide anatase as matrix for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization analysis of small molecules.

The use of inorganic species as assisting materials in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) analysis is an alternative approach to avoid interfering matrix ions in the low-mass region of the mass spectra. Reports of the application of inorganic species as matrices in MALDI analysis of small molecules are, however, scarce. Nevertheless, titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) powder has been reported to be a promising matrix medium. In this study we further explore the use of TiO(2) as a matrix for the MALDI analysis of low molecular weight compounds. We present results showing that nanosized TiO(2) anatase and TiO(2) rutile perform better as MALDI matrices than a commercial TiO(2) anatase/rutile mixture. Moreover, when using nanosized TiO(2) anatase as a matrix, high-quality mass spectra can be obtained with strong analyte signals and weak or non-existing matrix interference ions. Furthermore, our results show that the phase type plays an important role in the application of TiO(2) as a MALDI matrix.

Maxillary brown tumor associated with chronic kidney failure: a case report / Tumor marrom na maxila associado à insuficiência renal crônica: relato de caso

The brown tumor is a bone lesion that may affect the entire skeleton, including the maxillary bones. These tumors are characterized as focal giant cell lesions that may be associated with primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Brown tumors are invasive in some cases and an association with chronic renal failure (CRF) has been reported. With the aim to facilitate the differential diagnosis of bone lesions that may affect dialysis patients, this paper describes a case of brown tumor in a 36- year old patient with CRF, secondary HPT carrier, who had a lesion on the right maxilla for approximately five months.

O tumor marrom é uma lesão óssea que pode acometer todo o esqueleto, inclusive os ossos maxilares. Apresenta-se como uma lesão focal de células gigantes associada ao hiperparatireoidismo (HPT) primário ou secundário; é invasiva em alguns casos e pode associar-se à insuficiência renal crônica (IRC). O presente trabalho descreve um caso de tumor marrom em uma paciente de 36 anos com insuficiência renal crônica (IRC), portadora de HPT secundário, que apresentava lesão, com duração de aproximadamente cinco meses, localizada na maxila direita, com o objetivo de auxiliar o diagnóstico diferencial das lesões ósseas que podem afetar pacientes dialíticos.