Publications by authors named "Antunes R"

This study investigates the mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) 60A, which is a flexible material that can be used to produce soft robotic grippers using additive manufacturing. Tensile tests were conducted under ISO 37 and ISO 527 standards to assess the effects of different printing orientations (0°, 45°, -45°, 90°, and quasi-isotropic) and test speeds (2 mm/min, 20 mm/min, and 200 mm/min) on the material's performance. While the printing orientations at 0° and quasi-isotropic provided similar performance, the quasi-isotropic orientation demonstrated the most balanced mechanical behavior, establishing it as the optimal choice for robust and predictable performance, particularly for computational simulations.

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In this study, a novel synthesis approach was employed to create the KIT-6/TiO photocatalyst with different ratios of Si/Ti. The results of the X-ray diffraction revealed that incorporating TiO with the anatase phase maintained the mesoporous structure of KIT-6 (Korean Institute of Technology 6). The scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images exhibited unobstructed mesopores, validating their anchoring within the internal structure of the support.

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Objective: To examine the influence of latitude, longitude, sunrise, and daylight, in conjunction with individual and behavioral factors, on sleep duration, wake time, and bedtime in a country with the world's broadest latitude range, yet characterized by homogeneity in language, cultural traits, and consistent time zones.

Methods: Participants (n = 1440; 18-65y) were part of a virtual population-based survey (2021-22). Sleep patterns were spatially represented through maps using Multilevel B-spline Interpolation.

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Objectives: to analyze the social representations of patients with cancer regarding oncologic surgery.

Methods: a qualitative study based on Social Representation Theory was conducted with 126 participants between October 2021 and May 2022 in a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro. A characterization questionnaire, free evocations of the inducing term "surgery", and semi-structured interviews with 60 participants were applied.

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This study aims to validate the Portuguese version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86 for positive affect and 0.

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergence of new viral variants has challenged public health efforts, often evading antibody responses generated by infections and vaccinations. This immune escape has led to waves of breakthrough infections, raising questions about the efficacy and durability of immune protection. Here we focus on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron spike mutations on ACE-2 receptor binding, protein stability, and immune response evasion.

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We live in an era characterized by Society 4.0 and Industry 4.0 where successive innovations that are more or less disruptive are occurring.

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Objective: To identify the feeling of helplessness in assisted reproduction patients, along with the experience in the out patient surgical center of an assisted reproduction clinic.

Methods: A prospective study of care and psychological interventions performed in the outpatient surgical center (OSC) of the assisted reproduction clinic from January 2019 to December 2022. Patients are first seen by the nursing staff.

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Article Synopsis
  • Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in patients after endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke, impacting recovery and survival rates.
  • A study involving 1150 patients revealed an AKI incidence of 6%, with risk factors including older age, longer treatment times, and lower kidney function.
  • AKI significantly correlates with higher mortality rates, emphasizing the need for improved treatment strategies for at-risk patients.
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The primary objective of this study was to analyze the moderating effect of body mass index (BMI) on the association between lower body strength, agility, and dynamic balance, considering the mediating influence of lower body flexibility and aerobic endurance in community-dwelling older adults. This study included a sample of 607 community-dwelling older adults (female = 443; male = 164) aged between 60 and 79 years (M = 69.24; SD = 5.

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Background: Men's access to sexual health care is influenced by the nurses' symbolic universes, translated into maps of signification and normative idealization that structure their practices.

Aim: The aim of the study was to analyze nurses' social representations of men's sexual health, considering the barriers and possibilities in accessing health care.

Methods: Descriptive study with qualitative approach.

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This study investigated the effects of two physical exercise programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Twenty-one participants were assigned to an indoor group (IG, n = 7; 24-week gym intervention with machine), an outdoor group (OG, n = 7; 24-week outdoor intervention with low-cost materials) or a control group. The outcomes assessed included quality of life, dementia, and functional capacity.

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The identification of medical concepts from clinical narratives has a large interest in the biomedical scientific community due to its importance in treatment improvements or drug development research. Biomedical named entity recognition (NER) in clinical texts is crucial for automated information extraction, facilitating patient record analysis, drug development, and medical research. Traditional approaches often focus on single-class NER tasks, yet recent advancements emphasize the necessity of addressing multi-class scenarios, particularly in complex biomedical domains.

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Institutionalized older adults are characterized by high levels of dependence and low levels of physical activity compared to those living in the community. This combination of factors leads to an increased risk of loss of muscle mass. Sarcopenia can be countered through strength training.

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A stroke is a time-sensitive emergency, so diagnosing and treating the victim promptly is extremely important. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the influence of the Stroke Code Protocol's activation on the door-to-computed-tomography (door-to-CT) time and determine whether factors such as previous Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), age, and gender influence its activation. A retrospective study was conducted in a Medical-Surgical Emergency Department in the centre of Portugal from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2022.

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This study aimed to achieve two primary objectives. Firstly, to compare physical fitness levels based on sex, age groups, and body composition. Secondly, to examine physical fitness of the older adults against criterion-referenced fitness standard values using a representative sample from the district of Leiria in Portugal, a region undergoing exponential population growth, including a rise in the elderly population.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates how plasma brain-derived tau (BD-Tau) can predict outcomes for patients with acute ischemic stroke who undergo endovascular therapy (EVT), potentially improving prognosis after EVT trials initiated in 2015.
  • Two independent patient cohorts with large vessel occlusion were analyzed, measuring various plasma biomarkers pre- and post-EVT, with 90-day functional outcomes assessed using standardized scales.
  • Results show that while GFAP was strong for early imaging outcomes, BD-Tau was more effective for predicting long-term functional recovery, leading to the development of a predictive model that proved effective across both cohorts.
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Purpose Of The Article: This study aims to evaluate the literature, peer-reviewed clinical trials investigating the effects of combined exercise interventions on individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Materials And Methods: Various databases, using various descriptors and Boolean operators were utilized.

Results: Eight studies meet the eligibility criteria.

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Objectives: to analyze the use of spirituality/religiosity by oncology nurse residents in caring for patients with cancer.

Methods: a census, descriptive, sectional study, with 46 nurse residents from three public hospitals in Rio de Janeiro. Data collection took place between August 2020 and January 2021, using a sociodemographic questionnaire, including a question about the use of spirituality/ religiosity to deal with work situations.

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Biomedical relation extraction is an ongoing challenge within the natural language processing community. Its application is important for understanding scientific biomedical literature, with many use cases, such as drug discovery, precision medicine, disease diagnosis, treatment optimization and biomedical knowledge graph construction. Therefore, the development of a tool capable of effectively addressing this task holds the potential to improve knowledge discovery by automating the extraction of relations from research manuscripts.

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Objective: To investigate the potential impact of vitamin D (VD) serum levels on couples going through in vitro fertilization treatment in terms of embryo quality and pregnancy rates.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: A private human reproduction center.

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Objective: A new approach to evaluate whether Progestin-Primed Ovarian Stimulation with micronized vaginal progesterone was as effective as using dydrogesterone in suppress LH pulse surge in young women under stimulation in an oocyte donor programme.

Methods: This prospective study included 21 patients aged 19 to 32 years-old stimulated with Elonva® 150, associated or not with Menopur® or Merional® (75 or 150IU) since the beginning of the cycle, plus HMG 150-225IU after the 8th day or just HMG 150-300IU per day. Patients were placed in a PPOS protocol with micronized vaginal progesterone (MVP) 200 mg (Gynpro® Exeltis or Junno Farmoquimica) every 12 hours or dydrogesterone (Duphaston® Abbott) 10 mg every 8 hours from the start of stimulation until the day after the GnRH trigger with Triptorelin 0.

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The aim of the of the current investigation was to investigate the possible differences concerning males and females in anthropometry, body composition, functional capacity, strength and quality of life variables. After obtaining signed informed consent, 37 participants (18 males; 19 females), with mean age of 39.08 and standard deviation of 11.

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Surgical ASTM F139 stainless steel is used for temporary fixtures in the biomedical field. Tribocorrosion is a major concern in this application. The aim of the present work was to study the interplay between tribocorrosion behavior and the surface chemistry of the ASTM F139 stainless steel in phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS).

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Unlabelled: Physical activity (PA), mental health, and body image are some important health topics in the transgender population that have been recently discussed and appear to play a crucial role in the quality of life of the trans population. This study aims to elucidate the complex interplay of these variables and their implications for the well-being of trans individuals.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 75 Portuguese transgender individuals (M = 23.

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