Quality of life of Venezuelan migrants in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The economic, social, and health crisis in Venezuela has resulted in the largest forced migration in recent Latin American history. The general scenario in host countries influence migrants' self-perception of quality of life, which can be understood as an indicator of their level of integration. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated socioeconomic and health vulnerabilities, especially for forced migrants.

Valorization of the Residual Fraction of Coal Tailings: A Mineral Circularity Strategy for the Clay Ceramic Industry in the Carboniferous Region of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil.

Mineral extraction of coal in the carboniferous region of southern Santa Catarina (Brazil) plays a significant role in the regional economy. However, this activity has severe environmental impacts, with approximately 65% of the extracted mineral being discarded as a rejected material (deposited in landfills). The identification of the technological potential of these materials, based on the geological aspects of the extraction site and the beneficiation operations applied to obtain coal, provides the opportunity to add value to different residual fractions that can be reused.

Endovascular therapy for posterior cerebral artery occlusion: systematic review with meta-analysis.

Endovascular therapy (EVT) is a highly effective stroke treatment, but trials validating this intervention did not include patients with posterior cerebral artery (PCA) occlusion. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of EVT for acute PCA occlusion. PubMed, Scopus, ISI, and CENTRAL were searched for studies assessing EVT in adult patients with PCA occlusion.

Spatial Analysis of Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Portugal.

Vaccine hesitancy tends to exhibit geographical patterns and is often associated with social deprivation and migrant status. We aimed to estimate COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in a high-vaccination-acceptance country, Portugal, and determine its association with sociodemographic risk factors. We used the Registry of National Health System Users to determine the eligible population and the Vaccination Registry to determine individuals without COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Understanding spatiotemporal patterns of COVID-19 incidence in Portugal: A functional data analysis from August 2020 to March 2022.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, governments and public health authorities collected massive amounts of data on daily confirmed positive cases and incidence rates. These data sets provide relevant information to develop a scientific understanding of the pandemic's spatiotemporal dynamics. At the same time, there is a lack of comprehensive approaches to describe and classify patterns underlying the dynamics of COVID-19 incidence across regions over time.

Sustainable Mining: Reuse of Clay from Abandoned Areas in the South of Brazil for Ceramic Production Based on a Simplex Design.

The environmental impact of clay mining can be minimized using extractive mineral circularity practices. Combining the available knowledge of the characteristics of different clays with statistical tools was a decisive step for the improved use of mining resources. Through blends, all the mined materials can be incorporated to produce quality ceramic products.

Acute kidney injury after endovascular therapy in acute stroke patients: systematic review with meta-analysis.

Aims: Endovascular therapy (EVT) is a highly effective stroke treatment, but it requires the administration of contrast media which puts patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular patients.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, ISI and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for observational and experimental studies assessing the occurrence of AKI in adult acute stroke patients submitted to EVT.

Spatiotemporal evolution of COVID-19 in Portugal's Mainland with self-organizing maps.

Background: Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) are an unsupervised learning clustering and dimensionality reduction algorithm capable of mapping an initial complex high-dimensional data set into a low-dimensional domain, such as a two-dimensional grid of neurons. In the reduced space, the original complex patterns and their interactions can be better visualized, interpreted and understood.

Methods: We use SOM to simultaneously couple the spatial and temporal domains of the COVID-19 evolution in the 278 municipalities of mainland Portugal during the first year of the pandemic.

Facial nerve dysfunction following parotidectomy: role of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring.

Purpose: Facial nerve dysfunction (FND) is a frequent and serious parotidectomy outcome. Intraoperative facial nerve monitoring (IFNM) is an increasingly used technique to identify the facial nerve (FN) and minimize its injury. This study aimed to evaluate the determinant factors in the presence and severity of FND after parotidectomy, including IFNM.

Informing the Design of Data Visualization Tools to Monitor the COVID-19 Pandemic in Portugal: A Web-Delphi Participatory Approach.

Due to the large amount of data generated by new technologies and information systems in the health arena, health dashboards have become increasingly popular as data visualization tools which stimulate visual perception capabilities. Although the importance of involving users is recognized in dashboard design, a limited number of studies have combined participatory methods with visualization options. This study proposes a novel approach to inform the design of data visualization tools in the COVID-19 context.

Enteric glial cell reactivity in colonic layers and mucosal modulation in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease induced by 6-hydroxydopamine.

Enteric glial cells (EGCs) constitute the majority of the neural population of the enteric nervous system and are found in all layers of the gastrointestinal tract. It is active in enteric functions such as immunomodulation, participating in inflammation and intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) regulation. Both EGCs and IEB have been described as altered in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Meniscus Sign in Patients with Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke does not Predict Outcome.

Purpose: The angiographic appearance of the occlusion site was suggested to influence outcomes of stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) who undergo endovascular treatment (EVT). We aimed to study the impact of the meniscus sign (MS) on outcomes of stroke patients with anterior circulation LVO.

Methods: Based on two prospective registries of acute ischemic stroke, we selected patients with carotid‑T, M1 or M2 occlusion who underwent EVT.

Metal Marking Behavior and Testing of Porcelain Tableware.

The term "metal marking" is widely used to define the common phenomenon of tableware glazes being damaged by metallic cutlery. Appearing as unaesthetic gray marks and scratches resulting from normal conditions of use, these defects deeply affect the performance of ceramic products, especially in intensive environments, such as in the hospitality industry. The scope of this article is to establish a comprehensive review of the phenomenon, focusing on the physical and chemical mechanisms involved in the process, and their interactions and consequences.

Effect of Feldspar Substitution by Basalt on Pyroplastic Behaviour of Porcelain Tile Composition.

This work aims to evaluate the effects of feldspar substitution by basalt on porcelain tile composition with respect to its porosity, flexural strength, and pyroplastic deformation. Three ceramic formulations with different amounts of feldspar substituted with basalt, 50% (C1), 75% (C2), and 100% (C3), were evaluated at three different temperatures, 1200, 1220, and 1240 °C. Specifically, the effect of replacing feldspar with basalt on the pyroplastic deformation of ceramic bodies was analysed using optical fleximetry.

Awareness about barriers to medication adherence in cardiovascular patients and strategies used in clinical practice by Portuguese clinicians: a nationwide study.

Although much is known about cardiovascular patients' medication adherence, the extent to which clinicians perceive non-adherence as a barrier in clinical practice is little explored. Objective To evaluate knowledge and awareness about potential barriers to medication adherence, and to evaluate strategies used in clinical practice by Portuguese clinicians on how to foster medication adherence of patients undergoing secondary cardiovascular prevention. Setting Nominal Group Technique (NGT) at the University of Lisbon; online survey addressed to physicians working in primary and secondary care in Portugal.

Mean platelet volume and mechanical thrombectomy.

Background And Purpose: Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activity and it is an independent predictor for long-term outcome in stroke patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between baseline MPV value and clinical outcome at 90-days in anterior circulation stroke and large vessel occlusion (LVO) patients submitted to mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients submitted to MT between January 2017 and May 2018.

Geostatistical COVID-19 infection risk maps for Portugal.

The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has simultaneous time and space dynamics. This behaviour results from a complex combination of factors, including social ones, which lead to significant differences in the evolution of the spatiotemporal pattern between and within countries. Usually, spatial smoothing techniques are used to map health outcomes, and rarely uncertainty of the spatial predictions are assessed.

Medication Evaluation in Portuguese Elderly Patients According to Beers, STOPP/START Criteria and EU(7)-PIM List - An Exploratory Study.

Purpose: The increase in drug prescription for the elderly raises the risk of the occurrence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), thus increasing the incidence of drug-related problems. Likewise, potential prescribing omissions (PPOs) are also highly prevalent in the elderly. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of PIMs in the elderly by using the EU(7)-PIM list, STOPP criteria version 2 and the Beers criteria version 2015, as well as the prevalence of PPOs by applying the START criteria version 2 in elderly nursing home residents and outpatients of the Eastern Central Region of Portugal.

Double stenting in T configuration with safety micro-guidewire technique in a complex middle cerebral artery stenosis.

Intracranial arterial stenosis is a frequently misdiagnosed cause of ischemic stroke, associated with high rates of recurrence under medical therapy alone. Endovascular intracranial angioplasty and stenting has increasingly been used worldwide for treatment of symptomatic intracranial stenoses, despite controversial results of the first randomized trials. Lesion morphology and etiology must be considered during endovascular treatment planning.

Ultra-early improvement after endovascular thrombectomy and long-term outcome in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke.

Background: The use of post-treatment measures after acute ischemic stroke is important to predict good functional outcome. The most studied is 24 h National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and existing literature is scarce regarding the use of earlier indicators, namely NIHSS immediately after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). We hypothesized that an immediate neurological improvement after EVT, that we called ultra-early neurological improvement (UENI), would be a reliable functional independence predictor in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke patients.