Publications by authors named "Marco Pereira"

Individuals with chronic illnesses and those infected with SARS-CoV-2 often face stigma, shame, and psychological distress related to their conditions. Higher psychological flexibility and self-compassion are often associated with less stigma and shame. Examining and comparing these experiences between people with chronic illness and people who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 can provide valuable insights into the shared and unique challenges they encounter.

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We hypothesized that after synovial injury, collagen V (Col V) expose occult antigens, and Col V autoantibodies develop, indicating the loss of immune tolerance against this molecule, thus leading to damage to mesenchymal-derived cells as well as the extracellular matrix in experimental arthritis. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of oral administration of Col V on the synovium after the development of inflammation in mBSA/CFA-induced arthritis. After fourteen days of intraarticular administration of mBSA, 10 male Lewis rats were orally administered Col V (500 μg/300 μL) diluted in 0.

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic held considerable health-related outcomes worldwide, including mental health challenges, with elevated risk of psychiatric sequelae.

Methods: This study aimed to test the longitudinal (1 year) predictive role of psychosocial factors on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depressive symptoms in SARS-CoV-2 survivors ( = 209 at T1;  = 61; attrition rate 70.83%), through Pearson's correlation analyses and longitudinal multiple regression analyses.

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Aim: Clinical studies following a first episode of psychosis (FEP) have increasingly exposed the complexity of identifying predictive outcome variables. We aimed to explore the utility of NEET status (not in education, employment or training) at FEP onset in predicting high threshold clinical remission (absence of positive symptoms and off antipsychotic medication for 6 months) at 3 years following treatment with an early intervention for psychosis service.

Methods: We studied an established retrospective naturalistic cohort of 354 patients with FEP (the S1P cohort).

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This study explored clinical and sociodemographic moderators of treatment response to "Be a Mom", an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) intervention, from baseline to postintervention, in women at high risk for postpartum depression (PPD). The study also assessed the stability of women's treatment gains from baseline to 4-months postintervention (follow-up). This open-label randomized controlled trial (RCT) involved a sample of 1,053 postpartum Portuguese women identified as being at high risk for PPD (i.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Group transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is seen as a promising way to improve mental health access in Portugal, and understanding why patients may not stick to these treatments is key to making it work.
  • - A study involving 243 participants showed that most people were open to and found value in both unified transdiagnostic CBT and group therapy, with overall positive attitudes dominating statistical significance.
  • - Factors influencing attitudes included employment status, living environment, marital status, and gender, indicating the need for tailored strategies to enhance knowledge and acceptance of these therapies among different groups in the Portuguese population.
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Research about interpartner agreement on intimate partner violence (IPV) is mainly based on community and clinical samples, with forensic or court-related samples being overlooked. This study assesses interpartner agreement on IPV reports based on the Revised Conflict Tactic Scales, aiming to explore if the proxy method would be reliable in a court-related setting. The study sample comprised 62 different-sex couples identified in the Portuguese judicial system due to an IPV-related crime perpetrated by men.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Pulmonary atelectasis is a common issue during anesthesia, and mechanical ventilation along with alveolar recruitment maneuvers (ARMs) and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) can help improve lung function, despite the risk of lung injuries like volutrauma and barotrauma.
  • - The study aimed to assess how lung volume distribution changes with different levels of PEEP during ARMs in 12 anesthetized dogs, using CT scans for detailed monitoring.
  • - Results showed that ARMs significantly improved lung ventilation and static compliance, especially at specific PEEP levels (10 and 5 cmHO), while also affecting cardiovascular measures like heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure.
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Agricultural production is the practice that uses the most water on the planet, especially the irrigated agriculture, which represents a large part of this demand. As well as the quantitative issue, adequate quality is essential to meet the demands of the crop and its return to the water sources, in a way that does not cause damage to the environment. To measure this consumption, the expression "water footprint" emerged.

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Whilst antipsychotic medication reduces risk of relapse following a first episode of psychosis (FEP), some individuals can discontinue medication and remain relapse free. We aimed to identify patient and service-specific factors which influence clinical outcome following antipsychotic discontinuation. The outcomes 'admission to hospital' and 'remaining free from psychotic symptoms', both within one year from discontinuation, were explored retrospectively in an established naturalistic cohort of 354 patients with FEP.

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An accurate assessment of intimate partner violence (IPV) is crucial to guide public policy and intervention. The Conflict Tactic Scales Revised (CTS-2) is one of the most widely used instruments to do so. Despite its good psychometric properties, research on interpartner agreement has pointed to low-to-moderate estimates, which generated some concerns about the validity of the results obtained through single-partner reports.

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Physician-Patient communication (PPC) has been linked to patient adjustment outcomes. However, conflicting results have been reported and previous systematic reviews showed some methodological weaknesses. It has also been suggested that PPC is related to physicians' own adjustment outcomes.

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Background: The world is going through a challenging historical moment, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting billions of lives and communities worldwide.

Objective: Building on the widespread negative impact of the pandemic on the socio-economic context, and consequently on the labour market, the aim of this study was to analyse the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers' perception of decent work.

Methods: The Decent Work Questionnaire was administered to 243 workers from seven Portuguese organisations at two-time points (before and during the pandemic).

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The objective of this study was to compare the hemodynamic effects of dobutamine and ephedrine during the management of anesthesia-related hypotension in healthy horses. Thirteen horses underwent general anesthesia with isoflurane and were randomly divided into two different groups, one of which received a dobutamine constant rate infusion (CRI) (1 µg/kg bwt/min) and the other received an ephedrine CRI (20 µg/kg bwt/min) when hypotension (<60 mmHg) was identified, following up to 15 min after the blood pressure reached 70 mmHg. All horses were equipped with a pulmonary artery catheter and a peripheral artery catheter, and multiparameter monitoring commenced as soon as they were under mechanical ventilation.

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Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is treatable and preventable, but most women do not seek professional help for their perinatal depressive symptoms. One increasingly popular approach of improving access to care is the use of web-based intervention programs.

Objective: The objective of this study was 2-fold: first, to assess the efficacy of Be a Mom, a brief web-based selective or indicated preventive intervention, in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms of women at high risk for PPD; and second, to examine mechanisms of change linking modifiable self-regulatory skills (ie, emotion regulation, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility) to improved perinatal mental health outcomes.

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The apicomplexan hemoprotozoan Theileria equi is a tick-borne pathogen that causes disease in equids, and together with Babesia caballi, causes equine piroplasmosis (EP). Many ticks are associated with EP around the world, and in South America three species may be related: Dermacentor nitens, Amblyomma sculptum, and Rhipicephalus microplus, as they are commonly found in horses. Among the species cited above, only R.

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been targeted as a significant concern worldwide, but evidence for the efficacy of perpetrators' interventions is not undisputable. This article briefly summarizes the evidence about perpetrators' intervention efficacy, factors associated with recidivism, and evidence-based recommendations, before outlining the assumptions of a new community-delivered intervention aiming to rehabilitate IPV perpetrators: the CONTIGO Program. This program uses an innovative framework, focused on early maladaptive schemas, and combining cognitive, interpersonal, and motivational interview principles.

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Background: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has been an essential tool for assessing pulmonary ventilation in several situations, such as the alveolar recruitment maneuver (ARM) in PEEP titration to maintain the lungs open after atelectasis reversion. In the same way as in humans and dogs, in horses, this tool has been widely used to assess pulmonary aeration undergoing anesthesia, mechanical ventilation, recruitment maneuver, standing horses, or specific procedures.

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the distribution of regional ventilation during ARM based on lung monitoring assessment by EIT, with a focus on better recruitment associated with less or no overdistention.

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Background: In medicine, the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block has been shown as an effective method of analgesia in several surgical procedures. In this context, this prospective, randomized, blinded study aimed to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of TAP block, guided by ultrasound in female dogs submitted to ovariectomy.

Methods: Therefore, 32 animals randomly assigned in two groups ( = 16) were used.

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The use of lumen-apposing metal stent is well defined for endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of pancreatic collections (e.g. WON).

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Objective: To compare dexmedetomidine and fentanyl constant rate infusions in anesthetic protocols for septic dogs with pyometra, using microcirculatory, hemodynamic and metabolic variables.

Study Design: Randomized clinical study.

Animals: A total of 33 dogs with pyometra with two or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome variables undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

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Little attention has been given to the role of practitioners in evidence-based parenting programs and to the evaluation that parents make of their importance in the process of change. This study aims to explore the role that parents assign to the facilitators of the Incredible Years (IY) program in enabling long-term life changes, as well as the association between parents' evaluation of the practitioners' skills and specific changes perceived after the intervention. In this longitudinal study, we applied 1 survey to 80 community parents who had participated in an IY group 2 years before, and we retrieved archival data to assess changes in parents' ratings of sense of competence and in children's behaviors immediately after the end of the intervention.

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Objectives: Web-based interventions for the promotion of maternal mental health could represent a cost-effective strategy to reduce the burden associated with perinatal mental illness. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of Be a Mom, a self-guided web-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention, compared with a waiting-list control.

Methods: The economic evaluation alongside a randomized controlled trial was conducted from a societal perspective over a 14-month time frame.

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Jealousy is an affective state activated by a perceived threat to a valued relationship by a third party. On average, males report higher distress about their partner's sexual extra-pair involvement, while females show higher emotional jealousy. These sex differences are specific to heterosexuals and to contexts with potential reproductive costs.

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major concern across the world, and its prevalence assessment has been a priority in numerous countries. However, data about IPV prevalence in Portugal is scarce and not up-to-date. This study aims to estimate IPV prevalence in Portugal.

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