Impact of COVID-19 on disease (self) management and well-being in people with Rheumatic or Musculoskeletal diseases across four European countries: a mixed methods study.

Background: Qualitative data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) in different European countries are lacking.

Objectives: To describe the impact of the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with inflammatory RMDs concerning (self)management of their disease, interaction with the health care team, emotional well-being and overall health.

Methods: A mixed-methods study of adults (>18 years) with RMDs on immunosuppression from Cyprus, England, Greece, and Portugal took part on online focus groups (FG) after the first wave (July-August, 2020).

A web-based educational therapy intervention associated with physical exercise to promote health in fibromyalgia in Brazil: the Amigos De Fibro (Fibro Friends) study protocol.

Background: Health education is one of the main items to enable health promotion to patients with fibromyalgia. The objective of the study "Amigos de Fibro (Fibro Friends)" is to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention associated with physical exercise based on the web in promoting health and quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia in Brazil.

Methods: A study with a randomized controlled trial approach will be carried out.

Motivational and cognitive predictors of apathy after subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Postoperative apathy is a frequent symptom in Parkinson's disease patients who have undergone bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. Two main hypotheses for postoperative apathy have been suggested: (i) dopaminergic withdrawal syndrome relative to postoperative dopaminergic drug tapering; and (ii) direct effect of chronic stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. The primary objective of our study was to describe preoperative and 1-year postoperative apathy in Parkinson's disease patients who underwent chronic bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus.

Does climate finance and foreign capital inflows drive de-carbonisation in developing economies?

Sustainable development requires high investment, and developing economies need external aid to afford it. Developed economies are committed to providing financial support to fight climate change to those with fewer resources suffering the severest consequences. Climate finance consists of financial activities focusing on mitigating and adapting to climate change effects.

Effect of a telerehabilitation exercise program versus a digital booklet with self-care for patients with chronic non-specific neck pain: a protocol of a randomized controlled trial assessor-blinded, 3 months follow-up.

Background: Neck pain is the fourth worldwide leading cause of disability and represents 22% of musculoskeletal disorders. Conservative intervention has been strongly recommended to treat chronic neck pain and Telerehabilitation is the alternative for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. There is a lack of high-quality research on the effects of telerehabilitation in patients with neck pain and functional disability.

The Pharmacy of the Future: Pharmacy Professionals' Perceptions and Contributions Regarding New Services in Community Pharmacies.

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has revolutionized the provision of health services, often referred to as eHealth, benefiting community pharmacies that can offer new services in innovative formats, namely through telepharmacy. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of pharmacy professionals (i.e.

Core outcome set for pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with COPD: results of a modified Delphi survey.

Introduction: There is high heterogeneity of outcomes and measures reported in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) trials of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This hinders study comparability and benchmarking of PR. We have developed a core outcome set (COS) to overcome these challenges.

Mechanistic Study of the Formation of Multicomponent Oxide Porous Microspheres (MICROSCAFS) by Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Multicomponent oxide microspheres with interconnected macroporosity (MICROSCAFS) are new materials with great potential as support materials for photocatalysis, optimized for real life applications and for other uses that are still being explored. They are obtained from an adapted sol-gel process combined with phase separation phenomena that occur within the water droplets of an emulsion. We present here a methodology based on cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) that allows, with minimal specimen preparation, the direct and in situ visualization of 'wet' alkoxide-derived microstructures, for the mechanistic study of the complex process of MICROSCAFS generation.

Effect of photobiomodulation on the behaviour of mesenchymal stem cells in three-dimensional cultures.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) has been proposed as a strategy to improve the regenerative capacity of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs). Yet, this effect has been proved in 2D culture conditions. To analyze the effect of different doses of laser irradiation (660 nm) with different levels of energy (1 J, 2 J and 6 J) on hASCs cultured at 2D and 3D conditions.

Sleep impairment and altered pattern of circadian biomarkers during a long-term Antarctic summer camp.

Antarctic expeditions include isolation and exposure to cold and extreme photoperiods (with continuous natural light during summer) that may influence psychophysiological responses modulated by luminosity and sleep. We assessed changes in night sleep patterns by actigraphy, salivary biomarkers, and perceptual variables in seven participants in the following time points along a 50-day camping expedition in Antarctica (Nelson Island): Pre-Field (i.e.

The (in)visible Brazilians: A perspective review on the need for brain health and dementia research with Brazilian immigrants in the United States.

Introduction: The Brazilian population in the United States (U.S.), a Latinx subgroup, is rapidly growing and aging but remains underrepresented in U.

Temporal trends in microplastic accumulation in placentas from pregnancies in Hawai'i.

Microplastics are created for commercial use, are shed from textiles, or result from the breakdown of larger plastic items. Recent reports have shown that microplastics accumulate in human tissues and may have adverse health consequences. Currently, there are no standardized environmental monitoring systems to track microplastic accumulation within human tissues.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Skin Cancer Index into Brazilian Portuguese for patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to translate the Skin Cancer Index (SCI) into Portuguese, adapt it for Brazilian culture, and clinically validate it.

Methods: A five-stage cross-cultural adaptation model was followed, with subsequent clinical validation. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using the content validity index (CVI).

Healthcare Professionals' Resilience During the COVID-19 and Organizational Factors That Improve Individual Resilience: A Mixed-Method Study.

Healthcare workers are a susceptible population to be psychologically affected during health crises, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Resilience has been pointed out in the literature as a possible protective factor against psychological distress in crisis situations. This can be influenced by internal and external factors, such as individual characteristics and organizational factors.

Healthy fitness zone prevalence and age-specific fitness profile of young people in seven European countries in 2022: The EUFITMOS project.

Background: Physical fitness is a health marker in youth and is associated with current and future health.

Objective: Present the healthy fitness zone (HFZ) prevalence and age-specific fitness profile of young people from seven European countries.

Methods: This study used data from the European Fitness Monitoring System project.

Pooling Saliva Sample as an Effective Strategy for the Systematic CMV Screening of Newborns-A Multicentric Prospective Study.

Background: Cytomegalovirus is the most common cause of congenital infections worldwide. Screening all newborns in the first 2 weeks of life is the only way to detect all cases of congenital infection, allowing the monitoring of children with asymptomatic infection at birth and early intervention.

Aim: In this multicenter study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using a saliva pool strategy for mass screening in 7 Portuguese hospitals, and to estimate the current prevalence of this congenital infection in these hospitals.

The development of a broad-spectrum retaining β-exo-galactosidase activity-based probe.

Acid β-galactosidase (GLB1) and galactocerebrosidase (GALC) are retaining exo-β-galactosidases involved in lysosomal glycoconjugate metabolism. Deficiency of GLB1 may result in the lysosomal storage disorders GM1 gangliosidosis, Morquio B syndrome, and galactosialidosis, and deficiency of GALC may result in Krabbe disease. Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) is a powerful technique to assess the activity of retaining glycosidases in relation to health and disease.

Repeat-based phylogenomics shed light on unclear relationships in the monocentric genus Juncus L. (Juncaceae).

The repetitive fraction (repeatome) of eukaryotic genomes is diverse and usually fast evolving, being an important tool for clarify plant systematics. The genus Juncus L. comprises 332 species, karyotypically recognized by having holocentric chromosomes.

Novel Electroactive Mineralized Polyacrylonitrile/PEDOT:PSS Electrospun Nanofibers for Bone Repair Applications.

Bone defect repair remains a critical challenge in current orthopedic clinical practice, as the available therapeutic strategies only offer suboptimal outcomes. Therefore, bone tissue engineering (BTE) approaches, involving the development of biomimetic implantable scaffolds combined with osteoprogenitor cells and native-like physical stimuli, are gaining widespread interest. Electrical stimulation (ES)-based therapies have been found to actively promote bone growth and osteogenesis in both in vivo and in vitro settings.

Seasonality and Objective Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour among Older Adults from Four European Countries.

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the relationship between objective physical activity and sedentary behaviour with seasonality among a sample of older adults living in four European countries.

Methods: A sample of 169 older adults living in Croatia, Greece, Portugal, and Poland (mean age = 72.2 ± 6.

Combined Aerobic and Strength Training Improves Dynamic Stability and can Prevent against Static Stability Decline in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective:  To analyze the effect of combined training (CT) in postural control and gait parameters in postmenopausal women.

Methods:  A parallel-group, randomized, control study was conducted with 16 weeks of combined training ( = 16) versus a non-training control group ( = 12) in postmenopausal women (aged 59.3 ± 8.