Impact of Sports on Female Growth and Pubertal Development: A Cohort Study.

Introduction The participation of women in sports is increasing, and the rising training demands may impact growth and pubertal development. High-intensity sports are often linked to delayed growth and bone maturation due to energy deficits and intense regimens. These factors may increase the risk of injury and musculoskeletal issues.

Female and male treatable mortality: socioeconomic and public finance related factors across European countries.

Background: About 36.5% of premature deaths in European Union countries could have been avoided through prompt and effective medical treatment. This treatable mortality is even a priority established in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.

Systematic review of motivational interventions to improve adherence to medication in patients with hypertension and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Antihypertensive medication non-adherence is an important cause of poor control in hypertension. The role of motivational interventions to increase antihypertensive medication adherence remains unclear.

Objective: To systematically review RCTs of motivational interventions for improving medication adherence in hypertension.

Voluntary private health insurance and cancer screening utilisation in Europe.

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death in Europe and prevention measures, like screening, are therefore becoming increasingly important. Although European countries provide universal health coverage, including cancer screenings, many people also have private health insurance.

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between Voluntary private health insurance (VPHI) and cancer screening, specifically breast and colorectal cancer screening.

Health Professionals' Perceptions about Prostate Cancer-A Focus Group Study.

Prostate cancer (PCa) accounts for 20% of new cancer cases and 10.5% of cancer-associated mortality in Portugal. Associated risk factors include advanced age, family history, genetic alterations, and race/ethnicity.

The influence of nutrition in nodular thyroid pathology: a systematic review.

Nodular thyroid pathologies (NThyPs) are prevalent thyroid diseases, with a steadily increasing global incidence. Although their exact causes remain uncertain, various modifying factors, such as nutrition, influence their development. We aimed to systematically identify and synthesize the influence of dietary exposures on NThyPs risk.

Protocols for breaking bad news in health care: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This scoping review will map the available evidence on communication protocols for breaking bad news to adult patients and their families in health care.

Introduction: Breaking bad news to adult patients and their families is a challenging task for health care professionals. To address these challenges, communication protocols have been developed to support health care professionals in breaking bad news in a compassionate and effective manner while respecting each patient's individuality.

Quality of Informed Consent in Phase III Clinical Trials in Portugal: The Participants' Perspective.

Introduction: Some studies show that participants do not always fully understand the informed consent form (ICF), which is one of the reasons for dropouts. This study aimed to adapt the Quality of Informed Consent (QuIC) questionnaire into a valid instrument to be applied to the Portuguese population and to measure its reliability and validity in the Portuguese population, by applying it to a sample of participants in controlled trials.

Methods: The QuIC questionnaire was developed to assess the quality of informed consent in clinical trials and consists of two parts, addressing both the objective (part A) and the subjective (part B) understanding.

Analyzing the impact of fiscal conditions on private health expenditures in OECD countries: a quantile ARDL investigation.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries have embraced the aim of universal health coverage, as established in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.8. This goal guarantees access to quality healthcare services without financial hardship or poverty.

Economic evaluation of Be a Mom, a web-based intervention to prevent postpartum depression in high-risk women alongside a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) poses significant challenges, affecting both mothers and children, with substantial societal and economic implications. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy interventions (iCBT) offer promise in addressing PPD, but their economic impact remains unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of Be a Mom, a self-guided iCBT intervention, compared with a waiting-list control among postpartum women at high risk of PPD.

Health care expenses impact on the disability-adjusted life years in non-communicable diseases in the European Union.

Background: Non-communicable diseases are a global health problem. The metric Disability-Adjusted Life Years was developed to measure its impact on health systems. This metric makes it possible to understand a disease's burden, towards defining healthcare policies.

Adherence to pharmacological therapy in patients with hypertension: protocol of a qualitative study by focus groups.

Introduction: Non-adherence to antihypertensive medication significantly contributes to inadequate blood pressure control. Regarding non-pharmacological interventions to improve medication adherence, the question remains of which interventions yield the highest efficacy.Understanding the complementary perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals can be valuable for designing strategies to enhance medication adherence.

A meta-analysis on the role of sonication in the diagnosis of cardiac implantable electronic device-related infections.

Introduction: One of the biggest obstacles in diagnosing Implant-Associated Infections is the lack of infection criteria and standardized diagnostic methods. These infections present a wide range of symptoms, and their diagnosis can be hampered by the formation of microbial biofilms on the surface of implants. This study aimed to provide insight into the performance of sonication in the diagnosis of infections associated with Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices, to help define a consensus on the algorithm for the microbial diagnosis of these infections.

Knowledge about type 2 diabetes: its impact for future management.

Diabetes can cause several long-term complications. Knowledge about this disease can play an important role in reducing diabetes-related complications. In addition, the lack of awareness leads to misconceptions, which joined with inadequate knowledge, are relevant barriers to proper diabetes management.

Stroke rehabilitation pathways during the first year: A cost-effectiveness analysis from a cohort of 460 individuals.

Background: Stroke burden challenges global health, and social and economic policies. Although stroke recovery encompasses a wide range of care, including in-hospital, outpatient, and community-based rehabilitation, there are no published cost-effectiveness studies of integrated post-stroke pathways.

Objective: To determine the most cost-effective rehabilitation pathway during the first 12 months after a first-ever stroke.

Policy measures and instruments used in European countries to increase biosimilar uptake: a systematic review.

Introduction: While biosimilar medicines can contribute to the sustainability of healthcare systems, their utilization rate varies across European countries. This study aims to identify and systematize policy measures and instruments used in European countries to increase biosimilar market share.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA 2020 recommendations.

Promoting advanced medical services in the framework of 3PM-a proof-of-concept by the "Centro" Region of Portugal.

Unlabelled: Multidisciplinary team from three universities based in the "Centro" Region of Portugal developed diverse approaches as parts of a project dedicated to enhancing and expanding Predictive, Preventive, and Personalized Medicine (3PM) in the Region. In a sense, outcomes acted as a proof-of-concept, in that they demonstrated the feasibility, but also the relevance of the approaches. The accomplishments comprise defining a new regional strategy for implementing 3PM within the Region, training of human resources in genomic sequencing, and generating good practices handbooks dedicated to diagnostic testing via next-generation sequencing, to legal and ethical concerns, and to knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship, aimed at increasing literacy on 3PM approaches.

Treatable mortality and health care related factors across European countries.

Introduction: Despite the improvements in European health systems, a large number of premature deaths are attributable to treatable mortality. Men make up the majority of these deaths, with a significant gap existing between women and men's treatable mortality rate in the EU.

Aim: This study aims to identify the healthcare-related factors, including health expenditures, human and physical resources, and hospital services use associated with treatable mortality in women and men across European countries during the period 2011-2019.

Demand for emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic and disease burden: a case study in Portugal.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes in the pattern of care use. A significant increase in the volume of emergencies was expected. However, a significant decrease was observed worldwide.

Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire.

The Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) was completed with five visual analog scales to assess systemic sclerosis (SSc) called Scleroderma HAQ (SHAQ). We performed a validation of the European Portuguese version of SHAQ for patients with SSc. Patients with different forms of SSc from five Hospital Centers were invited.

Usage and impact of patient-reported outcomes in epilepsy.

Background: The use of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in clinical practice is gaining increasing attention. This study aimed to provide a critical assessment of the current state-of-the-art and beliefs about the use of PRO in the management of people with epilepsy across some European countries.

Methods: Structured interviews were conducted with European experts to collect insights about (I) the personal experience with PRO; (II) the value and impact of PRO in the decision-making process at the national level; and (III) the interest for and use of PRO by national health authorities.

Home- versus centre-based EXercise InTervention in patients with Heart Failure (EXIT-HF trial): A pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: The limited accessibility and the lack of adherence explain, in part, the low proportion of heart failure (HF) patients undergoing exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs. Home-based programs showed to be as effective and less costly than centre-based ones and might address those obstacles. Whether the evidence from international studies can be applied to our population is still unclear.