MyBack - effectiveness and implementation of a behavior change informed exercise programme to prevent low back pain recurrences: a hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled study protocol.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common health condition and the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Most LBP episodes have a favourable prognosis, but recurrences within a year are common. Despite the individual and societal impact related to LBP recurrences, there is limited evidence on effective strategies for secondary prevention of LBP and successful implementation of intervention programmes in a real-world context.

A Stratified Approach for Managing Patients With Low Back Pain in Primary Care (SPLIT Program): A Before-and-After Study.

Purpose: To determine the effects of stratified primary care for low back pain (SPLIT program) in decreasing back-related disability for patients with low back pain (LBP) in primary care.

Methods: We conducted a before-and-after study. We compared health-related outcomes for 2 sequential, independent cohorts of patients with LBP recruited at 7 primary care units in Portugal.

Clinical courses, impact and prognostic indicators for a persistent course of low back pain: Results from a population-based cohort study.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a long-term health condition with distinct clinical courses. Its characterization together with the identification of prognostic factors for a persistent LBP course may trigger the development of personalized interventions. This study aimed to investigate the courses of chronic LBP (CLBP), its cumulative impact, and the indicators for the persistence of pain.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum, a rare manifestation of clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis.

Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a rare condition characterized by dermatomyositis skin lesions without clinically apparent muscle involvement. Respiratory involvement is common, occurring in about half of the cases. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (PnM) is a rare, and often fatal, complication of CADM.

Methotrexate: Implications of pharmacogenetics in the treatment of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is an anti-folate drug with anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects. MTX proved to be the most highly effective, fast-acting disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), being widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This review aims to describe the main genetic variants identified concerning proteins that play a role in methotrexate's kinetics and efficiency profile.

Real-World Characterization of the Portuguese Population Living with HIV who Initiated Raltegravir Based-Regimens: The REALITY Study.

Introduction: Although raltegravir has been available since 2007, data are lacking on the Portuguese population living with HIV who initiated this antiretroviral therapy. Hence, this study aimed to characterize the patients who initiated raltegravir-based regimens between January 2015 and December 2017, on sociodemographics, clinical features, and treatment satisfaction.

Material And Methods: Observational, retrospective, multicentre study conducted at 11 reference sites.

[Neurosurgical Residency in Portugal: What is the National Panorama?].

Introduction: In Portugal, the number of neurosurgery residents has been rising steadily. However, there are no robust studies assessing the level of satisfaction and quality of the current training programs. The aim of this study was to describe and quantify the level of satisfaction about Neurosurgery residency in 2019, in Portugal.

A Home-Based eHealth Intervention for an Older Adult Population With Food Insecurity: Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Background: Food insecurity is a global public health challenge, affecting predominately the most vulnerable people in society, including older adults. For this population, eHealth interventions represent an opportunity for promoting healthy lifestyle habits, thus mitigating the consequences of food insecurity. However, before their widespread dissemination, it is essential to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of these interventions among end users.

Staff SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Mental Health as Key Factors in University Response to COVID-19 Pandemic.

In response to rapid global spread of the newly emerged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), universities transitioned to online learning and telework to decrease risks of inter-person contact. To help administrators respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and better understand its impacts, we surveyed SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among NOVA University employees and assessed community mental health. Data were collected from voluntary participants at six NOVA University locations, in the Lisbon metropolitan area, from June 15-30, 2020.

A Difficult Diagnosis of Plasmodium ovale Malaria.

Malaria is a major cause of suffering, disease, and death worldwide and is considered the most important of all human parasitic diseases. Malaria is still endemic in most tropical and sub-tropical areas and globalization has contributed to an increase of imported cases around the world. We report a Plasmodium ovale infection in a traveler with recent return from a long land trip across West Africa.

Validation of the Telephone-Administered Version of the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) Questionnaire.

A 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire was developed and validated in face-to-face interviews, but not via telephone. The aims of this study were to evaluate the validity and reliability of a telephone-administered version of the MEDAS as well as to validate the Portuguese version of the MEDAS questionnaire. A convenience community-based sample of adults ( = 224) participated in a three-stage survey.

Cough Syncope, a Rare Presenting Symptom of Chiari I Malformation and Atlanto-Occipital Assimilation.

Unlabelled: Chiari I malformation and atlanto-occipital assimilation are both fairly uncommon conditions. Symptoms usually present during adolescence or adulthood, typically consisting of headache or neck pain. Cough-associated syncope is an unusual presenting symptom.

Multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor associated with focal cortical dysplasia in a child with refractory epilepsy: a case report and brief review of literature.

Multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor (MVNT) is a rare newly identified benign lesion, firstly included in the World Health Organization classification of tumors of the central nervous system in 2016, whose neoplastic or dysplastic nature remains unclear but with a distinctive cytoarchitectural pattern and radiological features. It is usually discovered as late-onset refractory epilepsy, headache related, or an incidental lesion of adulthood. As it is typically a stable disease, many opt for follow-up, as long as it keeps remaining asymptomatic, leaving surgery for refractory epilepsy, neurological deficits, or intracranial hypertension symptoms.

Supratentorial neuroenteric cyst in children: a case report and brief literature review.

Neurenteric cysts are rare developmental lesions typically found outside the central nervous system but when they do, we most likely find them in a spinal (cervical or dorsal) intradural extramedular location, often associated with dysraphism. The more unusual intracranial cases have been published because of its rarity, occurring mostly as a posterior fossa extra-axial cyst, in adults. Supratentorial cases are distinctly infrequent, especially in children, resulting in few case reports and even fewer case reviews.

Probable REM-Sleep Behavior Disorder and Dysautonomic Symptoms in Essential Tremor.

Background: Non-motor symptoms can be present in essential tremor (ET). We intend to assess the frequency of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and dysautonomic symptoms in ET patients and evaluate the differences between patients with ET and RBD (ET-RBD and ET without RBD [ET-nonRBD]).

Methods: All ET patients were contacted by telephone.

Food Insecurity Is Associated with Low Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Adverse Health Conditions in Portuguese Adults.

Background: Food insecurity is a limited or uncertain access to the adequate food and is a significant public health problem. We aimed to assess determinants of food insecurity and the corresponding health impact in Portugal, a southern European country that faced a severe economic crisis.

Methods: Data were derived from the Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Cohort Study (EpiDoC), a population-based cohort of 10,661 individuals that were representative of the Portuguese adult population and followed since 2011.

[Breast Cancer: Value-Based Healthcare, Costs and Financing].

Introduction: Breast cancer is the second most common oncological disease worldwide. To analyse the new disease specific funding programme (breast cancer) implemented at the Francisco Gentil Portuguese Institute of Oncology, Lisbon Center (Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil), the actual costs of the patients were examined using activity-based costing as a costing methodology. This study addresses the following question: "How much does it cost to treat breast cancer per 'patient-month' compared to the monthly fixed 'funding envelope'?".

Anxiety and Depression in the Portuguese Older Adults: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Anxiety and depression in the elderly individuals have been studied around the world, and some authors consider them among the most serious problems faced by modern societies. With recent economic crisis-very important in Southern European countries-isolation, loneliness, and exclusion of the active society, mental problems are probably raising and associated with distinct factors. In this cross-sectional analysis, nested in a longitudinal population-based cohort study, we analyze anxiety and depression prevalence, and their related factors, in a representative cohort of Portuguese seniors.

[Endocrinology in Portugal - Census 2016. Board of the Portuguese College of Endocrinology and Nutrition of the Portuguese Medical Association].

Introduction: On September 2016, the Board of the College of Endocrinology and Nutrition of the Portuguese Medical Association carried out a national survey, about all Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Departments of the public hospitals included in the Portuguese National Health Service and a simplified version of this survey was sent to all endocrinologists working in Portugal and registered with the Portuguese Medical Association.

Material And Methods: Data related to organizational and human resources were collected, reporting the situation by the end of year 2015. The census registered 107 individuals and 27 Departments.

Dietary Patterns Characterized by High Meat Consumption Are Associated with Other Unhealthy Life Styles and Depression Symptoms.

Objective: We aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) of Portuguese adults, to assess their socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle determinants, and to identify their impact on health.

Design: EpiDoC 2 study included 10,153 Portuguese adults from the EpiDoC Cohort, a population-based study. In this study, trained research assistants using computer-assisted telephone interview collected socioeconomic, demographic, dietary, lifestyles, and health information from March 2013 to July 2015.

The economic impact of early retirement attributed to rheumatic diseases: results from a nationwide population-based epidemiologic study.

Objectives: To measure early retirement due to self-reported rheumatic diseases (RDs) and to estimate the respective indirect costs and years of working life lost (YWLL).

Methods: We used individual level data from the national, cross-sectional, population-based EpiReumaPt study (September 2011-December 2013) where 10,661 inhabitants were randomly surveyed in order to capture and characterize all cases of RD within a representative sample of the Portuguese population. In this analysis, we used all participants aged between 50 and 64 years, near the official retirement age.