Initial Contact with Forefoot or Rearfoot in Spastic Patients After Stroke-Three-Dimensional Gait Analysis.

Background/objectives: Post-stroke hemiparetic gait often presents with asymmetric patterns to compensate for stability deficits. This study examines gait differences in chronic stroke patients with spastic hemiparesis based on initial foot contact type-forefoot versus rearfoot.

Methods: Thirty-four independently walking spastic hemiparetic patients were retrospectively analyzed.

Risk of Colonization with Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria Among Travellers and Migrants: A Narrative Review.

Globalization in the 21st century has posed several challenges. In particular, the spread of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, especially Gram-negative bacteria, which are prevalent in certain regions of the world, is one of the most critical issues. This raises concerns about the risks associated with the booming tourism industry and migratory flows.

The Mental Health of Older People Living in Nursing Homes in Northern Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Study Protocol.

: In Portugal, evidence regarding the mental health of institutionalized older people is limited, leaving this area poorly described and the mental health needs of this population largely unknown. This research aims to describe the mental health of older persons residing in nursing homes in Northern Portugal. : A cross-sectional study will be conducted.

Experience with a Self-Management Education Program for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study.

: Adolescents with type 1 diabetes face complex challenges associated with the disease, underscoring the importance of developing self-management skills. This study examined participants' perspectives on a type 1 diabetes self-management education program. : Focus group interviews were conducted with 32 adolescents with type 1 diabetes who participated in the program and six expert patients.

Intervention Programmes for First-Episode Psychosis: A Scoping Review.

The aim of this scoping review was to map intervention programmes for first-episode psychosis by identifying their characteristics, participants, and specific contexts of implementation. It seems reasonable to suggest that early intervention may be beneficial in improving recovery outcomes and reducing the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). Despite the expansion of these programmes, there are still some significant variations and barriers to access that need to be addressed.

Mothers Who Accompany a Child to Their Death: Starting Again Without Ever Forgetting.

Parents who accompany their children with a complex chronic illness until their death experience a unique situation, with vulnerabilities, specific needs and enormous suffering. The aim of the study was to describe the lived experience of parents who accompanied their children with a complex chronic illness until their death, in a paediatric palliative care setting. : We opted for a qualitative methodology, with a descriptive phenomenological orientation.

Transcultural Adaptation of Environmental Health Questionnaire with Attitude, Knowledge, and Skills Scales for Portuguese Nursing Students.

Climate change adversely affects some of the fundamental determinants of health, and children are the population group most vulnerable to exposure to environmental risk factors. The main objective of this study was to validate in the Portuguese context three scales to assess attitudes, knowledge, and skills on children's environmental health. : A cross-sectional observational study was developed to translate, adapt, and validate the questionnaire consisting of the following three scales: Attitude Scale (SANS_2), knowledge scale (ChEHK-Q), and skills scale (ChEHS-Q).

Consensus-Based Guidelines for Best Practices in the Selection and Use of Examination Gloves in Healthcare Settings.

Background/objectives: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) present significant challenges in modern healthcare, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Examination gloves play a critical role in infection prevention by serving as a barrier to reduce the risk of cross-contamination between healthcare workers and patients. This manuscript aims to provide consensus-based guidelines for the optimal selection, use, and disposal of examination gloves in healthcare settings, addressing both infection prevention and environmental sustainability.

Understanding Health Literacy Among Migrants in Portugal: The Impact of Environmental Issues.

Background/objectives: The health of migrant populations is strongly influenced by social, cultural, and environmental factors. Promoting health literacy (HL) is essential to empower these populations and reduce health inequalities. We aimed to assess the perceptions and behaviors of migrants residing in a neighborhood within a municipality in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon regarding health risks arising from environmental conditions, as well as to determine their level of health literacy.

Optimizing Muscle Performance in Young Soccer Players: Exploring the Impact of Resisted Sprint Training and Its Relationship with Distance Covered.

Background: Speed training with resisted sprints has been shown to positively affect neuromuscular performance in soccer players. Various loads, ranging from 10% to 120% of body mass, have demonstrated performance improvements across the spectrum. However, the impact of sprint distance with optimal load on these adaptive responses has yet to be thoroughly described.

Severe Injuries of Former Portuguese Football Players: A Post-Career Burden?

Background/objectives: Football players have a high injury risk due to the physical demands of their profession, which can negatively affect their quality of life (QoL) in the long term. The aim of this study is to characterize the severe injuries that former Portuguese football players suffered throughout their professional careers and investigate the resulting impacts on the physical domain of QoL after retirement.

Methods: This study includes 84 former Portuguese football players (48.

Development and Validation of a Survey on Inclusive Judo: Judo Teachers' Attitudes Towards Including Participants with Intellectual Developmental Disorders (J-TAID).

This study developed and refined the Judo Teachers' Attitudes Towards Including Participants with Intellectual Developmental Disorders (J-TAID) survey, addressing the need to assess attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention regarding inclusion, and grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior. The survey, translated into English, Portuguese, French, and Slovenian, was administered to 163 participants in order to assess its reliability and validity using Cronbach's alpha, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Internal consistency regarding attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral Constructs ranged from 0,79 to 0.

The Influence of Anthropometric Characteristics on Punch Impact.

Objective: This review examined the influence of anthropometric characteristics, such as body height (BH) and body mass (BM), on the impact of punches in striking-combat sports. Despite their perceived importance for combat strategy, the relationship between these characteristics and punch impact remains unclear.

Methods: We included experimental, quasi-experimental and cross-sectional studies.

Three-Dimensional Printing/Bioprinting and Cellular Therapies for Regenerative Medicine: Current Advances.

The application of three-dimensional (3D) printing/bioprinting technologies and cell therapies has garnered significant attention due to their potential in the field of regenerative medicine. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of 3D printing/bioprinting technology and cell therapies, highlighting their results in diverse medical applications, while also discussing the capabilities and limitations of their combined use. The synergistic combination of 3D printing and cellular therapies has been recognised as a promising and innovative approach, and it is expected that these technologies will progressively assume a crucial role in the treatment of various diseases and conditions in the foreseeable future.

Actinomycete-Derived Pigments: A Path Toward Sustainable Industrial Colorants.

Pigment production has a substantial negative impact on the environment, since mining for natural pigments causes ecosystem degradation, while synthetic pigments, derived from petrochemicals, generate toxic by-products that accumulate and persist in aquatic systems due to their resistance to biodegradation. Despite these challenges, pigments remain essential across numerous industries, including the cosmetic, textile, food, automotive, paints and coatings, plastics, and packaging industries. In response to growing consumer demand for sustainable options, there is increasing interest in eco-friendly alternatives, particularly bio-based pigments derived from algae, fungi, and actinomycetes.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis Systems Enhance the Efficiency and Biological Properties of Hydrolysates from Frozen Fish Processing Co-Products.

Co-products from the frozen fish processing industry often lead to financial losses. Therefore, it is essential to transform these co-products into profitable goods. This study explores the production of fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) from three co-products: the heads and bones of black scabbardfish (), the carcasses of gilthead seabream (), and the trimmings of Nile perch ().

How Significant Are Marine Invertebrate Collagens? Exploring Trends in Research and Innovation.

This review is focused on the research, innovation and technological breakthroughs on marine invertebrate collagens and their applications. The findings reveal that research dates back to the 1970s, and after a period of reduced activity, interest in collagens from several marine invertebrate groups was renewed around 2008, likely driven by the increased commercial interest in these biomolecules of marine origin. Research and development are predominantly reported from China and Japan, highlighting significant research interest in cnidarians (jellyfish), echinoderms (sea cucumbers, sea urchins and starfish), molluscs (squid and cuttlefish) and sponges.

GC/MS Fatty Acid Profile of Marine-Derived Actinomycetes from Extreme Environments: Chemotaxonomic Insights and Biotechnological Potential.

This study investigated the fatty acids (FA) profile of 54 actinomycete strains isolated from marine sediments collected off the Portugal continental coast, specifically from the Estremadura Spur pockmarks field, by GC/MS. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were prepared from the ethyl acetate lipidic extracts of these strains and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), with FA identification performed using the NIST library. The identified FAs varied from C12:0 to C20:0, where 32 distinct FAs were identified, including 7 branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs), 9 odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs), 8 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), 6 saturated fatty acids (SFAs), 1 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and 1 cyclic chain fatty acid (CCFA).

Exploring the Diversity and Ecological Dynamics of Palm Leaf Spotting Fungi-A Case Study on Ornamental Palms in Portugal.

Palm trees () are among the most popular ornamental plants worldwide. Despite extensive research on the fungi associated with , the diversity and ecological dynamics of fungi affecting ornamental palms remain poorly studied, although they have significant impact on palm health and economic value. Furthermore, while research on palm fungal diversity has traditionally focused on tropical assemblages, ornamental palms in temperate climates offer a unique opportunity to explore the diversity of palm fungi in non-native habitats.

Muscular Performance and Blood Pressure After Different Pre-Strength Training Strategies in Recreationally Strength-Trained Women: Cross-Over Trial.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of different pre-ST strategies on muscular performance and blood pressure (BP) responses in recreationally strength-trained women.

Methods: Twelve overweight women with normal BP were recruited and performed six experimental protocols in a randomized order: (1) control protocol (CC), where BP was assessed without exercises performed; (2) ST; (3) foam rolling warm-up followed by ST (FR + ST); (4) specific warm-up followed by ST (SW + ST); (5) aerobic exercise followed by ST (AE + ST); and (6) stretching exercises followed by ST (SE + ST). ST consisted of three sets at 80% of 10 repetition maximum with a self-suggested rest interval between sets for bench press, back squat, bench press 45°, front squat, lat pull-down, leg press, shoulder press, and leg extension.

A Microfluidic Paper-Based Device for Monitoring Urease Activity in Saliva.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a disorder that affects over 10% of the global population, and that would benefit from innovative methodologies that would provide early detection. Since it has been reported that there are high levels of urease in CKD patients' saliva, this sample is a promising non-invasive alternative to blood for CKD detection and monitoring. This work introduces a novel 3D µPAD for quantifying urease activity in saliva in a range of 0.

Carboxylated Graphene: An Innovative Approach to Enhanced IgA-SARS-CoV-2 Electrochemical Biosensing.

Biosensors harness biological materials as receptors linked to transducers, enabling the capture and transformation of primary biorecognition signals into measurable outputs. This study presents a novel carboxylation method for synthesizing carboxylated graphene (CG) under acidic conditions, enhancing biosensing capabilities. The characterization of the CG was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Role of the Molecular Mass on the Elastic Properties of Hybrid Carrageenan Hydrogels.

A set of carrageenans produced in the potassium form and with chemical structures varying from pure iota-carrageenans to nearly pure kappa-carrageenans is submitted to ultrasonication to reduce their molecular masses Mw while maintaining a constant chemical structure and a polydispersity index around 2. The kinetics of ultrasound-induced chain scission are found to be slower for polysaccharides richer in kappa-carrageenan disaccharide units. From the elasticity of samples directly gelled in a rheometer at 1 /% in 0.

Studying the Size-Dependence of Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) in the Final Properties of Polyurethane Aerogels: Thermal Insulation and Mechanical Strength.

In the present work, the influence of the addition of graphene nanoplatelets presenting different dimensions on polyurethane-polyisocyanurate aerogel structure and properties has been studied. The obtained aerogels synthesized through a sol-gel method have been fully characterized in terms of density, porosity, specific surface area, mechanical stiffness, thermal conductivity, and speed of sound. Opacified aerogels showing high porosity (>92%) and low densities (78-98 kg/m) have been produced, and the effect of the size and content of graphene nanoplatelets has been studied.

Secondary Syphilis Presenting With an Interstitial Granuloma Annulare-Like Histopathologic Pattern: A Report of 2 Cases.

Syphilis, known as "the great mimicker," is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum and is characterized by a diverse array of clinical and histopathologic presentations. In secondary cutaneous syphilis, the most consistent morphological features include a superficial and deep perivascular infiltrate containing plasma cells, varying degrees of endothelial swelling, irregular acanthosis, elongation of rete ridges, a vacuolated pattern, and the presence of plasma cells. Although serologic tests are essential for definitive diagnosis, spirochetes can sometimes be directly identified in silver-stained tissue slides or through immunohistochemistry.