ESS - CIR - Artigos
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
- The project Trauma-Informed Practice for workers in public service settings: New strategies for the same old objectivePublication . Dores, Artemisa Rocha; Letica-Crepulja, Marina; Silva, ReginaMany professionals are confronted in their practice with clients who show post-traumatic symptoms (PTS). “Trauma-informed practice” helps professionals recognize, understand, and appropriately respond to the effects of trauma. This work presents the “Trauma-Informed Practice for Workers in Public Service Settings” – TIPS (Erasmus+). The project sought to: (1) increase awareness among professionals about the occurrence of PTS; (2) equip them with skills to identify PTS and reduce barriers related to discrimination; (3) improve the care and support provided; and (4) reflect on innovative pedagogical strategies. This was a distance learning experience aimed at professionals from various sectors, namely education. The project is based on training through new digital spaces and learning tools, combined with strategies of storytelling and teaching practices based on narrativization. The project includes the following final outputs (1) guidelines; (2) a catalog; (3) a resource pack; (4) an interactive e-platform; and (5) a mobile application. The diverse learning opportunities and formats aims to promote new and improved learning strategies, respecting personal preferences and diversity of learning styles, thus ensuring new paths to the “old” objective of effective learning
- The effects of social feedback through the “Like” feature on brain activity: A systematic reviewPublication . Dores, Artemisa Rocha; Peixoto, Miguel; Fernandes, Carina; Marques, António; Barbosa, FernandoProblematic social media (SM) use is a growing concern, particularly among adolescents who are drawn to these platforms for social interactions important to their age group. SM dependence is characterized by excessive, uncontrolled usage that impairs personal, social, and professional aspects. Despite the ongoing debate over recognizing SM addiction as a distinct diagnostic category, the impact of social feedback, particularly through the “like” button, on brain activity remains under scrutiny. Objective: This systematic review aims to study the neural correlates of online social feedback, focusing on the effects of the “like” feedback on brain activity using fMRI and EEG. Methods: The review followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA). Results: The review included 11 studies with 504 participants, identifying key brain structures such as the amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and ventral striatum involved in reward processing. Positive feedback (“likes”) activates areas like the nucleus accumbens (NACC), vmPFC, and amygdala, with NACC correlating with increased SM use intensity. Negative feedback activates the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Behavioral data indicates that positive feedback influences subsequent social interactions. Conclusions: The review highlights disparities in the literature regarding the neural response to social feedback, emphasizing the need for further research to clarify the roles of sex, personality traits, and the person giving feedback. Overall, understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of SM engagement is essential for developing effective interventions to prevent or address the negative effects of excessive SM use.
- Preventive behaviors among higher education students in response to COVID-19: The role of risk perceptionPublication . Peralta, Catarina; Vieira da Silva, Manuela; Dores, Artemisa Rocha; Silva, Marina Almeida; Pinto, Marta Vasconcelos; Ramos, Delfina; Rodrigues, MatildeIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions adopted a set of measures to ensure safe face-to-face teaching and to control potential outbreaks. However, the effectiveness of the implemented measures is dependent on the behavior of students, who are generally young, often displaced, living with other colleagues, and constantly seeking physical contact, which makes their behavior outside the institution also of particular relevance to controlling the pandemic. An online questionnaire was developed and applied to characterize the behaviors adopted by students inside and outside the higher education institution, as well as risk perception based on the health belief model (HBM) and unrealistic optimism, with the participation of 620 students from three Portuguese higher education institutions. The adoption of safe behaviors is related to a greater perception of the benefits and of the severity of COVID-19. Unrealistic optimism also has a negative impact on preventive behaviors. The behaviors least adopted by students concerning potential exposure to COVID-19 were disinfecting hands and equipment after use, as well as physical distancing from colleagues. With regard to behaviors adopted outside the institution, it was found that students did not avoid physical contact with colleagues and family members. These findings contribute to our understanding of student behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, help institutions understand if the applied strategies were effective or not, and denote the need to reinforce or improve the implemented strategies.
- Contaminação do ar e superfíciesPublication . Afonso, Joana; Vieira Da Silva, ManuelaOs estabelecimentos de panificação e pastelaria são estabelecimentos do sector alimentar com grande influência na alimentação humana visto os seus géneros alimentícios serem a base da alimentação de grande parte da população. Aliando a abrangência em termos de alimentos confeccionados ao maior número de pessoas que recorrem aos seus produtos, é essencial garantir a qualidade destes alimentos.
- Physical demand assessment of volunteer firefighters during wildland firefightingPublication . Teixeira, Tatiana; Pratas, Pedro; Santos, Joana; Monteiro, Pedro R.; Baptista, João Santos; Vaz, Mário A. P.; Guedes, Joana C.Wildland firefighting is physically and mentally demanding. The aerobic capacity of firefighters is important due to the demands of the activity and the associated occupational risks. The main objectives of this study were to identify and characterise the physically demanding tasks undertaken by volunteer firefighters during wildland fires (real work conditions). A total of 125 firefighters replied to a survey about sociodemographic, biometric data, and work fitness assessment. A group of 23 was evaluated in a physical stress test using a VO2peak protocol to determine maximum oxygen consumption and ventilatory thresholds. The physical demands and physiological responses were collected during the operations at the firefront (n = 21). The results revealed that wildland firefighting entails physical demands that exceed established reference values, with maximum oxygen uptake exceeding 40%. The cardiovascular strain is particularly notable in tasks performed near the firefront, reflecting fatigue. The physical and cardiac demands associated with forest fire fighting have been demonstrated to contribute to occupational illnesses with prolonged exposure. This study underscores the imperative for interventions to enhance the identification and real-time monitoring of physiological parameters to enhance firefighters' overall health and well-being.
- Impacto da utilização de ortóteses de neoprene, em contexto laboral, em indivíduos com disfunções no punho e/ou mãoPublication . Martins, Rafael; Fernandes, Ângela; Branco, Catarina Aguiar; Sousa, HelenaO nosso objetivo foi avaliar o impacto da utilização de ortóteses de neoprene em disfunções do punho e/ou mão, em contexto laboral. Amostra não probabilística por conveniência, constituída por 15 indivíduos adultos. Do total da amostra, 7 indivíduos pertencem ao grupo controlo e 8 indivíduos ao grupo de intervenção. As variáveis consideradas neste estudo foram a força muscular manual e de pinças, sensibilidade protetora das mãos, dor e funcionalidade do membro superior. Para a medição destas variáveis foram aplicados o Questionário Nórdico Musculosquelético, Quickdash, Teste de Monofilamento de Semmes- Weinstein, dinamómetro manual (Jamar) e pinçometro (Jamar). Para os participantes do grupo de intervenção, foram confecionadas duas ortóteses em neoprene, uma para cada mão, abrangendo as articulações do polegar e punho, com 5,5 mm de espessura; este grupo também teve educação terapêutica. Em relação à avaliação da sensibilidade no primeiro momento de avaliação, não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os grupos, com exceção da área S1 da mão esquerda. De forma global, o grupo de intervenção apresentou maiores ganhos do que o grupo controlo, com diferenças estatisticamente significativas na pinça digital das mãos direita e esquerda, zonas de sensibilidade S2 da mão direita e S5 da mão esquerda e na funcionalidade do membro superior. Com a realização deste estudo, constatou-se que o grupo de intervenção apresentou melhorias generalizadas em todas as variáveis, o que pode sugerir eficácia da utilização das ortóteses de neoprene em contexto laboral.
- Could socks play an active role in ankle sprain prevention? A preliminary investigationPublication . Torres, Rui; Mesquita, InêsAnkle sprain represents about 10% to 30% of all recorded musculoskeletal injuries, and is one of the most prevalent injuries in sports. Thus, any type of intervention based on prevention is extremely important to reduce its incidence. Aim of Study. To compare the immediate effect of three different types of socks, namely standard, compression, and Prevent Sprain Technology (PST) socks, on the dynamic unipodal balance and ankle joint position sense in healthy participants. Forty-two healthy adults, aged 20.34 ± 1.69 years old, volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were randomly assessed using three different sock models. The main measured outcomes selected for this study were the dynamic balance using the Biodex Balance System®, and the active ankle joint repositioning movement through the Biodex System Pro 4®. We used the Friedman test to compare the variables under study among the three conditions, with Dunn’s post-hoc analysis and a significance level of 0.05. In the Biodex Balance System® the participants had a lower Global Instability Index value with the PST socks compared to compression socks (p = 0.031), and standard socks (p = 0.005), but only lower anteroposterior (p = 0.042) and mediolateral (p = 0.026) instability indices when compared to standard socks. Regarding the ankle joint position sense, subjects with PST socks revealed lower absolute errors compared to standard socks (p = 0.007), smaller minimum errors compared to compression socks (p = 0.049), and smaller maximum errors compared to compression socks (p = 0.049) and standard socks (p = 0.008). Analysis of relative errors revealed a significant miss regarding the target joint position at higher inversion angles only with standard socks (which is potentially more dangerous) when compared to PST socks (p = 0.031), which error tends to be at lower inversion angles (which is potentially less dangerous). The PST socks seem to have a global positive influence on the mechanisms underlying the dynamic unipodal balance and active joint position sense, which could be an important tool for ankle sprain prevention.
- Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the european portuguese version of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI)Publication . Torres, Rui; Faria, Sara Isabel; Cavalheiro, Luís Manuel; Ferreira, Pedro Lopes; Gonçalves, Rui SolesThe Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) is a self-administered questionnaire specifically used to determine the impact of shoulder instability on quality of life. The aim of this study was to translate the WOSI into European Portuguese and analyze its validity and reliability in a population with shoulder instability. The WOSI was translated and culturally adapted from its original version into European Portuguese (WOSIPT). Internal consistency and test-retest analyses were conducted to determine the level of reliability of the scale. WOSI-PT, QuickDASH, and SF-12 questionnaires were applied to 81 patients with symptomatic shoulder instability to assess validity, and reliability was tested by randomly selecting 50 patients within 72 hours using a test-retest design. The reliability of the WOSI-PT was very high, with Cronbach´s alpha equal to 0.97 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.98. Regarding the construct validity, the correlation between the WOSI-PT and QuickDASH was high and negative (-0.79). The correlations between WOSI-PT and SF-12 were positive, respectively, moderate with physical (0.66) and low with mental (0.34) health. WOSI-PT is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the functional impact of shoulder joint instability on quality of life.
- The effects of adding a six-month Pilates exercise program to three months of traditional community-based pulmonary rehabilitation in individuals with COPD: A prospective cohort studyPublication . Barbosa, Marisela; Melo, Cristina; Torres, RuiPilates exercise may complement traditional pulmonary rehabilitation in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The objective was to analyze the effects of adding a six-month Pilates exercise program to a three-month pulmonary rehabilitation for individuals with COPD. Thirty-five participants with COPD (GOLD B) were assigned to the intervention (n=14) or control (n=21) group. Both groups received an initial three months of a pulmonary rehabilitation program. The intervention group further underwent six months of pilates. Participants were evaluated at baseline and at three, six, and nine months. Lung function and strength of respiratory muscles were defined as primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes included cardiac, physical function, and exacerbation episodes. There were no consistent statistically significant differences between groups for the lung function outcomes (p<0.05). Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure increased significantly at three months in both groups (p<0.05). It was significantly superior in the intervention group at nine months for maximal inspiratory pressure (p=0.005) and six and nine months for maximal expiratory pressure (p=0.027 and p<0.001, respectively). Changes in muscle strength (knee extension and handgrip) were comparable between groups (p>0.05), but exercise-induced fatigue and balance were significantly superior in the intervention group at the six- and nine-month follow-ups (p<0.05). Pilates exercise programs may be implemented to augment traditional pulmonary rehabilitation with the goal of improving the strength of respiratory muscles. Adding a Pilates exercise program to pulmonary rehabilitation resulted in superior strength of respiratory muscles, higher resistance to exercise-induced fatigue, and improved balance.
- Effect of Kinesio® taping on static and dynamic balance after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A randomized controlled trialPublication . Sousa, João; Ribeiro, Fernando; Lopes, Mário; Gonçalves, Rui Soles; Torres, RuiAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most common knee injuries among athletes (Evans and Nielson, 2022). ACL reconstruction is, in general, the solution for the rupture of ACL; the torn ligament is replaced with a tissue graft from another surrounding functional structure of the knee (Rochmania et al., 2012). The functional changes that occur after ACL reconstruction comprise deficits of muscle power, functional performance, joint proprioception, and balance (Ageberg, 2002). Evidence shows that even several months after a successful ACL reconstruction subjects still present motor control changes, influencing knee functionality (Furlanetto et al., 2016). Kinesio Taping (KT), which consists of the application of elastic adhesive bands to the skin (Oliveira et al., 2016), is frequently used in orthopedics, sports medicine, and neurological rehabilitation (Choi et al., 2016). It is used in several areas of physiotherapy to relieve pain (Nadali et al., 2014; Pamuk and Yucesoy, 2015), promote postural correction, stimulate muscle function (Cortesi et al., 2011; Lee et al., 2016; Scarborough et al., 1999), enhance gait (Choi et al., 2016; Lee et al., 2016, Yang et al., 2015), and improve balance (Bernardelli et al., 2019, Khalili et al., 2022). Despite being a technique commonly used during sports practice and in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal and sport injuries, KT has little and insufficient evidence supporting its use to improve balance and postural control, particularly after a major musculoskeletal injury/surgery such as ACL reconstruction (Gholami et al., 2020). Moreover, only a few studies assessed the effect of KT in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction (Balki et al., 2016, Boguszewski et al., 2013; Laborie et al., 2015). Collectively, they evaluated the effects of the KT on the range of knee motion, oedema (Balki et al., 2016; Boguszewski et al., 2013), muscle strength (Balki et al., 2016), and pain (Balki et al., 2016; Boguszewski et al., 2013; Laborie et al., 2015). It is accepted that KT stimulates proprioception through cutaneous receptors by altering somatosensory information (Tamburella et al., 2014), which consequently increases the cortical excitability of the cortical motor areas of cerebral cortex (Oliveira et al., 2016). However, it is not known whether it influences balance and postural control after ACL reconstruction. We will test the application of KT for 24 h, to determine whether KT could be used to maximize balance and postural control during the rehabilitation process or when resuming sport practice to decrease the risk of re-injury. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of KT on balance and postural control among young adults with ACL reconstruction.