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Abstract: Mining is a source of trace element contamination of neighbouring soils. This study determined the influence of soil amendments (iron oxides, Fe; organic matter, OM; and calcium phosphate, PCa) on arsenic uptake and translocation by tomato and parsley growth in an As-contaminated soil. The original contaminated soil without amendments was collected in the vicinity of the abandoned Santo António mine (Penedono, Portugal), which was a very important gold and arsenic mining centre in the middle fifties of the last century. An uncontaminated soil was also used as control. Growth parameters measured were plant height, length of 4th leaf (tomato only) and dry matter accumulation. Arsenic concentration in plant components was also determined, and human health risks related to the edible tissues were calculated. Results showed that arsenic availability in the soil varied with the amendments applied: OM and PCa increased arsenic availability, while the opposite effect was found with Fe (at 3gkg−1). Soil amended with iron oxides showed no positive effect on plant growth compared with the original soil with no amendments. Amongst all the amendments, OM led to the best results relatively to all growth parameters measured in tomato, including dry matter accumulation and fruit yield. Parsley growth was very small except in the PCa at 12gkg−1. Parsley translocated more arsenic to shoots, while tomato retained a greater proportion in roots. The health risk for adults and adolescents was within acceptable limits with an average weekly intake of 500g of tomato and 20g of parsley, although the arsenic concentration in edible tissues was still considerable greater than in plants grown in the uncontaminated control soil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Several cases of paediatric acute hepatitis of an unknown aetiology have been described in these last few months and in several countries worldwide. We present two patients, a 7-month-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, with gastrointestinal symptoms and lethargy, associated with elevation of transaminase levels. Serologies for hepatitis A-E virus and PCR test to SARS-CoV-2 were all negative. In the first case, an adenovirus serotype C could be isolated in a respiratory sample as well as cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the blood (100 copies/mL). In both children, there was a progressive decrease in the hepatic markers and symptomatic resolution, compatible with a good prognosis, also seen globally in most cases. To date, infection remains the most plausible cause to consider, especially when it is presumed to be linked to adenovirus. Other potential agents and causes are still being evaluated, thus emphasizing the importance of continuous epidemiological surveillance, notification, and detailed study of all hepatitis cases.

Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) are an evidenced way of adding value to routine clinical care. As a source of unique information on the effect of a medical condition and its treatment from the patients' perspective (Mercieca-Bebber et al. in Patient Relat Outcome Meas 9: 353-367, https://doi.org/10.2147/PROM.S156279 , 2018), PROs allow for an improved assessment in routine clinical care of symptoms, side effects, functional outcomes (physical, sexual, social, emotional, cognitive functioning), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). By helping to align healthcare providers' interventions with what matters most to the patient, PROs contribute to the individualized choice of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (Carfora et al. in PLoS ONE 17(4): e0267030, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267030 , 2022) as a paramount component of tailored and person-centred care management, in routine clinical practice. This article outlines a practical framework and process tested in Portugal to raise awareness of PROs' added value, and to help guide first steps in the implementation and seamless integration of PROs, in routine HIV care., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Home-based models represent one of the solutions to respond to the poor accessibility of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) services in patients with chronic respiratory disease (CRD). The main goal of this protocol is to present the implementation of the first nationwide home-based PR program- reabilitAR -in Portugal and the strategies to assess its benefits in patients with CRD. The program consists of 2 phases: a 12-week intensive phase and a 40-week maintenance phase (total: 52 weeks, 1 year). The intervention in both phases is composed of presential home visits and phone-call follow ups, including exercise training and the self-management educational program Living Well with COPD. Dyspnea, impact of the disease, emotional status, and level of dyspnea during activities of daily living are used as patient-reported outcomes measures. A one-minute sit-to-stand test is used as a functional outcome, and the number of steps as a measure of physical activity. To ensure safety, fall risk and the cognitive function are assessed. Data are collected at baseline, at 12 weeks, at 26 weeks and at 52 weeks. This is the first nationwide protocol on enhancing access to PR, providing appropriate responses to CRD patients' needs through a structured and personalized home-based program in Portugal.

The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (CFC-S) is a measure of the extent to which individuals reflect and are influenced by the immediate as well as by the distant outcomes of current behavior. It's composed by 12 items, grouped into two subscales (future and immediate). This study aims to explore the factor structure, psychometric properties and construct validity of the Portuguese version of the CFC-S in 5 samples, composed by 527 participants with ages between 13 and 71. A 2 factor structure has been found through Confirmatory Factor Analysis among several tested models. Item 5 has been eliminated in order to achieve better fit indices (χ2 df = 3.88, CFI = .90, GFI = .95, RMSEA = .07) and improve internal consistency. Both CFC subscales presented strong correlations with several psychological phenomena (Sensation Seeking, Self-Esteem, Temporal Extension and Time Perspective) and main effects among groups of age and criminal record (for CFC-I, p < .001, for CFC-F, p < .001). These results allow us to support CFC as an efficient psychological evaluation instrument and as an important metric for individual differences in the study of temporal orientation.