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Objective: To investigate women's perspectives on the quality of maternal and new-born care (QMNC) around the time of childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, comparing the years 2020 and 2021, among women who went into labor or had a prelabor cesarean. Methods: Women giving birth in healthcare facilities in Latvia from March 1, 2020, to October 28, 2021, answered an online questionnaire including 40 WHO standards- based quality measures. Descriptive and multivariate quantile regression analyses were performed to compare QMNC in 2020 and 2021. Results: 2079 women were included in the analysis: 1860 women who went into labor (group 1) and 219 with prelabor cesarean (group 2). Among group 1, 66.4% (n = 99/149) of women received fundal pressure in an instrumental vaginal birth, 43.5% (n = 810) lacked involvement in choices, 17.4% (n = 317) reported suffering abuse, 32.7% (n = 609) reported inadequate breastfeeding support while 5.2% (n = 96) lack of early breastfeeding. A significant reduction in QMNC due to the COVID-19 pandemic was reported by 29.5% (n = 219) and 25.0% (n = 270) of respondents in 2020 and 2021, respectively (P = 0.045). Multivariate analyses highlighted a signifi-cantly lower QMNC index for 2020 compared with 2021 (P < 0.001).Conclusion: This first study investigating QMNC in Latvia showed significant gaps in QMNC perceived by respondents, with slightly better results in 2021. Appropriate health-care strategies to improve health care for women and newborns in Latvia are required.

Objective To describe the perception of quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around the time of childbirth among migrant and nonmigrant women in Europe. Methods Women who gave birth at a health facility in 11 countries of the WHO European Region from March 2020 to July 2021 were invited to answer an online questionnaire including demographics and childbirth experience. Data were analyzed and compared for 1781 migrant and 20 653 nonmigrant women. Results Migrant women who experienced labor perceived slightly more difficulties in attending routine antenatal visits (41.2% vs 39.4%; P = 0.001), more barriers in accessing facilities (32.9% vs 29.9%; P = 0.001), lack of timely care (14.7% vs 13.0%; P = 0.025), inadequate room comfort and equipment (9.2% vs 8.5%; P = 0.004), inadequate number of women per room (9.4% vs 8.6%; P = 0.039), being prevented from staying with their baby as they wished (7.8% vs 6.9%; P = 0.011), or suffering abuse (14.5% vs 12.7%; P = 0.022) compared with nonmigrant women. For women who had a prelabor cesarean, migrant women were more likely not to receive pain relief after birth (16.8% vs.13.5%; P = 0.039) and less likely to provide informal payment (1.8% vs 4.4%; P = 0.005) compared with nonmigrant women. Overall, the QMNC index was not significantly different for migrant compared with nonmigrant women. Conclusion Gaps in overall QMNC were reported by both migrant and nonmigrant women, with improvements to healthcare necessary for all.

As intoxicações medicamentosas referem-se a reações adversas derivadas da administração de doses elevadas de medicamentos, ou por administração de dois ou mais medicamentos, os quais podem resultar em interações causando toxicidade no organismo. O Centro de Informação Antivenenos (CIAV) é um centro telefónico de assistência médica em caso de possível intoxicação medicamentosa, que tem como fim informar e orientar doentes e profissionais de saúde. A partir do surgimento da pandemia de Covid-19, devido às restrições impostas pelo Governo português a partir de março de 2020, o acompanhamento médico e a reavaliação da terapêutica medicamentosa ficaram comprometidos, deixando vários portugueses em risco. Esta dissertação de Mestrado Integrado teve como objetivo a análise e comparação de dados correspondente às chamadas telefónicas provenientes da região do Algarve, recebidas pelo CIAV durante o ano de 2019 e 2020. Para tal, recolheram-se dados disponibilizados pelo CIAV acerca dos possíveis casos de intoxicação medicamentosa na região do Algarve, tais como o número de chamadas recebidas, o remetente da chamada, o local de origem da chamada, a faixa etária e sexo do intoxicado, a via de administração do fármaco, a circunstância da intoxicação, os sintomas experienciados, o fármaco ou fármacos envolvidos na potencial intoxicação e a orientação dada ao doente. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que houve uma diminuição dos casos de 2019 para 202, contudo foram os medicamentos pertencentes ao grupo farmacoterapêutico do sistema nervoso central os principais responsáveis pelas intoxicações ocorridas em ambos anos, seguindo-se o grupo do aparelho locomotor. O paracetamol é o principal fármaco responsável pelas potenciais intoxicações medicamentosas, enquanto no que toca aos restantes fármacos houve oscilações nas suas posições como principais fármacos responsáveis pelas intoxicações, o que nalguns casos pode ser explicado pela possível substituição da terapêutica por interação com medicamentos anti-COVID, enquanto noutros não existe explicação científica. A intervenção do farmacêutico é crucial, através do sistema de farmacovigilância, que é um sistema responsável pela monitorização da segurança dos medicamentos ativos no mercado, pode ser um sistema importante no auxilio da promoção da educação para a saúde e segurança entre os cidadãos, tal como impor recursos destinados ao apoio nestas situações, com o fim de sinalizar, prevenir de forma a diminuir cada vez mais os casos de intoxicação medicamentosa no Algarve e em todo o território português. Drug intoxications refer to adverse reactions due to the administration of high doses of drugs or by administration of two or more drugs, which may result in interactions causing toxicity in the body. Portuguese Poison Information Center (CIAV) is a call center that offers medical assistance in case of possible drug intoxication. This center´s main goal is to inform and guide patients and health professionals. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, due to the restrictions imposed by the Portuguese Government, medical monitoring and re-evaluation of drug therapy have been compromised, leaving several portuguese at risk. This Integrated Master's dissertation aimed to analyze and compare data corresponding to the telephone calls from the Algarve region, received by CIAV during 2019 and 2020. To this end, data provided by CIAV on possible cases of drug intoxication in the Algarve region were collected, such as the number of calls received, the sender of the call, the place of origin of the call, the age group and sex of the intoxicated person, the route of administration of the drug, the circumstance of the intoxication, the symptoms experienced, the drug or drugs involved in the potential intoxication and the advice given to the patient. The results obtained showed that there was a decrease in the number of cases from 2019 to 202, however, it was the drugs belonging to the central nervous system pharmacotherapeutic group that were mainly responsible for the intoxications that occurred in both years, followed by the locomotor system group. Paracetamol is the main drug responsible for potential drug intoxications, while for the remaining drugs there were oscillations in their positions as main drugs responsible for intoxications. In some cases this oscillation can be explained by the possible substitution of drugs due to interaction with anti-COVID drugs, while in other cases there is no scientific explanation. The intervention of the pharmacist is crucial, through the pharmacovigilance system, which is a system responsible for monitoring the safety of drugs and can be an important system in helping to promote health and safety education among citizens, as well as imposing resources aimed at supporting these situations, in order to signal and prevent in order to increasingly reduce the cases of drug intoxication in the Algarve and throughout the Portuguese territory.

Objective: To compare women's perspectives on the quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around the time of childbirth across Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 2 (NUTS-II) regions in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Women participating in the cross-sectional IMAgiNE EURO study who gave birth in Portugal from March 1, 2020, to October 28, 2021, completed a structured questionnaire with 40 key WHO standards-based quality measures. Four domains of QMNC were assessed: (1) provision of care; (2) experience of care; (3) availability of human and physical resources; and (4) reorganizational changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequencies for each quality measure within each QMNC domain were computed overall and by region. Results: Out of 1845 participants, one-third (33.7%) had a cesarean. Examples of high-quality care included: low frequencies of lack of early breastfeeding and rooming-in (8.0% and 7.7%, respectively) and informal payment (0.7%); adequate staff professionalism (94.6%); adequate room comfort and equipment (95.2%). However, substandard practices with large heterogeneity across regions were also reported. Among women who experienced labor, the percentage of instrumental vaginal births ranged from 22.3% in the Algarve to 33.5% in Center; among these, fundal pressure ranged from 34.8% in Lisbon to 66.7% in Center. Episiotomy was performed in 39.3% of noninstrumental vaginal births with variations between 31.8% in the North to 59.8% in Center. One in four women reported inadequate breastfeeding support (26.1%, ranging from 19.4% in Algarve to 31.5% in Lisbon). One in five reported no exclusive breastfeeding at discharge (22.1%; 19.5% in Lisbon to 28.2% in Algarve). Conclusion: Urgent actions are needed to harmonize QMNC and reduce inequities across regions in Portugal.

Objective: To explore quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) in healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Methods: Women giving birth in Switzerland answered a validated online questionnaire including 40 WHO standards-based quality measures. QMNC score was calculated according to linguistic region and mode of birth. Differences were assessed using logistic regression analysis adjusting for relevant variables. Results: A total of 1175 women were included in the analysis. Limitations in QMNC during the pandemic were reported by 328 (27.9%) women. Several quality measures, such as deficient communication (18.0%, n = 212), insufficient number of healthcare professionals (19.7%, n= 231), no information on the newborn after cesarean (26.5%, n = 91) or maternal and newborn danger signs (34.1%, n = 401 and 41.4% n = 4 87, respectively) suggested preventable gaps in QMNC. Quality measures significantly differed by linguistic region and mode of birth. Multivariate analysis established a significantly lower QMNC for women in French- and Italian-speaking regions compared with the German-speaking region. Moreover, in several quality indicators reflecting communication with healthcare providers, women who did not answer the questionnaire in one of the Swiss national languages had significantly worse scores than others. A significant lower QMNC was also found for young and primiparous women and for those who experienced cesarean or instrumental vaginal birth. Conclusion: Women giving birth in Switzerland during the pandemic reported notable gaps in QMNC. Providers should be attuned to women who are younger, primiparous, and those who had an emergency cesarean or instrumental vaginal birth given the lower QMNC reported by these groups. Women who did not respond in a Swiss national language may need improved communication strategies.

Every year, new biobased biodegradable plastics are released into the market, but little is understood about the risks these materials may pose to various ecosystems, especially freshwaters where they appear to remain longer. In this study, chironomid Chironomus riparius (in the 4th larval stage), was used as a model species to address the potential short-term ecotoxicity of microplastics (bio-MPs) derived from a commercially available biobased biodegradable agricultural mulch film, under ecologically relevant scenarios (field concentration and UV-aging). The results demonstrate that after 48 hours of exposure, C. riparius larvae presented bio-MPs, UV-aged or not, in their gut, which content increased with increased concentrations (with a range of 1 to 2 particles per organism). The presence and ingestion of bio-MPs also resulted in variations in aerobic metabolism (via electron transfer system activity) and the activation of antioxidant defenses (catalase and glutathione-S-transferase) and neurotransmission (acetylcholinesterase). Such modifications did not result in oxidative damage, suggesting that this organism might counteract oxidative stress induced by the tested biobased biodegradable polymer (whether it is pristine or UV-aged). Other antioxidant defenses must be addressed, for a deeper knowledge of the possible physiological and biochemical effects of bio-MPs on this model species. Future research must take a life cycle assessment into account to link these responses to the possible impacts at higher levels of biological organization (such as larval growth and imagoes emergence). Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427182/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

Microplastics (size ¡ 5 mm) represent a global threat to freshwaters, as they are among the major sinks of these contaminants sourced on inland anthropogenic activities. The number of studies in these environments remains scarce compared to marine environments, and little is known about the potential trophic transfer and the consequent effects on freshwater predators, particularly those with extracorporeal digestion. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the behavioural and physiological responses of the planarian Girardia tigrina after consuming contaminated prey - Chironomus riparius 4th instar larvae previously exposed to microplastics of Polyurethane (PU-MPs; 7-9 μm in size; polymer applied in building & construction and transportation sectors). Firstly, larvae (¡ 48 h) were exposed to 0 (control condition) and 375 mg PU-MPs/kg for 10 days (a concentration that did not affect larvae growth, despite the hyperactivity observed in contaminated prey). After 10 days, larvae (n=15) from PU-MP and control conditions were collected, rinsed, and fed to planarians for (3h). After the feeding period, planarians' locomotion and regeneration were evaluated. Planarians consumed 20% more contaminated prey than uncontaminated prey, probably related to larvae' higher locomotion behaviour (also more appellative to the predator). After feeding activity, no significant changes in planarians' locomotion were observed, but a slight delay in the regeneration of the auricula (up to 1.5 days) was recorded for planarians that fed on contaminated prey. Histological analysis revealed the planarians' uptake of a limited number of PU-MPs. Although results reveal sub-lethal effects on planarians after consuming contaminated prey with PU-MPs, it does not rule out eventual long-term effects (i.e., reproduction/fitness). Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/422878/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

Biobased and biodegradable plastic mulch films are an increasingly attractive alternative to their conventional counterparts, with the promise of safeguarding the health of agricultural soils and their inhabitants through the complete biodegradation of the material (and consequent elimination of removal costs) contributing to the value of these mostly petrochemical-independent materials. However, these plastics' current certification processes prove themselves lacklustre in predicting biodegradation performance and ecotoxicological effects in natural settings, the relatively few studies done on the topic disputing this perceived environmental-friendliness. This study assessed the biodegradation of a commercially-available biobased and biodegradable mulch film by the soil-dwelling fungal species Penicillium brevicompactum, in solid culture media and locally sourced agricultural soil, for the duration of 15 and 28 days, as well as the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics from the same material on the key earthworm species Eisenia andrei, at environmentally-relevant concentrations ranging from 0.125 to 0.500 grams per kilogram of soil, both in their pristine state and after UV-C radiation weathering. The results obtained in the biodegradation assays – mass variation, microscopic analysis and FTIR analysis – suggest P. brevicompactum's capability to accelerate the mulch film's natural biodegradation process. In the ecotoxicological assays, exposure to any concentration of pristine microplastics seemed to increase E. andrei's sensitivity to touch, had apparent adverse effects on energy reserves, and resulted in significant decreases in offspring numbers (upwards of 30%); conversely, weathered microplastics seemed to show no such negative effects, bar specimen sensitivity. Since the mulch film's weathering is expected to happen if properly used, the studied material seems to be an environmentally-friendly alternative, given its potential for faster biodegradation by normal soil dwellers and low toxicity to a key-species in the ecosystem. Notwithstanding, these findings highlight the shortcomings of currently applied standards, that can ignore the role of chronic ecotoxicological effects on naturally-occurring organisms. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427221/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) on seafood has sparked scientific and popular concern since it may endanger human health. Clams are particularly dangerous for human exposure since they are swallowed whole. The purpose of this study was to create a simple methodology for extracting MPs from a widely exploited clam, Ruditapes decussatus, such that they could be detected using the fluorescent dye Nile Red (NR) and subsequently characterized with micro-Raman spectroscopy. Several digestion procedures (e.g., Fenton, alkalis, bleach, among others) were tested in fresh or lyophilized (further crushed) biological samples. The alkalis digestion with 10% KOH for 24 hours followed by an oxidizing agent (10% H2O2) for 24 hours and extraction with ZnCl2 (1.6 kg/L) on lyophilized (pulverized) samples was the best approach for tissue digestion. The use of this approach indicated a high digesting efficacy with increased weight loss of biological tissues, reduced filtering time consumption, reduced interference of leftover organic matter with Nile Red staining and provided high-quality pictures for the quantification of suspected MPs. Using NR for detecting MPs, such particles might be spotted and characterized more readily when using micro-Raman spectroscopy. This study was financially supported by CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020 + LA/P/0094/2020), Mar2020 research project (DepurD; MAR-01.03.01-FEAMP-0046), FCT (CEECIND/01366/2018). Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427197/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

O transplante cardíaco somente é realizado quando a expectativa de uma vida útil é maior com tratamento cirúrgico do que com tratamento clínico, sendo vários fatores avaliados antes de se propor a abordagem cirúrgica. É visto como um tratamento padrão ouro para a insuficiência cardíaca, doença na qual o paciente apresenta uma grande limitação funcional e alta mortalidade. Além da insuficiência cardíaca, o transplante pode ser realizado em indivíduos com patologia isquêmica com angina refratária e sem capacidade de revascularização, apresentando uma melhora na qualidade de vida e sobrevida desses pacientes. Mas apesar dos benefícios do procedimento, ele pode trazer algumas complicações clínicas. A reabilitação cardíaca faz-se necessária na recuperação do indivíduo pós-transplante cardíaco, pois corresponde a um conjunto de atividades necessárias para garantir aos pacientes portadores de doenças cardiovasculares as melhores condições sociais, mentais e físicas possíveis. Portanto, o objetivo desse trabalho consistiu em avaliar os efeitos da reabilitação cardíaca na qualidade de vida e funcionalidade em pacientes pós transplante cardíaco de um hospital da rede pública de Fortaleza-CE. MÉTODO: O presente estudo trata-se de uma série de casos, com pacientes submetidos ao programa de reabilitação cardíaca, sendo aplicado o questionário de qualidade de vida SF-36 no início e ao fim do programa. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliados quatro pacientes do sexo masculino com idade entre 24 e 57 anos. Constatou-se que todos os pacientes tiveram melhora de pelo menos quatro dos oito domínios avaliados após a reabilitação cardíaca. CONCLUSÃO: A reabilitação cardíaca foi benéfica, atuando na melhora da qualidade de vida e funcionalidade dos pacientes estudados. O domínio de maior destaque foram os aspectos físicos, onde todos os pacientes obtiveram melhora significativa. Ressalta-se a importância de serem realizados mais estudos na área para que o assunto possa ser mais discutido entre os profissionais e a sociedade como um todo., KEYWORDS: Physiotherapy; Cardiac rehabilitation; Heart transplantation.

We are facing an emergency that encompasses the entire biosphere, with devastating consequences for both humans and the natural world on which we depend. As the climate and ecological crises accelerate, scientists are coming to terms with failings inherent in the modes of action we have used to engage society about their ongoing and future effects. Life scientists — including biologists, medical scientists, psychologists and public health experts — are no exception. Countless scientific articles, surveys, reports, and methodological advances have enabled exceedingly detailed assessments of the scale and rate of biological devastation, and its consequences for human health. Yet, we have failed to motivate governments and society as a whole to initiate the transformative change required to avoid further catastrophe. Here, we attempt to explain why our current modes of academic behaviour are undermining our own scientific recommendations, and emphasise the need to change the tactics we have used to effectively engage with society. We present a case for embracing activism in our scholarly responsibilities — including outreach, teaching and research — and to adapt these to the strategic logic of civil resistance. We then describe a number of past and present examples of scientist activism: a practice that is not new, but is in dire need of a radical revival.