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Abstract Background The occurrence of strikes in the health sector has been an increasing concern around the world, given their negative impact on the provision of services and care to patients. The Mozambican doctors' strike in 2013 2013 is considered by many to be the largest of a kind in the country's history, and marked the changes which are still a matter of debate. The aim of this study is to understand the causes, strategies and perceived impact of this strike from the perspective of the main actors involved, taking a look back at everything that happened, including the backstage and tense moments during the negotiations. These details have been little covered in similar studies and are important for a better understanding and management of this type of movement. Methods This is a qualitative study with a phenomelogical approach that consisted of semi-structured interviews with the main players involved in the strike movement, and analysis of documents produced around this movement. Non-probabilistic snowball sampling was used to select participants until data saturation was reached. The interviews were transcribed and imported into Nvivo version 12, and the data was analysed using content analysis to identify themes related to the research questions. Results The doctors were demanding better salaries, career prospects and working conditions. Failure to fulfil agreements, threats from the government and a lack of communication are believed to have precipitated the strike. Faced with staff shortages, the government restricted services, prioritised urgent cases, and patients saw services slowed down, their care delayed, a lack of medicines in health units and a loss of confidence in the healthcare system. Although the strike contributed to the approval of the Doctors' Statute, it led to the interruption of postgraduate studies, transfers and suspensions of professionals. Conclusion The strike was motivated by aspects associated with salaries and working conditions. Some of the approaches adopted further distanced the parties and delayed consensus. The strike had negative consequences for everyone, especially patients. This study provides important lessons for improving strike prevention and management strategies in the health sector.

IntroductionStrikes in the health sector have been of growing concern, given their disruptive nature, negatively impacting the provision of health care and jeopardizing the well-being of patients. This study aims to identify the main actors, the reasons behind industrial actions protests, strikes and lockouts (IAPSL) in sub-Saharan African countries and their impact on health care workers (specifically doctors) and health services, as well as to identify the main strategies adopted to reduce their impact on healthcare services.MethodsStudies published between January 2000 and December 2021 and archived in MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Scopus, ProQuest, and Science Direct were included. Quantitative, observational (i.e., cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, and ecological) and experimental studies, as well as mixed methods, quasi-experimental, and qualitative studies were eligibleResultsA total of 5521 studies were identified and after eliminating duplicates, applying the inclusion criteria, and assessing the risk of bias, a total of 11 studies were included in the review. Nurses and doctors are the actors most commonly involved in strikes. The main causes of strikes were salary claims and poor working conditions. The main strategies adopted to mitigate the strike consequences were to restrict services and prioritize emergency and chronic care, greater cooperation with the private sector and rearrange tasks of the available staff. The strikes led to a reduction in hospitalizations and in the number of women giving birth in health units, an increase in maternal and child morbidities and delays in the immunization process. Increased mortality was only reported in faith-based hospitals.DiscussionThis evidence can assist decision-makers in developing strategies and interventions to address IAPSL by health care workers, contributing to strengthen the health system. Strikes in the health sector disrupt healthcare services provision and compromise the well-being of patients, especially the most disadvantaged, with consequences that may be difficult to overcome ever. The potential health impacts of strikes highlights the importance of their prevention or timely resolution through regulation and negotiations to balance the rights of health care workers and the rights of patients.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=334173, identifier CRD42022334173.

Este texto resulta da inventariação das séries documentais de cinco fundos depositados pela Misericórdia de Monforte no Arquivo Municipal daquela vila, em outubro de 2021, a saber: Misericórdia de Monforte; Misericórdia de Assumar; Comissão de Assistência do Concelho de Monforte; Comissão de Assistência aos Pobres de Monforte; Clube Artístico Monfortense. Tem como principal objetivo estabelecer um quadro de classificação orgânico-funcional harmonizado com o modelo sistémico e interativo preconizado por Armando Malheiro da Silva (Silva, 2004, pp. 55-84), Fernanda Ribeiro, Júlio Ramos e Manuel Luís Real (Silva et al., 1999). Assente no pressuposto de que famílias e outras entidades públicas e privadas são sistemas dinâmicos que geram, contextualizam e recebem informação, comunicada através de um suporte material, o modelo propõe levar a cabo uma pesquisa, que forneça informação rigorosa sobre a documentação acumulada, tomando como referência a metodologia avançada por Paul de Bruyne, Jacques Herman e Marc de Schoutheete (1974, como citado em Silva et al., 1999, pp. 220-224)[1]. O arquivista assume o papel do cientista que procura compreender e explicar o objeto informacional (o documento) em toda a sua complexidade. Não nos arvorámos a tamanho empreendimento, porque era impossível fazê-lo em tão curto espaço de tempo e em tão limitado número de páginas, face a tão grande volume documental. Fica, no entanto, um contributo para trabalhos futuros de classificação e descrição, e a reflexão sobre a adequação do modelo a quaisquer massas documentais, partindo de uma análise à organização interna dos produtores e às motivações geradoras da documentação. [1] O modelo sistémico e interativo resulta da aplicação de uma metodologia assente em quatro polos de análise de uma determinada realidade, destacando-se no polo teórico o “princípio da ação estruturante”, que é, no fundo, o conjunto de fatores que geram um Arquivo, a sua organização e função, e o da “integração dinâmica”, que consta das relações que o Arquivo experimenta com outros sistemas, influenciando-os e recebendo, ele próprio, os contributos daqueles (De Bruyne et al., 1974, como citado em Silva et al., 1999, pp. 220-224).

Chromogenic reversal films (or color slides) are first-generation positive transparencies. These were used for various purposes, namely as an artistic medium, especially from the 1960s onwards. However, these materials are intrinsically vulnerable to chemical degradation and have poor long-term stability. Although over time significant improvements have been achieved in the stability of chromogenic products, chromogenic dyes are highly susceptible to oxidation and hydrolysis, both induced by light and/or relative humidity and temperature, leading to the fading and shift in the original color balance of the images. During the present investigation, a gap of knowledge regarding chromogenic materials in general, and chromogenic reversal films specifically, was detected. Today, there is still no methodology to identify the dyes present in a specific work and, therefore, to study their chemical mechanism of degradation. From this premise and focused on case studies from the Portuguese artist Ângelo de Sousa (1938–2011), a research study was carried out seeking the characterization of chromogenic dyes. Based on the isolation of the different dyes composing a chromogenic material, several procedures were tested to describe the dyes found in chromogenic reversal films, such as Raman spectroscopy, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), infrared spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS). Promising results were achieved with this approach, opening new paths for the understanding of these materials.

Introduction: The Urgeiriça mines were once the main uranium producer in Portugal. The aim of this study was to estimate the benefit of low-dose chest computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening in former miners that were considered as being at high-risk. Methods: A subgroup of former miners of the Uranium National Company exposed to uranium and with a smoking load greater than 20 pack-years, agreed to perform a LDCT. The Fleischner Society Guidelines were used to classify the nodules and establish follow-up. Results: Initially, 265 former employees of the Uranium National Company were included. The mean time of employment was 15 (0 - 45) years. The non-smokers represented 50.9% and 30.2% were ever smokers; the remaining chose not to respond. One diagnosis of lung cancer was initially made. In the second phase, a subgroup of 66 former miner underwent a LDCT, 37 of whom presented pulmonary nodules. Most computed tomography (CT) scans revealed one single nodule (n = 13) and the mean size was 5 (1 - 16) mm. A suspicious 16 mm spiculated nodule was evaluated with PET/CT, and percutaneous and surgical biopsies, ultimately revealing a benign lesion. Conclusion: The data highlights the importance of lung cancer screening in high-risk populations. This was, to the best of our knowledge, the first study performed in Portugal and can act as a bridge towards a wider implementation in the country.

Sulfurous thermal waters (STWs) are used as a complementary treatment for allergic rhinitis. However, there is scant data on the effects of STW on nasal epithelial cells, and in vitro models are warranted. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the dose and time effects of exposure to 3D nasal inserts (MucilAirTM-HF allergic rhinitis model) with STW or isotonic sodium chloride solution (ISCS) aerosols. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and histology were assessed before and after nebulizations. Chemokine/cytokine levels in the basal supernatants were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that more than four daily nebulizations of four or more minutes compromised the normal epithelial integrity. In contrast, 1 or 2 min of STW or ISCS nebulizations had no toxic effect up to 3 days. No statistically significant changes in release of inflammatory chemokines MCP-1/CCL2 > IL-8/CXCL8 > MIP-1α/CCL3, no meaningful release of “alarmins” (IL-1α, IL-33), nor of anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine were observed. We have characterized safe time and dose conditions for aerosol nebulizations using a novel in vitro 3D nasal epithelium model of allergic rhinitis patients. This may be a suitable in vitro setup to mimic in vivo treatments of chronic rhinitis with STW upon triggering an inflammatory stimulus in the future.

Perception of risk is known to change throughout the lifespan. Previous studies showed that younger adults are more prone to risk behaviours than older adults. Do these age-related differences influence risk perception during a pandemic crisis? Here, we investigated how age influenced predicted risk during the COVID-19 emergency state in Portugal. We show that time-projected estimations (e.g., appraisals based on ‘now’ vs. ‘in two weeks’ time’, or ‘in four weeks’ time’) of both risk behaviour and importance of transmission prevention decrease over time. Importantly, projected risk decreased more steeply for younger than older adults. Our findings suggest that younger adults have a different perception of epidemic-related risk than older adults. This seems to support the view that public health policy making during epidemics should differentially target younger adults.

It is increasingly possible to acquire Electrocardiographic data with featured low-cost devices. The proposed dataset will help map different signals for various diseases related to Electrocardiography data. The dataset presented in this paper is related to the acquisition of electrocardiography data during the standing up and seated positions. The data was collected from 219 individuals (112 men, 106 women, and one other) in different environments, but they are in the Covilhã municipality. The dataset includes the 219 recordings and corresponds to the sensors’ recordings of a 30 s sitting and a 30 s standing test, which checks to approximately 1 min for each one. This dataset includes 3.7 h (approximately) of recordings for further analysis with data processing techniques and machine learning methods. It will be helpful for the complementary creation of a robust method for identifying the characteristics of individuals related to Electrocardiography signals.