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This paper reports the implementation results of the Portuguese School Libraries Evaluation Model, more specifically the results of primary schools self-evaluation of their libraries' reading promotion and information literacy development activities. School libraries that rated their performance as either "Excellent" or "Poor" have been purposefully selected as case studies. Following a QUAN-QUAL approach to data collection and analysis, we first present the results of two surveys designed respectively to understand how students relate to reading and information access, production and communication in the context of the school library provision, and to map teachers' perceptions on school libraries' systematic promotion of reading and information literacy. In the qualitative component of the study, the evaluation reports submitted by school libraries were subject to thematic analysis to unearth meanings assigned and core concepts employed to classify school libraries' provision. The thematic analysis of reports was also used to further confirm the validity of schools' self-attributed performance levels. The paper calls for the development of an evaluation culture in school libraries, and suggests the development of an online case repository, which would operate as evaluation's interface with new organisational practices. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)

Introduction: the Informal Caregiver (IC) faces multiple difficulties in the care of the dependent person. Objectives: to assess the difficulties felt by informal caregivers in the care of the dependent person and to identify the predictive variables of these difficulties. Materials and Methods: observational, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study with a quantitative approach that used a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 119 IC from the Central Region of Portugal. The measurement instrument used included a sociodemographic data sheet and an Informal Caregiver Difficulties Assessment Scale (EADCI). Results: moderate difficulties were mostly observed, being higher in the dimensions of self-care and activities of daily living. The degree of functional dependence of the dependent person, the age of the IC and the existence of architectural barriers were found as predictive variables. Conclusions: the results indicate that ICs present difficulties at different levels of dependent person care, strengthening the need to implement new possible strategies to respond to these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musculoskeletal injuries related to the work of professional musicians constitute a real public health problem. Thus, we aimed to identify the prevalence and determinants of musculoskeletal injuries in professional musicians practising plucked string instruments. It is a cross-sectional, descriptivecorrelational and quantitative character study, involving 140 Portuguese musicians living in 3 cities from Portugal, aged 18 to 55 years old. A questionnaire was used that included variables of sociodemographic characterization, health / style and musical practice. For the evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders we used the "Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire". The results showed that 70,0% reported musculoskeletal disorders (MI) that manifested as pain / tingling / numbness in the last 12 months, mainly in the wrists / hands (68,6%) and shoulders (54,3%), We found that MI were more frequent in older musicians with higher Body Mass Indexes, those who consumed alcoholic beverages and did not practise physical activity, and those who had excessive performances. We conclude that the prevalence of MI in Portuguese musicians of plucked string instruments is high (70%) and these are related to individual characteristics, life styles and instrumental practice demands, which is urgent to modify through preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Paulista de Enfermagem is the property of Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Portuguese Journal of Mental Health Nursing / Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental is the property of Portuguese Society of Mental Health Nursing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Prefibrillar oligomers decrease in human plasma from middle to old age. • Fibrillar structures increase in human plasma from middle to old age. • FTIR spectroscopy can detect protein conformational changes in human plasma. • FTIR spectroscopy is a suitable approach to assess the biological age of an individual. The loss of proteostasis during aging has been well described using different models, however little is known with respect to protein aggregation levels in biofluids with aging. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the pattern of age-related protein aggregation in human plasma using two distinct approaches: analysis with conformation-specific antibodies and FTIR spectroscopy. The latter has been widely used in biomedical research to study protein conformational changes in health and disease. Samples from a primary care based-cohort from the Aveiro region, Portugal, were used for slot-blot analyses followed by immunodetection with conformation-specific antibodies and for the acquisition of FTIR spectra. Immunoblot analyses revealed an age-dependent evolution of the protein conformational profile in human plasma, towards a decrease in prefibrillar oligomers and an increase in fibrillar structures. This finding was also supported by PLS-R multivariate analysis of FTIR data, where a positive correlation between the age of the donors and secondary structure of plasma proteins could be observed. Samples from younger donors are characterized by antiparallel β-sheet-containing structures while intermolecular β-sheets characterized older samples. Exclusion of age-associated co-morbidities improved the correlation between protein conformational profiles and aging. The results reveal structural changes in human plasma proteins from middle to old age, confirming the age-associated changes in protein aggregation, and support the applicability of FTIR as a reliable approach to study proteostasis during aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyse the factors related to suffering in chronic patients within the hospital context., Method: Descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional quantitative study. Conducted in a hospital in central Portugal, between January and June 2013. A convenience sample of 307 chronic patients was selected. The variables collected through the questionnaire were: age, sex, marital status, employment status, monthly income, perception of family functioning (Smilkinstein), clinical pathology, spirituality (Pinto and Pais-Ribeiro) and degree of suffering (McIntyre and Gameiro). The project was approved by the hospital's ethics committee. The participants signed an informed consent form., Results: The global suffering of chronic patients studied at the hospital level is moderate (M=3.01), on a scale of 1 to 5, with the psychological dimension being the most affected (M=3.18). Elderly patients suffer more physically and have more positive experiences. Women present greater socio-relational and psychological suffering. On the other hand, people who live alone, with a monthly income of less than 300 euros, with a low level of education, with the perception of belonging to a dysfunctional family and with neurological pathology, suffer the most. Multiple linear regression showed that spirituality is significantly inversely correlated with suffering. Beliefs are responsible for 6.0% of the explained variance of suffering and hope / optimism for 3.3%., Conclusions: People with chronic hospitalized diseases experience multidimensional suffering, with variable intensity and that is correlated with several factors. These variables must be considered for correct planning of health care for this population adapted to their specific needs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe the process of validating Emotional Intelligence Measurement (MIE) Scale for Portuguese senior citizens., Design: Observational, cross-sectional quantitative study., Framework: Senior citizens attending senior universities and from the community in the district of Viseu., Participants: 1084 subjects participated with a mean age of 72.98 years, residing in the district of Viseu, no longer involved in formal activities (retired) and participating voluntarily in study., Main Measurements: the Emotional Intelligence Measuring (MIE) Scale, socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, residence). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the MIE scale were performed., Results: The MIE showed very good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.952). The main component and rotation factor analysis varimax extracted 36 items and five factors which explain 54.78% of the total variance. After confirmatory factor analysis and re-specification of the model, the global indicator values of the adjustment model for the MIE revealed a quality of good fit (X(2)/df=3.46; RMR=0.025). The final version of the MIE was composed of 33 items and five factors that represent emotional intelligence skills: Factor 1 - Empathy (12 items); Factor 2 - Self-motivation (10 items); Factor 3 - Self-awareness (4 items); Factor 4 - Self-control (4 items); Factor 5 - Sociability (3 items)., Conclusion: The MIE scale is shown to be suitable to assess emotional intelligence in Portuguese senior citizens., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)