Exploring the Evolving Role of Pharmaceutical Services in Community Pharmacies: Insights from the USA, England, and Portugal.

Chronic diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide and have a significant negative impact on public health, overall well-being, national economies, and the long-term sustainability of already burdened health systems. In addressing some of the current health challenges, the contribution of pharmacists and community pharmacies is of particular significance. Pharmacists play a vital role in the medication use process, enhancing the efficacy of pharmacological interventions and facilitating the delivery of health services.

The differential impact of processing speed and cognitive flexibility on cognitive emotion regulation strategies and depression.

Introduction: Existing cognitive models for depression propose interactions between cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERS) and cognitive processes. However, often oversimplify these interactions and do not accommodate the complexity of interactions. We aimed to construct and explore the micro-level properties of a network model that can integrate this complexity of the interactions and explore through computational simulations the differential impact of improvements/deterioration in cognitive flexibility and processing speed in the network.

Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major global health issue, with type 2 diabetes (T2D) accounting for over 90% of cases. Community pharmacies, given their accessibility, are well positioned to assist in early detection and management of T2D. This study evaluated post-pandemic T2D risk in a Portuguese population using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) across five community pharmacies.

Medication Management in Portuguese Long-Term Care Facilities: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study.

Background/objectives: Population ageing has been a pressing global issue for decades. Older adults, especially those residing in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), often experience frailty and polypharmacy, which can lead to negative clinical outcomes. In Portugal, LTCFs provide essential care for individuals aged 65 or older, offering temporary or permanent accommodation.

Topological properties of psychopathological networks of healthy and disordered individuals across mental disorders.

The identification of psychopathological markers has been the focus of several scientific fields. The results were inconsistent due to lack of a clear nosology. Network analysis, focusing on the interactions between symptoms, provided important insights into the nosology of mental disorders.

The Policy of Compulsory Large-Scale Food Fortification in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Food fortification with micronutrients was initially justified in developed countries by a lack of availability of micronutrients in staple crops, mainly due to soil exhaustion. However, in Sub-Saharan arable lands, soil fatigue is not predominant, and communities consume mostly home-grown, organic, non-processed crops. Sub-Saharan food systems are nevertheless deeply entwined with food insecurity, driver of illnesses.

Burnout, resilience, and subjective well-being among Portuguese lecturers' during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Lecturers face a large wide of occupational stressors. If the prolonged stress and the symptomatology associated with the working conditions to which lecturers were exposed were already a concern before the pandemic, the pandemic may have exacerbated this psychosocial vulnerability. Burnout is a psychological syndrome that develops in response to chronic work stress.

An Update on Drug-Nutrient Interactions and Dental Decay in Older Adults.

In recent decades, the global demographic landscape has undergone a discernible shift that has been characterised by a progressive increase in the proportion of elderly individuals, indicative of an enduring global inclination toward extended lifespans. The aging process, accompanied by physiological changes and dietary patterns, contributes to detrimental deviations in micronutrient consumption. This vulnerable aging population faces heightened risks, including dental caries, due to structural and functional modifications resulting from insufficient nutritional sustenance.

Mediation of Self-Compassion on Pathways from Stress and Anxiety to Depression among Portuguese Higher Education Students.

Higher education is a context that requires students to develop academic, social and institutional tasks. As a result of this complex and multidimensional process, students tend to experience greater stress, anxiety and depression, making it crucial for students to mobilize a set of essential personal, social and instrumental resources, for a more positive adaptation to the academic context. Self-compassion is an adaptative emotion-regulation strategy and may help students to better adjust to academic issues.

COVID-19-associated Coagulopathy Characterization using Rotational Thromboelastometry in a Prospective, Observational Cohort Study: The HemoCoV Study.

Introduction: COVID-19-associated coagulopathy includes systemic and endothelial inflammation with coagulation dysregulation related to immunothrombosis. The aim of this study was to characterize this complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19.

Methods: An open-label, prospective observational study conducted in patients with COVID-19 moderate to severe acute respiratory failure admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).

Characterisation of institutionalised Portuguese older adult fallers: is there a place for pharmacist intervention? A preliminary study.

Background: Falls are a major public health issue, given their prevalence and social impact. Older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCF) are at greater risk of injury resulting from a fall due to multiple factors, such as nutritional, functional/cognitive impairment, postural instability, polypharmacy, and the presence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). Medication management in LTCF is complex and often sub-optimal and might be crucial for falls.

Critically ill patient mortality by age: long-term follow-up (CIMbA-LT).

Background: The past years have witnessed dramatic changes in the population admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Older and sicker patients are now commonly treated in this setting due to the newly available sophisticated life support. However, the short- and long-term benefit of this strategy is scarcely studied.

Pharmacist Intervention in Portuguese Older Adult Care.

Healthy ageing has become one of the most significant challenges in a society with an increasing life expectancy. Older adults have a greater prevalence of chronic disease, with the need for multiple medications to appropriately control these issues. In addition to their health concerns, ageing individuals are prone to loneliness, dependence, and economic issues, which may affect their quality of life.

Influence of Particle Size on Ecotoxicity of Low-Density Polyethylene Microplastics, with and without Adsorbed Benzo-a-Pyrene, in Clam .

This study investigated the ecotoxicological effects of differently sized (4-6 µm and 20-25 µm) low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastics (MPs), with and without adsorbed benzo-a-pyrene (BaP), in clam . Biomarkers of oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase-SOD; catalase-CAT), biotransformation (glutathione-S-transferases-GST), oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation-LPO) and neurotoxicity (acetylcholinesterase-AChE) were analysed in gills and digestive glands at different time intervals for a total of 14 days of exposure. In order to have a better impact perspective of these contaminants, an integrated biomarker response index (IBR) and Health Index were applied.

[Resilience in Physicians: Contributions to the Validation of the European Portuguese Version of the Resilience Scale].

Introduction: The aim of this study is to explore the validation of the Resilience Scale in its long and brief versions (25 items and 14 items). This instrument assesses the individual's ability to withstand stressors, thrive and make sense of vital challenges.

Material And Methods: The sample included 511 Portuguese physicians.

The Differential Role of Central and Bridge Symptoms in Deactivating Psychopathological Networks.

The network model of psychopathology suggests that central and bridge symptoms represent promising treatment targets because they may accelerate the deactivation of the network of interactions between the symptoms of mental disorders. However, the evidence confirming this hypothesis is scarce. This study re-analyzed a convenience sample of 51 cross-sectional psychopathological networks published in previous studies addressing diverse mental disorders or clinically relevant problems.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Jefferson Scale of Patient's Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE) for the Portuguese population.

Objectives: To translate the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE) to the European Portuguese spoken language and to verify its reliability and validity.

Methods: Cultural adaptation and linguistic translation from English to European Portuguese, revision of translations, semantics equivalence, and grammar correction of the Portuguese wording were made. Readability of the Portuguese version was verified and the analysis of internal consistency and correlation with the subscale "physician-patient relationship" of the Portuguese version of European Task Force on Patient Evaluation of General Practice Care Scale (EuroPEP) were made.

[Impact of red blood cell distribution width on risk for bleeding events in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes].

Introduction: Higher values of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) have recently been associated with worse outcome in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, its relation to bleeding events in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes has not been established.

Aim: To determine the prognostic value of RDW in patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes, particularly regarding the risk of major bleeding.