Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2024-06-18"
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- Renal screening sonography—a comparative study in a portuguese basic emergency servicePublication . Jiménez, Carmen; Barbancho, Narciso; Lobo, Manuel Duarte; João Mário Gonçalves; Corina Hasnas; Miravent, Sérgio; Figueiredo, Teresa; Almeida, Rui; Gomes, Carla Marisa; Ratusneac, IonRenal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is a screening modality that aids in clinical decision-making for patients with suspected renal colic. This study intends to compare the accuracy and pertinence of sonographic findings obtained by a sonographer in a Basic Emergency Service (BES) with the imaging findings at the Referral Hospital (RH). Methods: Thirty-one patients suspected of having renal pathology underwent initial sonography screening with POCUS at the BES and were subsequently referred to the RH for additional imaging examinations. The results of both examinations were compared to verify whether the findings from the BES were confirmed by the radiologist in the RH and to ensure that the patient referrals from BES to RH were appropriate. Results: In our sample, the majority of patients (80%) exhibited varying degrees of pyelocaliceal distension, with nearly half (48%) patients presenting obstructions. A strong association between the sonographic findings in the BES and the RH was found in the variables ‘Dilatation of pyelocaliceal system’ (V = 0.895; P = 0.00), ‘Simple cystic formation’ (V = 0.878; P = 0.000), respectively. There was a statistically significant correlation between BES and RH findings, indicating a strong association between these two variables, respectively (k = 0.890; P = 0.000) and (k = 0.870; P = 0.000). There was also a strong statistically significant correlation in the ultrasonographic findings between BES and RH performers (k = 0.890; P = 0.000 and k = 0.870; P = 0.000). In this research, an achieved sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 85% were demonstrated in the identification of pyelocaliceal dilatation. Conclusion: Renal POCUS screening successfully detected abnormalities in the urinary system of patients suspected of having renal colic. The sonographic findings at the BES had a good correlation with the complementary imaging results obtained at the RH in Portugal. These results suggest that Radiographers/Sonographers can have an important role in the preliminary assessment of urgent renal pathology in remote areas, contributing to a correct referral and early treatment.
- Sea turtle conservation in São Tomé and Príncipe: policies, practices, and insights from a community‐based initiativePublication . Ferreira, Rogério; Prazeres, Inocêncio A. dosUnifying research and conservation objectives with the needs of local populations demands a profound understanding of the field. This perspective provides a brief policy and social-cultural context for the conservation of endangered sea turtles in S & atilde;o Tom & eacute; and Pr & iacute;ncipe, Central Africa. It is illustrated by initiatives implemented from the 90s to the 2000s and complemented by a community-based intervention on Pr & iacute;ncipe Island (2010-2014). The intervention focused on awareness-raising, economic-alternatives, capacity-building, and surveillances to deter poaching, collect scientific data, and increase outreach. It contributed to reduce sea turtle exploitation, train local conservationists, and increase awareness to economic alternatives. Securing stakeholders' support is vital for success, and endeavors like this provide a cost-effective approach, aligning biodiversity conservation strategies with local values and aspirations. Overall, this perspective underscores that failure to collaborate with those involved in wildlife subsistence livelihoods often results in delays and setbacks in reducing exploitation, while modest investments in local stewardship can efficiently improve ecosystems and human well-being. This perspective provides a policy and social-cultural context for sea turtle conservation in S & atilde;o Tom & eacute; and Pr & iacute;ncipe and it is illustrated by a community-based initiative on the smaller island of Pr & iacute;ncipe. To achieve progress, it is not enough to legislate, effective enforcement, raising awareness, and demonstrating the economic benefits of nonconsumptive use of sea turtles to local communities and authorities are also essential. Overall, it is shown here how local stewardship can inform conservation science and practice, promote social justice, and efficiently improve both ecosystems and human well-being.
- An index of the economic dependence on TourismPublication . Bienvenido Ortega; Ribeiro, Manuel AlectorThis study proposes a methodology to construct a Tourism Economic Dependence Index for a sample of 144 countries spanning the period 1995-2019. This index aims to serve as a summary measure of countries' dependence on tourism while controlling for differences in economic development levels across countries. Findings suggest that an index value of 20% may be considered a threshold for identifying highly tourism-dependent countries. Furthermore, the results of the index indicate that economies have experienced a slight trend toward higher levels of dependence on tourism since the global financial crisis. However, estimates from a panel convergence model suggest that the hypothesis of convergence toward a common long-run equilibrium in index levels across countries can be rejected. Instead, different groups of countries converging toward the same long-run equilibrium level of the index have been identified.