Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-06"
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- Effects of Combined Training Programs in Individuals with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic ReviewPublication . Sousa, Mónica; Oliveira, Rafael; Brito, João; Martins, Alexandre Duarte; MOUTÃO, JOÃO; Alves, SusanaFibromyalgia is a rheumatic disease characterised by chronic widespread muscular pain and its treatment is carried out by pharmacological interventions. Physical exercise and a healthy lifestyle act as an important mechanism in reducing the symptoms of the disease. The aims of this study were to analyse and systematise the characteristics of combined training programs (i.e., type and duration of interventions, weekly frequency, duration and structure of training sessions and prescribed intensities) and to analyse their effects on people diagnosed with fibromyalgia. A systematic literature search was performed using the PRISMA method and then randomised controlled trial articles that met the eligibility criteria were selected. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale was used to assess the quality and risk of the studies. A total of 230 articles were selected, and in the end, 13 articles met the defined criteria. The results showed different exercise interventions such as: combined training, high-intensity interval training, Tai Chi, aerobic exercise, body balance and strength training. In general, the different interventions were beneficial for decreasing physical symptoms and improving physical fitness and functional capacity. In conclusion, a minimum duration of 14 weeks is recommended for better benefits. Moreover, combined training programs were the most effective for this population, in order to reduce the symptoms of the disease with a duration between 60 and 90 min, three times a week with a light to moderate intensity
- Analysis of cervical node metastasis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patientsPublication . Silva, Leonor Cruz e; Coutinho, José Cunha; Coutinho, Gonçalo Cunha; São João, Ricardo; Domingues, Tiago; Caldas, Cecília; Palmela, Paulo; Nobre, Miguel Araújo; Salvado, FranciscoAnalysis of cervical node metastasis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients
- Local e-gov mobile application(s) reviewPublication . Abbasi, Maryam; Cardoso, Filipe; Holanda, Maria; Almeida, Dany; Silva, José; Martins, PedroThis study aims to evaluate the adoption of e-government services in Portuguese municipalities, specifically focusing on the usage of mobile applications. Data was collected from 40 of the most populous municipalities in Portugal and analyzed for usage of e-government services such as incidents, traffic conditions, and population alerts through mobile apps. The study found a mixed correlation between population size and e-government app usage, with lower population municipalities showing lower adoption rates. The results suggest that further efforts are needed to improve accessibility and promote e-government services to increase engagement and usage among the local population. The study provides valuable insights for local government representatives and stakeholders to effectively use and access e-government services for the benefit of all residents. The results emphasize the need for effective outreach and promotion strategies, as well as the importance of user testing and feedback in the development process, to ensure that the applications meet the needs and expectations of users. Furthermore, the study highlights the need for investment in marketing and communication initiatives to increase awareness and adoption of e-government apps among the population. In conclusion, this study contributes to the literature on e-government adoption in Portuguese municipalities and provides a foundation for future research in this area. The findings can inform the development of effective policies and strategies to promote the adoption and usage of e-government services, enhance accessibility and efficiency of local government services, and improve the quality of life for residents.
- Quantification of training load across two competitive seasons in elite senior and youth male soccer players from an English Premiership clubPublication . Morgans, Ryland; Rhodes, Dave; Teixeira, Jose; Modric, Toni; Versic, Sime; Oliveira, RafaelThis study aimed to compare the daily training load (TL) in first-team and U-18 soccer players from an English Premiership club. 36 first-team (age 23.2±5.9 years, weight 75.2±8.1 kg, height 1.83±0.06 m), and 22 U-18 players (age 17.5±1.1 years, weight 71.1±8.2 kg, height 1.78±0.08 m) participated. GPS metrics were measured during all pitch training sessions throughout the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons. Linear mixed-effect model analyses revealed that, irrespective of training day, U-18 players covered greater total and explosive distance than first-team players, and performed a higher number of accelerations and decelerations, whereas first-team players covered greater sprint distance. Irrespective of the team, all examined variables were greater at match-day (MD)-3, while the number of accelerations and decelerations were higher at MD-4. Significant team-by-training day interactions revealed that U-18 players covered greater total and high-intensity distances than first-team players at MD-4, MD-2, and MD-1, whereas first-team players covered greater total and high-intensity distances at MD-3. Sprint distance was greater for first-team players at MD-3 and MD-4, while explosive distance was greater for U-18 players at MD-2. Also, U-18 players performed a higher number of accelerations than first-team players at MD-3 and MD-2, and a higher number of decelerations at MD-4. The present results provide novel information on TL patterns in English Premiership soccer and contribute to understanding how training methods to physically develop players are implemented in different countries and leagues.
- Effects of different training schedules based on distance and accelerometry measures: A full-season case study in professional soccer playersPublication . Nobari, Hadi; Alijanpour, Nader; Talvari, Amirhossein; Oliveira, RafaelThis study aimed to evaluate external load based on distance and accelerometry measures in six diferent microcycle schedules with congested (CW2, CW3, and CW4) and regular weeks (RW4, RW5, and RW6) in professional soccer players. Twelve Iranian First League players (age: 28.2± 3.8 years; body mass: 77.92 ± 4.72 kg, and height: 183.2 ± 0.06 cm) participated in this study. A GPSPORTS system was used to collect training/match durations, total distance, distance covered at diferent speeds, number of accelerations, delecelerations and body load over 29 weeks, 40 matches, and 121 training sessions. Data were analysed by weekly mean and accumulated weekly values. The results showed a tendency for higher values in CWs than RWs. Regarding mean total distance, RW4 and RW5 presented lower values with very large efect size than CW2 (all, p< 0.05). The mean distance covered between 16 and 23 km/h showed that all RWs presented signifcantly lower values than all CWs (p< 0.05 with considerable efect size). In addition, mean acceleration values at< 2 m/ s2 showed signifcantly lower values than all CWs (p< 0.05 with a very large efect size). Therefore, it is recommended to coaches pay special attention to players who participate in matches to reduce fatigue and improve the performance of professional soccer players. Ensuring recovery mechanisms are in place to minimize the external load is recommended. Coaches arrange practice sessions for non-starters who do not experience similar external loads compared to starters to prepare them for potential competition.
- qPCR as a sensitive tool for detecting Fusarium spp. in tomato plantsPublication . Campos, Maria Doroteia; Varanda, Carla; Patanita, Mariana; Ribeiro, Joana A.; Campos, Catarina; Materatski, Patrick; Albuquerque, André; Osa, Nicolás; Félix, M.R.The need to increase food production together with the demand to reduce the application of synthetic chemicals that have consequences on increasing the carbon footprint and negative impacts on the environment and human health, led to the search for alternative methods to protect plants against pathogens. The use of the highly sensitive real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) arises as an extremely useful tool for studying various agents of infection in plants, such as fungi, viruses, or bacteria leading to a better control of diseases and limiting the use of chemical defence strategies. Given the high incidence of diseases in tomato plants caused by Fusarium spp., their consequent negative economic impacts, and the fact that most phytosanitary treatments are based on the application of synthetic fungicides, the establishment of a molecular-based tool that enables their early and accurate detection is of great interest. Furthermore, it will provide an additional tool for the screening of resistant plants. In the presented study, a TaqMan®-based qPCR method targeting the Fusarium spp.- specific internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was developed for the simultaneous detection and quantification of a panoply of Fusarium species that affect tomato. As a proof of principle, the new qPCR assay was used to assess Fusarium spp. contamination of tomato field plants and of plants grown under controlled conditions. qPCR combined with the chemistry of TaqMan® MGB probes represents a highly specific and sensitive detection system, even when low amounts of target DNA are present, as in the case of early plant–fungi interactions.
- CRISPR/Cas13 system: a technology for the successful control of plant virusesPublication . Ribeiro, Joana A.; Varanda, Carla; Materatski, Patrick; Campos, Maria Doroteia; Albuquerque, André; Patanita, Mariana; Osa, Nicolás; Félix, M.R.Viruses are among the most important causal agents of infectious diseases, having relatively small genomes that comprise RNA or DNA. They have the ability to rapidly replicate and spread throughout a crop, being very difficult to monitor and causing devastating diseases in many agricultural systems. These can lead to significant losses in crop quality and yield, resulting in extreme economic impacts worldwide and threatening the provision of adequate nourishment for a continuous growing population. There are no efficient chemical products that can eliminate an infecting plant virus without perturbing host cells. Therefore, preventive sanitary measures, such as the use of viral resistant or tolerant plants, are usually the only options. Conventionally, these resistant/tolerant plants were generated through a very time- consuming classical breeding process. However, nowadays, molecular plant breeding plays a key role to prevent and control plant viruses. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins systems allowed the development of a new technology that paves the way towards a new horizon for crop improvement. The first CRISPR/Cas systems studied were very useful for DNA-targeting, however, more recently identified types, such as CRISPR /Cas13, can specifically cleave single- stranded RNA in eukaryotic cells. Therefore, CRISPR/Cas13 is a promising tool for engineering plant immunity against a broad range of RNA viruses, which are the most abundant class of viruses in plants. The present work aims to bring together the most up-to-date information on CRISPR/Cas13 system to control plant viruses, discussing the limitations and future challenges for its application to produce virus resistant plants towards a more sustainable agriculture.
- The effect of acute caffeine ingestion on physical performance in elite European competitive soccer match-playPublication . Morgans, Ryland; Rhodes, David; Orme, Patrick; Bezuglov, Eduard; Di Michele, Rocco; Teixeira, Jose; Oliveira, RafaelThe present study examined the effect of acute caffeine ingestion (150 mg) on the physical performance of elite European soccer players during official competitive match-play. The current investigation was a parallel-group design that collated data from a cohort of 19 male outfield players from an elite European soccer team (mean ± SD, age 26 ± 4 years; weight 80.5 ± 8.1 kg; height 1.83 ± 0.07 m; body-fat 10.8 ± 0.7%). Players were classified and matched by position and grouped accordingly: centre defender (CD) n = 5, wide defender (WD) n = 3, centre midfield (CM) n = 7, wide forward (WF) n = 2, and centre forward (CF) n = 2. For all performance variables, the mean values were compared in caffeine consumers vs. non consumers using independent-sample t-tests, with significance set at p < .05. Cohen’s d was used to quantify the effect size, and was interpreted as trivial (<0.2), small (0.2-0.5), medium (0.5-0.8), and large (>0.8). For all examined variables, there were trivial or small non-significant (p > .05) trivial or small differences between caffeine consumers and non-consumers. The findings of the present research did not confirm the study hypothesis, once running and accelerometry-based variables did not improve with the caffeine ingestion of 150 mg. Therefore, the caffeine supplement used in this study is not suggested for improving performance in the variables analysed.
- IoT single board computer to replace a home serverPublication . Godinho, António; Cardoso, Filipe; Rosado, J.; Sá, FilipeHome servers are popular among computer enthusiasts for hosting various applications, including Linux OS with web servers, database solutions, and private cloud services, as well as for VPN, torrent, file-sharing, and streaming. Single Board Computers (SBCs), once used for small projects, have now evolved and can be used to control multiple devices in the IoT space. SBCs have become more powerful and can run many of the same applications as traditional home servers. In light of the energy crisis, this study will examine the feasibility of replacing a conventional home server with an SBC while maintaining service quality and evaluating performance and availability. The power consumption of both solutions will be compared.
- The impact of injury on match running performance following the return to competitive match-play over two consecutive seasons in elite European soccer playersPublication . Morgans, Ryland; Rhodes, David; BEZUGLOV, Eduard; Etemad, O.; Di Michele, Rocco; Teixeira, José; Modric, Toni; Versic, S.; Oliveira, RafaelBased on the assessment and diagnosis, the rest period following a moderate/severe injury may lead to de conditioning for the injured player and therefore an association with a prolonged rehabilitation, re-conditioning and return to sport is observed post-injury. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of all injuries on match running performance following the return to competitive match-play over two consecutive seasons in elite European soccer players. A retrospective analysis was conducted utilizing data related to a player’s injury and match running performance. A club physiotherapist consistently recorded availability and injury data in a standardized format. Linear mixed modelling analysis revealed no difference between PRE and POST1, POST2, and POST3 for total distance, running distance, high-intensity distance, and sprint distance (all p >0.05). Although, maximum speed was significantly (p<0.05) lower in POST1 and POST2 when compared to PRE, in both cases with a large (ES = 1.88) effect. No significant difference was observed for maximum speed between PRE and POST3 (p=0.07). There were very low correlations between the number of days absent and changes in maximum speed between POST1 and PRE (r = 0.09, 95% CI -0.42 to 0.56), and POST2 and PRE (r = 0.10, 95% CI -0.42 to 0.57), respectively. In conclusion, no variation in distance variables were found regardless of one, two or three matches post-injury compared to pre-injury status. Moreover, maximum speed was lower during the first three matches post-injury, although the mean value was slightly lower. Finally, a low correlation between absent days and maximum speed loss between pre-injury and following one and two matches were found.