Nintendo Wii: uso terapêutico no controlo postural em indivíduos que sofreram um acidente vascular cerebral

Mestrado em Fisioterapia.

A comprehensive approach to evaluate nutritional status in Crohn's patients in the era of biologic therapy: a case-control study

Objectives - Evaluate the nutritional status of patients with inactive or mildly active Crohn's disease (CD), and identify possible causes for potential deficiencies. Methods - A total of 78 CD patients and 80 healthy controls were evaluated in respect of nutritional status, dietary intake, and life styles factors. Results - These 73/78 CD patients were on immunomodulating therapies. Mean body mass index (BMI) was lower in patients as compared to controls (P= 0.006) but 32% of CD patients and 33.8% of controls had a BMI > 25, whereas 8% and 23.8% in each group, respectively, were obese (BMI > 30Kg/m(2)). Fat free mass was significantly decreased in both genders (P < 0.05) whereas fat mass was decreased only in males (P= 0.01). Energy intake was significantly lower in CD patients (P < 0.0001) and we observed significantly lower adjusted mean daily intakes of carbohydrates, monounsaturated fat, fiber, calcium, and vitamins C, D, E, and K (P < 0.05). 29% of patients had excluded grains from their usual diet, 28% milk, 18% vegetables, and 11% fruits. Milk exclusion resulted in a significantly lower consumption of calcium and vitamin K (P < 0.001) and the exclusion of vegetables was associated to a lower consumption of vitamins C and E (P < 0.05). Physical activity was significantly lower in CD patients (P= 0.01) and this lack of physical activity was inversely correlated with increased fat mass percentage (r=-0.315, P= 0.001). Conclusions - Results showed that the most prevalent form of malnutrition in CD patients was an excess of body weight, which was concomitant with an inadequate dietary intake, namely micronutrients, clearly related to dietary exclusion of certain foods.

Factors influencing amblyopia rehabilitation in occlusive therapy

Amblyopia develops in an early period and is a decrease of visual acuity (unilateral or bilateral) caused by a deprivation of vision or abnormal binocular interaction. Prognosis of Amblyopia is better when occlusive treatment is implemented in an early stage. Visual acuity of amblyopic eye does not improve without effective occlusive therapy. The aim of this study is to identify potential risk factors of noncompliance with treatment when it is implemented by parents in amblyopic children.

Risk factors for non compliance using occlusive therapy: a case study

Purpose: compliance with treatment is a common problem when treating amblyopic patients. Visual acuity of amblyopic eye does not improve without effective occlusive therapy. The aim of this study is to identify potential risk factors of non-compliance with treatment when it is implemented by family in amblyopic children. Setting: a quantitative transversal study was performed in a public hospital and in a private clinic in Lisbon.

Knee muscle strength, balance and functional independence in persons with stroke

Purpose: to investigate the relationship between knee muscle strength, balance and functional independence within the first month after stroke. Relevance: cerebral vascular disease is one of the main causes of morbidity, disability and mortality in developed countries. Problems with movement control are frequent after stroke. Lower limb weakness and impaired balance are common problems that are related with the risk of falls and are likely to interfere with the ability to perform daily life activities. Physiotherapy intervention usually starts early after stroke and addresses impairments related to movement and posture in order to improve motor recovery and restore function.

Muscle strength, balance and functional independence in persons with stroke

Cerebral vascular disease is one of the main causes of morbidity, disability and mortality in developed countries. Problems with movement control are frequent after stroke. Lower limb weakness and impaired balance are common problems that are related with the risk of falls and are likely to interfere with the ability to perform daily life activities. Physiotherapy intervention usually starts early after stroke and addresses impairments related to movement and posture in order to improve motor recovery and restore function. Purpose: to investigate the relationship between knee muscle strength, balance and functional independence within the first month after stroke.

Monitorização da insuficiência cardíaca por parâmetros fisiológicos em portadores de cardioversor-desfibrilhador implantável e/ou sistema de ressincronização cardíaca: HF-PREDICT

Mestrado em Tecnologia de Diagnóstico e Intervenção Cardiovascular. Área de especialização: Intervenção Cardiovascular.

Study and comparison of physiological response with Harmony® suspension system and suspension with pin

The purpose of this study is a cross-qualitative and quantitative gait analysis in 3 traumatic unilateral amputees using prosthesis with pin suspension compared to the use of prosthesis with a high vacuum suspension, the Harmony® system. In Portugal, there aren’t many studies made in the field of orthotic and prosthetic and knowledge about the number of amputees in the country. The only know is that the major cause of lower limb amputation is diabetes mellitus, being the most affected population the older age groups. The combination of technological developments with daily needs of the amputees is becoming more and more important for they better quality of life. This work was done during the curricular unit “Investigation in Prosthetics and Orthotics” class, in the 4th year of Health Technology School of Lisbon, in Portugal. This study analyzes if the change of suspension in transtibial prosthesis will influence some physiological response in amputees.

Estudo dosimétrico comparativo do Acuros® XB: algoritmo avançado de cálculo de dose com o AAA – Anisotropic Analytical Alghorithm, em tratamentos de radioterapia externa com a técnica de RapidArc™

Mestrado em Radioterapia.

Avaliação da distribuição de dose no CTV-PTV através de imagem guiada em doentes com carcinoma da próstata

Mestrado em Radioterapia.

Determination of pharmocotherapeutical complexity in institutionalized elderly

The phenomenon of aging is nowadays society as acquired the status of a social problem, with growing attention and concern, leading to an increase number of studies dedicated to the elderly. The lack of domestic, familiar or social support often lead elderly to nursing homes. Institutionalization is in many cases the only opportunity to have access to health care and life quality. Aging is also associated with a higher prevalence of chronic diseases that require long term medication sometimes for life. Frequently the onset of multiple pathologies at the same time require different therapies and the phenomenon of polypharmacy (five ou more drugs daily) can occur. Even more, the slow down of physiological and cognitives mechanisms associated with these chronic diseases can interphere, in one hand, with the pharmacocinetic of many medications and, on the other hand, with the facility to accomplish the therapeutical regimen. All of these realities contribute to an increase of pharmacotherapeutical complexity, decreasing the adherence and effectiveness of treatment. The pharmacotherapeutical complexity of an individual is characterized by the conciliator element of different characteristics of their drug therapy, such as: the number of medications used; dosage forms; dosing frequency and additional indications. It can be measured by the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI), originally validated in English.

Drug therapy complexity: the importance of pharmacotherapeutic follow-up

Nowadays, the phenomenon of population ageing represents an worldwide problem, which assumes particular significance in Portugal. As they get older, individuals present more comorbidities and consequently consume an increasing number of drugs, which contributes to a growing drug therapy complexity. The institutionalized elders are particularly affected by this occurrence. Drug therapy complexity is defined as the conciliator of several characteristics of the pharmacotherapy and can affect patient’s safety and medication adherence. It can be measured with Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI). This study aims to determine the drug therapy complexity of institutionalized elders in order to assess the need of pharmacotherapeutic follow-up.

Alternative regimens for prostate cancer treatment using radiation therapy

Purpose/Objective: The purpose of this work was to determine biologically equivalent alternative regimens for the treatment of prostate cancer using External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) and Low Dose-Rate Brachytherapy (LDRBT) with 125I implants and to evaluate the sensitivity of these regimens to different sets of radiobiological parameters of the Linear-Quadratic (LQ) model.

Implementation of proton therapy in the portuguese context of radiotherapy

Cancer is a national and international health care concern. It’s important to find strategies for early diagnosis as well as for the optimization of the various therapeutic options currently existing in Portugal. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Portugal, the choice of this study, is due to the importance of radiotherapy approach in cancer treatment and because is the therapy used in 40% of oncology patients. Radiation therapy has evolve data technological level, that allows new treatment techniques that are more efficient and that also promotes greater professional satisfaction. The hadrons are charged particles, used in cancer therapy. These particles can bring a paradigm shift regarding the therapeutic approach in radiotherapy. The technique used is proton therapy, that reveal to be more accurate, efficacious and less toxic to surrounding tissue. Proton therapy may be a promising development in the field of oncology and how the treatment is given in radiotherapy. Although there is awareness of the benefits of proton therapy in oncology it’s also important to take in consideration the costs of these therapy, because they are considerably higher than conventional treatments of radiotherapy. Given the lack of a proton therapy service in Portugal, this study aims to be a documentary analysis of clinical records that will achieve the following objectives: to identify the number of cancer patients diagnosed in 2010 in Portugal and to calculate the estimated number of patients that could have been treated with proton therapy according to the Health Council of the Netherlands registration document.

Avaliação da margem do PTV em tumores ginecológicos com irradiação dos gânglios lomboaórticos, que realizaram IMRT

Mestrado em Radioterapia.