Portugal

The health of the Portuguese has improved considerably in the last twenty years. Economic and social transformations that have contributed to the progressive amelioration of problems of feeding, sanitation, hygiene, housing and social conditions in general, as well as health services, have had decisive effect on this phenomenon. The spectacular regression of the indicators related to transmitted diseases, infant, perinatal (more than 50% between 1985 and 1994) and maternal mortality, and the mortality of children 1 to 4 yr old, also reflects this impact.

The defense hypothesis is commonly used to explain the adaptive role of metal hyperaccumulation. We tested this hypothesis using two Brassicaceae congeneric species: Alyssum pintodasilvae, a Ni hyperaccumulator, and the non-accumulator Alyssum simplex both growing on serpentine soils in Portugal. Artificial diet disks amended with powdered leaves from each plant species were used to compare the performance (mortality, biomass change) and feeding behavior of Tribolium castaneum in no-choice and choice tests. The performance of T. castaneum was not affected at several concentrations of A.

A growing empirical literature demonstrates that the only sexual behavior consistently associated with indices of better physiological and psychological function is the one sexual behavior relevant to potential gene propagation. In the present study, 30 Portuguese women reported on their frequency of different sexual behaviors and corresponding orgasm rates and also completed the Perceived Relationship Quality Components (PRQC) Inventory.

Studies on the effectiveness and efficiency of palliative care (PC) services that use a methodology similar to that used by studies in other medical specialties face serious limitations, since the goals of PC are substantially different. Qualitative research methods can make an important contribution to our understanding of the features of palliative care (PC) that are most relevant to patients and their relatives. The goal of this study was to understand the reasons behind the gratitude shown in letters from bereaved relatives sent to two PC units, one in Spain and one in Portugal.

The present study examines the psychometric properties (including factorial validity) of an organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) scale in a school context. A total of 321 middle and high school teachers from 59 schools in urban and rural areas of central Portugal completed the OCB scale at their schools. The confirmatory factor analysis validated a hierarchical model with four latent factors on the first level (altruism, conscientiousness, civic participation and courtesy) and a second order factor (OCB). The revised model fit with the data, ?

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a rare form of juvenile diabetes mellitus, defined by early onset, absence of ketosis, non-insulin-dependent diabetes and autosomal dominant inheritance. Advances in molecular genetic analysis have identified mutations accounting for different MODY subtypes, all of them associated with defects of insulin secretion.