A Single Digestion Procedure for Determination of Major, Trace, and Rare Earth Elements in Sediments

The simultaneous determination of major, trace, and rare earth elements in sediments requires the development of specific procedures to prevent interferences. A single digestion method adapted from the EPA method 3051A is proposed for the quantification of 42 elements in sediments by inductively coupled plasma techniques associated with optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A combination of different acids and microwave-assisted acid extraction following hot ...

Monitoring severe acute maternal morbidity across Europe: A feasibility study

Background: Monitoring severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) appears essential for optimising care and informing health care policies, especially given changes in obstetric practices and mother profiles. International comparisons can identify areas where improvement is needed, but the comparability of indicators must be evaluated. Objective: To assess the feasibility of monitoring SAMM using common definitions from hospital discharge databases across Europe. Methods: We used hospital dischar...

Bullying involvement, family background, school life, and well-being feelings among adolescents

Aim. Our aim is to assess the prevalence of bullying among middle and high school adolescents, describing the type of involvement (as victim-only, as aggressor-only, and as victim-aggressor) and tactics of aggression and victimization used by adolescents, as well as identifying social and behavioural factors and well-being related feelings. Subject and method. The sample included 2623 adolescents (1186 boys and 1437 girls) enrolled in public schools of Porto, Portugal, from the 7th to 12th gr...

Does malnutrition influence hospital reimbursement? A call for malnutrition diagnosis and coding

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine how diagnosing and coding of malnutrition in an internal medicine ward setting influences potential hospital reimbursement. Methods: Patients admitted to the internal medicine ward of Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave between April 24 and May 22, 2018 were screened by Nutritional Risk Screening 2002, and patients classified as at "risk for malnutrition" were assessed by the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). For each patien...