Percorrer por autor "Costa, Ricardo"
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- Food literacy among Portuguese adults with skeletal dysplasia: insights from a cross-sectional studyPublication . Guerra, Beatriz; Alves, Inês; Costa, Ricardo; Dias, Valter; Jesus, Pedro; Pereira, Cidália D.; Soliman, NeveenPurpose Skeletal dysplasias are a heterogeneous group of 771 rare diagnoses, that present short stature as a common feature. Despite the importance of nutrition in health management, food literacy in this population remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to assess the level of food literacy among Portuguese adults with skeletal dysplasia. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among adults (> 18 years) with skeletal dysplasia (n = 43, 30 female). Data were collected through an online questionnaire comprising two sections: sociodemographic and clinical information and the Portuguese version of the Food Literacy Scale (FLS). The FLS covers three dimensions: literacy about the nutritional composition of food, literacy about labelling and food choices, and literacy about healthy eating practices. Food literacy scores were calculated as percentage indices. Descriptive statistics with 95% confidence intervals and subgroup comparison by sex and age were performed. Results Mean overall food literacy score was 60.8% (CI 95%: 54.7–66.9). Among the three dimensions, the highest mean score was observed for healthy eating practices, 62.0% (CI 95%: 56.4–67.6), and the lowest for labelling and food choices, 59.0% (CI 95%: 51.1–66.9). No statistically significant differences were found in overall food literacy or in any of its dimensions according to sex or age. Participants reported greater difficulty with recommended protein amounts, interpreting and using food labels, adhering to the Mediterranean diet, and recommended portion sizes. Conclusions Adults with skeletal dysplasia in Portugal showed modest food literacy scores, mainly in domains related to food labelling and food choices. Tailored nutrition education strategies and more easily accessible food-related guidance may help address the specific literacy gaps identified in this population.
- Hydrogen peroxide, iodine solution and methylene solution highly enhance the hatching rate of freshwater ornamental fish speciesPublication . Chambel, João; Costa, Ricardo; Gomes, Mónica; Mendes, Susana; Baptista, Teresa; Pedrosa, RuiThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydrogen peroxide, iodine solution (PVP) and methylene blue on eggs disinfection of three ornamental fish species, Danio rerio, Pterophyllum scalare and Gymnocorymbus ternetzi. The main idea was to create conditions to enhance the hatching rates. Eggs of each species were exposed to different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (5, 10, 15 and 25 mg/L), PVP (0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 mg/L) and methylene blue (0.5 1, 2 and 3 mg/L). The optimal doses ranged between species and chemicals: for G. ternetzi, the concentrations that high enhanced the hatching rate were 1 mg/L for the PVP treatment, 25 mg/L for the hydrogen peroxide treatment and 3 mg/L for methylene blue treatment; for P. scalare, the best results were achieved with 25 mg/L for hydrogen peroxide treatment and 3 mg/L for methylene blue treatment. By contrast, for all the different chemical did not increased the D. rerio hatching rate. Results showed that hydrogen peroxide and methylene blue are the most versatile, effective and safe to use in these species. On the other hand, PVP can be used but with many precautions due to very low safety margin. Results clearly show that the optimal concentration of chemicals for eggs disinfection is fish species dependent and it is completely wrong to extrapolate concentrations between different chemicals and fish species. Our study suggests that P. scalare can be used as a model in study of effectiveness of new chemicals with potential to disinfect water and increase hatching rates.