Pedro Morouço

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Verified

Pedro verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• PhD
• Professor at Polytechnic Institute of Leiria

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different dryland warm-up protocols on knee isokinetic strength, vertical jumping, and sprint performance in competitive swimmers. Twenty-four male swimmers were randomly assigned to the FIFA 11 + group (n = 12) or the post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) group (n = 12). The FIFA 11...

The convergence among biomechanics, motor development, and wearable technology redefines our understanding of human movement. These technologies allow for the continuous monitoring of motor development and the state of motor abilities from infancy to old age, enabling early and personalized interventions to promote healthy motor skills. For athlete...

Definition Swimming coaches know that a swimmer’s assessment must be specific and ecological. Thus, it is critical to select and employ adequate methodologies. The tethered swimming method can be useful and valid, in addition to being simple to apply. Regular use of this methodology can give coaches tools to intervene with their swimmers and increa...

Engaging in physical activity is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon driven by a variety of motivations. This Research Topic sought to understand the factors that inspire individuals to participate in physical activities (PA). The objective of this Research Topic of articles is to provide fresh perspectives on this subject, thereby offering innov...

Esta obra aborda temas relacionados com o envelhecimento e a prescrição de exercício físico para a população idosa. São apresentados vários exemplos práticos que os profissionais da área podem adotar.

Este texto destaca o papel do Museu Escolar de Marrazes na divulgação do património histórico-educativo. Localizado numa freguesia urbana do município de Leiria, região centro de Portugal, foi criado por um grupo de professoras do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico de Marrazes em 1992, resultado do projeto pedagógico “A Escola através dos tempos”. Devido ao...

When a limb suffers a fracture, rupture, or dislocation, it is traditionally immobilized with plaster. This may induce discomfort in the patient, as well as excessive itching and sweating, which creates the growth of bacteria, leading to an unhygienic environment and difficulty in keeping the injury clean during treatment. Furthermore, if the plast...

Os estudos no âmbito do Turismo Religioso receberam uma nova amplitude, na sociedade contemporânea, face às alterações significativas dos ritmos de vida e das sociabilidades, incluindo a forma de ocupação dos tempos livres e de lazer, das questões económicas, das expectativas culturais, e até das questões relacionadas com a saúde. A pandemia C...

When a limb suffers a fracture, rupture, or dislocation, it is traditionally immobilized with plaster. This may induce discomfort in the patient, excessive itching and sweating, which creates the growth of bacteria, leading to an unhygienic and difficulty to keep clean from treatment. Furthermore, if the plaster remains for a long period, it may ca...

A tissue or organ may fail due to trauma, tumor, congenital disease, or other pathology. When that occurs, the standard clinical procedure includes transferring healthy tissue to the damaged site in the same patient or transplanting a functional organ from a donor. Nevertheless, it is clear to see that there are great inconveniences: the shortage o...

Sarcopenia, characterized by the age-related decline in muscle mass and strength, has been associated with an elevated risk of falls in older adults. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of an 8-month multicomponent exercise program in community-dwelling older adults. A comprehensive approach was employed to assess the feasibil...

BACKGROUND Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFOs) are vital in gait rehabilitation for stroke patients. However, many conventional AFO designs may not offer the required precision for optimized patient outcomes. With the advent of 3D scanning and printing technology, there exists potential for more individualized AFO solutions, aiming to enhance the rehabilita...

Background Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are vital in gait rehabilitation for patients with stroke. However, many conventional AFO designs may not offer the required precision for optimized patient outcomes. With the advent of 3D scanning and printing technology, there is potential for more individualized AFO solutions, aiming to enhance the rehabilit...

The present study aimed to explore the relationships between coping strategies, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and satisfaction with life among Portuguese workers. A sample of 402 participants (207 male, 195 female), ranging in age from 18 to 70 years (M = 32.90, SD = 11.75), was included in the study. Participants reported varying le...

This study investigated the psychometric nature of preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity in physical activity. It initially re-examined the Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire (PRETIE-Q) among Portuguese exercisers, looking at its applicability to different exercise activities and exercise experience...

OBJETIVO: Identificar a intenção de uso de tecnologia, com base na influência da percepção de uso, utilidade percebida, percepção de facilidade de uso e a influência das normas subjetivas na intenção de uso de tecnologia dentro do campo de atuação do bacharel em Educação Física de uma universidade do Rio Grande do Sul.MÉTODOS: Foi realizada uma sur...

Falls are a major public health problem among older adults because they lead to premature mortality, loss of autonomy, and increased dependence on others. However, these associations have not been explored using procedures that analyze the sequential effects between risk factors of falling. The present study aimed to examine the effects of muscle s...

Despite the widely recognized health benefits of physical activity, participation in regular physical activity falls far short of the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030. More than half of the population does not reach current recommendations, and around one-fourth is not sufficiently active at all. Understanding social-cognitive theo...

O projeto RespirArFundo, através de uma metodologia mista quantitativa e qualitativa teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de um programa de intervenção (22 “sessões teórico-práticas”), com realização de diferentes tipos de atividades, para melhorar os níveis de aptidão física, bem-estar e qualidade de vida (QdV) em professores e funcionários de uma...

Exercise interventions have shown significant improvements in the older adult population regarding functional and cognitive capacity. However, much research has applied exercise protocols that are expensive both for research and participation. Thus, high investments that are made are currently not ecologically efficient. The aim of the study was to...

Background Health systems play a fundamental and recognized role in promoting physical activity, particularly in the context of primary health care. eHealth is a broad concept that incorporates any area that combines healthcare and technology. This concept is often associated with improvements in process efficiency and cost reduction. Still, high o...

Background As a major public health concern, there is a high association between aging and obesity, nutritional deficiencies and physical (in)activity. Thus, diseases related to cartilage are on the list of main concerns of the WHO, assuming the prevention of degeneration of articular cartilage as an important issue for which there are few effectiv...

The importance of practicing sports and its impact on the quality of life of people with disabilities is fundamental. Characterizing subjective well-being, resilience, and social influence in the practice of adapted sports, namely in those who participate in elite sport in Portugal, is truly important to support a set of initiatives to promote high...

This study aimed 1) to examine variables that may quantify the ability to apply force in the water and 2) to test their relationship with free swimming performance. Sixteen regional-level swimmers participated in this study. Average (Favg) and maximum (Fmax) forces were measured for 30 s arm stroke tethered swimming in a flume at zero and 1.389 m/s...

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFO) are prescribed to improve the patient’s quality of life. Supporting weak muscles or restraining spastic muscles leads to smoother and more stable locomotion. Commonly, AFO are made using thermoplastic vacuum forming, which requires a long time for production and has limited design options. Additive manufacturing (AM) can s...

There is a lack of knowledge about the practice of physical activity, exercise, and sports in people with skeletal dysplasia (SD). This study aimed to characterize the physical fitness of people with SD; investigate the benefits of physical activity, exercise, or sports programs for people with SD; identify the adapted physical activities that can...

Orthoses are medical devices applied externally to improve performance in patients with difficulties and/or disabilities, designed to provide support, stabilization, and im-mobilization (Alqahtani, Al-Tamimi, Almeida, Cooper, & Bartolo, 2019; Barrios-Muriel, Romero-Sánchez, Alonso-Sánchez, & Rodríguez Salgado, 2020). Specifically, customized orthos...

Background: Post-exercise (i.e., cool-down) stretching is commonly prescribed for improving recovery of strength and range of motion (ROM) and diminishing delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS) after physical exertion. However, the question remains if post-exercise stretching is better for recovery than other post-exercise modalities. Objective: T...

The aim of this review was to explore the contribution of physical activity and exercise in the control and reduction of modifiable factors of arterial hypertension in telemedicine programs, assuming a multidisciplinary perspective. Searches were carried out following the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-...

This study explored the associations between physical activity (PA) anxiety levels, and the perception of satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPN), during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown. Thus, 1,404 participants (977 women, 426 men, and one respondent preferred not to answer) ranging from 18 to 89 years old (36.4 ± 11.7 yearold...

Shoulder disorders in swimmers are a reality stated through numerous research papers. Therefore, shoulder injury prevention strategies will become unquestionably essential. With this chapter we intend to address the prevention strategies for shoulder disorders in swimmers, with a preliminary description of the key factors that have an effect on the...

As aging continues to grow in our society, sarcopenia and associated fall risk is considered a public health problem since falling is the third cause of chronic disability. Falls are negatively related to functionality and independence and positively associated with morbidity and mortality. The cost of treatment of secondary injuries related to fal...

Ageing is associated with chronic pathologies, which can be prevented or delayed through the involvement in healthy behaviours, such as regular physical exercise (PE). The aims of this study were to characterize the quality of life, vitality and handgrip strength of elderly people, participants in PE community programs, as well as to analyze the re...

disco voador (DV), também conhecido por frisbee é utilizado em várias modalidades (por ex.: Ultimate, Freestyle, Disc Golf, Double Disc Court). O uso do DV é de fácil manuseamento e rico ao nível das habilidades motoras fundamentais (HMF). Todavia, estas modalidades não têm representação atual no panorama do Desporto Adaptado, nomeadamente para cad...

A hipertensão arterial lidera os fatores de risco de morte no mundo, e o seu controlo e prevenção é altamente recomendada. Neste âmbito, a telemedicina pode apresentar uma diversidade de ferramentas seguras e eficazes no auxílio ao profissional do exercício físico. O objetivo da revisão foi explorar contribuição da atividade física e do exercício n...

A hipertensão arterial lidera os fatores de risco de morte no mundo, e o seu controlo e prevenção é altamente recomendada. Neste âmbito, a telemedicina pode apresentar uma diversidade de ferramentas seguras e eficazes no auxílio ao profissional do exercício físico. O objetivo da revisão foi explorar contribuição da atividade física e do exercício n...

The effort to develop an effective and safe temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc substitute has been one of the mainstreams of tissue engineering. Biodegradable customized scaffolds could meet safety and effectiveness to regenerate a new autologous disc, rather than using non‐biodegradable materials. However, it is still technically challenging to mi...

Background: Post-exercise (i.e., cool-down) stretching is commonly prescribed for improving recovery of strength and range of motion (ROM) and diminishing delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS) after physical exertion. However, the question remains if post-exercise stretching is better for recovery than other post-exercise modalities. Objective: To...

This study explored the associations between physical activity (PA) anxiety levels, and the perception of satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPN), during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown. Thus, 1,404 participants (977 women, 426 men, and one respondent preferred not to answer) ranging from 18 to 89 years old (36.4 ± 11.7 year-ol...

Global health, climate, and ecological conditions cannot be dissociated, and over the last decade, the impacts of climate change on health have been profoundly felt. In 2010, the transport sector has been responsible for the direct emission of 6.7 Gt of carbon dioxide (CO2), and these numbers are expected to double by 2050. Additionally, physical i...

Considering the expected increasing demand for cellulose fibers in the near future and that its major source is wood pulp, alternative sources such as vegetable wastes from agricultural activities and agro-food industries are currently being sought to prevent deforestation. In the present study, cellulose was successfully isolated from six agroindu...

Nowadays and worldwide, the attention is focused on coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and its consequences on mental health are yet to be fully understood. It is important to capture differences in anxiety levels among populations, groups, and the gender-related variation. Therefore, the present study had two main purposes: (1) to characterize the le...

Due to the extremely high incidence of lesions and diseases in aging population, it is critical to put all efforts into developing a successful implant for osteochondral tissue regeneration. Many of the patients undergoing surgery present osteochondral fissure extending until the subchondral bone (corresponding to a IV grade according to the conven...

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o arrasto, a potência mecânica e a performance de um ciclista de elite na posição vertical, dropes e de cotovelos com um capacete normal com recurso a simulações numéricas e modelos analíticos. O FD variou entre 19,67 N e 25,15 N, a potência mecânica total variou entre 308,12 W e 370,49, o custo energético...

The applications of tissue engineered constructs have witnessed great advances in the last few years, as advanced fabrication techniques have enabled promising approaches to develop structures and devices for biomedical uses. (Bio-)printing, including both plain material and cell/material printing, offers remarkable advantages and versatility to pr...

Swimmers improvement is built on rigorous and controlled training. This work aimed to develop a lightweight , practical and low-cost inertial measurement unit (IMU) for swimming monitoring. A 21g device was optimized for including the data acquisition hardware (based on an attitude and heading reference system-AHRS). Eleven male swimmers with diffe...

Peripheral vision appears to be more important than central vision for tasks where precision or ocular coordination are essential. To determine whether this effect is observedwhile performing a task for which precision is not critical, the performance of 34 children (6-9 years old) in standing long jumpwastested. Adapted swimming goggles, which ind...

This cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the lifestyle habits, anxiety levels and basic psychological needs (BPN), in Portuguese adults during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including a comparison between genders and age groups. In total, 1404 adults (36.4 ± 11.7 years; 69.6% female) answered sociodemographic data and thr...

The aim of this study was to use numerical simulations and analytical procedures to compare a cyclist's performance in three different cycling positions. An elite level road cyclist competing at a national level was recruited for this research. The bicycle was 7 kg and the cyclist 55 kg. A 3D scan was taken of the subject on the competition bicycle...

Purpose: To study the relationship between tethered swimming in a flume at different speeds and swimming performance. Methods: Sixteen regional-level swimmers performed 25-, 50-, and 100-m front-crawl trials and four 30-s tethered-swimming tests at 0, 0.926, 1.124, and 1.389 m·s-1 water-flow velocities. Average and maximum force, average and max...

Biofabrication allows the formation of 3D scaffolds through a precise spatial control. This is of foremost importance when aiming to mimic heterogeneous and anisotropic organization, as wished for the osteochondral tissue. However, osteochondral defects keep being a supreme challenge for TE of the musculoskeletal system. It is quite challenging to...

Objective: To compare tissue composition, total and regional bone mineral content and bone mineral density, static hand grip and knee joint isokinetic strength between amateur soccer players and Control Group. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Air displacement plethysmography was used to estimate body volume and, in turn, density. Body composition...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease, promoted by abnormal chronic mechanical loading over the joint, for instance, due to excessive body mass. Patients frequently report pain, fatigue, and limitations in specific functional daily activities. Regarding the treatment of OA, two nonpharmacological options are available. However, it is not cl...

To produce multi-material scaffolds for Tissue Engineering accurate techniques are needed in order to obtain three-dimensional constructs with clinically appropriate size and structural integrity. This paper presents a novel biomanufacturing system that can fabricate 3D scaffolds with precise shape and porosity which is achieved through the control...

Gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is often affected by motor impairments which limit the patient's ability to walk. To improve gait and reduce walking limitations, children with CP need to use ankle foot orthoses. An orthosis is an externally applied device that is designed and fitted to the body to achieve one or more of the following goal...

This pilot study aims to define a protocol for optimizing the micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) settings to evaluate in the future research the root canal filling in oval shaped canals. Thirty distal canals of mandibular molars were used. After preparation of the canals, the roots were randomly divided into five groups. The canals were filled wi...

Cartilage related diseases are on the top list concerns of the World Health Organization, being the prevention of articular cartilage degeneration a major health matter for which there are few effective solutions. Using an extrusion-based approach and a polyester elastomer it was aimed to produce 3D structures with controlled architecture and with...

The most important components of living cells such as carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids are the polymeric molecules. Nature utilizes polymers both as constructive elements and as a part of the complicated cell machinery of living things. The rapid advancement in biomedical research has led to many creative applications for biocompatible pol...

In recent years, sheep have been reported as the ideal animal model to study osteoporosis, hence it is important to identify instruments, tools and ideal parameters needed to assess the effects of different treatments. In previous studies conducted in other animal models with osteoporosis, the most common parameters used for evaluation concerned pr...

The aim of the present review was to highlight some of the available processes for cartilage repair and regeneration. Considering the high impact that cartilage degeneration has in the quality of life, in an aging society, efforts to promote better treatments are crucial. The current available processes have advantages and drawbacks, that should be...

This review describes available smart biomaterials for biomedical applications. Biomaterials have gained special attention because of their characteristics, along with biocompatibility, biodegradability, renewability, and inexpensiveness. In addition, they are also sensitive towards various stimuli such as temperature, light, magnetic, electro, pH...

Tissue Engineering depends on broadly techniques to regenerate tissues and/or organ functions. To do so, tailored polymeric and/or hydrogel scaffolds may be used to ensure the appropriate regeneration. Hydrogels are suitable materials for constructing cell-laden matrices as they can be produced with incorporation of cells and rapidly cross-linked i...

Biofabrication allows the formation of 3D scaffolds through a precise spatial control. This is of foremost importance when aiming to mimic heterogeneous and anisotropic architecture, such as that of the osteochondral tissue. Osteochondral defects are a supreme challenge for tissue engineering due to the compositional and structural complexity of st...

The aim was to compare the mechanical power and energy cost of an elite wheelchair sprinter in the key-moments of the stroke cycle. The wheelchair-athlete system was 3D scanned and then computational fluid dynamics was used to estimate the drag force. Mechanical power and energy cost were derived from a set of formulae. The effective area in the ca...

Regenerative medicine is an exciting field of research, in which significant steps are being taken that are leading to the translation of the technique into clinical practice. In the near future, it is expected that clinicians will have the opportunity to bioprint tissues and organs that closely mimic native human tissues. To do so, imaging of pati...

Regenerative medicine is an exciting field of research, in which significant steps are being taken that are leading to the translation of the technique into clinical practice. In the near future, it is expected that clinicians will have the opportunity to bioprint tissues and organs that closely mimic native human tissues. To do so, imaging of pati...

Objectives: The objective of this review was to examine the effects of dry-land strength and conditioning (S&C) training on swimming, and starts and turns performances. News: S&C training is a common practice in swimming aiming to enhance performance or to prevent injuries. However, studies regarding the effects of S&C on swimming performance are s...

Endodontic treatment aims to prevent and treat pulp and periradicular diseases, mainly through mechanical and chemical procedures. The mechanical preparation is critical for successful chemical irrigation and disinfection, as it assures that it can reach all the pulp canal system. This is mostly important where the anatomy is more complex, such as...

The aim of this study was to analyze aerodynamics in a racing position of a wheelchair-racing sprinter, at the world record speed. The athlete and wheelchair were scanned at the beginning of the propulsive phase position (hands near the handrims at 12h) for the 3D model acquisition. Numerical simulation was run on Fluent, having as output the press...

The aim of the present manuscript was to provide information on the suitability of using ovine as models for conducting in vivo bone tissue engineering studies, regarding the biomechanical considerations. Despite the need of knowledge of the animal model used for bone tissue research a good planning and study design is equal important. The purpose...

In recent years bioprocessing has increased in popularity and importance, however, bioprocessing still poses various important techno-economic and environmental challenges, such as product yields, excessive energy consumption for separations in highly watery systems, batch operation or the downstream processing bottlenecks in the production of biop...

Biomechanics plays an important role helping Paralympic sprinters to excel, having the aerodynamic drag a significant impact on the athlete’s performance. The aim of this study was to assess the aerodynamics in different key-moments of the stroke cycle by Computational Fluid Dynamics. A world-ranked wheelchair sprinter was scanned on the racing whe...

Partial dataset used in this research. (XLSX)

The vision to unravel and develop biological healing mechanisms based on evolving molecular and cellular technologies has led to a worldwide scientific endeavor to establish regenerative medicine. This is a multidisciplinary field that involves basic and preclinical research and development on the repair, replacement and regrowth or regeneration of...