Commercial tea samples: a natural health ally or an Aspergillus infusion

Project "Resistant mycobiota and mycotoxigenic profile of tea and medicinal plants” (IPL/2020/TEAResMyc_ESTeSL).FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Best poster award.Introduction and Purpose - Tea consumption has been increasing in the last few years. The lack of specific legislation concerning microbial contamination of teas and infusions might represent a risk for consumers’ health. This study characterizes fungal contamination and azole resistance on green and black tea and other infusions commercially available in Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Are we neglecting the importance of azole resistance screening in indoor air quality assessments?

Project “Waste Workers’ Exposure to Bioburden in the Truck Cab during Waste Management - W2E Bioburden” (IPL/2016/W2E_ESTeSL).Project “Occupational exposure of ambulance drivers to bioburden” (IPL/2020/BIO-AmbuDrivers_ESTeSL).FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Best poster awardIntroduction: The microbial exposure, as well as their metabolic products, has been frequently reported as a high risk of respiratory effects and general health hazards. Regarding the Portuguese legislation for IAQ, the microbial assessment covers only air sampling and culture-based methods (malt extract agar as only culture media to be applied). Fungal legal criteria consist of a fungal load ratio between indoor and outdoor, which should be lower than 1 (I/O<1). Purpose: Analyze the importance of including the characterization of the azole resistance profile in indoor air quality assessments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Resistência aos antifúngicos do tipo azólico em instituições de saúde: um cenário global

FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Introdução: A resistência aos antifúngicos do tipo azólico tem aumentado em diversas espécies fúngicas nos últimos anos, representando uma preocupação de saúde pública no controlo de infeções fúngicas. O controlo das resistências aos antifúngicos no ambiente das unidades de saúde é essencial para a profilaxia da contaminação de pacientes susceptíveis por estirpes resistentes. Objetivos do estudo: Identificar os tipos de resistência aos antifúngicos do tipo azólico, e respetivos métodos de amostragem e avaliação, descritos em ambientes clínicos como hospitais e centros de saúde a nível global na última década.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gut microbiota impact on Angolan children with sickle cell disease

FCT/Aga Khan (project nº330842553).FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Introduction: Clinical manifestations of Sickle cell disease (SCD) are very heterogeneous, and the intestinal microbiome appears to be crucial in the modulation of inflammation, cell adhesion, and induction of aged neutrophils, which are the main interveners of recurrent vaso-occlusive crisis. Enterocyte injury, increased permeability, altered microbial composition, and bacterial overgrowth have all been documented as microbial and pathophysiologic changes in the gut microbiome of SCD patients in recent research studies. Microbiota analysis in SCD populations will be essential to demonstrate the importance of specific bacteria and their function in this disease and provide new insights for attenuating symptoms and new drug targets. Purpose: Given this, our aim is to sequence by NGS bacterial 16S RNA gene in order to characterize the gut microbiome of SCD children and healthy siblings, as a control.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electrostatic dust cloth: a useful passive sampling method when assessing exposure to fungi demonstrated in studies developed in Portugal (2018-2021)

Project “Occupational exposure of ambulance drivers to bioburden” (IPL/2020/BIO-AmbuDrivers_ESTeSL).FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Electrostatic dust cloths (EDC) have been widely used for microbiologic contamination assessment in different indoor and occupational environments. This paper reviews sixteen studies performed in Portugal between 2018 and 2021 for evaluating the exposure to microbiological agents and focusing on fungi using EDC as a passive sampling method. The findings suggest that EDC can be applied as a screening method for particulate matter-exposure assessment and as a complementary method to characterize microbial exposures in occupational environments. Overall, EDC should be included, side by side with other sampling methods, in sampling campaigns focused on exposure assessments due to the advantages such as the straightforward extraction protocol favoring the employment of different assays, which allows us to assess exposure to a wide range of microbial agents, and presents higher accuracy regarding the fungal diversity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Challenges of food service towards sustainability beyond food waste

FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020. FCT_UIDB/05748/2020. FCT_UIDP/05748/2020.Food service comprises the production of meals consumed outside the home, including consumers from all age groups and in different sectors, such as schools (from kindergarten to university), public and private companies, the health sector (from hospitals to elderly care institutions), military, sports facilities and restaurants (from fine dining to fast-food). Food service units (FSU) achieved importance and responsibility not only for feeding the population but also as an important setting for public health interventions, potentially educating consumers and modulating behaviors through the meals provided. In addition to its socioeconomic impact, the food service industry has a strong environmental impact. More sustainable food service starts with the basics: minimizing environmental impact by reducing carbon footprint. The food service industry is being encouraged to make choices that positively impact the environment. Nevertheless, most of the efforts and research made in the last years have been focused on evaluating and reducing food waste. This article focuses on strategies that could be implemented beyond food waste, and act on changing the food offered towards health and sustainability while promoting consumer behavior change.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Potential anti-inflammatory effect of Rosmarinus officinalis in preclinical in vivo models of inflammation

FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.This systematic review aimed to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory effect of Rosmarinus officinalis in preclinical in vivo models of inflammation. A search was conducted in the databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, with related keywords. The inclusion criteria were inflammation, plant, and studies on rats or mice; while, the exclusion criteria were reviews, studies with in vitro models, and associated plants. The predominant animal models were paw edema, acute liver injury, and asthma. Rosemary was more commonly used in its entirety than in compounds, and the prevalent methods of extraction were maceration and hydrodistillation. The most common routes of administration reported were gavage, intraperitoneal, and oral, on a route-dependent dosage. The treatment took place daily, or was single-dose, on average for 21 days, and it more often started before the induction. The most evaluated biomarkers were tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, myeloperoxidase (MPO), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The best results emerged at a dose of 60 mg/kg, via IP of carnosic acid, a dose of 400 mg/kg via gavage of Rosmarinus officinalis, and a dose of 10 mg/kg via IP of rosmarinic acid. Rosmarinus officinalis L. showed anti-inflammatory activity before and after induction of treatments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Método GASMoC: uma técnica para detetar bacilos álcool ácido-resistentes sem fenol

FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.A técnica de Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) permite detetar bacilos álcoolácido resistentes (BAAR), tal como Mycobacterium tuberculosis (agente causador da tuberculose). Nesta técnica, a carbol-fucsina (CF) penetra a parede das BAAR conferindo-lhes uma tonalidade rosa que é mantida quando utilizada uma solução descorante, devido ao envelope celular que lhes confere resistência álcool-ácida2. Assim, as BAAR são demonstradas a rosa sobre um fundo azul. A CF implica o uso de fenol que liberta vapores, cuja inalação pode resultar em graves efeitos para a sua saúde a curto e a longo prazo. Alguns autores comprovaram a capacidade da fucsina básica aquosa (FBA) aquecida, como alternativa, para corar BAAR. Assim sendo, pretende-se com o presente estudo determinar a capacidade de deteção da técnica de Ziehl-Neelsen sem o uso de fenol.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hemin ameliorates the inflammatory activity in the inflammatory bowel disease: a non-clinical study in rodents

FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, there is no cure, and pharmacological treatment aims to induce and maintain remission in patients, so it is essential to investigate new possible treatments. Hemin is a heme-oxygenase inducer that can confer anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and antiapoptotic effects; therefore, it can be considered an asset for different gastrointestinal pathologies, namely for IBD. Aim: This experiment aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hemin, in a chronic 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis model in rodents. Methods: The induction of chronic colitis consisted of five weekly intrarectal administrations of 1% TNBS. Then, the mice were treated daily with 5 mg/kg/day or 10 mg/kg/day of hemin, through intraperitoneal injections, for 14 days. Results: Hemin demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect through the reduction in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels, fecal calprotectin, and fecal hemoglobin. It was also found to be safe in terms of extraintestinal manifestations since hemin did not promote renal and/or hepatic changes. Conclusions: Hemin could become an interesting tool for new possible pharmacological approaches in the management of IBD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Embracing the nutritional assessment in cerebral palsy: a toolkit for healthcare professionals for daily practice

Project for nutritional intervention in cerebral palsy (IPL/2020/PINPC_ESTeSL).FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Background: Nutritional status assessment (NSA) can be challenging in children with cerebral palsy (CP). There are high omission rates in national surveillance reports of weight and height information. Alternative methods are used to assess nutritional status that may be unknown to the healthcare professionals (HCP) who report these children. Caregivers experience challenges when dealing with feeding problems (FP) common in CP. Our aim was to assess the difficulties in NSA which are causing this underreport and to create solutions for registers and caregivers. Methods: An online questionnaire was created for registers. Three meetings with HCP and caregivers were held to discuss problems and solutions regarding NSA and intervention. Results: HCP mentioned difficulty in NSA due to a lack of time, collaboration with others, equipment, and childrens’ motor impairment. Caregivers experienced difficulty in preparing nutritious meals with adapted textures. The creation of educational tools and other strategies were suggested. A toolkit for HCP was created with the weight and height assessment methods described and other for caregivers to deal with common FP. Conclusions: There are several difficulties experienced by HCP that might be overcome with educational tools, such as a toolkit. This will facilitate nutritional assessment and intervention and hopefully reduce underreporting.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio