Portuguese adaptation of the academic time management questionnaire : new elements

This paper presents the adaptation of the “Time Management Questionnaire” (TMQ) – drawn up by Britton and Tesser (1991), the final version of which has become known as the “Academic Time Management Questionnaire” (ATMQ). The sample comprised 705 Primary School and Secondary School pupils of both sexes. The factorial analysis of the results followed by varimax rotation led to three factors that explain 40.06% of the variance; the reliability coefficients were also ascertained. For the external validity study, the relationship between the ATMQ results and other school variables were considered, in which significant relations were observed, as expected. The data presented highlights the qualities of the ATMQ, as well as its usefulness in research. New data confirmed these qualities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Why biofilms are important in nosocomial infections: the state of the art

As infeções nosocomiais são uma realidade constante no ambiente hospitalar. São responsáveis por um elevado número de casos de infeções e são notoriamente difíceis de erradicar. Um dos motivos pelos quais o tratamento das infeções nosocomiais é difícil deve-se ao facto de muitas destas infeções serem causadas por biofilmes microbianos. Os biofilmes podem ser definidos como comunidades de micro-organismos que vivem aderidos a uma superfície e envoltos numa complexa mistura de compostos tais como proteínas, polissacáridos e DNA extracelular. O crescimento de micro-organismos sob a forma de biofilmes dificulta a sua erradicação, pois estas estruturas podem ser consideradas adaptações dos micro-organismos, de forma a continuar no hospedeiro. É especialmente relevante ter em consideração as infeções causadas por biofilmes no contexto hospitalar, pois podem necessitar de abordagens diferentes para a sua erradicação. Este artigo de revisão tem como objetivo reunir o conhecimento existente do papel dos biofilmes microbianos nas infeções nosocomiais.Nowadays nosocomial infections are a reality in all hospital environments. They are the cause of a high number of infections, morbidity and mortality, and are recognised as being notoriously difficult to eradicate. One of the reasons for the problems in the treatment of nosocomial infection is the fact that many of the pathogens involved in this infections form biofilms. Biofilms are normally defined as communities of microorganisms adhered to a surface and surrounded by a polymeric matrix of extracellular components, such as proteins, polysaccharides and eDNA. The growth of microorganisms in biofilms makes their eradication difficult as this type of growth can be considered an adaptation of the pathogens in order to improve their persistence in the host. As such it is of special interest to account for the role of biofilms in nosocomial infections so that the appropriate approach can be taken in order to eradicate them. The aim of this article is to review the existing information on the prevalence of nosocomial infections potentially caused by biofilms(undefined

O grito de Cipriano Algor como história de emancipação : análise de A caverna de José Saramago como recusa em aceitar a cópia imperfeita da vida

A partir do debate sobre o livre-arbítrio e liberdade na obra de Saramago, defende-se a necessidade de criação de circunstâncias humanas para o florescimento de uma sociedade mais justa. Nesse sentido, refletiremos sobre a atual ética de concentração e distribuição de riqueza como forma de emancipação individual e coletiva. Centrar-nos-emos na análise da figura de Cipriano Algor, e seu percurso emancipatório, para dar conta do exemplo da construção de uma personagem que ganha consciência das linhas invisíveis da opressão sobre a classe trabalhadora. Teremos como base de análise a crítica literária marxista de Terry Eagleton e os fundamentos teóricos de Marx

Influence of saliva and mucin on the adhesion of Candida oral clinical isolates

Objectives: This research work intends to clarify the role of artificial saliva, in particularly the role of mucin, a salivary protein, on the surface properties and adhesion ability of Candida spp. oral clinical isolates to abiotic surfaces. Methods: Four oral clinical isolates of Candida spp. were used: two Candida albicans strains (AC; AM) and two Candida parapsilosis strains (AD; AM2). The strains were isolated from patients using oral prosthesis. The microorganisms were cultured in the absence or presence of mucin and artificial saliva, and their adhesion to an abiotic surface (coated with mucin and artificial saliva) was evaluated. Results: The presence of mucin per se onto the abiotic surface decreased the adhesion of all strains, although the combination of mucin with artificial saliva had reduced this effect. No direct correlation between adhesion and the surface free energies of adhesion of the microorganisms was found. Significance: Candida spp. were human commensal microorganisms that became pathogenic when the host immune defenses were compromised. Medical devices were colonized by Candida spp. particularly, oral prostheses, which might lead to the degradation of the prostheses and systemic infections. The salivary secretions that constantly cover the oral cavity influenced Candida spp. adhesion process. Therefore, it was important to understand the interactions between Candida spp., salivary proteins and the characteristic of oral prosthesis when developing materials for oral prostheses.The authors thank the Project “BioHealth-Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality”, Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2-O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER. The would also like to thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for the Strategic Project Pest-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for Ana Oliveira PhD Grant (SFRH/BD/68588/2010) and Catarina L. Seabra PhD Grant (SFRH/BD/89001/2012). The authors would also like to acknowledge Professora Rosário Oliveira, which is no longer with us, for her exceptional contribution and dedication to this work

A risk-based framework to manage single-use systems over lifecycle: Design, cleaning, operation, ongoing process verification

Using a formal risk management approach, SU systems (SUSs) and classical stainless steel-based systems (CSSs) are examined in detail. The risk assessment steps include: identification, analysis, mitigation and reevaluation/verification of risks over lifecycle. Adequate risk tools are used for each step. Failure modes specific of each type of system, are considered. The scientific background described in BPOG’s Guidelines on extractables (2014) and leachables (Jan.2017) for SUSs is built in, together with other authoritative sources for both types of systems. The risk quantitation, profiling and the holistic risk visualization for both technology platforms, allows companies with stainless steel only fermentation capacity and those with a mix of both technologies, to consider how to best evolve their capacity, when potential impacts on product quality and patient safety are taken into account. In addition to allowing the relative benchmarking of both technology platforms, comparisons over lifecycle of a specific platform are made possible by our approach, enabling companies to retain a complete picture of all their risk-based decisions and very detailed knowledge about their assets performance. The knowledge management component proposed is unique and supports several business processes and also decisions a company needs to justify before authorities. Our talk provides an insightful discussion of SUSs, using state-of-the-art risk-based and knowledge management tools, illustrated by examples on Design, Cleaning, Operation and Ongoing Process Verification, focusing on risks to quality and safety

Bioactive potential and antimicrobial activity of two pomegranate cv peel and seed extracts

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit is widely recognized for its high biological activity and benefits to human health. Nevertheless, pomegranate juice extraction generates considerable amounts of peel and seed by-products, because only half of the fruit represents the edible part. Although the juice itself possesses powerful biological capacities, such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, the by-products also possess equivalent or superior biological activities. On the other hand, the recovery and valorisation of these wastes will lead to the reduction of their environmental impact that is in line with the desirable models of a circular economy. The present study aimed to access the antimicrobial activity of pomegranate peel and seed freeze- dried ethanolic extracts against different strains of pathogenic/contaminant and beneficial microorganisms. Two pomegranate cultivars (Wonderful and Acco) from Alentejo region (Portugal), were used as the vegetable material. Extractions were made using mixtures of EtOH:H2O (25:75, 50:50 and 75:25 v/v) from dried and ground vegetable material. After extraction, the characterization of the ethanolic extracts obtained from peels and seeds was performed in terms of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity. Phenolic and flavonoid compounds were expressed as mg GAEq/mg of extract and mg CATEq/mg of extract, respectively. IC50 was used to express the results of antioxidant activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts that revealed the best bioactive potential, was accessed by the disc diffusion assay, the minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC). Peels of both varieties revealed the highest bioactive characteristics, with higher levels of antioxidant activity, phenolics and flavonoids. The solvent EtOH:H2O 75:25 allowed obtaining extracts with the best correlation between extraction yield and antioxidant activity. All the pomegranate peel extracts showed selective antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms and differences in MIC and MBC. Further studies including cell toxicity assays are recommended, if the extracts are intended for food applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Optimization of a protocol for gene expression using biofilm cells from S. epidermidis

Gene expression assays are one of the most common tools used nowadays to evaluate the importance of genes in many different life sciences areas, namely, in clinical microbiology. Since most gene expression kits for qPCR have been optimized for assays with planktonic cells it is important to also optimize protocols for this type of assays, to be used with biofilms. Biofilms are communities of bacteria that grow attached to a surface and embedded in an extracellular matrix, what poses some difficulties to RNA extraction. Proper RNA quality is of the upmost importance during all the downstream processes, namely cDNA synthesis and qPCR quantification. The aim of this work was to optimize a protocol for gene quantification from biofilm samples of S. epidermidis, a known biofilm forming nosocomial pathogen. This optimization was made in many different steps, from the RNA extraction (a crucial step) to complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis and qPCR reactions, using growth conditions well described in the literature, so that the results obtained could be anticipated beforehand. The expression of the icaA gene was tested from RNA extracted with a custom made protocol and then quantified using a combination of 4 commercial kits of cDNA synthesis and 4 commercial kits of qPCR quantification. Furthermore, the volumes of reaction were either the volume recommended by the manufacturer (20 µl) or half that volume. From our results, we conclude that there were no significant differences of icaA expression when using any of the qPCR kits used in this study. However, using different cDNA synthesis kits, a statistical difference was found in the results obtained using one of the kits, with an icaA expression near 4-fold different than that obtained using the other kits. Interestingly, the 10 µl reaction generally resulted in higher icaA expression than when using the 20 µl reaction volume, but within the expected range of values, indicating that any of the two volumes could be used for quantification studies. Excluding the cDNA kit with low icaA levels expression, the average of icaA expression induced by glucose was similar in both cDNA and qPCR optimization steps (9.5 and 9.4 fold, respectively). The obtained protocol provides reliable results, comparable to the ones in literature, with the advantage of saving reagents. Furthermore, our results confirm that cDNA synthesis is a more crucial step that previous thought

a nationwide population-based study

Funding Information: The present publication was funded by Fundação Ciência e Tecnologia, IP national support through CHRC (UIDP/04923/2020). The same institution supported the first author (LAG) under an individual PhD grant (SFRH/BD/145636/2019). EpiReumaPt was supported by unrestricted grants from Direção-Geral da Saúde, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Fundação Champalimaud, Fundação AstraZeneca, Abbvie, Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Roche, Servier, Bial, D3A Medical Systems, Happybrands, Center de Medicina Laboratorial, Germano de Sousa, Clínica Médica da Praia da Vitória, CAL-Clínica, Galp Energia, Açoreana Seguros, and individual rheumatologists. Data were provided by the EpiDoC Unit - CEDOC with permission. Publisher Copyright: ©Objectives To estimate the prevalence of medical care-seeking among adults with low back pain (LBP) and to characterise and compare use of diagnostic procedures and medical management between primary and secondary care. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Data from the EpiReumaPt, a nationwide population-based study conducted in Portugal including a representative sample of non-institutionalised adults (n=10 661) stratified by administrative territorial units was analysed. Participants Individuals who self-reported history of LBP within the previous 12 months (n=6434) and sought medical care for this problem in the same period (n=2618). Outcome measures Patients' self-reported diagnostic workup and management procedures performed by medical care for LBP collected through a structured questionnaire. Medical care procedures were stratified by level of care. Results The prevalence of medical care-seeking for LBP was 38.0% (95% CI 35.9% to 40.1%). Primary care in isolation (45.3%) was the most sought level of care. Emergency departments (25.9%) and orthopaedics (19.4%) were the most sought secondary medical specialties. Several pathoanatomical diagnoses were used, supported by laboratory or imaging tests (91.1%). Disc herniation (20.4%) and osteoarthritis (19.7%) were the most frequent diagnoses, and X-ray (63.7%) was the most frequent diagnostic procedure self-reported by individuals. Most (75.1%) reported being treated for LBP: 80.4% with oral medication and 49.9% with injectables. The mean duration of pharmacological treatment was 104.24 (SD, 266.80) days. The use of pathoanatomical diagnoses, laboratory or imaging tests, and pharmacological treatments were generally more frequent for secondary care (p<0.05). Approximately one-quarter of individuals (24.5%) reported seeking care from additional healthcare providers, physiotherapists (66.9%) were the most frequent. Conclusions Medical care for LBP is frequent and associated with high levels of pathoanatomical diagnoses, imaging and laboratory tests and pharmacological therapy in both primary and secondary care settings. Funding and delivery actions should be prioritised to assure appropriate care for LBP.publishersversionpublishe

Prevalence of undiagnosed rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and its association with health-related quality of life and with physical function

AIM: To estimate the disease specific prevalence of undiagnosed rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) in Portugal and determine if people with undiagnosed RMDs have worse quality of life, physical function and higher health resources consumption, than people without RMDs. METHODS: A subgroup analysis of EpiReumaPt was made that included all participants≥18 years evaluated by a rheumatologist. Participants were stratified into three groups: undiagnosed RMDs; previously diagnosed RMDs; non-RMDs. A descriptive analysis of the three groups was performed. To estimate the prevalence of undiagnosed RMDs, weighted proportion were computed considering the sample design. The three groups were compared (Undiagnosed RMDs vs non-RMDs; Previously diagnosed RMDs vs non-RMDs) for health related quality of life (HRQoL) (EQ5D), physical function (HAQ), mental health (HADS) and health resources consumption. The effect of being undiagnosed for these outcomes was assessed in multivariable models adjusted for age, gender, geographical region and years of education (reference: non-RMD). RESULTS: A total of 3877 participants were included. The prevalence of undiagnosed RMDs was 29%. Compared to participants without RMDs, undiagnosed participants had lower HRQoL (EQ-5D: β (95% CI)=-0.07 (-0.103,-0.043)) and physical function (HAQ: β (95% CI)=0.10 (0.05, 0.15)), more anxiety (OR (95% CI)=2.3 (1.4, 3.7)) and depression symptoms (OR (95% CI)=1.4 (0.8, 2.4)). Undiagnosed RMDs participants were more likely to visit an orthopedist (OR (95% CI)=2.0 (1.1, 3.5)) and had a higher number of orthopedic appointments (IRR (95% CI)=2.5 (1.3, 4.9)) than participants without RMDs. CONCLUSION: Patients with undiagnosed RMDs are frequent in Portugal, have worse HRQoL, physical function and mental health than people without RMDs. Undiagnosed patients are nonetheless consumers of health resources and tend to seek help from specialties other than rheumatology. Increasing the awareness of RMDs might promote their early identification and treatment leading to both personal and societal benefits.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin