Infecções por Escherichia coli em ambiente hospitalar

Mestrado em MicrbiologiaA etiologia microbiana das ITU tem-se mantido mais ou menos constante ao longo do tempo, sendo a E. coli predominante quer nas infecções adquiridas na comunidade quer nas adquiridas no hospital. No entanto, os patogénicos apresentam actualmente algumas alterações no que respeita às resistências dos antimicrobianos. Deste modo, é imprescíndivel conhecer as suas susceptibilidades de forma a tornar a terapêutica mais atempada, rápida e eficaz sem, no entanto contribuir para a emergência de novas estirpes resistentes. O principal objectivo: determinar quais os microrganismos nas ITU e o perfil de sensibilidade do mais frequente. O estudo incidiu sobre amostras de urinas de utentes com suspeita de infecção urinária, remetidas ao Laboratório do Hospital de Aveiro durante os meses de Janeiro e Fevereiro de 2007. As amostras foram incluídas no estudo de um modo aleatório, sem preferência por qualquer patologia ou proveniência, sendo processadas segundo o protocolo do serviço. A identificação dos germens e determinação da sensibilidade foram efectuadas no sistema VITEK. Resultados : das 135 amostras positivas, E. coli foi o mais frequente (53%) e mostrou-se mais sensível à gentamicina e nitrofurantoína e menos sensível à ampicilina. Conclusão: a maior frequencia de ITU ocorre nos primeiros e últimos anos de vida (bebés/crianças e idosos), com predomínio no sexo feminino. Quanto à eleição do antimicrobiano para o tratamento das ITU, esta deve basear-se, sempre que possível, nos resultados laboratoriais. Mas, com base nos nossos dados que obtivemos e de entre os antimicrobianos testados, os fármacos mais adequados são: gentamicina, nitrofurantoína e cefalotina. Este e outros estudos análogos permitem evitar o aumento das resistências microbianas, contribuindo para o decréscimo de fracassos terapêuticos e efeitos colaterais indesejáveis (aumento das novas estirpes resistentes), permitindo assim a redução de gastos excessivos e desnecessários, quer individuais, quer institucionais. ABSTRACT: The ITU microbial etiology has been maintained in an unchanging position all over the years, being E coli the predominant as in the community acquired infections as in the hospital ones. Although, currently, the patogenics presents some changes in what it concerns the antimicrobial resistance. In this way, it is crucial to know its susceptibility in order to make a faster, postponed and efficient terapeutica without the risk of new resistant lineages emergency. The main objective: define which are the ITU microorganisms and the more frequent one sensibility profile. The study was about the patients’ urine samples suspected of Urinary Tract Infection, which were sended to Aveiro’s Hospital during January and February 2007. Samples were included in the study in an aleatory way with no preference for any kind of pathology or source, being processed according to the service protocol. The identification of germens and determination of sensitivity were made in VITEK system. Results: from 135 positive samples, E. coli was the most common (53%) and showed more sensibility to gentamycin and nitrofurantoine and less sensibility to ampicillin. Conclusion: ITU often appears in humans’ first or last days of life (babies, children and older people), mainly in the female gender. In what it concerns the ITU antimicrobials election, it should be based, as long as possible, in laboratorial results. According to the studied facts we based ourselves, the more appropriate drugs are: gentamycin, nitrofurantoine and cefalotin. This and other annual studies help us to prevent the microbial resistance to grow, and make collateral damages and therapeutic failures decrease (increase of new resistant race), preventing unnecessary individual or institucional expenses

O ensino da psicofarmacologia na formação inicial dos psicólogos portugueses: Estado da arte

Psychopharmacology is an important scientific field for psychologists’ practice. Over the last years, in several countries, there has been given an increasing importance to psychopharmacological training for psychologists. The aim of this paper was to perform a study recurring to an exhaustive analysis of the curricula of all Portuguese Higher Education institutions that teach Bachelorʼs and Masterʼs Degrees in psychology to verify which of them offer curricular units on psychopharmacology. For that purpose, data from Direção Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES) site and webpages from higher education institutions were collected during the month of July, 2021. The results indicate that training in psychopharmacology does exist, however, it is scarce. Within the 97 Bachelor and Master Degree courses in psychology analyzed, only 11 curricular units about psychopharmacology were identified. From those, three are taught at the same institution. Overall, these data suggest that the training in psychopharmacology given to psychology students is residual. At the end of the article, we discuss implications of these results for psychologistsʼ training and potential consequences for the professional practice of Portuguese psychologists.A psicofarmacologia representa, cada vez mais, uma área de conhecimento com importantes implicações na atuação profissional dos psicólogos. Em vários países, tem-se assistido, ao longo dos últimos anos, a uma crescente importância dada à formação em psicofarmacologia para psicólogos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento dos planos curriculares de todas as instituições de Ensino Superior portuguesas que lecionam cursos de licenciatura e mestrado em psicologia de modo a verificar quais destes incluem unidades curriculares sobre psicofarmacologia. Para tal, foram recolhidos dados através do sítio da Direção Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES) e dos sítios oficiais das instituições de Ensino Superior durante o mês de julho de 2021. Os resultados observados indicam que a formação em psicofarmacologia, apesar de existir, é em número reduzido. Num total de 97 cursos de licenciatura e mestrado em psicologia analisados, apenas 11 unidades curriculares relacionadas com psicofarmacologia foram identificadas, sendo que três destas são ministradas na mesma instituição. No geral, estes  dados sugerem que a formação em psicofarmacologia dada nas formações iniciais dos psicólogos, apesar de existir, é ainda residual. No final do artigo, são referidas as implicações dos resultados para os currículos da formação dos psicólogos bem como perspetivadas consequências para a prática profissional da psicologia

Serological and Molecular Survey of Leishmania infantum in a Population of Iberian Lynxes (Lynx pardinus)

This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Leishmania Research: From Basic Parasite Biology to Disease Control.Leishmania infantum, the sand fly-transmitted protozoan parasite responsible for leishmaniasis in humans, dogs, and cats, is endemic in the Iberian Peninsula. However, the impact of L. infantum infection on the conservation of the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is unknown. Herein, we describe for the first time the occurrence of L. infantum infection among a population of reintroduced and wild-born L. pardinus living in the Portuguese Guadiana Valley Park. The presence of infection was addressed by molecular detection of Leishmania kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) in 35 lynxes, with further confirmation of L. infantum species performed by an internally transcribed spacer (ITS)-1 sequencing. Eight blood samples were positive for kDNA, and ITS-1 sequencing confirmed the presence of L. infantum in two of those samples. Exposure to Leishmania was screened in a group of 36 lynxes using an immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and a multi-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using SPLA, rK39, and CPX as Leishmania-specific antigens. Four animals presented a positive IFAT at a dilution of 1:40. Eight samples were considered seropositive to all ELISA Leishmania-specific antigens. Agreement between PCR, IFAT, and all ELISA antigens was found for 1 in 27 samples. These results highlight the susceptibility of autochthonous L. pardinus to L. infantum infection. Further investigation is required to assess the impact of L. infantum infection on this wild species conservation.This research was funded by the Parasite Disease Group at i3S, Porto, Portugal, and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the PhD scholarship number 2020.07306.BD and the project PTDC/CVT-CVT/6798/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Qualidade do ar interior em jardins-de-infância: relação entre os parâmetros ambientais e os níveis de ocupação dos espaços

Os edifícios escolares são espaços com características específicas, onde a garantia de condições de trabalho saudáveis é fundamental para a aprendizagem e bem-estar dos ocupantes. Contudo, os novos padrões arquitectónicos têm potenciado o aparecimento de edifícios mais herméticos, com reduzidas taxas de ventilação e problemas relacionados com a qualidade do ar interior (QAI). Com a recente legislação, adoptaram-se valores de referência para os parâmetros químicos e microbiológicos. A concentração de CO2 e microrganismos viáveis pode dar uma boa indicação da eficiência da ventilação. Neste âmbito, efectuou-se um estudo que teve como objectivos relacionar as concentrações de CO2 e microrganismos viáveis com os níveis de ocupação e eficiência da ventilação de salas de aulas. A quantificação dos parâmetros ambientais baseou-se na caracterização estrutural e de funcionamento do edifício. As amostragens foram efectuadas na Primavera, em nove salas de aula de quatro jardins-de-infância (JI) com diferentes tipos de construção. Os resultados demonstraram que os JI recentes apresentaram concentrações médias de CO2 superiores às verificadas nos JI do "plano centenário", atingindo valores máximos de 3400 ppm nos períodos de ocupação. Obtiveram-se concentrações elevadas de bactérias gram positivas nos JI de construção recente, que podem estar relacionadas com a sobrelotação dos espaços e ventilação insuficiente. Os valores de velocidade do ar também revelam a constante estagnação do ar nos espaços. O aumento das taxas de ventilação e sensibilização dos ocupantes são medidas chave para a melhoria da QAI. Contudo, é na fase de projecto do edifício que devem surgir preocupações com a QAI.

Patient perceptions of radiographer communication skills in general radiology

The purpose of this study was to explore of patient perceptions regarding the performance of the Radiographer in terms of interpersonal communication skills and to verify that the professional practice is carried out in accordance with a policy of respect for the Radiographers code of ethics and the charter of patients' rights and duties

Internship supervisors' perception of the radiography students in clinical environment

The main goal of this research was to identify and describe the perception of internship supervisors of the radiography students in clinical environment about their competencies, skills and characteristics

Radiographers perceptions of patient safety culture

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the radiographers perception about patient safety culture in public and private facilities nationwide. A web based survey composed by a sociodemographic characterization was added to the translated and validated to portuguese tool. This tool was the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC). With the development of this research, it was possible to conclude that radiographers have a positive perception of their department, in some dimensions, with greater failures in the areas of "Feedback and communication about errors" and "Workers". Despite the existence of some weaker dimensions, the general security perception of radiographers is positive, with a very good opinion of patient safety at the radiology department

Serotonergic signalling suppresses ataxin 3 aggregation and neurotoxicity in animal models of Machado-Joseph disease

Polyglutamine diseases are a class of dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorders for which there is no effective treatment. Here we provide evidence that activation of serotonergic signalling is beneficial in animal models of Machado-Joseph disease. We identified citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in a small molecule screen of FDA-approved drugs that rescued neuronal dysfunction and reduced aggregation using a Caenorhabditis elegans model of mutant ataxin 3-induced neurotoxicity. MOD-5, the C. elegans orthologue of the serotonin transporter and cellular target of citalopram, and the serotonin receptors SER-1 and SER-4 were strong genetic modifiers of ataxin 3 neurotoxicity and necessary for therapeutic efficacy. Moreover, chronic treatment of CMVMJD135 mice with citalopram significantly reduced ataxin 3 neuronal inclusions and astrogliosis, rescued diminished body weight and strikingly ameliorated motor symptoms. These results suggest that small molecule modulation of serotonergic signalling represents a promising therapeutic target for Machado-Joseph disease.This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and COMPETE through the projects ‘[PTDC/SAU-GMG/112617/2009] (to P.M.) and [EXPL/ BIM-MEC/0239/2012] (to A.T.C.)’, by National Ataxia foundation (to P.M.), by Ataxia UK (to P.M.), by National Institutes of Health (NIH) ‘[GM038109, GM081192, AG026647, and NS047331] (to R.I.M.)’, by The Chicago Biomedical Consortium (to R.I.M.) and by the Ellison Medical Foundation (to R.I.M.). A.T.C., A.J., S.E., L.S.S., C.B., S.D.S., A.S.F. and A.N.C. were supported by the FCT individual fellowships SFRH/BPD/79469/2011, SFRH/BD/76613/2011, SFRH/BD/78554/2011, SFRH/BD/ 84650/2012, SFRH/BPD/74452/2010, SFRH/BD/78388/ 2011, SFRH/BPD/91562/2012 and SFRH/BD/51059/2010, respectively. FCT fellowships are co-financed by POPH, QREN, Governo da República Portuguesa and EU/FSE.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Protective efficacy in a hamster model of a multivalent vaccine for human visceral leishmaniasis (Mulevaclin) consisting of the kmp11, leish-f3+, and ljl143 antigens in virosomes, plus gla-se adjuvant

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe clinical form of leishmaniasis, fatal if untreated. Vaccination is the most cost-effective approach to disease control; however, to date, no vaccines against human VL have been made available. This work examines the efficacy of a novel vaccine consisting of the Leishmania membrane protein KMP11, LEISH-F3+ (a recombinant fusion protein, composed of epitopes of the parasite proteins nucleoside hydrolase, sterol-24-c-methyltransferase, and cysteine protease B), and the sand fly salivary protein LJL143, in two dose ratios. The inclusion of the TLR4 agonist GLA-SE as an adjuvant, and the use of virosomes (VS) as a delivery system, are also examined. In a hamster model of VL, the vaccine elicited antigen-specific immune responses prior to infection with Leishmania infantum. Of note, the responses were greater when higher doses of KMP11 and LEISH-F3+ proteins were administered along with the GLA-SE adjuvant and/or when delivered within VS. Remarkably, hamsters immunized with the complete combination (i.e., all antigens in VS + GLA-SE) showed significantly lower parasite burdens in the spleen compared to those in control animals. This protection was underpinned by a more intense, specific humoral response against the KMP11, LEISH-F3+, and LJL143 antigens in vaccinated animals, but a significantly less intense antibody response to the pool of soluble Leishmania antigens (SLA). Overall, these results indicate that this innovative vaccine formulation confers protection against L. infantum infection, supporting the advancement of the vaccine formulation into process development and manufacturing and the conduction of toxicity studies towards future phase I human clinical trialsEuropean Community’s Seventh Framework Programme, grant number 603181 (Clinical Studies on a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis [MuLeVaClin]), and by the RD16CIII/0003/0002 and RD16/0027/0008 Red de Investigación Cooperativa de Enfermedades Tropicales, Subprograma RETICS del Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013–2016, co-funded by ERD

Protective Efficacy in a Hamster Model of a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis (MuLeVaClin) Consisting of the KMP11, LEISH-F3+, and LJL143 Antigens in Virosomes, Plus GLA-SE Adjuvant

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe clinical form of leishmaniasis, fatal if untreated. Vaccination is the most cost-effective approach to disease control; however, to date, no vaccines against human VL have been made available. This work examines the efficacy of a novel vaccine consisting of the Leishmania membrane protein KMP11, LEISH-F3+ (a recombinant fusion protein, composed of epitopes of the parasite proteins nucleoside hydrolase, sterol-24-c-methyltransferase, and cysteine protease B), and the sand fly salivary protein LJL143, in two dose ratios. The inclusion of the TLR4 agonist GLA-SE as an adjuvant, and the use of virosomes (VS) as a delivery system, are also examined. In a hamster model of VL, the vaccine elicited antigen-specific immune responses prior to infection with Leishmania infantum. Of note, the responses were greater when higher doses of KMP11 and LEISH-F3+ proteins were administered along with the GLA-SE adjuvant and/or when delivered within VS. Remarkably, hamsters immunized with the complete combination (i.e., all antigens in VS + GLA-SE) showed significantly lower parasite burdens in the spleen compared to those in control animals. This protection was underpinned by a more intense, specific humoral response against the KMP11, LEISH-F3+, and LJL143 antigens in vaccinated animals, but a significantly less intense antibody response to the pool of soluble Leishmania antigens (SLA). Overall, these results indicate that this innovative vaccine formulation confers protection against L. infantum infection, supporting the advancement of the vaccine formulation into process development and manufacturing and the conduction of toxicity studies towards future phase I human clinical trials.This research was funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme, grant number 603181 (Clinical Studies on a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis [MuLeVaClin]), and by the RD16CIII/0003/0002 and RD16/0027/0008 Red de Investigación Cooperativa de Enfermedades Tropicales, Subprograma RETICS del Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013–2016, co-funded by ERDF “Una manera de hacer Europa” funds.S