The influence of gender in the prevalence of neonatal sepsis in horses : a retrospective study of 85 cases

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina VeterináriaSepsis remains a leading cause of death in foals, despite considerable advances in the management of critically ill neonates. Identification of populations at an increased risk of developing sepsis allows for early diagnosis and treatment, improving the patient’s outcome. Several factors have been previously associated with higher risks of sepsis. Although male gender has been associated with a higher prevalence of neonatal sepsis in mankind, gender predisposition has never been investigated in horses. All foals 28-days-old or younger, admitted to Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital in Ireland, between 2008 and 2016, diagnosed with sepsis and with their gender reported in their medical records, were included in this study. A group of foals without sepsis, admitted to the hospital during the same period, was used as the control group. Despite an apparently higher percentage of males in the sepsis group, analysis of gender distribution showed no significant differences between the two groups. Yet, interestingly, there was a significantly higher mortality rate in males with sepsis when compared to their female counterparts (p<0.01). These results indicate that gender may have an influence in the clinical evolution of a septic process in foals, but further investigations into the reasons of these findings are now necessary.RESUMO - A INFLUÊNCIA DO GÉNERO NA PREVALÊNCIA DE SÉPSIS NEONATAL EM CAVALOS: UM ESTUDO RETROSPETIVO DE 85 CASOS - A sépsis permanece uma das principais causas de morte em poldros, apesar dos avanços médicos no cuidado intensivo de neonatos. Identificar populações em risco permite um diagnóstico e tratamento precoces, melhorando o desfecho dos casos clínicos. Diversos fatores têm sido identificados como fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de sépsis. Apesar do género masculino estar associado a uma maior incidência de sépsis neonatal no ser humano, esta associação nunca foi investigada em cavalos. Todos os poldros com menos de 28 dias, recebidos no Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital na Irlanda, entre 2008 e 2016, com diagnóstico de sépsis e com informação disponível acerca do seu género, foram incluídos neste estudo. Um grupo de poldros sem sépsis, recebidos no hospital durante o mesmo período, foi usado como controlo. Apesar da percentagem de machos aparentar ser maior no grupo de animais com sépsis, não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre grupos. Notavelmente, a taxa de mortalidade dentro do grupo com sépsis foi mais elevada para os machos do que para as fêmeas (p<0.01). Os resultados indicam que o género poderá influenciar a evolução clínica da sépsis em poldros, mas serão necessários mais estudos para investigar possíveis explicações para as diferenças encontradas.N/

Ocorrência de acrilamida em alimentos portugueses: resultados preliminares

Projecto TDS - Total Diet Stud

Kindergarten teachers and children’s perception about spatial changes in time of Covid-19

The SARS-COV-2 pandemic situation forced the society to adapt, changing many aspects of the daily life. In early childhood education, both the environment and daily routine had to be reorganized, according to the health authorities' regulations, towards containing the new coronavirus transmission. This led to enforcing physical distance among all actors, regardless of the impact on the learning and the development of children, as well as ensuring their well-being and right to play. It is well known that the interactions and relationships that children establish with adults, other children and the surrounding physical spaces are the basis for their learning and development. In this context, this study describes the impact on the interactions and in the learning experiences that resulted from the compulsory spatial changes in kindergarten during the pandemic situation. This research also aims to understand the feelings, constraints and opportunities that these changes were experienced by a group of kindergarten teachers' and their children, as well as the strategies and actions they developed in order to provide opportunities to create enabling environments for children's well-being and learning. This is a research conducted with kindergarten teachers and children after the first lockdown in Portugal. Methodologically, the study takes a qualitative approach. For data collection, two phases were considered. The first phase was developed through zoom interviews with kindergarten teachers. In the second phase, fourty-two interviews were conducted with children between three to five years of age, creating contextual conditions for their application. The children were also asked to draw up a drawing illustrating how they saw space before and after the pandemic situation. A previous meeting was held with the kindergarten teachers, clarifying the main objectives of the children participation in the study. The procedures were defined, and the intervention strategies were drawn collaboratively. Children were asked if they wanted to participate, and only the children that chose to participate freely in the study were involved. Moreover, the parents' consent was requested. Regarding this, all ethical procedures were considered in study, ensuring the anonymity, confidentiality and informed consent of children, educators and families or institution. Kindergarten teachers and children's interviews were recorded and, subsequently, transcribed and submitted to content analysis, whose heuristic function increases the propensity of the discovery of the reality experienced by the actors. From the content analysis, categories emerged that allowed the analysis of the discourses. The text produced was analysed and described in an articulated way, trying to apprehend the specific conditions in which it was conceived, revealing a certain order of reality, from which the narrative was made. The data analysis shows that child-materials, child-to-child, and also child-adult interactions become less significant. The spaces limitation by groups and the reductions of materials (number and kind) does not seem to allow the diversity of pedagogical experiences. However, the educational environment, both indoors and outdoors, continued to be appealing and promote learning, but with the particularity of the working in "bubble".This work has been supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT within the Project Scope: UIDB/05777/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Determinação de macronutrientes em três variedades de casca, farelo e grão de arroz português

Introdução: Os macronutrientes são nutrientes que fornecem calorias e energia. Estes são essenciais para o crescimento, para o metabolismo e para outras funções corporais. Entende-se por humidade a perda de peso sofrida pela amostra quando seca a 100 – 105ºC até peso constante. Entende-se por cinza o resíduo calcinado obtido submetendo a amostra a uma temperatura de 525 ºC no caso de cereais numa mufla. Entende-se por gordura bruta a fração da amostra extraída por um solvente orgânico num sistema de extração Soxhlet. A proteína neste estudo é determinada pelo método de Kjeldahl. A qualidade nutricional da proteína é determinada pela proporção dos aminoácidos essenciais ao ser humano, sendo que existem dez aminoácidos que são estritamente essenciais ao ser humano: lisina, isoleucina, leucina, fenilalanina, tirosina, treonina, triptofano, valina, histidina e metionina.Suporte financeiro da Agência Portuguesa de Inovação (ADI), através do projecto 23290 – ValCAP

Migration solvents for free isocyanates in food contact materials using experimental design

Agglomerated cork stoppers are currently used for still wines, semi-sparkle and gaseous wines, beer and cider. Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) is presently the adhesive in use due to its lowest toxicity comparing with toluene diisocyanate (TDI) previously employed. However, free monomeric MDI can migrate from agglomerated cork stoppers to food stuff and this is worrying subject according to food contact materials. The objective of this study is to determine which solvent is better to extract isocyanates from agglomerated cork stoppers, essentially MDI to quantify its free monomer. A long term migration study was performed in order to compare with soxhlet extraction. Firstly a global migration test was performed in order to select the best solvents for soxhlet extraction. A Design of Experiments (DOE) with two factors, solvent and wax (to spike adhesive film), at six and two levels, respectively, was done. Six different solvents were put in contact with adhesive film during ten days at a temperature of forty degrees. Experiments were replicated and repeated three times. Through a TWO-WAY ANOVA the significance of solvents was evaluated and the three better solvents selected. Afterwards, soxhlet extraction was performed with the three better solvents, ethanol, acetonitrile and n-heptane, regarding ANOVA results. The other control factors were cycles’ number (20, 55 and 90) and sample type (natural, agglomerated cork stopper and adhesive film). In a fractional factorial DOE, with three factors at three levels, nine experiments with three replicates were performed. The significance of the factors/interactions was evaluated and the best level’s factors were selected. The Design of Experiments reveals to be a suitable statistical tool to determine the best conditions to measure the migration of free isocyanates from agglomerated cork stoppers to real foodstuff. The best solvent to monitor the migration from cork to wine by soxhlet extraction was ethanol although in long term migration the best solvent was acetonitrile.Financial support from ADI under the frame of project 5012-LIRACor

Atividades educativas no processo de envelhecimento – estudo de caso

Esta dissertação tem como tema: Atividades Educativas no Processo de Envelhecimento. A ideia deste tema surgiu no decorrer da realização de Estágio Profissional, numa Estrutura Residencial para Idosos (ERPI) pertencente a uma Misericórdia do centro do Portugal, uma vez que se constata que a maioria dos idosos institucionalizados têm uma escolaridade baixa ou inexistente. O objetivo desta dissertação foi perceber de que forma o contacto com atividades de leitura e escrita tem impacto na vida dos idosos institucionalizados. A partir da questão investigativa: de que forma a participação numa Oficina de Letras, no contexto de uma ERPI, tem impacto na vida de alguns idosos institucionalizados? Foi pensada a criação de uma oficina de letras numa ERPI da Santa Casa da Misericórdia, onde a estudante estava a realizar o seu estágio profissional. Esta Oficina de Letras teve o propósito de desenvolver atividades de cariz lúdico práticas para alguns clientes analfabetos ou com poucas habilitações académicas abordando temáticas como o alfabeto, as vogais, os números, as horas, entre outras atividades, no sentido de promover atividades de leitura e escrita e potenciar a aprendizagem ao longo da vida. Neste de estudo de caso, privilegiou-se o método qualitativo com a utilização de observação direta e entrevistas semiestruturadas aos clientes e a algumas técnicas que trabalham na Instituição. A análise dos dados recolhidos permitem compreender que o utente que participou regularmente na Oficina de Letras realizou mudanças na sua forma de estar quotidianamente na ERPI, na forma como passou a traçar projetos de vida e no seu relacionamento mais dinâmico com os outros dentro da instituição

Statistical experimental design screening strategies for free-monomeric isocyanates determination by UPLC in materials used in cork stoppers manufacturing

A statistical experimental design was used to screen variables of the analytical procedure to quantify free monomeric isocyanates presented in polyurethane based pre-polymers in trace amounts. For this purpose, diphenylmethane-4,4’-diisocyanate (4,4'-MDI), 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (2,4-TDI) and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate (2,6-TDI) were analysed by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography with a Photo Diode Array detector (UPLC-PDA). A preliminary study was performed with three derivatization agents, being 1-(2-piridyl) piperazine (1,2-PP) the most suitable one. Column temperature, flow and percentage of ammonium acetate (% NH4Ac.) were the factors studied at two levels each. A sequence of experiments was planned according to a 23 full factorial design with three replicates and two repetitions. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied for the identification of significant factors and interactions. Higher responses were achieved when the column temperature was 30 °C, a flow of 0.3 mL min-1 and a solvent with a percentage of ammonium acetate of 0.1 %. Figures of merit were assessed within-laboratory as a preliminary step for method validation. Similar values were obtained for TDI and MDI. Recoveries are approximately 100 %. In addition, the values of detection limits (LODs) for MDI and TDI were 0.08 and 0.11 μg mL−1, respectively, and quantification limits (LOQs) were 0.25 and 0.33 μg mL−1 for MDI and TDI, respectively. The working range was between 0.01 and 10.00 μg mL−1 for MDI and 0.01 – 4.95 μg mL−1 for TDI. These figures of merit seemed adequate to detect low amounts of free monomeric isocyanates presented in agglomerates and foams for agglomerated cork stoppers production. This data is suitable to address the optimization of an analytical method by a response surface methodology.Catarina André and Inês Delgado acknowledge the financial support from the Portuguese Innovation Agency (ADI) in the frame of project QREN 5012-LIRACork. This work was supported by the Portuguese Innovation Agency (ADI) in the frame of project QREN 5012-LIRACork.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Coping styles in farmed fish: consequences for aquaculture

Individual differences in physiological and behavioural responses to stressors are increasingly recognised as adaptive variation and thus raw material for evolution and fish farming improvements including selective breeding. Such individual variation has been evolutionarily conserved and is present in all vertebrate taxa including fish. In farmed animals, the interest in consistent trait associations, that is coping styles, has increased dramatically over the last years because many studies have demonstrated links to performance traits, health and disease susceptibility and welfare. This study will review (i) the main behavioural, neuroendocrine, cognitive and emotional differences between reactive and proactive coping styles in farmed fish; (ii) the methodological approaches used to identify coping styles in farmed fish, including individual (group) mass-screening tests; and (iii) how knowledge on coping styles may contribute to improved sustainability of the aquaculture industry, including welfare and performance of farmed fish. Moreover, we will suggest areas for future research, where genetic basis (heritability/epigene tic) of coping styles, and the neuroendocrine mechanisms behind consistent as well as flexible behavioural patterns are pinpointed as central themes. In addition, the ontogeny of coping styles and the influence of age, social context and environmental change in coping styles will also be discussed.European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme FP7-KBBE [265957

The perception of pre-school children's educational education about the importance of play

Brincar é das atividades mais sérias desenvolvidas pelas crianças, de tal forma que na Declaração Universal dos Direitos da Criança, o brincar é o VII direito, tão fundamental como o direito à educação, à saúde ou à segurança. É um promotor do desenvolvimento da criança, nos seus aspetos físico, sensorial, cognitivo, criativo e emocional. No entanto, na sociedade atual, as crianças passam grande parte do seu tempo em atividades estruturadas e de caracter sedentário, não desenvolvendo as suas competências motoras e o gosto pelo movimento corporal. A promoção atividade física através da “exposição” das crianças aos espaços exteriores torna-se preponderante nesta conjuntura. Neste contexto, os encarregados de educação (EE) têm um papel fundamental no que respeita à promoção de comportamentos ativos. Nesse sentido, foi objetivo do presente estudo (i) analisar a perceção dos EE sobre a importância que atribuem ao brincar, (ii) qual a frequência com que proporcionam o brincar ao ar livre (AL). Fizeram parte da amostra os EE de 47 crianças da educação pré-escolar. A recolha de dados foi realizada mediante aplicação de uma entrevista aos EE. Para a análise descritiva foi utilizada a média, o desvio-padrão e as frequências. Os resultados demonstraram que a totalidade da amostra considerou o brincar muito importante para o desenvolvimento dos seus filhos, atribuindo a cotação máxima (5) à importância do brincar ao AL. Apenas 35% dos EE referiram brincar 4 a 5 vezes/semana ao AL com os seus filhos. As condições meteorológicas foram o fator considerado preponderante para a não realização de atividades ao AL. Embora os EE considerem importante o brincar e especificamente ao ar livre, parece não apresentarem comportamentos promotores da exposição dos seus filhos ao exterior.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio