Verificação do procedimento de inspeção de Boas Práticas e diagnóstico para implementação da norma IFS Food numa empresa de bebidas

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia BiológicaA crescente preocupação com a segurança alimentar e o elevado nível de exigência dos consumidores pela qualidade e segurança dos produtos promovem a necessidade das empresas implementarem sistemas eficazes de controlo dos seus processos. Do cumprimento da legislação ao cumprimento de normas de segurança alimentar, existe uma vasta e complexa lista de tarefas. Assim, é fundamental criar as condições básicas (programa de pré-requisitos) que sustentem a implementação de referenciais de segurança alimentar exigentes, como é o caso da norma internacional IFS Food. Este projeto curricular surgiu no âmbito da realização da dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia Biológica da Universidade do Minho e assenta nos pontos referidos. Assim, pretende-se verificar o procedimento de inspeção de boas práticas, ou seja, verificar o programa de pré-requisitos e avaliar a implementação da norma IFS Food na empresa Unicer Bebidas S.A.. Neste sentido, foi realizada numa fase inicial uma análise pormenorizada do procedimento de inspeção de boas práticas implementado na Unicer, seguindo-se a elaboração de uma nova checklist pontuada de acordo com a norma IFS Food, identificação dos pontos a melhorar e proposta de um novo procedimento inspeção mais eficaz. Para iniciar o diagnóstico para implementação de uma nova norma alimentar foi pertinente efetuar uma análise comparativa entre os requisitos da norma IFS Food e a norma ISO 22000, fazendo a respetiva correspondência entre os mesmos. Posteriormente, foi relevante analisar o cumprimento de todos os requisitos com especial incidência nos requisitos KO considerados pela norma IFS Food. Deste projeto conclui-se que a implementação de um procedimento de inspeção de boas práticas eficaz, que permita a resolução rápida das melhorias identificadas é a chave para a implementação da nova norma de segurança alimentar. Posto isto, a empresa poderá aquando a certificação diferenciar-se da concorrência, correspondendo assim às expectativas dos clientes.The growing concern about food safety and the high level of consumer demand for product quality and safety, promotes the need for companies to implement effective systems to control their processes. From compliance with legislation to compliance with food safety standards, there is a vast and complex list of tasks. It is therefore essential to create the basic conditions (prerequisite program) to support the implementation of demanding food safety standards, such as the IFS Food international standard. This curricular project arose within the framework of the accomplishment of the master's dissertation in Biological Engineering of the University of Minho and based on the mentioned points. Thus, it is intended to verify the procedure of inspection of good practices, that is, to check the prerequisite program and evaluate the implementation of the IFS Food standard in the company Unicer Bebidas S.A .. In this sense, a detailed analysis of the procedure of inspection of good practices implemented in Unicer was carried out at an early stage, followed by the elaboration of a new checklist punctuated according to the IFS Food standard, identification of the points to be improved and proposal of a new inspection procedure. In order to start the diagnosis for the implementation of a new food standard it is pertinent to carry out a comparative analysis between the requirements of the IFS Food standard and the ISO 22000 standard, making the correspondence between them. Subsequently, it is relevant to analyze compliance with all requirements with special focus on the KO requirements considered by the IFS Food standard. Through this project it is concluded that the implementation of an effective inspection procedure of good practices, which allows the rapid resolution of the fragilities found, is the key to the implementation of the new food safety standard. So, the company can be differentiated from the competitors, thus meeting the expectations of the customers

PLAYING-2-GETHER: can brief in-service training influence preschool teachers’ awareness of play-based strategies for improving relationships?

This study explores how brief in-service training influences preschool teacherś awareness of competences relevant for building high-quality teacher–child relationships. A pre- and post-test design was used, with a 5-h training session in-between. Thirty-four in-service preschool teachers completed a video-based task before and after training. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted. After the session, the number of teachers identifying the key principles of building relationships with children was significantly higher for one out of the five situations analysed; the number of teachers identifying competencies for building positive relationships was significantly higher for three out of the five situations. Strategies such as observing children were easily identified (before and after training) and strategies such as taking into account the child relational needs were hardly ever identified (before and after training). Discussion highlights potential differential effects of brief in-service training according to the complexity of the training content.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevalência e fatores associados à violência por parceiro íntimo na gestação em Caxias, Maranhão, 2019-2020

Objective: To analyze prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence during pregnancy Methods: Cross-sectional study, with data obtained through interviews with pregnant women aged 10 to 49 years old in the third trimester of pregnancy, residing in Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil (2019-2020). The World Health Organization Violence Against Women Study instrument was used to identify violence. A hierarchical analysis was performed using multiple logistic regression. Results: 233 pregnant women were interviewed. The prevalence of violence during pregnancy was 33%, with predominance of psychological violence (18.9%). In the final hierarchical model, woman’s age <20 years (AOR=2.09 – 95%CI 1.17;3.54) and abuse of illicit drugs by intimate partner (AOR=8.78 – 95%CI 2.13;28.92) remained as factors associated with the outcome. Conclusion: Violence during pregnancy had a high prevalence, with young age of the woman and partner's consumption of illegal substances factors associated with its occurrence.Objetivo: Analisar a prevalência e fatores associados à violência por parceiro íntimo na gestação. Métodos: Estudo transversal, com dados obtidos de entrevistas com grávidas de 10 a 49 anos de idade, no terceiro trimestre gestacional, residentes em Caxias, Maranhão, Brasil (2019-2020). Utilizou-se o instrumento World Health Organization Violence Against Women Study para identificação da forma de violência. Realizou-se análise hierarquizada por regressão logística múltipla. Resultados: Foram entrevistadas 233 gestantes. A violência na gestação apresentou prevalência de 33% com predomínio da violência psicológica (18,9%). No modelo hierarquizado final, a faixa etária da mulher <20 anos (ORaj=2,09 – IC95% 1,17;3,54) e o consumo de drogas ilícitas pelo parceiro (ORaj=8,78 – IC95% 2,13;28,92) mantiveram-se associados ao desfecho de violência. Conclusão: A violência na gestação apresentou elevada prevalência, sendo a idade jovem da mulher e o uso de substâncias ilícitas pelo parceiro fatores associados a sua ocorrência

The Arabic Version of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) in a Clinical Sample of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Nationals

Objectives: We aimed to test the potential of the Arabic version of the PID-5 to distinguish between clinical and non-clinical participants, as well as to examine its convergent validity and factor structure in an Emirati clinical sample. Methods: The Arabic version of the PID-5 was administered to a clinical sample comprised of 156 participants (Mage = 31.38, SD = 8.99, 37.8% male, 62.2% female) and a community sample also comprised of 156 participants (Mage = 31.43, SD = 9.52, 37.2% male, 62.8% female). We addressed the descriptive measures, internal consistency, mean rank scores differences, convergent validity with SCL-90-R, and PID-5\u27s factor structure. Results: As expected, the clinical sample presented statistically significantly higher scores than the non-clinical sample, with medium to high effect sizes. In addition, all the PID-5 domains showed positive correlations with most of the symptomatic constellations of the SCL-90-R as well as the PID-5 facets with all their SCL-90-R counterparts. However, our findings did not entirely replicate the PID-5 original 5-factor structure, as only a 4-factor solution was retained. Conclusions: Future studies with the Arabic PID-5 in clinical samples are needed to understand its relevance and clinical utility in Arabic countries

miR-335 targets LRRK2 and mitigates inflammation in Parkinson’s disease

Copyright © 2021 Oliveira, Dionísio, Gaspar, Correia Guedes, Coelho, Rosa, Ferreira, Amaral and Rodrigues. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Parkinson's disease (PD) is mainly driven by dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta accompanied by chronic neuroinflammation. Despite being mainly sporadic, approximately 10% of all cases are defined as heritable forms of PD, with mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase (LRRK2) gene being the most frequent known cause of familial PD. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), including miR-335, are frequently deregulated in neurodegenerative diseases, such as PD. Here, we aimed to dissect the protective role of miR-335 during inflammation and/or neurodegenerative events in experimental models of PD. Our results showed that miR-335 is significantly downregulated in different PD-mimicking conditions, including BV2 microglia cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and/or overexpressing wild-type LRRK2. Importantly, these results were confirmed in serum of mice injected with 1-methyl-1-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydripyridine hydrochloride (MPTP), and further validated in patients with idiopathic PD (iPD) and those harboring mutations in LRRK2 (LRRK2-PD), thus corroborating potential clinical relevance. Mechanistically, miR-335 directly targeted LRRK2 mRNA. In the BV2 and N9 microglia cell lines, miR-335 strongly counteracted LPS-induced proinflammatory gene expression, and downregulated receptor interacting protein 1 (RIP1) and RIP3, two important players of necroptotic and inflammatory signaling pathways. Further, miR-335 inhibited LPS-mediated ERK1/2 activation. LRRK2-Wt-induced proinflammatory gene expression was also significantly reduced by miR-335 overexpression. Finally, in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, miR-335 decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory genes triggered by α-synuclein. In conclusion, we revealed novel roles for miR-335 in both microglia and neuronal cells that strongly halt the effects of classical inflammatory stimuli or LRRK2-Wt overexpression, thus attenuating chronic neuroinflammation.This research was funded in part by UIDB/04138/2020 from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal. SO received a Ph.D. fellowship (PD/BD/128332/2017) from FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Human-umbilical cord matrix mesenchymal cells improved left ventricular contractility independently of infarct size in swine myocardial infarction with reperfusion

Funding Information: This work was funded by: i) national funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the scope of the Cardiovascular R&D Center - UnIC (UIDB/00051/2020 and UIDP/00051/2020); ii) “la Caixa” Banking Foundation and FCT under the project code LCF/PR/HP17/52190002”; iii) the QREN project 2013/30196; and iv) the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), under the Lisbon Portugal Regional Operational Program and National Funds through FCT [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030985]. RNG and TLL were funded by the FCT individual fellowships [SFRH/BD/144490/2019] and [PD/BD/127997/2016], respectively. Funding sources had no interference in the design of the study, study governance, data collection and analysis, nor in manuscript writing or its scientific and intellectual content. Publisher Copyright: 2023 Raposo, Cerqueira, Leite, Moreira-Costa, Laundos, Miranda, Mendes-Ferreira, Coelho, Gomes, Pinto-do-Ó, Nascimento, Lourenço, Cardim and Leite-Moreira.Background: Human umbilical cord matrix-mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCM-MSC) have demonstrated beneficial effects in experimental acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Reperfusion injury hampers myocardial recovery in a clinical setting and its management is an unmet need. We investigated the efficacy of intracoronary (IC) delivery of xenogeneic hUCM-MSC as reperfusion-adjuvant therapy in a translational model of AMI in swine. Methods: In a placebo-controlled trial, pot-belied pigs were randomly assigned to a sham-control group (vehicle-injection; n = 8), AMI + vehicle (n = 12) or AMI + IC-injection (n = 11) of 5 × 105 hUCM-MSC/Kg, within 30 min of reperfusion. AMI was created percutaneously by balloon occlusion of the mid-LAD. Left-ventricular function was blindly evaluated at 8-weeks by invasive pressure-volume loop analysis (primary endpoint). Mechanistic readouts included histology, strength-length relationship in skinned cardiomyocytes and gene expression analysis by RNA-sequencing. Results: As compared to vehicle, hUCM-MSC enhanced systolic function as shown by higher ejection fraction (65 ± 6% vs. 43 ± 4%; p = 0.0048), cardiac index (4.1 ± 0.4 vs. 3.1 ± 0.2 L/min/m2; p = 0.0378), preload recruitable stroke work (75 ± 13 vs. 36 ± 4 mmHg; p = 0.0256) and end-systolic elastance (2.8 ± 0.7 vs. 2.1 ± 0.4 mmHg*m2/ml; p = 0.0663). Infarct size was non-significantly lower in cell-treated animals (13.7 ± 2.2% vs. 15.9 ± 2.7%; Δ = −2.2%; p = 0.23), as was interstitial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in the remote myocardium. Sarcomere active tension improved, and genes related to extracellular matrix remodelling (including MMP9, TIMP1 and PAI1), collagen fibril organization and glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis were downregulated in animals treated with hUCM-MSC. Conclusion: Intracoronary transfer of xenogeneic hUCM-MSC shortly after reperfusion improved left-ventricular systolic function, which could not be explained by the observed extent of infarct size reduction alone. Combined contributions of favourable modification of myocardial interstitial fibrosis, matrix remodelling and enhanced cardiomyocyte contractility in the remote myocardium may provide mechanistic insight for the biological effect.publishersversionpublishe

Orthoses effects in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease: update

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common hereditary peripheral neuropathy in humans, presenting incidence of 1:2.500 people. The distal crural weakness of the CMT causes numerous gait impairment changes, for example, velocity, length, width and cadence of the steps. Several rehabilitation resources have been proposed to manage the walking problems, among them, the use of orthoses is highlighted. The objective of this study was to present and discuss the results of studies on the effects of orthotic uses in CMT gait patterns. In this study it was used to literature update through major national/international databases (SciELO, LILACS and MEDLINE), published between the years 2006-2012. The CMT treatment consisted of physical therapy and using of assistive equipment, since there are no drugs or gene therapy able to attenuate the clinical and functional damages. This association seeks to maximize the function and improve life quality of these patients in an attempt to prevent additional injuries related to physical disability. From literature update it is possible to conclude that there is a consensus on the use of lower limb orthoses to promote the stabilization of the ankle articulation and a more functional pattern of walking, avoiding inadequate synergy of movement and reducing the risk of falls.A Doença de Charcot-Marie-Tooth (DCMT) é a neuropatia periférica hereditária mais comum em seres humanos, apresentando incidência de 1:2.500 pessoas. A fraqueza distal crural na DCMT provoca inúmeras alterações na marcha, como, por exemplo, na velocidade, no comprimento, na largura e cadência dos passos. Vários recursos em reabilitação têm sido propostos para gerenciar os problemas de deambulação, dentre eles, destaca-se a utilização de órteses. O objetivo deste estudo é apresentar e discutir os resultados de estudos sobre os efeitos da utilização de órteses nos padrões de marcha na DCMT. Neste estudo foi utilizada atualização da literatura através das principais bases de dados nacionais/internacionais (SciELO, LILACS e MEDLINE), publicados entre os anos de 2006-2012. O tratamento da DCMT consiste em fisioterapia e utilização de equipamentos de assistência, visto que ainda não há fármacos ou terapia gênica capaz de atenuar os danos clínicos e funcionais. Tal associação busca maximizar a função e melhorar a qualidade de vida desses pacientes, na tentativa de evitar agravos adicionais relativos à incapacidade física. A partir de atualização de literatura é possível concluir que existe consenso sobre a utilização de órteses nos membros inferiores para promover a estabilização das articulações do tornozelo e um padrão de deambulação mais funcional, evitando sinergias inadequadas de movimento e atenuando o risco de quedas

Human-umbilical cord matrix mesenchymal cells improved left ventricular contractility independently of infarct size in swine myocardial infarction with reperfusion

BackgroundHuman umbilical cord matrix-mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCM-MSC) have demonstrated beneficial effects in experimental acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Reperfusion injury hampers myocardial recovery in a clinical setting and its management is an unmet need. We investigated the efficacy of intracoronary (IC) delivery of xenogeneic hUCM-MSC as reperfusion-adjuvant therapy in a translational model of AMI in swine.MethodsIn a placebo-controlled trial, pot-belied pigs were randomly assigned to a sham-control group (vehicle-injection; n = 8), AMI + vehicle (n = 12) or AMI + IC-injection (n = 11) of 5 × 105 hUCM-MSC/Kg, within 30 min of reperfusion. AMI was created percutaneously by balloon occlusion of the mid-LAD. Left-ventricular function was blindly evaluated at 8-weeks by invasive pressure-volume loop analysis (primary endpoint). Mechanistic readouts included histology, strength-length relationship in skinned cardiomyocytes and gene expression analysis by RNA-sequencing.ResultsAs compared to vehicle, hUCM-MSC enhanced systolic function as shown by higher ejection fraction (65 ± 6% vs. 43 ± 4%; p = 0.0048), cardiac index (4.1 ± 0.4 vs. 3.1 ± 0.2 L/min/m2; p = 0.0378), preload recruitable stroke work (75 ± 13 vs. 36 ± 4 mmHg; p = 0.0256) and end-systolic elastance (2.8 ± 0.7 vs. 2.1 ± 0.4 mmHg*m2/ml; p = 0.0663). Infarct size was non-significantly lower in cell-treated animals (13.7 ± 2.2% vs. 15.9 ± 2.7%; Δ = −2.2%; p = 0.23), as was interstitial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in the remote myocardium. Sarcomere active tension improved, and genes related to extracellular matrix remodelling (including MMP9, TIMP1 and PAI1), collagen fibril organization and glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis were downregulated in animals treated with hUCM-MSC.ConclusionIntracoronary transfer of xenogeneic hUCM-MSC shortly after reperfusion improved left-ventricular systolic function, which could not be explained by the observed extent of infarct size reduction alone. Combined contributions of favourable modification of myocardial interstitial fibrosis, matrix remodelling and enhanced cardiomyocyte contractility in the remote myocardium may provide mechanistic insight for the biological effect

Viral genetic clustering and transmission dynamics of the 2022 mpox outbreak in Portugal

Pathogen genome sequencing during epidemics enhances our ability to identify and understand suspected clusters and investigate their relationships. Here, we combine genomic and epidemiological data of the 2022 mpox outbreak to better understand early viral spread, diversification and transmission dynamics. By sequencing 52% of the confirmed cases in Portugal, we identified the mpox virus sublineages with the highest impact on case numbers and fitted them into a global context, finding evidence that several international sublineages probably emerged or spread early in Portugal. We estimated a 62% infection reporting rate and that 1.3% of the population of men who have sex with men in Portugal were infected. We infer the critical role played by sexual networks and superspreader gatherings, such as sauna attendance, in the dissemination of mpox virus. Overall, our findings highlight genomic epidemiology as a tool for the real-time monitoring and control of mpox epidemics, and can guide future vaccine policy in a highly susceptible population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of clusters of asthma control: A preliminary analysis of the inspirers studies

This work was funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operations: POCI- -01-0145-FEDER-029130 (“mINSPIRERS—mHealth to measure and improve adherence to medication in chronic obstructive respiratory diseases - generalisation and evaluation of gamification, peer support and advanced image processing technologies”) co-funded by the COMPETE2020 (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização), Portugal 2020 and by Portuguese Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia).© 2020, Sociedade Portuguesa de Alergologia e Imunologia Clinica. All rights reserved. Aims: To identify distinct asthma control clusters based on Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) and to compare patients’ characteristics among these clusters. Methods: Adults and adolescents (≥13 years) with persistent asthma were recruited at 29 Portuguese hospital outpatient clinics, in the context of two observational studies of the INSPIRERS project. Demographic and clinical characteristics, adherence to inhaled medication, beliefs about inhaled medication, anxiety and depression, quality of life, and asthma control (CARAT, >24 good control) were collected. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using CARAT total score (CARAT-T). Results: 410 patients (68% adults), with a median (percentile 25–percentile 75) age of 28 (16-46) years, were analysed. Three clusters were identified [mean CARAT-T (min-max)]: cluster 1 [27(24-30)], cluster 2 [19(14-23)] and cluster 3 [10(2-13)]. Patients in cluster 1 (34%) were characterised by better asthma control, better quality of life, higher inhaler adherence and use of a single inhaler. Patients in clusters 2 (50%) and 3 (16%) had uncontrolled asthma, lower inhaler adherence, more symptoms of anxiety and depression and more than half had at least one exacerbation in the previous year. Further-more, patients in cluster 3 were predominantly female, had more unscheduled medical visits and more anxiety symp-toms, perceived a higher necessity of their prescribed inhalers but also higher levels of concern about taking these inhalers. There were no differences in age, body mass index, lung function, smoking status, hospital admissions or specialist physician follow-up time among the three clusters. Conclusion: An unsupervised method based on CARAT--T, identified 3 clusters of patients with distinct, clinically meaningful characteristics. The cluster with better asthma control had a cut-off similar to the established in the validation study of CARAT and an additional cut-off seems to distinguish more severe disease. Further research is necessary to validate the asthma control clusters identified.publishersversionpublishe