Estudo preliminar sobre a contaminação microbiológica e a aplicação de boas práticas no manuseamento e preparação de medicamentos anestésicos em 19 centros de atendimento médico-veternário

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina VeterináriaAs infeções nosocomiais são uma realidade tanto em medicina humana como em medicina veterinária. Dada a crescente multi-resistência de microrganismos patogénicos às terapêuticas convencionais, a identificação de falhas humanas nos cuidados de saúde que favoreçam a sua transmissão é crucial. O acto anestésico é um procedimento que representa uma oportunidade privilegiada para o estabelecimento destas infeções, tendo em conta a enorme variedade e quantidade de medicamentos utilizados num só paciente. Inserido neste contexto, este estudo piloto procurou identificar uma fonte de contaminação e transmissão de agentes patogénicos em medicamentos anestésicos de apresentação multi-dose, através da sua análise microbiológica em ambiente clínico e hospitalar. O estudo contou com a participação de 19 CAMV, nos quais foram recolhidas amostras. As amostras recolhidas foram separadas em dois grupos: o grupo A (n=19) - medicamentos cujo excipiente possui alguma ação conservante, biocida ou bacteriostática e o grupo B (n=11) - medicamentos cujo excipiente não possui nenhuma das ações anteriores. No grupo A verificou-se 100% medicamentos negativos à contaminação e no grupo B observou-se 18,2% de positividade à contaminação bacteriana. Foram identificadas, nas duas amostras positivas, 3 isolados com potencial patogenicidade (Citrobacter braakii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa e Serratia marcescens) resistentes a várias classes de antibióticos (β-lactâmicos, tetraciclinas, cefalosporinas, quinolonas, trimetropim e sulfamidas). E foi, ainda, realizado um questionário relativamente às boas práticas de higiene e assepsia no maneio e preparação de medicamentos, revelando no geral uma fraca aplicação das mesmas, sendo coerente com os resultados microbiológicos: apenas 26,3% lava as mãos/usa luvas, 10,5% não utiliza material estéril, 15,78% re-utiliza a agulha no mesmo medicamento e 47,37% em medicamentos diferentes, 84,21% não desinfeta a tampa antes de preparar. Os resultados obtidos, apesar da amostra reduzida são indicativos da necessidade da melhoria das práticas utilizadas na manipulação de medicamentos anestésicos em apresentação multidose nos CAMV.ABSTRACT - PRELIMINARY STUDY ON MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION AND THE APPLICATION OF GOOD PRACTICES ON THE HANDLING AND PREPARATION OF ANESTHETIC DRUGS IN 19 CENTERS FOR MEDICAL-VETERINARY CARE - Nosocomial infections are a reality in both human and veterinary medicine. Given the increasing multi-resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to conventional therapies, the identification of human flaws in health care that favor their transmission is crucial. Anesthetic procedures represent a privileged opportunity for the establishment of these infections, taking into account the enormous variety and quantity of drugs used in a single patient. In this context, this pilot study sought to identify a source of contamination and transmission of pathogens in multidose presentation anesthetic drugs through microbiological analysis in clinical and hospital settings. The study counted on the participation of 19 CAMVs, in which samples were collected. The collected samples were separated into two groups: group A (n = 19) - drugs whose excipient has some conservative, biocidal or bacteriostatic action and group B (n = 11) - drugs whose excipient does not have any of the previous actions. In group A, 100% negative drugs were present, and in group B, 18.2% positivity to bacterial contamination was observed. Three bacteria with potential pathogenicity (Citrobacter braakii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens) resistant to several classes of antibiotics (β-lactams, tetracyclines, cephalosporins, quinolones, trimethoprim and sulfamides) were identified in the two positive samples. A questionnaire was carried out regarding the good practices of hygiene and asepsis in the management and preparation of drugs, generally revealing poor application of them, consistent with microbiological results: only 26.3% wash their hands / wear gloves, 10.5% do not use sterile material, 15.78% reuse the needle in the same drug and 47.37% on different drugs, 84.21% did not disinfect the cap prior to preparation. The results obtained, despite the reduced sample, are indicative of the need to improve the practices used in the manipulation of anesthetic drugs in multidose presentation in CAMV.N/

Thermal inactivation kinetics of Salmonella typhimurium in alheira sausage batter

The objective of this work was to characterise the heat resistance of Salmonella typhimurium (ST) in alheira sausage batter. Two batches of alheira batter were obtained from a producer and inoculated with an ST overnight culture to reach ~7.0 log CFU/g in alheira batter. Bags containing well-spread 10 g alheira batter were submitted in duplicate to temperatures of 63, 60, 57 and 54 °C in an immersion bath. A log-linear primary model fitted to each of the inactivation curves estimated the death rates of ST in alheira batter with coefficients of determination ranging between 0.914 and 0.987. Through a Bigelow model, the D-value was modelled as a function of temperature, resulting in a log D (Tref = 50 °C) of 2.302 (SE = 0.304), corresponding to 200 min at 50 °C to reduce ST in 1 log, and a z-value of 5.016 (SE = 0.839) °C.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). The authors are also grateful to the EU PRIMA programme, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for funding the ArtiSaneFood project (PRIMA/0001/2018).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Plataforma online para casos de estudo em cidades inteligentes

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia de Telecomunicações e InformáticaNos dias de hoje, com o crescimento populacional nas cidades, há cada vez mais a necessidade de adaptar as áreas urbanas de forma inteligente, face ao aumento da procura de eletricidade, água, alimentos, transportes e diversos serviços, visando para isso o desenvolvimento e produção de soluções inovadoras. Para tal, é necessá- rio que empresas, organizações, parceiros financeiros, entidades públicas e governos se afirmem na medida de alcançar, produzir e experimentar produtos e serviços que promovam cidades mais habitáveis e sustentáveis, denominadas por Cidades Inteligentes (Smart Cities). As Cidades Inteligentes estão a tornarem-se numa prioridade nas políticas dos países, na medida de serem uma estratégia de reindustrialização e de inovação inteligente, impulsionando a reinvenção das cidades a vários níveis como sustentabilidade, desenvolvimento económico, inclusão social e qualidade de vida. O conceito de Cidade Inteligente exige um conjunto de competências e uma capacidade em integrar soluções e sistemas em diversas áreas como em redes de energia, mobilidade, edifícios, serviços públicos e em Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC). Os projetos em Cidades Inteligentes têm como objetivo solucionar problemas urbanos através de soluções inovadoras e inteligentes. Muitas dessas soluções são obtidas através da utilização de sistemas Business Intelligence, que oferecem suporte à tomada de decisão e gestão de negócios, possibilitando uma análise de um grande volume de dados mais eficiente e rápida. E por essas vantagens o Business Intelligence é cada vez mais adotado pelo setor empresarial. Esta dissertação é desenvolvida em colaboração com a Unidade Operacional Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance, UNU-EGOV, sediada na Universidade do Minho, em Guimarães. O objetivo desta dissertação é o desenvolvimento de uma plataforma online capaz de analisar e armazenar dados sobre iniciativas em Cidades Inteligentes. Esta plataforma permite reunir informação sobre as diversas iniciativas em Cidades Inteligentes através de um formulário online. Os dados recolhidos são processados e analisados, com recurso à tecnologia OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) open source, para a elaboração de estatísticas e mapas geográficos referentes às Cidades Inteligentes. Deste modo, a plataforma proposta pretende constituir uma ferramenta útil para os decisores políticos e gestores, que tencionam implementar novas iniciativas em Cidades Inteligentes e aperfeiçoar as existentes, necessitando, para tal, de alguma orientação.Currently, the fast population growth in cities demands intelligent and innovative solutions capable of answer to the increasing given the increasing demand for electricity, water, food, transport and other services. In order to achieve this goal companies, organizations, financial partners, public authorities and governments, i.e. all stakeholders, must work together to produce new smart products and services that contribute affectively to livable and sustainable cities, called Smart Cities. The smart cities are becoming a priority in the strategies of several countries around the world. They are seen as the new reindustrialization era , which will allow the reinvention of cities at all levels: economic, environmental, mobility, governance, social and quality of live. The Smart City concept requires a set of skills and an ability to integrate solutions and systems in different areas, such as energy networks, mobility, buildings, public services and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). The projects in Smart Cities aim to solve urban problems through innovative and intelligent solutions. Many of these solutions are obtained through the use of Business Intelligence systems, that give support to the decision-making process and to the business management, enabling analysis of a large amounts of data more efficiently and quickly. The advantages offered by Business Intelligence systems are being harnessed by public and private sectors. This dissertation was developed in collaboration with Operating Unit on PolicyDriven Electronic Governance, UNU-EGOV, hosted in University of Minho and located in Guimarães. The goal of this dissertation was to develop an online plataform able to analyse and store the smart cities initiatives. The platform allows to collect data about the smart cities initiatives through out an online form. The data collected is processed and treated using open-source OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) technologies for producing aggregated statistics and maps regarding smart cities. The proposed platform intends to be an useful tool for policy-makers and managers, which want to implement new smart cities initiatives and need some guidance to run it

Modelling the kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus in goat's raw milk under different sub-pasteurisation temperatures

In this study, the heat resistance of S. aureus in goats raw milk subjected to thermisation temperatures was characterised through tests at various temperatures and modelling the survival curves using the Weibull model, through a two-step and an omnibus approach, which can model a full dataset covering all experimental conditions in one step. The fitting capacity of the secondary models obtained from the two-step approach was reasonable (adj. R2 > 0.639) and both demonstrated the negative linear effects of temperature on (p=0.0004) and (p=0.017). The fitting capacity of the omnibus model was more satisfactory (adj. R2=0.996) and also hinted at the negative linear effect of temperature on (p < 0.0001), with the added advantage that, in this model, random effects can be used to account for the variability in the parameters. Our study estimated the significant inactivation parameters and established a model capable of predicting S. aureus behaviour at various temperatures. This information is useful to create time-temperature tables to reach target log reductions of S. aureus in goats raw milk to be used by artisanal cheesemakers; hence providing an opportunity to increase the microbiological safety of cheeses made from unpasteurised milk.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020). They are also grateful to the EU PRIMA program and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for funding the ArtiSaneFood project (PRIMA/0001/2018). This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of the UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. B. N. Silva acknowledges the financial support provided by FCT through the Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/137801/2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Staphylococcus aureus inactivation in a non-ready-to-eat sausage during maturation: a dynamic model

The aim of this study was to model the effect of annatto (Bixa orellana) extract against S. aureus (SA) in a Portuguese non-ready-to-eat meat product (alheira sausage) during maturation. Alheira batter was prepared with 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, or 1.5% of lyophilised annatto extract and stuffed in pre-washed natural casings following inoculation with SA, then hung in a climatic-controlled chamber at 10 °C for 13 days. For every treatment, a dynamic model was adjusted and adequately fitted to all survival curves with residuals and root mean square errors between 0.0008–0.0016 and 0.029–0.040, respectively, producing significant parameter estimates. Therefore, the addition of annatto extracts significantly shortened the shoulder phase and decreased the time to achieve one log reduction, which, in practical terms, corresponded to up to 1.35 [SE = 0.08] log CFU/g reduction by the end of the 13-day maturation.U. Gonzales-Barron would like to thank the national funding by FCT, through the institutional scientific employment program-contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Microbial deterioration of lamb meat of portuguese origin as affected by its intrinsic properties

In Portugal, sheep and goat meat production constitutes 2.8% of the total meat production, with a self-sufficiency of ~82%. The main autochthonous sheep breeds exploited for meat production are Churra-Galega-Bragançana (CGB) and Bordaleira-de-Entre-Douro-e-Minho (BEDM), whose quality must be optimised in order to ensure adequate income levels for sheep producers. The study aimed to characterise the evolution of spoilage microorganisms in refrigerated vacuum-packed (VP) lamb meat from BEDM and CGB breeds; and elucidate how intrinsic properties of meat can affect its microbial spoilage. Meat from BEDM breed presented higher (p<.0001) populations of mesophiles, lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas spp. and psychrotrophic bacteria, since its higher ultimate pH (means: 5.77 for BEDM vs. 5.58 for CGB) accelerated spoilage rate (p<.0001). While water activity and protein content were not found to modulate microbial deterioration (p>0.05), the growth of spoilage bacteria was found to be exacerbated by higher moisture (p<.0001) and higher ash content (p<0.001). By contrast, a higher fat content retarded (p<.0001) the growth of spoilage bacteria in VP lamb meat. In order to extend the shelf-life of Portuguese-origin lamb meat, animal handling must be enhanced to minimise pre-slaughter stress, and a carcass classification system should be adopted towards the selection of fatter animals and chilled carcasses of optimal ultimate pH.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of lemon balm and spearmint extracts on the survival of S. aureus in goats raw milk cheese

Objectives: Evaluate the antimicrobial effect of spearmint and lemon balm extracts against S. aureus in goat’s raw milk cheeses during maturation; - Characterise the survival kinetic parameters of S. aureus by means of an extended Bigelow modelBNS acknowledges the financial support provided by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/137801/2018. The authors are grateful to EU PRIMA programme and FCT for funding the ArtiSaneFood project (PRIMA/0001/2018), and to FCT for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of lemon balm and spearmint extracts on the survival of s. aureus in goat's raw milk cheese

A previous investigation from our research group has revealed that lemon balm and spearmint hydroethanolic extracts present high inhibitory capacity in vitro against S. aureus. Raw milk cheeses have exhibited moderate prevalence of S. aureus, thus imposing a safety issue for consumers. In this sense, our work aimed to evaluate the antibacterial effect of lemon balm and spearmint extracts against S. aureus in goat’s raw milk cheeses during maturation, and to characterise the survival kinetic parameters of this pathogen by extended Bigelow models.B.N.S. acknowledges the financial support provided by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/137801/2018. The authors are grateful to the EU PRIMA programme and FCT for funding the ArtiSaneFood project (PRIMA/0001/2018), and to FCT for their financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). Gonzales-Barron acknowledges the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the Institutional Scientific Employment Programme contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bithiophene azo dyes bearing thiazole, benzothiazole and thiadiazole heterocycles: synthesis and comparative study of their photochromic properties

Although a large variety of diarylazo compounds are used in the design of optical materials, only a few reports concerning the photoisomerization of heterocyclic azo dyes can be found in the literature. In the last years our group reported for the first time the synthesis and characterization of heterocyclic azo dyes bearing thiophene and pyrrole moieties as thermally stable conducting materials, solvatochromic probes and nonlinear optical systems. The E/Z isomerizable N=N double bond within a conducting chain can work as molecular switch, making these (hetero)aryl azo systems promising candidates as photochromic materials [1-6]. As part of our continuing interest in heterocyclic azo dyes for optical applications we report here the synthesis of dithiazole azo dyes 4 using as coupling components bithiophene and thiadiazolyldiazonium salts and the comparative study of the photochromic properties of 4 classes of bithiophene azo dyes 1-4. This study reveals that the kinetics of the E-Z transformation of these systems is strongly influenced by the electronic nature of the heterocyclic diazene moiety as well as its position on the bithiophene system. Moreover, for benzothiazole 3 and thiadiazole 4 azo dyes the switching between the two photoisomers can be performed in 3 seconds with a significant conversion of the trans-isomer to the thermal unstable cis-isomer (19-21%) showing that they could be used as efficient photochromic materials. Thanks are due to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) and FEDER-COMPETE for financial support through the Centro de Química - Universidade do Minho, Projects PTDC/QUI/66251/2006 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007429), PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2011 (F-COMP-01-0124-FEDER-022716) and a PhD grant to M. C. R. Castro (SFRH/BD/78037/2011). [1] Coelho, P. J.; Castro, M. C. R.; Fonseca, A. M. C.; Raposo, M.M.M. Dyes Pigments 2012, 92, 745. [2] Raposo, M. M. M.; Castro, M. C. R.; Schellenberg, P.; Fonseca, A. M. C.; Belsley, M. Tetrahedron 2011, 67, 5189. [3] Raposo, M. M. M.; Fonseca, A. M. C.; Castro, M. C. R.; Belsley, M.; Cardoso, M. F. S.; Carvalho, L. M.; Coelho, P. J. Dyes Pigments 2011, 91, 62. [4] Raposo, M. M. M.; Castro, M. C. R.; Belsley, M.; Fonseca, A. M. C. Dyes Pigments 2011, 91, 454. [5] Coelho, P. J.; Carvalho, L. M.; Moura, J. C. V. P.; Raposo, M. M. M. Dyes Pigments 2009, 82, 130. [6] Coelho, P. J.; Carvalho, L. M.; Fonseca, A. M. C.; Raposo, M. M. M. Tetrahedron Lett 2006, 47, 3711