Violência Doméstica. Manual de Recursos para a Rede de Intervenção Integrada do Distrito de Évora

A violência doméstica tem vindo, cada vez mais, a assumir uma enorme centralidade no debate público. Sinal dessa centralidade crescente traduz-se na ocupação frequente do es-paço mediático com notícias quantas vezes escandalosas, se não mesmo chocantes e pró-prias de filmes de terror. Todavia, a discussão relativa ao fenómeno da violência doméstica precisa de ultrapassar o ritmo da ocorrência de fenómenos mediáticos e transformar-se numa preocupação diária de toda a sociedade. Mas precisamos, acima de tudo, que se passe do nível da preocupação e da discussão para o da ação. Isto porque a violência doméstica é um fenómeno com uma expressão muito maior do que a que é traduzida no espaço mediático, com repercussões gravíssimas ao nível da saúde das vítimas e com repercussões económicas nada desprezíveis. Porém, a razão central que nos deve mobilizar para a ação é da ordem dos princípios, quer estes se enunciem ao nível da ética, quer da Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos ou outras declarações similares. A condição de humanos obriga-nos, a todos, que exijamos que cada um seja tratado com total dignidade, independentemente da sua condição. Mais, obriga-nos a ser particularmente rigorosos nessa exigência quando o outro é alguém com vulnerabilidades manifestas

Potencial de radão em setores da Zona de Ossa Morena

O radão é considerado a maior fonte de exposição a radiação ionizante dentro de habitações, motivo pelo qual é essencial conhecer a sua distribuição espacial. Este trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo do potencial de radão de rochas aflorantes na Zona de Ossa Morena (ZOM). Para tal, foram colhidas 132 amostras nos principais setores da ZOM. Os resultados obtidos demonstram a enorme variabilidade das propriedades radiológicas e físicas nas litologias analisadas. As atividades de 226Ra e de radão são, em média, inferiores nas rochas calco-silicatadas e rochas ígneas básicas e ultrabásicas e superiores nas rochas graníticas e sienitos. Os metassedimentos, rochas de alto grau metamórfico, granodioritos, dioritos e tonalitos apresentam atividades de 226Ra e de radão intermédias e similares entre si. A porosidade, que determina a capacidade de migração de radão no meio, é superior nos metassedimentos e inferior nas rochas ígneas, independentemente do seu caráter

Impact of hypoxic and anaerobic environments on multidrug-resistance of emerging species found in cystic fibrosis airways

OBJECTIVES: It is well-known the establishment of steep oxygen gradients in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways mucus, giving rise to hypoxic or anaerobic zones in the deeper mucus layers, where traditional and atypical bacteria may accommodate and proliferate to biofilms. This study aimed to compare the influence of low-oxygen atmospheres on biofilm growth and susceptibility profiles of the CF-atypical species Inquilinus limosus and Dolosigranulum pigrum with the traditional Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS: Single biofilms encompassing each species were formed in vitro under aerobic, micraerophilic and anaerobic environments, and further evaluated in terms of biomass and respiratory activity. The antibiotic resistance propensity of planktonic and biofilm-cells was also analyzed by measuring the MICs and MBECs, respectively. RESULTS: Both traditional and unusual species were proficient to develop biofilms under all oxygen environments, with the facultative anaerobe D. pigrum demonstrating the greatest facility to accumulate high amounts of biomass and respiratory activities. Regarding the resistance propensity, planktonic populations of P. aeruginosa and D. pigrum showed antibiotic tolerance under non oxygen-restricted environments, reducing their resistance under micraerophilic and anaerobic conditions. Independently of the oxygen availability, it was noticed a markedly decline of the antibiotic action against the pre-established biofilms, requiring higher doses to eliminate biofilm-encased cells. Although the resistance of P. aeruginosa biofilms has displayed the same tendency as the planktonic populations, the biofilm consortia involving I. limosus and D. pigrum became exceptionally more resistant to antibiotics when compared to those bacteria seeded from the biofilms, persevering this multidrug resistance under hypoxic and anaerobic atmospheres. CONCLUSION: This study highlights a potential prospect on the impact of non-conventional organisms on CF lung infections, showing their great capacity to easily adapt to biofilm mode of life under atmospheres with restricted oxygen, as it is believed to occur in CF airways, which may endanger the efficacy of current antibiotic regimens in CF

Synergistic interactions within polymicrobial biofilms formed by atypical and conventional species in cystic fibrosis

A complex microbial ecosystem is present in Cystic fibrosis (CF)-airways, with uncommon species co-existing and establishing dynamic interactions with traditional pathogens. This study aimed to examine in vitro biofilm formation and susceptibility patterns of two CF-atypical bacteria, Inquilinus limosus (IL) and Dolosigranulum pigrum (DP), when associated to P. aeruginosa (PA), under oxygen-atmospheres resembling CF airways. The ability of IL and DP to form dual- and three-species biofilms with PA and to resist against antibiotics was evaluated under in vitro oxygen-restricted conditions. The fitness of biofilms was compared with monospecies consortia by individual species. Atypical species were able to develop biofilms with PA, presenting a great extent of adhesion in microtiter plate wells and achieving high cell-densities over 24h of growth. Three-species populations were well-adapted to poor-oxygen environments, showing high growth rates in these conditions. Both dual- and three-species biofilms were significantly resistant to most antibiotics, with minimum biofilm eradication concentrations (MBECs) in most cases not achievable (>1024 mg/L). Comparing with monospecies consortia, the presence of IL and DP did not disturb PA biofilms, resulting in most cases in polymicribial biofilms with increased biomass, activity and antibiotic resistance, which persisted under oxygen-restricted environments. This study evidenced the contribution of some atypical species to develop resilient polymicrobial biofilms with PA in CF-airway oxygen conditions. Hence, CF treatment will only be successful after recognizing CF-infection as polymicrobial and upon exhaustive modulation of ecological processes, which will be useful to predict the effects of new therapeutic interventions

Polymicrobial biofilms in cystic fibrosis – the role of atypical bacteria in the consortia and impact in antibiotic treatment

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is characterized by high rates of morbidity and mortality caused by pulmonary microbial infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is typically the prevailing pathogen in the airways of CF patients. However, an emergent and diverse microbial community inhabiting CF lungs has been disclosed, but how it interacts and contributes to the polymicrobial consortia with CF-common pathogens is still to be revealed. The mail goal of this study was to address the behavior of two CF-atypical bacteria, Inquilinus limosus (IL) and Dolosigranulum pigrum (DP), when associated to P. aeruginosa (PA) under oxygen-atmospheres resembling CF airways. For this, those bacteria were grown in dual- and three-species populations with P. aeruginosa in variable oxygen conditions and biofilms were thoroughly characterized for biomass, activity, CFU numbers, antibiotic resistance profiles and relative distributions of bacterial populations. Dual-species consortia were of difficult eradication, with most antibiotics being ineffective in reducing biofilm-bacteria, particularly under low-oxygen atmospheres. Regarding microbial composition, these biofilms presented similar bacterial proportions, whereas P. aeruginosa and D. pigrum dominated the three-species consortia, with I. limosus being the smallest representative population. In general, biofilm compositions changed as a result of antibiotic treatment, with alterations being dependent on the antibiotic, concentration and oxygen condition implemented. P. aeruginosa and I. limosus dual-biofilms exhibited higher antibiotic resistance, with I. limosus persisting and occupying a significant portion together with P. aeruginosa in the overall biofilm after antibiotic treatment. Interestingly, the three-species biofilms displayed higher sensitivity, with D. pigrum and/or P. aeruginosa dominating and I. limosus populations declining in most cases. This suggests that the preponderance of D. pigrum in the biofilm was decisive to decrease I. limosus and lead to an increase in overall sensitivity of the biofilm to a large number of antibiotics. PNA FISH allowed the direct observation of the location and distribution of the three-species species within the biofilms, corroborating the dominance of D. pigrum and P. aeruginosa within the mixed-species consortia and facilitating the understanding of the real complex interactions among the bacterial species. Data highlighted that emergent species are able to establish polymicrobial consortia with common pathogens in the airways of CF patients, modulating different social activities into those communities and impacting the CF therapeutics

Emergent bacteria in cystic fibrosis: in vitro biofilm formation and resilience under variable oxygen conditions

Concurrently to conventional bacterial pathogens, unusual microbes are emerging from cystic fibrosis (CF) airways. Nonetheless, little is known about the contribution of these newly microbes for the resilience of CF-associated biofilms, particularly under variable oxygen concentrations that are known to occur in vivo in the mucus of CF patients. Two CF-emergent bacterial species, Inquilinus limosus and Dolosigranulum pigrum, and the major pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa were studied in terms of biofilm development and antibiotic susceptibilities under in vitro atmospheres with different oxygen availabilities. All species were able to develop in vitro biofilms under different oxygen-available environments, with D. pigrum accumulating high amounts of biomass and respiratory activities. When established, biofilms were of difficult eradication, with antibiotics loosing their effectiveness in comparison with the corresponding planktonic populations. Surprisingly, biofilms of each emergent organism displayed multi-drug resistance under aerobic environments, enduring even in low-oxygen atmospheres. This study suggests a potential prospect on the impact of non-conventional organisms I. limosus and D. pigrum on CF lung infections, demonstrating capacity to adapt to biofilm mode of life under restricted-oxygen atmospheres resembling CF airways, which may ultimately endanger the efficacy of currently-used antibiotic regimens.The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Grant SFRH/BD/47613/2008 to S. P. Lopes) and by the ANTIPEP Project (PTDC/SAU-SAP/113196/2009). The authors also acknowledge Dr. Michael Surette (University of Calgary, AB, Canada) for kindly providing I. limosus strain

Impact of environments with distinct oxygen availability on biofilm growth and susceptibility patterns of traditional and emerging species in Cystic Fibrosis

One of the main manifestations of cystic fibrosis (CF) is a decreased clearance of mucus with concomitant bacterial lung infections. Infections are caused by a wide variety of organisms, which includes not only the typical “residents” but also other uncommon bacteria. It has been widely demonstrated that steep oxygen gradients exist within the mucus layers of cystic fibrosis, giving rise to hypoxic/anaerobic areas where bacteria may colonize and proliferate. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the responses of conventional and atypical bacterial species related with CF, when exposed to environments with different oxygen availability, in terms of biofilm growth and antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Single biofilms of the traditional pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and two uncommon pathogenic bacteria, Inquilinus limosus and Dolosigranulum pigrum, were formed in vitro under aerobic, microaerophilic and anaerobic environments in microtiter plates, and their biomass and respiratory activity were further evaluated. The planktonic and biofilm susceptibility patterns were also tested against eight clinically relevant antibiotics under the same conditions, by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC), respectively. All organisms showed ability to grow under milieus with distinct oxygen availability, however, D. pigrum developed biofilms with a higher amount of biomass and respiratory activity, particularly those formed under microaerophilic conditions. The susceptibility patterns of planktonic cultures revealed antibiotic tolerance of microorganisms under aerobic environments, decreasing their resistance under environments with oxygen depletion. However, MBEC data were significantly higher than MIC values for most antibiotics, revealing that the bactericidal activity was significantly disturbed once biofilms are established. Moreover, the biofilms formed by the atypical species surprisingly exhibited significant multidrug resistance comparing with P. aeruginosa biofilms, which was independent of oxygen availability in the environment. This study enabled to conclude that restricted-oxygen atmospheres, as occurs in CF airways, may favor the growth and colonization of other microorganisms that are not conventional, making biofilms more resistant to antibiotics. Thus, CF must be regarded as an environmental habitat where the existence of hypoxic or anaerobic regions affects the ability of the bacteria to allocate, proliferate and resist to antibiotics. A more detailed knowledge on this area might hence be crucial for the success of infection treatment

Role of oxygen-restricted environments in biofilm growth and susceptibility profiles of traditional and atypical bacterial species in cystic fibrosis

It has been widely demonstrated that different predisposing “local environmental” conditions exist within the cystic fibrosis (CF) airways. Steep oxygen gradients are frequently detected in CF airways and may give rise to hypoxic or even anaerobic zones, providing nutritionally rich growth environments where bacteria may penetrate and accommodate, and being also responsible for the increase of antimicrobial resistance of most microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of aerobic, microaerophilic and anaerobic environments in biofilm growth and susceptibility patterns of the conventional CF-pathogen P. aeruginosa and other two atypical species related with CF. Single biofilms formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and two uncommon CF-related bacteria, Inquilinus limosus and Dolosigranulum pigrum, were formed in vitro under environments with distinct oxygen availability, and their biomass and respiratory activity were further evaluated. The planktonic and biofilm susceptibility patterns to eight clinically relevant antibiotics were also determined under the same oxygen conditions, by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC), respectively. The results obtained showed that both bacterial species, the traditional and unusual, were able to grow under the distinct environments, with D. pigrum demonstrating a great capability to develop biofilms with higher amount of biomass and higher respiratory activity, particularly when formed under microaerophilic atmospheres. Concerning the susceptibility profiles, all the planktonic cultures showed antibiotic tolerance under aerobic environments, decreasing their resistance under oxygen-restricted environments. As expected, biofilms were notoriously more difficult to eradicate than the same bacteria in the planktonic state (MBECs higher than MICs) which was independent of the oxygen availability within the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the biofilm consortia involving the atypical species were particularly more resistant to most antibiotics than the biofilms formed by the traditional pathogen P. aeruginosa, revealing the ineffectiveness of most antibiotics when applied to those atypical biofilms. This study suggests that the environment where bacteria grow is of great importance, demonstrating that the biofilm formation of traditional and other non-conventional bacteria is favored by restricted-oxygen atmospheres, as occurs in CF airways, which also makes biofilms more resistance to antibiotics. The recognition of CF lung as an environmental habitat, comprising niches ranging from oxic to anoxic, that can be occupied and colonized by a set of different microbial species, could lead to a better understanding of the clinical repercussions that these CF-associated infections can origin and may assist improvements in the management of CF and eventually in the treatment of other pathologies

Disorder Induced Localized States in Graphene

We consider the electronic structure near vacancies in the half-filled honeycomb lattice. It is shown that vacancies induce the formation of localized states. When particle-hole symmetry is broken, localized states become resonances close to the Fermi level. We also study the problem of a finite density of vacancies, obtaining the electronic density of states, and discussing the issue of electronic localization in these systems. Our results also have relevance for the problem of disorder in d-wave superconductors.Comment: Replaced with published version. 4 pages, 4 figures. Fig. 1 was revise