Evaluation of the effectiveness of a quaternary ammonium-based coating in preventing salmonella cross-contamination

Thousands of outbreaks caused by contaminated water or food are reported every year In Europe, it is estimated that in 2019 40 5 of the outbreaks occurred in the home environment[ 1 Domestic kitchens plays an important role in the transfer of foodborne disease causing agents[ 2 since most consumers use contaminated surfaces and equipment in food preparation[ 3 Campylobacter spp Salmonella spp Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli are pathogens that are commonly found on these surfaces, as they are transmitted by food, mainly of animal origin Food contact with these surfaces is a frequent source of cross contamination[ 4 The occurrence of cross contamination is still very common because when cells adhere to kitchen surfaces, they are not easily removed by common cleaning products 5 This difficulty in eliminating pathogens from surfaces in order to prevent contamination, together with the lack of consumer knowledge regarding correct food handling techniques, further increases the risk of cross contamination Household cleaning products have been incorporating antimicrobial agents ( chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid and aldehydes derived from glutamine) in their composition for several decades and have gained the trust of consumers, as they have a great ability to inactivate microorganisms through chemical oxidation However, these cleaning products are only in contact with microbial contaminants on surfaces shortly after application[ 6 One solution to get longer lasting protection is through antimicrobial surface coatingsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of the question “how long do I have left to live?” On a graduate students in palliative care

A formação avançada em Cuidados Paliativos possibilita o desenvolvimento de competências específicas nos estudantes. Objetivos: relatar a experiência vivenciada por uma estudante de pós-graduação, durante o seu estágio integrada numa equipa intra-hospitalar de suporte em cuidados paliativos (EIHSCP), a qual foi interpelada por um doente: “Quanto tempo me resta de vida?” e promover a reflexão sobre a angústia espiritual do doente e quais as ferramentas de gestão emocional que o enfermeiro necessita ter para, com perícia, gerir as emoções. Procedimento: Estudo descritivo, do tipo relato de experiência. A vivência descrita baseia-se na observação e registos efetuados durante seis visitas realizadas pela estudante e EIHSCP. Foi priorizado o relato das experiências na 1ª, 2ª, 3ª e 6ª visita, pela relevância dos dados. Os princípios éticos, inerentes ao relato da experiência, foram respeitados. Resultados: Doente do sexo masculino, em fim de vida, com adenocarcinoma pulmonar em estadio IV. Na primeira e restantes visitas manifestou vontade de ir para casa. A estudante desenvolveu o sentido de observação, utilizou a escuta ativa e o silêncio terapêutico. Na 2ª visita, foi abordada a possibilidade do apoio espiritual cristão. Esta abordagem despertou no doente a questão de âmbito espiritual “quanto tempo me resta de vida?”. A estudante confrontou-se com sentimentos de compaixão, medo e angústia espiritual, necessitando de desenvolver a autorreflexão. Na 3ª visita, houve a conferência familiar e a mãe do doente colocou a mesma questão. A estudante utilizou as ferramentas de consciencialização para com a família. Na 6ª visita, o doente continuava a perguntar “quanto tempo me resta?”, manifestando angústia por não se ter despedido da família e amigos. A estudante desenvolveu a compaixão, mantendo o conforto psico-espiritual do doente. Conclusão: A aprendizagem diferenciada em cuidados paliativos, dota o enfermeiro de ferramentas capazes de manter um cuidado humanizador para além das intervenções meramente tecnicistas.Advanced training in Palliative Care enables the development of specific skills in students. Aims: to report the experience of a postgraduate student during her internship integrated in an Hospital Palliative Care team (HPC) who was questioned by a patient: “How much time do I have left to live?” and promote reflection on the patient’s spiritual distress and what emotional management tools does the nurse need to have to manage emotions. Procedure: Descriptive study, experience report type. The experience described is based on the observation and records made during six visits by the student and the HPC. The report of the experiences in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th visits was prioritized due to the relevance of the data. Ethical principles, inherent to the report of experience, were respected. Male patient, at end of life, with stage IV pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Results: At the first and remaining visits, he expressed his wish to go home. The student developed a sense of observation and used active listening and therapeutic silence. At the 2nd visit, the possibility of Christian spiritual support was discussed. This approach aroused in the patient the spiritual question “how much time do I have left to live?”. The student needed to develop self-reflection when confronted with feelings of compassion, fear and spiritual anguish. At the 3rd visit, there was the family conference and the patient’s mother asked the same question. The student used the awareness tools for the family. At the 6th visit, the patient continued to ask “how much time do I have left?”, expressing anguish by not having said goodbye to his family and friends. The student developed compassion, maintaining the patient’s psycho-spiritual comfort. Conclusion: The differentiated learning in palliative care endows the nurse with tools capable of maintaining humanizing care beyond merely technical interventions

O Álbum (i)Material: O impacto da fotografia digital na produção do álbum de família

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Comunicação, especialização em Comunicação e ArtesO álbum de família é um objecto popular produzido desde a progressiva domesticação da fotografia, depois da introdução do medium em 1839. O livro que conta a história de uma vida em imagens é, tal como outros objectos fotográficos, caracterizado pela existência material que tanto proporciona ao sujeito uma experiência visual como uma experiência háptica. O álbum de família é um repositório de imagens que permite, dado o carácter indicial da fotografia, funcionar como registo dos momentos marcantes da vida pessoal e familiar e, consequentemente, estabelecer uma ligação entre o sujeito e o passado, num acto de rememoração. No entanto, com a introdução da fotografia digital e a progressiva substituição da química pela electrónica, conceitos como materialidade e indicialidade, que marcam a fotografia analógica, entram em ruptura. O trabalho tem como objectivo verificar a existência – ou não – de mudanças na forma como o álbum de família é produzido e experienciado a partir da entrada da fotografia digital no espaço doméstico

Contribution to Local Landscape Units definition in OTALEX II

OTALEX II is the Territorial and Environmental Observatory of Alentejo (Portugal) and Extremadura (Spain), co-financed by POCTEP, developed with the cross-border collaboration of several Portuguese and Spanish bodies. It is composed of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) created in 2007, SDI-OTALEX (www.ideotalex.eu), which is an exchange platform for geographic information and Webmapping services among project partners. The integration of environmental indicators such as landscape indicators, for the characterization and monitoring of the Alentejo Extremadura area is one of the most relevant components of the project. This paper reports the achievements in defining Local Landscape Units (LLU) for a pilot area of Central Alentejo – the Pardiela river basin. The methodological approach applied Geographic Information System tools to integrate soils, geomorphology and land cover. The land cover map applies the CORINE Land Cover Legend Level 5 to Central Alentejo at a scale of 1 : 10,000. This map contains variables related to vegetation, hydrology (streams and water bodies) and human settlements (buildings, equipment, roads). The validation of the results obtained for LLU with previously defined Landscape Units and potential vegetation mapping confirm the reliability and replicability of the present methodology for similar territories

Pediatric Thyroidectomy: Experience From a Portuguese Hospital

Background and objective Pediatric thyroid disease requiring surgery is rare. Thyroid nodules are a frequent indication for surgery and are mostly benign. However, up to 25% of cases can be malignant. In this study, we aimed to describe our center's experience with regard to pediatric thyroid surgery. Methods This was a retrospective transverse study involving pediatric patients who underwent thyroid surgery at a tertiary hospital between January 2010 and December 2021. Results A total of 14 patients underwent 15 surgeries. The main reason for referral to pediatric endocrinology was thyroid nodules (n=10). Thirteen fine needle aspirations (FNAs) were performed, with follicular tumor (n=6) being the most common finding. The median age of patients at surgery was 15.9 years [interquartile range (IQR): 14.0-16.8]. The most common surgical indications were the presence of a follicular tumor on FNA (n=5) and thyroid nodule size causing symptoms (n=5). There was one case of prophylactic thyroidectomy due to the identification of a multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) mutation. The most frequently described histopathology results were follicular adenoma (n=6) and colloid nodular goiter (n=6). Three postoperative complications were observed in three different patients: bilateral lesion of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, cervical hematoma, and transient hypoparathyroidism with hypocalcemia. Conclusion In our study, the most frequent surgical indication was a follicular tumor. A good correlation was found between FNA cytology and final histopathology results, which is in accordance with previous studies. This reinforces the importance of FNA in diagnosis and surgical planning. The rate of complications in our study is comparable to that in larger single-center series in the literature.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chronic respiratory diseases and quality of life in elderly nursing home residents

Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia–GERIA Project PTDC/SAU-SAP/ 116563/2010.Few studies have assessed the quality of life (QOL) related to chronic respiratory diseases in the elderly. In the framework of the geriatric study on the health effects of air quality in elderly care centers (GERIA) study, a questionnaire was completed by elderly subjects from 53 selected nursing homes. It included various sections in order to assess respiratory complaints, QOL (World Health Organization QOL (WHOQOL)-BREF), and the cognitive and depression status. The outcome variables were the presence of a score lower than 50 (publishersversionpublishe

Accuracy of faecal calprotectin and neutrophil Gelatinase B-associated Lipocalin in evaluating subclinical inflammation in UlceRaTIVE colitis-the ACERTIVE study

Background and Aims: Mucosal healing and histological remission are different targets for patients with ulcerative colitis, but both rely on an invasive endoscopic procedure. This study aimed to assess faecal calprotectin and neutrophil gelatinase B-associated lipocalin as biomarkers for disease activity in asymptomatic ulcerative colitis patients. Methods: This was a multicentric cross-sectional study including 371 patients, who were classified according to their endoscopic and histological scores. These results were evaluated alongside the faecal levels of both biomarkers. Results: Macroscopic lesions [i.e. endoscopic Mayo score >= 1] were present in 28% of the patients, and 9% had active disease according to fht Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity. Moreover, 21% presented with histological inflammation according to the Geboes index, whereas 15% and 5% presented with focal and diffuse basal plasmacytosis, respectively. The faecal levels of calprotectin and neutrophil gelatinase B-associated lipocalin were statistically higher for patients with endoscopic lesions and histological activity. A receiver operating characteristic-based analysis revealed that both biomarkers were able to indicate mucosal healing and histological remission with an acceptable probability, and cut-off levels of 150-250 mu g/g for faecal calprotectin and 12 mu g/g for neutrophil gelatinase B-associated lipocalin were proposed. Conclusions: Faecal calprotectin and neutrophil gelatinase B-associated lipocalin levels are a valuable addition for assessment of disease activity in asymptomatic ulcerative colitis patients. Biological levels of the analysed biomarkers below the proposed thresholds can rule out the presence of macroscopic and microscopic lesions with a probability of 75-93%. However, caution should be applied whenever interpreting positive results, as these biomarkers present consistently low positive predictive values.Portuguese IBD Group [GEDII - Grupo de Estudo da Doenca Inflamatcria Intestinal]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Experiences Of Mothers Of Children With Congenital Heart Disease

Introduction: This article discusses the experience of mothers during the process of falling ill of their children with congenital heart disease. Method: This is a descriptive research with qualitative approach conducted with nine mothers who had their babies admitted to a pediatric cardiology unit in a reference center for treatment of congenital heart disease in the North and Northeast regions in Brazil located in Fortaleza, Ceará. Information and reports on the experience of these mothers emerging from the diagnosis process, surgery, treatment and hospitalization were collected in semi-structured individual interviews. After interviews, the testimonies of mothers were transcribed in full-length, identifying the speeches with the codes M1, M2,...M9, thereby ensuring anonymity. We used the thematic analysis technique of Minayo (2012) for treatment of information and design of the content of this article. This article is part of the research project: Breastfeeding babies with heart disease, approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Messejana Hospital, under Opinion No 1,285,784. Results: The study demonstrated that infants with congenital heart disease require specific and specialized care and that mothers undertake a long and sometimes painful journey in the search for the healing of their child. Conclusion: Based on the collected speeches, we learned that mothers also need to be assisted by professionals of the health team. They must support the mother's empowerment in the child care and strengthen the relationship of the mother-infant binomial, and help in coping and adapting to the reality in the process of falling ill and healing of their child.   Key words: Congenital heart disease. Experience of mother

Preclinical validation of a new hybrid molecule loaded in liposomes for melanoma management

The aggressiveness of melanoma and lack of effective therapies incite the discovery of novel strategies. Recently, a new dual acting hybrid molecule (HM), combining a triazene and a ʟ-tyrosine analogue, was synthesized. HM was designed to specifically be activated by tyrosinase, the enzyme involved in melanin biosynthesis and overexpressed in melanoma. HM displayed remarkable superior antiproliferative activity towards various cancer cell lines compared with temozolomide (TMZ), a triazene drug in clinical use, that acts through DNA alkylation. In B16-F10 cells, HM induced a cell cycle arrest at phase G0/G1 with a 2.8-fold decrease in cell proliferation index. Also, compared to control cells, HM led to a concentration-dependent reduction in tyrosinase activity and increase in caspase 3/7 activity. To maximize the therapeutic performance of HM in vivo, its incorporation in long blood circulating liposomes, containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) at their surface, was performed for passively targeting tumour sites. HM liposomes (LIP HM) exhibited high stability in biological fluids. Preclinical studies demonstrated its safety for systemic administration and in a subcutaneous murine melanoma model, significantly reduced tumour progression. In a metastatic murine melanoma model, a superior antitumour effect was also observed for mice receiving LIP HM, with markedly reduction of lung metastases compared to positive control group (TMZ). Biodistribution studies using 111In-labelled LIP HM demonstrated its ability for passively targeting tumour sites, thus correlating with the high therapeutic effect observed in the two experimental murine melanoma models. Overall, our proposed nanotherapeutic strategy was validated as an effective and safe alternative against melanoma.</p

The (dis)engagement of mangrove forests and mangrove rice in academic and non-academic literature on Guinea-Bissau-a systematic review protocol

Background: Coastal areas in Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere in West Africa are bordered by mangrove forests. In several of these places, swaths of mangrove forest have been removed and the landscape has been technologically adapted for the production of mangrove rice-a regionally important staple. However, the effects of global warming, in particular sea-level rise, pose challenges to these socioecological environments. In this context, knowledge appears as an important resource and knowing what knowledge has been produced and which perspectives have guided that production may inform future responses to climate change. We have developed a systematic literature review protocol focusing on the main question: "How have mangrove forest and mangrove rice spaces been represented in the literature on Guinea-Bissau?" The main hypothesis is that although they occupy contiguous, interrelated and interactant spaces in coastal environments, mangrove forests and mangrove rice have been studied and analyzed independently in the literature. Methods: This is a protocol for conducting a systematic review that will include academic and non-academic literature in Portuguese, English and French. The academic literature will be retrieved from both Web of Science and Scopus using Boolean expressions. The non-academic literature will be accessed from relevant institutions, specialized libraries, and reference lists of previously selected items. Data extraction will follow a standard procedure based on an information sheet. Our analysis will be both qualitative (inductive and deductive coding, content analysis) and quantitative (word clouds, descriptive statistics and statistical testing). Discussion: This systematic review will provide information about the conceptual framework that has been produced through research, policymaking, and conservation and development programs in the management of coastal areas. This study will identify the limitations of previous approaches and contribute to both future research and strategies for planning adaptation to climate change. Finally, the outputs will add to broader debates about people-nature coexistence and climate change adaptation and mitigation