Numa encruzilhada de influências: entre alimentação, família e saúde

Dissertação de mestrado em Sociologia (área de especialização em Saúde e Sociedade)No contexto social e na investigação sociológica a preocupação com a saúde é uma constante nos nossos dias! Brinda-se "à saúde" porque é a maior riqueza que um indivíduo e sociedade podem ter, estando em causa a própria vida humana. Neste sentido a família exerce um papel crucial. É aqui que se aprendem e interiorizam os primeiros elementos culturais onde, em grande parte, se inscrevem os gostos alimentares (Leandro et al, 2010: 58). Revele-se, igualmente, a importância da alimentação sobre a saúde, fenómeno, que, aliás, vem sendo destacado por todas as instâncias nacionais e internacionais que se ocupam destas questões. Porém, em termos materiais, os principais cuidados a este propósito, continuam a caber maioritariamente à família, pesem embora as respectivas mudanças. Daí que as causas das doenças ainda que variadas estejam muito ligadas aos hábitos, aos modos e estilos de vida não sendo estes alheios do contexto familiar. Por outro lado, este interage com a sociedade e as suas características: uma situação e pobreza pode dar azo à subnutrição; ao invés, uma sociedade desenvolvida ao excesso alimentar muito frequentemente, recorre aos químicos de toda a ordem, inclusive àqueles que interferem na mudança dos gostos alimentares. Para estudar este fenómeno socorremo-nos de uma metodologia essencialmente de carácter quantitativo, onde o inquérito por questionário foi a principal fonte de informação. Assim, foram inquiridas 1067 famílias em quatro concelhos de regiões diferenciadas do país: noroeste, nordeste, oeste e sul. Foram também realizadas 9 entrevistas no concelho de Évora. Através dos dados recolhidos procuramos analisar a problemática que nos ocupa neste trabalho, isto é, a relação entre a família, os regimes alimentares e os seus efeitos sobre a saúde.In the social context and sociological research the concern with health is a constant in our everyday life! You toast "the health" because it is the greatest wealth that an individual and society can have, being human life itself at stake. In this sense family plays a crucial role. Here you learn and interiorize the very first cultural elements where food tastes are largely registered (Leandro et al, 2010: 58). You should also point out the importance of the diet on health, a phenomenon which, moreover, has been highlighted by all national and international bodies dealing with these issues. However, in material terms, the main purpose of this care, continue to lie mostly to the family, despite their changes. Hence, the various and different causes of diseases are still closely linked to the habits, ways and lifestyles, which are not strange to the family context. On the other hand, it interacts with society and its characteristics: a certain situation and poverty can lead to malnutrition and, instead, a developed society with food in excess very often turns to chemicals of all kinds, including those that interfere in the change of food tastes. To study this phenomenon we used a methodology of an essentially quantitative nature, where the survey questionnaire was the main source of information. Thus, 1067 households were surveyed in four districts of the country's different regions: northwest, northeast, west and south. Nine interviews were also conducted in the municipality of Évora. Using the data collected we sought to analyze the problem that concerns us in this work, that is, the relationship between family, diet and their effects on health

Realização e produção de vídeo no ensino básico : um estudo com alunos do 6.ºano

A aprendizagem deve ser activa e participativa, desenvolvendo a criatividade e os hábitos de pesquisa, análise e reflexão. Este estudo pretende verificar até que ponto a audiovideografia (realização de filmes pelos alunos, passando por todas a fases de concepção, produção e realização) pode ser mediadora de novas formas de aprendizagem e contribuir para uma aprendizagem significativa. Envolveu uma turma de 27 alunos do 6º ano de escolaridade, enquadra-se no paradigma qualitativo, constituindo um estudo de caso em ambiente de investigação-acção crítica. Estes alunos adquiriram conhecimentos e desenvolveram competências, confirmando que a audiovideografia tem grande potencial educacional, promovendo estratégias em que a interacção, a aprendizagem de conteúdos, o desenvolvimento da autonomia e o prazer de aprender são realidades possíveisLearning should be active, developing students‘ creativity, research habits, analysis and reflection. This essay aims to verify to which extent audio videography (the making of video by students, throughout all phases of design, production and making) may be mediating new ways of learning and contribute to a meaningful learning. This project involved a class of 27 students, from the 6th grade, considered in a qualitative paradigm frame, composing a study case in an environment of critique research. These students have acquire knowledge and developed skills, corroborating that audio videography has a great educational potential, promoting strategies in which interaction, contents learning, the development of autonomy and pleasure of learning become possible realitie

The role of coagulase-negative Staphylococci biofilms on late-onset sepsis: current challenges and emerging diagnostics and therapies

Infections are one of the most significant complications of neonates, especially those born preterm, with sepsis as one of the principal causes of mortality. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), a group of staphylococcal species that naturally inhabit healthy human skin and mucosa, are the most common cause of late-onset sepsis, especially in preterms. One of the risk factors for the development of CoNS infections is the presence of implanted biomedical devices, which are frequently used for medications and/or nutrient delivery, as they serve as a scaffold for biofilm formation. The major concerns related to CoNS infections have to do with the increasing resistance to multiple antibiotics observed among this bacterial group and biofilm cells’ increased tolerance to antibiotics. As such, the treatment of CoNS biofilm-associated infections with antibiotics is increasingly challenging and considering that antibiotics remain the primary form of treatment, this issue will likely persist in upcoming years. For that reason, the development of innovative and efficient therapeutic measures is of utmost importance. This narrative review assesses the current challenges and emerging diagnostic tools and therapies for the treatment of CoNS biofilm-associated infections, with a special focus on late-onset sepsis.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the project with the reference EXPL/BIA-MIC/0032/2021.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Induced resistance to vancomycin impairs biofilm formation by S. epidermidis

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), particularly Staphylococcus epidermidis, are one of the leading causes of sepsis in preterm neonates mostly due to their capacity to form biofilms on medical devices. A major concern regarding CoNS infections is associated with the increased antibiotic resistance that has been observed among this bacterial group. Hence, the treatment of these infections is becoming progressively challenging, which may lead to increased morbidity and mortality in preterm neonates. In that sense, we aim to explore the consequences of antibiotic resistance in biofilm formation by S. epidermidis. First, the susceptibility profile of S. epidermidis strains collected from Portuguese newborns with bloodstream infections was characterized. To induce resistance to vancomycin, the susceptible strains were exposed to increasing concentrations of the antibiotic and, after 36 passages, the MIC was re-evaluated and the capacity of vancomycin-induced resistance strains to form biofilms was assessed (Colony forming units (CFUs) and OD620nm readings). Overall, the strains with induced resistance to vancomycin formed biofilms with less biomass and CFUs than the isogenic strains. The acquisition of resistance to vancomycin in clinical strains of S. epidermidis seems to cause a decrease in the capacity of these strains to form biofilms. As such, in S. epidermidis, the resistance to vancomycin does not seem to be related to a stronger biofilm formation capacity.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the project EXPL/BIA-MIC/0032/2021.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can commercial horse or sheep blood replace fresh human blood in an ex vivo model to study S. epidermidis virulence?

[Excerpt] Staphylococcus epidermidis, a commensal bacterium of healthy human skin and mucosae, can cause serious bloodstream infections such as bacteremia and sepsis. These infections are very hard to cure with current antimicrobial strategies and, thus, it is urgent to find new treatment options. To do so, the study of S. epidermidis virulence factors is of utmost importance. Therefore, the ex vivo human blood model has gained special interest because it enables the study of S. epidermidis behavior in the context of a bloodstream infection. However, this model presents limitations, mainly related to the availability of donors, complicating its implementation in the academic context. To overcome this limitation, the possibility of replacing fresh human blood by commercial blood from other mammals was evaluated. [...]This study was supported by FCT through the funded project PTDC/BIA-MOL/29553/2017, under the scope of COMPETE2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029553) and by the strategic funding of unit UID/BIO/04469/2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transcriptome mining to identify molecular markers for the diagnosis of Staphylococcus epidermidis bloodstream infections

Bloodstream infections caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis are often misdiagnosed since no diagnostic marker found so far can unequivocally discriminate true infection from sample contamination. While attempts have been made to find genomic and/or phenotypic differences between invasive and commensal isolates, possible changes in the transcriptome of these isolates under in vivo-mimicking conditions have not been investigated. Herein, we characterized the transcriptome, by RNA sequencing, of three clinical and three commensal isolates after 2 h of exposure to whole human blood. Bioinformatics analysis was used to rank the genes with the highest potential to distinguish invasive from commensal isolates and among the ten genes identified as candidates, the gene SERP2441 showed the highest potential. A collection of 56 clinical and commensal isolates was then used to validate, by quantitative PCR, the discriminative power of the selected genes. A significant variation was observed among isolates, and the discriminative power of the selected genes was lost, undermining their potential use as markers. Nevertheless, future studies should include an RNA sequencing characterization of a larger collection of isolates, as well as a wider range of conditions to increase the chances of finding further candidate markers for the diagnosis of bloodstream infections caused by S. epidermidis.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of the unit [UIDB/04469/2020]. S.B. was supported by a fellowship granted by a Doctoral Advanced Training [NORTE-69-2015-15] funded by the European Social Fund under the scope of NORTE2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social representations of human development

Nesse estudo, interessou-nos conhecer os elementos das representações sociais do desenvolvimento humano em suas diferentes fases. Foi realizado um estudo orientado metodologicamente pela Teoria do Núcleo Central. Um questionário de categorização foi preenchido por 210 educadores distribuídos em quatro subgrupos (60 educadores de crianças, 60 de adolescentes, 60 de adultos e 30 de idosos). Além dos elementos constituintes das representações de desenvolvimento, esse estudo permitiu-nos identificar sua organização interna. Nossos resultados mostram que a criança foi associada com brincadeiras, inocência e dependência; o adolescente com transformações no corpo, crises existenciais e sexualidade; o adulto com produtividade, trabalho, estabilidade e, o idoso com sabedoria e experiência.The aim of this study was to identify elements of social representations about life-span development, guided by the Theory of the Central Core. A questionnaire was filled out by 210 educators, distributed in four groups (60 children educators, 60 adolescent educators, 60 adult educators and 30 senior citizen educators). The study allowed the idenfication of elements of social representations about development and its internal organization. The results indicated that the child was associated with games, innocence and dependence; the adolescent with body transformations, existencial crisis and sexuality; the adult with productivity, work, stability and the senior citizen with wisdom and experience

For a pedagogy of commitment

Uma das questões centrais no campo da educação é: como fazer com que alunos ou filhos se comportem como seus professores ou pais desejam? É objetivo deste artigo responder a esta questão, propondo uma abordagem educativa que se apóia na psicologia do compromisso. O interesse desta abordagem, chamada pedagogia do compromisso, é duplo: (1) ela aumenta as chances de se obter sem impor e, sobretudo, (2) ela favorece a interiorização de valores educativos, familiares e de cidadania. Esta pedagogia tem, além disso, o mérito de estar em consonância com a psicologia social experimental. Algumas técnicas que permitem aumentar a probabilidade de ver alguém fazer livremente o que se espera dele são evocadas: a técnica do “dar-o-primeiro-passo” (dar-o-primeiro-passo com demanda explicita; dar-o-primeiro-passo com etiquetagem), a técnica do “tocar” e a técnica do “você é livre para...”. O artigo termina com quatro princípios de ação suscetíveis de otimizar as práticas educativas: o princípio da liberdade, o princípio do primado da ação, o princípio da naturalização e o princípio da desnaturalização.One of the main questions in the field of education is: how to get students or children to behave the way their parents or teachers wish. The aim of the present article is to try to answer this question, proposing an educative approach based on the psychology of commitment. The interests of this approach, called Pedagogy of Commitment are: (1) it increases the chances of obtaining without imposing, and, specially, (2) it favors the internalization of educative, family and citizenship values. Besides that, this pedagogy has the merit of being in line with the experimental social psychology. Some techniques which allow to raise the probability of seeing someone freely do what is expected from them are evoked: the “foot-in-the-door technique” (foot-in-the-door with explicit demand; foot-in-the-door with label); the technique of “touch” and the technique of “you are free to…”. The article ends with four principles of action, susceptible to optimize the educative practices: the principle of freedom, the principle of primacy of action, the principle of naturalization and the principle of denaturalization

Editorial: Women in biofilms vol. II

Editorial on the Research Topic Women in biofilms vol. II(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New trends in tourism research - A Polish perspective

This Monograph is composed with selected articles of PhD students from many Polish universities. These articles are a selection of papers submitted to the II International Conference of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation 2014 (EJTHR 2014), that took place in Poznan (Poland), on 19th -21st May, 2014. The Conference was co-organized by the following entities: - GITUR – Tourism Research Unit of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (Portugal) - European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation - EJTHR - University School of Physical Education in Poznan (Poland) - University of Economy in Bydgoszcz (Poland)The monograph “New Trends in Tourism Research - A Polish Perspective” is just one of three outcomes of the II International Conference promoted in Poznan, Poland (19th – 21st May 2014) that was organised by EJTHR - European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation2. The uniqueness of this publication is the fact that all the selected articles are authored by Polish Ph.D. students from many universities, choosing tourism as their main research subject. As a mechanism that works flawlessly, the international conferences organized by the EJTHR are meant to work as a leverage in promoting tourism research, particularly in the host country. This way, a significant amount of Polish young people doing their first steps in Tourism Research were challenged to present their studies in the conference and to publish heir papers after double-blind peer review process. As a result, a total of seventeen authored by twenty four PhD students were selected for publishing in this monograph.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio