Surveillance and prevention culicidae vectors - the portuguese case

Introduction: Dengue and Zika are considered a disease of the XXI re-emerging century are a major public health problems in the world, not only because it affects thousands of people, since the mosquito Aedes aegypti tends to reproduce in homes but also because it is considered one of the most important viral diseases transmitted by animals. Health surveillance for Environmental Health of the environment, and its mission is to analyze, prevent and correct the health risks, which are environmental or potential. It is in this sense that environmental health is as important to end this disease, and in the meantime to prevent it does not affect human health. Objetives: Tracking the presence of Culicidae Vectors in Portugal. Methods: The study is based on data from DGS program and INSA, Revive, which plating the presence of mosquitoes and larvae that can cause contamination and diseases originating from mosquitoes, the analysis of these data and the other allows us to see the need for prophylactic care to have in our country, especially in Madeira, which, for its location and climate can foster the emergence of these. Results: Samples and data collected by the REVIVE program did not detect the presence of the virus mosquitoes in continental Portugal, however climate change that Portugal crosses can cause the onset of mosquito vectors of carriers, so you want to public education for preventive measures can combat the proliferation of mosquitoes mosquito carriers. Conclusions: Although there are no mosquitoes, as educate the public for mosquito prevention measures. Thus, this study provides a number of solutions to minimize the proliferation mosquito vectors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enhancement of dibenzothiophene desulfurization by Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B using sugar beet molasses as alternative carbon source

There are several problems limiting an industrial application of fossil fuel biodesulfurization, and one of them is the cost of culture media used to grow the microorganisms involved in the process. In this context, the utilization of alternative carbon sources resulting from agro-industrial by-products could be a strategy to reduce the investment in the operating expenses of a future industrial application. Recently, Gordonia alkanivorans 1B was described as a fructophilic desulfurizing bacterium, and this characteristic opens a new interest in alternative carbon sources rich in fructose. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the utilization of sugar beet molasses (SBM) in the dibenzothiophene (DBT) desulfurization process using strain 1B. SBM firstly treated with 0.25 % BaCl2 (w/v) was used after sucrose acidic hydrolysis or in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process with a Zygosaccharomyces bailii Talf1 invertase (1 %), showing promising results. In optimal conditions, strain 1B presented a ìmax of 0.0795 h.1, and all DBT was converted to 2-hydroxybiphenyl (250 ìM) within 48 h with a maximum production rate of 7.78 ìM h.1. Our results showed the high potential of SBM to be used in a future industrial fossil fuel biodesulfurization process using strain 1B

„Schnelle Mode” – Nachhaltigkeit und Klimawandel. Vergleichende Forschung in Kroatien und Portugal

The fast fashion model is one where the fashion industry produces pieces of clothing in keeping with the latest trends, with low storage and high turnover, making the marketing of the products quick and giving consumers new clothes at affordable prices while increasing the amount of possible produced textile residues from being reused. This article examines the concept of fast fashion and its impact on climate change through an observational analytic comparative study of Portugal and Croatia. Using this type of study, the investigator samples a source population cross-sectionally and then retrospectively assesses the histories of exposures and outcomes of the subjects over a specified time period. The target populations of this study are that of Portugal and Croatia. A questionnaire was conducted, and additional data were collected from the analysis of waste reports and from Eurostat. The results were evaluated using the IBM SPSS Statistics program through descriptive statistics and the Chi-Square independence test. Results show that Portugal has a larger volume of clothing purchases as compared to Croatia, while at the same time Portugal produces more textile waste so the impact on the environment is higher. One of the main reasons associated with the higher production of textile waste is related to the increase of fast fashion. It is therefore important to encourage a circular economy, to stress the importance of stimulating the recycling of textile materials and emphasise the need for increasing the collection of clothing, as well as to invest in recycling technologies. A new model for the textile sector is necessary, one in which clothing, fabrics, and fibres re-enter the economy after use and never end up as waste through the creation of a closed system.Model „brze mode“ u modnoj industriji podrazumijeva proizvodnju trendovskih odjevnih predmeta koji imaju kratko vrijeme skladištenja i oglašavanja te su dostupni kupcima po povoljnim cijenama. Međutim, takav način proizvodnje potencijalno povećava količinu tekstilnog otpada. U ovom radu istražujemo koncept „brze mode“ i njen utjecaj na klimatske promjene usporedbom između Portugala i Hrvatske. Istraživanje je istodobno opisno i analitičko. Primjeri dolaze iz presjeka populacija ovih dviju zemalja, nakon čega se retrospektivno analizira povijest predmeta istraživanja kroz izloženost ovom fenomenu i posljedice te izloženosti tijekom određenog vremenskog razdoblja. Podatke smo prikupili pomoću upitnika te analizom izvještaja o otpadu i podataka iz EuroStata. Rezultate smo analizirali pomoću programa IBM SPSS koristeći deskriptivnu statistiku i hi-kvadrat test. Rezultati su pokazali da se u Portugalu kupuju veće količine odjevnih predmeta u odnosu na Hrvatsku te da Portugal proizvodi više tekstilnog otpada pa je time veći i njegov učinak na okoliš. „Brza moda“ je jedan od glavnih razloga za povećanje količine tekstilnog otpada. Upozoravamo na važnost poticanja kružne ekonomije, stimuliranja reciklaže tekstilnih materijala, povećanjem sakupljanja tekstila i ulaganja u reciklažne tehnologije. Ključno je stvaranje novog modela zatvorenog ekonomskog sustava za tekstilni sektor u kojem bi se odjeća i materijali ponovno koristili te ne bi završavali kao otpad.Unter dem Modell „der schnellen Mode“ versteht man in der Modeindustrie die Herstellung von Trendkleidung, die eine kurze Lager- und Werbezeit hat und für Kunden zu günstigen Preisen erhältlich ist. Diese Produktionsweise verursacht jedoch möglicherweise eine große Menge des Textilabfalls. In dieser Arbeit erforschen wir das Konzept „der schnellen Mode“ und seinen Einfluß auf den Klimawandel auf Grund eines Vergleichs zwischen Portugal und Kroatien. Die Forschung ist zur gleichen Zeit deskriptiv und analytisch. Die Beispiele stammen aus dem Schnitt der Bevölkerung dieser zwei Länder, danach analysieren wir rückblickend die Geschichte des Forschungsgegenstands durch die Ausgesetztheit diesem Phänomen, sowie die Folgen dieser Ausgesetztheit im Laufe einer bestimmten Zeit. Die Angaben haben wir mit Hilfe von Fragebogen und durch die Analyse der Berichte über Abfälle und Angaben von EuroStat gesammelt. Die Resultate haben wir mit Hilfe des IBM SPSS-Programms unter Anwendung der deskriptiven Statistik und des Chi-Quadrat-Tests analysiert. Die Resultate haben gezeigt, dass man in Portugal mehr Kleidungsstücke als in Kroatien kauft, und dass Portugal mehr Textilabfall produziert, somit ist seine Auswirkung auf die Umwelt größer. „Schnelle Mode“ ist einer der Hauptgründe für die Erhöhung der Menge des Textilabfalls. Wir weisen auf die Wichtigkeit der Unterstützung der Kreiswirtschaft hin, auf Förderung der Wiederverwertung von Textilstoffen, indem Textilien gesammelt werden und man in Wiedeverwetungstechnologie investiert. Am wichtigsten ist die Schaffung eines neuen Modells des geschlossenen Wirtschaftssystems für die Textilbranche, in dem man Kleidung und Materialien wieder verwenden würde und sie nicht auf dem Abfall landeten

Bridging the gap between PCR detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and tuberculosis diagnosis

The growing demand for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) has led to the incorporation of nucleic acid amplification (NAA) tests in case definitions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in providing a result predictive of a confirmed TB case. Respiratory and extra-pulmonary specimens (n = 308) were subjected to NAA, culture and smear microscopy. Qualitative PCR assessment, translated by an increase in NAA cycles, disregarding template copy number, resulted in an increase in confirmed cases, helping to bridge the gap between the test’s analytical performance and its actual performance in TB diagnosis

Ability of Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B for high added value carotenoids production

Currently, carotenoids are valuable bioactive molecules for several industries, such as chemical, pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics, due to their multiple benefits as natural colorants, antioxidants and vitamin precursors. Hence, the increasing interest on these high added-value products has led to the search of alternatives, more cost-effective and with better yields, towards their industrial production. Indeed, microbial metabolism offers a promising option for carotenoids production. Herein it is shown the potential of the dibenzothiophene desulfurizing bacterium Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B as a high carotenoid-producer microorganism. The novel carotenoids, produced under different culture conditions, were extracted with DMSO and then further analyzed both through spectrophotometry and HPLC. When grown in glucose-sulfate-light, strain 1B was able of achieving 2015 g carotenoids per g DCW in shake-flask assays, with about 60% corresponding to lutein, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin. Further optimization studies open a new focus of research aiming to get a hyper pigment-producer strain that may be applied towards different industrial sectors

Acute toxicity evaluation of several compounds involved in fossil fuels biodesulphurisation studies

The increasing use of fossil fuels has led to increased emissions of sulphur oxides into the air, which is a major cause of acid rain. Legislation already adopted in 2009 stipulates that the maximum level of sulphur allowed in fuels is only 10 ppm. The process of hydrodesulphurization (HDS) used in refineries is based on very expensive physico-chemical techniques, and has limitations in the removal of organic sulphur. As for stricter legislation on the maximum levels of sulphur in fossil fuels, the most HDS recalcitrant compounds needs to be removed. This implies an increase in the intensity of the physical-chemical treatment and inherently its associated costs. As a result, the recalcitrant compounds to HDS represent a significant barrier to the achievement of very low levels of sulphur in some petroleum fractions. The alternative to the physical-chemical treatment could be the use of biological processes (biodesulphurisation) which is more effective for the desulphurization of fossil fuels, especially as the removal of sulphur covalently bound to organic matrices. The biodesulphurisation (BDS) occurs in more mild conditions of operation under conditions of atmospheric pressure and temperature, giving greater specificity of reaction due to the nature of the biocatalysts, not requiring molecular hydrogen. Thus, in the last 15 years there has been an increase of studies involving the use of microorganisms with the ability to specifically remove the HDS recalcitrant sulphur compounds. Several model compounds such as dibenzothiophene (DBT), DBT sulphone or benzothiophene (BT) are used in BDS studies to characterise organic sulphur in coal, coal tars and crude oils. The desulphurising microorganisms are able to remove the sulphur atom from these compounds and use it in their metabolism. However, such compounds are very toxic to the cells. The aim of this work was to evaluate the toxicity of several compounds used in BDS studies, such as DBT and its derivatives and organic solvents used to dissolve these hydrocarbons, to two typical desulphurising strains, namely: Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B and Rhodococcus eritropolis strain D1. The toxicity bioassays evaluated the inhibitory effect of the studied compounds to the described bacteria by measuring the respiration rate (mg O2/l) under defined conditions in the presence of different concentrations of those compounds. The inhibitory or toxic effect of each chemical at a specific concentration is expressed as a percent of the baseline respiration rate. From these results the several IC50s were estimated and are described in Table 1. These toxicity values showed that strain 1B was less sensitive for almost all of the hydrocarbons, which is an important advantage considering the desulphurisation of fossil fuels process. On the other hand, strain 1B was more sensitive to dimethylformamide (DMF), a typical solvent used in BDS studies. However, a good correlation can be observed between IC50-1B versus IC50-D1 (IC50-D1 = 0.504 x IC50-1B + 2.84; r2 = 0.908, p < 0.05)

Olive Mill wastewater bioremediation by Bjerkandera paranensis: a sustainability and technological evaluation

Remediation of olive mill wastewater (OMW) is an important issue associated with olive-oil manufacturing, a widespread activity in the Mediterranean area. This high organic loading effluent contains water, organic acids, high-molecular-weight polyphenols such as tannins, antocyanins and catechins, which are considered to be responsible for its brownish black colour and toxic properties. The composition of OMWs is highly variable with respect to each individual component, depending on the process conditions and on the agricultural specificities. In this work, the ability of a “white-rot” fungus, Bjerkandera paranensis, to use undiluted OMW from a two phase process mill (COD = 11.1 gl-1; Phenol Content = 3.9 gl-1; ColourAbs395nm = 7.8) as a substrate was studied. The biodegradation potential of B. paranensis was assessed monitoring several physico-chemical parameters. A chronic ecotoxicity test (Vibrio fisheri growth inhibition test) was carried out to follow the detoxification ability of this fungus. In work, the results demonstrate that OMW was a suitable medium for cultivation of B. paranensis, with corresponding changes in the physico-chemical properties of the OMW. The results showed that B. paranensis removed 93% phenols and 54% COD from the culture medium within 21 days of treatment. In addition, the IC50s values obtained for the different treated samples showed a significant decrease in the effluent chronic toxicity to V. fischeri when the OMW pH was adjusted to 6.0 prior to the treatment (71.8 %), highlighting the OMW detoxification capacity of B. paranensi

New approaches to olive mill wastes bioremediation

Remediation of olive mill wastewater (OMW) is an important issue associated with olive-oil manufacturing, a widespread activity in the Mediterranean area. This high organic loading effluent contains water, organic acids, high-molecular-weight polyphenols such as tannins, antocyanins and catechins, which are considered to be responsible for its brownish black colour and ecotoxic properties. The composition of OMWs is highly variable with respect to each individual component, depending on the process conditions and on the agricultural specificities. Thus, different approaches are applicable concerning to OMW treatment and valorisation , considering the specificities of its production and in particular the oil extraction process. Besides there are several physical, physico-chemical, biological and combined processes to OMW detoxification, each may represent an opportunity for a specific condition. It is important to explore new possibilities that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. Under the biological processes the use of fungi and in particular white-rot fungi present a potential interesting alternative for depollution and biological chemicals production or for protein production for feeding. In this aspect we have been testing the ability of a “white-rot” fungus, Bjerkandera paranensis, to use undiluted OMW from a two phase process mill. A chronic ecotoxicity test (Vibrio fisheri growth inhibition test) demonstrated that the growth of this fungus contributed for a significant decrease of the OMW ecotoxicity and demonstrating the potential for further studies with this strain for an alternative biological route to OMW treatment and valorization

Production of carotenoids and biosurfactants by Gordonia Alkanivorans Strain 1B using food residues and derivatives [Poster]

ABSTRACT: Through different bioprocesses, microorganisms, such as yeasts and bacteria, ferment and transform residue streams into high added value products, such as carotenoids and biosurfactants. Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B is one of such bacteria, capable of consuming and transforming many types of residues. It is mostly known for its biodesulfurizing ability and it was recently described as a producer of both carotenoids and biosurfactants. In previous works, strain 1B has been cultivated on different sugar rich alternative carbon sources. However, it was shown, that in order to promote surfactant production, the microorganisms should be exposed to inducing factors, such as lipids and alcohols. This work focusses on valorisation of residues from the restaurant and food industry, and derivatives from their processing, by using them as carbon sources to grow the bacterium and produce carotenoids and surfactants.N/

Production and characterization of a novel yeast extracellular invertase activity towards improved dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization

The main goal of this work was the production and characterization of a novel invertase activity from Zygosaccharomyces bailii strain Talf1 for further application to biodesulfurization (BDS) in order to expand the exploitable alternative carbon sources to renewable sucrose-rich feedstock. The maximum invertase activity (163 U ml.1) was achieved after 7 days of Z. bailii strain Talf1 cultivation at pH 5.5–6.0, 25 °C, and 150 rpm in Yeast Malt Broth with 25 % Jerusalem artichoke pulp as inducer substrate. The optimum pH and temperature for the crude enzyme activity were 5.5 and 50 °C, respectively, and moreover, high stability was observed at 30 °C for pH 5.5–6.5. The application of Talf1 crude invertase extract (1 %) to a BDS process by Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B at 30 °C and pH 7.5 was carried out through a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) approach in which 10 g l.1 sucrose and 250 ìM dibenzothiophene were used as sole carbon and sulfur sources, respectively. Growth and desulfurization profiles were evaluated and compared with those of BDS without invertase addition. Despite its lower stability at pH 7.5 (loss of activity within 24 h), Talf1 invertase was able to catalyze the full hydrolysis of 10 g l.1 sucrose in culture medium into invert sugar, contributing to a faster uptake of the monosaccharides by strain 1B during BDS. In SSF approach, the desulfurizing bacterium increased its ìmax from 0.035 to 0.070 h.1 and attained a 2-hydroxybiphenyl productivity of 5.80 ìM/h in about 3 days instead of 7 days, corresponding to an improvement of 2.6-fold in relation to the productivity obtained in BDS process without invertase addition