Prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most important cause of viral lower respiratory illness in infants and children worldwide. By the age of 2 years, nearly every child has become infected with respiratory syncytial virus and re-infections are common throughout life. Most infections are mild and can be managed at home, but this virus causes serious diseases in preterm children, especially those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Respiratory syncytial virus has also been recognized as an important pathogen in people with immunossupressive and other underlying medical problems and institutionalizated elderly, causing thousands of hospitalizations and deaths every year. The burden of these infections makes the development of vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus highly desirable, but the insuccess of a respiratory syncytial virus formalin-inactivated vaccine hampered the progress in this field. To date, there is no vaccine available for preventing respiratory syncytial virus infections, however, in the last years, there has been much progress in the understanding of immunology and immunopathologic mechanisms of respiratory syncytial virus diseases, which has allowed the development of new strategies for passive and active prophylaxis. In this article, the author presents a review about novel approaches to the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections, such as: passive immunization with human polyclonal intravenous immune globulin and humanized monoclonal antibodies (both already licensed for use in premature infants and children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia), and many different vaccines that are potential candidates for active immunization against respiratory syncytial virus.

Fatores de risco no patrolhamento da GNR em ambiente operacional

In the mid-twentieth century, Portugal took the first big step towards social awareness of the Safety and Health at Work. Still later, the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization were responsible for setting global guidelines that clarified the States for the way forward in inguito of safeguarding the common interests of workers, businesses and the state. All workers should be covered by the rules governing matters relating to Safety, imperative requirements established in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. These also include those soldiers from National Guard who, in contemporary social conjecture face in their everyday life situations worthy of heightened risk aquidade. Ensure the identification of risk factors to which they are exposed, is, first, a big boost in the way of preserving the safety of these employees, who daily selflessly and under the most adverse working conditions fulfill the mission of the Guarda Nacional Republicana. Adverse weather conditions, and violence at work are two examples of risk factors to which the military Guard are daily exposed, and hence arise many days of absence from the workplace. The purpose of this study is to identify the main risk factors to which the military from GNR are exposed during dismounted patrols, and also provide solutions on ways to mitigate and manage the risks presented. The cognitive distance traveled, throughout this study led us to demonstrate that it has been done by the GNR chain of Command, a huge effort to ensure through various forms (including emphasize the new Regulation of Uniforms), the resolution of the main factors that may jeopardize the integrity of the patrolmen, betting this Institution in the protection of the military that compose it, and the prevention of accidents at work through training and systematic monitoring that superiors expend with its employees.

The domestic architecture of Bracara Augusta and its evolution

The excavations carried out under the rescue ���Project of Bracara Augusta��� have generated significant amounts of data that enabled the reconstruction of Bracara Augusta urban evolution and the characterization of its buildings and blocks. This paper aims to enhance the existing data related with the domestic architecture of the roman town, which was mainly represented by the houses of domus type.

Preval��ncia da viol��ncia feminina contra homens na intimidade: unidirecional ou duplo envolvimento?

Disserta����o de mestrado integrado em Psicologia

Indisciplina, viol��ncia e delinqu��ncia na escola: a perspetiva dos professores

Disserta����o de mestrado em Crime, Diferen��a e Desigualdade

Childhood history of abuse and child abuse potential: the role of parent���s gender and timing of childhood abuse

It has been suggested that being physically abused leads to someone becoming a perpetrator of abuse which could be associated to parents' gender, timing of the physical abuse and specific socio-demographic variables. This study aims to investigate the role the parents' gender, timing of childhood abuse and socio-demographic variables on the relationship between parents' history of childhood physical abuse and current risk for children. The sample consisted of 920 parents (414 fathers, 506 mothers) from the Portuguese National Representative Study of Psychosocial Context of Child Abuse and Neglect who completed the Childhood History Questionnaire and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. The results showed that fathers had lower current potential risk of becoming physical abuse perpetrators with their children than mothers although they did not differed in their physical victimization history. Moreover, the risk was higher in parents (both genders) with continuous history of victimization than in parents without victimization. Prediction models showed that for fathers and mothers separately similar socio-demographic variables (family income, number of children at home, employment status and marital status) predicted the potential risk of becoming physical abuses perpetrators. Nevertheless, the timing of victimization was different for fathers (before 13 years old) and mothers (after 13 years old). Then our study targets specific variables (timing of physical abuse, parents' gender and specific socio-demographic variables), which may enable professionals to select groups of parents at greater need of participating in abuse prevention programs.

Combustion of alternative biomass fuels in a domestic boiler and in a large-scale furnace

Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Mec��nica.

Catalogus Plantarum :tum exotiarum tum domesticarum, quae in hortis haud procul a Londino sitis in venditionem propagantur = A Catalogue of trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers, both exotic and domestic, which are propagated for sale, in the gardens near London :divided, accorded to their different degrees of hardiness, into particular books, or parts; in each of which the plants are ranged in an alphabetical order. by a Society of Gardeners

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Aplicaci��n potencial de probi��ticos para la prevenci��n y control de la matitis bovina. Potential aplication of probiotics for prevention and control of bovine mastitis.

Ubicada en el centro del pa��s, R��o Cuarto pertenece a las cuencas lecheras m��s importantes del pa��s, localizadas en las provincias de C��rdoba, Santa Fe, Entre R��os y Buenos Aires. C��rdoba, con una producci��n promedio anual de 2,4 mil millones de litros, contribuye con un 25 por ciento a la producci��n nacional que seg��n informe de la Secretar��a de Agricultura Ganader��a y Pesca de la Naci��n (2006) ha alcanzado los 9.000 millones de litros al a��o, ubic��ndose en segundo lugar despu��s de Santa Fe. La mastitis bovina es responsable de las mayores p��rdidas econ��micas dentro del rodeo lechero, debido a los elevados costos de la terapia antibi��tica, al retiro del animal del circuito productivo, y a las consecuencias negativas ocasionadas en la reproducci��n. Diferentes estrategias se han desarrollado en el pa��s y el mundo, tendientes a minimizar los problemas ocasionados por la enfermedad. De ellos, la desinfecci��n pre y post-orde��e y la terapia con antibi��ticos al secado, son los m��todos de control m��s ampliamente utilizados. Las terapias con antibi��ticos, formuladas para uso intramamario, frecuentemente resultan ineficientes para prevenir o eliminar las infecciones cr��nicas producidas por <i>S. aureus</i>, principal agente causal de la enfermedad. A ello se suma el aumento en la frecuencia de cepas resistentes a los antibi��ticos, por lo que existen presiones cada vez mayores por parte de los entes reguladores para limitar el uso de los mismos en el ganado. La ineficacia de estos procedimientos para reducir la tasa de nuevas infecciones ha orientado la investigaci��n hacia la b��squeda de m��todos de control alternativos basados en el desarrollo de vacunas, inmunomoduladores o sustancias naturales, como un enfoque racional para controlar infecciones en animales utilizados en la producci��n de alimentos, o bien a la aplicaci��n de medidas preventivas. El presente proyecto aborda el tema de la prevenci��n de la mastitis bovina a trav��s del estudio de una cepa de BL con propiedades probi��ticas en ensayos de inoculaci��n in vivo en gl��ndulas mamarias de bovinos para su futura aplicaci��n en la prevenci��n de la mastitis bovina. En particular se propone a) Determinar la capacidad de las BL seleccionada como potencial probi��tico, a partir del aislamiento realizado por nuestro grupo de investigaci��n y de otras previamente caracterizadas en el CERELA, para adherirse y colonizar el canal del pez��n de la ubre, b) Profundizar en el estudio de los mecanismos involucrados en el efecto (ben��fico o adverso) de la administraci��n local de BL en el canal del pez��n de la gl��ndula mamaria y c) Estudiar las condiciones f��sico-qu��micas para la obtenci��n de biomasa de BL y sustancias antag��nicas. El proyecto sentar�� las bases para, en un futuro cercano, realizar el dise��o de un producto a base de probi��ticos lo cual ser�� un importante aporte socio-comunitario a la prevenci��n de la mastitis bovina de alt��sima incidencia. El desarrollo de un producto con estas caracter��sticas permitir�� la articulaci��n con el sector productivo.

Valida����o para o portugu��s do Maugerl CaRdiac preventiOn-Questionnaire (MICRO-Q)

FUNDAMENTO: O Maugerl CaRdiac preventiOn-Questionnaire (MICRO-Q) �� um instrumento espec��fico, validado e utilizado para avaliar o conhecimento do paciente coronariano sobre aspectos relacionados �� preven����o secund��ria da doen��a arterial coronariana (DAC). OBJETIVO: Traduzir, adaptar e validar o MICRO-Q para a l��ngua portuguesa do Brasil. M��TODOS: Duas tradu����es iniciais independentes foram realizadas para o portugu��s. Ap��s sua compara����o foi feita a tradu����o reversa, que foi revisada por um comit�� e gerou a vers��o final, testada em um estudo-piloto. O instrumento foi aplicado em 212 pacientes coronarianos, com idade m��dia de 60 a 72 anos (desvio padr��o = 9,4; m��n = 35; m��x = 86), participantes de programas de reabilita����o card��aca. A consist��ncia interna foi verificada por meio do coeficiente Alpha de Cronbach, a correla����o atrav��s do Spearman Rho e a validade de construto foi verificada por an��lise fatorial explorat��ria. As m��dias foram analisadas comparando as escalas das quest��es corretas em fun����o de vari��veis, como idade, sexo, comorbidades associadas, grau de escolaridade, renda familiar, entre outros. RESULTADOS: A vers��o brasileira do MICRO-Q possui 25 quest��es. Essa vers��o, quanto �� confiabilidade, apresentou Alpha de Cronbach de 0,64 e Spearman Rho das respostas corretas de 0,65. A an��lise fatorial revelou a exist��ncia de 6 fatores, relacionados aos dom��nios de conhecimento do question��rio. A an��lise das caracter��sticas da popula����o, em fun����o das escalas das quest��es corretas, apresentou diferen��as significativas apenas em fun����o da renda familiar mensal e grau de escolaridade. CONCLUS��O: A vers��o brasileira do MICRO-Q aprovada apresenta validade e confiabilidade adequadas para sua utiliza����o em futuras pesquisas.

Development of an inspection regime for on-site domestic wastewater treatment systems

The overall purpose of this study was to develop a thorough inspection regime for onsite wastewater treatment systems, which is practical and could be implemented on all site conditions across the country. With approximately 450,000 onsite wastewater treatment systems in Ireland a risk based methodology is required for site selection. This type of approach will identify the areas with the highest potential risk to human health and the environment and these sites should be inspected first. In order to gain the required knowledge to develop an inspection regime in-depth and extensive research was earned out. The following areas of pertinent interest were examined and reviewed, history of domestic wastewater treatment, relevant wastewater legislation and guidance documents and potential detrimental impacts. Analysis of a questionnaire from a prior study, which assessed the resources available and the types of inspections currently undertaken by Local authorities was carried out. In addition to the analysis of the questionnaire results, interviews were carried out with several experts involved in the area of domestic wastewater treatment. The interview focussed on twelve key questions which were directed towards the expert���s opinions on the vital aspects of developing an inspection regime. The background research, combined with the questionnaire analysis and information from the interviews provided a solid foundation for the development of an inspection regime. Chapter 8 outlines the inspection regime which has been developed for this study. The inspection regime includes a desktop study, consultation with the homeowners, visual site inspection, non-invasive site tests, and inspection of the treatment systems. The general opinion from the interviews carried out, was that a standardised approach for the inspections was necessary. For this reason an inspection form was produced which provides a standard systematic approach for inspectors to follow. This form is displayed in Appendix 3. The development of a risk based methodology for site selection was discussed and a procedure similar in approach to the Geological Survey of Irelands Groundwater Protection Schemes was proposed. The EPA is currently developing a risk based methodology, but it is not available to the general public yet. However, the EPA provided a copy of a paper outlining the key aspects of their methodology. The methodology will use risk maps which take account of the following parameters: housing density, areas with inadequate soil conditions, risk of water pollution through surface and subsurface pathways. Sites identified with having the highest potential risk to human health and the environment shall be inspected first. Based on the research carried out a number of recommendations were made which are outlined in Chapter 10. The principle conclusion was that, if these systems fail to operate satisfactorily, home owners need to understand that these systems dispose of the effluent to the 'ground' and the effluent becomes part of the hydrological cycle; therefore, they are a potential hazard to the environment and human health. It is the owners, their families and their neighbours who will be at most immediate risk.

Gender, violence, and politics

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