Lack of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among patients at a primary-healthcare unit in Porto Alegre, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a pathogen in individuals without traditional risk factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: MRSA nasal carriage was assessed in individuals consulting at a Primary Health Unit in Brazil. RESULTS: A total of 336 individuals were included: 136 were tested only for MRSA and 200 for any S. aureus. No MRSA was found among the 336 individuals and 23 (11.5%) of 200 were colonized by S. aureus. DISCUSSION: Low prevalence rates have been found in non-hospitalized individuals, but MRSA surveillance should be encouraged to monitor clinical and molecular epidemiology of CA- MRSA.

Dimensionamento de lajes aligeiradas betonadas "in situ"

A conjuntura económica da construção não se encontra numa fase de prosperidade, existindo a necessidade de criar soluções construtivas que permitam a redução de custos dos materiais a nível de obra. As lajes de betão armado, devido à sua grande área de implantação, possuem uma parcela importante no orçamento final de qualquer obra de edifícios correntes. Sabendo das possibilidades de aligeiramento de lajes, torna-se necessária a realização de um estudo pormenorizado e comparativo entre soluções de aligeiramento. O desenvolvimento deste relatório reflete todo o trabalho efetuado durante a realização de um estágio curricular desenvolvido na empresa FercaNorte – Estruturas, Lajes e Cofragens, Lda. e foca-se num dimensionamento e estudo comparativo de soluções de lajes fungiformes aligeiradas, aplicadas a dois casos de estudo e também num dimensionamento e estudo comparativo de soluções de lajes aligeiradas unidirecionais mas apenas aplicadas a um caso de estudo. No primeiro caso de estudo, laje fungiforme com um vão de 6 metros nas duas direções, são dimensionadas e comparadas quatro soluções: laje fungiforme maciça; laje fungiforme aligeirada com blocos elipsoides perdidos dispostos de forma ortogonal e envolvidos totalmente por betão; laje fungiforme aligeirada com blocos elipsoides perdidos dispostos em formato de favo de mel e envolvidos totalmente por betão; e laje fungiforme nervurada com moldes recuperáveis. No segundo caso de estudo, laje fungiforme com um vão de 7,04 metros nas duas direções, são dimensionadas e comparadas cinco soluções: laje fungiforme maciça, laje fungiforme aligeirada com blocos cúbicos perdidos dispostos de forma ortogonal e envolvidos totalmente por betão; laje fungiforme aligeirada, com blocos elipsoides perdidos dispostos de forma ortogonal e envolvidos totalmente por betão; laje fungiforme aligeirada com blocos elipsoides perdidos dispostos em formato de favo de mel e envolvidos totalmente por betão; e laje fungiforme nervurada com moldes recuperáveis. No terceiro caso de estudo, laje unidirecional com um vão de 8 metros apoiada em vigas com vão de 5 metros, são dimensionadas e comparadas três soluções: laje maciça; laje aligeirada com perfis tubulares com secção transversal reta oval; e laje nervurada com moldes recuperáveis. No final é apresentada uma estimativa orçamental para cada solução analisada nos três casos de estudo abordados.

FUNGI ISOLATED FROM THE EXCRETA OF WILD BIRDS IN SCREENING CENTERS IN PELOTAS, RS, BRAZIL

The identification of the fungal species belonging to the healthy microflora in animals is a precondition for the recognition of pathological processes causing them. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of potentially pathogenic fungi in the feces of wild birds collected in Screening Centers. Samples were collected from the feces of 50 cages with different species of birds. The samples were processed according to the modified method STAIB and the plates incubated at 32 °C for up to ten days with daily observation for detection of fungal growth. The isolation of the following species was observed: Malassezia pachydermatis, Candida albicans, C. famata, C. guilliermondii, C. sphaerica, C. globosa, C. catenulata, C. ciferri, C. intermedia, Cryptococcus laurentii, Trichosporon asahii, Geotrichum klebahnii, Aspergillus spp., A. niger and Penicillium spp. Knowing the character of some opportunistic fungi is important in identifying them, facilitating the adoption of preventive measures, such as proper cleaning of cages, since the accumulation of excreta may indicate a risk for both health professionals and centers for screening public health.

The consultancy field in Europe: A comparative approach

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Do anti-retroviral treatments encourage individuals to get tested for HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Management consulting lab

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Management consulting labs: Project TAP

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Management consulting labs: Project TAP

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Management Consulting Lab: Project TAP

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Management consulting lab experience: ANA

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Consulting to social entrepreneurship initiatives - using business skills to help solve social problems: The RUG initiative

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Consulting to social entrepreneurship initiatives - using business skills to help solve social problems: ERG: A sustainable approach

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Europe: A market for the consulting industry

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Clinical presentation of parvovirus B19 infection in HIV-infected patients with and without AIDS

Human parvovirus B19 replicates in erythrocyte precursors. Usually, there are no apparent hematological manifestations. However, in individuals with high erythrocyte turnover, as in patients with sickle-cell disease and in the fetus, the infection may lead to severe transient aplasia and hydrops fetalis, respectively. In AIDS patients, persistent infection may result in chronic anemia. By contrast, in HIV-positive patients without AIDS the infection evolves as a mild exanthematous disease. Two clinical descriptions exemplify these forms of presentation. In the first, an AIDS patient presented with bone marrow failure that responded to immunoglobulin. In the second, an HIV-positive patient without AIDS had a morbilliform rash, and needed no treatment. Knowing that an AIDS patient has chronic B19 anemia lessens concern about drug anemia; protects the patient from invasive diagnostic maneuvers; and prevents the patient from disseminating the infection. In AIDS patients with pure red cell aplasia, a search for parvovirus B19 DNA in the serum or in the bone marrow is warranted.

Fungal communities in archives: assessment strategies and impact on paper conservation and human health

The main results presented in this PhD Dissertation have been published in interna-tional journals included in the Science Citation Index (SCI)