Browsing by Author "Silva, Isabel"
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- Antibiotic-resistant E.Coli in an UV-treated effluent: Troubled waters ahead?Publication . Tavares, Rafael; Silva, Isabel; Figueiredo, Sofia; Manaia, Célia M.; Tacão, Marta; Henriques, Isabel
- Avaliação da adesão ao regime terapêutico das pessoas idosas dependentes da unidade de cuidados da comunidade - infantePublication . Monterroso, Ligia; Joaquim, Natércia; Silva, Isabel; Sá, Luís
- Development and use of touch - screen computer - assisted self interviewing in Portuguese patients with chronic immune diseases: evaluation of an electronic version of SF - 36V2Publication . Ribeiro, Claudia; Moreira, Luis; Silveira, Augusta; Silva, Isabel; Gestal, Juan; Vasconcelos, CarlosAim:The major purpose of this study was to evaluate alternative automated methods of collecting data on health related quality of life (HR-QoL). In order to achieve this, we developed a study with the following objectives: (1) to evaluated the feasibility of electronic version in patients with different chronic pathologies of the immune system using Short Form 36version2 (SF-36v2), (2) to evaluate the construct validity of SF-36v2 using the electronic data capture, and (3) to compare electronic version questionnaires with paper questionnaires in terms of patients' acceptance, data quality, and reliability. Methods:Out-patients with chronic immune diseases (HIV infection, lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, Behçet and Sjögren), were randomly selected to completed electronic and paper SF-36v2 (n=50) before consultation in Clinical Immunology Unit, in Hospital Santo António-Centro Hospitalar do Porto (CI-HGSA). Results: There were very high correlations in SF-36v2 responses (p< .001) between the paper and electronic forms. Internal reliability coefficients (Cronbach's α) showed good internal consistency for all reported responses in either, computer and paper. There were no missing data in electronic version or paper. About 84% of the patients prefer to use the computer version in future. Conclusion: The electronic HR-QoL assessment is technically possible and it can provide reliable and valid clinically significant information which can either be used in routine care appointments.
- Ética educativa e formação de professoresPublication . Silva, Isabel
- Fate of cefotaxime-resistant enterobacteriaceae and ESBL-producers over a full-scale wastewater treatment process with UV disinfectionPublication . Silva, Isabel; Tacão, Marta; Tavares, Rafael D.S.; Miranda, Rita; Araújo, Susana; Manaia, Célia M.; Henriques, IsabelDisinfection by UV radiation is one of themost promising solutions to reduce the bacterial load and antibiotic resistance in the final effluents of urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTP). Our aim was to evaluate the fate of cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) producers in a full-scale system that includes UV-C disinfection. Over treatment, the abundance of cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteriaceaewas reduced,with reductions of 1.9 log units after secondary treatment (STWsamples) and 1.8 log following UV disinfection (UTW samples). These reductions, did not reflect the variations in the prevalence of cefotaximeresistant Enterobacteriaceae, estimated to be of 3% in rawwastewater (RW), 18% in STWand 3% in UTW. A significant increase of cefotaxime-resistant bacterial counts (0.5 log; p b 0.05)was observed after 3 days of storage. In a total of 1799 cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates, 15% harboured blaCTX-M (n = 274), 11% blaTEM (n = 194) and 4% blaSHV (n = 72). While the ESBL gene prevalence decreased over treatment, the prevalence of the intI1 gene decreased after ST but slightly increased in UTW samples. The blaCTX-M-carriers were identified as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, mostly multi-drug resistant (90.5%) and carrying integrase genes (82.8%). The blaCTX-M gene variants (48 blaCTX-M-15, 9 blaCTX-M-32, 8 blaCTX-M-1, 5 blaCTX-M-27, and 2 blaCTX-M-14) were flanked by ISEcp1, ISEcp1/IS26, IS903 and ORF477 in 8 different arrangements. The IncF plasmid replicon type was highly prevalent among blaCTX-M-carrying Escherichia coli (74.5%) while IncR predominated among K. pneumoniae (54.5%). Our results confirmed the potential of UV-C disinfection to remove antibiotic resistant bacteria. Still, resistant Enterobacteriaceae (about 30 × 106 cells per m3 of water), presenting traits that might potentiate antibiotic resistance spread, are released in the final effluent. In addition, a significant regrowthwas observed after storage. These results suggest that improvements ofwastewater disinfection are still required tominimize the risks associated with UWTP discharges
- Short-term responses of soil microbial communities to changes in air temperature, soil moisture and UV radiationPublication . Silva, Isabel; Alves, Marta; Malheiro, Catarina; Silva, Ana Rita R.; Loureiro, Susana; Henriques, Isabel; González-Alcaraz, M. NazaretWe analyzed the effects on a soil microbial community of short-term alterations in air temperature, soil moisture and ultraviolet radiation and assessed the role of invertebrates (species Enchytraeus crypticus) in modulating the community’s response to these factors. The reference soil, Lufa 2.2, was incubated for 48 h, with and without invertebrates, under the following conditions: standard (20 °C + 50% water holding capacity (WHC)); increased air temperature (15 °C–25 °C or 20 °C–30 °C + 50% WHC); flood (20 °C + 75% WHC); drought (20 °C + 25% WHC); and ultraviolet radiation (UV) (20 °C + 50% WHC + UV). BIOLOG EcoPlates and 16S rDNA sequencing (Illumina) were used to assess the microbial community’s physiological profile and the bacterial community’s structure, respectively. The bacterial abundance (estimated by 16S rDNA qPCR) did not change. Most of the conditions led to an increase in microbial activity and a decrease in diversity. The structure of the bacterial community was particularly affected by higher air temperatures (20 °C–30 °C, without E. crypticus) and floods (with E. crypticus). Effects were observed at the class, genera and OTU levels. The presence of invertebrates mostly resulted in the attenuation of the observed effects, highlighting the importance of considering microbiome–invertebrate interactions. Considering future climate changes, the effects described here raise concern. This study provides fundamental knowledge to develop effective strategies to mitigate these negative outcomes. However, long-term studies integrating biotic and abiotic factors are needed.
- Structural and functional shifts in the microbial community of a heavy metal-contaminated soil exposed to short-term changes in air temperature, soil moisture and UV radiationPublication . Silva, Isabel; Alves, Marta; Malheiro, Catarina; Silva, Ana Rita R.; Loureiro, Susana; Henriques, Isabel; González-Alcaraz, M. NazaretThe interplay between metal contamination and climate change may exacerbate the negative impact on the soil microbiome and, consequently, on soil health and ecosystem services. We assessed the response of the microbial community of a heavy metal-contaminated soil when exposed to short-term (48 h) variations in air temperature, soil humidity or ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the absence and presence of Enchytraeus crypticus (soil invertebrate). Each of the climate scenarios simulated significantly altered at least one of the microbial parameters measured. Irrespective of the presence or absence of invertebrates, the effects were particularly marked upon exposure to increased air temperature and alterations in soil moisture levels (drought and flood scenarios). The observed effects can be partly explained by significant alterations in soil properties such as pH, dissolved organic carbon, and water-extractable heavy metals, which were observed for all scenarios in comparison to standard conditions. The occurrence of invertebrates mitigated some of the impacts observed on the soil microbial community, particularly in bacterial abundance, richness, diversity, and metabolic activity. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering the interplay between climate change, anthropogenic pressures, and soil biotic components to assess the impact of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems and to develop and implement effective management strategies.