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PM003/2016. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s) The capabilities of bioanalytical mass spectrometry to (i) detect and differentiate viruses at the peptide level whilst maintaining high sample throughput and (ii) to provide diagnosis and prognosis for infected patients are presented as a tutorial in this work to aid analytical chemists and physicians to gain insights into the possibilities offered by current high-resolution mass spectrometry technology and bioinformatics. From (i) sampling to sample treatment; (ii) Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization- to Electrospray Ionization -based mass spectrometry; and (iii) from clustering to peptide sequencing; a detailed step-by-step guide is provided and exemplified using SARS-CoV-2 Spike Y839 variant and the variant of concern SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7 lineage), Influenza B, and Influenza A subtypes AH1N1pdm09 and AH3N2. publishersversion published

Submitted by Tamara Cecilia Lombardi (tamara.lombardi@espm.br) on 2022-04-27T16:44:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ANTUNES, Wilson Souza. Sistema para suporte a tomada de decisão em gestão_Versão Final.pdf: 2522791 bytes, checksum: 51ba7540e0529e1fc287580cbafbfd35 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Tamara Cecilia Lombardi (tamara.lombardi@espm.br) on 2022-04-27T16:44:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ANTUNES, Wilson Souza. Sistema para suporte a tomada de decisão em gestão_Versão Final.pdf: 2522791 bytes, checksum: 51ba7540e0529e1fc287580cbafbfd35 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Tamara Cecilia Lombardi (tamara.lombardi@espm.br) on 2022-04-27T16:44:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ANTUNES, Wilson Souza. Sistema para suporte a tomada de decisão em gestão_Versão Final.pdf: 2522791 bytes, checksum: 51ba7540e0529e1fc287580cbafbfd35 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-27T16:45:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ANTUNES, Wilson Souza. Sistema para suporte a tomada de decisão em gestão_Versão Final.pdf: 2522791 bytes, checksum: 51ba7540e0529e1fc287580cbafbfd35 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-11-29 For a few decades, our society suffers constant changes to tecnology that transformed the means of production and Consumption. We, as individuals, are part of this transforming scenario, actuing as part of a productive chain our consumers. Seeing the diferent impacts of tecnology in diferent sectors of the economy.the decision making started making a larger impact, effectively, the strategic decision making is important for those who accompany the market`s behaviour, influenced by cultural, economical and social changes; it's essencial in the definition of the consume tendencies, in the form to impact the decision of new products developments, services and sector changes. The telecomunication industry was one of the largest responsible for bringing these changes, when supporting the service that caused the grande global impact, the internet. In this context, this project describes the trajectory of the telecomunication industry in the last decades, evidencing the impact of inovation of its own products and services, highlighting the importance of the decision making proccess incorporated into the information systems to suport their market strategies. The product described in the project is meant to unify within a system of easy use, implementing orientations of the actual metedologies of user experiencie systems, that permit to realize consults in the internal bases of the company with external researches, from the tools ecxisting in the market to suport a "surver" in digitant ambience (online), ofering the users recomendations after statistical analisys that that suports your decision making. The product considers yet alternatives of available configurations to your users, allowing to expand analisys options, garanteeing longevity and evolution of the tool to its target public. professionals responsible for executing or help decision making in strategic areas of their companies Há algumas décadas, nossa sociedade vem sofrendo constantes mudanças tecnológicas que transformaram as formas de produção e de consumo. Nós, indivíduos, também fazemos parte desse cenário de transformações, atuando como parte da cadeia produtiva ou apenas como consumidores. Tendo em vista as mudanças tecnológicas e seus impactos em diferentes setores da economia, a tomada de decisão passou a ter maior destaque; efetivamente, a tomada de decisão estratégica é importante para aqueles que acompanham o comportamento do mercado, influenciado por mudanças culturais, econômicas e sociais; é essencial na definição de tendências de consumo, de forma a impactar as decisões na escolha de desenvolvimento de novos produtos, serviços, mudanças de setor. A indústria de telecomunicação foi uma das maiores responsáveis por trazer essas mudanças, ao dar suporte ao serviço que causou um grande impacto global, a Internet. Neste contexto, este projeto descreve a trajetória da indústria de telecomunicação nas últimas décadas, evidenciando o impacto da inovação em seus produtos e serviços, destacando a importância do processo de tomada de decisão incorporado aos sistemas de informação para suportar suas estratégias no mercado. O produto descrito no projeto propõe-se a unificar em um sistema de fácil uso, implementando orientações das metodologias atuais de desenvolvimento de sistemas e experiência de usuário, oferecendo aos seus usuários recomendações a partir de análises estatísticas, que suportem sua tomada de decisão. O produto considera ainda alternativas de configuração disponíveis aos seus usuários, permitindo que expandam as opções de análise, garantindo longevidade e evolução da ferramenta ao seu público-alvo: profissionais responsáveis por executar ou auxiliar na tomada de decisão em áreas estratégicas de suas empresas

Funding Information: Funding: This study was supported by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., through research grant PTDC/CVT-CVT/28908/2017 and by national funds within the scope of Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA, UIDB/00276/2020) and Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM, UID/04413/2020). Funding Information: This study was supported by FCT?Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., through research grant PTDC/CVT-CVT/28908/2017 and by national funds within the scope of Centro de Investiga??o Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA, UIDB/00276/2020) and Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM, UID/04413/2020). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness is a zoonotic disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite transmitted by Glossina spp. (tsetse fly). Parasite introduction into mammal hosts triggers a succession of events, involving both innate and adaptive immunity. Macrophages (MΦ) have a key role in innate defence since they are antigen-presenting cells and have a micro-bicidal function essential for trypanosome clearance. Adaptive immune defence is carried out by lymphocytes, especially by T cells that promote an integrated immune response. Like mammal cells, T. b. brucei parasites release extracellular vesicles (TbEVs), which carry macromolecules that can be transferred to host cells, transmitting biological information able to manipulate cell immune response. However, the exact role of TbEVs in host immune response remains poorly understood. Thus, the current study examined the effect elicited by TbEVs on MΦ and T lymphocytes. A combined approach of microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, multiparametric flow cytometry, colourimetric assays and detailed statistical analyses were used to evaluate the influence of TbEVs in mouse mononuclear cells. It was shown that TbEVs can establish direct communication with cells of innate and adaptative immunity. TbEVs induce the differentiation of both M1-and M2-MΦ and elicit the expansion of MHCI+, MHCII+ and MHCI+ MHCII+ MΦ subpopulations. In T lymphocytes, TbEVs drive the overexpression of cell-surface CD3 and the nuclear factor FoxP3, which lead to the differentiation of regulatory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Moreover, this study indicates that T. b. brucei and TbEVs seem to display opposite but complementary effects in the host, establishing a balance between parasite growth and controlled immune response, at least during the early phase of infection. publishersversion published

C. difficile infection (CDI) is the cause of an intestinal disease mediated by two potent cytotoxins, TcdA and TcdB. Symptoms of CDI can range from asymptomatic colonization or mild diarrhea, to life-threatening inflammatory lesions such as pseudomembraneous colitis, toxic megacolon or bowel perforation. In part because of the recent emergence of so-called hypervirulent strains, especially (but not exclusively) those belonging to ribotype 027, C. difficile is now considered a main nosocomial enteric pathogen. Hypervirulent epidemic strains have been associated with more severe disease conditions, with higher relapse rates and increased mortality. Health care-associated CDI develops in hospitalized patients undergoing antibiotic treatment because C. difficile can colonize the gut if the normal intestinal microbiota is disturbed. However, C. difficile is also emerging as an important pathogen in the community, as well as in animal husbandry. The organism is an obligate anaerobe, and has the ability to form spores. Spores are extremely resilient and can accumulate and remain viable in the environment or in the host for long periods of time. Spores that remain latent in the gut are responsible for the recurrence of C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD) when antibiotic therapy is stopped. At least some of the hypervirulent epidemic strains show a greater sporulation capacity in vitro, as well as robust toxin production. The first detection of C. difficile 027 hypervirulent epidemic strains implicated in a hospital outbreak in Portugal dates from January 2012, involving 12 patients, with a crude mortality rate of 50%. Here we report on the genetic characterization of those strains as well as the antibiotic resistance profile, toxin production, and rate and efficiency of spore formation. In parallel, C. difficile 027 non-outbreak strains isolated from other Portuguese health care facilities are also investigated.

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina Veterinária RESUMO - Assiste-se na atualidade a uma necessidade crescente de desenvolver novos métodos de descontaminação, uma vez que os métodos convencionais são insuficientes para eliminar agentes patogénicos resistentes. O projeto “Descontaminação por Aerossol Gasoso de Partículas Oxidantes” (DRACO), desenvolvido pela Unidade Militar Laboratorial de Defesa Biológica e Química, em parceria com o Centro de Investigação da Academia Militar, tem por objetivos testar e desenvolver abordagens inovadoras para a descontaminação operacional. Neste âmbito pretende testar a eficácia de um novo descontaminante, baseado em nano partículas oxidantes. A tecnologia em teste, designada por dryVHP (formulação sólida de peróxido de hidrogénio vaporizado) foi desenvolvida pela Delox, uma startup inovadora da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa. Esta tecnologia tem como objetivo permitir a criação de uma nova geração de sistemas de descontaminação com maior compatibilidade para materiais e eletrónica, permitindo também a redução do impacto ambiental e redução dos recursos humanos em cenários de contaminação biológica. Pretende-se que esta tecnologia seja empregue em áreas civis na descontaminação de infraestruturas, mas também na descontaminação de interiores, edifícios e viaturas militares. Deste modo, propomo-nos neste trabalho testar a eficácia deste novo descontaminante, comparando o seu potencial esporicida ao de outros descontaminantes líquidos (peróxido de hidrogénio líquido a 10% e ácido peracético a 0.1%), recorrendo ao uso de esporos de Bacillus cereus, como substituto de Bacillus anthracis. A estirpe de B. cereus NCTC 11143 estudada neste trabalho produz duas frações de esporos, do topo e do fundo, que se diferenciam entre si essencialmente pelas suas propriedades físico-químicas, nomeadamente a nível da hidrofobicidade. As experiências de descontaminação foram efetuadas com estas subpopulações de esporos de B. cereus em separado e testaram-se duas superfícies de plástico diferentes, uma limpa e outra suja com óleo alimentar. O peróxido de hidrogénio líquido a 10% e o ácido peracético a 0.1% demonstraram ação esporicida para as duas frações de esporos de B. cereus tanto quando aplicado em superfícies limpas, como em superfícies sujas. Por outro lado, dryVHP, disperso por vaporização pela Delox demonstrou-se apenas eficaz na descontaminação dos esporos do fundo (hidrofílicos), não exercendo ação esporicida nos esporos do topo (hidrofóbicos). Pensa-se que a diferente hidrofobicidade das duas frações de esporos esteja relacionada com as suas resistências diferenciais aos descontaminantes testados. O presente estudo permitiu destacar que o modo de aplicação do descontaminante é um fator condicionante do mecanismo de ação das substâncias ativas oxidantes, e contribuiu para aumentar o conhecimento no âmbito da descontaminação de esporos de B. cereus. ABSTRACT - Nowadays, there is a growing need to develop new decontamination methods since conventional ones are insufficient to eliminate resistant pathogens. The "Decontamination by Aerosol Gas Decontamination of Oxidizing Particles" (DRACO) project, developed by the Biological Defense and Chemical Laboratory Unit in partnership with the Military Academy Research Center, aims to test and develop innovative approaches for operational decontamination. In this context, the main goal is to test the effectiveness of a new decontaminant, based on oxidizing nanoparticles. The decontaminant technology under test is called dryVHP (a solid formulation of vaporized hydrogen peroxide) and was developed by Delox, an innovative start-up from the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon. This technology aims to provide the creation of a new generation of decontamination systems with greater compatibility for materials and electronics, also allowing the reduction of environmental impact and reduction of human resources in biological contamination scenarios. This technology is intended to be used in civilian areas in the decontamination of infrastructures, but also in the decontamination of interiors, buildings, and military vehicles. Thus, the purpose of this work is to test the effectiveness of this new decontaminant, comparing its sporicidal potential to other liquid decontaminants (liquid hydrogen peroxide at 10% and peracetic acid at 0.1%), using Bacillus cereus spores as a substitute for Bacillus anthracis. The strain of B. cereus NCTC 11143 studied in this work produces two fractions of endospores, the top and bottom fraction, which differ essentially by their physicochemical properties, namely hydrophobicity. The decontamination experiments were carried out with these separate B. cereus spore subpopulations and two different plastic surfaces were tested, a clean one and a soiled one with cooking oil. Liquid hydrogen peroxide at 10% and peracetic acid at 0.1% were shown to possess sporicidal action for both subpopulations of B. cereus spores when applied to clean and dirty surfaces. On the other hand, gaseous hydrogen peroxide (dryVHP) dispersed by vaporization by Delox was shown to be effective only in decontaminating bottom (hydrophilic) spores and did not exert sporicidal action on the spores of the top (hydrophobic). The different surface hydrophobicity these two spore fractions carry is thought to be responsible for their differential resistances with the decontaminants tested. The present study highlighted that the application method of the decontaminant is a conditioning factor on the mechanism of action of the oxidizing active substances and contributed to increase knowledge in the field of decontamination of B. cereus spores. N/A