Publications by authors named "Esperanca M"

Objectives: To determine the effect of using tailored and multifaceted strategies on the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility and adoption of a perineal massage and warm compress intervention by midwives in a maternity ward of a tertiary hospital in Portugal.

Methods: The complex intervention in health was developed based on the Medical Research Council framework and guided by the Theory of Change. Tailored and multifaceted strategies, including dissemination, integration and implementing process strategies, were applied.

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It is essential to evaluate the effects of operating conditions in submerged cultures of filamentous microorganisms. In particular, the impeller type influences the flow pattern, power consumption, and energy dissipation, leading to differences in the hydrodynamic environment that affect the morphology of the microorganism. This work investigated the effect of different impeller types, namely the Rushton turbine (RT-RT) and Elephant Ear impellers in up-pumping (EEUP) and down-pumping (EEDP) modes, on cellular morphology and clavulanic acid (CA) production by Streptomyces clavuligerus in a stirred-tank bioreactor.

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Bioreactors can perform biochemical conversions mediated by biocatalysts, such as enzymes, animal cells, plants, and microorganisms. Among several existing models, airlift bioreactors are devices with the low shear environment and good mass transfer with low energy consumption, employed in several biochemical processes. The fluid flow is enabled through air injection by the sparger located at the bioreactor base.

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On 16-17 January 2020, four suspected mumps cases were reported to the local Public Health Authorities with an epidemiological link to a local school and football club. Of 18 suspected cases identified, 14 were included in this study. Laboratory results confirmed mumps virus as the cause and further sequencing identified genotype G.

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The production of biocompounds through the cultivation of filamentous microorganisms is mainly affected by Oxygen Transfer Rate (OTR) and shear rate ([Formula: see text]) conditions. Despite efforts have been made to evaluate the effect of operating variables (impeller speed, N; and airflow rate, ϕ) on clavulanic acid production, no analysis regarding the effect of OTR and [Formula: see text] was made. Then, the aim of this study was to evaluate the dissociated effect of physical phenomena such as oxygen transfer and shear rate in the production of clavulanic acid from Streptomyces clavuligerus using a stirred tank bioreactor.

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The hydrodynamic environment in bioreactors affects the oxygen transfer rate and the shear conditions during microbial cultivations. Therefore, assessment of the effect of the hydrodynamic environment on cellular morphology can contribute to favoring the production of metabolites of interest. The aim of this work was to use image analysis in order to quantify the fragmentation of Aspergillus niger pellets in a conventional bioreactor operated using different impeller speeds, air flow rates, and impeller configurations including Rushton turbines and Elephant Ear impellers, with evaluation of the influence of the hydrodynamic environment on the production of cellulolytic enzymes.

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The shear rate is an important bioreactor parameter that needs to be evaluated due to its impact on microorganism morphology and viability, and consequently on bioproduct formation. Airlift bioreactors, classified as low-shear devices, are used as an alternative to conventional stirred-tank reactors. Considerable efforts have been made to characterize the shear environments in airlift bioreactors, using the average shear rate ([Formula: see text]) as a key parameter.

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Sugarcane bagasse is a low-cost and abundant by-product generated by the bioethanol industry, and is a potential substrate for cellulolytic enzyme production. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of air flow rate (QAIR), solids loading (%S), sugarcane bagasse type, and particle size on the gas hold-up (εG) and volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa) in three different pneumatic bioreactors, using response surface methodology. Concentric tube airlift (CTA), split-cylinder airlift (SCA), and bubble column (BC) bioreactor types were tested.

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Sequential solid-state and submerged cultivation with sugarcane bagasse as substrate for cellulase production by Aspergillus niger A12 was assessed by measuring endoglucanase activity. An unconventional pre-culture with an initial fungal growth phase under solid-state cultivation was followed by a transition to submerged fermentation by adding the liquid culture medium to the mycelium grown on solid substrate. For comparison, control experiments were conducted using conventional submerged cultivation.

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Fifty children with nocturnal enuresis have been studied with a view to determining maximum bladder capacities and frequency of micturition, and the changes induced by dietary treatment and imipramine. Of 50 children treated with imipramine, 31 were symptomatically cured. Fifteen of the 48 children treated by dietary measures were also symptomatically cured, but as nine had already been cured by imipramine the correct cure rate for dietary treatment, for reasons indicated in the text, may have been no more than seven of the 48 cases.

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