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Staphylococcus aureus is a nosocomial bacterium causing different infectious diseases, ranging from skin and soft-tissue infections to more serious and life-threatening infections such as sepsis, meningitis and endocarditis, which may be exacerbated by antibiotic resistance. Plant products may be seen as an alternative as antibacterial agents, namely, against S. aureus. Thus, the aim of this work was to characterize the chemical composition and evaluate the bioactive properties of the T. zygis essential oil (EO), with a focus on antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to assess the chemical composition of the T. zygis EO, and the antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH method and β-carotene-bleaching assay. The antimicrobial activity against S. aureus strains, the interaction with different antibiotics and the attenuation of this bacterium’s virulence were evaluated. The T. zygis EO showed antioxidant activity acting through two different mechanisms and antibacterial activity against S. aureus, with antibiofilm and antihaemolytic properties. This EO also demonstrated synergistic or additive interactions in combination with ampicillin, ciprofloxacin or vancomycin against S. aureus strains and, in some cases, changed the antibiotic-resistance phenotype from resistant to susceptible. Therefore, the present work demonstrates the good bioactive properties of the EO of T. zygis, mainly the antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, revealing its potential to be used as an antibacterial agent.

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Essential oils (EOs) and their components extracted from medicinal and aromatic plants are used in several areas, such as perfumery and chemical, cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Considering the different applications of EOs, this work aimed to screen the composition and the bioactivities properties of the EOs of Foeniculum vulgare, Helichrysum stoechas, Mentha pulegium, Pinus pinaster, Ruta graveolens, and Thymus mastichina. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed the presence of different compounds in EOs F. vulgare (12), H. stoechas (27), M. pulegium (8), P. pinaster (24), R. graveolens (8), and T. mastichina (16). All the EOs showed antioxidant activity acting through inhibition of lipid peroxidation, while only two EOs (H. stoechas and M. pulegium) scavenged the free radicals of DPPH. Mentha pulegium and T. mastichina EOs showed the strongest antimicrobial activity. Also, the effect on the fibroblast’s viability was directly proportional to the EOs concentration, and the highest cytotoxic effect was registered with R. graveolens EO. The present study revealed significant bioactive properties of different EOs, highlighting M. pulegium and T. mastichina EOs to be considered in further studies for potential use in the food and pharmaceutical industries, due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

No Instituto de Psicanálise, realizam-se entrevistas de triagem desde 1977. Como em Institutos congéneres, houve nos últimos anos uma diminuição dos pedidos e dos encaminhamentos para psicanálise com aumento da orientação para psicoterapia psicanalítica. As pessoas que chegam à procura de alívio para o seu sofrimento muitas vezes não têm, no momento, condições internas ou externas para realizar um processo psicanalítico. No entanto, alguns casos encaminhados para psicoterapia evoluem para uma psicanálise, pelo desenvolvimento que este encontro terapêutico suscitou. A primeira entrevista desencadeia ansiedades em ambos os participantes, uma «tempestade emocional» (Bion, 1979) que resulta do encontro entre duas pessoas que se desconhecem e que vão contactar com aspetos muito íntimos da díade. As indicações para psicanálise e os critérios de analisabilidade já estiveram no centro dos trabalhos sobre o tema. Atualmente, tem-se desenvolvido o interesse por questões como «a transformação da primeira entrevista numa experiência analítica» (Crick, 2014) e a «criação do paciente analítico» (Levine, 2010). Neste artigo, as autoras abordam os processos envolvidos nas primeiras entrevistas e apresentam uma síntese histórica das entrevistas de triagem nos 40 anos do Instituto de Psicanálise, refletindo na sua experiência de realização de triagens e apresentando algumas propostas para caminhos futuros.