In a previous study we have shown that public buses in Oporto, the second largest city in Portugal, were highly contaminated with MRSA. Here we describe the results of a similar study performed in another urban area of Portugal–Lisbon, the capital. Between May 2011 and May 2012, hand touched surfaces of 199 public buses in Lisbon were screened for MRSA contamination. Subsequently, the hands of 575 passengers who frequently use these bus lines were also screened. All hand carriers of MRSA were further screened for nasal carriage. The isolates were characterized by PFGE, staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec typing, spa typing, MLST and were tested for the presence of mecA, Panton-Valentine leukocidin and arginine catabolic mobile element genes. MRSA contamination was shown in 72 buses (36.2%). The majority of the isolates belonged to three major clones: Clone A was identified as EMRSA-15 defined by pattern PFGE A, spa types t2357/t747/t025/t379/t910, ST22, and SCCmec IVh (n = 21; 29%). Clone B was the New York/Japan clone characterized by PFGE B-t002/t10682-ST5-II (n = 15; 21%). Clone C included isolates with characteristics of the international community-acquired USA300 or related clones, PFGE C-t008-ST8-IVa/IVc/IVg/IVnt/VI (n = 19; 26%). The first two clones are currently the two major lineages circulating in Portuguese hospitals. The hands of 15 individuals were contaminated with MRSA belonging to the nosocomial clones A or B. Eleven of these individuals were not nasal carriers of MRSA and all but one had travelled by public transportation, namely by bus, prior to sampling. In conclusion, public buses in two major cities in Portugal are often contaminated with MRSA representing clones dominant in hospitals in the particular geographic area. MRSA contamination of public transport and the transfer of the bacteria to the hands of passengers may represent a route through which hospital-acquired MRSA clones may spread to the community.

Some passerines incorporate aromatic plants in their nest cups, and several hypotheses have been formulated to explain this behaviour. One of those, the Drug Hypothesis, states that aromatic plants present in nests have positive effects on nestlings’ development through increased immune function. In this study, we aimed to examine if experimental addition of aromatic plants had positive effects on reproductive performance (the number of fledglings produced and nestling survival rate) and nestling development (weight and tarsus length). In addition, we study whether those potential effects were more noticeable in different brood sizes–small and large–through an observational approach. We expect that large broods, due to increased resource competition between nestlings, will benefit more from aromatic plant incorporation, as compared to small broods. Nestlings were significantly heavier in 2015 as compared to 2016 and 2017 and in small broods. No effect of treatment was observed in nestling weight. Although there was no overall effect of treatment on nestling tarsus length, nestlings from aromatic nests had significantly longer tarsi as compared to nestlings from control nests, in large broods.

Objectives: Performing digital cephalometric analysis on apps is a convenient feature of handheld devices. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of the OneCeph cephalometric tracing app on a smartphone and computer. Methods: 34 lateral cephalograms were traced in two sessions using three methods: OneCeph on a smartphone, OneCeph on a computer, and NemoCeph on a computer as the reference. For trueness analysis, the measurements were compared between each test method and the reference. For precision analysis, the measurements were compared between sessions. Results: Regarding trueness analysis, significant differences were found between OneCeph and NemoCeph for ANB (smartphone, -0.3±0.68; computer, -0.3±0.52), OL/SN (smartphone, -1.1±2.68; computer -2.0±2.98), and GoGn/SN (smartphone, -0.5±1.27; computer, -0.8±1.56). OneCeph reproducibility was high for all cephalometric variables except OL/SN, both on the smartphone and the computer (ICC [95%CI]: 0.888 [0.773-0.944] and 0.842 [0.583-0.931], respectively). Repeatability was high for all cephalometric variables except OL/SN and UINA on the smartphone (ICC [95%CI]: 0.889 [0.730-0.950] and 0.831 [0.687-0.912], respectively). Tracing time was significantly higher for both OneCeph methods. Conclusions: OneCeph demonstrated adequate accuracy and efficiency on both interfaces. Clinical judgment is advised when interpreting the measurement output of handheld devices, which may provide a higher frequency of gross landmark identification errors.

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Introduction: The palatal rugae can be an alternative method of forensic identification. Through the years, several investigations focused on the effect of orthodontic treatment in the palatal rugae pattern. IntroductionThe The palatal rugae can be an alternative method of forensic identification in cases such as car accidents, terrorist acts or mass disasters on which it's difficult to identify an individual through fingerprints or dental records or cases of recent corpses total or partially mutilated [1,2]. ISSN: 2348-9804Objectives: Evaluate the concepts of immutability and individuality of the palatal rugae in a Portuguese adult population submitted to orthodontic treatment, for the purpose of medico-legal identification through Thomas and Kotze classification system. Additionally, we wanted to establish comparison of the palatal rugae of each subject, and between genders. Materials and Methods:Thirty three pairs of study dental casts, from thirty three patients submitted to orthodontic treatment in the Department of Orthodontics in College of Dentistry -University of Lisbon, were photographed and classified according to the classification system described by Thomas and Kotze. We proceeded to a statistical analysis running SPSS for Windows, version 20.0, using descriptive analysis and tests, with an inclusion level p <0.05. The tests applied were normality tests and T Student for paired samples. Results:The number and length of primary rugae remain identical when comparing the situation before and after orthodontic treatment. The number of secondary rugae decreases after orthodontic treatment. The variation of the angle of divergence was not statistically significant. The area of primary rugae presented statistically significant reduction after orthodontic treatment. There has no statistically significant differences between genders for total number number of rugae or average length of primary rugae (p <0.05). Discussion and Conclusion:The palatal rugae pattern does not remain stable after orthodontic treatment, and this refutes the supposed long term stability of the palatal rugae pattern. Therefore, it influences the ability to establish a positive medico-legal identification of a recent copse, if the person was submitted to ante mortem orthodontic treatment. The identification might still be possible if we possess a last ante mortem palatal record in these situations, to allow identification based on positive individual characteristics, through comparison with the post-mortem record. Considering gender, no statistically significant differences were found. This subject remains controversial and deserves further research.The linear dimensions of the palatal rugae are altered during the normal growth of an individual in a way that is statistically significant [3,4].