Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) affect hundreds of millions of patients, representing a significant burden for public health. They are usually associated to multidrug resistant bacteria, which increases their incidence and severity. Bloodstream infections are among the most frequent and life-threatening HCAIs, with Enterococcus and Staphylococcus among the most common isolated pathogens. The correct and fast identification of the etiological agents is crucial for clinical decisionmaking, allowing to rapidly select the appropriate antimicrobial and to prevent from overuse and misuse of antibiotics and the consequent increase in antimicrobial resistance. Conventional culture methods are still the gold standard to identify these pathogens, however, are time-consuming and may lead to erroneous diagnosis, which compromises an efficient treatment. (Bacterio)phage receptor binding proteins (RBPs) are the structures responsible for the high specificity conferred to phages against bacteria and thus are very attractive biorecognition elements with high potential for specific detection and identification of pathogens. Taking into account all these facts, we have designed and developed a new, fast, accurate, reliable and unskilled diagnostic method based on newly identified phage RBPs and spectrofluorometric techniques that allows the multiplex detection of Enterococcus and Staphylococcus in blood samples in less than 1.5 hr after an enrichment step.

Based on the data, we can conclude that the "Smoke-free Homes" programme was effective in preventing smoking in the home, and therefore reducing the rate of children exposed to SHS by about 10%. However, it appears that about a third of children are still exposed, which highlights the need for further measures in this area. Healthcare professionals, particularly those working in Paediatrics, should advise parents to quit smoking, especially in the home.

No abstract

The prevalence of smokers among Portuguese school-aged adolescents varies within the several regions of the country, similar to what happens in the adult Portuguese population.

La contribución de los programas de influencias psicosociales (complementados con otras estrategias) en el control de la epidemia tabáquica JOSÉ PRECIOSO (*); MANUEL MACEDO (**)