Elisabete Carolino

• PhD
• Polytechnical Institute of Lisbon

Introduction Wood industry workers face health risks due to exposure to microorganisms and their metabolites. This study aimed to characterize seasonal microbial contamination, antifungal resistance, mycotoxins, cytotoxicity, and particulate matter in Portuguese carpentries, to reduce exposure and promote safe working conditions. Methods Conducted...

Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, tremendous efforts have been made to address this public health emergency of international concern. The control of the disease has essentially depended on vaccination programs. Many recent studies continue to explore the factors related to the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. This systematic review was c...

Background Patients frequently resort to the internet to access information about cancer. However, these websites often lack content accuracy and readability. Recently, ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence–powered chatbot, has signified a potential paradigm shift in how patients with cancer can access vast amounts of medical information, including i...

Poultry production intensification might influence microbial development. Concerning fungal assessment, despite the limited number of studies, several fungi have already been found in poultry pavilions. Occupational health specialists frequently overlook worker safety and biological risk assessment due to a lack of systematic knowledge regarding th...

Atualmente a elevada procura de respostas sociais dirigidas a pessoas idosas, deve-se em parte, à perda de autonomia e o apoio domiciliário (SAD) tem sido apontado como uma alternativa para retardar o ingresso em Estruturas Residenciais para Pessoas Idosas (ERPI). Sabendo do impacto da diminuição da autonomia no estado nutricional, nomeadamente no...

E-waste management is a major environmental concern that also poses serious risks to occupational health. While e-waste workers are exposed to a variety of chemicals, little is known about occupational exposure to microbiological agents. This study aims to fill that gap. For that purpose, two e-waste facilities were assessed: one battery-recycling...

Introduction In “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) stores, workers from the wood department are considered woodworkers. Given the health risks associated with woodworking, particularly from fungi and their metabolites, this study aims to assess microbial contamination and health risks for both workers and customers. Methods The study was developed in 13 DIY s...

BACKGROUND Patients frequently resort to the Internet to access cancer information. Nevertheless, these online websites often need more content accuracy and readability. Recently, ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, signifies a potential paradigm shift in how cancer patients can access vast medical information. However, given that...

Introduction The presence of the Penicillium section Aspergilloides (formerly known as Penicillium glabrum ) in the cork industry involves the risk of respiratory diseases such as suberosis. Methods The aim of this study was to corroborate the predominant fungi present in this occupational environment by performing a mycological analysis of 360 wo...

Introduction Currently the use of prohibited performance-enhancing substances (PES) in fitness and gym settings is a public health concern as adverse health consequences are emerging. Understanding the characteristics of gym-goers who do not use these substances could lead to an important complement to the ongoing research about risk factors for PE...

E-waste management is a major environmental concern that also poses serious risks to occupational health. While e-waste workers are exposed to a variety of chemicals, little is known about occupational exposure to microbiological agents. This study aims to fill that gap. For that purpose, two e-waste facilities were assessed: one battery-recycling...

The aetiology of acute appendicitis (AA), the most frequent abdominal surgical emergency, is still unclarified. Recent epidemiologic, clinical and laboratorial data point to an allergic component in the pathophysiology of AA. Mastocytes participate in the Th2 immune response, releasing inflammatory mediators from their granules upon stimulation by...

OCT-A is an exam that allows visualization of the retinal and choroidal vasculari-zation as well as the three-dimensional visualization of the vascular plexuses at different depths, providing functional information about the blood flow in the vessels, and areas of non-perfusion or neovascularization. The foveal avascular zone corresponds to an area...

Introduction It is of upmost importance to contribute to fill the knowledge gap concerning the characterization of the occupational exposure to microbial agents in the waste sorting setting (automated and manual sorting). Methods This study intends to apply a comprehensive field sampling and laboratory protocol (culture based-methods and molecular...

Introduction: Food and cooking skills (FCSks) are defined as a complex, interrelated, and person-centred set of skills, necessary to provide and prepare safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable meals for all members of the household. Recent studies have associated higher FCSk with healthier eating habits and better health. This study aimed to va...

Purpose To assess the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) /individual Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and disease activity, disease impact, and functional status in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients. Methods RA patients followed at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, were recruited. DII was calculated using dietary intake d...

Several pieces of evidence point to an allergic component as a trigger of acute appendicitis. As the Th2 immune response is characterized by eosinophil mobilization to the target organ and release of their cationic granule proteins, it is reasonable to investigate if the degranulation of eosinophils could be associated with the local injury. The pr...

This study intends to present an overview from the assessments of fungal contamination and mycotoxins performed in three different occupational environments (Firefighters headquarters - FFH; Waste collection trucks – WCT and; Cemeteries - CM). Active sampling (impaction and impingement methods) and several passive sampling methods (swabs, settled d...

This study aimed to characterize microbial contamination in Portuguese grocery stores. The research was carried out in 15 grocery stores in Cascais, Portugal. Electrostatic dust cloths (EDC) and surface swabs were used on 3 sampling sites: checkout, fruits/vegetable, and warehouse/dispenser. Fungal contamination was characterized by culture-based m...

Chinese individuals who immigrate to a Western country tend to change their eating patterns and behaviors depending on how long they live in the host country. This is dietary acculturation, and it can have a positive or negative impact on eating habits. Thus, we aimed to characterize the dietary acculturation of the Chinese immigrant community in P...

Introduction: Acute kidney injury is frequent in patients with COVID-19 and is associated with a higher mortality than in patients without acute kidney injury. Therefore we aimed to compare the creatinine and cystatin C initial values and trend in COVID-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), in order to understand how renal dysfunct...

Microbial contamination in grocery shops (GS) should be evaluated since food commodities are commonly handled by workers and customers increasing the risk of food contamination and disease transmission. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial contamination in Portuguese and Spanish GS with a multi-approach protocol using passive (electr...

Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency, but its aetiology is not fully understood. We and others have proposed that allergic responses play significant roles in its pathophysiology. Eosinophils and Interleukin (IL)-5 are involved in a hypersensitivity type I reaction. Eosinophil infiltration is common in the allergic target or...

Introduction Physical activity is essential for a healthy life and quality of life, representing a fundamental role in individuals' physical and mental health. Concomitantly, the physical therapist, through the promotion of physical activity and exercise, can improve mental health, an essential factor in the current pandemic, triggering anxiety, fe...

Despite tea beneficial health effects, there is a substantial risk of tea contamination by harmful pathogens and mycotoxins. A total of 40 tea samples (17 green (raw) tea; 13 black (fermented) tea; 10 herbal infusions or white tea) were purchased from different markets located in Lisbon district during 2020. All products were directly available to...

Respiratory abnormalities among workers at coffee roasting and packaging facilities have already been reported; however, little is known about microbiological contamination inside coffee production facilities. This study intends to assess the microbial contamination (fungi and bacteria) in two coffee industries from Brazil with a multi-approach pro...

Assuring a proper environment for the fulfillment of professional activities is one of the Sustainable Development Goals and is contemplated in the One Health approach assumed by the World Health Organization. This particular study is applied to an often neglected sector of our society—the conservators/restorers—despite the many health issues repor...

The sampling approach is of utmost importance to obtain data regarding microbial viability and truly assess workers’ potential health effects. The purpose of this assessment is to create a score which will provide up-to-date information to identify the most suitable sampling method to assess occupational exposure to fungi. Data from a sampling camp...

Previous studies anticipated that microorganisms and their metabolites in waste will increase as a consequence of a decreased collection frequency and due to differences in what kind of waste is bagged before collection leading to an increased exposure of workers handling the waste. This study aim was to investigate the microbial contamination pres...

Although diagnostic procedures are crucial for secondary prevention and patient disease control, they often trigger fear and anxiety. These reactions highlight the need to adopt effective interventions to improve patients' experience and satisfaction. Recently, educational videos have been employed in preparing diagnostic procedures; however, there...

Cemeteries are potential environmental reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms from organic matter decomposition. This study aimed to characterize the microbial contamination in three cemeteries, and more specifically in grave diggers’ facilities. One active sampling method (impingement method) and several passive sampling methods (swabs, settled d...

The use of prohibited performance-enhancing substances (PES) in fitness and gym settings is a public health concern as knowledge concerning its short-term and long-term adverse health consequences is emerging. Understanding the underlying psychosocial mechanisms of PES use and the characteristics of the gym-goers who use PES could help identify tho...

Background Depressive symptomatology is prevalent among female university students with adverse effects on their quality of life and academic performance. Previous research suggested associations between depressive symptomatology and oxytocin levels and between depressive symptomatology and Temperament Traits. Despite this evidence, to the best of...

One of the occupational environments that need intervention to overcome the lack of information concerning exposure to biological agents is the Firefighter Headquarters’ (FFH). This study intends to assess the microbial contamination in Portuguese FFH with a multi-approach protocol for sampling and analyses using active (air samples by impaction an...

Safe working conditions must be guaranteed during waste sorting, which is crucial to maximizing recycling and reuse, in order to minimize workers’ exposure to chemical and biological hazards. This study determines the contribution of Aspergillus section Fumigati to the overall cytotoxicity of filtering respiratory protection devices (FRPD) and mech...

This study analyzed 57 Aspergillus section Fumigati (AF) isolates collected by active and passive sampling (N = 450) in several health care facilities and from biological sampling of health care workers (N = 25) and controls (N = 22) in Portugal. All isolates were cultured in different media and screened for azole resistance. Cytotoxicity was asses...

Background: Aspergillus section Fumigati is one of the Aspergillus sections more frequently related to respiratory symptoms and by other health outcomes. This study aimed to characterize Aspergillus section Fumigati distribution in eleven firefighter headquarters (FFHs) to obtain an accurate occupational exposure assessment. Methods: A sampling app...

The higher education sector represents a unique environment and it acts as a work environment, a learning environment for students, and frequently, also a home environment. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial contamination (SARS-CoV-2, fungi, and bacteria) in Higher Education Facilities (HEI) by using active and passive sampling me...

Ambulance vehicles are an essential part of emergency clinical services. Bioburden control in ambulances, through cleaning and disinfection, is crucial to minimize hospital-acquired infections, cross contamination and exposure of patients and ambulances' crew. In Portugal, firefighter crews are responsible, besides fire extinction, for first aid an...

Filtering respiratory protection devices (FRPD) are mandatory for workers to wear in the Portuguese waste-sorting industry. Previous results regarding microbial contamination found on FRPD interior layer raised the question of whether microbial contamination from the exhalation valve would also have cytotoxicity effects. Since the FRPD exhalation v...

This study aims to assess the airborne bioburden of rural and urban Portuguese Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC) using active and passive sampling methods and identify the potential differences in airborne microbiota between both environments. The highest total aerobic mesophilic bacterial load in indoor air were found in the Vaccination Room (448...

Background: Working in swine and poultry farms is described as a harmful job to the workers, because it has been shown that is capable of leading to occupational asthma and other allergic diseases. Objective: The main objective of this study is the epidemiological characterization of occupational allergic diseases in swine and poultry Portuguese fa...

Sampling campaigns indoors have shown that occupants exposed to contaminated air generally exhibit diverse health outcomes. This study intends to assess the deposition rates of total settleable dust and bioburden in the indoor air of dwellings onto quartz fiber filters and electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs), respectively. EDC extracts were inocul...

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by a chronic inflammatory process that affects the intestinal barrier structure. Recent evidence suggests that some food components can influence the integrity of the intestinal barrier and thus its permeability. We aimed at assessing the effect of food components on the intestinal permeability (I...

A wider characterization of indoor air quality during sleep is still lacking in the literature. This study intends to assess bioburden before and after sleeping periods in Portuguese dwellings through active methods (air sampling) coupled with passive methods, such as electrostatic dust cloths (EDC); and investigate associations between before and...

Culturing is still the most widely used method for determining fungal growth. Thus, is important to identify the most suitable culture media to assess Aspergillus spp. The aim of this study was to analyze data obtained from previous studies, aiming at identifying the most suitable culture media (malt extract agar (MEA) or dichloran-glycerol agar (D...

One of the solutions for decreasing the workers' exposure to bioburden is the use of Filtering Respiratory Protective Devices (FRPD). As such it is important to determine whether these devices are fulfilling their protective role. This is the basis of the current study, aimed at characterizing bioburden retained by 120 FRPD (both in interior layers...

The organic material present on waste sorting units serve as a substrate for different microorganisms , increasing workers' exposure to Aspergillus spp. This study intends to assess the Aspergillus spp. contamination on Mechanical Protection Gloves (MPG) from different workstations and understand the role of MPG in workers' exposure to these genera...

Monitoring campaigns in several buildings have shown that occupants exposed to contaminated indoor air generally exhibit diverse health symptoms. This study intends to assess settleable dust loading rates and bioburden in Portuguese dwellings by passive sampling onto quartz fiber filters and electrostatic dust cloths (EDCs), respectively. Settled d...

Rationale and aims Malnutrition is common and multifactorial in cancer patients (CP), combining the systemic inflammatory process with decreased food intake, loss of muscle and bone mass, and decreased functional status (FS). We aimed to track and evaluate the nutritional status (NS) of CP; associate results between hospitalized patients (HP) and d...

The exposure to particles and bioaerosols has been associated with the increase in health effects in children. The objective of this study was to assess the indoor exposure to bioburden in the indoor microenvironments more frequented by children. Air particulate matter (PM) and settled dust were sampled in 33 dwellings and four schools with a mediu...

The use of Filtering Respiratory Protective Devices (FRPD) is mandatory in Portugal to protect workers from the waste industry of harmful exposures. Deleterious health effects of exposure to bioburden via inhalation and/or ingestion include respiratory symptoms and nephrotoxicity. Between January and February 2019, 118 FRPD samples were collected i...

In Portugal, mechanical protection gloves (MPG) are of mandatory use and during their use sweat is released and, consequently, the humidity of the material increases leading to conditions favorable to the growth of microorganisms. However, no studies have been conducted in MPG to assess the bioburden. This study intended to determine the bioburden...

Objective: To assess the emotional impact in cancer patients undergoing Nuclear Medicine scans and identify how professionals can improve patient experience. Methods: 94 patients undergoing a Bone Scan (BS) or a Positron emission tomography/Computed Tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) completed two Scan Experience Questionnaires and the State Anxiety Inven...

The assessment and control of microbial contamination in health care facilities is presently a mandatory and vital part of strategies to prevent and control hospital-acquired infections. This study aims to assess the bioburden with two passive sampling methods (30 ventilations grids swabs and 16 electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs)) at Clinical Pat...

Background: Nowadays, doping is not confined to elite sport, it is also spread throughout gymnasia and fitness centers, and it is seen as a public health concern. Studies focusing on performance-enhancing substances (PES) use among gym users are few and mostly concern the practice of bodybuilding and the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), w...

There is scientific evidence that associates occupational exposure to fungi in the waste industry to health outcomes, being Aspergillus genera reported as the most prevalent. During Filtering Respiratory Protective Devices (FFR) use, humidity and temperature conditions provide favorable conditions for Aspergillus growth. The aim of this study was t...

Joint Control Charts applied to Enironmental Health Data

To evaluate the effectiveness of a low FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, monosaccharaides, disaccharides and polyols) diet in the relief of symptoms and an improvement of the quality of life in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome in comparison to a standard diet according to the British Dietetic Association’s guidelines. A non-randomized...

One of the solutions for decreasing the workers' exposure to bioburden is the use of Filtering Respiratory Protective Devices (FRPD). As such it is important to determine whether these devices are fulfilling their protective role. This is the basis of the current study, aimed at characterizing bioburden retained by 120 FRPD (both in interior layers...

The bioburden in a Hospital building originates not only from patients, visitors and staff, but is also disseminated by several indoor hospital characteristics and outdoor environmental sources. This study intends to assess the exposure to bioburden in one central Hospital with a multi-approach protocol using active and passive sampling methods. Th...

The prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus has been increasing in recent years. Intensive treatment through Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Perfusion System is the most physiological method of insulin administration currently available. For this to be effective it is essential to have knowledge about the composition of the food, particularly about...

Several studies reported adverse respiratory health effects in workers exposed to ambient contaminants in bakeries. The aim of this study was to examine worker exposure to fungi and mycotoxins in Portuguese bakeries in order to develop new policies in occupational health. Environmental samples such as air, surfaces, settled dust and electrostatic d...

The collection and analysis of settled dust samples from indoor environments has become one of several environmental sampling methods used to assess bioburden indoors. The aim of the study was to characterize the bioburden in vacuumed settled dust from 10 Primary Health Care Centers by culture based and molecular methods. Results for bacterial load...

Passive methods, such as electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs), allow determination of contamination levels for a long period of time, while air samples can only reproduce the load for a shorter period of time. We intended to analyze the suitability of EDC for identifying critical workstations of occupational exposure to particulate matter and for c...

The T2 Mapping technique, obtained through Magnetic Resonance Imaging shows benefits in the evaluation of the collagen network and water content of the knee cartilage at its early stage. A sample of 54 subjects (28 males | 26 females) was included in this study. The cartilage regions of the femoral condyles (medial and lateral strand) and cartilage...

Objectives: This work aims to assess whether the biochemical response of radium-223-dichloride treatment can be predicted based on the pretherapy bone scan, and consequently if bone scan index (BSI) and maximum lesion intensity have a place as alternatives or as complements to extent of bone disease (EOBD) scoring in predicting biochemical respons...

Background: Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy is a medical exam whose purpose is to evaluate myocardial perfusion. This examination due to their procedures can generate some anxiety in patients that can disturb the good performance of the exam. The main objective of this study is to perform an analysis of patient`s undergoing myocardial perfusion s...

Literature about occupational health in small-animal veterinary practices is scarce, but most of it has recognised a number of risks to be considered, including organic dust exposure. The aim of this pilot study was to assess organic dust, bacterial, and fungal contamination in the indoor environment of a typical Portuguese veterinary clinic but al...

Healthcare workers who prepare or administer cytotoxic agents run the risk of exposure, and the risks for health are real even at doses lower than those applied in cancer patients, because, in theory, no dose is safe. The most common and problematic route of exposure is through the skin, especially as work surfaces can remain contaminated even afte...

In bakeries, a number of operations such as mixing are associated with exposure to air-suspended flour dust and related bioburden. The aim of this study was to find the best active sampling approach to the assessment of occupational exposure to bioburden in Portuguese bakeries based on the data obtained with the use of specific impaction and imping...

The frequency and importance of Aspergillus infections is increasing worldwide. This study aimed to assess the occupational exposure of forklifts and taxi drivers to Aspergillus spp. Nineteen filters from air conditioning system of taxis, 17 from forklifts and 37 from personal vehicles were assessed. Filters extract were streaked onto MEA, DG18 and...

Bioburden proliferation in filters from air conditioning systems of taxis represents a possible source of occupational exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of fungi and bacteria in filters from the air conditioning system of taxis used for patient transportation and to assess the exposure of drivers to bioburden. Filters...