Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of vaginal discharge and is often associated with other health consequences mainly in pregnant women. BV is described by an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota where strictly and facultative anaerobic bacteria outgrow the lactic acid- and hydrogen peroxide-producing Lactobacillus species. The species involved in BV are capable to grow and form a polymicrobial biofilm in the vaginal epithelium. The treatment of BV is usually performed using broad-spectrum antibiotics, including metronidazole and clindamycin. However, these conventional treatments are associated with high recurrence rates. The BV polymicrobial biofilm may have an important role on the treatment outcome and is accounted as one of the factors for treatment failure. Other possible reasons for treatment failure include the presence of species resistant to antibiotics or the chance of reinfection after treatment. Therefore, novel strategies to increase the rates of treatment have been studied namely the use of probiotics and prebiotics, acidifying agents, antiseptics, plant-based products, vaginal microbiota transplantation, and phage endolysins. Although some of them are still in an initial phase of development with very preliminary results, they show great perspectives for application. In this review, we aimed to study the role of the polymicrobial nature of BV in treatment failure and explore a few alternatives for treatment.

We aimed to incorporate Thymbra capitata essential oil (TCEO), a potent antimicrobial natural product against bacterial vaginosis (BV)-related bacteria, in a suitable drug delivery system. We used vaginal sheets as dosage form to promote immediate relief of the typical abundant vaginal discharge with unpleasant odour. Excipients were selected to promote the healthy vaginal environment reestablishment and bioadhesion of formulations, while the TCEO acts directly on BV pathogens. We characterized vaginal sheets with TCEO in regard to technological characterization, predictable in vivo performance, in vitro efficacy and safety. Vaginal sheet D.O (acid lactic buffer, gelatine, glycerine, chitosan coated with TCEO 1% w/w) presented a higher buffer capacity and ability to absorb vaginal fluid simulant (VFS) among all vaginal sheets with EO, showing one of the most promising bioadhesive profiles, an excellent flexibility and structure that allow it to be easily rolled for application. Vaginal sheet D.O with 0.32 µL/mL TCEO was able to significantly reduce the bacterial load of all in vitro tested Gardnerella species. Although vaginal sheet D.O presented toxicity at some concentrations, this product was developed for a short time period of treatment, so this toxicity can probably be limited or even reversed when the treatment ends.

A Secção de Educação Comparada da Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências de Educação (SPCE-SEC) organizou em Lisboa, de 25 a 27 de janeiro de 2016, a sua 1ª Conferência Internacional, sob o tema A Educação Comparada para além dos números: contextos locais, realidades nacionais, processos transnacionais. A Conferência contou com o apoio do World Council for Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) e da nóvel Sociedade Ibero-Americana de Educação Comparada (SIBEC), tendo como núcleo organizador o Centro de Estudos Interdisciplinares em Educação e Desenvolvimento (CeiED), da Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias. A Conferência contou com 312 participantes, oriundos da Europa (137), da América Latina (129), da Ásia (3) e de África (3). Desses participantes, 214 apresentaram uma comunicação, inserida no vasto programa que incluía, para além das sessões plenárias, sessões temáticas, grupos de trabalho e comunicações livres. Nem todos os autores disponibilizaram à Comissão Organizadora os textos das suas comunicações. Mas, um número muito significativo, disponibilizou o seu trabalho para publicação, que constitui o livro de atas agora editado. Não foi fácil reunir tantos e tão diversificados contributos, para além das limitações de uma comissão organizadora constituída por professores assoberbados com outras responsabilidades profissionais (e pessoais). Com o pedido de desculpa pelo atraso, aqui se deixa este contributo para a afirmação da SPCE-SEC, uma secção da SPCE que pretende representar nacional e internacionalmente a comunidade que, em Portugal, se identifica com o campo da Educação Comparada. Lisboa, Novembro de 2017