Ticks collected in the last two decades from free-living and captive wild animals from 28 municipalities of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso were identified and tested using molecular methods for ...the presence of rickettsial agents. A total of 4467 ticks (229 larvae, 1676 nymphs, 1565 males, 997 females) representing 27 ixodid species were collected from 235 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals from three different ecoregions (Pantanal, Cerrado, and Amazonia). The species Amblyomma parkeri, Amblyomma romitii, Amblyomma varium and Ixodes luciae are reported for the first time in the state of Mato Grosso. Amongst 538 ticks tested by molecular methods for rickettsial infection, we detected 'Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii' infecting Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto and Amblyomma coelebs, Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest infecting Amblyomma ovale, Rickettsia sp. strain NOD infecting Amblyomma nodosum, and 'Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae' infecting Amblyomma sculptum. Our results represent an impressive expansion of knowledge on tick fauna and rickettsiae and are essential for understanding the ecology of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Neotropical region, particularly in midwestern Brazil.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in indigenous and religious rituals and ceremonies in South America for its therapeutic, psychedelic, and entheogenic effects. It is usually ...prepared by lengthy boiling of the leaves of the bush Psychotria viridis and the mashed stalks of the vine Banisteriopsis caapi in water. The former contains the classical psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is thought to be the main psychoactive alkaloid present in the brew. The latter serves as a source for β-carbolines, known for their monoamine oxidase-inhibiting (MAOI) properties. Recent preliminary research has provided encouraging results investigating ayahuasca’s therapeutic potential, especially regarding its antidepressant effects. On a molecular level, pre-clinical and clinical evidence points to a complex pharmacological profile conveyed by the brew, including modulation of serotoninergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and endocannabinoid systems. Its substances also interact with the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), and sigma-1 receptors. Furthermore, ayahuasca’s components also seem to modulate levels of inflammatory and neurotrophic factors beneficially. On a biological level, this translates into neuroprotective and neuroplastic effects. Here we review the current knowledge regarding these molecular interactions and how they relate to the possible antidepressant effects ayahuasca seems to produce.
Ayahuasca is a South American plant hallucinogen rich in the psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine and β-carbolines (mainly harmine). Preclinical and observational studies suggest that ayahuasca exerts ...beneficial effects in substance use disorders, but these potentials were never assessed in a clinical trial.
Single-center, single-blind, feasibility, proof-of-concept study, assessing the effects of one dose of ayahuasca accompanied by psychological support (without psychotherapy) on the drinking patterns (primary variable) of 11 college students with harmful alcohol consumption. Secondary variables included safety and tolerability, craving, personality, anxiety, impulsivity, self-esteem, and social cognition.
Ayahuasca was well tolerated (no serious adverse reactions were observed), while producing significant psychoactive effects. Significant reductions in days per week of alcohol consumption were found between weeks 2 and 3 (2.90 ± 0.28 vs 2.09 ± 0.41; P < 0.05, uncorrected), which were not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. There were no statistically significant effects for other variables, except for a significant reduction in reaction time in an empathy task.
A significant reduction in days of alcohol consumption was observed 2-3 weeks after ayahuasca intake, but this effect did not survive after Bonferroni correction. The lack of significant effects in alcohol use and other variables may be related to the small sample size and mild/moderate alcohol use at baseline. The present study shows the feasibility of our protocol, paving the way for future larger, controlled studies.
The aim was to evaluate the effects of diet supplementation with red seaweed
Pyropia columbina
or β-carotene on the intestinal microbiota of juvenile Pacú (
Piaractus mesopotamicus)
. Three hundred ...and fifteen fish (body weight 12.4 ± 2.8 g) were stocked in nine 300-L tanks with 35 fishes per tank and fed for 62 days with a basal feed (BG) or the same feed added with
P. columbina
(35 g kg
−1
) (AG) or supplemented with β-carotene (225 g kg
−1
) (β-CG). From fecal samples of three fishes slaughtered per group at 20th, 41th, and 62th days, plate counts of bacterial populations (enterobacteria, lactic acid bacteria—LAB, total aerobes, and psychrotrophs) and DGGE were made. Enterobacteria counts were lower in AG-group than the other groups throughout the experience (
p
= 0.016). LAB/enterobacteria ratio was greater in fishes supplemented with AG on 20th day, showing a greater amount of beneficial bacteria than non-beneficial ones. DGGE profiles resulting from the microbiota of β-CG at 62th day were clustered and separated from the rest of the profiles with a difference of 91%. Margalef richness (
p
= 0.049) and Shannon diversity index (
p
= 0.044) were lower in β-CG than in AG at 62th day. Taxonomic characterization showed the presence of three phylum: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Fusobacteria. This is the first study in which the microbiota of juvenile Pacú fed with biofunctional diets was evaluated. Future interventions that modify the bacterial ecosystem could improve the productive performance and ensure the safety of the pacu meat intended for consumption.
BACKGROUND
Attending rounds at academic medical centers are often disconnected from patients and team members who are not physicians. Regionalization of care teams may facilitate bedside rounding and ...more frequent interactions among doctors, nurses, and patients.
OBJECTIVE
We used time–motion analysis to investigate how regionalization of medical teams and encouragement of bedside rounds affect participants on rounds and rounding time.
DESIGN AND SETTING
We used pre–post analysis to study the effects of care redesign on teams' daily rounds on a general medicine service at an academic medical center.
PARTICIPANTS
Four general medical teams were evaluated before the intervention and 5 teams afterward.
INTERVENTIONS
General medical teams were regionalized to specific units, the admitting structure was changed to facilitate regionalization, and teams were encouraged to round bedside.
MEASUREMENTS
Primary outcomes included proportion of time each team member was present on rounds and proportion of bedside rounding time. Secondary outcomes included round duration and non‐patient time during rounds.
RESULTS
Proportion of time the nurse was present on rounds increased from 24.1% to 67.8% (P < 0.001), and proportion of total bedside rounding time increased from 39.9% to 55.8% (P < 0.001). Mean total rounding time decreased from 3.0 hours to 2.4 hours (P = 0.01), despite a higher patient census.
CONCLUSIONS
Creating regionalized care teams and encouraging interdisciplinary bedside rounds increased the proportion of bedside rounding time and the presence of nurses on rounds while decreasing total rounding time.
The gold standard for diagnosing invasive candidiasis still relies on blood cultures, which are inefficient and time-consuming to analyze. We developed an in-house qPCR assay to identify the 5 major
...species in 78 peripheral blood (PB) samples from ICU patients at risk of candidemia. Blood cultures and (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) testing were performed concurrently to evaluate the performance of the qPCR. The qPCR was positive for DNA samples from all 20 patients with proven candidemia (positive PB cultures), showing complete concordance with
species identification in blood cultures, except for detection of dual candidemia in 4 patients, which was missed by blood cultures. Additionally, the qPCR detected
species in six DNA samples from patients with positive central venous catheters blood (CB) but negative PB cultures. BDG values were similarly high in these six samples and the ones with proven candidemia, strongly suggesting the diagnosis of a true candidemia episode despite the negative PB cultures. Samples from patients neither infected nor colonized yielded negative results in both the qPCR and BDG testing. Our qPCR assay was at least as sensitive as blood cultures, but with a shorter turnaround time. Furthermore, negative results from the qPCR provided strong evidence for the absence of candidemia caused by the five major
species.
The genus Xanthomonas is a diverse and economically important group of bacterial phytopathogens, belonging to the γ-subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) causes ...citrus canker, which affects most commercial citrus cultivars, resulting in significant losses worldwide. Symptoms include canker lesions, leading to abscission of fruit and leaves and general tree decline. Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) causes black rot, which affects crucifers such as Brassica and Arabidopsis. Symptoms include marginal leaf chlorosis and darkening of vascular tissue, accompanied by extensive wilting and necrosis. Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris is grown commercially to produce the exopolysaccharide xanthan gum, which is used as a viscosifying and stabilizing agent in many industries. Here we report and compare the complete genome sequences of Xac and Xcc. Their distinct disease phenotypes and host ranges belie a high degree of similarity at the genomic level. More than 80% of genes are shared, and gene order is conserved along most of their respective chromosomes. We identified several groups of strain-specific genes, and on the basis of these groups we propose mechanisms that may explain the differing host specificities and pathogenic processes.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Among transition-metal dichalcogenides, mono and few-layers thick VSe2 has gained much recent attention following claims of intrinsic room-temperature ferromagnetism in this system, which have ...nonetheless proved controversial. Here, we address the magnetic and chemical properties of Fe/VSe2 heterostructure by combining element sensitive x-ray absorption spectroscopy and photoemission spectroscopy. Our x-ray magnetic circular dichroism results confirm recent findings that both native mono/few-layer and bulk VSe2 do not show intrinsic ferromagnetic ordering. Nonetheless, we find that ferromagnetism can be induced, even at room temperature, after coupling with a Fe thin film layer, with antiparallel alignment of the moment on the V with respect to Fe. We further consider the chemical reactivity at the Fe/VSe2 interface and its relation with interfacial magnetic coupling.
Despite the extensive use of intrathecal morphine infusion for pain, no systematic safety studies exist on its effects in high concentrations. The authors assessed the effects of morphine and ...clonidine given 28 days intrathecally in dogs.
Beagles with lumbar intrathecal catheters received solutions delivered by a vest-mounted infusion pump. Six groups (n = 3 each) received infusions (40 microl/h) of saline or 1.5, 3, 6, 9, or 12 mg/day of morphine for 28 days. Additional groups received morphine at 40 microl/h (1.5 mg/day) plus clonidine (0.25-1.0 mg/day) or clonidine alone at 100 microg/h (4.8 mg/day).
In animals receiving 9 or 12 mg/day morphine, allodynia was observed shortly after initiation of infusion. A concentration-dependent increase in hind limb dysfunction evolved over the infusion interval. Necropsy revealed minimal reactions in saline animals. At the higher morphine concentrations (all dogs receiving 12 mg/day), there was a local inflammatory mass at the catheter tip that produced significant local tissue compression. All animals with motor dysfunction displayed masses, although all animals with masses did not show motor dysfunction. The mass, arising from the dura-arachnoid layer, consisted of multifocal accumulations of neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells. Inflammatory cells and endothelial cells displayed significant IL1beta, TNFalpha, iNOS, and eNOS immunoreactivity. No evidence of bacterial or fungal involvement was detected. There were no other changes in spinal morphologic characteristics. In four other groups of dogs, clonidine alone had no effect and in combination with morphine reduced the morphine reaction.
The authors found that high intrathecal morphine concentrations lead to aseptic intrathecal inflammatory masses. The lack of effect of clonidine and the possible suppressive effects of clonidine on the local reaction suggest the utility of such coadministration.
Several animal studies have shown that supplementation with specific strains of lactic acid bacteria could prevent the establishment, growth, and metastasis of transplantable and chemically induced ...tumors. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of Enterococcus faecium CRL 183 on the incidence of colorectal tumors induced experimentally by dimethylhydrazine (DMH). We used thirty 4-week old male Wistar rat. The animals belonging to the DMH groups were injected s.c 20 mg/kg body weight of 1,2 dimethylhydrazine and 1 mM EDTA (pH 6.5), in a weekly dose, for 14 weeks. Three groups were used: (1) Control (not initiated); (2) Initiated with DMH; (3) Initiated with DMH + intake of E. faecium CRL 183. At the end of the 42nd week, all the animals were euthanized; the colons were removed and analyzed histologically. All the groups were compared histologically and IL-4, IFN-γ and TNF-α cytokines. The control group did not develop pre-neoplastic lesions. The E. faecium CRL 183-DMH group showed a 50% inhibition in incidence in average number of tumors (P < 0.001), reduced the formation of ACF (P < 0.001), the lowest number of adenocarcinoma being found in this group (P < 0.001) and enhanced the immune response by increasing IL-4, IFN-γ and TNF-α (P < 0.001) when compared with the DMH group.
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