Studies evaluating sputum quality and Xpert
MTB/RIF positivity in the context of active case finding are scarce. We aimed to determine whether sputum quality is associated with Xpert positivity and ...whether the association differed according to demographic and clinical characteristics.
A cross-sectional analysis using data from a mass screening programme in Brazilian prisons was conducted from 2017 to 2021. We administered a standardised questionnaire, obtained a chest X-ray and collected a spot sputum sample for Xpert testing. Sputum quality was classified as 'salivary', 'mucoid/mucopurulent' or 'blood-stained'. We used log binomial regressions to estimate the relationship between sputum quality and Xpert positivity, assessing interactions with participant characteristics.
Among 4,368 participants for whom sputum quality was assessed, 957 (21.9%) produced salivary specimens, 3,379 (77.4%) had mucoid/mucopurulent sputum and 32 (0.7%) had blood-stained sputum. Xpert positivity was higher among those with mucoid/mucopurulent sputum than among those with salivary samples (12.0% vs. 3.7%). Mucopurulent sputum independently predicted Xpert positivity among individuals with and without symptoms, current smoking and abnormal chest radiographs on CAD4TB.
In our study, sputum appearance independently predicted Xpert positivity, and could be used together with chest X-ray and symptom screening to inform use of Xpert in individual or pooled testing.
Biochar produced by thermal decomposition of biomass under oxygen-limited conditions has received increasing attention as a cost-effective sorbent to treat metal-contaminated waters. However, there ...is a lack of information on the roles of different sorption mechanisms for different metals and recent development of biochar modification to enhance metal sorption capacity, which is critical for biochar field application. This review summarizes the characteristics of biochar (e.g., surface area, porosity, pH, surface charge, functional groups, and mineral components) and main mechanisms governing sorption of As, Cr, Cd, Pb, and Hg by biochar. Biochar properties vary considerably with feedstock material and pyrolysis temperature, with high temperature producing biochars with higher surface area, porosity, pH, and mineral contents, but less functional groups. Different mechanisms dominate sorption of As (complexation and electrostatic interactions), Cr (electrostatic interactions, reduction, and complexation), Cd and Pb (complexation, cation exchange, and precipitation), and Hg (complexation and reduction). Besides sorption mechanisms, recent advance in modifying biochar by loading with minerals, reductants, organic functional groups, and nanoparticles, and activation with alkali solution to enhance metal sorption capacity is discussed. Future research needs for field application of biochar include competitive sorption mechanisms of co-existing metals, biochar reuse, and cost reduction of biochar production.
Display omitted
•Biochar properties varied with increasing pyrolysis temperature.•Complexation and electrostatic interaction are important mechanisms for As sorption.•Complexation and reduction are important mechanisms for Cr and Hg sorption.•Cation exchange and precipitation are important mechanisms for Cd and Pb sorption.•Biochar have been modified to enhance its metal sorption capacity.
Aim
The increase in the number of fungal infections worldwide, coupled with the limitations of current antifungal chemotherapy, demand the development of safe and effective new antifungals. Here, we ...presented the synthesis of a novel acridone (M14) and its antifungal properties against Candida and dermatophytes species.
Methods and Results
A series of 17 acridones was designed, synthesized and tested for its antifungal activity. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the broth microdilution method. Only the acridone M14 showed growth‐inhibitory activity against reference strains and clinical isolates of Candida and dermatophytes, with MIC range of 7·81–31·25 µg ml−1. Moreover, M14 exhibited fungicidal activity and prevented biofilm formation by C. albicans as well as reduced the viability of preformed biofilms, even at sub‐MICs. The confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis revealed that C. albicans hyphal growth was completely inhibited in the presence of M14. Similarly, there was a severe inhibition on hyphal growth of Trichophyton rubrum. We also found that M14 has relatively low toxicity to human fibroblasts.
Conclusions
The new acridone M14 has antifungal properties against Candida spp. and dermatophytes, and antibiofilm activity against C. albicans. In addition, M14 is relatively selective to fungal cells compared to human normal cells.
Significance and Impact of the Study
Because of its in vitro antifungal activity, anti‐Candida biofilm effect and moderate cytotoxicity towards normal human cell, M14 may serve as a valuable lead compound to develop a new antifungal agent.
Background
Dermatomycoses are superficial fungal infections of the skin, hair and nails that affect more than 20–25% of the people worldwide. These infections can be caused by yeasts, dermatophytes ...and non‐dermatophyte filamentous fungi (NDFF) and are considered a public health problem. Despite this, few studies have investigated the prevalence and antifungal susceptibility of causative agents of dermatomycoses in the developing world.
Objectives
The aims of this study were to identify and determine the antifungal susceptibility profile of yeast and filamentous fungi isolated from dermatomycoses in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Methods
Specimens were obtained from patients with clinically diagnosed and laboratory confirmed dermatomycosis between July 2009 and July 2011. Fungal identification was based on classical methods and antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution method.
Results
Of the 216 fungal isolates, 116 (53.8%) were yeasts, 70 (32.4%) dermatophytes and 30 (13.8%) NDFF. Onychomycosis was the most common clinical condition. Candida parapsilosis (24.1%) and Trichophyton rubrum (17.1%) were the fungi most frequently isolated. Voriconazole, ketoconazole and itraconazole were the most potent antifungal agents against yeast, whereas terbinafine, voriconazole and itraconazole had a high in vitro activity against dermatophytes. Overall, the antifungal agents had little or no activity against NDFF and the highest minimum inhibitory concentrations were those against Fusarium spp.
Conclusion
Yeasts, particularly C. parapsilosis, play an important role as causative agents of dermatomycosis in our region. Our results suggest that the antifungal susceptibility testing coupled with proper identification of the fungi may be useful to assist clinicians in determining the appropriate therapy for dermatomycoses.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapeutic modality that has shown effectiveness in the inactivation of cancer cell lines and microorganisms. Treatment consists of activating the photosensitizer ...(PS) upon light irradiation of adequate wavelength. After reaching the excited state, the PS can handle the intersystem conversion through energy transfer to the molecular oxygen, generating reactive oxygen species. This especially applies to singlet oxygen (1O2), which is responsible for the selective destruction of the sick tissue. Photosensitizing compounds (chlorophylls and derivatives) existing in the spinach extract have applicability for PDT. This study aimed to develop and characterize the thermoresponsive bioadhesive system composed of Pluronic F127 20.0%- and Carbopol 934P 0.2% (w/w) (FC)-containing chlorophyll-based extract 0.5% (w/w) (FC-Chl). Mechanical and rheological properties, in vitro release, sol–gel transition temperature, and ex vivo permeability of the spinach extract PS components (through pig ear skin) were investigated. Furthermore, photodynamic activity of the system was accessed through uric acid and time-solved measurements. The sol–gel transition temperature obtained for the FC-Chl system was 28.8 ± 0.3 °C. Rheological and texture properties of the platform were suitable for use as a dermatological system, exhibiting easy application and good characteristics of retention in the place of administration. In vitro release studies showed the presence of two distinct mechanisms that reasonably obey the zero-order and first-order kinetics models. PS components presented skin permeability and reached a permeation depth of 830 μm (between the epidermis and dermis). The photodynamic evaluation of the FC-Chl system was effective in the degradation of uric acid. The quantum yield (ΦΔ 1O2) and life time (τ1O2) of singlet oxygen showed similar values for the spinach extract and the isolated chlorophyll a species in ethanol. These results allowed for the classification of the FC-Chl platform as potentially useful for the delivery of the chlorophyll-based extract in the topic PDT, suggesting that it is worthy for in vivo evaluation.
The interest in the application of machine learning techniques (MLT) as drug design tools is growing in the last decades. The reason for this is related to the fact that the drug design is very ...complex and requires the use of hybrid techniques. A brief review of some MLT such as self-organizing maps, multilayer perceptron, bayesian neural networks, counter-propagation neural network and support vector machines is described in this paper. A comparison between the performance of the described methods and some classical statistical methods (such as partial least squares and multiple linear regression) shows that MLT have significant advantages. Nowadays, the number of studies in medicinal chemistry that employ these techniques has considerably increased, in particular the use of support vector machines. The state of the art and the future trends of MLT applications encompass the use of these techniques to construct more reliable QSAR models. The models obtained from MLT can be used in virtual screening studies as well as filters to develop/discovery new chemicals. An important challenge in the drug design field is the prediction of pharmacokinetic and toxicity properties, which can avoid failures in the clinical phases. Therefore, this review provides a critical point of view on the main MLT and shows their potential ability as a valuable tool in drug design.
The amyloidogenic peptide, Aβ, provokes a series of events affecting distinct cellular pathways regulated by protein phosphorylation. Aβ inhibits protein phosphatases in a dose-dependent manner, thus ...it is expected that the phosphorylation state of specific proteins would be altered in response to Aβ. In fact several Alzheimer's disease related proteins, such as APP and TAU, exhibit pathology associated hyperphosphorylated states. A systems biology approach was adopted and the phosphoproteome, of primary cortical neuronal cells exposed to Aβ, was evaluated. Phosphorylated proteins were recovered and those whose recovery increased or decreased, upon Aβ exposure across experimental sets, were identified. Significant differences were evident for 141 proteins and investigation of their interactors revealed key protein clusters responsive to Aβ treatment. Of these, 73 phosphorylated proteins increased and 68 decreased upon Aβ addition. These phosphorylated proteins represent an important resource of potential AD phospho biomarkers that should be further pursued.
Landscape dynamics are widely thought to govern the tempo and mode of continental radiations, yet the effects of river network rearrangements on dispersal and lineage diversification remain poorly ...understood. We integrated an unprecedented occurrence dataset of 4,967 species with a newly compiled, time-calibrated phylogeny of South American freshwater fishes-the most species-rich continental vertebrate fauna on Earth-to track the evolutionary processes associated with hydrogeographic events over 100 Ma. Net lineage diversification was heterogeneous through time, across space, and among clades. Five abrupt shifts in net diversification rates occurred during the Paleogene and Miocene (between 30 and 7 Ma) in association with major landscape evolution events. Net diversification accelerated from the Miocene to the Recent (c. 20 to 0 Ma), with Western Amazonia having the highest rates of in situ diversification, which led to it being an important source of species dispersing to other regions. All regional biotic interchanges were associated with documented hydrogeographic events and the formation of biogeographic corridors, including the Early Miocene (c. 23 to 16 Ma) uplift of the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira and the Late Miocene (c. 10 Ma) uplift of the Northern Andes and associated formation of the modern transcontinental Amazon River. The combination of high diversification rates and extensive biotic interchange associated with Western Amazonia yielded its extraordinary contemporary richness and phylogenetic endemism. Our results support the hypothesis that landscape dynamics, which shaped the history of drainage basin connections, strongly affected the assembly and diversification of basin-wide fish faunas.
The sour passion fruit, Passiflora edulis Sims, is one of the main species of economic importance that can be injured by a variety of insect pest that feeds upon all parts of the plant reducing ...production. However, the most important Lepidoptera pests are larvae Dione juno juno and Agraulis vanillae vanillae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). The caterpillar of passion Azamora penicillana (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), attack leaves of passion and fruits. Here, Soares et al report the attack and loss of the A. penicillana on fruit passion in Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states from Brazil.
PDF
