The barks of Anacardium occidentale (cashew tree) been used for centuries in the popular pharmacopoeia of South America and West Africa for the treatment of infections and neurodegenerative diseases. ...Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the biological effect of the ethanolic extract of the barks against strains of Candida spp. and cancer cell lines, as well as identifying the chemical constituents present in the product. For that, the extract was submitted to an UPLC-QTOF/MS, which mass fragments were compared in the literature at the botanical family level. For antifungal activity, the serial microdilution method was used in varying concentrations, and the modifier of fluconazole in sub-inhibitory concentrations (CFM/16). Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT method 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazol bromide in five cell lines (HL-60, NCI–H292, HCT-116, P815 and L929). Eight compounds were identified, including gallic acid, luteolin, epicatechin gallate and agathisflavone. An antifungal effect of the extract was observed for the strains of Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis, with IC50 lower than 400 μg/mL. In addition, there was a synergistic action with fluconazole against C. albicans and C. tropicalis. As for antitumor activity, there was a moderate activity against all cancer lines, showing low cytotoxicity for the normal line, making the extract an excellent candidate for drug development. The ethnopharmacological use of A. occidentale by populations for the treatment of DIP's and neurodegenerative diseases, reveal that this organ has biological actions against microorganisms that cause infections, as well as being capable of causing toxicity in cancer cells.
•The extract of the bark of A. occidentale has anti-Candida effect.•Anacardium occidentale has the ability to intensify the effect of the antifungal Fluconazole.•The barks of A. occidentale have phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins.•The bark extract presented a greater cytotoxic activity over tumor cells.
Abstract tHistory of chronic periodontitis (CP) is a risk factor for oseointegration failure. The osteoclastogenesis system (RANK, RANKL and OPG) is critical for bone homeostatic control. We ...investigated the levels of OPG and RANKL in peri-implant tissues from volunteers with and without a history of CP and their association with mucosae inflammation. This is a single-blind case-contro study. Diagnosis of a history of CP and peri-implant examination was performed on 46 volunteers, divided into control (without history of CP, n=26) and CP group (with history of CP, n=20). Gingival biopsies were harvested during implant exposure. Quantitative PCR evaluated OPG/RANKL mRNA expressions. OPG and RANKL proteins were analyzed by western blot and immunohistochemistry assay. The chi-square test analyzed the significance of nominal variables between groups while continuous variables were analyzed by T-test or Mann-Whitney test, after Shapiro-Wilk test evaluation. The 2-ΔΔCT Livak method calculation evaluated the gene expression. Values of p<0.05 were considered statistically significant. Volunteers with CP history had 23 times higher chance of developing mucosae inflammation. High mucosae levels of RANKL (p=0.04) and RANKL/OPG (p=0.001) mRNA expressions were observed in CP group. CP volunteers showed increased RANKL protein levels in opposition to decreased OPG expression. Even without active periodontitis, volunteers with a history of CP had elevated gingival levels of RANKL/OPG and higher correlation with peri-implant mucosae inflammation and implant loss.
Resumo A história de periodontite crônica (CP) é um fator de risco para falhas na osseointegração. O sistema de osteoclastogênese (RANK, RANKL e OPG) é crucial para o controle da homeostase óssea. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os níveis de OPG e RANKL no tecido peri-implantar de voluntários com e sem histórico de CP e sua associação com inflamação da mucosa. Este é um estudo tipo caso-controle. O exame para diagnóstico de CP e na região peri-implantar foi realizado em 46 voluntários, divididos em controle (sem história CP, n=26) e grupo CP (com histórico de CP, n=20). Descartes gengivais foram obtidos durante a exposição do implante. PCR quantitativo avaliou a expressão do RNAm de OPG/RANKL. As proteínas OPG e RANKL foram analisadas por western blot e imunohistoquímica. O teste do qui-quadrado analisou a significância entre as variáveis nominais enquanto as variáveis contínuas foram analisadas pelo teste-t e Mann-Whitney, após o teste de Shapiro-wilk. O método do Livak 2--ΔΔCT avaliou a expressão gênica. Os voluntários com CP apresentaram 23 vezes mais chances de desenvolver inflamação da mucosa. Expressão elevada no RNAm de RANKL (p=0.04) e RANKL/OPG (p=0.001) foram observadas no grupo CP. Voluntários com CP mostraram aumento dos níveis da proteína RANKL em contraste com diminuída expressão de OPG. Mesmo sem periodontite ativa, voluntários com histórico de CP apresentaram elevado nível gengival de RANKL/OPG e alta correlação com inflamação peri-implantar e perda do implante.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Brazil remains as the country with the second largest number of cases ...in the world. We report the case of three patients diagnosed with indeterminate leprosy in the same family. Two patients were HIV positive. An active search led to the discovery of the index case. It was crucial to persist in the search of the index case. This report shows how important it is to teach physicians and the general population about the signs and symptoms of leprosy. Early diagnosis and treatment are necessary to prevent sequelae and to eliminate the disease as a public health problem.
Purpose
Classified as neglected tropical diseases, leishmaniasis have received attention because of their expansion in Brazil. The advancement of information and communication technology (ICT) has ...made it possible to apply tools/softwares to the diagnosis of tropical diseases considering the availability of ICT in areas endemic for these diseases. This study describes the step-by-step development of a smartphone application that would help health professionals during the diagnosis and management of leishmaniasis in endemic areas.
Methods
For programming and adjustments of the application, a team of specialists from two areas, technology and leishmaniasis, was assembled. The software developed prioritized multimedia features that would run on smartphones with the Android operating system. The application called
LeishCare
uses Java programming language and, in this project, version 25.2 of Android SDK.
Results
LeishCare
possesses features for the recording of patient information and for the editing and sharing of medical records. In addition, the application contains image features that serve as a reference for subsequent images and permits to monitor the evolution of lesions, creating a GIF with successive images.
LeishCare
also allows the calculation of the visceral leishmaniasis severity score and provides updated guides and informative materials.
Conclusion
Tools like
LeishCare
are an interesting approach to facilitate the successful diagnosis, management, and timely treatment of patients with neglected diseases in remote areas.
Although the largest buffalo herd in the occident is in the north region of Brazil, few studies have been conducted to assess the prevalence of selected parasitic diseases in buffalo herd. The ...present study was therefore conducted to investigate the epidemiological of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, and Babesia bovis in water buffaloes in the north region of Brazil. A total of 4796 buffalo blood samples were randomly collected from five provinces and simultaneously analyzed by the IFAT and ELISA. The serological prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum was 41.3% and 55.5% in ELISA and 35.7% and 48.8% in IFAT, respectively. The overall prevalence of A. marginale, B. bovis, and B. bigemina was 63%, 25%, and 21% by ELISA and 50.0%, 22.5%, and 18.8% by IFAT, respectively. This study shows valuable information regarding the serological survey of selected bovine pathogens in water buffaloes in the north region of Brazil which will likely be very beneficial for the management and control programs of this disease.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a worldwide public health problem, with high morbidity and mortality rates. The development of new drugs to treat OSCC is paramount. Piper plant species have ...shown many biological activities. In the present study, we show that dichloromethane partition of Piper cernuum (PCLd) is nontoxic in chronic treatment in mice, reduces the amount of atypia in tongues of chemically induced OSCC, and significantly increases animal survival. To identify the main active compounds, chromatographic purification of PCLd was performed, where fractions 09.07 and 14.05 were the most active and selective. These fractions promoted cell death by apoptosis characterized by phosphatidyl serine exposition, DNA fragmentation, and activation of effector caspase-3/7 and were nonhemolytic. LC–DAD–MS/MS analysis did not propose matching spectra for the 09.07 fraction, suggesting compounds not yet known. However, aporphine alkaloids were annotated in fraction 14.05, which are being described for the first time in P. cernuum and corroborate the observed cytotoxic activity. Putative molecular targets were determined for these alkaloids, in silico, where the androgen receptor (AR), CHK1, CK2, DYRK1A, EHMT2, LXRβ, and VEGFR2 were the most relevant. The results obtained from P. cernuum fractions point to promising compounds as new preclinical anticancer candidates.
This study aims to evaluate the infection's clinical parameters and genetic diversity of msp1α of the AmRio1 strain in acute and chronic infections in cattle and ticks. A calf experimentally infected ...with the A. marginale AmRio1 strain was monitored during acute infection, and the presence of the msp1α gene was verified in the semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) during the acute and persistent phases of infection. From day seven after inoculation of the pathogen, the calf showed an increase in body temperature, decrease in hematocrit and increase in the percentage of cells infected by the agent, as well as clinical signs. Blood samples from the experimentally infected calf were positive during the acute infection and the persistent PCR infection for the msp1α gene. During the acute phase, infestation with Rhipicephalus microplus was performed. To evaluate the chronic phase, a blood sample was collected at 90 days post-infection. There was no variation of the MSP1a protein in this study. The AmRio1 strain was pathogenic as it caused severe changes in the clinical parameters of the monitored cattle. The positivity of this strain in organs and saliva of the analyzed ticks indicates a probable biological transmission.
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