Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, state of Pernambuco, Brazil, which has a varied biodiversity including alien species or sinantropic animals. The ...objective here was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic and wild animals from Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil. Between July 2007 and May 2010, blood samples were collected from 764 animals (533 domestic and 231 wild animals). Sera were tested by the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) or the modified agglutination test (MAT), or by both. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 80 (80.0%) of 100 chickens (Gallus domesticus), 3 (3.0%) of 100 cattle (Bos taurus), 59 (60.8%) of 97 sheep (Ovis aries), 9 (81.8%) of 11 goats (Capra hircus), 7 (43.7%) of 16 horses (Equus caballus), 70 (59.3%) of 118 cats (Felis catus), 36 (39.6%) of 91 dogs (Canis familiaris), 13 (38.2%) of 34 black rats (Rattus rattus), and 157 (79.7%) of 197 cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis). Results indicate endemic infection by this zoonotic parasite among the animal and avian fauna in this archipelago from Brazil.
Diquat (1,1′-ethylene-2,2′-bipyridinium ion; DQ) is a nonselective quick-acting herbicide, which is used as contact and preharvest desiccant to control terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. Several ...cases of human poisoning were reported worldwide mainly due to intentional ingestion of the liquid formulations. Its toxic potential results from its ability to produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species through redox cycling processes that can lead to oxidative stress and potentially cell death. Kidney is the main target organ due to DQ toxicokinetics and redox cycling. There is no antidote against DQ intoxications, and the efficacy of treatments currently applied is still unsatisfactory. The aim of this work was to review the most relevant human and experimental findings related to DQ, characterizing its chemistry, activity as herbicide, mechanisms of toxicity, consequences of poisoning, and potential therapeutic approaches taking into account previous experience in developing antidotes for paraquat, a more toxic bipyridinium herbicide.
Abstract Foodborne diseases are common illnesses caused by the consumption of food contaminated with microorganisms, such as viruses, fungi, bacteria, and protozoa. Every year, 600 million people ...become ill and 420,000 people die as a result of consuming contaminated food. Therefore, food safety is an important issue. In this study, samples of homemade spiced mayonnaise and self-serve acai sold in the city of Araguaína, Tocantins, Brazil were analyzed for microbiological contaminants. Acai was collected from 10 stores, one sample from each store, and tested for mold, yeast, and coliforms, as well as coliform identification and total and thermotolerant coliform counts. Mayonnaise was collected from 20 snack bars, one sample from each. These samples were inoculated on MacConkey and Salmonella Shigella agar plates, and the plates were analyzed for growth. Salmonella spp. were detected in some Mayonnaise samples, and coliforms were detected in all acai samples; 60% of samples had thermotolerant coliforms, and only 40% were within the limits established by ANVISA. The collected samples of mayonnaise and acai were contaminated with molds and yeasts above the established limit of 103 CFU/g. Thus, the analyzed mayonnaise and acai samples were contaminated and unfit for consumption, demonstrating the importance of hygienic-sanitary measures in food handling.
Resumo As doenças transmitidas por alimentos são doenças comuns causadas pelo consumo de alimentos contaminados com microrganismos, como vírus, fungos, bactérias e protozoários. Todos os anos, 600 milhões de pessoas ficam doentes e 420.000 pessoas morrem como resultado do consumo de alimentos contaminados. Portanto, a segurança alimentar é uma questão importante. Neste estudo, amostras de maionese temperada caseira e açaí self-service vendidas na cidade de Araguaína, Tocantins, Brasil foram analisadas quanto a contaminantes microbiológicos. O açaí foi coletado em 10 lojas, uma amostra de cada loja, e testado para mofo, levedura e coliformes, bem como identificação de coliformes e contagem de coliformes totais e termotolerantes. A maionese foi coletada de 20 lanchonetes, sendo uma amostra de cada. Essas amostras foram inoculadas em placas de ágar MacConkey e Salmonella Shigella, e as placas foram analisadas quanto ao crescimento. Salmonela spp. foram detectados em algumas amostras de maionese e coliformes foram detectados em todas as amostras de açaí; 60% das amostras apresentaram coliformes termotolerantes, e apenas 40% estavam dentro dos limites estabelecidos pela ANVISA. As amostras coletadas de maionese e açaí estavam contaminadas com bolores e leveduras acima do limite estabelecido de 103 UFC/g. Assim, as amostras de maionese e açaí analisadas estavam contaminadas e impróprias para o consumo, demonstrando a importância das medidas higiênico-sanitárias na manipulação de alimentos.
Visceral leishmaniosis is a neglected tropical disease. We evaluated the spatial distribution of cases of visceral leishmaniosis in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. All cases of VL, registered by the ...health department, were analyzed and georeferenced. Results: Between 2008 and 2017, 97.1% of the municipalities presented sporadic classification of transmission. With temporal evolution, the incidence of cases of visceral leishmaniosis was concentrated in most municipalities in the microregion of Santana do Ipanema-AL. Space-time analysis, if considered, may promote the improvement of surveillance and control actions of visceral leishmaniosis.
The deleterious effect of heat stress (HS) on competence of oocytes from antral follicles is well recognized, but there is a lack of data regarding its impact on the viability and growth of preantral ...follicles. In this study, we used in vitro preantral follicle cultures to investigate the effects of HS on the following parameters: survival and development of primordial follicles after in vitro culture of ovarian fragments (experiment I); growth and antrum formation of isolated advanced secondary follicles (experiment II); and maturation rates after in vitro maturation (IVM) of cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) from antral follicles (>2–6 mm) grown in vivo (experiment III). Furthermore, the following end points were evaluated in all experiments: follicle/oocyte survival, reactive oxygen species (ROS), estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) production, as well as mRNA expression for select genes related to stress (HSP70) and apoptosis (MCL1 and BAX). In all experiments, HS consisted of exposing the structures (ovarian fragments, isolated preantral follicles and COCs) to 41 °C for 12 hours and then to 38.5 °C until the end of the culture (7 days for experiments I and II and 24 hours for experiment III). The temperature for the control group was held at 38.5 °C for the entire culture period. Heat stress increased (P < 0.05) the percentage of developing follicles (intermediate, primary, and secondary follicles) at 12 hours and increased levels of ROS at all evaluated time points (12, 24 hours, and D7), when compared to the control (experiment I). Heat stress did not affect (P > 0.05) any identified end points when preantral follicles were cultured in their isolated form (experiment II). However, in experiment III, HS decreased (P < 0.05) both the rates of metaphase II after 24 hours and E2 production at 12 hours of IVM. Moreover, HS increased (P < 0.0001) levels of P4 after IVM and ROS production at every evaluated time point, compared with the control (12 and 24 hours). In conclusion, HS caused: (1) early activation of primordial follicles; (2) an increase in ROS production by early preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue and by COCs; (3) a short-term reduction of E2 production by COCs; and (4) an increase in P4 secretion from COCs. However, HS did not affect in vitro culture of advanced isolated secondary follicles. Experimental evidence indicates that preantral follicles are less sensitive to HS than COC.
AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo activities of pure curcumin, as well as its combination with fluconazole, against Cryptococcus gattii. METHODS AND RESULTS: The ...minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of curcumin and its interactions with fluconazole against C. gattii were assessed in vitro using standard methods. This same combination was used to treat C. gattii‐induced cryptococcosis in mice. The behavioural and functional assessment of the mice during treatment was also performed. The average MIC for curcumin was 19·8 μg ml⁻¹. Its combination with fluconazole resulted in FICΣ (fractional inhibitory concentration index) values between 0·79 and 2·29. Curcumin (alone or combined with fluconazole) significantly reduced pulmonary damage and fungal burden in the brain. No colonies were found in the brain following combination treatment, which was also confirmed by the improved behaviour of mice. CONCLUSIONS: The combination therapy with curcumin and fluconazole was the most effective among the treatments tested, as in addition to reducing the fungal burden and damage on lung tissues, it was able to eliminate the fungal burden in the brain, enhancing the survival of mice. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study points to the possibility of using curcumin in combination with fluconazole as a clinical treatment of cryptococcosis.
Abstract Scorpionic accidents are a major public health problem due to the high occurrence with potential seriousness. In this manner, the research aimed to analyze the occurrence of scorpionic ...accidents in a municipality in the northeastern of Brazil. An exploratory, descriptive study was made, with a quantitative approach, using secondary data which was gotten from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), from 2008 to 2018. Data such as neighborhood, presence of street markets were also used, and the existence of sanitation and climatic data such as temperature and season. Geoprocessing was used to identify possible changes in the environment. In the analyzed period, 9,330 cases of scorpion accidents were recorded, with an average of 848 annual notifications. Scorpionic accidents occurred more frequently in women (5,686; 60.94%). Individuals aged 20 to 29 years (1.727; 18.51%) were more frequent to scorpion stings. Regarding the body parts where the stings were made, the highlights were on the foot (3.515; 37.67%) followed by the hand (2.818; 30.20%). No statistically significant relation was observed between climatic factors and scorpionic accidents. However, the high number of cases of scorpionic accidents was observed in the last 11 years studied. It was evident that during the study period there was no statistical relationship when climatic factors were correlated to scorpionic accidents. On its turn, when it was verified the results of the geoprocessing analysis, it was seen that anthropic factors have been motivating the potentiation of the occurrence of these accidents.
Resumo Os acidentes escorpiônicos apresentam-se como um grande problema de saúde pública em virtude da grande ocorrência com potencial gravidade. Nesse sentido, o trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a ocorrência de acidentes escorpiônicos em um município do nordeste brasileiro. Foi realizado um estudo descritivo, de caráter exploratório, com abordagem quantitativa em que foram utilizados dados secundários obtidos no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), no período de 2008 a 2018. Também foram utilizados dados como bairro, presença de feiras livres e a existência de saneamento básico e dados climáticos como temperatura e estação do ano. O geoprocessamento foi utilizado para identificar as possíveis alterações no ambiente. No período analisado, foram registrados 9,330 casos de acidentes com escorpião, com média de 848 notificações anuais. Os acidentes escorpiônicos ocorreram com mais frequência em mulheres (5,686; 60,94%). Em indivíduos na faixa etária de 20 a 29 anos (1,727; 18,51%) foram mais frequentes a picada de escorpião. Com relação ao local das picadas destacaram-se o pé (3,515; 37,67%), seguido da mão (2,818; 30,20%). Não foi observada relação estatisticamente significativa entre os fatores clímáticos e os acidentes escorpiônicos. Foi observado elevado número de casos de acidentes escorpiônicos nos últimos 11 anos estudados. Ficou evidente que durante o período de estudo não existiu relação estatística quando se correlacionou fatores climáticos aos acidentes escorpiônicos. Por sua vez, ao verificar os resultados da análise de geoprocessamento foi visto que fatores antrópicos têm sido motivadores da potencialização da ocorrência desses acidentes.
There is increasing evidence suggesting that one of the most relevant pathophysiological features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is neuroinflammation, which plays an important role in the production and ...regulation of AD-related proteins (amyloid beta (Aβ) and Tau) and exacerbates AD pathology. Neuroinflammation can also be induced by systemic influences (factors from outside the central nervous system). However, the role of systemic inflammation in AD pathophysiology is much less understood. Thus, our main objective in this study was to verify whether the presence of serum cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α) affects different AD biomarkers: Aβ
1–42
and Tau protein levels, hippocampal volumes (HV), and default mode network functional connectivity (DMN FC) in healthy elderly controls, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients due to AD, and mild AD patients. To accomplish this, we acquired 3-T MRI, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 42 healthy controls, 55 aMCI patients due to AD, and 33 mild AD patients. Comparing the groups, we found that the mild AD patients presented smaller HV, disrupted DMN FC, and proportionally less IL-1β than the controls. The aMCI patients only differed from the controls in DMN FC. In intra-group comparison, aMCI and mild AD with detectable levels of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10, and IL-12) had decreased DMN FC. On the other hand, patients with detectable levels of IL-10 and IL-12 presented a more favorable AD biomarkers profile (larger HV, more CSF Aβ
1–42
, and less p-Tau), indicating a possible protective role of these ILs. Our findings indicate a possible relationship between systemic inflammation with DMN FC disruption, hippocampal atrophy, and CSF protein levels in the subjects with mild AD and aMCI.
Aggregated movement data do not take into account the relative position of the units within a higher-level structure. Social network analysis (SNA) and graph theory provide a tool to organise and ...analyse relational data overcoming the limitations of standard methods where the position of individuals/observations does not affect the result of the analysis.
Some recorded movements of cattle and sheep during the initial phase of the 2001 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in the UK, before the ban on animal movements was imposed, are analysed descriptively using SNA. With the data available, a directed dichotomized network with 653 nodes and 797 arches was analysed. Most of the 10 nodes with the highest betweenness (3 farms, 4 markets and 3 dealers) were identified as key players in the initial spread of the infection. Three groups of nodes with distinctive proportion of
k
≤
2 neighbours would result in three different theoretical outbreak dimensions assuming that the infection is only disseminated by the movements included in the network: no spread, spread up to 7% and around 25%.
There are three hierarchical clusters with 308, 215 and 130 nodes, respectively. Farms in cluster 1 appear to be more similar in their movement patterns to non-farm holdings than to farms in clusters 2 and 3.
Relative betweenness,
k-neighbours and structural equivalence using hierarchical clustering were able to identify key actors in the evolution of the initial phases of the FMD outbreak such as markets, dealers and farms with atypical movement patterns. Holdings with high betweenness, large number of
k
≤
2 neighbours and with movement pattern as in cluster 1 should be targeted in disease control activities once primary actors like markets, dealers and slaughter houses have been contained.
Abstract Urinary tract infections are responsible for most human infections, these are caused by bacteria, fungi, protozoa and associated microorganisms. The goal of this study was to determine the ...rate of vaginal infection-causing agents in routine cytological exams and also to evaluate the characteristics of positive tested Pap smears. A retrospective documental with descriptive aspect research was performed in a Clinical Pathology laboratory from Maceió-AL. The results of the Pap smears exams for Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Candida spp and HPV were arranged in a database as well as other data such as bacterial, protozoan, fungal and viral coinfections. The sample was composed by 18.645 women who have undergone Pap smear exams from 2013 to 2017. Of these analyzed exams, 27.4% in 2013, 10.9% in 2014, 10.6% in 2015, 15.2% in 2016 and 13.67% in 2017 were within normal range, however more than half of these exams presented some infections caused by unspecific or microbiological agents. By analyzing all the reports, 4.073 (21.84%) presented inflammations caused by some species of infectious agent with the following rate order: G. vaginalis and T. vaginalis. Furthermore, it was possible to confirm high rates of coinfection by and Candida spp. The rate of genital infections in this study highlights that there is a public health matter that must be controlled, which points a greater need for monitoring, guidance and actions towards greater awareness in order to prevent these problems.
Resumo Infecções do trato urinário são responsáveis pela maior parte das infecções humanas, sendo causadas por bactérias, fungos, protozoários, e por microrganismos associados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a frequência de agentes causadores de infecções vaginais nos exames citológicos de rotina, bem como avaliar as características dos esfregaços positivos. Foi realizada uma pesquisa do tipo documental retrospectiva de aspecto descritivo, com abordagem quantitativa, em um Laboratório de Patologia Clínica de Maceió-AL. Nesse sentido, os resultados dos exames colpocitológicos para Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Candida spp e HPV foram organizados em um banco de dados, contendo os resultados para estes agentes, bem como a coinfecção bacteriana, protozoária, fúngica e viral. A amostra foi composta por 18.645 mulheres que realizaram exame colpocitológico, no período de 2013 a 2017. Destes exames analisados 27,4% em 2013, 10,9% em 2014, 10,6% em 2015, 15,2% em 2016 e 13,67% em 2017, estavam dentro do limite da normalidade, porém mais que a metade desses exames analisados apresentou algumas infecções causadas por agentes inespecíficos ou microbiológicos. Do total de laudos analisados, 4.073 (21,84%), apresentaram inflamações causadas por algum tipo de agente infeccioso, com a seguinte ordem de frequência: G. vaginalis, e T. vaginalis. Além disto, foi possível confirmar a elevada frequência de coinfecção entre G. vaginalis e Candida spp. Os índices de infecções genitais nesse trabalho mostram que há um problema de saúde pública que deve ser controlado, apontando uma necessidade maior de acompanhamento, orientações e de ações para uma maior conscientização para prevenir esses problemas.
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