Metals and semi-metals in street soils of So Paulo city, Brazil

So Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and South America with about 20 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, more than nine million motor vehicles and intense industrial activity, which are responsible for increasing pollution in the region. Nevertheless, little is known concerning metal and semi-metal content in the soils of this metropolitan region. This type of information could be extremely useful as a fingerprint of environmental pollution. The present study determined the elements As, Ba, Co, Cr, Sb, and Zn concentrations in soils adjacent to avenues of highly dense traffic in So Paulo city to assess their levels and possible sources. The analytical technique employed was Instrumental neutron activation analysis. The results showed, except for Co, concentration levels higher than the reference values for soils of So Paulo, according to the Environmental Protection Agency of the State of So Paulo guidelines. When compared to similar studies in other cities around the world, So Paulo soils presented higher levels, probably due to its high density traffic and industrial activity. The concentrations obtained for As and Cr indicate anthropogenic origin. The high levels of the traffic-related elements Ba, Sb, and Zn in soils nearby high density traffic avenues indicate they may originate from vehicular exhausts.

Resistance of Cyanobacterial Fouling on Architectural Paint Films to Cleaning by Water Jet

Mortar panels painted with three different white acrylic coatings were exposed to the environment in urban (So Paulo) and rural (Pirassununga) sites in Brazil for 7 years. After this time, all panels were almost equally discoloured, and paint detachment was observed to only a small degree. The biofilms were composed mainly of cyanobacteria and filamentous fungi, principal genera being Gloeocapsa and Chroococcidiopsis of the cyanobacteria, and Cladosporium and Alternaria of the fungi. Two of the three paints in Pirassununga became covered by a pink film that contained red-encapsulated Gloeocapsa and clay particles. The third, an 800% elastomeric matt formulation, became discoloured with a grey, only slightly pink, film, although the same cyanobacteria were present. The levels of paint detachments from all films in both locations were low, with rating range of 0-1 of a maximum 5 (100% detachment). After high-pressure water jetting, paint detachments increased at both locations, up to 2 in Pirassununga and 3 in So Paulo. Discoloration decreased; L*A*B* analysis of surface discoloration showed that Delta E (alteration in colour from the original paint film) changed from 28-39 before cleaning to 13-16 afterwards. The pink coloration was not entirely removed from Pirassununga samples, suggesting that cyanobacterial cells are difficult to detach, and microscopic analysis of the biofilms confirmed that Gloeocapsa was still present as the principal contaminant on all surfaces, with Chroococcidiopsis being present as the second most common. Almost no fungi were detected after water jet application.

Trial of Experimental Toothpastes Regarding Quality for Cleaning Dentures

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of experimental toothpastes for removing denture biofilm by means of a randomized crossover trial. Thirty volunteers brushed their dentures using a brush and four pastes: (1) Corega refreshing mint (control), (2)0.2% chloramine T, (3)1.0% chloramine T, and (4) 0.01% fluorosurfactant. Each paste was used for 7 days, and participants were randomized to use them according to one of four sequences. Biofilm was disclosed (neutral red) after each period, photographed, and quantified by means of a software program. All experimental toothpastes were similar to the control in terms of posttreatment biofilm coverage. Int J Prosthodont 2012;25:157-159.

CLEANING ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN BIRDS AND HERBIVOROUS MAMMALS IN BRAZIL: STRUCTURE AND COMPLEXITY

Birds that remove ectoparasites and other food material from their hosts are iconic illustrations of mutualistic-commensalistic cleaning associations. To assess the complex pattern of food resource use embedded in cleaning interactions of an assemblage of birds and their herbivorous mammal hosts in open habitats in Brazil, we used a network approach that characterized their patterns of association. Cleaning interactions showed a distinctly nested pattern, related to the number of interactions of cleaners and hosts and to the range of food types that each host species provided. Hosts that provided a wide range of food types (flies, ticks, tissue and blood, and organic debris) were attended by more species of cleaners and formed the core of the web. On the other hand, core cleaner species did not exploit the full range of available food resources, but used a variety of host species to exploit these resources instead. The structure that we found indicates that cleaners rely on cleaning interactions to obtain food types that would not be available otherwise (e.g., blood-engorged ticks or horseflies, wounded tissue). Additionally, a nested organization for the cleaner bird mammalian herbivore association means that both generalist and selective species take part in the interactions and that partners of selective species form an ordered subset of the partners of generalist species. The availability of predictable protein-rich food sources for birds provided by cleaning interactions may lead to an evolutionary pathway favoring their increased use by birds that forage opportunistically. Received 30 June 2011, accepted 10 November 2011.

The efficacy of chemical agents in cleaning and disinfection programs

Abstract Background Due to the growing number of outbreaks of infection in hospital nurseries, it becomes essential to set up a sanitation program that indicates that the appropriate chemical agent was chosen for application in the most effective way. Method For the purpose of evaluating the efficacy of a chemical agent, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was reached by the classic method of successive broth dilutions. The reference bacteria utilized were Bacillus subtilis var. globigii ATCC 9372, Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. The strains of Enterobacter cloacae IAL 1976 (Adolfo Lutz Institute), Serratia marcescens IAL 1478 and Acinetobactev calcoaceticus IAL 124 (ATCC 19606), were isolated from material collected from babies involved in outbreaks of infection in hospital nurseries. Results The MIC intervals, which reduced bacteria populations over 08 log10, were: 59 to 156 mg/L of quaternarium ammonium compounds (QACs); 63 to 10000 mg/L of chlorhexidine digluconate; 1375 to 3250 mg/L of glutaraldehyde; 39 to 246 mg/L of formaldehyde; 43750 to 87500 mg/L of isopropanol or ethanol; 1250 to 6250 mg/L of iodine in polyvinyl-pyrolidone complexes, 150 to 4491 mg/L of chlorine-releasing-agents (CRAs); 469 to 2500 mg/L of hydrogen peroxide; and, 2310 to 18500 mg/L of peracetic acid. Conclusions Chlorhexidine showed non inhibitory activity over germinating spores. A. calcoaceticus, was observed to show resistance to the majority of the agents tested, followed by E. cloacae and S. marcescens.

Effect of experimental Ricinus communis solution for denture cleaning on the properties of acrylic resin teeth

This study evaluated Knoop hardness, surface roughness and color alteration of artificial teeth for dentures after immersion in water, 1% sodium hypochlorite and an experimental solution of 2% Ricinus communis (RC). Thirty specimens of Vipi, Biolux and Trilux were analyzed. Tests of Knoop hardness, surface roughness and color alteration were conducted immediately after specimen preparation (T0) and after two immersion protocols for 15 days (ΔT15) and 183 days (ΔT183). Data variation (ΔT) were subjected to ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05). At ΔT15, Vipi presented hardness increase and Biolux presented the highest variation (p=0.01). RC caused the highest increase in hardness (p=0) and the lowest increase (p=0.005) in roughness. Biolux presented the lowest color alteration (p =0). At ΔT183, Trilux underwent the highest hardness variation (p=0). Biolux presented an increase in roughness (p=0). There was no significant differences in color alteration among the artificial teeth (p=0.06) and among solutions (p=0.08) after 183 days of immersion. All solutions (distilled water, 1% sodium hypochlorite and 2% RC) caused alterations on the analyzed properties. Both immersion protocols caused alterations on the analyzed properties.