Occurrence and distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in retail oysters in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a potentially pathogenic bacterium that occurs naturally in estuarine environments worldwide, and is often associated with gastroenteritis in humans following consumption of raw bivalve mollusks, especially raw oysters. The occurrence of total and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in 74 samples of raw oysters collected in restaurants, supermarkets, groceries and beach huts in Sao Paulo State, was monitored between February 2006 and January 2007. Enumeration of V. parahaemolyticus was performed according to the most probable number (MPN) procedure. Five to ten typical colonies were selected from thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar plates for confirmation by the presence of the species-specific gene tlh and the virulence genes tdh and trh by multiplex PCR. V. parahaemolyticus was detected in 100% of samples. The densities of total V. parahaemolyticus varied from 1.78 to 6.04 logio (MPN/g), with higher densities being detected in fall and summer, and lower densities in winter (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference among densities of V parahaemolyticus regarding the site of collection. None of the 1943 V parahaemolyticus isolates contained tdh and/or trh. These data provide information for the assessment of exposure to V. parahaemolyticus in oysters consumed in Sao Paulo, State, Brazil. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrolysis Influence on Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity, Plasma Concentration, and Tissue Distribution of Hydroethanolic Ilex paraguariensis Extract Components

The infusion of aerial parts of Ilex paraguariensis is widely consumed. Its antioxidant activity suggests an important role of this plant in the treatment/prevention of oxidative stress related diseases. Plant extract active compounds are frequently found in esterified form that may be poorly absorbed. Hydrolysis of the extract is a possible approach to increase its bioavailability. The aim of this study was to perform a phytochemical analysis and evaluate in rats the plasma concentration and tissue distribution of antioxidant compounds in the hydroethanolic extract of Ilex paraguariensis, before and after enzymatic hydrolysis. Both extracts presented high antioxidant activity and phenolic content. Rats given single or repeated doses of the hydrolyzed extract showed increased plasma antioxidant activity and higher plasma levels of caffeic acid. However, no changes of endogenous antioxidants were observed. In conclusion, hydrolysis of the extract of Ilex paraguariensis is a strategy to improve its bioavailability and in vivo antioxidant activity.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy) Decreases Neutrophil Activity and Alters Leukocyte Distribution in Bone Marrow, Spleen and Blood

Objective: Looking for possible neuroimmune relationships, we analyzed the effects of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) administration on neuroendocrine, neutrophil activity and leukocyte distribution in mice. Methods: Five experiments were performed. In the first, mice were treated with MDMA (10 mg/kg) 30, 60 min and 24 h prior to blood sample collection for neutrophil activity analysis. In the second experiment, the blood of nave mice was collected and incubated with MDMA for neutrophil activity in vitro analysis. In the third and fourth experiments, mice were injected with MDMA (10 mg/kg) and 60 min later, blood and brain were collected to analyze corticosterone serum levels and hypothalamic noradrenaline (NA) levels and turnover. In the last experiment, mice were injected with MDMA 10 mg/kg and 60 min later, blood, bone marrow and spleen were collected for leukocyte distribution analysis. Results: Results showed an increase in hypothalamic NA turnover and corticosterone serum levels 60 min after MDMA (10 mg/kg) administration, a decrease in peripheral blood neutrophil oxidative burst and a decrease in the percentage and intensity of neutrophil phagocytosis. It was further found that MDMA (10 mg/kg) treatment also altered leukocyte distribution in blood, bone marrow and spleen. In addition, no effects were observed for MDMA after in vitro exposure both in neutrophil oxidative burst and phagocytosis. Conclusion: The effects of MDMA administration (10 mg/kg) on neutrophil activity and leukocyte distribution might have been induced indirectly through noradrenergic neurons and/or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activations. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

Effect of process variables on fluiddynamics and adhesion efficiency during spouted bed coating of hard gelatine capsules

This article presents an evaluation of the effects of the spouted bed design and operating conditions on system fluiddynamics and process performance during enteric coating of hard gelatine capsules. The design parameters studied were the column diameter (150 mm and 200 mm), the included angle of the conical base, gamma (60 degrees or 40 degrees) and the presence or absence of a Venturi inserted before the inlet air orifice. The process variables studied were the ratio between the feed flow rate of the coating suspension to the spouting gas flow rate (W(s)/W(g)), the mass of capsules loaded to the equipment (M(0)), and the ratio between the Spouting gas flow rate to the gas flow rate at minimum spouting condition (Q/Q(ms)). The response variables were the rate of increase of the capsules mass (K(1)), and the adhesion efficiency (eta). The linear regression equation for the dependent variable K, in terms of the independent variables adequately described the process with an r(2) value of 0.872. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that increasing of W(s)/W(g), Q/Q(ms) and gamma significantly increased the adhesion efficiency. Adhesion efficiencies higher than 90% were achieved by selecting precise coating conditions, indicating the feasibility of the process for coating of hard gelatine capsules. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microparticles as a Strategy for Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Delivery

The aims of this work were preparation and physical-chemical characterization of a microparticulate release system for delivery of enoxaparin sodium (ENX), a low-molecular-weight heparin, as a potential vehicle for optimization of deep venous thrombosis therapy. Microparticles (MPs) containing ENX were prepared from polylactide-co-glycolic acid [PLGA; (50: 50)] by a double emulsification/solvent evaporation method. The preparation parameters, such as proportion ENX/PLGA, surfactant concentration, type, time, and speed of stirring, were evaluated. The encapsulation efficiency and yield process were determined and optimized, and the in vitro release profile was analysed at 35 days. The MPs showed a spherical shape with smooth and regular surfaces. The size distribution showed a unimodal profile with an average size of 2.0 +/- 0.9 mu m. The low encapsulation efficiency (< 30%), characteristic of hydrophilic macromolecules was improved, reaching 50.2% with a procedure yield of 71.3%. The in vitro profile of ENX release from the MPs was evaluated and showed pseudo-zero-order kinetics. This indicated that diffusion was the main drug release mechanism. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 100:1783-1792, 2011

Processing of Rosmarinus officinalis Linne extract on spray and spouted bed dryers

This article presents an investigation of the potential of spray and spouted bed technology for the production of dried extracts of Rosmarinus officinalis Linne, popularly known as rosemary. The extractive solution was characterized by loss on drying, extractable matter and total phenolic and flavonoid compounds (chemical markers). The product was characterized by determination of loss on drying, size distribution, morphology, flow properties and thermal degradation and thermal behavior. The spray and spouted bed dryer performance were assessed through estimation of thermal efficiency, product accumulation and product recovery. The parameters studied were the inlet temperature of the spouting gas (80 and 150 degrees C) and the feed mass flow rate of concentrated extract relative to the evaporation capacity of the dryer, W-s/W-max (15 to 75%). The atomizing air flow rate was maintained at 20 l/min with a pressure of 196.1 kPa. The spouting gas flow rate used in the drying runs was 40% higher than the gas flow under the condition of minimum spouting. The spray drying gas flow rate was fixed at 0.0118 kg/s. Under the conditions studied, performance in the spray and spouted bed drying of rosemary extract was poor, causing high degradation of the marker compounds (mainly the phenolic compounds). Thus, process improvements are required before use on an industrial scale.

Paste Residence Time in a Spouted Bed Dryer. IV: Effect of the Inert Particle Size Distribution

The residence time distribution and mean residence time of a 10% sodium bicarbonate solution that is dried in a conventional spouted bed with inert bodies were measured with the stimulus-response method. Methylene blue was used as a chemical tracer, and the effects of the paste feed mode, size distribution of the inert bodies, and mean particle size on the residence times and dried powder properties were investigated. The results showed that the residence time distributions could be best reproduced with the perfect mixing cell model or N = 1 for the continuous stirred tank reactor in a series model. The mean residence times ranged from 6.04 to 12.90 min and were significantly affected by the factors studied. Analysis of variance on the experimental data showed that mean residence times were affected by the mean diameter of the inert bodies at a significance level of 1% and by the size distribution at a level of 5%. Moreover, altering the paste feed from dripping to pneumatic atomization affected mean residence time at a 5% significance level. The dried powder characteristics proved to be adequate for further industrial manipulation, as demonstrated by the low moisture content, narrow range of particle size, and good flow properties. The results of this research are significant in the study of the drying of heat-sensitive materials because it shows that by simultaneously changing the size distribution and average size of the inert bodies, the mean residence times of a paste can be reduced by half, thus decreasing losses due to degradation.

The Pharmaceutical care of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective To evaluate the efficiency of pharmaceutical care on the control of clinical parameters, such as fasting glycaemia and glycosylated haemoglobin in patients with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Setting This study was conducted at the Training and Community Health Centre of the College of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods A prospective and experimental study was conducted with 71 participants divided in two groups: (i) pharmaceutical care group (n=40), and (ii) the control group (n=31). The distribution of patients within these groups was made casually, and the patients were monitored for 12 months. Main outcome measure: Values for fasting glycaemia and glycosylated haemoglobin were collected. Results Mean values of fasting glycaemia in the pharmaceutical care group were significantly reduced whilst a small reduction was detected in the control group at the same time. A significant reduction in the levels of glycosylated haemoglobin was detected in patients in the pharmaceutical care group, and an average increase was observed in the control group. Furthermore, the follow-up of the intervention group by a pharmacist contributed to the resolution of 62.7% of 142 drug therapy problems identified. Conclusion In Brazil, the information provided by a pharmacist to patients with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus increases compliance to treatment, solving or reducing the Drug Therapy Problem and, consequently, improving glycaemic control.

Comparison of oxidation efficiency of disperse dyes by chemical and photoelectrocatalytic chlorination and removal of mutagenic activity

Degradation of Disperse Orange 1, Disperse Red 1 and Disperse Red 13 dyes has been performed using electrochemical oxidation on Pt electrode, chemical chlorination and photoelectrochemical oxidation on Ti/TiO(2) thin film electrodes in NaCl or Na(2)SO(4) medium. 100% discoloration was obtained for all tested methods after 1 h of treatment. Faster color removal was obtained by photoelectrocatalytic oxidation in 0.1 mol L(-1) NaCl pH 4.0 under UV light and an applied potential of +1.0V (vs SCE reference electrode), which indicates also values around 60% of TOC removal. The conventional chlorination method and electrochemical oxidation on Pt electrode resulted in negligible reduction of TOC removal. All dyes showed positive mutagenic activity in the Salmonella/microsome assay with the strain TA98 in the absence and presence of S9 (exogenous metabolic activation). Nevertheless, there is complete reduction of the mutagenic activity after 1 h of photoelectrocatalytic oxidation, suggesting that this process would be good option to remove disperse azo dyes from aqueous media. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production efficiency and financing of public health: an analysis of small municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo - Brazil

This paper measured the variations in performance of small municipalities in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, regarding the technical efficiency in the use of public funds in public primary health care actions concerning the funding profile, in a scenario of fiscal federalism. Technical efficiency is one of the parameters of evaluation of public sector performance and was measured by means of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The correlation analysis of DEA score was used to verify possible associations between technical efficiency and the funding profile of expenses with health care. The results showed that 6.41% of the municipalities were considered efficient. They also showed that the level of municipality dependence to inter-governmental general purpose grants and the national health funding specific purpose grants have negative correlation with efficiency scores.

Neighborhood and Efficiency in Manufacturing in Brazilian Regions: A Spatial Markov Chain Analysis

This paper analyzes the geography of regional competitiveness in manufacturing in Brazil. The authors estimate stochastic frontiers to calculate regional efficiency of representative firms in 137 regions in the period 2000-2006, in four sectors defined by technological intensity. The efficiency results are analyzed using Markov Spatial Transition Matrices to provide insights into the transition of regions between efficiency levels, considering their local spatial context. The results indicate that geography plays an important role in manufacturing competitiveness. In particular, regions with more competitive neighbors are more likely to improve their relative efficiency (pull effect) over time, and regions with less competitive neighbors are more likely to lose relative efficiency (drag effect). The authors find that the pull effect is stronger than the drag effect.

Evaluating the efficiency of fractional integration parameter estimators

This article deals with the efficiency of fractional integration parameter estimators. This study was based on Monte Carlo experiments involving simulated stochastic processes with integration orders in the range]-1,1[. The evaluated estimation methods were classified into two groups: heuristics and semiparametric/maximum likelihood (ML). The study revealed that the comparative efficiency of the estimators, measured by the lesser mean squared error, depends on the stationary/non-stationary and persistency/anti-persistency conditions of the series. The ML estimator was shown to be superior for stationary persistent processes; the wavelet spectrum-based estimators were better for non-stationary mean reversible and invertible anti-persistent processes; the weighted periodogram-based estimator was shown to be superior for non-invertible anti-persistent processes.

Sequence analysis, chromosomal distribution and long-range organization show that rapid turnover of new and old pBuM satellite DNA repeats leads to different patterns of variation in seven species of the Drosophila buzzatii cluster

We aimed to study patterns of variation and factors influencing the evolutionary dynamics of a satellite DNA, pBuM, in all seven Drosophila species from the buzzatii cluster (repleta group). We analyzed 117 alpha pBuM-1 (monomer length 190 bp) and 119 composite alpha/beta (370 bp) pBuM-2 repeats and determined the chromosome location and long-range organization on DNA fibers of major sequence variants. Such combined methodologies in the study of satDNAs have been used in very few organisms. In most species, concerted evolution is linked to high copy number of pBuM repeats. Species presenting low-abundance and scattered distributed pBuM repeats did not undergo concerted evolution and maintained part of the ancestral inter-repeat variability. The alpha and alpha/beta repeats colocalized in heterochromatic regions and were distributed on multiple chromosomes, with notable differences between species. High-resolution FISH revealed array sizes of a few kilobases to over 0.7 Mb and mutual arrangements of alpha and alpha/beta repeats along the same DNA fibers, but with considerable changes in the amount of each variant across species. From sequence, chromosomal and phylogenetic data, we could infer that homogenization and amplification events involved both new and ancestral pBuM variants. Altogether, the data on the structure and organization of the pBuM satDNA give insights into genome evolution including mechanisms that contribute to concerted evolution and diversification.

Application of Ti/RuO(2)-Ta(2)O(5) electrodes in the electrooxidation of ethanol and derivants: Reactivity versus electrocatalytic efficiency

The influence of the preparation method on the performance of RuO(2)-Ta(2)O(5) electrodes was evaluated toward the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Freshly prepared RuO(2)-Ta(2)O(5) thin films containing between 30 and 80 at.% Ru were prepared by two different methods: the modified Pechini-Adams method (DPP) and standard thermal decomposition (STD). Electrochemical investigation of the electrode containing RuO(2)-Ta(2)O(5) thin films was conducted as a function of electrode composition in a 0.5-mol dm(-3) H(2)SO(4) solution, in the presence and absence of ethanol and its derivants (acetaldehyde and acetic acid). At a low ethanol concentration (5 mmol dm(-3)), ethanol oxidation leads to high yields of acetic acid and CO(2). On the other hand, an increase in ethanol concentration (15-1000 mmol dm(-3)) favors acetaldehyde formation, so acetic acid and CO(2) production is hindered, in this case. Electrodes prepared by DPP provide higher current efficiency than STD electrodes for all the investigated ethanol concentrations. This may be explained by the increase in electrode area obtained with the DPP preparation method compared with STD. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Vitro Antifungal Activity and Toxicity of Itraconazole in DMSA-PLGA Nanoparticles

Itraconazole (ITZ) is a drug used to treat various fungal infections and may cause side effects. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the in vitro activity of DMSA-PLGA nanoparticles loaded with ITZ against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, as well as their cytotoxicity. Nanoparticles were prepared using the emulsification-evaporation technique and characterized by their encapsulation efficiency, morphology (TEM), size (Nanosight) and charge (zeta potential). Antifungal efficacy in P brasiliensis was determined by minimal inhibition concentration (MIC), and cytotoxicity using MU assay. ITZ was effectively incorporated in the PLGA-DMSA nanoparticles with a loading efficiency of 72.8 +/- 3.50%. The shape was round with a solid polymeric structure, and a size distribution of 174 +/- 86 nm (Average +/- SD). The particles were negatively charged. ITZ-NANO presented antifungal inhibition (MIC = 6.25 ug/mL) against P brasiliensis and showed lower in vitro cytotoxicity than free drug (ITZ).