Generation and Analysis of Interaction Energy Maps of p-Substituted Benzoic Acid [(5-Nitro-thiophen-2-yl)-methylene]-Hydrazides Active against MRSA

In this preliminary study eighteen p-substituted benzoic acid [(5-nitro-thiophen-2-yl)-methylene]-hydrazides with antimicrobial activity were evaluated against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, correlating the three-dimensional characteristics of the ligands with their respective bioactivities. The computer programs Sybyl and CORINA were used, respectively, for the design and three-dimensional conversion of the ligands. Molecular interaction fields were calculated using GRID program. Calculations using Volsurf resulted in a statistically consistent model with 48 structural descriptors showing that hydrophobicity is a fundamental property in the analyzed biological response.

Differences Between ""Classical"" Risk Factors for Infections Caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Risk Factors for Nosocomial Bloodstream Infections Caused by Multiple Clones of the Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec Type IV MRSA Strain

OBJECTIVE. To identify risk factors associated with nosocomial bloodstream infections caused by multiple clones of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). DESIGN. An unmatched case-control study (at a ratio of 1 : 2) performed during the period from October 2002 through September 2003. SETTING. A 2,000-bed tertiary care teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil. METHODS. Case patients (n = 30) were defined either as patients who had a bloodstream infection due to SCCmec type IV strains of MRSA diagnosed at least 48 hours after hospital admission or as neonates with the infection who were born in the hospital. Control patients (n = 60) were defined as patients with SCCmec type III MRSA infection diagnosed at least 48 hours after hospital admission. Genes n = 60 encoding virulence factors were studied in the isolates recovered from case patients, and molecular typing of the SCCmec type IV MRSA isolates was also done by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. RESULTS. In multivariate analysis, the following 3 variables were significantly associated with having a nosocomial bloodstream infection caused by SCCmec type IV strains of MRSA: an age of less than 1 year, less frequent use of a central venous catheter (odds ratio [OR], 0.07 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.02-0.28]; P = .001), and female sex. A second analysis was performed that excluded the case and Pp. 001 control patients from the neonatal unit, and, in multivariate analysis, the following variables were significantly associated with having a nosocomial bloodstream infection caused by SCCmec type IV strains of MRSA: less frequent use of a central venous catheter (OR, 0.12 [95% CI, 0.03-0.55]; P = .007), lower Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score on admission (OR, 0.14 [95% CI, 0.03-0.61];), less frequent surgery (OR, 0.21 [95% CI, 0.06-0.83];), and female sex (OR, 5.70 [95% CI, 1.32-24.66]; P =.020). P = .009 Pp. 025 Pp). Of the 29 SCCmec type IV MRSA isolates recovered from case patients, none contained the Panton-Valentine leukocidin, gamma-hemolysin, enterotoxin B or C, or toxic shock syndrome toxin-1. All of the isolates contained genes for the LukE-LukD leukocidin and alpha-hemolysin. Genes for enterotoxin A were present in 1 isolate, and genes for beta-hemolysin were present in 3 isolates. CONCLUSIONS. ""Classical"" risk factors do not apply to patients infected with the SCCmec type IV strain of MRSA, which is an important cause of nosocomial bacteremia. This strain infects a patient population that is less ill and has had less frequent invasive procedures than a patient population infected with the multidrug-resistant strain of SCCmec type III MRSA. We found that virulence factors were rare and that Panton-Valentine leukocidin was absent. There were multiple clones of the SCCmec type IV strain in our hospital. Children under 1 year of age were at a higher risk. There was a predominant clone ( sequence type 5) in this patient population.

Propiedades termofísicas del jugo concentrado de lulo a temperaturas por encima del punto de congelación

En este trabajo fueron determinados experimentalmente el calor específico, conductividad térmica, difusividad térmica y densidad del jugo de lulo en el rango de contenido de agua de 0.55 a 0.90 (p/p en base húmeda) y en temperaturas variando de 4 a 78.6 °C. La conductividad térmica y el calor específico fueron obtenidos utilizando el mismo aparato - una célula constituida de dos cilindros concéntricos - operando en estado estacionario y no- estacionario, respectivamente. La difusividad térmica fue obtenida a través del método de Dickerson y la densidad determinada por picnometria. Tanto la temperatura como el contenido de agua presentaron una fuerte influencia en los datos experimentales de las propiedades termofísicas del jugo de lulo. Los resultados obtenidos fueron utilizados para obtener modelos matemáticos y predecir estas propiedades en función de la concentración y la temperatura.

Propiedades termodinámicas de sorción de agua de la pulpa de lulo en polvo con encapsulantes

Datos de humedad de equilibrio de polvo de pulpa de lulo (PL) con y sin aditivos - 58% de maltodextrina (MD) o 58% de goma Arábiga (GA) - fueran determinados en las temperaturas de 20, 30, 40 y 50 °C utilizando el método estático gravimétrico para un rango de actividades de agua entre 0.06 y 0.90. Las isotermas presentaran formato sigmoidal del tipo III, y el modelo de Guggenhein-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) fue ajustado satisfactoriamente a los datos experimentales de humedad de equilibrio en función de la actividad de agua. La adición de encapsulantes afecto las isotermas de tal manera que en la misma actividad de agua, las muestras PL + GA y PL + MD presentaron un menor contenido de humedad de equilibrio y no fueron afectadas por la variación de temperatura. Los calores isostéricos de sorción de las pulpas en polvo con encapsulantes fueron mayores (menos negativos) con relación a las pulpas de lulo en polvo, sugiriendo la existencia de sitios polares más activos en el producto sin adición de GA o MD. Una relación exponencial empírica fue utilizada para describir la dependencia del calor de sorción con el contenido de humedad del material.

Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk produced in dairy farms in São Paulo state, Brazil

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in milk produced in 37 farms located in the regions of Ribeirão Preto and São Carlos, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Two-hundred and eight samples of milk from individual cows showing subclinical mastitis, and 37 samples of bulk tank milk were analyzed. S. aureus strains were detected in 18 (7.3%) milk samples: 14 (6.7%) from samples of individual cows, and 4 (10.8%) from bulk tank milk. Two individual milk samples (14.3%) and two bulk milk samples contained enterotoxigenic S. aureus. PFGE analysis revealed the genetic heterogeneity of the strains isolated from raw milk, which presented to 13 S. aureus patterns. Results confirmed the potential transmission of staphylococcal food poisoning to consumers via milk of cows affected by subclinical mastitis, mainly when raw milk is ingested.

Haciendo hologramas en la escuela y en la casa

La comunidad científica que se ocupa de los problemas relacionados con el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la físicas, ha dedicado muchos esfuerzos en los ultimos años al perfeccionamiento del mismo, motivado en primera instancia, por las demandas de renovación que el impetuoso desarrollo científico-técnico le impone en la actualidad a la enseñanza de las ciencias. En los últimos años se ha producido un desarrollo vertiginoso en la fabricación de diodos láser que emiten en el espectro visible, esto ha permitido su utilización creciente en múltiples aplicaciones y hace factible su utilización en la enseñanza aprendizaje de la física universitaria y en particular de la holografía, por sus grandes ventajas frente a los láseres convencionales de gran costo y difícil manipulación. En el trabajo se describen la instalación experimental portátil diseñada para la obtención de hologramas en la escuela y en la casa con la utilización de diodos láser, la metodología de trabajo a seguir, los métodos de procesamiento utilizados para diferentes tipos de emulsiones holográficas y un análisis de los defectos que pueden presentar los hologramas producidos y la forma de detectarlos y erradicarlos

Characterization of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus isolated from oysters and mussels in São Paulo, Brazil

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a marine bacterium, responsible for gastroenteritis in humans. Most of the clinical isolates produce thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) and TDH-related hemolysin (TRH) encoded by tdh and trh genes respectively. In this study, twenty-three V. parahaemolyticus, previously isolated from oysters and mussels were analyzed by PCR using specific primers for the 16S rRNA and virulence genes (tdh, trh and tlh) and for resistance to different classes of antibiotics and PFGE. Nineteen isolates were confirmed by PCR as V. parahaemolyticus. The tlh gene was present in 100% of isolates, the tdh gene was identified in two (10.5%) isolates, whereas the gene trh was not detected. Each isolate was resistant to at least one of the nine antimicrobials tested. Additionally, all isolates possessed the blaTEM-116 gene. The presence of this gene in V. parahaemolyticus indicates the possibility of spreading this gene in the environment. Atypical strains of V. parahaemolyticus were also detected in this study.

Troponina cardíaca T para estratificação de risco na insuficiência cardíaca crônica descompensada

FUNDAMENTO: As troponinas cardíacas são marcadores altamente sensíveis e específicos de lesão miocárdica. Esses marcadores foram detectados na insuficiência cardíaca (IC) e estão associadas com mau prognóstico. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a relação da troponina T (cTnT) e suas faixas de valores com o prognóstico na IC descompensada. MÉTODOS: Estudaram-se 70 pacientes com piora da IC crônica que necessitaram de hospitalização. Na admissão, o modelo de Cox foi utilizado para avaliar as variáveis capazes de predizer o desfecho composto por morte ou re-hospitalização em razão de piora da IC durante um ano. RESULTADOS: Durante o seguimento, ocorreram 44 mortes, 36 re-hospitalizações por IC e 56 desfechos compostos. Na análise multivariada, os preditores de eventos clínicos foram: cTnT (cTnT > 0,100 ng/ml; hazard ratio (HR) 3,95 intervalo de confiança (IC) 95%: 1,64-9,49, p = 0,002), diâmetro diastólico final do ventrículo esquerdo (DDVE >70 mm; HR 1,92, IC95%: 1,06-3,47, p = 0,031) e sódio sérico (Na <135 mEq/l; HR 1,79, IC95%: 1,02-3,15, p = 0,044). Para avaliar a relação entre a elevação da cTnT e o prognóstico na IC descompensada, os pacientes foram estratificados em três grupos: cTnT-baixo (cTnT < 0,020 ng/ml, n = 22), cTnT-intermediário (cTnT > 0,020 e < 0,100 ng/ml, n = 36) e cTnT-alto (cTnT > 0,100 ng/ml, n = 12). As probabilidades de sobrevida e sobrevida livre de eventos foram: 54,2%, 31,5%, 16,7% (p = 0,020), e 36,4%, 11,5%, 8,3% (p = 0,005), respectivamente. CONCLUSÃO: A elevação da cTnT está associada com mau prognóstico na IC descompensada, e o grau dessa elevação pode facilitar a estratificação de risco

Impacto da Proteína-C reativa no risco cardiovascular de adolescentes

Vários estudos sugerem que a proteína-C reativa (PCR) se correlaciona com doença arterial coronariana em adultos. Entretanto, essa associação ainda é pouco explorada em adolescentes. Avaliar a associação entre a PCR e os fatores de risco cardiovascular em adolescentes obesos. Oitenta e quatro adolescentes (12,6 ± 1,3 anos), ambos os sexos, foram distribuídos nos grupos Eutrófico (n = 28), Sobrepeso (n = 28) e Obeso (n = 28), segundo o índice de massa corpórea (IMC). A concentração de PCR (ELISA ultrassensível), o perfil lipídico e o conteúdo de anticorpos anti-LDLox (ELISA) foram determinados após jejum de 12h. Os grupos foram semelhantes quanto a idade (p = 0,13) e sexo (p = 0,83). Colesterol total, HDL-C, CT/HDL-C e LDL-C/HDL-C apresentaram diferenças significativas entre os grupos Eutrófico e Obeso. Não houve variação significativa no conteúdo de anticorpos anti-LDLox. Os valores de PCR foram diferentes entre os três grupos (p < 0,01). PCR apresentou associação significativa com IMC (β = 2,533), CB (β = 2,645) e CC (β = 2,945), CT (β = 0,006), LDL-C (β = 0,006) e anticorpos anti-LDLox (β = 0,383) e negativa entre HDL-C (β = -0,017). Os resultados indicam que a PCR se associa significativamente com marcadores de risco cardiovascular em adolescentes

Uso de hidrolizado proteico en los pacientes de una unida de terapia intensiva neonatal

Introducción. La leche humana es el primer alimento escogido para alimentar a los recién nacidos (RN), especialmente a los prematuros (RNPT y a los de peso muy bajo (RNMBP). Cuando esta leche no está disponible, deben ser recetadas fórmulas especializadas, que promuevan un crecimiento y desarrollo adecuados. El uso de los hidrolizados proteicos (HP) en la UTI neonatal ha sido promovido, debido al riesgo potencial que los RNPT/MBP presentan, por la inmadurez gastrointestinal, problemas de absorción e intolerancia alimentaria. Sin embargo, tales formulaciones no fueran elaboradas para atender las necessidades específicas de estos niños, y pueden, cuando son utilizadas, ocasionar un déficit nutricional. Objetivo. Comparar la progresión de la nutrición enteral (NE) (a través de la oferta de volumen, calorías y proteínas), la evolución ponderal, y las complicaciones clínicas entre recién nacidos de peso muy bajo (RNPMB) alimentados con fórmula para prematuros (FP) e hidrolizado proteico (HP) en la UTI neonatal. Casuística y métodos. Fueran estudiados dos grupos de RNPMB: grupo 1:13RNPMB con edad gestacional media de nacimiento de 30 semanas, peso medio de nacimiento de 1 167 gramos, que recibieron FP. Grupo 2:8 RN con edad gestacional media de nacimiento de 29 semanas, peso medio de nacimiento de 1 141 gramos, alimentados con HP. Las ofertas de volumen, la de calorías y la de proteínas fueran diariamente calculadas para todos los niños en ambos grupos. La nutrición parenteral (NP) que complementaría a la terapia nutricional en las primeras semanas, también fue calculada. Los RNMBP fueron pesados diariamente, por la mañana, en balanza digital (escala de 10 g) debidamente calibrada. El peso medio diario fue calculado hasta el dia 15 de vida. Fueron construidas curvas de crescimento, a través del polinomio de segundo grado para ambos grupos. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizó el test de medias. Resultados. ) La oferta media de volumen, calorías y proteínas fue mayos en la primera semana en el grupo 2, pero de una forma no significativa (p=0.38; 0.34 y 0.05, respectivamente). En las semanas subsequentes, no hubo diferencias significativas en la progresión de NE entre los grupos. No fueron observadas complicaciones clínicas, sólo ocurrieron dos casos de distensión abdominal en el grupo 1, pero no fueron caracterizados como enterocolitis necrosante (ECN). No hubo diferencias estadísticas relacionadas con el aumento de peso entre los dos grupos durante el periodo de estudio; sin embargo, el grupo 1 presentó una tendencia de mejor evolución. conclusión. La prograsión de la NE fue semejante con la utilización de los dos tipos de fórmulas, no feron encontradas diferencias en el aumento de peso de los grupos, y no hubo complicaciones clínicas en ninguno de ellos. No hubo ventajas en el uso del HP en la UTI neonatal; por tanto, no está indicado para RNPMB, sin disfunción intestinal, debido a que su composición nutricional no prevé las necesidades de este grupo de niños

Clonal relationship among atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from different animal species and humans

Forty-nine typical and atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains belonging to different serotypes and isolated from humans, pets (cats and dogs), farm animals (bovines, sheep, and rabbits), and wild animals (monkeys) were investigated for virulence markers and clonal similarity by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The virulence markers analyzed revealed that atypical EPEC strains isolated from animals have the potential to cause diarrhea in humans. A close clonal relationship between human and animal isolates was found by MLST and PFGE. These results indicate that these animals act as atypical EPEC reservoirs and may represent sources of infection for humans. Since humans also act as a reservoir of atypical EPEC strains, the cycle of mutual infection of atypical EPEC between animals and humans, mainly pets and their owners, cannot be ruled out since the transmission dynamics between the reservoirs are not yet clearly understood.

The Process of Simulation Authoring/Creation by Chemistry Teachers: A Service Learning Experience

Two case studies are presented to describe the process of public school teachers authoring and creating chemistry simulations. They are part of the Virtual Didactic Laboratory for Chemistry, a project developed by the School of the Future of the University of Sao Paulo. the documental analysis of the material produced by two groups of teachers reflects different selection process for both themes and problem-situations when creating simulations. The study demonstrates the potential for chemistry learning with an approach that takes students' everyday lives into account and is based on collaborative work among teachers and researches. Also, from the teachers' perspectives, the possibilities of interaction that a simulation offers for classroom activities are considered.

Television and narratives: cultural identities in globalization age

This paper describes a current research integrated in an international and interdisciplinary project and developed in a global environment between two different tendencies: integration and desintegration. In this scenary, television narrative arises as an essential tool to create and consolidate new cultural identities in order to get a popular narrative on the concept of nation.

The right to the screen: from media education to educommunication in Brazil

Nowadays in Brazil, some social organizations, governments and mass media are discussing the need to establish an oversight committee to guarantee the quality of television programmes, as well as the need to set a system to determine what kind of pro, gram is appropriate for every television time slot. Across Brazil, a representative body of children and young people have come to the conclusion that the right to receive quality television programmes is not enough. The children of the new generations think they have the right to access new technologies and the production of their own messages, in accordance with their own creativity, interests and lifestyle projects within society.