Efeitos do potencial probiótico Enterococcus faecium 32 e de sua associação com o extrato da alga marinha Caulerpa mexicana no tratamento de colite experimental murina

Ulcerative colitis comprising an inflammatory bowel disease, whose most severe consequence is the development of intestinal neoplasia. The drugs currently used to treat the disease trigger a variety of serious adverse effects and are not effective in many cases. Recent studies demonstrated the effectiveness of natural products for the treatment of inflammatory processes. Seaweed extracts and their purified products have shown protective effects in models of inflammation and the association of traditional therapies with probiotics has significantly improved the clinical symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Therefore, the aims of this study include evaluating the potential effects of the use of probiotic strain Enterococcus faecium 32 (Ef32), the methanolic extract of the green seaweed Caulerpa mexicana (M.E.) and their concomitant administration in a murine model of colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Accordingly, C57BL /6 mice were pretreated orally with Ef32 (109 CFU/ml) for seven days. In the seven days following, the colitis was induced by administration of 3% DSS (w/v) diluted in the animals drinking water. During this period, animals were treated daily with Ef32 and the M.E. (2.0 mg/kg) every other day by intravenous route. The development of colitis was monitored by the disease activity index (DAI), which takes into account the loss of body weight, consistency and presence of blood in stools. After euthanasia, the colon was removed, its length measured and tissue samples were destined for histological analysis and culture for cytokine quantification. The levels of cytokines in the culture supernatant of the colon were measured by ELISA. The treatments with the probiotic Ef32 or the M.E. alone or the combination of these two substances provoked significant improvement as to weight loss and DAI, and prevented the shortening of the colon in response to DSS. The isolated treatments triggered a slight improvement in intestinal mucosal tissue damage. However, their combination was able to completely repair the injury triggered by DSS. The association was also able to reduce the levels of all the cytokines analyzed (IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17A and TNF-α). On the other hand, the treatment with Ef32 did not interfere with the levels of TNF-α, whereas treatment with M.E. did not alter the levels of IL-6. Moreover, the treatment with Ef32 not interferes in TNF-α levels, whereas treatment with M.E. did not alter the levels of IL-6. Therefore, the potential probiotic Ef32 and M.E. and especially when these samples were associated proved promising alternatives in the treatment of ulcerative colitis as demonstrated in an experimental model because of its beneficial effects on morphological and clinical parameters, and by reducing the production of proinflammatory cytokines of Th1, Th2 and Th17

Avaliação das condições higiênico-sanitárias da produção de refeições à base de carne da alimentação escolar no município de Natal-RN

The National School Nutrition Program is the oldest program in the country directed at food and nutrition safety. Its aims are to offer nutritional food as a supplement to students of public and philanthropic schools. Studying school nutrition transcends the investigation as a purely social program, given that it reaches the fields of public health, nutrition and food, using a wide variety of approaches. Thus, it is characterized by a multidisciplinary study, where the disciplines work side by side in distinct aspects of a single problem. Aim: This study aims to assess hygiene practices during the preparation of meat-based meals in public schools in the city of Natal, Brazil. Methods: A list was applied at 27 schools to identify the procedures of good food preparation practices. In addition, cooking and meal distribution temperature were measured and a microbiological analysis of the final preparation and of the water used in preparing it was performed. For microbiological analyses of the food, we analyzed coliforms at 45°C, coliforms at 35°C and Enterococcus, and for the water, we analyzed thermotolerant coliforms and total coliforms, using the methods recommended by APHA, 1995. Results: Most of the schools did not meet the required standards in all the variables related to good food preparation practices, except for the time spent preparing the meat, in which 89% were within the norm. Cooking temperature of the meals was within the standard; however, the temperature at distribution and the time spent dispensing the meals were inadequate. Of the 27 schools, 22 (81.5%) showed the presence of coliforms at 35° C in at least one meal sample and 18 (66.7%) had values above the recommended limit for coliforms at 45°C. The presence of E. coli was identified in 6.1% of the samples analyzed. The presence of Enterococcus was not found at any of the schools. With respect to the water, the North district of the city was the only one that did not meet the standards for the two indicators evaluated. The contamination found was not associated with the hygiene or food storage problems observed. Conclusions: The results show that the hygiene-sanitary conditions of meat-based public school meals were unsatisfactory, demonstrating the need for improvements in the production process to preserve the health of the student population. Multidisciplinarity: Researchers from the areas of food microbiology, nutrition, public health and statistics took part in this study, a decisive factor for characterizing the research as multidisciplinary

Decaimento bacteriano em lagoas de estabilização no Nordeste brasileiro

Stabilization pond system consisting in more sewage treatment used in Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil, representing about 90% of all systems. Fecal bacteria are removed mainly facultative ponds and in maturation ponds. Many factors influence bacterial decay, such as the levels of pH and DO, temperature, light intensity, HDT and nutrient availability. The bacterial decay rate (Kb) is calculated considering many variables, but the hydraulic regime is a significant influence for microorganisms removal, and the dispersed flow which best characterizes a stabilization pond. However, some authors developed equations for the Kb accordant plug flow and complete mixing. This research study aimed to evaluate the bacterial decay of fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. in stabilization ponds designed to treat domestic sewage, full-scale, in RN. All systems have assessed pretreatment, a facultative pond (LF) followed by two maturation (LM1 and LM2). The parameters availed were: temperature, pH, DO, BOD5, COD, fecal coliform, Enterococcus sp., Chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, fixed and volatile. In general, there were not significant differences for pH, DO and temperature in the ponds, except for the new systems, since they have low flow and hydraulic loads. The removal of organic matter in the ponds was low, about 70%, and nearly all are overloaded organic and operational problems. The bacterial removals were low, with average 96% for LF for fecal coliform, and 98% for Enterococcus sp.; LM1 were in itself a removal for fecal coliform about 71%, and 81% for Enterococcus sp.; LM2 have efficiency of 69% for fecal coliform, and 68% for Enterococcus sp. The equation proposed by Von Sperling (1999), according to the dispersed flow regime, generated empirical values of Kb more approximate to calculated values of Kb. On average, the calculated Kb to coliforms in the LF was 0.31 d-1, and for both maturation ponds were 0.35 d-1. For Enterococcus sp. the average was 0.40 d-1 for LF, 0.55 d-1 for LM1, and 0.58 d-1 for LM2. These results also showed that the Kb obtained in full-scale systems are smaller than those found in pilot-scale ponds. Moreover, one can say that the equation proposed by Marais (1974), according to the complete-mix regime, overestimates Kb. Actual results of Kb indicated that fecal coliforms are more resistant to adverse conditions present in stabilization ponds than Enterococcus sp., therefore, an indicator of microbiological safety and efficiency. The factors significant interventions in the rate of bacterial decay were concentrations of COD, the organic loading and HDT. The few Kb relationship between pH, DO and temperature were not significant. Finally, we conclude that it s essential to correct operation and maintenance, for not performing these activities is one of the main factors contributing to low rates of bacterial decay.