Haematological and biochemical reference intervals for farmed channel catfish

The reference intervals for biochemical variables and red blood cell indices of healthy intensively bred channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were determined. The blood variables were determined using standardized clinical methods. The reference intervals (25th and 75th percentiles) were established using a non-parametric method. Reference intervals for plasma glucose, serum total protein, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride concentration, primary and secondary red blood cell indices were established. The haematological and biochemical reference intervals established may allow important clinical decisions about channel catfish. (c) 2007 the Authors Journal compilation (C) 2007 the Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

A single intraoperative sub-Tenon's capsule triamcinolone acetonide injection for the treatment of post-cataract surgery inflammation

Purpose: To compare a single intraoperative sub-Tenon's capsule triamcinolone acetonicle injection with steroid drops in the treatment of ocular inflammation after cataract surgery.Design: Randomized, double-masked controlled trial.Participants: A total of 100 patients were randomized prospectively into 2 groups: 50 patients treated with 1% prednisolone eyedrops (control group A) and 50 patients treated with sub-Tenon's capsule triamcinolone (treatment group B).Methods: All patients underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular posterior lens implantation. After surgery, patients were randomized to receive either (group B) an intraoperative 40 mg triamcinolone acetonicle sub-Tenon's capsule injection or (group A) 1% prednisolone acetate eyedrops, according to the following schedule: 1 drop 4 times daily (week 1), 3 times daily (week 2), 2 times daily (week 3), once daily (week 4). To mask the study, group B received vehicle drops administered on a similar schedule, and group A received an intraoperative sub-Tenon's capsule injection of a 1 ml balanced salt solution.Main Outcome Measures: the main outcome measures included inflammation (cell, flare, ciliary flush), intraocular pressure, and lack of response.Results: Triamcinolone was shown to have anti-inflammatory efficacy clinically equivalent to conventional 1% prednisolone eyedrops in reducing intraocular inflammation, as measured by clinical methods. Triamcinolone was found to be as safe as the prednisolone in terms of adverse effects, changes in visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and biomicroscopic and ophthalmoscopic variables. on the third, seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-eighth postoperative days, a significantly lower intraocular pressure (P<0.01) was noted in the triamcinolone group than in the prednisolone group.Conclusions: A single intraoperative 40-mg triamcinolone acetonide sub-Tenon's capsule injection demonstrated a clinically equivalent therapeutic response and ocular tolerance compared with 1% prednisolone drops in controlling postoperative inflammation after uncomplicated cataract surgery and merits further investigation. (C) 2004 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

An optimised electrochemical biosensor for the label-free detection of C-reactive protein in blood

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein whose levels are increased in many disorders. There exists, in particular, a great deal of interest in the correlation between blood serum levels and the severity of risk for cardiovascular disease. A sensitive, label-free, non-amplified and reusable electrochemical impedimetric biosensor for the detection of CRP in blood serum was developed herein based on controlled and coverage optimised antibody immobilization on standard polycrystalline gold electrodes. Charge transfer resistance changes were highly target specific, linear with log. CRP. concentration across a 0.5-50. nM range and associated with a limit of detection of 176. pM. Significantly, the detection limits are better than those of current CRP clinical methods and the assays are potentially cheap, relatively automated, reusable, multiplexed and highly portable. The generated interfaces were capable not only of comfortably quantifying CRP across a clinically relevant range of concentrations but also of doing this in whole blood serum with interfaces that were, subsequently, reusable. The importance of optimising receptor layer resistance in maximising assay sensitivity is also detailed. © 2012.

Pomada a base de óleo de semente de maracujá no tratamento de lesões cutâneas em coelhos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from Brazil: Phenotypic and genotypic methods

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison of parasitological, immunological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis in dogs with different clinical signs

Aiming to improve the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in an endemic area of the Northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil, the efficacy of parasitological, immunological and molecular diagnostic methods were studied. Dogs with and without clinical sips of the disease and positive for Leishmania, by direct parasite identification on lymph node smears and/or specific antibody detection by ELISA, were selected for the study. According to the clinical signs, 89 dogs attending the Veterinary Hospital of UNESP in Aracatuba (SP, Brazil) were divided into three groups: symptomatic (36%), oligosymptomatic (22%) and asymptomatic (22%). Twenty-six dogs from an area non-endemic for CanL were used as negative controls (20%). Fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNA) of popliteal lymph nodes were collected and Diff-Quick (R)-stained for optical microscopy. Direct immumofluorescence, immunocytochemistry and parasite DNA amplification by PCR were also performed. After euthanasia, fragments of popliteal lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow and liver were collected and processed for HE and immunohistochemistry. Parasite detection by both HE and immunohistochemistry was specifically more effective in lymph nodes, when compared with the other organs. Immunolabeling provided higher sensitivity for parasite detection in the tissues. In the symptomatic group, assay sensitivity was 75.61% for direct parasite search on Diff-Quick (R)-stained FNAs, 92.68% for direct immunofluorescence, 92.68% for immunocytochemistry and 100% for PCR; the corresponding values in the other clinical groups were: 32, 60, 76 and 96% (oligosymptomatic), and 39.13, 73.91, 100 and 95.65% (asymptomatic). Results of the control animals from the CanL non-endemic area were all negative, indicating that the methods used were 100% specific. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Statistical methods for assessing agreement between double readings of clinical measurements

Statistical analysis of data is crucial in cephalometric investigations. There are certainly excellent examples of good statistical practice in the field, but some articles published worldwide have carried out inappropriate analyses. Objective: The purpose of this study was to show that when the double records of each patient are traced on the same occasion, a control chart for differences between readings needs to be drawn, and limits of agreement and coefficients of repeatability must be calculated. Material and methods: Data from a well-known paper in Orthodontics were used for showing common statistical practices in cephalometric investigations and for proposing a new technique of analysis. Results: A scatter plot of the two radiograph readings and the two model readings with the respective regression lines are shown. Also, a control chart for the mean of the differences between radiograph readings was obtained and a coefficient of repeatability was calculated. Conclusions: A standard error assuming that mean differences are zero, which is referred to in Orthodontics and Facial Orthopedics as the Dahlberg error, can be calculated only for estimating precision if accuracy is already proven. When double readings are collected, limits of agreement and coefficients of repeatability must be calculated. A graph with differences of readings should be presented and outliers discussed.

Comparison of teicoplanin disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis

The CLSI M100-S19 document has recommended the disuse of vancomycin disks for staphylococci and informed that studies on the action of teicoplanin in disk-diffusion testing should be performed. We describe the comparison of two methods, disk diffusion and broth microdilution, for determining teicoplanin susceptibility in clinical isolates of staphylococci. Overall results showed an aggregation rate of 96.8%; Staphylococcus aureus showed total agreement while S. epidermidis showed 93.8% of agreement. According to these local results, disk diffusion can still be employed to teicoplanin susceptibility determination for staphylococci in our institution.

Clinical applications of non-culture based methods for the diagnosis and management of opportunistic and endemic mycoses

Nonculture based methods for the detection of infections caused by fungal pathogens are becoming more important tools in the management of infected patients. Detection of fungal antigens and DNA appear to be the most promising in this respect for both opportunistic and endemic mycoses. In this article we present an overview of the most recent developments in nonculture based methods and examine their value in clinical practice.

Evaluation of different treatment methods against denture stomatitis: a randomized clinical study

Objective. The aim of this clinical study was to determine the efficacy of Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw) against denture stomatitis (DS).Study Design. Fifty patients with DS were randomly assigned into 3 groups to receive 2% miconazole, placebo, or 2% U tomentosa gel. DS level was recorded immediately, after 1 week of treatment, and 1 week after treatment. The clinical effectiveness of each treatment was measured using Newton's criteria. Mycologic samples from palatal mucosa and prosthesis were obtained to determinate colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) and fungal identification at each evaluation period.Results. Candida species were identified with HiCrome Candida and API 20C AUX biochemical test. DS severity decreased in all groups (P < .05). A significant reduction in number of CFU/mL after 1 week (P < .05) was observed for all groups and remained after 14 days (P > .05). C albicans was the most prevalent microorganism before treatment, followed by C tropicalis, C glabrata, and C krusei, regardless of the group and time evaluated. U tomentosa gel had the same effect as 2% miconazole gel.Conclusions. U tomentosa gel is an effective topical adjuvant treatment for denture stomatitis.

Intravitreal injection versus sub-Tenon's infusion of triamcinolone acetonide for refractory diabetic macular edema: A randomized clinical trial

PURPOSE. To compare the effectiveness of posterior sub-Tenon's infusion (STi) and intravitreal injection (IVI) of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) for treatment of refractory diffuse diabetic macular edema.METHODS. Thirty-six phakic diabetic patients with refractory diffuse diabetic macular edema were prospectively enrolled. Patients randomly received either 40 mg STi or 4 mg IVI of TA. Comprehensive ophthalmic evaluation was performed at baseline and 1, 2, 4, 8 +/- 1, 12 +/- 2 and 24 +/- 2 weeks after treatment. Macular morphologic changes detected by optical coherence tomography and visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and lens status were evaluated.RESULTS. Twenty-eight patients (28 eyes) completed the 24-week study. Central macular thickness was significantly reduced in the IVI group when compared with the STi group at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after treatment (P < 0.01). Mean visual acuities (in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) at week-4, -8, and -12 follow-up examinations were significantly higher in the IVI group (0.74, 0.75, and 0.82, respectively) when compared with the STi group (0.88, 0.88, and 0.90, respectively; P < 0.01). A significant change from baseline in mean intraocular pressure (mm Hg) was seen at weeks 4 (+/- 3.21) and 8 (+/- 3.35) in STi the group (P < 0.01), and at week 8 (+/- 2.78) in the IVI group (P < 0.05). No patient had cataract progression during the study.CONCLUSIONS. Although the number of patients and length of follow-up in this preliminary study were limited, the changes in central macular thickness and visual acuity observed after treatment suggest that IVI TA may be more effective than STi for the management of refractory diffuse diabetic macular edema. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Brucellosis due to Brucella suis in a swine herd associated with a human clinical case in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Brucella suis has been recognized as the major etiological agent of human brucellosis in areas free from Brucella melitensis infection. However, with changes in swine management, the occurrence of swine brucellosis has decreased as has the human incidence of B. suis infection. A swine brucellosis outbreak within a herd from Jaboticabal (So Paulo, Brazil) was detected in July 2006. The herd comprised approximately 300 sows and 1,500 finishing animals. Many sows within this herd experienced abortions, while others exhibited vaginal discharge; three sows suffered posterior paralysis. Among 271 sows, 254 (93.7%) tested positive for brucellosis by complement fixation, and among 62 randomly bled finishing animals, 17 (27.4%) also tested positive. The B. suis biovar 1 was cultured from 14 aborted fetuses and six sows. Brucella was identified using routine methods. Fourteen farm workers were tested using agglutination tests, with three workers showing evidence of Brucella antibody titers. A 39-year-old woman, who worked with maternal pigs and had direct contact with aborted fetuses, presented an agglutinating titer of 480 IU/mL and displayed clinical signs of infection. Our findings suggest that despite a reduction of swine brucellosis throughout Brazil, B. suis infection still occurs, thereby posing a zoonotic risk.

Canine ehrlichiosis: clinical, hematological, serological and molecular aspects

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)