Candida species: Current epidemiology, pathogenicity, biofilm formation, natural antifungal products and new therapeutic options

The incidence of fungal infections has increased significantly, so contributing to morbidity and mortality. This is caused by an increase in antimicrobial resistance and the restricted number of antifungal drugs, which retain many side effects. Candida species are major human fungal pathogens that cause both mucosal and deep tissue infections. Recent evidence suggests that the majority of infections produced by this pathogen are associated with biofilm growth. Biofilms are biological communities with a high degree of organization, in which micro-organisms form structured, coordinated and functional communities. These biological communities are embedded in a self-created extracellular matrix. Biofilm production is also associated with a high level of antimicrobial resistance of the associated organisms. The ability of Candida species to form drugresistant biofilms is an important factor in their contribution to human disease. The study of plants as an alternative to other forms of drug discovery has attracted great attention because, according to the World Health Organization, these would be the best sources for obtaining a wide variety of drugs and could benefit a large population. Furthermore, silver nanoparticles, antibodies and photodynamic inactivation have also been used with good results. This article presents a brief review of the literature regarding the epidemiology of Candida species, as well as their pathogenicity and ability to form biofilms, the antifungal activity of natural products and other therapeutic options. © 2013 SGM.

Telomere length and its relationship with chronic diseases - New perspectives for periodontal research

Objective: The ageing process is accompanied by a variety of cellular modifications, and telomere shortening is a common finding. Large epidemiological studies have reported an association between shorter telomere length in peripheral leukocytes and several inflammatory diseases of the elderly including diabetes, atherosclerosis and, recently, periodontitis. The primary aim of this study was to critically discuss available evidence regarding the potential mechanisms relating shorter telomeres to periodontitis. Design: A narrative literature review was performed to report evidence relating shorter telomeres to the ageing process and inflammation. Then, we searched MEDLINE (1950 to May 2012) and ISI WEB OF SCIENCE (1950 to May 2012) databases for the combination of the terms 'telomere' and 'periodontitis'. Results: Although these associations suggest a possible role of telomere attrition in the onset or evolution of chronic inflammatory diseases, only two studies addressed the relationship between telomere length and periodontitis. Conclusion: We suggest that the chronic inflammatory burden observed in people with chronic periodontitis could represent the driver of telomere shortening. However, further evidence is needed to confirm whether inflammation is the cause or the consequence of the shorter leukocyte telomere length observed in people with periodontitis. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adsorption of heavy metal ions and epoxidation catalysis using a new polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

The objective of this research was the preparation of a silsesquioxane functionalized with eight chloropropyl chains (T8-PrCl) and of a new derivative functionalized with a pendant linear chain (2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole - ATD; T8-Pr-ATD). The two nanostructured materials were characterized by 13C and 29Si NMR, FTIR and elemental analysis. The new nanostructured material, octakis[3-(2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole)propyl] octasilsesquioxane (T8-Pr-ATD), was tested as a ligand for transition-metal ions with a special attention to adsorption isotherms. The adsorption was performed using a batchwise process and the organofunctionalized surface showed the ability to adsorb the metal ions Cu (II), Co (II), and Ni (II) from water and ethanol. The adsorption isotherms were fitted by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) model. The kinetics of adsorption of metals were performed using three models such as pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and Elovich. The Langmuir and Elovich models were the most appropriate to describe the adsorption and kinetic data, respectively. Furthermore, the T8-Pr-ATD was successfully applied to the analysis of environmental samples (river and sea water). Subsequently, a new nanomaterial was prepared by functionalization of the T8-Pr-ATD with a Mo (II) organometallic complex (T8-Pr-ATD-Mo). Only a few works in the literature have reported this type of substitution, and none dealt with ATD and Mo (II) complexes. The new Mo-silsesquioxane organometallic nanomaterial was tested as precursor in the epoxidation of cyclooctene and styrene. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

New methodology for a faster synthesis of SrSnO3 by the modified Pechini method

SrSnO3, a perovskite-type complex oxide, was synthesized by the modified Pechini method using two different precursors, tin chloride and metallic tin. The first one is already traditional in the literature and it claims about 30 days, only for the cleaning of tin citrate aiming at the elimination of the chloride. The second route was developed by our research group and saves time, taking 6 h to complete the synthesis of the resin. The results show that SrSnO3 obtained from the metallic tin show a higher short range order, leading to a band gap value higher than those reported in the literature, besides a meaningful reduction in the formation of SrCO 3, as compared to the one obtained from tin chloride.

A new tropane alkaloid and other constituents of Erythroxylum rimosum (Erythroxylaceae)

A new tropane alkaloid, named the 7β-acetoxy-3β,6β- dibenzoyloxytropane (1), was isolated from a methanol extract of Erythroxylum rimosum O.E. Schulz leaves. Other known compounds were detected, including quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-α-l-arabinofuranoside, (+)-catechin, epicatechin, quercetin-3-O-α-arabinofuranoside, quercetin-3-O-α- arabinopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-β-arabinopyranoside, quercetin-3-β- glucopyranoside, kaempferol, quercetin-3-O-β-galactopyranoside, β-sitosterol, α-amyrin, β-amyrin, and the ester derivatives of these two amyrins. Compound 1 exhibited weak inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Structural identification was performed using IR, ESIHRMS and one- and two-dimensional NMR data analyses and confirmed by comparison with literature data. © 2013 Phytochemical Society of Europe.

Cryptococcosis: epidemiology, fungal resistance, and new alternatives for treatment

Cryptococcosis is an important systemic mycosis and the third most prevalent disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals. The incidence of cryptococcosis is high among the 25 million people with HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), with recent estimates indicating that there are one million cases of cryptococcal meningitis globally per year in AIDS patients. In Cryptococcus neoformans, resistance to azoles may be associated with alterations in the target enzyme encoded by the gene ERG11, lanosterol 14α-demethylase. These alterations are obtained through mutations, or by overexpressing the gene encoding. In addition, C. gattii and C. neoformans present a heteroresistance phenotype, which may be related to increased virulence. Other species beyond C. neoformans and C. gattii, such as C. laurentii, have been diagnosed mainly in patients with immunosuppression. Infections of C. albidus have been isolated in cats and marine mammals. Recent evidence suggests that the majority of infections produced by this pathogen are associated with biofilm growth, which is also related with increased resistance to antifungal agents. Therefore, there is a great need to search for alternative antifungal agents for these fungi. The search for new molecules is currently occurring from nanoparticle drugs of plant peptide origin. This article presents a brief review of the literature regarding the epidemiology of cryptococcosis, as well as fungal resistance and new alternatives for treatment. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Description of three new species of Hepatozoon (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) from Rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus terrificus) based on molecular, morphometric and morphologic characters

Hepatozoon spp. are commonly found infecting snakes. Since the latter are parasitized by diverse forms and data in the literature show divergence, we studied Hepatozoon spp. diversity on Crotalus durissus terrificus snakes using both molecular and morphological approaches. Naturally infected animals were employed. Blood was collected, blood smears were prepared and an aliquot was stored at -20. °C for DNA extraction. Five specimens of C. durissus terrificus were selected, each of them infected with one gamont type. Morphological and morphometric analyses of the found gamonts led to their grouping into three populations. For molecular characterization, seven oligonucleotide pairs that amplify distinct regions of rDNA gene were tested by adopting the PCR technique. Only the oligonucleotide pairs HepF300/Hep900 and HEMO1/HEMO2 were efficient in amplifying and distinguishing different isolates of Hepatozoon spp. from snakes. The better results were obtained when both oligonucleotide pairs were used in association. Based on the molecular and morphologic differences, three new species were proposed: Hepatozoon cuestensis sp. nov.; Hepatozoon cevapii sp. nov. and Hepatozoon massardii sp. nov. This is the first description of new Hepatozoon species from snakes, based on molecular characterization and morphological data, in South America. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Máscara e representação no livro do Desassossego

Pós-graduação em Estudos Literários - FCLAR

Conselho às minhas amigas: os manuais de ciências domésticas de Júlia Lopes de Almeida (1896 e 1906)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

O amor cortês e os Lais de Maria de França: um olhar historiográfico

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Um parágrafo de história na literatura francesa: a representação do Caso Dreyfus em L'Île des pingouins, de Anatole France

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mark Twain: um patriota antiimperialista e seu relato de viagem em The innocents abroad or the new pilgrim's progress

Pós-graduação em Letras - FCLAS

The psychobiological model: a new explanation to intensity regulation and (in)tolerance in endurance exercise

The mechanisms underpinning fatigue and exhaustion, and the specific sources of exercise-endurance intensity regulation and (in)tolerance have been investigated for over a century. Although several scientific theories are currently available, over the past five years a new framework called Psychobiological model has been proposed. This model gives greater attention to perceptual and motivational factors than its antecedents, and their respective influence on the conscious process of decision-making and behavioral regulation. In this review we present experimental evidences and summarize the key points of the Psychobiological model to explain intensity regulation and (in)tolerance in endurance exercise. Still, we discuss how the Psychobiological model explains training-induced adaptations related to improvements in performance, experimental manipulations, its predictions, and propose future directions for this investigative area. The Psychobiological model may give a new perspective to the results already published in the literature, helping scientists to better guide their research problems, as well as to analyze and interpret new findings more accurately.

A new flavonoid derivative from leaves of Oxandra Sessiliflora R. E. Fries

A fração em acetato de etila (EtOAc) obtida a partir da partição do extrato de etanol (EtOH) das folhas de O. sessiliflora R. E. Fries (Annonaceae) foi submetida a diversos procedimentos cromatográficos, incluindo cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC), o que resultou no isolamento dos flavonóides: quercetina-3-O-α-L-ramnopiranosil-(1→4)-β-D-glucopiranosídeo (1), inédito na literatura, canferol-3-O-α-L-ramnopiranosil-(1→4)-β-D-glucopiranosídeo (2), rutina (3) e canferol-3-O-rutinosídeo (4). As estruturas foram definidas através da análise dos espectros de ressonância magnética nuclear (NMR) de ¹H e de 13C (1D e 2D) e espectrometria de massas.