Pathogenicity of Rhodococcus equi in mice, isolated from environment, human and horse clinical samples

Rhodococcus equi is a facultative intracellular pathogen associated with bronchopneumonia, mesenteric lymphadenitis and enterocolitis in foals. Although R. equi is likely to be found in every horse-breeding farm, the clinical disease is unrecognized in most of them. Capsule components, equi factor, micolic acid and some products encoded by the large 85-90Kb plasmid were described as virulence factors. However, the pathogenesis of R. equi infections and the sensibility of foals are not completely understood. The aim of this study was evaluate the virulence of R. equi isolated from human, horses and environment for mices. Nine strains carrying the 85-90Kb plasmid isolated from foal clinical specimens, one from immunodeficient human patient and six plasmidless strains (four isolated from feces, one from pasture and one from immunodeficient human patient) were inoculated in cyclophosphamide immunossuppressed mice. The pathological changes and viability of R. equi cells in the liver of mice was verified after the 3rd, 6th an 10th day after inoculation for horse and environmental isolates and for R. equi isolates from human patients on the 1st, 3rd and 6th day. During the necropsy procedures, infiltrate of macrophages and pyogranulomatous lesions were detected after the sixth pos-inoculation day in the liver and spleen. In horse isolates, only plasmid positive strains were virulent, but in human isolates both strains (plasmid positive e plasmid negative) were virulent. Both groups of the immunossupressed mice inoculated with R. equi isolated from environment showed pathological changes. All R. equi strains were unable to kill non imunossuppressed mice.

Avian pox virus infection in a common barn owl (Tyto alba) in southern Brazil

A young common barn owl (Tyto alba) was referred to the Núcleo de Reabilitação da Fauna Silvestre (Nurfs), Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), after been found in a barn of a brick factory in the urban area of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The bird was apathic, weak and with crusty lesions in the featherless areas (eyes, beak, legs), and died soon after arrival at Nurfs. Necropsy and histopathological examination of the lesions were carried out. The hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the cutaneous lesions, several eosinophilic intracyto-plasmic inclusion bodies in epithelial cells (Bollinger bodies), as well as particles characteristic of poxvirus, observed by electronic microscopy, confirmed the infection by avian poxvirus, what highlights the importance of Tyto alba as carrier of the virus in the wild.

Experimental poisoning of goats by Ipomoea carnea subsp. fistulosa in Argentina: a clinic and pathological correlation with special consideration on the central nervous system

Ipomoea carnea subsp. fistulosa, aguapei or mandiyura, is responsible for lysosomal storage in goats. The shrub contains several alkaloids, mainly swansonine which inhibits lysosomal α-mannosidase and Golgi mannosidase II. Poisoning occurs by inhibition of these hydrolases. There is neuronal vacuolation, endocrine dysfunction, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal injury, and immune disorders. Clinical signs and pathology of the experimental poisoning of goats by Ipomoea carnea in Argentina are here described. Five goats received fresh leaves and stems of Ipomoea. At the beginning, the goats did not consume the plant, but later, it was preferred over any other forage. High dose induced rapid intoxication, whereas with low doses, the course of the toxicosis was more protracted. The goats were euthanized when they were recumbent. Cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, pons and colliculi, were routinely processed for histology. In nine days, the following clinical signs developed: abnormal fascies, dilated nostrils and abnormal postures of the head, cephalic tremors and nystagmus, difficulty in standing. Subsequently, the goats had a tendency to fall, always to the left, with spastic convulsions. There was lack in coordination of voluntary movements due to Purkinje and deep nuclei neurons damage. The cochlear reflex originated hyperreflexia, abnormal posture, head movements and tremors. The withdrawal reflex produced flexor muscles hypersensitivity at the four legs, later depression and stupor. Abnormal responses to sounds were related to collicular lesions. Thalamic damage altered the withdrawal reflex, showing incomplete reaction. The observed cervical hair bristling was attributed to a thalamic regulated nociceptive response. Depression may be associated with agonists of lysergic acid contained in Ipomoea. These clinical signs were correlated with lesions in different parts of the CNS.

Comparative anatomical study of the leg's nerves of Cebus (barbed capuchins) with baboons, chimpanzees and modern humans

The anatomical comparative studies among the primates are important for the investigation of ethology, evolution, taxonomy, and comprehension of tools by hominoids. Especially the anatomical knowledge of Cebus contributes to conservation of the species, and to development of surgical procedures and clinical treatments of these animals, as they frequently are victims of automobile accidents. Recent anatomical studies came to a wrong conclusion regarding behavioral traits of Cebus, ascribed to few data available in previous literature. Therefore, to provide anatomical data and to support the other sciences related to anatomy, and to develop surgical and/or clinical procedures, we described the nerves of the legs of Cebus foccusing on their position and trajectory, as wll as innerved muscles, and compared these results with those of humans and other primates. Eight adult capuchin specimens were used for this study. The anatomical comparative study of the leg's nerves of Cebus demonstrated that, in general, structural organization of the nerves is similar among the four primates analyzed here (Cebus, chimpanzees, baboons and humans), which might be attributed to the fact that the all four primates have similar body structures. However, nerve trajectory and muscles innervation in Cebus was more similar to baboons.

Developmental norms for eight instruments used in the neuropsychological assessment of children: studies in Brazil

Norms for a battery of instruments, including Denckla's and Garfield's tests of Motor Persistence, Benton's Right-Left Discrimination, two recall modalities (Immediate and Delayed) of the Bender Test, Wechsler's Digit Span, the Color Span Test and the Human Figure Drawing Test, were developed for the neuropsychological assessment of children in the greater Rio de Janeiro area. Additionally, the behavior of each child was assessed with the Composite Teacher Rating Scale (Brito GNO and Pinto RCA (1991) Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 13: 417-418). A total of 398 children (199 boys and 199 girls balanced for age) with a mean age of 9.3 years (SD = 2.8), who were attending a public school in Niterói, were the subjects of this study. Gender and age had significant effects on performance which depended on the instrument. Nonachievers performed worse than achievers in most neuropsychological tests. Comparison of our data to the available counterparts in the United States revealed that American children outperformed Brazilian children on the Right-Left Discrimination, Forward Digit Span, Color Span and Human Figure Drawing Tests. Further analysis showed that the neurobehavioral data consist of different factorial dimensions, including Human Body Representation, Motor Persistence of the Legs, Orbito-Orobuccal Motor Persistence, Attention-Memory, Visuospatial Memory, Neuropsychomotor Speed, Hyperactivity-Inattention, and Anxiety-Negative Socialization. We conclude that gender and age should be taken into account when using the normative data for most of the instruments studied in the present report. Furthermore, we stress the need for major changes in the Brazilian public school system in order to foster the development of secondary cognitive abilities in our children

Evaluation of electromyographic activity and heart rate responses to isometric exercise. The role played by muscular mass and type

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the electromyographic (EMG) activity and heart rate (HR) responses induced by isometric exercise performed by knee extension (KE) and flexion (KF) in men. Fifteen healthy male subjects, 21 ± 1.3 years (mean ± SD), were submitted to KE and KF isometric exercise tests at 100% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). The exercises were performed with one leg (right or left) and with two legs simultaneously, for 10 s in the sitting position with the hip and knee flexed at 90o. EMG activity (root mean square values) and HR (beats/min) were recorded simultaneously both at rest and throughout the sustained contraction. The HR responses to isometric exercise in KE and KF were similar when performed with one and two legs. However, the HR increase was always significantly higher in KE than KF (P<0.05), whereas the EMG activity was higher in KE than in KF (P<0.05), regardless of the muscle mass (one or two legs) involved in the effort. The correlation coefficients between HR response and the EMG activity during KE (r = 0.33, P>0.05) and KF (r = 0.15, P>0.05) contractions were not significant. These results suggest that the predominant mechanism responsible for the larger increase in HR response to KE as compared to KF in our study could be dependent on qualitative and quantitative differences in the fiber type composition found in each muscle group. This mechanism seems to demand a higher activation of motor units with a corresponding increase in central command to the cardiovascular centers that modulate HR control.

Molluscicidal activity of Punica granatum bark and Canna indica root

The molluscicidal activity of Punica granatum Linn. (Punicaceae) and Canna indica Linn. (Cannaceae) against the snail Lymnaea acuminata was studied. The molluscicidal activity of P. granatum bark and C. indica root was found to be both time and dose dependent. The toxicity of P. granatum bark was more pronounced than that of C. indica. The 24 h LC50 of the column-purified root of C. indica was 6.54 mg/l whereas that of the column-purified bark of P. granatum was 4.39 mg/l. The ethanol extract of P. granatum (24 h LC50: 22.42 mg/l) was more effective than the ethanol extract of C. indica (24 h LC50: 55.65 mg/l) in killing the test animals. P. granatum and C. indica may be used as potent molluscicides since the concentrations used to kill the snails were not toxic for the fish Colisa fasciatus, which shares the same habitat with the snail L. acuminata.

Photocytotoxicity of a 5-nitrofuran-ethenyl-quinoline antiseptic (Quinifuryl) to P388 mouse leukemia cells

Quinifuryl (MW 449.52), 2-(5'-nitro-2'-furanyl)ethenyl-4-{N-[4'-(N,N-diethylamino)-1'-methylbutyl]carbamoyl} quinoline, is a water soluble representative of a family of 5-nitrofuran-ethenyl-quinoline drugs which has been shown to be highly toxic to various lines of transformed cells in the dark. In the present study, the toxicity of Quinifuryl to P388 mouse leukemia cells was compared in the dark and under illumination with visible light (390-500 nm). Illumination of water solutions of Quinifuryl (at concentrations ranging from 0.09 to 9.0 µg/ml) in the presence of P388 cells resulted in its photodecomposition and was accompanied by elevated cytotoxicity. A significant capacity to kill P388 cells was detected at a drug concentration as low as 0.09 µg/ml. The toxic effect detected at this drug concentration under illumination exceeded the effect observed in the dark by more than three times. Moreover, the general toxic effect of Quinifuryl, which included cell proliferation arrest, was nearly 100%. Both dose- and time-dependent toxic effects were measured under illumination. The LC50 value of Quinifuryl during incubation with P388 cells was ~0.45 µg/ml under illumination for 60 min and >12 µg/ml in the dark. We have demonstrated that the final products of the Quinifuryl photolysis are not toxic, which means that the short-lived intermediates of Quinifuryl photodecomposition are responsible for the phototoxicity of this compound. The data obtained in the present study are the first to indicate photocytotoxicity of a nitroheterocyclic compound and demonstrate the possibility of its application as a photosensitizer drug for photochemotherapy.

Effect of photodynamic therapy on the extracellular matrix and associated components

In many countries, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been recognized as a standard treatment for malignant conditions (for example, esophageal and lung cancers) and non-malignant ones such as age-related macular degeneration and actinic keratoses. The administration of a non-toxic photosensitizer, its selective retention in highly proliferating cells and the later activation of this molecule by light to form reactive oxygen species that cause cell death is the principle of PDT. Three important mechanisms are responsible for the PDT effectiveness: a) direct tumor cell kill; b) damage of the tumor vasculature; c) post-treatment immunological response associated with the leukocyte stimulation and release of many inflammatory mediators like cytokines, growth factors, components of the complement system, acute phase proteins, and other immunoregulators. Due to the potential applications of this therapy, many studies have been reported regarding the effect of the treatment on cell survival/death, cell proliferation, matrix assembly, proteases and inhibitors, among others. Studies have demonstrated that PDT alters the extracellular matrix profoundly. For example, PDT induces collagen matrix changes, including cross-linking. The extracellular matrix is vital for tissue organization in multicellular organisms. In cooperation with growth factors and cytokines, it provides cells with key signals in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, for example, adhesion/migration and cell proliferation/differentiation/death. Thus, the focus of the present paper is related to the effects of PDT observed on the extracellular matrix and on the molecules associated with it, such as, adhesion molecules, matrix metalloproteinases, growth factors, and immunological mediators.

Restless leg syndrome, sleep quality and fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients

We have tested the hypothesis that restless leg syndrome (RLS) is related to quality of sleep, fatigue and clinical disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). The diagnosis of RLS used the four minimum criteria defined by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group. Fatigue was assessed by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS >27), quality of sleep by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI >6), excessive daytime sleepiness by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS >10) and clinical disability by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Forty-four patients (32 women) aged 14 to 64 years (43 ± 14) with disease from 0.4 to 23 years (6.7 ± 5.9) were evaluated. Thirty-five were classified as relapsing-remitting, 5 as primary progressive and 4 as secondary progressive. EDSS varied from 0 to 8.0 (3.6 ± 2.0). RLS was detected in 12 cases (27%). Patients with RLS presented greater disability (P = 0.01), poorer sleep (P = 0.02) and greater levels of fatigue (P = 0.03). Impaired sleep was present in 23 (52%) and excessive daytime sleepiness in 3 cases (6.8%). Fatigue was present in 32 subjects (73%) and was associated with clinical disability (P = 0.000) and sleep quality (P = 0.002). Age, gender, disease duration, MS pattern, excessive daytime sleepiness and the presence of upper motor neuron signs were not associated with the presence of RLS. Fatigue was best explained by clinical disability and poor sleep quality. Awareness of RLS among health care professionals may contribute to improvement in MS management.

Inhibitory effect of the essential oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume leaves on some food-related bacteria

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, Lauraceae, has long been known for having many biological properties. This study aimed to identify the constituents of the essential oil from C. zeylanicum leaves using GC-MS and to assess its inhibitory effect on Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on MIC and MBC determination and kill-time study. Eugenol (73.27%) was the most prevalent compound in the essential oil followed by trans-β-cariophyllene (5.38%), linalool (3.31%), and alcohol cinamic acetate (2.53%). The results showed an interesting antibacterial activity of the oil with MIC ranging from 1.25 to 10 µL.mL-1. MBC values were in the range of 20 - 80 µL.mL-1. A concentration of 10 and 40 µL.mL-1 of the essential oil caused a fast and steady decrease in viable cell count (2 to 5 log cycles) of all assayed strains along 24 hours. A concentration of 40 µL.mL-1 of the oil provided a total elimination of the initial inocula of S. aureus after 2 hours. These results show the possibility of regarding the essential oil from C. zeylanicum leaves as alternative sources of antimicrobial compounds to be applied in food conservation systems.

Processing, physicochemical, and sensory analyses of ostrich meat hamburger

The objective of this study was to assess the potential utilization of ostrich meat trimming in hamburger preparation, as well as its physicochemical and sensory characterization. Using ostrich meat trimmings from the legs and neck, four different formulations were prepared with varied amounts of bacon and textured soybean protein. Physical analysis of yield, shrinkage percentage, and water retention capacity and chemical analysis of proximate composition, cholesterol levels, and calories were performed. The formulations underwent sensory analysis by 52 potential ostrich meat consumers, who evaluated tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and purchase intent. The formulations containing textured soybean protein showed the highest yield, lowest shrinkage percentage, and highest water retention capacity. Lipid content varied from 0.58 to 4.99%; protein from 17.08 to 21.37%; ash from 3.00 to 3.62%; moisture from 73.87 to 76.27%; cholesterol from 22.54 to 32.11 mg.100 g-1; and calorie from 87.22 to 163.42 kcal.100 g-1. All formulations showed low cholesterol and calorie levels, even that containing 10% bacon and 3.5% textured soybean protein, which achieved the best scores and acceptance by the panelists.

Evaluation of the efficacy of commercial sanitizers against adhered and planktonic cells of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.

Antimicrobial activities of two commercial disinfectants, alone or combined with heat, against three Salmonella strains and three Listeria monocytogenes strains were studied. The efficacy of disinfectants against planktonic bacteria and bacteria attached to three food contact industrial surfaces (stainless steel, polytetraflourethylene, and rubber) was investigated. The tests were conducted using the sanitizer (quaternary ammonium compounds, and alquyldiethylenediamineglycine and di-alquyldiamineethylglycine) concentrations recommended by the manufacturers, and concentrations twice and four times higher than those values. The recommended concentrations were not effective to kill bacteria, especially when they were attached to surfaces. Concentrations of disinfectants twice and four times higher than those recommended were needed to fully eliminate planktonic bacteria. These same sanitizer concentrations were not sufficient to remove attached bacteria. To remove them from the surfaces, a treatment with recommended concentrations in combination with heat was needed. Our results indicate that these two pathogenic bacteria could survive common sanitation programs used in the food industry.