Molecular typing and antifungal susceptibility of clinical sequential isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans from São Paulo State, Brazil

The antifungal susceptibility profiles and the genetic variability of 83 sequential clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans, including four Cryptococcus gattii isolates, obtained from 38 São Paulo AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis were assessed by electrophoretic karyotyping and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The majority of the Cryptococcus neoformans isolates were highly susceptible to amphotericin B and fluconazole. Twenty percent of the minimum inhibitory concentration values for amphotericin B varied from 0.5 to 1 mu g mL(-1). For fluconazole, 22% occurred in the range 8-16 mu g mL(-1). Sequential isolates from nine patients showed a trend towards lower susceptibility to fluconazole, flucytosine, itraconazole and amphotericin B. The results of molecular typing by electrophoretic karyotyping and RAPD analysis showed the presence of 22 electrophoretic karyotypes (EK) and 15 RAPD profiles that were highly correlated. Our results provided evidence for the occurrence of genetic changes in some strains associated with microevolution during the course of infection. We also observed both microevolution and simultaneous coinfection with two distinct Cryptococcus neoformans strains in one patient. In some patients, we found changed EK- and RAPD patterns in association with increased MIC values.

Genotyping, serotyping and determination of mating-type of Cryptococcus neoformans clinical isolates from São Paulo State, Brazil

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

Marcadores fenotípicos para caracterização de caprinos com diferentes níveis de resistência às endoparasitoses gastrintestinais

The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterize phenotypically goats with different levels of resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes. For a period of 93 days, 60 F2 goats originated from ½ Saanen and ½ Anglo- nubian animals were kept in the same area of pasture. Every seven days, feces and blood were collected for eggs per gram counts of feces (EPG) and cultures of feces and to determinate the number of eosinophils, packed cell volume and total plasma protein, respectively. On the same day, the animals were weighed and submitted to body score condition and FAMACHA method to worm control. Based on the average of EPG, the twelve animals with the highest average (susceptible group) and the twelve animals with the lowest average of EPG (resistant group) were selected, slaughtered and necropsied to recovery, counting andparasites identification. The resistant animals present lower EPG mean (P <0.0001) and 4.7 folder less parasites than susceptible animals. The resistant group presented higher mean packed cell volume (26.48%) and total plasma protein (6.24 g / dl) than susceptible one (24,04% e 5,82g/dl, respectively). The average number of eosinophils was similar in both groups The Haemonchus sp. was the most prevalent in the culture of feces, followed by Trischostrongylus sp. and Oesophagostomum sp.. The counting of nematodes in the abomasum of susceptible group was higher than in resistant one. The species identified were H. contortus in abomasums and T. colubriformis in small intestine. It can be concluded that EPG, packed cell volume and total plasma protein were useful phenotypic markers to identify animals as resistant and susceptible to gastrointestinal nematodes infections

Parâmetros parasitológicos e desempenho produtivo de ovinos naturalmente infectados com nematoides gastrintestinais mantidos em diferentes pastagens tropicais

The control of gastrointestinal nematodes of small ruminants is usually done with anthelmintics. However, due to the emergence of ever-increasing parasite resistance to these drugs, looking up an alternative control parasites. One of this is sought in pasture management, as these are the sources of animals` infection by L3 infective larvae of helminths. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of sheep to natural infections by gastrointestinal nematodes grazing Panicum maximum cv. Massai and cv. Aruana, and Brachiaria brizantha cv. Piatã and cv. Marandu. The work was conducted from May to August-2011 with 48 male sheeps SRD versus Santa Inês breed. The animals were naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, and maintained in four different cultivars of tropical forage grasses, naturally contaminated with eggs and larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes. Each week the animals were phenotypically characterized by parasitological examinations (eggs per gram of feces - EPG, and feces culture), hematological (packed cell volume PCV, and blood eosinophil count) method to evaluate the Famacha© colorof ocular mucosa, and the measures of body condition score and weight. In pastures was made the recovery of infective larvae in order to determine the quantity of L3 present in the pasture. The experimental design was a randomized completed block with two replications and before the entry of animals in the paddocks, they have been wormed. The experiment was ended when the animals reached 32.0 kg liveweight, and then were slaughtered and autopsies performed for the recovery and identify parasites of the abomasum, small intestine and large intestine. Results were subjected to analysis of variance, t test and Tukey`s test. The animals kept on pastures of Marandu grass had lower EPG counts, higher percentage of packed cell volume and higher average weight; those who remained in the Piatã pasture had lower eosinophil counts per microliter of blood. About the Famacha©, the highest prevalence was Famacha 2, and the body condition score ranged between 2 and 3. The results of feces cultures and recovery of larvae on pastures showed the presence of larvae of Trichostrongylus sp., and at the necropsy too. This way, it was concluded that the grass cultivars influences the sheep parasite load; the Famacha, together with EPG and packed cell volume are important indicators for use in controlling gastrointestinal nematode infections. The Trichostrongylus sp. was the most prevalent parasite in sheep during the rainy season

Uso de regulador de crescimento em cultivares de feijão de inverno

A aplicação de reguladores vegetais, com a finalidade de aumentar a produtividade das culturas, tem merecido, nos últimos anos, grande atenção de pesquisadores. No entanto, alguns resultados têm se mostrado contraditórios. em face disto, este estudo teve como objetivo verificar os efeitos da aplicação de regulador vegetal sobre os componentes da produção e a produtividade de grãos de duas cultivares de feijão de inverno, em condições de Cerrado. O experimento foi realizado no outono-inverno de 2007, na Fazenda Experimental da Unesp, Campus de Ilha Solteira, localizada no município de Selvíria (MS). O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualizados, no esquema em faixas, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos constituíram-se da combinação de cinco doses do regulador vegetal (0 L ha-1 0,5 L ha-1 1,0 L ha-1 1,5 L ha-1 e 2,0 L ha-1, que é composto por três hormônios vegetais (cinetina, ácido giberélico e ácido indolbutírico), em duas épocas de aplicação: no estádio vegetativo (V4) e reprodutivo (R5). Características vegetativas como altura das plantas de feijão, altura de inserção da primeira vagem, número de grãos por vagem e massa de 100 grãos não foram afetadas pela aplicação do produto. No entanto, sua aplicação no estádio reprodutivo (R5) aumentou o número de grãos por planta e a produtividade de grãos das cultivares de feijoeiro Carioca Precoce e IAC Apuã. Para este aumento, a melhor dose foi 2 L ha-1do regulador vegetal.

Composição química e nutrientes em sementes das espécies florestais Pente de Macaco, Flor de Paca, Itaúba, Jatobá e Murici Manso

A considerable number of tree species is the flora in some cases, their fruits and seeds turn out to be good sources of nutrientes. The study aimed to verify the chemical composition of nutrientes in seeds of forest species Pente de Macaco, Flor de Paca, Ita ba, Jatoba and Murici Manso. of forest species of Monkey Comb, Flor de Paca, Ita ba, Jatoba and Murici Manso. The experimental design was randomized with five treatments. Analyses were carried out: moisture content, starch content (mg. g (1)), carbohydrates (mg. g (1)), and proteins (albumin, globulin, prolamin, glutelin) (mg. g (1)) and nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S). The results showed that the seeds of Flor de Paca had the highest content of starch and protein of Jatoba is a significant source of carbohydrates and the highest levels of phosphorus, calcium and sulfur. For contents of nitrogen Ita ba showed the highest levels and also obtained satisfactory results for calcium and species Murici Manso had the highest levels of potassium and magnesium.

Efeito da adubação verde e época de semeadura de cultivares de feijão, sob sistema plantio direto, em região de cerrado

Cover crops are used for the purpose of land cover in order to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of cultivated soils and improve the sustainability of grain production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cover crops and the sowing of beans on the characteristics of three cultivars of commom bean in no tillage sistem. The research was develop in Fazenda de Ensino Pesquisa da Faculdade de Engenharia-UNESP-Campus de Ilha Solteira. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks and treatments were arranged in bands in 5x2x3 factorial design with four replications. The treatments consisted of cover crops (millet, jack bean, sunn hemp, velvet bean and fallow), sowing of beans (Perola, IAC Tuna, Carioca Precoce) grown in two years. Were evaluated: the final stand of plants, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and per plant, weight of 100 seeds and seed yield. The cover crops sunn hemp and millet showed higher amount of fresh biomass in both years of cultivation, being recommended for our region. Occurring variations in the productivity of seeds depending on the years of cultivation, but the IAC Tuna was more stable in the variables analyzed.

Efeito do adubo verde e época de semeadura sobre a produtividade do feijão, em plantio direto em região de cerrado

Effect of green manure and sowing date on the productivity of bean no-tillage in the Cerrado region. Green manure and sowing date are two important factors that influence the productivity of cultivars. The objective of this study was to evaluate the production of biomass from different vegetation covers (millet, sorghum and Brachiaria brizantha) and the accumulation of nutrients and their effects on the bean cultivars (Pearl, IAC Tuna and Carioca Precoce) at different sowing dates (6/22 and 7/6). The experiment was conducted at the experimental area of the Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, located in Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, in the 2006/2007 agricultural year. The randomized blocks design was used with four replications, and the evaluations of the coverage were: the biomass of fresh and dry matter and nutrients accumulated in plants; for the beans: cycle, final stand, number of pods/plant, number of seeds per pod, mass of 100 seeds, and productivity. It was observed that millet and sorghum showed higher productivity of fresh and dry mass, and accumulate greater quantity of nutrients in straw; the time most suitable for sowing was in June, and the late sowing of cv. Carioca Precoce did not affect their productivity, the use of Brachiaria brizantha straw in coverage provided better conditions for productivity in the bean no-tillage system.

Influência do molibdênio e do cálcio aplicados via semente nas frações protéicas de amendoim cv.iac 886

Chemical composition of seed displays, in general, the same compounds found in other parts of the plant, and the environment where they grow plants, fertilizer and many other factors are able to change this constitution, increasing or decreasing the amount of certain components. The study aimed to determine the effect of application by seed doses of calcium and molybdenum on protein content of peanut seeds cv.IAC 886. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a factorial design with four replicates per treatment, which are constituted by the combination of molybdenum doses (0, 50, 100 and 150 g ha(-1)) and calcium by seeds (0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg L-1). The peanut harvest was done manually. Seeds were removed from the pod manually and individually for each treatment and were taken to the Laboratorio de Genetica de Populacoes e Silvicultura, do Departamento de Fitotecnia, Tecnologia de Alimentos e Socio-Economia, da Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira da Universidade Estadual Paulista, where we determined the protein (albumin-Alb, prolamin-PRO, glutelin-GLU and globulin-GLO, mg g(-1). Regardless of the doses used the albumin protein fraction showed the highest in the peanut seeds. The addition of molybdenum resulted in increased seed prolamin content in the peanut seeds. The combination of calcium and molybdenum applied to seeds resulted in increased levels of albumin, globulin and glutelin in the peanut seeds.

Gastric mucosal perfusion in dogs: Effects of halogenated anesthetics and of hemorrhage

The gastrointestinal tract is one of the first organs affected by hypoperfusion during hemorrhagic shock. The hemodynamics and oxygen transport variables during hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation can be affected by the anesthetics used. In a model of pressure-guided hemorrhagic shock in dogs, we studied the effects of three halogenated anesthetics - halothane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane - at equipotent concentrations on gastric oxygenation. Thirty dogs were anesthetized with 1.0 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of either halothane, sevoflurane, or isoflurane. A gastric tonometer was placed in the stomach to determine mucosal gastric CO2 (PgCO(2)) and for the calculation of gastric-arterial PCO2 gradient (PCO2 gap). The dogs were splenectomized and hemorrhaged to hold mean arterial pressure at 40-50 mm Hg over 45 min and then resuscitated with the shed blood volume. Hemodynamics, systemic oxygenation, and PCO2 gap were measured at baseline, after 45 min of hemorrhage, and at 15 and 60 min after blood resuscitation. Hemorrhage induced reductions of mean arterial pressure and cardiac index, while systemic oxygen extraction increased (p < .05), without significant differences among groups (p > .05). Halothane group showed significant lower PCO2 gap values than the other groups (p < .05). After 60 min of shed blood replacement, all groups restored hemodynamics, systemic oxygenation, and PCO2 gap to the prehemorrhage levels (p > .05), without significant differences among groups (p > .05). We conclude that halothane is superior to preserve the gastric mucosal perfusion in comparison to isoflurane and sevoflurane, in dogs submitted to pressure-guided hemorrhagic shock at equipotent doses of halogenated anesthetics.

Parâmetros urbanísticos para habitação de interesse social: uma análise crítica para as Rocas em Natal/RN

Through the comparative critical analysis of the demanded urbanistic parameters in the legislation and of the urbanistic index found in the Rocas neighbourhood, having as study object the already consolidated constructions of residential use, intended to demonstrate that the neighbourhood needes specific norms and that the limits established for recognition of Special Areas of Social Interest for the urbanistic legislation of the City of Natal would have to be reviewed and to be brought up to date, once they show occupations like the ones of the reffered neighbourhood. At a first moment, bibliographical revision and elaboration of the theoretical referencial had been made, , to analyze afterwards the urbanistic legislation for the neibourhood of Rocas, that determines relative parameters for the sizes of land lots, coefficients of exploitation, minimum taxes of occupation and retreat. Through a field research in the area, a study on the occupation description was done at first, characterization of the neibourhood through the study of the social-economic aspects, of the existing infrastructure in the place, environmental aspects, morphologic and tipolgic analysis of the neibourhood as a whole. From the grouping of the found characteristics, sub-zones had been delimited, where the real object of study was detached to be analyzed. From the Sub-zoning, a statistic sampling was carried through with the intention to examine which of the urbanistic index is found in the dwellings of that already materialized place. This sampling, of one hundred and eighteen residences, was carried through by measurement of the lots and existing constructions in these places. Through this survey, for each habitacional unit, area of the lot, constructed area, retreats and coefficient of exploitation had been calculated. The comparison between the legislation parameters and the index found in the place reveal an expressive index of urbanistic irregularity and the necessity of special regulation for the Rocas neibourhood due to its specific social-space characteristic

Hematologic, serum biochemistry and urinary values for captive Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) in São Paulo state, Brazil

A importância do estudo dos valores hematológicos, de bioquímica sérica e urinários de Cachorro-do-mato (Cerdocyon thous) baseia-se na necessidade de cuidados e manutenção da sanidade destas populações. Este estudo visou investigar os parâmetros fisiológicos hematológicos, de bioquímica sérica e urinários dos Cachorros-do-mato de cativeiro, comparando as possíveis diferenças sexuais e de faixa etária. Foram colhidas amostras de sangue de 52 animais, pertencentes a diversos Zoológicos do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Foram colhidos cerca de 7mL de sangue, que foram utilizados para se obter os valores hematológicos e o perfil de bioquímica sérica. Também foram colhidos 5mL de urina para realização da urinálise. Não se encontraram diferenças entre os valores obtidos para machos e fêmeas tanto na hematologia, quanto na bioquímica sérica. Alguns parâmetros hematológicos e de bioquímica sérica foram afetados pela idade, mostrando diferenças significativas. Os resultados da urinálise foram demonstrados apenas em forma descritiva. Os principais valores encontrados foram, hemácias 4,35+0,73 x 106 células /µL, leucócitos totais 7,72+3,66 x 103 células /µL (predomínio de neutrófilos segmentados), plaquetas 227,06+111,58 x 103 células /µL, ureia 43,06+14,28mg/dL e creatinina 1,03+0,24mg/dL. Os valores hematológicos, de bioquímica sérica e urinários obtidos neste estudo podem ser utilizados como valores fisiológicos de Cachorros-do-mato de cativeiro. Pode-se concluir que as espécies silvestres necessitam de seus próprios valores de referência com necessidade de se diferenciar animais em cativeiro de animais de vida livre.

A first case of protease codon 35 amino acid insertion in a HIV-1 subtype B sequence detected in the Bauru region, state of São Paulo, Brazil: case report

Inserções de aminoácidos na protease têm sido raramente descritas em pacientes infectados pelo HIV. Uma destas inserções foi, recentemente, descrita no codon 35, embora seu impacto na resistência mantém-se pouco conhecido. Este trabalho apresenta um caso de uma variante viral com inserção no codon 35 da protease, descrita pela primeira vez em Bauru, São Paulo, Brasil, circulante em um homem, caucasiano, com 38 anos, o qual apresenta infecção assintomática pelo HIV desde 1997. A variante isolada mostrou uma inserção no codon 35 da protease de dois aminoácidos: uma treonina e um ácido aspártico, resultando na sequência de aminoácidos E35E_TD.

Paracoccidioidomycosis of external genitalia: report of six new cases and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis of dermatological interest due to the frequency of cutaneous and mucosal lesions. The involvement of the external genitalia is extremely rare and few cases have been reported.OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of external genitalia lesions in paracoccidioidomycosis patients, identify clinical characteristics and compare with what is observed in the specific literature.METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study, with focus on paracoccidioiodomycosis patients with external genitalia lesions. The demographic and clinical aspects of cases were compared with what has been reported so far on LILACS, SciELO e MEDLINE data bases.RESULTS: Data of 483 cases of paracoccidioidomycosis were studied in a 42-year period. Six (1.2%) patients showed specific lesions on external genitalia. Five patients were male with mean age of 47.2 years and all of them presented with the chronic multifocal clinical form. Only one, a 15-year-old female patient was observed who showed a subacute clinical form, juvenile type.CONCLUSIONS: Compromise of the genitourinary tract among paracoccidioidomycosis patients is rare and even rarer when only the external genitalia are considered. As observed in the classical picture of paracoccidioidomycosis patients, the male gender and the chronic multifocal clinical form prevailed in the present study.