Formação de biofilmes e resistência a antifúngico e biocidas em Candida parapsilosis e C. orthopsilosis isoladas de águas usadas para hemodiálise

Pós-graduação em Biociências e Biotecnologia Aplicadas à Farmácia - FCFAR

Efeito dos óleos essenciais de Syzygium aromaticum e Cinnamomum zeylanicume e seus compostos majoritários na produçao de biofilme em cepas de Staphylococcus aureus, isolados de leite de vacas com mastite subclínica

Pós-graduação em Biologia Geral e Aplicada - IBB

Investigação das atividades alelopática, fitotóxica e antioxidante de extratos e frações de Tridax procumbens L. (Asteraceae). e Ouratea spectabilis (mart. ex engl.) engl. (Ochnaceae)

Pós-graduação em Biociências - FCLAS

Defibrotide Interferes With Several Steps of the Coagulation-Inflammation Cycle and Exhibits Therapeutic Potential to Treat Severe Malaria

Objective-The coagulation-inflammation cycle has been implicated as a critical component in malaria pathogenesis. Defibrotide (DF), a mixture of DNA aptamers, displays anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and endothelial cell (EC)-protective activities and has been successfully used to treat comatose children with veno-occlusive disease. DF was investigated here as a drug to treat cerebral malaria. Methods and Results-DF blocks tissue factor expression by ECs incubated with parasitized red blood cells and attenuates prothrombinase activity, platelet aggregation, and complement activation. In contrast, it does not affect nitric oxide bioavailability. We also demonstrated that Plasmodium falciparum glycosylphosphatidylinositol (Pf-GPI) induces tissue factor expression in ECs and cytokine production by dendritic cells. Notably, dendritic cells, known to modulate coagulation and inflammation systemically, were identified as a novel target for DF. Accordingly, DF inhibits Toll-like receptor ligand-dependent dendritic cells activation by a mechanism that is blocked by adenosine receptor antagonist (8-p-sulfophenyltheophylline) but not reproduced by synthetic poly-A, -C, -T, and -G. These results imply that aptameric sequences and adenosine receptor mediate dendritic cells responses to the drug. DF also prevents rosetting formation, red blood cells invasion by P. falciparum and abolishes oocysts development in Anopheles gambiae. In a murine model of cerebral malaria, DF affected parasitemia, decreased IFN-gamma levels, and ameliorated clinical score (day 5) with a trend for increased survival. Conclusion-Therapeutic use of DF in malaria is proposed. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2012; 32:786-798.)

Prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of nitazoxanide against Cryptosporidium parvum in experimentally challenged neonatal calves

Diarrhoea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum is a major problem in calves younger than 4 weeks of age. To date only a few compounds have been approved for prophylactic and none for therapeutic use. Nitazoxanide (NTZ) has proven its efficacy in vitro against C. parvum and is approved by FDA for the treatment of human cryptosporidiosis. In a first experimental study, 3 uninfected calves were treated with NTZ and pharmacokinetics was followed through blood samples. Serum samples of uninfected treated calves contained both NTZ metabolites (tizoxanide and tizoxanide glucuronide) and oral administration at 12 h intervals was considered as optimal. Three groups of three calves (1-3 days old) were then each inoculated with 1x10(7) oocysts of C. parvum (cattle genotype): the prophylactic group received 15 mg/kg body weight NTZ twice daily orally in milk from 1 day before to 8 days postinoculation (dpi). The therapeutic group received the same dosage of NTZ for 10 days from the appearance of diarrhoea (between 1 and 5 dpi). The control group was left untreated. All calves were monitored daily from day -1 to 28 dpi and faecal samples were collected for evaluation of consistency and for determination of oocyst numbers per gram (OPG) of faeces. Diarrhoea was observed in all calves within the first week. Neither prophylactic nor therapeutic use of NTZ improved the clinical appearance and calves of the therapeutic showed a longer diarrheic episode (p<0.05) with strong altered faecal consistency compared to the untreated control group. The number of days with oocyst excretion did not differ significantly between the groups. In 5 out of 6 infected and treated calves oocyst excretion stopped only after discontinuation of treatment. In the prophylactic and in the control group mean values of the sum of the daily OPG per calf (8.5x10(6) and 8.0x10(6), respectively) and of the mean daily number of OPG (0.3x10(6) and 0.3x10(6), respectively) were similar, while the therapeutic group showed significantly lower values (1.9x10(6) and 0.06x10(6), respectively, p<0.05). However oocyst determinations in this group may have been altered by the severe diarrhoea, diluting oocyst densities in the analysed faecal samples. In conclusion, these preliminary results about the first prophylactic and therapeutic use of NTZ in calves did not show the expected positive effect on the course of the Cryptosporidium-infection, neither on reducing the clinical severity, nor on oocyst excretion.

Implications of faecal indicator bacteria for the microbiological assessment of roof harvested rainwater quality in Southeast Queensland, Australia

The study aimed to evaluate the suitability of Escherichia coli, enterococci and C. perfringens to assess the microbiological quality of roof harvested rainwater, and to assess whether the concentrations of these faecal indicators can be used to predict the presence or absence of specific zoonotic bacterial or protozoan pathogens. From a total of 100 samples tested, respectively 58%, 83% and 46% of samples were found to be positive for E. coli, enterococci and C. perfringens spores, as determined by traditional culture based methods. Additionally, in the samples tested, 7%, 19%, 1%, 8%, 17%, and 15% were PCR positive for A. hydrophila lip, C. coli ceuE, C. jejuni mapA, L. pneumophila mip, Salmonella invA, and G. lamblia β-giardin genes. However, none of the samples was positive for E. coli O157 LPS, VT1, VT2 and C. parvum COWP genes. The presence or absence of these potential pathogens did not correlate with any of the faecal indicator bacterial concentrations as determined by a binary logistic regression model. The roof-harvested rainwater samples tested in this study appear to be of poor microbiological quality and no significant correlation was found between the concentration of faecal indicators and pathogenic microorganisms. The use of faecal indicator bacteria raises questions regarding their reliability in assessing the microbiological quality of water and particularly their poor correlation with pathogenic microorganisms. The presence of one or more zoonotic pathogens suggests that the microbiological analysis of water should be performed, and appropriate treatment measures should be undertaken especially in tanks where the water is used for drinking.

The efficacy of Aloe vera, tea tree oil and saliva as first aid treatment for partial thickness burn injuries

Many alternative therapies are used as first aid treatment for burns, despite limited evidence supporting their use. In this study, Aloe vera, saliva and a tea tree oil impregnated dressing (Burnaid) were applied as first aid to a porcine deep dermal contact burn, compared to a control of nothing. After burn creation, the treatments were applied for 20 min and the wounds observed at weekly dressing changes for 6 weeks. Results showed that the alternative treatments did significantly decrease subdermal temperature within the skin during the treatment period. However, they did not decrease the microflora or improve re-epithelialisation, scar strength, scar depth or cosmetic appearance of the scar and cannot be recommended for the first aid treatment of partial thickness burns.

A retrospective cohort study of Acticoat™ versus Silvazine™ in a paediatric population

We wished to determine whether changing our centre's practice of using Acticoat instead of Silvazine as our first-line burns dressing provided a better standard of care in terms of efficacy, cost and ease of use. A retrospective cohort study was performed examining 328 Silvazine treated patients from January 2000 to June 2001 and 241 Acticoat treated patients from July 2002 to July 2003. During those periods the respective dressings were used exclusively. There was no significant difference in age, %BSA and mechanism of burn between the groups. In the Silvazine group, 25.6% of children required grafting compared to 15.4% in the Acticoat group (p=0.001). When patients requiring grafting were excluded, the time taken for re-epithelialisation in the Acticoat group (14.9 days) was significantly less than that for the Silvazine group (18.3 days), p=0.047. There were more wounds requiring long term scar management in the Silvazine group (32.6%) compared to the Acticoat group (29.5%), however this was not significant. There was only one positive blood culture in each group, indicating that both Silvazine and Acticoat are potent antimicrobial agents. The use of Acticoat as our primary burns dressing has dramatically changed our clinical practice. Inpatients are now only 18% of the total admissions, with the vast majority of patients treated on an outpatient basis. In terms of cost, Acticoat was demonstrated to be less expensive over the treatment period than Silvazine . We have concluded that Acticoat is a safe, cost-effective, efficacious dressing that reduces the time for re-epithelialisation and the requirement for grafting and long term scar management, compared to Silvazine.

A review of first aid treatments for burn injuries

Throughout history there have been many different and sometimes bizarre treatments prescribed for burns. Unfortunately many of these treatments still persist today, although they often do not have sufficient evidence to support their use. This paper reviews common first aid and pre-hospital treatments for burns (water--cold or warm, ice, oils, powders and natural plant therapies), possible mechanisms whereby they might work and the literature which supports their use. From the published work to date, the current recommendations for the first aid treatment of burn injuries should be to use cold running tap water (between 2 and 15 degrees C) on the burn, not ice or alternative plant therapies.