Avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana de sistemas emulsionados contendo óleos naturais para o tratamento de infecções cutâneas

Natural oils have shown a scientific importance due to its pharmacological activity and renewable character. The copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii) and Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana Shaw) oils are used in folk medicine particularly because the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Emulsion could be eligible systems to improve the palatability and fragrance, enhance the pharmacological activities and reduce the toxicological effects of these oils. The aim of this work was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of emulsions based on copaiba (resin-oil and essential-oil) and bullfrog oils against fungi and bacteria which cause skin diseases. Firstly, the essential oil was extracted from copaiba oil-resin and the oils were characterized by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Secondly, emulsion systems were produced. A microbiological screening test with all products was performed followed (the minimum inhibitory concentration, the bioautography method and the antibiofilm determination). Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata, C. krusei and C. tropicalis American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and clinical samples were used. The emulsions based on copaiba oil-resin and essential oil improved the antimicrobial activity of the pure oils, especially against Staphylococcus e Candida resistant to azoles. The bullfrog oil emulsion and the pure bullfrog oil showed a lower effect on the microorganisms when compared to the copaiba samples. All the emulsions showed a significant antibiofilm activity by inhibiting the cell adhesion. Thus, it may be concluded that emulsions based on copaiba and bullfrog oils are promising candidates to treatment of fungal and bacterial skin infections

Extração, caracterização e atividades biológicas de proteínas da espécie cnidoscolus urens (L.) Arthur

The extraction, chemical and structural characterization of a wide variety of compounds derived from plants has been a major source of bioactive molecules. Several proteases have been isolated in the plant kingdom, with numerous pharmacological and biotechnological applications. Among the proteases isolated from plants, are the fibrinogenolytic, with relevant application in the treatment of disorders in the coagulation cascade, in addition to potential use as a tool in clinical laboratories. In this study, in addition to evaluating the effects of the protein extract of Cnidoscolus urens (L.) Arthur (Euphorbiaceae) in the coagulation cascade also investigates the presence of antimicrobial activity and characterizes the proteolytic activity detected in this extract, aiming to determine their potential pharmacological and biotechnological application. In this way, crude protein extracts obtained from the leaves of C. urens in Tris-HCl 0.05M, NaCl 0.15M, pH 7.5, were precipitated in different concentrations of acetone, and assessed for the presence of proteolytic activity in azocaseína and fibrinogen. The most active fraction (F1.0) in these tests was chosen for assessment of biological activity and biochemical characterization. The Aα chain and Bβ of fibrinogen were completely cleaved at a concentration of 0.18 μg/μL of protein fraction in 4 minutes. Fibrinogenolytic activity presented total inhibition in the presence of E-64 and partial in the presence of EDTA. The fraction demonstrated coagulant activity in plasm and reduced the APTT, demonstrating acting on the factors coagulation of the intrinsic pathway and common, not exerting effects on the PT. Fibrinolytic activity on plasma clot was detected only in SDS-PAGE in high concentrations of fraction, and there were no defibrinating. Although several proteases isolated from plants and venomous animals are classically toxic, the fraction F1.0 of C. urens not expressed hemorrhagic nor hemolytic activities. Fraction F1.0 also showed no antimicrobial activity. In proteolytic activity on the azocasein, the optimal pH was 5.0 and optimum temperature of 60ºC. The enzyme activity has been shown to be sensitive to the presence of salts tested, with inhibition for all compounds. The surfactant triton did not influence the enzyme activity, but the tween-20 and SDS inhibited the activity. In the presence of reducing agents increase in enzyme activity occurred, a typical feature of enzymes belonging to the class of cysteine proteases. Several bands with proteolytic activity were detected in zymogram, in the region of high-molecular-weight, which were inhibited by E-64. In this study, we found that C. urens presents in its constitution cysteine proteases with fibrinogenolytic and procoagulant activity, which may be isolated, with potential application in treatment of bleeding disorders, thrombolytic and clinical laboratory

Hipotireoidismo iatrogênico em eqüino decorrente de excesso de iodo: relato de caso

Relata-se o caso de um eqüino com sinais clínicos clássicos e avaliação hormonal compatível com hipotireoidismo primário, decorrente do uso sistêmico contínuo de iodeto de potássio, na dosagem de 60g/dia. O tratamento consistiu na simples remoção da fonte de iodo, o que reduziu, gradualmente, as manifestações clínicas. Este relato de caso contribui com o estudo do hipotireoidismo iatrogênico em eqüinos adultos e, dessa forma, alerta para os possíveis efeitos colaterais indesejáveis de terapias à base de iodo.

Obtenção de insumo farmacêutico a partir das folhas de Cissampelos sympodialis Eichl e seu efeito sobre mediadores inflamatórios relevantes para a asma

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Physical-chemical analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid of healthy dogs submitted to different storage periods and temperatures

Disfunções envolvendo o sistema nervoso são de grande importância na Medicina Veterinária, pois tratam-se de enfermidades de elevada incidência e com poucos subsídios auxiliares no seu diagnóstico, prognóstico e na avaliação de terapias empregadas. Ainda hoje, o diagnóstico baseia-se, em grande parte, no histórico e no exame clínico neurológico. Dessa forma, a análise dos constituintes do fluido cefalorraquidiano torna-se uma das poucas alternativas de acesso clínico ao sistema nervoso central (SNC). Mesmo com a grande utilidade do exame físico-químico e citoscópico do liquor na neurologia veterinária, poucos são os estudos sobre a estabilidade dos seus constituintes sob estocagem. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho teve como finalidade verificar a influência da temperatura e do tempo de conservação nas características físico-químicas do liquor de cães hígidos. Para tanto, foram coletadas amostras de LCR, através da punção da cisterna cerebelo-medular de cães clinicamente sadios, as quais foram submetidas à análise da densidade específica, do pH, da glicorraquia, das proteínas totais e das atividades das enzimas creatina quinase (CK) e aspartato aminotransferase (AST), após conservá-las em diferentes temperaturas (25°C, 4°C e -4°C) e por diferentes períodos de tempo (logo após a colheita, 24 horas, 48 horas, uma semana e um mês). Dentre os resultados obtidos, foi possível verificar, principalmente, que houve estabilidade dos parâmetros estudados por até um mês de estocagem nas amostras mantidas sob a temperaturas de congelamento de -4°C.

Atuação de técnicos de enfermagem junto ao recém-nascido com dor em uma unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal

The pain is a sensuous and emotional experience unpleasant associated or related to real injury or potencial of the tissues. It is considered an individual and subjective experience generally has been described in the literature about in the neonatal stage a lot. This study has descriptive and exploratory character with a qualitative approach. The study has with objectives to analyze the performance of the nursing technicians working with newborns admitted in the ITUN, seeking to describe the perception of the nursing technicians about the pain, identify the parameters used for the detection and evaluation of pain in them, trying to describe the ons of this team about the pain in the newborns in ITUN. The subjects are nine nursing technicians of the ITU of the Parenting School Januário Cicco in Natal-RN, engaged in direct assistance to newborns in the ITU, on the turn of the morning, which was prepared to participate in the search. The collection of the data was conducted through a structured interview with tree questions; through a non-participatory observation with a structured roadmap and were used to record and pass on call was also as a way of obtaining data. The start of the collection made after the assent of the Ethics Committee / UFRN in November, 2007. The speakings have been transcribed and data read extensively to obtain categories.The analysis of the content made in terms of Bardin. Emerged three main categories of significance: Perceptioning of pain in newborns; Caring for the newborns with pain; Registering the pain in the newborns. A nursing technicians identifies the pain in the newborns, for the most part, so empirical, using signs of behavioral or physiological changes in isolation, giving little emphasis to the environment and to respect that the newborns is inserted. It was found that the attitudes cited by subjects of the search before the newborns with pain, are for the most part non-pharmacological actions such as sucking nutrient not, a proper positioning and measures of comfort, however pharmacological actions have also been reported.These is also the absence of records of nursing records in the report of pain and actions to minimize them and, in records and for the passage of call. With this study we understand the role of the nursing technicians, and seek to contribute to subsidies for the practice of professionals involved in caring for this age group, and also in the search for a humane assistance to the newborns

Repercussões da terapia comunitária no processo de trabalho na estratégia saúde da família: um estudo representacional

The Community Therapy (CT) is in a practice of therapeutic effect and may also be considered as a technology takes care of the therapeutic procedure group, whose purpose is to promote health, prevent illness, developed within primary care in mental health. In this study we sought to understand the social representations of health professionals who work with the Community Therapy, on use of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in the city of Joao Pessoa. This is a field research with a qualitative view Moscovician Theory of Social Representations, held with seven professionals of the FHS, therapists of Community Health District II. The empirical data were obtained by carrying out two thematic therapies in April 2009, which were wheeled CT. It was used as a technique for analyzing the collective subject discourse, and the data presented through graphs, charts, maps, pictures and graphics and arranged in three stages: Subjects of the study, characterizing the study participants; Social Representations of Therapist Community presenting and discussing the social representations of therapists community studied on CT, and Consequences of Community Therapy at the Family Health Strategy, discussing the meanings attributed by the study participants about changes in FHS. Meanings were attributed to the CT by the therapists studied originated from the speeches, songs, drawings and constructed, and that presented by schematic illustration show the relation between the representations: life, listening, faith / light, change, transformation. The web, symbol of CT, appeared on the images constructed by the representatives of the study and represents the formation of bonds that allows the construction of social support networks that strengthen relationships among community. In the study, proved by professionals who have the meanings about the changes in the work process from the introduction of CT, and shown that the change took place within a more welcoming attitude on the part of professionals, the relationship between Team members had no significant changes, explained by the low compliance of team members to the CT in relation to the user front, the bond was strengthened, and this involved strengthening the role of the therapist community. It is recognized, thereby transforming the character of CT in building links with users, requiring, however, that the team is viewed as offering therapeutic services, not the professional therapist. Therefore, the CT for being a new phenomenon in health services and community belonging, it fits like a novelty which affects the construction of a representation dispute. Still, can contribute to the reorganization of mental health care in line with the new model of mental health care advocated by the Psychiatric Reform.

Úlceras de pressão: um estudo com pacientes de unidade de terapia intensiva

To characterize patients according to gender, age category, internment time, diagnostical hypothesis and location of the pressure ulcer; to identify the susceptibility conditions, intrinsical and extrinsical factors present on ICU patients and to verify on the existence of association between the susceptibility conditions and the intrinsecal and extrinsecal factors on the occurrence of PU. Methods: It is a descriptive study, of longitudinal design of the panel type, with quantitative approach, performed on two ICU s of a private hospital located in Natal/RN, with 40 patients interned at these units. The data collection was performed on all three shifts through a structured observation and physical exam of the patients' skin form seeking to identify the presence of PU. Results: The greatest occurence of PU was on individuals of the male gender (70%) when compared to the female gender (30%), that difference being statistically significant (p=0,0267), with the male gender presenting 4,3 times greater chance of developing PU than the female; the predominant age category was from 60 years of age on (85%), 60,0% presented 1 to 2 PU s after 7 (seven) days of permanence in the ICU s, the predominant diagnostical hypothesis on the patients with PU were the respiratory diseases (42,3%) and the most frequent locations of PU were the sacral region (40,0%) and heels (36,0%). 25 PU s of stage I were diagnosed on 50,0% of the followed patients, with general incidence of 50,0% on both ICUs. from the 88 variables researched, 75 were identified on the patients from the study, being the predominant conditions (anemia, hypotension, leukocytosis, other diseases hypertension blood pressure, cardiac insuffience, pneumonia - and ansiolythic), the intrinsecal factors (diminished muscular strenght and/or mass, discrete edema, totally compromised mobile coordination and total inability for movement on the bed) and the extrinsecal factors (inadequate mattress type, permanence on a single position for >2 hours, shearing/friction force, bed clothes with folds that leave marks on the body, pressure force) predominated on patients with PU. The male gender variables (p=0,0267,OR=4,3), sedation (p=0,0006,OR=4,1), psychomotive agitation (p=0,0375,OR=5,8) and leukocytosis (p=0,0285,OR=5,0) presented a significant statistical diference when analyzed independently. We verified an association of 17,3%, statistically significant (p=0,0384), between the susceptibility conditions (anemia, leukocytosis and hypotension), the intrinsecal factors (age equal or above 60 years, diminished/absent pain sensibility and smooth, fine or delicate skin) and the extrinsecal factors (inadequate mattress, pressure forces, shearing/friction force, permanence on a single position for more than 2 hours, elevation between 30 to 45 degrees and inadequate bed clothes' conditions), with a chance ratio of 4,6 times the risk of occurrence of PU on the patients that presented the referred association. Conclusion: The incidence of PU detected on the ICU-interned patients was high and we made evident the existence of association between the susceptibility conditions, the intrinsecal and extrinsecal factors on the occurrence of PU s on the ICUinterned patients, and thus we accept the alternative hypothesis proposed on the study

Razão e Fé: estudo do grupo de oração como prática complementar na promoção à saúde

The World Health Organization (WHO) has given special attention to therapeutic procedures other than those practiced in conventional therapy, including homeopathy, phytotherapy, spiritual therapies and prayers, making possible the transition from a mere medicalizating model to a holistic view of the human being. This trend, earmarked in 1978 at the Alma-Ata Conference, questions the ability of technological and specialized medicine to solve the health problems of humankind. In Brazil, the onset of the Brazilian unified health system in 1988, introduced changes in the population s health care model where, within the scope of basic care, emphasis has been given to the Family Health Program since 1994. In this scenery, there is a broad area of complementary practices used in promoting health and preventing and treating diseases to support an understanding of the habits and beliefs underpinning popular practices. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perception users participating in the Peace and Balance group of the Family Health Unit of Nova Cidade, in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, started in 1999, have of the relationship between the experience of prayer and the changes that may have taken place in their lives after joining the group. It is a case study of descriptive nature and qualitative approach. The data were collected during focus group interviews between January and February 2007, using as tools a questionnaire to describe the research participants and a discussion outline. The theoretical support approached the following: religion and the evolution of thought; complementary health practices; and religion as a complementary health practice. Those interviewed reported, as results of such experience, a reduction in stress and depression, an increase in socialization and self-esteem, improved family interaction, comfort, safety, assurance, improved blood pressure levels and a decrease in the use of antihypertension medication and psychopharmacs. Although most professionals do not consider attention to the religious and spiritual aspects an effective therapeutical complement in health care, its understanding and practice may democratize knowledge and relationships, out of which they can learn how to make health production more effective, strengthening assurance and confidence, and developing and expanding soft technologies aimed at health care promotion and wholeness

O Brasil no contexto de controle de qualidade de plantas medicinais

Atualmente, as plantas medicinais movem altos valores financeiros em todo o mundo e representam o tipo de tratamento mais acessível para cerca de 80% da população, principalmente entre os países em desenvolvimento. Entretanto, existe ainda uma falta de conhecimento sobre propriedades químicas, farmacológicas e toxicológicas a fim de assegurar a eficácia e segurança das plantas medicinais. Os critérios de eficácia e segurança de plantas medicinais estão relacionados a qualidade, isto é, as plantas necessitam ser corretamente identificadas, cultivadas e coletadas, devem estar livres de material estranho, partes de outras plantas e contaminações inorgânicas e/ou microbianas. O objetivo deste estudo foi o de elucidar os diferentes processos e padronizações sobre o controle de drogas vegetais, principalmente no Brasil.

Associação entre polimorfismos em enzimas de reparo de DNA e ocorrência de meningite bacteriana.

Despite advances in vaccine development and therapy, bacterial meningitis (BM) remains a major cause of death and long-term neurological disabilities. As part of the host inflammatory response to the invading pathogen, factors such as reactive oxygen species are generated, which may damage DNA and trigger the overactivation of DNA repair mechanisms. It is conceivable that the individual susceptibility and outcome of BM may be in part determined by non synonymous polymorphisms that may alter the function of crucial BER DNA repair enzymes as PARP-1, OGG-1 and APE-1. These enzymes, in addition to their important DNA repair function, also perform role of inflammatory regulators. In this work was investigated the non synonymous SNPs APE-1 Asn148Glu, OGG-1 Ser326Cys,PARP-1 Val762Ala, PARP-1 Pro882Leu and PARP-1 Cys908Tyr in patients with bacterial meningitis (BM), chronic meningitis (CM), aseptic meningitis (AM) and not infected (controls). As results we found increased frequency of variant alleles of PARP-1 Val762Ala (P = 0.005) and APE-1 Asn148Glu (P=0.018) in BM patients, APE-1 Asn148Glu in AM patients (P = 0.012) and decrease in the frequency of the variant allele OGG-1 Ser326Cys in patients with CM (P = 0.013), regarding the allelic frequencies in the controls. A major incidence of individuals heterozygous and/ or polymorphic homozygous in BM for PARP-1 Val762Ala (P= 0.0399, OD 4.2, 95% IC 1.213 -14.545) and PARP-1 Val762Ala/ APE-1 Asn148Glu (P = 0.0238, OD 11.111, 95% IC 1.274 - 96.914) was observed related to what was expected in a not infected population. It was also observed a major incidence of combined SNPs in the BM patients compared with the control group (P=0.0281), giving evidences that SNPs can cause some susceptibility to the disease. This combined effect of SNPs seems to regulate the principal cytokines and other factors related to BM inflammatory response and point the importance of DNA repair not only to repair activity when DNA is damaged, but to others essential functions to human organism balance.

Interferindo com oscilações de alta frequência no hipocampo epiléptico: consequências para as crises espontâneas

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

Encoding mechanisms based on fast oscillations in the retina of the cat and their dependencies on anesthesia

Processing in the visual system starts in the retina. Its complex network of cells with different properties enables for parallel encoding and transmission of visual information to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and to the cortex. In the retina, it has been shown that responses are often accompanied by fast synchronous oscillations (30 - 90 Hz) in a stimulus-dependent manner. Studies in the frog, rabbit, cat and monkey, have shown strong oscillatory responses to large stimuli which probably encode global stimulus properties, such as size and continuity (Neuenschwander and Singer, 1996; Ishikane et al., 2005). Moreover, simultaneous recordings from different levels in the visual system have demonstrated that the oscillatory patterning of retinal ganglion cell responses are transmitted to the cortex via the LGN (Castelo-Branco et al., 1998). Overall these results suggest that feedforward synchronous oscillations contribute to visual encoding. In the present study on the LGN of the anesthetized cat, we further investigate the role of retinal oscillations in visual processing by applying complex stimuli, such as natural visual scenes, light spots of varying size and contrast, and flickering checkerboards. This is a necessary step for understanding encoding mechanisms in more naturalistic conditions, as currently most data on retinal oscillations have been limited to simple, flashed and stationary stimuli. Correlation analysis of spiking responses confirmed previous results showing that oscillatory responses in the retina (observed here from the LGN responses) largely depend on the size and stationarity of the stimulus. For natural scenes (gray-level and binary movies) oscillations appeared only for brief moments probably when receptive fields were dominated by large continuous, flat-contrast surfaces. Moreover, oscillatory responses to a circle stimulus could be broken with an annular mask indicating that synchronization arises from relatively local interactions among populations of activated cells in the retina. A surprising finding in this study was that retinal oscillations are highly dependent on halothane anesthesia levels. In the absence of halothane, oscillatory activity vanished independent of the characteristics of the stimuli. The same results were obtained for isoflurane, which has similar pharmacological properties. These new and unexpected findings question whether feedfoward oscillations in the early visual system are simply due to an imbalance between excitation and inhibition in the retinal networks generated by the halogenated anesthetics. Further studies in awake behaving animals are necessary to extend these conclusions

Avaliação da estimulação da medula espinhal como modelo de tratamento da doença de parkinson no primata Callithrix jacchus

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Avaliação dos efeitos do biperideno, diazepam e neuropeptídeos S sobre a memória e a ansiedade na tarefa do labirinto em T elevado em camundongos

Anxiety is an emotional phenomenon, and normally it is interpreted as an adaptative behavior front to adversities. In its pathological form, anxiety can severely affect aspects related to the personal and professional life. Studies have shown a close relationship between anxiety disorders and aversive memory processing. Considering that the pharmacotherapy of anxiety disorders is still limited, innovative anxiolytic agents are needed. In this regard, neuropeptides systems are interesting therapeutic targets to the treatment of psychopathologies. Neuropeptide S (NPS), a 20-aminoacid peptide, is the endogenous ligand of a G-protein coupled receptor (NPSR), which has been reported to evoke hyperlocomotion, awakefull states, besides anxiolysis and memory improvements in rodents. This study aimed to investigate the effects of biperiden (BPR; an amnesic drug), diazepam (DZP; an anxiolytic drug) and NPS at three distinct times: pre-training, post-training, and pre-test, in order to assess anxiety and memory process in the same animal model. The elevated Tmaze (ETM) is an apparatus derived from the elevated plus-maze test, which consists of one enclosed and two open arms. The procedure is based on the avoidance of open spaces learned during training session, in which mice were exposed to the enclosed arm as many times as needed to stay 300 s. In the test session, memory is assessed by re-exposing the mouse to the enclosed arm and the latency to enter an open arm was recorded. When injected pre-training, BPR (1 mg/kg) impaired learning and memory processing; DZP (1 and 2 mg/kg) evoked anxiolysis, but only at the dose of 2 mg/kg impaired memory; and NPS 0.1 nmol induced anxiolysis without affecting memory. Post-training injection of DZP (2 mg/kg) or BPR (1 and 3 mg/kg) did not affect memory consolidation, while the post-trainning administration of NPS 1 nmol, but not 0.1 nmol, improved memory in mice. Indeed, pre-trainning administration of NPS 1 nmol did not prevent memory impairment elicited by BPR (2 mg/kg, injected before training). In the open field test, BPR 1 mg/kg and NPS 1 nmol induced hyperlocomotion in mice. In conclusion, the proposed ETM task is practical for the detection of the anxiolytic and amnesic effects of drugs. The anxiolytic and memory enhancement effects of NPS were detected in the ETM task, and reinforce the role of NPS system as an interesting therapeutic target to the treatment of anxiety disorders