Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) isolated in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Weed interference on coffee fruit production during a four-year investigation after planting

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

Stem diameter and height of chrysanthemum cv Yokoono as affected by gibberellic acid

The effect of gibberellic acid has been shown mainly to promote cell division and elongation. This study was aimed to evaluate the development of height and diameter of the stems of chrysanthemum cultivar Yoko ono by the applications of gibberellic acid (GA(3)) in the field. The treatments were composed of four doses (0, 40, 80 and 120 mg L(-1)) at 15 and 30 days after transplanting. From the findings, It can be concluded that GA(3) significantly affected the diameter of stem at higher doses, and was unable to affect the height of stem.

Evaluation of the spouted bed dried leaf extract of Bauhinia forficata for the treatment of experimental diabetes in rats

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

Comparison between S-ketamine and clonidine in caudal analgesia

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

Antimicrobial resistance of isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae in a hospital of the Brazilian public system

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the predominant bacterial agent that affects the human population with pneumonia. This disease is an important cause of death in the elderly and the children under five years old. In this study, 29 strains of invasive S. pneumoniae were isolated from 29 patients of pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis in the laboratory of the Municipal Hospital in Paulinia, Brazil, from May 2006 to October 2007. Patients' age ranged from 8 months old to 60 years old. These strains of S. pneumoniae were isolated from blood, pleural fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients. After typing of encapsulated strains of S. pneumoniae through quellung reaction, their resistance to antimicrobial agents was gauged through Disc Diffusion Technique followed by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Among the 29 strains analyzed, 23 were methicillin-sensitive and six were methicillin-resistant and penicillin intermediate resistant. No strain presented full resistance to penicillin. Serotyping was performed only in two samples, which belonged to serotype 18. Our data may alert ambulatory regarding the incidence of pneumococcal strains resistant to the most common drugs due to inappropriate use of antimicrobials and also collaborate to the elaboration of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines specific to each region.

Use of gibberellin in floriculture

This review aimed to show the use of gibberellin in floriculture. In this context, it should be noted that the benefit of the activity of the gibberellins has brought major advances in the field of physiology. Its use is one of the most important tools for the development of agriculture. Thus, the study concluded that the use of gibberellins has been increasingly used by producers and is also a vast important subject that may help in increasing the production of flowers if the farms are dedicated to this purpose.

Effect of gibberellic acid on the quality of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora L.) cv. Faroe

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the quality of chrysanthemum cultivar Faroe, subjected to different gibberellic acid (GA(3)) concentrations applied to the field. The treatments were composed of four doses of GA(3) (0, 15, 30 and 45 mg L-1) applied at the beginning of the formation of buttom floral (28 days after transplanting of seedlings). According to the results, a single low concentration of GA(3) application did not interfere with the phenotypic characteristics of the chrysanthemum cultivar Faroe.

Temperature effect on dextransucrase production by Leuconostoc mesenteroides FT 045 B isolated from Alcohol and Sugar Mill Plant

Temperature (23 to 31 degrees C) and sucrose concentration ( 3 and 4%) effects on dextransucrase production by Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B 512 ( F) and Leuconostoc mesenteroides FT 045 B were studied. The conditions in all fermentations were: total reaction volume 2 L, 132 rev. min-1, 0.5 vvm and pH 6.0. The optimum temperature for enzyme yield for strain NRRL B 512 ( F) was 23 degrees C, where at 8-h fermentation was possible to achieve 49.3 DSU/mL. When FT 045 B strain was utilized, 3.2 DSU/mL was obtained at temperature 23 to 25 degrees C.

Response surface optimization of D(-)-lactic acid production by Lactobacillus SMI8 using corn steep liquor and yeast autolysate as an alternative nitrogen source

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

Biodegradation of biodiesel/diesel blends by Candida viswanathii

This work is aimed to assess the aerobic biodegradation of biodiesel/diesel blends (0, 2, 5, 20 and 100%, v/v) by Candida viswanathii. The biodegradation potential of the inoculum was assessed with the redox indicator 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP) test and with respirometric experiment in biometer flasks (250 mL) used to measure the microbial CO(2) production. In the latter, the inoculum was added to a contaminated soil with the blends (addition of 50 mL of fuel/Kg of soil from a non-contaminated site). C. viswanathii was able to increase significantly (approximately 50% in terms of CO(2) production) the biodegradation in soil of biodiesel/diesel blends and neat biodiesel since it preferable biodegrades biodiesel. Without inoculum the biodegradation of diesel oil was higher than biodiesel and blends (47.3, 51.1, 5.7 and 22.1% in terms of CO(2) production by B2, B5, B20 and B100, respectively) presumably due to the presence of the antioxidant terc-butyl-hydroquinone (TBHQ) in the biodiesel.

Aerobic biodegradation of butanol and diesel oil blends

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

Influence of nitrogen source and sucrose concentration on inulinase production by Kluyveromyces marxianus in fed-batch fermentation

This work studied the influence of nitrogen source and sucrose concentration in the feeding medium for biomass and inulinase production by Kluyveromyces marxianus var. bulgaricus. The results show that the best nitrogen source was a combination of 5 g/L of yeast extract and 10 g/L of peptone. Both cellular growth and enzymatic activity increased with sucrose concentration in the feeding medium (from 200 to 500 g/L). When the sucrose concentration reached 600 g/L, both cellular growth and enzymatic activity decreased.

Screening of culture condition for xylanase production by filamentous fungi

The objective of this research was to investigate xylanase production by filamentous fungi (Trichoderma viride) to determine the best cultivation conditions in the process, aiming toward optimization of enzyme production. The best temperature, as well as the best carbon source, for biomass production was determined through an automated turbidimetric method (Bioscreen-C). The enzyme activity of this fungus was separately evaluated in two solid substrates (wheat and soybean bran) and in Vogel medium, pure and by adding other carbon sources. Temperature effects, cultivation time, and spore concentrations were also tested. The best temperature and carbon source for enzyme and biomass production was 25 C and sorbitol, respectively. Maximum xylanase activity was achieved when the fungus was cultivated in wheat bran along with sorbitol (1%, w/v), using a spore concentration of 2 x 10(6) spores. mL(-1), pH 5.0, for 144 h cultivation. The study demonstrated not only the importance of the nature of the substrate in obtaining a system resistant to catabolic repression, but also the importance of the culture conditions for biosynthesis of this enzyme. T. viride showed a high potential for xylanase production under the conditions presented in these assays.

Free radical scavenging activity of Pterogyne nitens Tul. (Fabaceae)

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