Fasceíte necrotizante: relato de dois casos

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare dermatopathy that promotes subcutaneous tissue damage, associated to substantial morbidity and mortality if treatment is not initiated at the beginning of the condition. The objective of the present study is to report the occurrence of two cases of necrotizing fasciitis, one in a miniature female Pinscher and the other one in a female Poodle, both attended at the Veterinary Hospital of FMVZ/Unesp-Botucatu. The animals presented ulcerated, erythematous lesions with secretion and points of necrosis along fascial planes. Bacterial culture was positive for Streptococcus spp. The animals were treated with enrofloxacin, associated to topical cleaning of the lesions with saline solution and triclosan-based soap and rifampicin spray. Both animals presented total remission of lesions after approximately 15 days of treatment. The present report aims to alert veterinary clinicians to the severity of Streptococcus spp infections.

Shared Feed as a Means of Deer-to-Deer Transmission of Mycobacterium bovis

To determine the ability of experimentally inoculated white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to transmit Mycobacterium bovis to naive deer through the sharing of feed, four deer were intratonsillarly inoculated with 4x105 colony-forming units of M. bovis. On a daily basis, feed not consumed by inoculated deer after approximately 8 hr was offered to four naıve deer maintained in a separate pen, where direct contact, aerosol transmission, or transmission through personnel were prevented. After 150 days, naıve deer were euthanized and examined. All naıve deer had lesions consistent with tuberculosis and M. bovis was isolated from various tissues. The most commonly affected tissues were lung, tracheobronchial lymph nodes, and mediastinal lymph nodes. This study demonstrates the potential for indirect transmission of M. bovis through the sharing of feed. Intentional or unintentional feeding of deer by wildlife or agricultural interests in regions where M. bovis infection is endemic should be avoided because both direct and indirect transmission through sharing of feed are enhanced.

Biogeography in the air: fungal diversity over land and oceans

Biogenic aerosols are relevant for the Earth system, climate, and public health on local, regional, and global scales. Up to now, however, little is known about the diversity and biogeography of airborne microorganisms. We present the first DNA-based analysis of airborne fungi on global scales, showing pronounced geographic patterns and boundaries. In particular we find that the ratio of species richness between Basidiomycota and Ascomycota is much higher in continental air than in marine air. This may be an important difference between the 'blue ocean' and 'green ocean' regimes in the formation of clouds and precipitation, for which fungal spores can act as nuclei. Our findings also suggest that air flow patterns and the global atmospheric circulation are important for the understanding of global changes in biodiversity.

Variations in Structure Explain the Viscometric Behavior of AOT Microemulsions at Low Water/AOT Molar Ratios

The viscosity of AOT/water/decane water-in-oil microemulsions exhibits a well-known maximum as a function of water/AOT molar ratio, which is usually attributed to increased attractions among nearly spherical droplets. The maximum can be removed by adding salt or by changing the oil to CCl4. Systematic small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements have been used to monitor the structure of the microemulsion droplets in the composition regime where the maximum appears. On increasing the droplet concentration, the scattering intensity is found to scale with the inverse of the wavevector, a behavior which is consistent with cylindrical structures. The inverse wavevector scaling is not observed when the molar ratio is changed, moving the system away from the value corresponding to the viscosity maximum. It is also not present in the scattering from systems containing enough added salt to essentially eliminate the viscosity maximum. An asymptotic analysis of the SAXS data, complemented by some quantitative modeling, is consistent with cylindrical growth of droplets as their concentration is increased. Such elongated structures are familiar from related AOT systems in which the sodium counterion has been exchanged for a divalent one. However, the results of this study suggest that the formation of non-spherical aggregates at low molar ratios is an intrinsic property of AOT.

Characterization of atmospheric aerosols in the city of So Paulo, Brazil: comparisons between polluted and unpolluted periods

The objective of this study was to determine the size and composition of atmospheric aerosols in the downtown area of the city of So Paulo, Brazil, for a polluted and an unpolluted period. Aerosols were sampled with a portable air sampler (PAS), Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI), and Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer. At the study site, air quality is poor, especially during the winter, high concentrations of pollutants being emitted primarily by the light- and heavy-duty vehicle fleet. We analyzed mass, black carbon (BC), Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sn, Zr, and Pb. During the polluted period, diurnal PM(10) was higher than nocturnal PM(10), whereas the inverse was true during the unpolluted period. The FPM was rich in BC, S, and Pb, whereas CPM was rich in Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Fe. Mass balance was performed by category: ammonium sulfate, sodium chloride, crustal material, BC, and other. The PAS-determined FPM was mainly BC. The MOUDI-determined FPM crustal material explained more mass than did ammonium sulfate and BC during the polluted period, whereas ammonium sulfate had the largest mass during the unpolluted period. Crustal material was the major CPM component, followed by ammonium sulfate and BC. During the unpolluted period, FPM concentrations were lower, whereas those of ammonium sulfate were relatively higher, especially at night, and particle number was inversely proportional to particle size. Aerosol growth was more intense during the polluted period.

Carbon monoxide and related trace gases and aerosols over the Amazon Basin during the wet and dry seasons

We present the results of airborne measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) and aerosol particle number concentration (CN) made during the Balan double dagger o Atmosf,rico Regional de Carbono na Amazonia (BARCA) program. The primary goal of BARCA is to address the question of basin-scale sources and sinks of CO2 and other atmospheric carbon species, a central issue of the Large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere (LBA) program. The experiment consisted of two aircraft campaigns during November-December 2008 (BARCA-A) and May-June 2009 (BARCA-B), which covered the altitude range from the surface up to about 4500 m, and spanned most of the Amazon Basin. Based on meteorological analysis and measurements of the tracer, SF6, we found that airmasses over the Amazon Basin during the late dry season (BARCA-A, November 2008) originated predominantly from the Southern Hemisphere, while during the late wet season (BARCA-B, May 2009) low-level airmasses were dominated by northern-hemispheric inflow and mid-tropospheric airmasses were of mixed origin. In BARCA-A we found strong influence of biomass burning emissions on the composition of the atmosphere over much of the Amazon Basin, with CO enhancements up to 300 ppb and CN concentrations approaching 10 000 cm(-3); the highest values were in the southern part of the Basin at altitudes of 1-3 km. The Delta CN/Delta CO ratios were diagnostic for biomass burning emissions, and were lower in aged than in fresh smoke. Fresh emissions indicated CO/CO2 and CN/CO emission ratios in good agreement with previous work, but our results also highlight the need to consider the residual smoldering combustion that takes place after the active flaming phase of deforestation fires. During the late wet season, in contrast, there was little evidence for a significant presence of biomass smoke. Low CN concentrations (300-500 cm(-3)) prevailed basinwide, and CO mixing ratios were enhanced by only similar to 10 ppb above the mixing line between Northern and Southern Hemisphere air. There was no detectable trend in CO with distance from the coast, but there was a small enhancement of CO in the boundary layer suggesting diffuse biogenic sources from photochemical degradation of biogenic volatile organic compounds or direct biological emission. Simulations of CO distributions during BARCA-A using a range of models yielded general agreement in spatial distribution and confirm the important contribution from biomass burning emissions, but the models evidence some systematic quantitative differences compared to observed CO concentrations. These mismatches appear to be related to problems with the accuracy of the global background fields, the role of vertical transport and biomass smoke injection height, the choice of model resolution, and reliability and temporal resolution of the emissions data base.

CPAP Has No Effect on Clearance, Sputum Properties, or Expectorated Volume in Cystic Fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) is used for airway clearance in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Hypertonic saline (HTS) aerosol increases sputum expectoration volume and may improve respiratory secretion properties. CPAP may also be used to maintain airway patency and mobilize secretions. To evaluate if CPAP would increase the beneficial clearance effect of HTS in subjects with CF, we investigated the effects of CPAP alone and CPAP followed by HTS on sputum physical properties and expectoration volume in CF subjects. METHODS: In this crossover study, 15 CF subjects (mean age 19 y old) were randomized to interventions, 48 hours apart: directed coughs (control), CPAP at 10 cm H2O, HTS 7%, and both CPAP and HTS (CPAP+HTS). Sputum collection was performed at baseline and after interventions. Expectorated volume was determined and in vitro sputum properties were analyzed for contact angle and cough clearability. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between any treatment in arterial blood pressure, heart rate, or pulse oximetry, between the 2 time points. HTS and CPAP+HTS improved cough clearability by 50% (P = .001) and expectorated volume secretion by 530% (P = .001). However, there were no differences between control and CPAP on sputum contact angle, cough clearability, or volume of expectorated secretion. CONCLUSIONS: CPAP alone had no effect on mucus clearance, sputum properties, or expectorated volume, and did not potentiate the effect of HTS alone in CF subjects.

The rapid atmospheric monitoring system of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a facility built to detect air showers produced by cosmic rays above 10(17) eV. During clear nights with a low illuminated moon fraction, the UV fluorescence light produced by air showers is recorded by optical telescopes at the Observatory. To correct the observations for variations in atmospheric conditions, atmospheric monitoring is performed at regular intervals ranging from several minutes (for cloud identification) to several hours (for aerosol conditions) to several days (for vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, and humidity). In 2009, the monitoring program was upgraded to allow for additional targeted measurements of atmospheric conditions shortly after the detection of air showers of special interest, e. g., showers produced by very high-energy cosmic rays or showers with atypical longitudinal profiles. The former events are of particular importance for the determination of the energy scale of the Observatory, and the latter are characteristic of unusual air shower physics or exotic primary particle types. The purpose of targeted (or "rapid") monitoring is to improve the resolution of the atmospheric measurements for such events. In this paper, we report on the implementation of the rapid monitoring program and its current status. The rapid monitoring data have been analyzed and applied to the reconstruction of air showers of high interest, and indicate that the air fluorescence measurements affected by clouds and aerosols are effectively corrected using measurements from the regular atmospheric monitoring program. We find that the rapid monitoring program has potential for supporting dedicated physics analyses beyond the standard event reconstruction.

Use of levoglucosan, potassium, and water-soluble organic carbon to characterize the origins of biomass-burning aerosols

Three chemical species related to biomass burning, levoglucosan, potassium and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), were measured in aerosol samples collected in a rural area on the outskirts of the municipality of Ourinhos (Sao Paulo State, Brazil). This region is representative of the rural interior of the State, where the economy is based on agro-industrial production, and the most important crop is sugar cane. The manual harvesting process requires that the cane be first burned to remove excess foliage, leading to large emissions of particulate materials to the atmosphere. Most of the levoglucosan (68-89%) was present in small particles (<1.5 mu m), and its concentration in total aerosol ranged from 25 to 1186 ng m(-3). The highest values were found at night, when most of the biomass burning occurs. In contrast, WSOC showed no diurnal pattern, with an average concentration of 5.38 +/- 2.97 mu g m(-3) (n = 27). A significant linear correlation between levoglucosan and WSOC (r = 0.54; n = 26; p < 0.0001) confirmed that biomass burning was in fact an important source of WSOC in the study region. A moderate (but significant) linear correlation between levoglucosan and potassium concentrations (r = 0.62; n = 40; p < 0.0001) was indicative of the influence of other sources of potassium in the study region, such as soil resuspension and fertilizers. When only the fine particles (<1.5 pm; typical of biomass burning) were considered, the linear coefficient increased to 0.91 (n = 9). In this case, the average levoglucosan/K+ ratio was 0.24, which may be typical of biomass burning in the study region. This ratio is about 5 times lower than that previously found for Amazon aerosol collected during the day, when flaming combustion prevails. This suggests that the levoglucosan/K+ ratio may be especially helpful for characterization of the type of vegetation burned (such as crops or forest), when biomass-burning is the dominant source of potassium. The relatively high concentrations of WSOC (and inorganic ions) suggest an important influence on the formation of cloud condensation nuclei, which is likely to affect cloud formation and precipitation patterns. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the diurnal cycle of urban aerosols, black carbon and the occurrence of new particle formation events in springtime Sao Paulo, Brazil

Large conurbations are a significant source of the anthropogenic pollution and demographic differences between cities that result in a different pollution burden. The metropolitan area of Sao Paulo (MASP, population 20 million) accounts for one fifth of the Brazilian vehicular fleet. A feature of MASP is the amount of ethanol used by the vehicular fleet, known to exacerbate air quality. The study describes the diurnal behaviour of the submicron aerosol and relies on total particle number concentration, particle number size distribution, light scattering and light absorption measurements. Modelled planetary boundary layer (PBL) depth and air mass movement data were used to aid the interpretation. During morning rush-hour, stagnant air and a shallow PBL height favour the accumulation of aerosol pollution. During clear-sky conditions, there was a wind shift towards the edge of the city indicating a heat island effect with implications on particulate pollution levels at the site. The median total particle number concentration for the submicron aerosol typically varied in the range 1.6 x 10(4)-3.2 x 10(4) cm(-3) frequently exceeding 4 x 10(4) cm-3 during the day. During weekdays, nucleation-mode particles are responsible for most of the particles by numbers. The highest concentrations of total particle number concentrations and black carbon (BC) were observed on Fridays. Median diurnal values for light absorption and light scattering (at 637 nm wavelength) varied in the range 12-33 Mm(-1) and 21-64 Mm(-1), respectively. The former one is equal to 1.8-5.0 mu g m(-3) of BC. The growth of the PBL, from the morning rush-hour until noon, is consistent with the diurnal cycle of BC mass concentrations. Weekday hourly median single-scattering albedo (omega(0)) varied in the range 0.59-0.76. Overall, this suggests a top of atmosphere (TOA) warming effect. However, considering the low surface reflectance of urban areas, for the given range of omega(0), the TOA radiative forcing can be either positive or negative for the sources within the MASP. On the average, weekend omega(0) values were 0.074 higher than during weekdays. During 11% of the days, new particle formation (NPF) events occurred. The analysed events growth rates ranged between 9 and 25 nm h(-1). Sulphuric acid proxy concentrations calculated for the site were less than 5% of the concentration needed to explain the observed growth. Thus, other vapours are likely contributors to the observed growth.

Impact of the Manaus urban plume on trace gas mixing ratios near the surface in the Amazon Basin: Implications for the NO-NO2-O-3 photostationary state and peroxy radical levels

We measured the mixing ratios of NO, NO2, O-3, and volatile organic carbon as well as the aerosol light-scattering coefficient on a boat platform cruising on rivers downwind of the city of Manaus (Amazonas State, Brazil) in July 2001 (Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia-Cooperative LBA Airborne Regional Experiment-2001). The dispersion and impact of the Manaus plume was investigated by a combined analysis of ground-based (boat platform) and airborne trace gas and aerosol measurements as well as by meteorological measurements complemented by dispersion calculations (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model). For the cases with the least anthropogenic influence (including a location in a so far unexplored region similar to 150 km west of Manaus on the Rio Manacapuru), the aerosol scattering coefficient, sigma(s), was below 11 Mm(-1), NOx mixing ratios remained below 0.6 ppb, daytime O-3 mixing ratios were mostly below 20 ppb and maximal isoprene mixing ratios were about 3 ppb in the afternoon. The photostationary state (PSS) was not established for these cases, as indicated by values of the Leighton ratio, Phi, well above unity. Due to the influence of river breeze systems and other thermally driven mesoscale circulations, a change of the synoptic wind direction from east-northeast to south-southeast in the afternoon often caused a substantial increase of ss and trace gas mixing ratios (about threefold for sigma(s), fivefold for NOx, and twofold for O-3), which was associated with the arrival of the Manaus pollution plume at the boat location. The ratio F reached unity within its uncertainty range at NOx mixing ratios of about 3 ppb, indicating "steady-state" conditions in cases when radiation variations, dry deposition, emissions, and reactions mostly involving peroxy radicals (XO2) played a minor role. The median midday/afternoon XO2 mixing ratios estimated using the PSS method range from 90 to 120 parts per trillion (ppt) for the remote cases (sigma(s) < 11 Mm(-1) and NOx < 0.6 ppb), while for the polluted cases our estimates are 15 to 60 ppt. These values are within the range of XO2 estimated by an atmospheric chemistry box model (Chemistry As A Box model Application-Module Efficiently Calculating the Chemistry of the Atmosphere (CAABA/MECCA)-3.0).

Long-term amphetamine treatment exacerbates inflammatory lung reaction while decreases airway hyper-responsiveness after allergic stimulus in rats

Asthma is an allergic lung disease can be modulated by drugs that modify the activity of central nervous system (CNS) such as amphetamine (AMPH). AMPH is a highly abused drug that exerts potent effects on behavior and immunity. In this study we investigated the mechanism involved in the effects of long-term AMPH treatment on the increased magnitude of allergic lung response. We evaluated mast cells degranulation, cytokines release, airways responsiveness and, expression of adhesion molecules. Male Wistar rats were treated with AMPH or vehicle (PBS) for 21 days and sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) one week after the first injection of vehicle or AMPH. Fourteen days after the sensitization, the rats were challenged with an OVA aerosol, and 24 h later their parameters were analyzed. In allergic rats, the treatment with AMPH exacerbated the lung cell recruitment due increased expression of ICAM-1, PECAM-1 and Mac-1 in granulocytes and macrophages recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage. Elevated levels of IL-4, but decreased levels of IL-10 were also found in samples of lung explants after AMPH treatment. Conversely, the ex-vivo tracheal hyper-responsiveness to methacholine (MCh) was reduced by AMPH treatment, whereas the force contraction of tracheal segments due to in vitro antigen challenge remained unaltered. Our findings suggest that lung inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness due to OVA challenge are under the distinct control of AMPH during long-term treatment. Our data strongly indicate that AMPH positively modulates allergic lung inflammation via the increase of ICAM-1, PECAM-1, Mac-1 and IL-4. AMPH also abrogates the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Air pollution and health: bridging the gap from sources to health outcomes: conference summary

Air Pollution and Health: Bridging the Gap from Sources to Health Outcomes, an international specialty conference sponsored by the American Association for Aerosol Research, was held to address key uncertainties in our understanding of adverse health effects related to air pollution and to integrate and disseminate results from recent scientific studies that cut across a range of air pollution-related disciplines. The Conference addressed the science of air pollution and health within a multipollutant framework (herein "multipollutant" refers to gases and particulate matter mass, components, and physical properties), focusing on five key science areas: sources, atmospheric sciences, exposure, dose, and health effects. Eight key policy-relevant science questions integrated across various parts of the five science areas and a ninth question regarding findings that provide policy-relevant insights served as the framework for the meeting. Results synthesized from this Conference provide new evidence, reaffirm past findings, and offer guidance for future research efforts that will continue to incrementally advance the science required for reducing uncertainties in linking sources, air pollutants, human exposure, and health effects. This paper summarizes the Conference findings organized around the science questions. A number of key points emerged from the Conference findings. First, there is a need for greater focus on multipollutant science and management approaches that include more direct studies of the mixture of pollutants from sources with an emphasis on health studies at ambient concentrations. Further, a number of research groups reaffirmed a need for better understanding of biological mechanisms and apparent associations of various health effects with components of particulate matter (PM), such as elemental carbon, certain organic species, ultrafine particles, and certain trace elements such as Ni, V, and Fe(II), as well as some gaseous pollutants. Although much debate continues in this area, generation of reactive oxygen species induced by these and other species present in air pollution and the resulting oxidative stress and inflammation were reiterated as key pathways leading to respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes. The Conference also underscored significant advances in understanding the susceptibility of populations, including the role of genetics and epigenetics and the influence of socioeconomic and other confounding factors and their synergistic interactions with air pollutants. Participants also pointed out that short-and long-term intervention episodes that reduce pollution from sources and improve air quality continue to indicate that when pollution decreases so do reported adverse health effects. In the limited number of cases where specific sources or PM2.5 species were included in investigations, specific species are often associated with the decrease in effects. Other recent advances for improved exposure estimates for epidemiological studies included using new technologies such as microsensors combined with cell phone and integrated into real-time communications, hybrid air quality modeling such as combined receptor-and emission-based models, and surface observations used with remote sensing such as satellite data.

Modulation of Lung Allergic Response by Renal Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury

The Th1/Th2 balance represents an important factor in the pathogenesis of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). In addition, IRI causes a systemic inflammation that can affect other tissues, such as the lungs. To investigate the ability of renal IRI to modulate pulmonary function in a specific model of allergic inflammation, C57Bl/6 mice were immunized with ovalbumin/albumen on days 0 and 7 and challenged with an ovalbumin (OA) aerosol on days 14 and 21. After 24 h of the second antigen challenge, the animals were subjected to 45 minutes of ischemia. After 24 h of reperfusion, the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, blood and lung tissue were collected for analysis. Serum creatinine levels increased in both allergic and non-immunized animals subjected to IRI. However, BAL analysis showed a reduction in the total cells (46%) and neutrophils (58%) compared with control allergic animals not submitted to IRI. In addition, OA challenge induced the phosphorylation of ERK and Akt and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lung homogenates. After renal IRI, the phosphorylation of ERK and expression of COX-2 and iNOS were markedly reduced; however, there was no difference in the phosphorylation of Akt between sham and ischemic OA-challenged animals. Mucus production was also reduced in allergic mice after renal IRI. IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 were markedly down-regulated in immunized/challenged mice subjected to IRI. These results suggest that renal IRI can modulate lung allergic inflammation, probably by altering the Th1/Th2 balance and, at least in part, by changing cellular signal transduction factors. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel

Urban air pollution: a representative survey of PM2.5 mass concentrations in six Brazilian cities

In urban areas of Brazil, vehicle emissions are the principal source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The World Health Organization air quality guidelines state that the annual mean concentration of PM2.5 should be below 10 mu g m(-3). In a collaboration of Brazilian institutions, coordinated by the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine and conducted from June 2007 to August 2008, PM2.5 mass was monitored at sites with high traffic volumes in six Brazilian state capitals. We employed gravimetry to determine PM2.5 mass concentrations, reflectance to quantify black carbon concentrations, X-ray fluorescence to characterize elemental composition, and ion chromatography to determine the composition and concentrations of anions and cations. Mean PM2.5 concentrations and proportions of black carbon (BC) in the cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Recife, and Porto Alegre were 28.1 +/- 13.6 mu g m(-3) (38% BC), 17.2 +/- 11.2 mu g m(-3) (20% BC), 14.7 +/- 7.7 mu g m(-3) (31% BC), 14.4 +/- 9.5 mu g m(-3) (30% BC), 7.3 +/- 3.1 mu g m(-3) (26% BC), and 13.4 +/- 9.9 mu g m(-3) (26% BC), respectively. Sulfur and minerals (Al, Si, Ca, and Fe), derived from fuel combustion and soil resuspension, respectively, were the principal elements of the PM2.5 mass. We discuss the long-term health effects for each metropolitan region in terms of excess mortality risk, which translates to greater health care expenditures. This information could prove useful to decision makers at local environmental agencies.