Hydroxymethylnitrofurazone:Dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex: A Physical-Chemistry Characterization

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

Parasitoses em lactentes de 0-12 meses atendidos na Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu - São Paulo

Infestation by protozoa and/or helminths is considered to be extremely rare in infants. We therefore reviewed the records of all infants up to 12 mth of age attending the Paediatric Department from January 1973 to June 1977, in order to assess the frequency of stool examinations for parasites within this age group, the percentage of positive results in these examinations, and some personal characteristics which propitiated parasitic infestation. Some characteristics of the investigated infants were compared to those of a representative sample of the total number of infants attending during the same period. Stool examinations were realized in 11.8% of the 1,162 attending patients and of those, 15.3% were positive. The proportion of positive cases became 24.0% when the infants in whom there was a history of parasites being passed were included. Ascaris lumbricoides and Giardia lamblia were the parasites most frequently found, respectively in 42.8% and 37.1% of the positive cases. The only detected difference between the control group and the group of infants who had parasitologic examinations was the presence of diarrhea, significantly more frequent in the investigated group. The proportion of positive cases was significantly greater in girls, in infants older than 6 mth and when diarrhea was present for up to 15 days, than in boys, in infants up to 6 mth of age and in chronic diarrhea, respectively. Our results show that parasites were investigated in only a small percentage of infants under 1 yr of age, but that in this age group already, parasitic infestation does occur with a certain frequency. As investigated cases were selected, mainly due to the presence of diarrhea, the real prevalence of parasitism in infants under 1 yr of age was impossible to evaluate.

Control of parasitic infections among school children in the peri-urban area of Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil

The prevalence of intestinal parasitosis was investigated in a primary school located in Rubiao Junior, a peri-urban district of Botucatu, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, in order to assess the effect of treatment and practical measures of prophylaxis in the control of parasitic infections among 7-to-18-year-old school children of a low socio-economic status. The first series of parasitological examinations included 219 school children, of which 123 (56.1%) were found to be infected with one or more parasite species. Eighty-four children carrying pathogenic parasites were submitted to various anti-parasitic treatment schedules. We re-evaluated 75 (89%) students after 4 to 6 months postchemotherapy. The results indicate that the combination of treatment with prophylactic measures has been successful in the control of parasitic infections, since reinfection rates were generally low (≤5.3%), except for Giardia lamblia infections (18.6%), and a marked reduction on the prevalence rates was observed with a significant percentage of cure (≤73.1%) in children infected with most parasite species. The reasons for the apparent failure in the control of infections caused by Hymenolepsis nana and Strongyloides stercoralis are discussed.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) for the detection of antibodies against babesia boris in cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Implicações da agregação espacial de parasitas para a dinâmica populacional na interação hospedeiro-parasita

Some aspects of the widely observed over-dispersed pattern of the distribution of parasites within the host population are examined. It has been established in the parasitological literature that most hosts usually harbour few parasites, while only few hosts harbour a large proportion of the parasite population. Factors that may influence the pattern of distribution of parasites, the relation between the level of parasite aggregation and the prevalence of infection, and changes in this level of aggregation as a function of host age are analysed. Factors which determine the diversity of species in parasite communities are presented, and aspects of exploitative and interference competition among parasites and their relations with biological control procedures are also considered. Attention is also focused on the regulatory and destabilizing processes influencing the dynamic behaviour of host-parasite population interactions.

Um transtorno delirante somático atípico

This paper describes the case of a 38 year-old single man with a previous history of social phobia and alcoholism, who presented an unusual pathological belief during the last 9 years. He believe that the muscles of his arms were loose, separated from the bones, and that a green fluid flowed from his shoulders, running under the skin towards his fingers, and returning to the shoulders. He also reported pain, weakness and sensations of loose and fluffy muscles, besides having visual and kinesthetic hallucinations and judgement impairment. No other psychopathological manifestations were observed. There was a worsening of the complaints and depressive symptoms with the use of pimozide and no improvement with fluoxetine, venlafaxine or risperidone. He is presently taking sulpiride. Psychopathological issues and difficulties in diagnosis and treatment are discussed.

Prevalência, sazonalidade e intensidade de infecção por Diplostomum (Austrodiplostomum) compactum Lutz, 1928 (Digenea, Diplostomidae), em peixes do reservatório de Volta Grande, Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil

The present study was conducted in the Aquaculture Station of Hydroeletric Power Station situated in Volta Grande Reservoir, MG, Brazil. Seventy freshwater corvinas, Plagiscion squamosissimus, and 66 tucunarés, Cichla ocellaris were captured bimonthly from April 2000 through April 2001 with net and hook. The helmints were identified as Diplostomun (A.) compactmn which showed the highest prevalence in the corvina's eyes in April 2000 (70%), February 2001 (80%) and April 2001 (60%), while in tucunaré occurred in April 2000 (33.3%), August 2000 (18.2%) and October 2000 (18.2%). Nevertheless, increase in the mean intensity of parasites was related in April (6.6), June (6.0), August (18.5) 2000 and February (5.7), April (4.8) 2001 for corvina and in August (16.0) and October (7.0) 2000 for tucunaré. Corvina's females showed infection during all period, while males did not show the same prevalence in June 2000 and April 2001. On the other hand, tucunare's males were infected in all months while females in August and October 2000. The highest prevalence in corvina was observed in the months which presented elevated water temperature (April, October, December 2000 and April 2001). The number of parasites collected in corvina on February 2000 was higher than the one observed in August 2000. The same was not observed for tucunaré. This work demonstrate corvina's high susceptibility to metacercariae of Diplostomum.

Metacercárias de Diplostomum (Austrodiplostomum) compactum Lutz, 1928 (Digenea, Diplostomidae) em peixes do rio Paraná, Brasil. Prevalência, sazonalidade e intensidade de infecção

This paper aims at evaluating the occurrence of Diplostommn (Anstrodiplostomum compactum (Digenea: Diplostomatidae) in the eyeball of Plagioscion sqnamosissimus (corvina) and Cichla ocellaris (tucunaré), monthly captured in Paraná river, Presidente Epitácio, state of São Paulo, Brazil. From 61 corvinas under analysis, 56 of them contained parasites (92%) with intensity rate of 42.0 host parasites. From an amount of 81 tucunarés, 45 contained parasites (55%) with intensity rate of 9.3 parasites. Corvinas showed prevalence from 71 to 100% with the highest intensity rates (103.3 and 106.9) from February to March, 2001. Comparatively, the tucunaré showed the highest prevalence from November 2000 (90%) to February 2001 (80%). The tucunaré highest intensity rates occurred on September, 2000 (12.7), December, 2000 (12.2) and February, 2001 (16.1). Metacercariae showed a hollow womb body and a posterior region of a sinuous conic protuberance, an oral sucker smaller than the acetabulae, a simple acetabulae located in the pre-equatorial region of helminto. A short pre-pharynx followed by a muscular pharynx, genital pore next to acetubulae. Corvina metacercariae presents 1.434,0 μm (880 to 1.840) long by 611.2 ± 93.4 μm (400 to 792) wide. Tucunaré metacercariae, 1.462.4 μm (960 to 2.480) by 710.8 μm (560 to 960). Authors confirmed corvina great susceptibility to Diplomastum and the relationship between the parasitism and the aquatic and climatic parameters.

Diagnóstico diferencial da fobia social: Uma revisâo

Social phobia is a common mental disorder that can cause considerable distress and impairment in functioning and quality of life but it is still an underdiagnosed and undertreated disorder. The differential diagnosis is not always simple. because its clinical features overlap with many other mental and non-mental disorders characterized by social avoidance. The aim of this study was to review the literature and discuss the differential diagnosis of social phobia with the following conditions. normal social anxiety (shyness), depressive disorders, alcoholism, body dysmorphic disorder, panic disorder and agoraphobia, simple phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, delusional disorders and avoidant and schizoid personality disorders. A Medline and Lilacs search was conducted between 1990 and 2002, using the key words social phobia, social anxiety disorder, diagnosis and defferential diagnosis. The accurate diagnosis is very important for the appropriate treatment approach.

Voltammetric behavior of nitrofurazone and its hydroxymethyl prodrug with potential anti-chagas activity

Chagas' disease is a serious health problem for Latin America. The situation is worsened by the lack of efficient chemotherapy. The two available commercial drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are more effective in the acute phase of the disease. Nitrofurazone is active against Trypanosoma cruzi, however its high toxicity precludes its current use in parasitosis. Hydroxymethylnitrofurazone is a prodrug of nitrofurazone. It is more active against Trypanosoma cruzi than nitrofurazone, besides being less toxic. This work shows the voltammetric behavior of nitrofurazone and a comparison with those of metronidazole and chloramphenicol using cyclic, linear sweep and differential pulse voltammetries. For these drugs also the prediction of the diffusion coefficients using Wilke-Chang equation was performed. The reduction of nitrofurazone is pH-dependent and in acidic medium the hydroxylamine derivative, involving four electrons, is the principal product formed. In aqueous-alkaline medium and with a glassy carbon electrode pre-treatment the reduction of nitrofurazone occurs in two steps, the first involving one electron to form the nitro-radical anion and the second corresponding to the hydroxylamine derivative formation. Hydroxymethylnitrofurazone presented the same voltammetric behavior and electroactivity, indicating that the molecular modification performed in nitrofurazone did not change its capacity to be reduced. A brief discussion regarding the differences in biological activity between the two compounds is also presented. ©2005 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Comparação entre técnicas coproparasitológicas no diagnóstico de ovos de helmintos e oocistos de protozoários em cães.

In this study we evaluated the frequency of enteroparasites in pet dogs and their association with age, sex and breed, as well as the efficiency of the Willis-Mollay, Faust, Sedimentation and Direct exam methods. By these methods we processed 401 fecal samples. The samples were positive in the following percentages: Ancylostoma spp. (53.1%), Toxocara canis (20.7%), Cystoisospora ohioensis (15.7%), Trichuris vulpis (3.7%), Dipylidium caninum (2.5%) and Taenia spp. (1.0%). Toxocara canis (67.3%) and C. ohioensis (47.3%) showed higher positivity in the puppies. The Willis-Mollay technique was more efficient in the diagnosis of Ancylostoma spp. and T. canis eggs. The Direct method was the least efficient. It was found that the majority of the cases of D. caninum were diagnosed by the Sedimentation method (8=2.0%), while for T. vulpis Willis-Mollay (12=3.0%) and Sedimentation (13=3.2%) were more efficient. In view of these results, we can recommend the association of Willis-Mollay and Sedimentation methods for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal helminths. Due to the elevated occurrence of Ancylostoma spp. and T. canis, which are involved in zoonotic diseases, it becomes necessary to apply more efficient prophylaxis of canine intestinal parasitosis at the City of Araçatuba, state of São Paulo.

Toxoplasma gondii: Comparison of a rhoptry-ELISA with IFAT and MAT for antibody detection in sera of experimentally infected pigs

Indirect ELISA and IFAT have been reported to be more sensitive and specific than agglutination tests. However, MAT is cheaper, easier than the others and does not need special equipment. The purpose of this study was to compare an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using crude rhoptries of Toxoplasma gondii as coating wells (r-ELISA) with indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and modified agglutination test (MAT) to detect anti-T. gondii antibodies in sera of experimentally infected pigs. Ten mixed breed pigs between 6.5 and 7.5 weeks old were used. All pigs were negative for the presence of T. gondii antibodies by IFAT (titre < 16), r-ELISA (OD < 0.295) and MAT (titre < 16). Animals received 7 × 107 viable tachyzoites of the RH strain by intramuscular (IM) route at day 0. Serum samples were collected at days -6, 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 50, and 57. IFAT detected anti-T. gondii antibodies earlier than r-ELISA and MAT. The average of antibody levels was higher at day 35 in IFAT (Log10 = 2.9) and in MAT (Log10 = 3.5), and at day 42 in r-ELISA (OD = 0.797). The antibody levels remained high through the 57th day after inoculation in MAT, and there was a decrease tendency in r-ELISA and IFAT. IFAT was used as gold standard and r-ELISA demonstrated a higher prevalence (73.3%), sensitivity (94.3%), negative predictive value (83.3%), and accuracy (95.6%) than MAT. Kappa agreements among tests were calculated, and the best results were shown by r-ELISA × IFAT (κ = 0.88, p < 0.001). Cross-reaction with Sarcocystis miescheriana was investigated in r-ELISA and OD mean was 0.163 ± 0.035 (n = 65). Additionally, none of the animals inoculated with Sarcocystis reacted positively in r-ELISA. Our results indicate that r-ELISA could be a good method for serological detection of T. gondii infection in pigs. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The inhibition of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase as a model for development of novel antimicrobials

EPSP synthase (EPSPS) is an essential enzyme in the shikimate pathway, transferring the enolpyruvyl group of phosphoenolpyruvate to shikimate-3-phosphate to form 5-enolpyruvyl-3-shikimate phosphate and inorganic phosphate. This enzyme is composed of two domains, which are formed by three copies of βαβαββ-folding units; in between there are two crossover chain segments hinging the nearly topologically symmetrical domains together and allowing conformational changes necessary for substrate conversion. The reaction is ordered with shikimate-3-phosphate binding first, followed by phosphoenolpyruvate, and then by the subsequent release of phosphate and EPSP. N-[phosphomethyl]glycine (glyphosate) is the commercial inhibitor of this enzyme. Apparently, the binding of shikimate-3-phosphate is necessary for glyphosate binding, since it induces the closure of the two domains to form the active site in the interdomain cleft. However, it is somehow controversial whether binding of shikimate-3-phosphate alone is enough to induce the complete conversion to the closed state. The phosphoenolpyruvate binding site seems to be located mainly on the C-terminal domain, while the binding site of shikimate-3-phosphate is located primarily in the N-terminal domain residues. However, recent results demonstrate that the active site of the enzyme undergoes structural changes upon inhibitor binding on a scale that cannot be predicted by conventional computational methods. Studies of molecular docking based on the interaction of known EPSPS structures with (R)- phosphonate TI analogue reveal that more experimental data on the structure and dynamics of various EPSPS-ligand complexes are needed to more effectively apply structure-based drug design of this enzyme in the future. © 2007 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.