Padrão de sensibilidade de cepas de Enterobacter spp isoladas na região de Presidente Prudente - SP

Enterobacter spp. are considered important causing agents of infection, specially in hospitalized individuals. The natural resistance of these microorganisms and the great facility to develop resistance to new antimicrobial agents make this genus an important object of study. In this work, 176 strains isolated from various clinical samples were used from hospitalized patients (University Hospital Domingos Leonardo Cerávolo) and from clinic patients (Clinical Laboratory from Unoeste), both situated in Presidente Prudente - SP. E. cloacae (78.9%), E. aerogenes (7.9%) and E. (pantoea) agglomerans (3.9%) were the ones more frequently isolated. Eleven antimicrobial agents were tested by the disk diffusion method and around 90% of the strains presented resistance to the cephalotin, ampicillin and cefaclor. Strains of E. (pantoea) agglomerans presented wide profile of sensibility However one strain of E. cloacae presented resistance to all the antimicrobial agents. The antimicrobial agents with greater inhibitory activity were imipenem and cefepime, for this reason these antimicrobial agents could be the treatment of choice in emergencial therapeutic. This emergencial therapy can be applied with relative security, whereas the data obtained in this study show homogeneity in the profile of sensibility to these antimicrobial agents, independent of the infection site and from the isolated species. The ESBL enzyme could not be detected in no one of the strains by the double diffusion test.

Influência do alecrim (Rosmarinus officinallis L.) na atividade de água e oxidação lipídica de peixes de uma espécie de tilápia (Oreochromis ssp-var. vermelha Flórida) submetidos à salga

Salting have been a very utilized fish conservation method, however only in the last years the basic mechanism involved in salting fish has been understood. The objectives of this study were determine the addition in brine salt of rosemary leaves, rosemary extracts and tocopherol, and your action in the followed parameters: water activity (Aw), moisture, ash, salt content and TBARS. The results showed that the addition of antioxidants was difficulted the salt absorption, however didn't have differences between rosemary or tocopherol use. In the salting time of 3 hours the values of Aw and salt levels, was respectively: 0.77±0.01 and 14.42±1.69. for control treatment; 0.85±0.02 and 9.09±1.39for rosemary filtrate; 0.78±0.03 and 10.63±0.69 rosemary without filtrating and 0.85±0.02 and 11.96±1.78 tocopherol, showed that didn't grow indigenous bacterias. Lipid oxidation was evaluated by TBARS and the results showed the oxidative effect of salt and the pro oxidant effects of alls antioxidants used in brine salting.

Avaliação da atividade mutagênica do resíduo sólido de uma fábrica de confecções de meias e lingerie em ensaios com Salmonella typhimurium

Cancer is one of the most hazardous effects to human health caused by the exposition to chemical agents. The search for new technological solutions in the industrial field led to a rapid increase in the productive sector, causing the workers to be exposed to millions of potentially toxic agents, substances potentially harmful to health. This study presents the mutagenic activity of sweepings from a sock and lingerie factory in Araraquara-Brazil, assayed with Salmonella typhimurium. All the extracts from the factory had mutagenic on activity the YG1024 strain, which is extremely sensitive to detect the mutagenic activity of the arilhydroxilamines, nitroarenes and aromatic amines. The extracts were non-mutagenics for the strains TA100 and TA98. The analysis of the mutagenicity of industrial residues is highly important because employees that participate in the production are directly exposed to those agents, as well as to the environment where the garbage is deposited.

Atividade anti Staphylococcus aureus de extratos de própolis (EP) de Apis mellifera preparados com diferentes concentrações de etanol

Propolis has been used in folk medicine and possesses a broad spectrum of biological activities, specially antibacterial activity. Studies have demonstrated that the composition of propolis extract may have influence in such activity. The goal of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of eleven propolis extracts (PE) against sixty one Staphylococcus aureus strains, isolated from newborn clinical specimens. The PE from Apis mellifera were prepared by using pure water and mixtures of water with ethanol at different concentrations (from 0 to 100%), 25g of propolis in 100 mL of solvent, and three days of maceration followed by filtration. Determination of Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) by agar dilution method was performed and serial concentrations from each PE were achieved (%v/v) in plates containing Mueller Hinton agar. It was possible to verify that the anti S. aureus activity was directly proportional to ethanol concentration and no significant differences were observed among PE with ethanol concentration from 70 to 100%. The MIC 90% values ranged from 0.4 to 0.6% (v/v) and the 70% ethanolic extract were the most efficient to inhibit bacterial growth (MIC 90%=0.42%, v/v). In conclusion, our results suggest that the EP composition and, consequently, the concentration of ethanol used as solvent may influence the antibacterial activity of propolis from A. mellifera.

Padrão de sensibilidade aos antimicrobianos de bacilos gram-negativos não fermentadores isolados de materiais clínicos de pacientes em Presidente Prudente - SP

The aim of this study was the assessment of isolation frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli. Ninety eight strains of nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli, isolated from several clinical materials of patients admited at the Dr. Domingos Leonardo Cerávolo University Hospital and at Dr. Odilo Antunes Siqueira State Hospital, as well as from every outpatient; assisted at Laboratory of Clinical Analysis of Unoeste University, Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, in the period of October 1999 to April 2001 were analyzed. The most frequent species were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (65.3%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (23.5%). The frequency of the other isolated species was smaller than 2.5%. In the antimicrobial susceptibility tests, the two species more prevalent showed high resistance. The antibiotic most active in vitro was the imipenem, with 79.6% in microdiluition method, and 76.6% in diffusion method, for Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains and 100.0% in both microdiluition and diffusion methods, for Acinetobacter baumannii. The cephalosporins of third generation, the ciprofloxacin and the aminoglycosides, presented percentage of susceptibility varying from 22.4 to 69.7%. These results bring implications to the emergency use of the antimicrobial agents in the treatment of patients with severe infection.

Plantas do cerrado brasileiro com atividade contra Mycobacterium fortuitum

Mycobacterium fortuitum is a rapidly-growing species of bacteria, ubiquitous in the environment and related to important human mycobacterioses. It has been isolated from blood, abscesses, the endocardium and surgical and traumatic wounds. This mycobacterium is hard to treat, being recognized in the literature as resistant even to the drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis. The objective of this study was to screen extracts prepared from plants of the Brazilian cerrado (extended savanna-like belt) with known activity against M. fortuitum, employing the Microplate Alamar Blue Assay (MABA) as the analytical method. Out of 26 extracts tested against M. fortuitum, the nonpolar extract of Quassia amara (in methylene dichloride) gave the best result (MIC 62.5μg/ mL), followed by the nonpolar extracts of Syngonanthus macrolepsis, Davilla elliptica and Turnera ulmifolia, with equal MICs of 125μg/ml. The polar extracts (in ethanol and methanol) obtained from the same plants were considered inactive, since the MIC values determined were above 500μg/mL and not significantly different from those of extracts from other plants, without known activity.

Diagnóstico de uma área compactada por atividade minerária, na floresta amazônica, empregando métodos geoestatísticos à variável resistência mecânica à penetração do solo

A quite common problem in the recovery of degraded areas in the mineral exploration understands the compaction of the soil due to the intense traffic of machines and earth movement. The most common problem of the compaction of a degraded surface is: increase of the mechanical resistance to the penetration of the rooats, reduction of the aeration, alteration of the water flow and heat. Thus the present work had the basic objective of diagnosing the compaction of a degraded area by mining in a space way, through the mechanical resistance the way penetration to guide a future subsoiling in the place seeking recovery. Through the studies it was concluded that the kriging method in agreement with the space variation allows the division of the area studies in sub areas facilitating a future work to reduce cost and unnecessary interference to the atmosphere. The method was shown quite appropriate and it can be used in diagnosis of the compaction in a degraded area by mining, foreseeing subsoiling need.

O novo padrão de desenvolvimento agroindustrial e a atuação das cooperativas agropecuárias no Paraná

This article aims at discussing the transformations in the cooperativist rural sector in the state of Paraná since 1970. Considerable active agents in the process of modernization in the agriculture from Paraná, the cooperatives developed also an important role in the productive restructuralization in the State of Paraná, when they started the agroindustrial activities. The verticalization represented a big growth of the cooperatives that act in the rural area, but it also implied in a redirection of the cooperatives' strategies, that started acting in an extremely competitive market.

Perfil da atividade de pesquisa publicada nos anais dos congressos brasileiros de pneumologia e tisiologia nos últimos vinte anos

Objective: To increase the knowledge base regarding pulmonology research in Brazil. Methods: A retrospective, observational study of the abstracts published in the Annals of the Brazilian Pulmonology and Phthisiology Conferences held from 1986 to 2004, quantifying the institutions of origin by geographic distribution and type, as well as categorizing the abstracts by study design and topic. Results: A total of 6467 abstracts were published. The institutions of origin were located, variously, in the Southeast (3870 abstracts), South (1309), Northeast (783), Central-West (267) and North (84). There were 94 abstracts originating from foreign institutions, especially from institutions in Portugal (56.3%) and the United States (13.8%). Most of the studies (5825) were conducted in public Brazilian institutions. There were 4234 clinical studies, 1994 case reports and 239 original research articles. A marked, progressive increase was observed in the number of clinical studies and case reports during the period evaluated. Overall, the most common themes were tuberculosis and other infections diseases (25.2%), following by oncology (11.6%), interstitial lung diseases (8.8%) and thoracic surgery (8.5%). Nevertheless, the number of abstracts on each topic varied widely from year to year. Conclusion: Public Brazilian institutions are the principal sources of pulmonology research in Brazil. Such research activity is concentrated in the southeastern part of the country. Case reports account for one-third of this activity. Although there was great variability in the subjects addressed, diseases that are highly prevalent in Brazil, such as tuberculosis and other infections diseases, were the most common topics.

A meniralização dental e a atividade salivar estão reduzidas em filhotes de ratas espontaneamente hipertensas (SHR)

Several pathologies have been diagnosed in children of hypertensive mothers; however, some studies that evaluated the alterations in their oral health are not conclusive. This study analyzed the salivary gland activity and dental mineralization of offsprings of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Thirty-day-old SHR males and Wistar rats were studied. The salivary flow was evaluated by injection of pilocarpine, the protein concentration and salivary amylase activity, by the Lowry method and kinetic method at 405 nm, respectively. Enamel and dentin mineralization of the mandibular incisors was quantified with aid of the microhardness meter. The results were analyzed by the ANOVA or Student's t test (p<0.05). It was noticed that the salivary flow rate (0.026 mL/min/100 g±0.002) and salivary protein concentration (2.26mg/mL±0.14) of SHR offspring were reduced compared to Wistar normotensive offspring (0.036 mL/min/100 g±0.003 and 2.91 mg/mL±0.27, respectively), yet there was no alteration in amylase activity (SHR: 242.4 U/mL±36.9; Wistar: 163.8 U/mL±14.1). Microhardness was lower both in enamel (255.8 KHN±2.6) and dentin (59.9 KHN±0.8) for the SHR teeth compared to the Wistar teeth (enamel: 328.7 KHN±3.3 and dentin: 67.1 KHN±1.0). These results suggest that the SHR offspring are more susceptible to development of pathologies impairing oral health, once they presented lesser flow and salivary protein concentration and lower dental mineralization.

Atividade mutagênica de plantas medicinais

The number of studies of genotoxic activity of medicinal plants has been growing alongside with their increasing therapeutic use and scientific interest in proving their effectiveness for a variety of pharmacological purposes. This reflects the fact that many of the plants used by great numbers of people, in spite of their proven pharmacological value, can also cause harmful changes in the DNA. The risks are greater when alternative treatments are applied in an uncontrolled way, without due attention to correct botanical identification, to the part of the plant that should to be used and to the method of preparation and administration. In this review, aspects of the mutagenic activity of some medicinal plants are discussed.

Influência da granulometria de grânulos de amido sobre a densidade aparente de extratos atomizados

Starches and modified starch derivations are used as carriers in the spray drying processing where apparent density is an important characteristic and should be controlled in dehydrated products for pharmaceutical use. In Brazil, the commercial starches are made from corn and cassava, but there are others with potential for extraction. The canna and taro starches were selected because they represent the extremes of granule size and thus allow the effect of this size on the apparent density of spray dried products to be tested. For comparison, commercial cassava and corn starches which are used in spray-drying and have granules of intermediate size, were also tested. The spray-drying process was carried out with a LabPlant SD 04 Spray Dryer, operating at a pressure of 6 lb/in2, air of 7,6 mL/minute, and 1 cm atomizing nozzle. The air inlet temperature was set at 200°C this model does not allow regulating outlet temperature. The spray-dryer products had boldo leaf extract as base, using the four starches as carrier. The dry product was evaluated for humidity, water activity (Aw), granulometry and apparent density. The results showed that the size of the particles, which was a consequence of the size of the starch granules, influenced the apparent density of the spray dried products, which as higher (694, 27 g/mL) for the canna starch and lower (456, 13 g/mL) for taro starch. Corn and cassava starches showed very close and intermediate values, 521,51 and 58,48 g/mL, which also represent the standard range of starch granule size.

Resistência à compressão do concreto autoadensável: Influência da atividade pozolânica do calcário e do basalto

This research studies the influence of the pozzolanic activity of the calcareous and basalt in the resistence behavior of the compressive strength of high performance self-compacting concrete (HPSCC). The selected aditives are the calcareous filler and basalt filler, for they are industrial residues helping that way the sustainable development. The paste of this concrete type is constituted of cement, silica fume, calcareous filler or basalt filler, water and superplasticizer additive. In this research the relationships water/cement are fixed in 0,40 kg/kg, silica fume/cement of 0,10 kg/kg and the relationships filler/cement and superplasticizer/cement are determined through of Marsh́s cone and mini-slump tests. The granular skeleton is gotten from a composition between quartzous sand and brita of basalt that presents the lesser index of emptinesses. The results show that the HPSCC with the addition of calcareous filler has greater compressive strength than what the HPSCC with addition of basalt filler in the ages of 7, 28 and 63 days. It is explained by the fact that the calcareous filler presents greater index of pozzolanic activity than the basalt filler. Besides that the relation water/fine for the HPSCC with calcareous filler is 0,27 l/kg whereas the HPSCC with basalt filler is of 0,29 l/kg.

Atividade microbiana em um Latossolo degradado tratado com lodo de esgoto

The degraded soil shows, in general, poor biological activity, considering its physical characteristics, low fertility and organic matter, mainly due to removal or degradation of its superficial layer. The sewage sludge, due to its high content of easily decomposed organic matter can be an alternate source of organic residues and combined to its high content of the principal nutrients for the plants can be an important factor to promote biological activities in degraded soil. In order to study the actions of the sewage sludge in the recovery of a degraded Latosol, the carbon in the microbial biomass (C mic), the carbon released CO2 (C-CO2) and the relation between microbial and organic carbon (Cmic/Corg) were used as indicators of the effects. To do so, two doses (30 and 60 Mg ha-1) of sewer slime applied in topdressing and incorporated together with a mineral fertilizer treatment, using the eucalyptus as a test crop. A completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 repetitions was used. The sewage sludge promoted increase of liberated C-CO2 and the C mic, which constitute the adequate quality indicators for monitoring the soil recovery.

Estimativa do padrão de preferência térmica de matrizes pesadas (frango de corte)

Female broiler breeder productivity is based on the principles of thermal comfort that are directly related with the microclimate inside the housing. This research had the objective of monitoring the behavior of female broiler breeders, using the technology of radio-frequency, injectable transponders and readers in different existing microclimates inside a small scale distorted housing model. Eight birds with electronic identification were used. Three readers were used, in three different points inside the model: on the floor of the nest, in the passage besides the lateral wall and below the water facility. Dry bulb (DBT), wet bulb (WBT) and black globe (BGT) temperature were measured continuously. The results point out a distinct behavioral pattern of the birds regarding the environment exposition during the experiment. Three probabilistic models of behavior were developed from the recorded data: probabilistic model for the passage use: FP = 1.10 - 0.244 ln(DBT), probabilistic model for the water facility use: FB = 0.398 + 0.00866(DBT), and probabilistic model for the nest use: FN = 2.22 - 0.272 DBT + 0,011 DBT 2 - 0.000144 DBT 3.