Evaluation of different Cypermethrin formulations and concentrations in the control of Musca domestica

Cypermethrin (4 g/l, 5 g/l wettable powder and 7 ml/l, 10 ml/l emulsifiable concentrate) was tested, under laboratory conditions, against the adult Musca domestica. As a standard for comparison, a 6 ml/l concentrate suspension formulation of deltamethrin was used. One and twenty-four hours after application, mortality counts showed that the substances under test killed, respectively, more than 80% and 85% of the exposed insects. Under the conditions of the test, cypermethrin was considered effective in the control of the house fly.

Standartization of broth microdilution method for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Indirect drug susceptibility tests of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was done to investigate the accuracy and feasibility of a broth microdilution method (BMM) for determining minimal inhibitory concentrations of conventional drugs against M. tuberculosis. Test drugs included isoniazid (H), rifampicin (R), ethambutol (E), streptomycin (S) and pyrazinamide (Z). Fifty isolates of M. tuberculosis from patients who had never received drug therapy, and H37Rv strain for control, were evaluated in the system. When comparing this method with the gold standard proportional method in Lowenstein-Jensen medium, sensitivity of 100% for all drugs and specifities of 91, 100, 96, 98 and 85% were observed respectively for H, R, E, S and Z. The BMM was read faster (14-20 days) than the proportional method (20-28 days). The microdilution method evaluated allows the testing of multiple drugs in multiple concentrations. It is easy to perform and does not require special equipment or expensive supplies. In contrast to radiometric method it does not use radioactive material.

Isolation and identification of mycobacteria from livestock specimens and milk obtained in Brazil

The prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis and other mycobacterial species in livestock specimens and milk was evaluated. An emphasis was placed upon the distribution of these organisms in milk that is readily available to the public that was either untreated, pasteurized, or treated using ultra high temperature. Twenty-two pathologic specimens from livestock (bovine, swine and bubaline) in five Brazilian states and 128 bovine milk samples from retail markets in the State of São Paulo were examined for mycobacteria. Identification was made by classical biochemical tests, thin layer chromatography of mycolic acids and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Mycobacteria were isolated from 15 (68.2%) caseous lesions and from 23 (18%) milk samples. Eleven isolates were identified as M. bovis, and the remaining 27 nontuberculous mycobacterial isolates were represented by five species and six unidentified rapidly growing mycobacterial strains. The data demonstrate that animal products in Brazil are frequent reservoirs of mycobacteria and may pose a risk to the public.

Molluscicidal activity of Physalis angulata L. extracts and fractions on Biomphalaria tenagophila (d'Orbigny, 1835) under laboratory conditions

The main objective of this research is to evaluate the molluscicide activity of Physalis angulata L. Biomphalaria tenagophila specimens under laboratory conditions. Extracts and fractions were supplied by the Laboratório de Química de Produtos Naturais, Farmanguinhos-Fiocruz. Experiments were performed according to the methodology described by the World Health Organization for molluscicide tests using the concentrations from 0.1 to 500 mg/l of the extracts, fractions and of a pool of physalins modified steroids present in this species. The results show that ethyl acetate and acetone extracts from the whole plant, the ethanolic extracts of the roots and the physalins pool from stems and leaves were active. Only the whole plant extracts were available in sufficient quantity for the determination of LD50 and LD90 values.

Armadillo meat intake was not associated with leprosy in a case control study, Curitiba (Brazil)

Leprosy's progression and its maintained endemic status, despite the availability of effective treatments, are not fully understood and recent studies have highlighted the possibility of involved Mycobacterium leprae ambient reservoirs. Wild armadillos can carry leprosy and, because their meat is eaten by humans, development of the disease among armadillo meat consumers has been investigated. This study evaluated the frequency of armadillo meat intake among leprosy patients as well as age and gender matched controls with other skin diseases from a dermatological unit. Armadillo meat consumption among both groups was adjusted by demographic and socioeconomic covariates based on a conditional multiple logistic regression model. One hundred twenty-one cases and 242 controls were evaluated; they differed in socioeconomic variables such as family income, hometown population and access to treated water. The multivariate analysis did not show an association between the intake of armadillo meat and leprosy (odds ratio = 1.07; CI 95% 0.56-2.04), even when only cases with no known contacts were analyzed. We conclude that leprosy is not associated with the intake of armadillo meat in these patients.

Search for a platelet-activating factor receptor in the Trypanosoma cruzi proteome: a potential target for Chagas disease chemotherapy

Chagas disease (CD) causes the highest burden of parasitic diseases in the Western Hemisphere and is therefore a priority for drug research and development. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) causes the CD parasite Trypanosoma cruzi to differentiate, which suggests that the parasite may express PAF receptors. Here, we explored the T. cruzi proteome for PAF receptor-like proteins. From a total of 23,000 protein sequences, we identified 29 hypothetical proteins that are predicted to have seven transmembrane domains (TMDs), which is the main characteristic of the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including the PAF receptor. The TMDs of these sequences were independently aligned with domains from 25 animal PAF receptors and the sequences were analysed for conserved residues. The conservation score mean values for the TMDs of the hypothetical proteins ranged from 31.7-44.1%, which suggests that if the putative T. cruzi PAF receptor is among the sequences identified, the TMDs are not highly conserved. These results suggest that T. cruzi contains several GPCR-like proteins and that one of these GPCRs may be a PAF receptor. Future studies may further validate the PAF receptor as a target for CD chemotherapy.

Assistência à criança com câncer: alguns elementos para a análise do processo de trabalho

Este estudo procura analisar alguns elementos do processo de trabalho na assistência à criança com câncer, fundamentado no Modelo de Organização Tecnológica do Trabalho. Partiu-se do princípio teórico de que a enfermagem é uma prática social e, portanto, historicamente estruturada e socialmente articulada; desta forma a enfermagem é parte do processo coletivo de trabalho em saúde. Apontamos para o fato de que o processo de trabalho da enfermagem na assistência à criança com câncer está em fase de transformação, passando do modelo exclusivamente clínico para outro, que tem como características a ampliação do referencial teórico e nova instrumentalização.

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis inversely correlates with microglia in conditions of voluntary running and aging.

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis results in the formation of new neurons and is a process of brain plasticity involved in learning and memory. The proliferation of adult neural stem or progenitor cells is regulated by several extrinsic factors such as experience, disease or aging and intrinsic factors originating from the neurogenic niche. Microglia is very abundant in the dentate gyrus (DG) and increasing evidence indicates that these cells mediate the inflammation-induced reduction in neurogenesis. However, the role of microglia in neurogenesis in physiological conditions remains poorly understood. In this study, we monitored microglia and the proliferation of adult hippocampal stem/progenitor cells in physiological conditions known to increase or decrease adult neurogenesis, voluntary running and aging respectively. We found that the number of microglia in the DG was strongly inversely correlated with the number of stem/progenitor cells and cell proliferation in the granule cell layer. Accordingly, co-cultures of decreasing neural progenitor/glia ratio showed that microglia but not astroglia reduced the number of progenitor cells. Together, these results suggest that microglia inhibits the proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells despite the absence of inflammatory stimulus.

A enfermagem e o gerenciamento de custos

O presente texto tem por objetivo abordar elementos estruturais que estão motivando instituições e profissionais da área da saúde a conhecerem e desenvolverem estudos no campo dos custos hospitalares, ressaltando a importância deste tema para o profissional de enfermagem.

O ensino de custos nas escolas de graduação em enfermagem

Trata-se de um estudo que teve como objetivo principal analisar a inserção de conteúdos relativos a Custos na disciplina Administração Aplicada à Enfermagem das Escolas de Graduação em Enfermagem do Estado de São Paulo. A amostra foi composta por 28 docentes.O estudo foi do tipo descritivo, exploratório, correlacional com abordagem quantitativa. Os resultados permitiram constatar que 19 (67,86%) docentes ministram esse tema na graduação, não havendo correlação ou associação estatisticamente significativa entre o ensino do Tema Custos, o número de pós-graduções do docente e o tipo de instituição em que o docente trabalha (Pública ou Privada).

A inserção do ensino de custos na disciplina administração aplicada à enfermagem

O objetivo deste texto foi realizar um resgate teórico sobre a traje-tória da disciplina de Admi-nistração Aplicada à Enfermagem, na graduação, ao longo da história do ensino da Enfermagem Brasi-leira, relacionando-a ao ensino de Custos. Percebemos, inseridas no ensino dessa disciplina, diversas citações diretas referentes ao tema Custos ou Economia em Saúde, desde o primeiro currículo de Enfermagem de 1890 até as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais do Curso de Graduação em Enfer-magem de 2001, além de citações indiretas relacionadas ao geren-ciamento, tomada de decisão, assessorias em projetos de saúde, entre outras, mas sem haver uma continuidade.

As expectativas de pais e profissionais de enfermagem em relação ao trabalho da enfermeira em UTIN

O objetivo geral foi identificar as expectativas dos pais e da equipe de enfermagem relativas ao trabalho da enfermeira pela ótica em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal. Foi realizada uma pesquisa descritiva por meio de uma abordagem qualitativa com 30 entrevistas entre pais, enfermeiras, técnicas e auxiliares de enfermagem de uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal do interior do Estado de São Paulo. Os resultados demonstraram novas expectativas por parte de pais e profissionais em relação ao desempenho dos profissionais de enfermagem. Os conhecimentos evidenciados como necessários para a atuação da enfermagem foram: abordagem centrada na família, técnicas de relações interpessoais e diferenciação entre tecnologia e conhecimento científico. Concluiu-se ser necessário uma atuação mais incisiva da enfermeira no cuidado de enfermagem, adequando a utilização dos avanços tecnológicos com conhecimentos humanos, sobretudo nas relações interpessoais entre familiares e equipe; contemplando atividades de educação continuada, a exemplo de curso de especialização.

Doxycycline increases neurogenesis and reduces microglia in the adult hippocampus.

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis results in the continuous formation of new neurons and is a process of brain plasticity involved in learning and memory. Although inducible-reversible transgenic mouse models are increasingly being used to investigate adult neurogenesis, transgene control requires the administration of an activator, doxycycline (Dox), with unknown effects on adult neurogenesis. Here, we tested the effect of Dox administration on adult neurogenesis in vivo. We found that 4 weeks of Dox treatment at doses commonly used for gene expression control, resulted in increased neurogenesis. Furthermore, the dendrites of new neurons displayed increased spine density. Concomitantly, Iba1-expressing microglia was reduced by Dox treatment. These results indicate that Dox treatment may interfere with parameters of relevance for the use of inducible transgenic mice in studies of adult neurogenesis or brain inflammation.

ANÁLISE DAS INSTITUIÇÕES E POLÍTICAS DE PESCA EM CABO VERDE

O presente trabalho faz uma análise de coerência das instituições e políticas de pesca em Cabo Verde com relação às mudanças climáticas, enquadrado no projecto de adaptação das políticas de pesca as mudanças climáticas na África Ocidental (APPECCAO). O intuito é de analisar os impactos das alterações climáticas nas pescas, facilitar diálogos políticos, locais, nacionais e sub-regional, de forma a ajudar a melhorar as práticas e políticas de pesca, adaptando-as às mudanças climáticas que vêm acontecendo, com o apoio dos saberes científicos e endógenos. Os modelos do painel intergovernamental prevêem para a região do Atlântico Tropical Oriental aumento nas temperaturas médias, diminuição da humidade e precipitação, e ainda um aumento do nível do mar. Com estas projecções torna-se imprescindível conhecer as instituições e politicas de pescas existentes, para um melhor planeamento e adaptação as possíveis alterações ambientais causadas pelas mudanças climáticas e desenvolver políticas coerentes sustentáveis de uso dos recursos.