Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Insecticides on the Egg Parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae).

Insecticide use remains controversial, and subjected to increasing environmental and health concerns, even when recent insecticide groups are considered. Neonicotinoids and even bioinsecticides are in the forefront of discussions regarding their nontarget safety. The ubiquitous focus on the lethal effects of insecticides on nontarget species has been expanding to sublethal effects, as sublethal exposure extends for a longer time and affects a broader range of (nontarget) species. Here we explored the lethal and sublethal effects of a lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxan mixture, the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, and the bioinsecticide azadirachtin on the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead, an important parasitoid of stink bug Euschistus heros (F.), a key soybean pest in neotropical America. Contact with dry insecticide residue on glass surface and (parasitized and healthy) host egg immersion exposure bioassays were performed, assessing their acute lethal effects, and their potential sublethal impairment of parasitism, adult emergence, and fertility of the egg parasitoid. Both imidacloprid and the insecticide mixture exhibited high acute lethal activity toward the parasitoid under contact with dry insecticide residue. These insecticides compromised parasitism and wasp emergence when exposure took place before parasitism. In contrast, azadirachtin did not affect adult survival. However, this bioinsecticide compromised parasitism and progeny production, impairing the female parasitoid reproductive potential. Our results indicate strong negative effects of imidacloprid, and specially of the mixture lambda-cyhalthrin + thiamethoxan. However, even azadirachtin, which exhibited low acute lethality, exhibited significant negative sublethal effects on parasitism and population growth of egg parasitoid, cautioning against their use and the need of semifield and field assessments to confirm such an impact.

Natural incidence of egg parasitoids of Edessa meditabunda (F.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Crotalaria spectabilis in Campo Novo do Parecis, MT, Brazil

Egg parasitoids of the stink bug Edessa meditabunda (F) were studied on rattlepod Crotalaria spectabilis used in soybean crop rotation in Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato Grosso state, central western Brazil. Seven species of parasitoids were found: two Encyrtidae, one Eurytomidae, and four Platygastridae. The occurrence of Trissolcus euchisti (Ashmead) and Trissolcus elimatus Johnson (Platygastridae) on eggs of E. meditabunda is recorded for the first time. Moreover, this is the first record of T. elimatus and T. euchisti from Brazil.

Isolation and genotype analysis of rubella virus from a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Rubella virus (RV) infection has sporadically been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), but the association with RV has been based only on clinical and/or serological backgrounds. In the present case it was possible to isolate RV (genotype 1a) from cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of an 18-year-old woman diagnosed with GBS after clinical manifestations of rubella. This report contributes to confirm RV as one of the triggering pathogens of this peripheral nervous system disease.

Phytochemical analysis and analgesic properties of Curcuma zedoaria grown in Brazil.

The present study describes the phytochemical analysis and analgesic activity of Curcuma zedoaria rhizomes grown in Brazil. The results showed that the hydroalcoholic extract, fractions, specially dichloromethane, and a pure compound, denoted as curcumenol (1), exhibited potent and dose-related analgesic activity when evaluated in several models of pain in mice, including writhing, formalin and capsaicin. Compound (1), which seems to be the main active principle from this plant, presented promising analgesic effects, being several times more potent than different reference drugs evaluated in the same experimental models. The calculated ID50 values (micromol/kg, i.p) were 22 and 12 when evaluated in writhing and capsaicin tests, respectively, and 29 micromol/kg in relation to the second phase of the formalin model. The lack of effect in the hot plate test suggests that (1) act by a mechanism which do not involves the participation of the opioid system. The phytochemical analysis indicated that the chemical composition of the plant grown in Brazil is similar to that grown in other countries. The results confirm and justify the popular use of this plant for the treatment of dolorous processes.

[Iatrogeny in cardiology]. / Iatrogenia em cardiologia.

The word iatrogeny derives from the Greek and concerns any disorder caused to the patient by inaproppriate medical practice. Unfortunately, the rise of an iatrogenic disease is related to the daily handline of cardiac disease. There are two types of iatrogeny: that caused by a medical action and omission iatrogeny, caused by the lack of a medical action. Iatrogeny occurs in all steps of medical practice starting with the patient-doctor relationship including diagnosis treatment and finally prevention of diseases. This article makes a brief commentary about iatrogenic heart disease and mentions some examples of it.

Antinociceptive properties of N-aryl-glutaramic acids and N-aryl-glutarimides.

This study describes the antinociceptive activity of some N-aryl-glutaramic acids and N-aryl-glutarimides in writhing and formalin tests, two classical models of pain in mice. These compounds show high activity, being more active than acetyl salycilic acid, acetaminophen and indomethacin, used as standard drugs for comparison. The introduction of different substituent groups in the aromatic ring caused a significant change in activity. The results obtained here are promising from a pharmacological point of view, since these simple compounds might be used as models to obtain new and potent analgesic drugs.

[Mortality risk factors in patients over 65 years of age hospitalized in a São Paulo, Brasil university hospital]. / Factores de riesgo de mortalidad en personas mayores de 65 años internadas en un hospital universitario, São Paulo, Brasil.

Various studies show that age in itself is not an independent predictive factor for the survival of critically ill older persons. In spite of that fact, people over 65 tend not to have access to the most-sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic resources. With the continued aging of the population, it is increasingly important to be able to determine the mortality risk factors that affect the survival possibilities of hospitalized older people, especially in emergency situations. The objective of this study was to analyze the risk factors related to mortality among people over 65 admitted to the emergency service of the Santa Casa Hospital of São Paulo, a third-level academic institution. The study was based on a nonconditional logistic regression analysis of personal data in the clinical histories and other documents of the hospitalized patients. From July 1993 through March 1994, 599 patients over 65 were hospitalized. They included 326 men (54.4%) and 273 women (45.6%), with a median age of 73.3 years. The primary reasons for admission were pneumonia (14.4%), cerebrovascular disease (11.5%), and congestive heart failure (8.2%). There were 160 deaths among the group. Those who died had a median stay in the hospital of 4 days (range, 1 to 72), which was similar to that of those who survived (median, 3 days; range, 0 to 35 days; P = 0.29). According to multivariate analysis, factors predictive of survival were hypertension (odds ratio = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.68), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.95), and diabetes mellitus (OR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.91). This was true regardless of sex, age, race, compliance with treatment, initial diagnosis, and other pathological conditions present. On the other hand, two factors were predictive of mortality during hospitalization. They were the presence of extrapulmonary infections (OR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.13 to 4.86) and the number of preexisting illnesses: one (OR = 2.78; 95% CI: 1.56 to 4.96), two (OR = 4.56; 95% CI: 2.28 to 9.15), and three or more (OR = 15.88; 95% CI: 6.49 to 38.85). This study shows that improving the diagnosis and treatment of infections can reduce mortality of elderly persons admitted to emergency services. Rather than age, the multiplicity of diseases was the factor that increased the risk of death among these patients. There is no justification for using age alone to limit the access that older patients have to better diagnosis and treatment resources, if these resources can result in better survival rates, fewer disabilities, or a better quality of life.

Oropharynx microbiota among alcoholics and non-alcoholics.

CONTEXT: The oropharynx microbiota plays an important role in the origin of infections, especially among alcoholics whose airway defenses are impaired. OBJECTIVE: To compare the normal oropharingeal flora in heavy alcohol drinker and non-alcoholics. PATIENTS: 117 persons, 58 heavy alcohol drinkers and 59 non-alcoholics. SETTING: Santa Casa de São Paulo Emergency Service. DESIGN: A blind prospective study. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Prevalence of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and fungi. RESULTS: The study of the oropharynx microbiota among heavy alcohol drinkers demonstrated the presence of anaerobic microorganisms in 84.5% of them, including: Bacteroides sp, Prevotella melaninogenica, Fusobacterium sp, Veilonella sp, Peptostreptococcus sp, Propionibacterium sp, Bifidobacterium sp and Clostridium sp, versus 30.5% (p < 0.005) of non-alcoholics. Candida sp was present in 34.5% of heavy alcohol drinkers and 5.1% of non-alcoholics (p < 0.005). Enterobacteria predominated among heavy alcohol drinkers (25%) compared with non-alcoholics (5.5%) only in the age group 14 to 34 years (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Based upon these results, it was possible to conclude that the knowledge of the oropharynx microbiota among heavy drinkers and non-alcoholics has an important predictive value concerning probable etiologic agents of lower airway infections. Infections caused by anaerobic microorganisms and fungi should be taken into consideration during the choice of empirical therapy for heavy alcohol drinkers.

Aspergillosis of the central nervous system.

The authors report an unusual case involving a 38 year-old man who developed a intracranial abscess caused by Aspergillus of the parietal lobe. Cerebral aspergilloma of an initial pulmonary origin developed in a patient with "Fungus Ball" secondary to tuberculosis sequelae. The diagnosis was made through the isolation of Aspergillus from the secretion of the brain abscesses. The patient was treated with drainage of the abscesses and Amphotericin B. He presented a progressive regression of the radiological images (brain and pulmonary) over a period of 55 days. This report emphasizes the importance of combined anti-fungal therapy and surgical resection as a treatment for cerebral aspergilloma. Furthermore, an early initiation of therapy should improve the prognosis in such cases.

[Acute myocardial infarction in patients over 70 years of age. Study of 51 cases]. / Infarto agudo do miocárdio em pacientes acima de 70 anos. Estudo de 51 casos.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinic evolution during admission of a group of patients over age 70, who experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients, over age 70, with confirmed diagnosis of AMI, were studied. Thirty-six (70.6%) males and 15 (29.4%) females. RESULTS: Near half (49.1%) were admitted before four hours of beginning of pain. The complications were divided into mechanical, electrical, persistent ischemia and others, not related with coronary heart disease. In the coronary care unit (CCU), 84.3% of patients complicated, and 50.0% at the ward. AMI of the anterior wall complicated more frequently with tachiarrhythmia, and inferior wall with atrioventricular block. There were not statistical difference in the incidence of mechanical complications, according to the affected wall. There was statistical significance (p less than 0.05) comparing mortality and the time elapsed between beginning of pain and hospital admission, but not comparing mortality and the wall involved. The patients with congestive heart failure and cardiogenic shock died in 93.3%. Mortality at the CCU was mostly related to complications of AMI, but mortality at ward to other complications not directly related with coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION: Myocardial infarction over age 70 implies high mortality and morbidity, with significantly, better prognosis with earlier arrival of the patient to the hospital.