Swine cysticercosis and associated risk factors in non-technified pig breeding in semi-arid region of Sergipe state, Brazil.

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of Taenia solium anti-metacestode antibodies in slaughtered pigs in a semi-arid region of the "Alto Sertão" of Sergipe state, Brazil, and verify the risk factors associated with swine cysticercosis. For this, 230 samples of swine blood from two slaughterhouses were collected and analyzed by indirect ELISA. The pigs came from five non-technical properties in the semi-arid region of the Alto Sertão of Sergipe state. Searches for cysts in the skeletal muscles of the pigs were performed during slaughter. In addition, an epidemiological questionnaire was applied to the pigs' original properties to determine risk factors. Besides that, the official health services database was evaluated for confirmed cases of neurocysticercosis and taeniasis in humans in the last 5 years, living in the studied region. Seropositivity in pigs was 12.6%, with no significant difference between males and females. No cysts were found in the carcasses of the slaughtered pigs. A positive association was found for properties that discharge domestic sewage into the environment, in river or streams, increasing the risk of positivity by 5.72 times. When analyzing the database of official agencies, there were no records of cases of neurocysticercosis or taeniasis in the resident population in the last 5 years. However, there were frequent cases of idiopathic epilepsy. The results demonstrate that study area is endemic for swine cysticercosis and serves as a warning of the possibility of the occurrence of the taeniasis-cysticercosis complex.

Unsaturated fatty acids as high-affinity ligands of the C-terminal Per-ARNT-Sim domain from the Hypoxia-inducible factor 3α.

Hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF) form heterodimeric complexes that mediate cell responses to hypoxia. The oxygen-dependent stability and activity of the HIF-α subunits is traditionally associated to post-translational modifications such as hydroxylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, and phosphorylation. Here we report novel evidence showing that unsaturated fatty acids are naturally occurring, non-covalent structural ligands of HIF-3α, thus providing the initial framework for exploring its exceptional role as a lipid sensor under hypoxia.

Physicochemical characterization and analgesic effect of inclusion complexes of essential oil from Hyptis pectinata L. Poit leaves with ß-cyclodextrin.

The formation of inclusion complexes of Hyptis pectinata essential oil (EOHP), with potent activities such as anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, among others, with ß -cyclodextrin (ß-CD), was obtained by slurry (SC) and paste procedures (PC). The gas chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis demonstrated a total of 36.4% monoterpenes and 63.6% sesquiterpenes in the EOHP. The major components of EOHP were identified as (E)- caryophyllene (54.07%). The analysis of samples (PM, PC and SC) by GC/MS involved the surface and the total extracted oils. The GC/MS results suggested important differences between in SC and PC methods indicating the complexation of mono and sesquiterpenoids in different ratios. Furthermore, the thermal analysis techniques suggests the complexation, especially in SC, which show a thermogravimetry/derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) peak at 140-270ºC, probably related to oil loss. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed reduction size of the samples mainly in the SC product. Additionally, EOHP/ ß-CD improves pharmacological profile of EOHP alone in formalin-induced pain protocol in mice.

Functional diversification of cerato-platanins in Moniliophthora perniciosa as seen by differential expression and protein function specialization.

Cerato-platanins (CP) are small, cysteine-rich fungal-secreted proteins involved in the various stages of the host-fungus interaction process, acting as phytotoxins, elicitors, and allergens. We identified 12 CP genes (MpCP1 to MpCP12) in the genome of Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease in cacao, and showed that they present distinct expression profiles throughout fungal development and infection. We determined the X-ray crystal structures of MpCP1, MpCP2, MpCP3, and MpCP5, representative of different branches of a phylogenetic tree and expressed at different stages of the disease. Structure-based biochemistry, in combination with nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry, allowed us to define specialized capabilities regarding self-assembling and the direct binding to chitin and N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) tetramers, a fungal cell wall building block, and to map a previously unknown binding region in MpCP5. Moreover, fibers of MpCP2 were shown to act as expansin and facilitate basidiospore germination whereas soluble MpCP5 blocked NAG6-induced defense response. The correlation between these roles, the fungus life cycle, and its tug-of-war interaction with cacao plants is discussed.

CPAP decreases lung hyperinflation in patients with stable COPD.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic hyperinflation, caused by expiratory flow limitation, markedly increases resting end-expiratory lung volume (functional residual capacity) in many COPD patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact and duration of impact of CPAP on hyperinflation and airway resistance in patients with stable COPD. METHODS: In a case series, 21 patients underwent CPAP at 8 cm H(2)O for 15 min, then whole-body plethysmography immediately after, and at 15 and 30 min after CPAP. RESULTS: The cohort's mean ± SD age was 70 ± 9 y, and the mean FEV(1) was 41 ± 8% of predicted. Residual volume, functional residual capacity, total lung capacity, the ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity, and airway resistance decreased after CPAP and did not significantly change at 15 min (P < .001), but returned to baseline at 30 min. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe to very severe stable COPD, CPAP reduces lung volumes and airway resistance for 15 min, but the lung volumes return to baseline by 30 min.

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on fluid absorption among patients with pleural effusion due to tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains as an important public health problem worldwide. The most common type is pulmonary TB, and the most prevalent form of extra-pulmonary disease among HIV-negative patients is pleural disease. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on fluid absorption among patients with pleural effusion due to TB. METHODS: Twenty patients were randomized into two groups. The interventional group (n=10) received CPAP three times a week during the initial four weeks of anti-TB treatment, and the control group (n=10) received anti-TB drugs only. The primary endpoint was the volume of pleural fluid after four weeks of treatment. Both groups were submitted to thoracic computed tomography using three-dimensional image reconstruction. The Mann-Whitney test for independent samples and the Wilcoxon paired samples test were used for statistical analysis. The normal distribution samples were analyzed using the unpaired t test. RESULTS: The reduction of pleural effusion volume was significantly greater in the intervention group (83.5%+/-SD 3.6) than in the control group (36.9%+/-SD 2.9; p<0.001), and the final dyspnea index was lower in the Intervention group than in the control group (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that CPAP during the first month of TB treatment accelerates the absorption of pleural effusion, however, additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the impact of CPAP on pleural sequelae after the end of anti-TB treatment. Article registered in the Clinical Trials under the number NCT00560521.

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on fluid absorption among patients with pleural effusion due to tuberculosis / Efeito da pressão positiva nas vias aéreas sobre a absorção do derrame pleural em pacientes devido à tuberculose

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains as an important public health problem worldwide. The most common type is pulmonary TB, and the most prevalent form of extra-pulmonary disease among HIV-negative patients is pleural disease. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on fluid absorption among patients with pleural effusion due to TB. METHODS: Twenty patients were randomized into two groups. The interventional group (n=10) received CPAP three times a week during the initial four weeks of anti-TB treatment, and the control group (n=10) received anti-TB drugs only. The primary endpoint was the volume of pleural fluid after four weeks of treatment. Both groups were submitted to thoracic computed tomography using three-dimensional image reconstruction. The Mann-Whitney test for independent samples and the Wilcoxon paired samples test were used for statistical analysis. The normal distribution samples were analyzed using the unpaired t test. RESULTS: The reduction of pleural effusion volume was significantly greater in the intervention group (83.5 percent±SD 3.6) than in the control group (36.9 percent±SD 2.9; p<0.001), and the final dyspnea index was lower in the Intervention group than in the control group (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that CPAP during the first month of TB treatment accelerates the absorption of pleural effusion, however, additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the impact of CPAP on pleural sequelae after the end of anti-TB treatment.

CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A tuberculose (TB) permanece como um importante problema de saúde pública no mundo. A forma mais comum de apresentação é a pulmonar e, em pacientes soronegativos, a forma de doença extrapulmonar mais prevalente é a pleural. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar o efeito da pressão positiva contínua em vias aéreas (CPAP) na absorção do derrame pleural em pacientes com tuberculose. MÉTODOS: Vinte pacientes foram randomizados em dois grupos. O grupo intervenção (n=10) recebeu CPAP três vezes por semana durante as quatro primeiras semanas do tratamento anti-TB, e o grupo controle (n=10) recebeu somente droga anti-TB. O ponto final de avaliação foi o volume de líquido pleural após quatro semanas de tratamento. Ambos os grupos foram submetidos à tomografia computadorizada, usando a reconstrução tridimensional (3D) da imagem. A análise estatística foi realizada por meio do teste de Mann-Whitney para amostras independentes e Wilcoxon para amostras pareadas, e as que apresentaram distribuição normal foram analisadas por meio do teste t de Student não pareado. RESULTADOS: A redução do volume de derrame pleural foi significativamente maior no grupo intervenção (83,5 por cento±DP 3,6) que no grupo controle (36,9 por cento±DP 2,9) (p<0,001), e o índice de dispnéia final foi menor no grupo CPAP que no grupo controle (p=0,002). CONCLUSÃO: Tais achados indicam que a CPAP, durante o primeiro mês de tratamento anti-TB, acelera a absorção do derrame pleural, no entanto estudos adicionais são necessários para confirmar estes achados e avaliar o impacto da CPAP na sequela pleural após o término do tratamento anti-TB.