Antifungal activity of terpenes isolated from the Brazilian Caatinga: a review.

Terpenoids, also named terpenes or isoprenoids, are a family of natural products found in all living organisms. Many plants produce terpenoids as secondary metabolites, and these make up a large part of essential oils. One of most important characteristic is that the compounds are volatile, have odor and can be used in a variety of applications in different industrial segments and traditional medicine. Brazil has a rich and diverse flora that can be used as a source of research for obtaining new molecules. Within the Brazilian flora, it is worth mentioning the Caatinga as an exclusively Brazilian biome where plants adapt to a specific series of weather conditions and therefore become a great storehouse of the terpenoid compounds to be described herein. Fungal infections have become increasingly common, and a great demand for new agents with low toxicity and side effects has thus emerged. Scientists must search for new molecules exhibiting antifungal activity to develop new drugs. This review aims to analyze scientific data from the principal published studies describing the use of terpenes and their biological applications as antifungals.

The first report in Brazil of severe infection caused by community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA)

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is an emergent pathogen in Brazil. However, there are no data on the prevalence of CA-MRSA. We report here the first well-characterized case of severe life-threatening CA-MRSA infection in a child living in Rio de Janeiro city. The patient had many complications including hematogenous osteomyelitis and involvement of multiple sites requiring drainage of soft-tissue abscess, and pleural and pericardial empyema. The MRSA isolates recovered were genotyped using PFGE, SCCmec typing and multilocus sequence typing. Disk diffusion tests were performed following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. In addition, the presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) was assessed by PCR amplification, using specific primers for lukF-pv (encoding for the F subunit of the PVL). The bacterial isolates were related to the ST30-SCCmecIV lineage (Oceania Southwest Pacific clone), a PVL producer CA-MRSA previously detected in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Also, the isolates analyzed were susceptible to all non-â-lactam antibiotics tested. The present report demonstrates that disseminated CA-MRSA disease is also occurring in Rio de Janeiro. Thus, the empirical treatment of moderate or severe infections suspected of being associated with CA-MRSA needs to be reviewed in order to allow prompt initiation of an effective therapy that also covers these microorganisms.

The first report in Brazil of severe infection caused by community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA).

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is an emergent pathogen in Brazil. However, there are no data on the prevalence of CA-MRSA. We report here the first well-characterized case of severe life-threatening CA-MRSA infection in a child living in Rio de Janeiro city. The patient had many complications including hematogenous osteomyelitis and involvement of multiple sites requiring drainage of soft-tissue abscess, and pleural and pericardial empyema. The MRSA isolates recovered were genotyped using PFGE, SCCmec typing and multilocus sequence typing. Disk diffusion tests were performed following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. In addition, the presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) was assessed by PCR amplification, using specific primers for lukF-pv (encoding for the F subunit of the PVL). The bacterial isolates were related to the ST30-SCCmecIV lineage (Oceania Southwest Pacific clone), a PVL producer CA-MRSA previously detected in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Also, the isolates analyzed were susceptible to all non-beta-lactam antibiotics tested. The present report demonstrates that disseminated CA-MRSA disease is also occurring in Rio de Janeiro. Thus, the empirical treatment of moderate or severe infections suspected of being associated with CA-MRSA needs to be reviewed in order to allow prompt initiation of an effective therapy that also covers these microorganisms.

[Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency with recurrent infections: case report] / Deficiência da glicose-6-fosfato desidrogenase com infecções de repetição: relato de caso.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of rare neutrophil functional disorder with clinical and laboratory findings similar to those of chronic granulomatous disease. METHODS: Patient with extremely reduced level of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and recurrent infections that improved after continuous use of cotrimoxazole. The patient presented leukocytes with defective respiratory burst, similar to what occurs in chronic granulomatous disease. COMMENTS: The diagnosis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in neutrophils should be considered in any patient with hemolytic anemia whose level of G6PD is extremely low or in any patient that presents recurrent infections as differential diagnosis of chronic granulomatous disease.

[Hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis]. / A histerossalpingografia no diagnóstico da endometriose pélvica.

Endometriosis is a common cause of chronic pelvic pain. Laparoscopy is considered the gold standard for definitive diagnosis. This work aims to evaluate whether hysterosalpingography (14SG), a cheaper and more accessible examination, is worth while as a diagnostic tool in this pathology. Thirty patients submitted to laparoscopy for chronic pelvic pain where retrospectively studied. Three different observers evaluated their hysterosalpingographies. The imaging diagnoses were classified as suggestive or not suggestive of external pelvic endometriosis. With laparoscopy, 18 patients had endometriosis, 11 with mild lesions by Acosta classification. Compared to laparoscopy, HSG diagnosis, when made by at least two observers, revealed a sensitivity of 55.5%, a specificity of 75%, a positive predictive value of 77%, and a negative predictive value of 53%. In the presence of clinical pathologic uterosacral--US ligaments and/or sterility, the specificity of HSG may be 100%, but the sensitivity falls below the 40%. We concluded that in a population with chronic pelvic pain, HSG is not a first choice diagnostic tool. This examination only permits the identification of 1/3 of the patients with external endometriosis, being unable to exclude its presence. However, it may be useful in patients with infiltrative endometriosis of the US ligaments.

[Nursing leadership styles at a public institution of Fortaleza]. / Estilos de liderança da enfermeira numa instituição pública de Fortaleza.

In modern organizations leadership has been emphasized, since it is considered fundamental to the execution of the objectives of a company. It is through leadership that the ability of influencing the behavior of others is developed, facilitating the accomplishment of activities. The study has as its objective the investigation of the head nurse's leadership, considering the opinion of assistant nurses in four units of a public hospital. The study has shown that nurses who are in managerial position, present a leadership profile centered on the service and on individuals.

[Asymmetric septate uterus with unilateral menstrual retention. A rare uterine malformation]. / Utero septado assimétrico com retenção menstrual unilateral. Uma malformação uterina rara.

A case is reported of a patient with an asymmetric septate uterus and menstrual retention in the blind cavity localized on the right side of the septum. A review is made of the literature about this rare malformation first described by Robert, is made.