Evaluation of antibacterial and antifungal activity of antimicrobial soaps.

Soaps play an important role in our hygiene and health, as they not only have a bactericidal effect but also remove dirt from the human body. To evaluate the effectiveness of soaps with antimicrobial activity from different commercial brands sold in Brazil. Tests of the antimicrobial activity of different soaps were carried out through diffusion in agar against the microorganisms Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Proteus mirabilis, and Candida albicans. All commercial soaps tested transfer antimicrobial inhibition halo formation against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa bacteria. Only two commercial soaps inhibit the species A. baumannii and C. albicans. None of the seven products studied showed inhibition of E. cloacae, P. mirabilis, and E. coli bacteria. When comparing the information contained in the packaging of the products with the results obtained during a survey, divergences were observed. The soaps that provide greater efficiency against the tested microorganisms were presented in presentations 1 and 2, which become useful against the bacteria species S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii and a fungus species C. albicans. Marks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 parallel the same sensitivity result opposite as bacteria of the species S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, with quantitative variation only of the inhibition halo. There was a divergence between the information contained in the packaging of the seven products under study and the results of the experimental tests.

Effect of exercise on cardiovascular parameters in search and rescue-trained dogs / Efeito do exercício sobre parâmetros cardiovasculares em cães em treinamento de busca, resgate e salvamento

Physical activity alters the cardiovascular system of dogs, depending on the exercise characteristics and the animal's physical conditioning. Little is known about the cardiovascular changes in rescue-trained dogs. This study evaluated the cardiovascular responses to a search and rescue exercise session to differentiate these alterations from cases of exhaustion or some possible pathology. Nine healthy rescue-trained dogs that trained for at least one year were used. Seven German Shepherds and two Belgian Shepherd Malinois were evaluated twice, immediately before exercise (M0) and immediately after a 20-minute training (M1). Electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and systemic blood pressure (SBP) measurements were performed at each evaluation. Heart rate was evaluated in three moments, M0, M1 and five minutes after the end of the physical activity (M2). The results indicated that training increased oxygen demand and significantly increased cardiac output, left ventricular volume in diastole and aortic artery diameter, and the contraction force with the increased mitral annular motion without impairing systolic and diastolic cardiac functions. Heart rate values immediately and five minutes after exercise were similar to baseline values. Training did not alter SBP and the electrocardiographic parameters. The present study indicated good cardiac performance to the physical effort of rescue-trained dogs and reduced the chances of poor performance and the occurrence of sudden death caused by exercise in response to the pattern of activity performed.(AU)

A atividade física acarreta diversas mudanças no sistema cardiovascular dos cães, dependendo das características do exercício realizado e do condicionamento físico do animal. Pouco se sabe sobre as alterações cardiovasculares causadas pelo treinamento de busca, resgate e salvamento. Objetivou-se, com este estudo, avaliar as respostas cardiovasculares após uma sessão desse tipo de treino, a fim de diferenciar essas alterações de casos de exaustão ou de alguma possível patologia. Foram utilizados nove cães saudáveis em treinamento de busca, resgate e salvamento há pelo menos um ano, sendo sete da raça Pastor Alemão e dois da raça Pastor Belga Malinois. Os cães foram submetidos a dois momentos de avaliação: M0 imediatamente antes do exercício e M1 imediatamente após um treinamento de 20 minutos. Em cada avaliação, foram realizados os exames eletrocardiográfico e ecocardiográfico e a aferição da pressão arterial sistólica sistêmica. Apenas a frequência cardíaca foi avaliada em três momentos, em M0, M1 e após cinco minutos do término da atividade física (M2). Os resultados obtidos indicam que o treinamento causa um aumento na demanda de oxigênio, provocando um aumento significativo no débito cardíaco, no volume ventricular esquerdo em diástole e no diâmetro da artéria aorta, assim como um aumento em um dos parâmetros de contratilidade cardíaca (movimento anular de mitral), sem causar prejuízo às funções cardíacas sistólicas e diastólicas. Os valores da FC imediatamente após e cinco minutos após o exercício foram similares aos valores basais. A PASS e os parâmetros eletrocardiográficos não se alteraram após o treinamento. Os achados encontrados indicam um bom desempenho cardíaco ao esforço físico dos cães de busca, resgate e salvamento, reduzindo-se as chances de má performance e de ocorrência de morte súbita causada pelo exercício, em resposta ao padrão da atividade realizada.(AU)

Echocardiographic parameters in dogs treated with acepromazine and fentanyl / Parâmetros ecocardiográficos em cães tratados com acepromazina e fentanil

Considering that the use of tranquillizers could optimize the performance of the echocardiogram, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of protocols with acepromazine and fentanyl on the echocardiographic parameters of healthy dogs, besides their effect in systolic blood pressure (SBP), respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), time spent for examination and sedation scale. Ten adult dogs were submitted to different tranquilizing protocols 20 minutes before the echocardiographic examination, totalling five treatments for each pair, performed at seven-day intervals between evaluations. The treatments were CT (control treatment), IAT (intramuscular acepromazine), OAT (oral acepromazine), FT (fentanyl) and AFT (acepromazine associated with fentanyl). In addition to the echocardiographic evaluation, SBP, degree of reassurance, duration of the exam, HR and RR in the different protocols were evaluated. There was a significant decrease of SBP in OAT. There was a significant reduction in left ventricular diameter during systole and diastole and mitral annular movement in IAT, OAT and AFT, compared with CT. There was a decrease in tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and increase in mitral E/mitral A ratio in IAT and OAT when compared with CT. All the tranquillizer protocols studied were found to significantly reduce HR, that facilitated the echocardiographic examination.(AU)

Considerando que o uso de tranquilizantes poderia otimizar a realização do ecocardiograma, objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar o efeito da tranquilização com acepromazina e fentanil sobre os parâmetros ecocardiográficos em cães saudáveis, bem como o efeito na pressão arterial sistólica (PAS), na frequência respiratória (FR), na frequência cardíaca (FC), no tempo gasto para a realização do exame e na escala de sedação. Dez cães adultos foram submetidos a diferentes protocolos tranquilizantes, 20 minutos antes da avaliação ecocardiográfica, totalizando cinco tratamentos para cada dupla, realizados com intervalos de sete dias entre as avaliações. Os tratamentos foram: TC (tratamento controle), TAI (acepromazina intramuscular), TAO (acepromazina oral), TF (fentanil) e TAF (acepromazina associada ao fentanil). Além dos parâmetros ecocardiográficos, foram avaliados a PAS, o grau de tranquilização, o tempo de duração do exame e a FC e a FR nos diferentes protocolos. Houve diminuição significativa da PAS no TAO. Observou-se redução significativa do diâmetro do ventrículo esquerdo em sístole e diástole e do movimento anular de mitral nos protocolos TAI, TAO e TAF, comparados com o TC. Observou-se também uma redução da excursão sistólica do plano anular tricúspide e aumento da relação mitral E/mitral A nos protocolos TAI e TAO quando comparados ao TC. Todos os protocolos de tranquilização reduziram significativamente a FC, o que facilitou a realização do exame.(AU)

Hyptis pectinata essential oil: chemical composition and anti-Streptococcus mutans activity.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-Streptococcus mutans activity of Hyptis pectinata essential oil, and present its promising potential against oral diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The essential oil of H. pectinata was obtained by hydrodistillation from dried leaves and analyzed by GC / MS. The effectiveness of this essential oil regarding the antimicrobial activity against several S. mutans strains was investigated by the agar diffusion and microdilution methods, and chlorohexidine was used as a standard control. RESULTS: The H. pectinata essential oil exhibited considerable inhibitory effect against either all the clinical isolates obtained from patients' saliva or the ATCC strains tested, with minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of 200 microg ml(-1). The study also compared the efficiency of the emulsifying agents Tween 20, Tween 80, dimethyl sulfoxide and propylene glycol in H. pectinata essential oil when tested against S. mutans. The data obtained confirmed the better inhibitory effect of the oil when using all tested diluents, although Tween 80 seemed to be more suitable for emulsification. CONCLUSION: According to our results, H. pectinata essential oil can be considered a promising alternative to chlorhexidine for the control of oral bacteria-related diseases and hygiene.

Antifungal activity of Brazilian medicinal plants involved in popular treatment of mycoses.

A survey of medicinal plants used to treat common mycoses was done in the Curituba district, Sergipe State, Brazil. One hundred inhabitants were interviewed by health agents and traditional healers. Four different plants were the most cited (more than 50% of the citations): Ziziphus joazeiro, Caesalpinia pyramidalis, Bumelia sartorum and Hymenea courbaril. The aqueous extracts obtained following traditional methods and using different parts of these plants, were submitted to drop agar diffusion tests for primary antimicrobial screening. Only the water infusion extract of Ziziphus joazeiro and Caesalpinea pyramidalis presented a significant antifungal activity against Trichophyton rubrum, Candida guilliermondii, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Fonsecaea pedrosoi, when compared to the antifungal agent amphotericin B. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the bioactive extracts was evaluated by the microdilution method. Best activity with a MIC of 6.5 microg/ml for both extracts was observed against Trichophyton rubrum and Candida guilliermondii. Ziziphus joazeiro and Caesalpinea pyramidalis extracts presented also low acute toxicity in murine models. The present study validates the folk use of these plant extracts and indicates that they can be effective potential candidates for the development of new strategies to treat fungal infections.

Isolation of Neospora caninum from the brain of a naturally infected dog, and production of encysted bradyzoites in gerbils.

Neospora caninum was isolated from the brain of an adult dog in Brazil. Cerebral tissue from the dog was inoculated into Mongolian gerbils. Gerbils were euthanized 3-4 months later and bradyzoite-containing tissue cysts were observed in their brains. N. caninum (designated NC-Bahia) was isolated in cell culture after inoculation with tissue cysts from the gerbils. The identity of the parasite was confirmed by immunohistochemical examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Gerbils may be a useful alternative to immunosuppressed mice for isolation of N. caninum and for production of encysted bradyzoites.