Case report of Curtobacterium isolated from a catheter tip sample misidentified as Cronobacter.

The Curtobacterium genus is a member of the family Microbacteriaceae, and Curtobacterium species are recognized as plant pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate a dubious result of species identification for an infection located on a catheter tip of a patient with Covid-19. A strain isolated from a catheter tip sample, identified by VITEK® 2 as Cronobacter spp., was submitted to polyphasic analysis: Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) using VITEK® MS, real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting dnaG gene, and 16S rRNA full gene Sanger sequencing analysis for confirmation. The strain presented negative result using qPCR and could not identified by MALDI-TOF MS. 16S rRNA full gene Sanger sequencing analysis identified the strain as Curtobacterium spp. The Gram-variable characteristic (Gram-negative instead of Gram-positive) of the isolated strain was the responsible for the misidentification by VITEK® 2 and VITEK® MS did not identify the strain. 16S rRNA full gene sequencing analysis identified the strain as Curtobacterium genus, but other complementary techniques are necessary to identify at species level.

Short communication: Passive shedding of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in commercial dairy goats in Brazil.

Goat farming is a low-cost alternative to dairy production in developing countries. In Brazil, goat production has increased in recent years due in part to the implementation of programs encouraging this activity. Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis, a disease that causes chronic granulomatous enteritis in ruminants, but MAP transmission dynamics are still poorly understood in goats. In a previously published study of our research group, 10 dairy goat farms (467 animals) from Minas Gerais state were analyzed for MAP detection; 2 fecal cultures and 11 milk samples tested positive for MAP by conventional PCR and were confirmed by sequencing. Because no clinical signs were observed over 1 yr of monitoring, we hypothesized that these MAP-positive goats could be passive shedders. Thus, in the present study, 4 positive goats (4/13) from the previous study were purchased and feces and milk samples were collected for evaluation (twice, with an interval of 3 mo between tests) by culture of MAP, IS900 PCR, or both. All analyses were negative for MAP. At the last time point, blood samples were collected for ELISA, the animals were killed, and tissues collected for tissue culture and histopathology. At necropsy, no macroscopic lesions related to paratuberculosis were observed. Similarly, no histological changes were observed and MAP in samples stained by Ziehl-Neelsen was not detected. These animals were characterized as potential passive shedders with upward contamination of the teat canal by MAP. This is the first report of the passive shedding phenomenon in goats in Brazil and it highlights the importance of identifying these animals for control programs and to ensure the quality of dairy products.

Proteolytic system of Bacillus sp. CL18 is capable of extensive feather degradation and hydrolysis of diverse protein substrates.

1. Feathers are recalcitrant protein-rich wastes produced in huge amounts by poultry processing for meat production. Hence, feather bioconversion and protease production by Bacillus sp. CL18 were investigated. 2. Bacillus sp. CL18 demonstrated a remarkable feather-degrading potential. Through cultivations on feather broth (10 g l-1 feathers), 94.5% ± 3% of whole feathers were degraded after 4 d. Increases in soluble protein contents were observed and protease production was maximal also at d 4. This strain produced diverse proteolytic enzymes during growth. 3. Crude protease displayed optimal activity at 55°C (50-62°C), pH 8.0 (7.0-9.0) and a low thermal stability. Proteolytic activity increased in the presence of Ca2+, Mg2+, Triton X-100, Tween 20 and dimethyl sulphoxide. Inhibition profile indicated that crude protease contains, mainly, serine proteases. Enzyme preparation hydrolysed mainly casein and soy protein isolate. 4. The keratinolytic capacity of Bacillus sp. CL18 at moderate temperatures (30°C) might be appropriate for feather conversion, resulting in protein hydrolysates and proteolytic enzymes. Proteases are postulated to be added-value products that can be obtained from such a bioprocess.

Cuidados básicos de saúde e repercussões em Pediatria / Basic health care and repercussion in child

A OMS recomenda combater a morbimortalidade em Pediatria através de cinco principais ações básicas: incentivo ao aleitamento materno, imunoprevenção, monitorização do crescimento e desenvolvimento, controle de infecções respiratórias, diarreias e terapia de reidratação. Objetivo: Identificar eventuais situações relacionadas aos cuidados básicos de saúde determinados pela OMS, a partir da hospitalização de crianças. Material e métodos: Análise de variáveis relacionadas a crianças hospitalizadas, através de um questionário aplicado às mães. Resultados: Dentre as crianças internadas prevaleceram lactentes e pré-escolares, desnutridos, filhos de mães jovens e com baixa escolaridade, com infecções respiratórias e sem aleitamento materno satisfatório. Houve também falha da imunoprevenção e da assistência pré-natal. Conclusões: Infecções respiratórias guardam estreita relação com a necessidade de hospitalizações em Pediatria. Aleitamento materno insatisfatório foi a principal falha observada.

Anthropometric methods for obesity screening in schoolchildren: the Ouro Preto Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Childhood obesity is increasing dramatically in last decades. To evaluate the usefulness of body mass index (BMI), skinfold thickness (ST), waist circumference (WC), and foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance (BIA-FF) for screening for obesity in mixed-race population, using the tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance (BIA-T) technique as reference method. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional-based population study was performed in the city of Ouro Preto, Brazil, in 2006. Schoolchildren aged 6-15 years (n = 788) was randomly selected according to age and sex stratified by the proportion of students in each schools of the city. Nonparametric receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to define the sensitivity and specificity for each method studied using the tetrapolar method as reference. The BMI and the BIA-FF were the most suitable for adiposity screening in pre-pubertal and pubertal stages because they present a better balance between sensitivity and specificity, and smaller misclassification. For post-pubertal boys, the BF-ST-D was the best body fat assessment method. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that BIA-FF and BMI are choice methods for obesity screening in mixed population and that the method choice for body fat screening must be done according to sexual maturity of boys and girls. The present study demonstrates the need to perform studies in wider mixed-race population to determine anthropometric parameters and to examine the predictive ability of methods and cut-offs here elucidated in the development of obesity.

Gene trio signatures as molecular markers to predict response to doxorubicin cyclophosphamide neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancerpatients

In breast cancer patients submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (4 cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, AC), expression of groups of three genes (gene trio signatures) could distinguish responsive from non-responsive tumors, as demonstrated by cDNA microarray profiling in a previous study by our group. In the current study, we determined if the expression of the same genes would retain the predictive strength, when analyzed by a more accessible technique (real-time RT-PCR). We evaluated 28 samples already analyzed by cDNA microarray, as a technical validation procedure, and 14 tumors, as an independent biological validation set. All patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (4 AC). Among five trio combinations previously identified, defined by nine genes individually investigated (BZRP, CLPTM1,MTSS1, NOTCH1, NUP210, PRSS11, RPL37A, SMYD2, and XLHSRF-1), the most accurate were established by RPL37A, XLHSRF-1based trios, with NOTCH1 or NUP210. Both trios correctly separated 86 percent of tumors (87 percent sensitivity and 80 percent specificity for predicting response), according to their response to chemotherapy (82 percent in a leave-one-out cross-validation method). Using the pre-established features obtained by linear discriminant analysis, 71 percent samples from the biological validation set were also correctly classified by both trios (72 percent sensitivity; 66 percent specificity). Furthermore, we explored other gene combinations to achieve a higher accuracy in the technical validation group (as a training set). A new trio, MTSS1, RPL37 and SMYD2, correctly classified 93 percent of samples from the technical validation group (95 percent sensitivity and 80 percent specificity; 86 percent accuracy by the cross-validation method) and 79 percent from the biological validation group (72 percent sensitivity and 100 percent specificity). Therefore, the combined expression of MTSS1, RPL37 and SMYD2, as evaluated by real-time RT-PCR, is a potential candidate to predict response to neoadjuvant doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in breast cancer patients.

Gene trio signatures as molecular markers to predict response to doxorubicin cyclophosphamide neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

In breast cancer patients submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (4 cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, AC), expression of groups of three genes (gene trio signatures) could distinguish responsive from non-responsive tumors, as demonstrated by cDNA microarray profiling in a previous study by our group. In the current study, we determined if the expression of the same genes would retain the predictive strength, when analyzed by a more accessible technique (real-time RT-PCR). We evaluated 28 samples already analyzed by cDNA microarray, as a technical validation procedure, and 14 tumors, as an independent biological validation set. All patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (4 AC). Among five trio combinations previously identified, defined by nine genes individually investigated (BZRP, CLPTM1, MTSS1, NOTCH1, NUP210, PRSS11, RPL37A, SMYD2, and XLHSRF-1), the most accurate were established by RPL37A, XLHSRF-1 based trios, with NOTCH1 or NUP210. Both trios correctly separated 86% of tumors (87% sensitivity and 80% specificity for predicting response), according to their response to chemotherapy (82% in a leave-one-out cross-validation method). Using the pre-established features obtained by linear discriminant analysis, 71% samples from the biological validation set were also correctly classified by both trios (72% sensitivity; 66% specificity). Furthermore, we explored other gene combinations to achieve a higher accuracy in the technical validation group (as a training set). A new trio, MTSS1, RPL37 and SMYD2, correctly classified 93% of samples from the technical validation group (95% sensitivity and 80% specificity; 86% accuracy by the cross-validation method) and 79% from the biological validation group (72% sensitivity and 100% specificity). Therefore, the combined expression of MTSS1, RPL37 and SMYD2, as evaluated by real-time RT-PCR, is a potential candidate to predict response to neoadjuvant doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in breast cancer patients.

Pneumotórax espontâneo e câncer de mamam / Spontaneous pneumothorax and breast cancer

Pneumotórax espontâneo (PE) concomitante às doenças neoplásicas é incomum. Destas, as que mais se associam ao PE säo o câncer de pulmäo e o sarcoma osteogênico com metástases pulmonares. Objetivo. O presente artigo tem o intuito de registrar a ocorrência de PE relacionado a neoplasia de mama e discutir os principais fatores etiopatogênicos envolvidos no evento. Material e Métodos. Os autores descrevem caso de mulher com 43 anos, parda, näo tabagista e protadora de carcinoma ductal infiltrante de mama esquerda, com metástases pulmonares disseminadas bilateralmente. O PE ocorreu na vigência de poliquimioterapia e näo pode ser relacionado a outras causas. Conclusäo. Embora o pulmäo apresente metástases conseqüentes a neoplasia mamária em até 60 por cento dos casos, a coexistência de PE e carcinoma de mama é muito rara. Em revisäo de literatura dos últimos cinco anos, näo se encontraram relatos desta concomitância. Quanto à etiopatogenia do pneumotórax, acredita-se que os fatores relacionados ao episódio sejam múltimos, e os autores fazem comentários a respeito

[Spontaneous pneumothorax and breast cancer]. / Pneumotórax espontâneo e câncer de mama.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumothorax with concomitant neoplastic diseases is unusual. Lung cancer and osteogenic sarcoma with pulmonary metastasis are the neoplasms that most frequently accompany the spontaneous pneumothorax. This article's purposes are to relate the occurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax associated with breast neoplasms and to discuss the main etiopathogenic factors involved in the process. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors report a case of a 43-year-old black woman carrier of a left breast ductal carcinoma with bilateral pulmonary metastasis. Spontaneous pneumothorax appeared during multidrug chemotherapy, so it cannot be related to other causes. CONCLUSIONS: Even though breast neoplasms cause lung metastases in about 60% of the cases, the coexistence of spontaneous pneumothorax and breast carcinoma is very rare. There was no report of this topic in the medical literature review during the last five years. The authors believe and discuss the multiple pneumothorax etiopathogenic factors related to this case.

Biomonitoring of nurses handling antineoplastic drugs.

The micronuclei analysis in exfoliated cells of the buccal cavity was employed in the cytogenetic monitoring of nurses handling antineoplastic drugs. The group under study consisted of 25 subjects who showed a marked increase in micronucleated cells as compared with the control group (Chi-square = 15.12, with one degree of freedom, P < 0.001).

Caracterizacao do risco e suplementacao alimentar em um programa de puericultura. / High risk children and supplemented food in puericulture programs

Os autores estudam 69 criancas de "maior risco" seguidas no Centro Medico Social Comunitario de Vila Lobato no ano de 1979.Define-se como "maior risco" as criancas que nao apresentam um desempenho satisfatorio do ponto de vista de puericultura.Suas familias tinham uma composicao media de 7,5 pessoas por familia, envolvendo um total de 522 pessoas. Foram analisadas: idade materna, seguimento de pre-natal tipo parto e relacao da crianca na irmandade Concluiram que: 1) A caracteristica demografica/sexo nao auxilia na caracterizacao das criancas de "maior risco". 2) As criancas de cor nao branca tem maior probabilidade de apresentar um desempenho nao satisfatorio no ambulatorio de puericultura; 3) A introducao precoce da mamadeira evidencia-se como uma das caracteristicas das criancas de "maior risco". 4) A mamadeira nao foi causa de desmame precoce pois 39 criancas (56,2%) com a idade de um ano ainda permaneciam em aleitamento misto; 5) A analise das condicoes socio-economicas sanitarias nos levou a ampliar o nosso conceito de " criancas de maior risco" para "familia de alto risco"

Meningite bacteriana e colecao subdural. / Bacterial meningitis and subdural collection

Meningite bacteriana aguda e colecao subdural, embora muito tenha sido publicado sobre a materia, permanecem como um quadro capaz de levar a graves sequelas neurologicas. Entretanto com o advento da tomografia computadorizada cerebral, o diagnostico pode ser precoce, mas a diversidade dos tratamentos propostas dificulta a sua resolucao. E discutida a literatura quanto ao diagnostico e conduta terapeutica da associacao meningite bacteriana aguda e colecao sub-dural na infancia. Sao revistos 10 casos desta associacao

Sindrome neuroftalmologico do aqueduto de Sylvius. A proposito de 2 casos / Neuro-ophalmological syndrome of the aqueduct of Sylvius. Apropos of 2 cases

Os autores apresentam dois casos de sindrome neuroftalmologica do aqueduto de Sylvius, fazendo uma revisao de sua etiologia e de sua fisiopatologia