Ursolic acid-rich extract presents trypanocidal action in vitro but worsens mice under experimental acute Chagas disease.

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease with only two drugs available for treatment and the plant Cecropia pachystachya has several compounds with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to evaluate a supercritical extract from C. pachystachya leaves in vitro and in vivo against Trypanosoma cruzi. A supercritical CO2 extraction was used to obtain the extract (CPE). Cytotoxicity and immunostimulation ability were evaluated in macrophages, and the in vitro trypanocidal activity was evaluated against epimastigotes and trypomastigotes forms. In vivo tests were done by infecting BALB/c mice with blood trypomastigotes forms and treating animals orally with CPE for 10 days. The parasitemia, survival rate, weight, cytokines and nitric oxide dosage were evaluated. CPE demonstrated an effect on the epi and trypomastigotes forms of the parasite (IC50 17.90 ± 1.2 µg/mL; LC50 26.73 ± 1.2 µg/mL) and no changes in macrophages viability, resulting in a selectivity index similar to the reference drug. CPE-treated animals had a worsening compared to non-treated, demonstrated by higher parasitemia and lower survival rate. This result was attributed to the anti-inflammatory effect of CPE, demonstrated by the higher IL-10 and IL-4 values observed in the treated mice compared to the control ones. CPE demonstrated a trypanocidal effect in vitro and a worsening in the in vivo infection due to its anti-inflammatory activity.

Hepatitis B prophylaxis in newborns: A cross-sectional study of 7-year attendance in a public hospital of Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Children with vertically transmitted hepatitis B virus develop chronic infection up to 90% of the time. This study aimed to verify the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in pregnant patients treated in a Brazilian public hospital and analyze the prophylactic measures in newborns. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted by collcting data in the electronic charts of patients who attended the obstetric and maternity departments, from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2016, and evaluating the results of pregnant women's HBsAg, prophylaxis in newborns, and clinical follow-up. The data were tabulated and analyzed using Microsoft Excel software. RESULTS: Among the 7,763 participating patients, 109 were reactive to HBsAg, and 3 were indeterminate. However, only 28 had correct information on HBV prophylaxis with the parturient and newborn in the chart, and only 16 completed the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the HBsAg-positive pregnant women (75%) did not have prophylactic information in the charts, and almost 50% of the pregnant women and newborns who had appropriate prophylaxis did not return for medical follow-up. Failure of prophylaxis can promote vertical/perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus in newborns of mothers who are HBsAg positive.

Masticatory muscle activity evaluation by electromyography in subjects with zygomatic implants.

BACKGROUND: Zygomatic implants are an alternative treatment in the rehabilitation of atrophic maxilla to promote stability in the stomatognathic system. The aim of this study was to compare the electromyographic (EMG) activity of masseter and temporalis muscles in controls and in individuals with complete implant-supported dentures anchored in the zygomatic bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-four volunteers of both genders (mean age 52.5 years) were selected and distributed into two groups: Individuals with zygomatic implant (ZIG; n=27) and fully dentate patients (CG; n=27). MyoSystem-BR1 was used to assess masseter and temporalis muscles EMG activity in different mandibular movements: protrusion, clenching, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) with Parafilm M®, right and left laterality and chewing (peanuts and raisins). Data was processed, normalized (MVC) and analyzed using the SPSS 21.0. Student t-test (P ≤ 0.05) was used for group comparison. RESULTS: The results were statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) for protrusion, clenching, right and left laterality and raisin chewing. For the mandibular posture conditions, the ZIG obtained higher EMG activity patterns when compared to CG. For the masticatory performance during chewing of peanuts and raisins, the ZIG showed higher EMG mean values when compared to CG. CONCLUSIONS: The zygomatic implant promoted an active response of the muscle fibers (hyperactivity) during both mandibular posture and chewing conditions, probably due to the absence of periodontal receptors, which play a significant role for preparing a bolus for swallowing.