Dermatofilose em ovinos da raça Santa Inês no Distrito Federal / Dermatophylosis in Santa Inês sheep from Distrito Federal

Relataram-se quatro casos de dermatofilose em ovinos da raça Santa Inês, no período de um ano. Microscopicamente observaram-se filamentos na forma de "trilho de bonde" e zoósporos nos quatro casos. A tentativa do isolamento do microrganismo foi realizada por meio do método de Haalstra e em apenas um caso obteve-se sucesso, observando-se colônias de aparência lisa, formato circular, cor amarelada e hemolítica em ágar sangue. O exame direto com coloração de Gram mostrou-se um método bastante eficiente na confirmação da presença do microrganismo afetando a epiderme em razão da morfologia típica do agente.

Four cases of dermatophylosis were reported in Santa Inês sheep in a study period of one year. Microscopically, septate filaments and coccoid forms zoospores were observed. Attempts to isolate the microorganisms were accomplished using Haastra's method and it was successful in only one case. Dermatophilus congolensis samples have grown on blood agar, colonies where hemolytic, small, round and pigmentation vary from yellow to orange. The gram staining method was efficient to confirm the presence of the microorganism affecting the epidermis due to typical morphology of the agent.

Spectroscopic studies of coumarin in micelles.

Steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopic techniques have been employed to characterize the coumarin species and identify which species is solubilized in the hydrocarbon core micelles of triton X-100 (neutral), hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (cationic) and dodecyl lithium sulfate (anionic) solutions under physiological conditions at 77 K. The emission and absorption spectra for the following species of coumarin-monomer, hydrogenbonded complex, molecular aggregation and strong hydrophobic aggregates-were recorded in methylcyclohexane (MCH), ethanol, buffers and aqueous solutions. The fluorescence and phosphorescence emissions of monomer in MCH at 77 K are assigned as resulting from 1(pi, pi*)1 and 3(pi, pi*)1 states, respectively, originated from the ethylenic bond and carbonyl of the pyrone ring. Molecular orbital calculations using the Hydrogenic Atoms in Molecule, version 3, method were carried out to help interpretation of the spectroscopic results. The photophysical properties from each species are used to probe which species penetrates in the hydrophobic region of micelles. It was found that a fifth species of coumarin assigned as the "action species" is solubilized into the interior of micelles. These observations could lend some insight into the mechanism of transporting coumarins across the membrane.

Screening of the antimalarial activity of plants of the Cucurbitaceae family.

Crude ethanolic extracts (CEEs) from two species of Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbita maxima and Momordica charantia (commonly called "abóbora moranga" and "melão de São Caetano", respectively) were assayed for antimalarial activity by the 4-d suppressive test. The CEE of dry C. maxima seeds showed strong antimalarial activity following oral administration (250 and 500 mg/kg), reducing by 50% the levels of parasitemia in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Treatment of normal animals with 500 mg/kg of the extract three days before intravenous injection of P. berghei caused a significant 30% reduction in parasitemic levels. No effect was observed when the animals were treated with the CEE only on the day of inoculation. Oral administration of the CEE of dry M. charantia leaves administered orally was ineffective up to 500 mg/kg in lowering the parasitemic levels of malarious mice.

Photophysical studies of local anesthetics, tetracaine and procaine: drug aggregations.

The effects of solvent and concentration on the photophysical properties of tertiary amine local anesthetics, tetracaine and procaine were studied experimentally using low temperature (77 K) emission spectroscopy and confirmed theoretically using a HAM/3 method. For tetracaine free base in methylcyclohexane, a broad fluorescence band observed at approximately 375 nm for concentrations greater than 1 x 10(-3) M is assigned to the molecular self-associated species. The disappearance of this band in ethanol (i.e. a model hydrophobic environment) indicates a greater tendency of neutral tetracaine towards molecular hetero-association. In an aqueous solution of procaine.HCl, a broad emission band centered at approximately 400 nm is detected even at a concentration as low as 1 x 10(-4) M and is attributed to the charged aggregates of procaine.HCl. Two general observations for procaine, tetracaine and dibucaine are noted: (1) the monocation and free base local anesthetics in ethanol solutions give identical photophysical properties, suggesting that the monocation drug species in ethanol is H+ dissociative, and (2) the lowest singlet excited state of neutral local anesthetics is calculated to have a charge-transfer character originating from a non-bonding electron in the N of tertiary amine group to the pi orbital of aromatic ring. The possible pharmacological implications of the deprotonation, the drug aggregations and the charge-transfer excitations of local anesthetics on the molecular basis of anesthesia are discussed.

Screening for antimalarial activity in the genus Potomorphe.

Ethanolic extracts (CEE) of leaves from Potomorphe umbellata and Potomorphe peltata, popularly said to have antimalarial capacity, were submitted to the 4-day suppressive test in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. The CEE of P. umbellata administered either orally (250 and 1250 mg/kg) or subcutaneously (100 and 500 mg/kg) evidenced strong antimalarial activity, significantly reducing the levels of parasitaemia in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, the CEE of P. peltata was ineffective in lowering the parasitemic levels in malarious mice, which had been treated either orally (500 mg/kg) or subcutaneously (20, 100 and 500 mg/kg). An ethanol extract of the dry whole plant of P. peltata was also inactive.