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INTRODUCTION: Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogen that causes â¼15% mortality in AIDS patients. Rio Grande City, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, has the highest national rate of HIV/AIDS, considering cities with population more than 100,000 habitants. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of cryptococcosis in a reference service for HIV-AIDS patients in the South region of Brazil, over seven years. Material and methods A retrospective study was performed including all cryptococcosis cases diagnosed at the University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande (UH-FURG) between January 2010 and December 2016. RESULTS: Seventy cases of cryptococcosis were diagnosis from 2010 to 2016 in the UH-FURG in the seven years of the study. These numbers were responsible for 2.1% to 8.1% of the hospitalizations/year for HIV patients. All were caused by C. neoformans infection (95% C. neoformans var. grubii VNI and 5% C. neoformans var. grubii VNII). Neurocryptococcosis was the major clinical manifestation and cryptococcosis was the HIV- defining condition in 40% of patients. The period of hospitalization was an average of 39.3 days (SD=31.3), and more than half of patients (53%; 37/70) died after a mean of 82 days. DISCUSSION: The present study showed the importance of cryptococcosis as an AIDS-defining disease in HIV-AIDS patients in a tertiary hospital from Southern Brazil. More investment is necessary to reduce the impact of this opportunistic mycosis in HIV-AIDS patients from southern Brazil.
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Infecciones Oportunistas Relacionadas con el SIDA/epidemiología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/epidemiología , Criptococosis/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiología , Infecciones Oportunistas Relacionadas con el SIDA/microbiología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/complicaciones , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/microbiología , Adulto , Anciano , Brasil/epidemiología , Criptococosis/complicaciones , Criptococosis/microbiología , Cryptococcus neoformans/aislamiento & purificación , Femenino , VIH , Infecciones por VIH/complicaciones , Infecciones por VIH/microbiología , Hospitalización/estadística & datos numéricos , Humanos , Masculino , Meningitis Fúngica/epidemiología , Meningitis Fúngica/etiología , Meningitis Fúngica/microbiología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Prevalencia , Estudios Retrospectivos , Análisis de Supervivencia , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Pesticides are used in large amounts in agriculture and the evaluation of their toxic effects is of major concern to public and environmental health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genotoxic potential of a commercial formulation of the fungicide mancozeb by the micronucleus test in bone marrow and the comet assay in total blood of Wistar rats. Adult male Wistar rats were treated with a solution of mancozeb at a concentration of 40 mg/kg/day, administered intraperitoneally for 18 consecutive days, and compared to a control group. The results indicate that mancozeb induced significantly higher DNA damage as detected by the comet assay and increased the frequency of micronuclei. The results show that mancozeb is genotoxic and may adversely affect the DNA integrity of exposed organisms.
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Daño del ADN , Ditiocarba/toxicidad , Maneb/toxicidad , Zineb/toxicidad , Animales , Recuento de Eritrocitos , Eritrocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Eritrocitos/metabolismo , Masculino , Micronúcleos con Defecto Cromosómico/efectos de los fármacos , Pruebas de Micronúcleos , Ratas WistarRESUMEN
Electronic excitation and ionic dissociation of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethyldisulfide (DMDS) have been studied around the S 2p edge using synchrotron radiation and time-of-flight mass spectrometry techniques. Mass spectra were obtained for both molecules, below, on and above the well defined resonances observed in the S 2p photoabsorption spectrum and centered at approximately 166 eV photon energy. Ab initio IS-CASSCF calculations were performed for a better understanding of the photoabsorption spectra. Similar calculations were also performed for the H(2)S molecule, in order to establish a bench mark. For both molecules, a higher fragmentation degree is observed with increasing photon energy. In the DMDS case, selective fragmentation was observed in the formation of the [CH(n)S](+) ions at the first S 2p resonance (corresponding to excitation to a σ*SS state) and in the formation of the [S(2)](+) and [S](+) ions at the third S 2p resonance (corresponding to excitation to a σ*CS state). Previously unreported doubly charged ([S](2+), [CH(3)](2+)) are observed for DMS and DMDS.
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Disulfuros/química , Electrones , Sulfuros/química , Absorción , Espectrometría de Masas , Modelos Moleculares , Conformación Molecular , Teoría CuánticaRESUMEN
The electronic and structural properties of an (8, 0) single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) with a single vacancy and interacting with a Si atom are studied using first principles calculations based on the density-functional theory. Initially, the Si atom is positioned in the site above the vacancy, with its position fixed until the nanotube geometry is fully relaxed. After that, the Si atom approaches the tube and it is shown that one C atom is displaced outwards forming a bump. The final configuration, as well as each step of the process, is studied in detail and the resulting band structures and the total charge densities are systematically analysed.
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ATP diphosphohydrolase is an enzyme described in platelets and may be related to the control of ADP-dependent platelet aggregation. Platelet aggregation in atherosclerotic coronary arteries, and the release of platelet-derived factors, play an important role in coronary artery disease syndromes. In this study, we determined the activity of ATP diphosphohydrolase in platelets from patients with chronic and acute coronary artery disease syndromes and healthy persons. The following groups were studied: healthy persons (group I), patients with chronic heart disease (group II) and acute heart disease (group III). Results did not demonstrate differences between the groups studied. The control group demonstrated a lower range of enzyme activity. The patients from groups II and III had ingested drugs with actions upon the cardiovascular system and the effect, in vitro, of these drugs upon the ATP diphosphohydrolase activity in human platelets was also investigated. The in vitro experiments demonstrated that 2.0 mM acetylsalicylic acid inhibited ATP hydrolysis by human platelets by approximately 55%. Significant correlation was observed between ADP hydrolysis and glucose blood levels in the control group and between ATP hydrolysis and triglycerides in the group II. These results contribute to our understanding of a possible relationship between ATP diphosphohydrolase and thrombogenesis.
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Apirasa/metabolismo , Plaquetas/enzimología , Enfermedad de la Arteria Coronaria/sangre , Enfermedad Aguda , Adulto , Anciano , Apirasa/antagonistas & inhibidores , Aspirina/farmacología , Glucemia , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Enfermedad Crónica , Enfermedad de la Arteria Coronaria/etiología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Trombosis/etiología , Triglicéridos/sangreRESUMEN
We have analyzed the mating activity of F1 flies in mating chamber from five samples of wild Drosophila willistoni females. The files were collected from an area (in south Brazil) that has well-defined seasons and considerable variation in temperature and in the abundance of drosophilids. We estimated copulation frequency at first five minutes of observation, copulation frequency at ninety minutes of observation and copulation latency. We did not observe differences in the total copulation frequency throughout seasons, as opposed to copulation frequency in the beginning of the observation period and to copulation latency which varied significantly. The results show that mating activity in a natural population can vary along with the seasons and that this variation can be correlated to some environmental factor. Mating activity tended to be higher during high warm temperature periods, when the flies were abundant.
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Drosophila/fisiología , Conducta Sexual Animal , Animales , Ambiente , Femenino , Masculino , Estaciones del Año , Temperatura , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
A case of severe lateral luxation and root fracture in upper incisors is reported. Treatment involved the repositioning and fixation of the injured teeth and endodontic treatment with calcium hydroxide. The importance of long-term follow-up is emphasized.
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Incisivo/lesiones , Avulsión de Diente/terapia , Fracturas de los Dientes/terapia , Raíz del Diente/lesiones , Hidróxido de Calcio , Niño , Resinas Compuestas , Necrosis de la Pulpa Dental/etiología , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Masculino , Maxilar , Tratamiento del Conducto Radicular , Férulas (Fijadores) , Avulsión de Diente/complicacionesRESUMEN
The phylogenetic distribution of transposable families, P, gypsy, hobo, I, and mariner has been analyzed in 33 species of 11 groups of neotropical Drosophila and a Drosophilidae species Zygotrica vittimaculosa, using squash blot and dot blot. Genomic DNA of almost all neotropical species tested hybridized with gypsy probe and some species showed a particularly strong hybridization signal, as D. gaucha, D. virilis, and species of flavopilosa group. The hobo element was restricted to melanogaster group and some strains of D. willistoni. Only D. simulans DNA showed hybridization to mariner probe in all species tested and D. simulans and D. melanogaster showed hybridization with I element probe. P element homologous sequence was present in D. melanogaster and all species and strains of the willistoni and saltans groups tested. The presence of at least one P-homologous sequence was detected in Drosophila mediopunctata. This one was the only P-bearing species of all six tested from the tripunctata group. Four different pairs of primers homologous to segments of the canonical sequence of D. melanogaster's P were used to amplify specific sequences from D. mediopunctata DNA, showing the occurrence of seemingly well-conserved P-homologous sequences.
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Elementos Transponibles de ADN , Drosophila/genética , Animales , Drosophila/clasificación , Evolución Molecular , Filogenia , Reacción en Cadena de la PolimerasaRESUMEN
Aluminum chloride (AlCl3), a neurotoxic compound, inhibited ATP diphosphohydrolase activity of synaptosomes obtained from cerebral cortex of adult rats. The metal ion significantly inhibited ATPase and ADPase activities of the enzyme at all concentrations tested in vitro (0.01, 0.05, 0.5, 5, and 10 mM) in the presence of 1.5 mM calcium. When tested in the absence of Ca2+, and with increasing amounts of Al3+, enzyme activity remained below basal levels, suggesting that the trivalent cation Al3+ is not a substitute for the divalent cation Ca2+ in ATP-Ca2+ and ADP-Ca2+ complexes. The Al3+ inhibition was competitive with respect to Ca2+. The enzyme inhibition was reversed by the addition of deferoxamine (DFO). NaF significantly inhibited ATP diphosphohydrolase activity, and this inhibition was reversed by the addition of Ca2+ to the medium. Such inhibition was not potentiated by AlF4, which is an inhibitor of cation-transport ATPases.