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Gobionellus stomatus, a fish species endemic to Brazil, was previously known to occur from the State of Piauí to the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Here we present the first record of this species for the State of Maranhão, specifically for the Upaon-Açu island, extending its distribution further west, to the coastal zone of the Amazon region. This species inhabits estuarine ecosystems susceptible to environmental pressures, such as pollution and the introduction of non-native species. Despite G. stomatus being classified as of least concern for conservation, it is crucial to highlight potential risks associated with human activities in these environments, emphasizing the importance of preservation measures to mitigate future impacts on the populations of this species, as well as of other estuarine gobies.

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BACKGROUND: Spinal ventral root avulsion results in massive motoneuron degeneration with poor prognosis and high costs. In this study, we compared different isoforms of basic fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), overexpressed in stably transfected Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), following motor root avulsion and repair with a heterologous fibrin biopolymer (HFB). METHODS: In the present work, hESCs bioengineered to overexpress 18, 23, and 31 kD isoforms of FGF2, were used in combination with reimplantation of the avulsed roots using HFB. Statistical analysis was conducted using GraphPad Prism software with one-way or two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey's or Dunnett's multiple comparison tests. Significance was set at *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, and ****p < 0.0001. RESULTS: For the first set of experiments, rats underwent avulsion of the ventral roots with local administration of HFB and engraftment of hESCs expressing the above-mentioned FGF2 isoforms. Analysis of motoneuron survival, glial reaction, and synaptic coverage, two weeks after the lesion, indicated that therapy with hESCs overexpressing 31 kD FGF2 was the most effective. Consequently, the second set of experiments was performed with that isoform, so that ventral root avulsion was followed by direct spinal cord reimplantation. Motoneuron survival, glial reaction, synaptic coverage, and gene expression were analyzed 2 weeks post-lesion; while the functional recovery was evaluated by the walking track test and von Frey test for 12 weeks. We showed that engraftment of hESCs led to significant neuroprotection, coupled with immunomodulation, attenuation of astrogliosis, and preservation of inputs to the rescued motoneurons. Behaviorally, the 31 kD FGF2 - hESC therapy enhanced both motor and sensory recovery. CONCLUSION: Transgenic hESCs were an effective delivery platform for neurotrophic factors, rescuing axotomized motoneurons and modulating glial response after proximal spinal cord root injury, while the 31 kD isoform of FGF2 showed superior regenerative properties over other isoforms in addition to the significant functional recovery.

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BACKGROUND: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of cases with olfactory loss, other respiratory viruses can also cause this condition. We aimed to compare the prevalence of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and other respiratory viruses in patients with sudden smell loss, and to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 viral load and co-infection on olfactory symptoms. METHODS: Patients with sudden smell loss were recruited in a multicenter prospective cohort study in 15 hospitals in Brazil. Clinical questionnaire, Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfactory test and nasopharyngeal swab to perform a PCR-based respiratory viral panel were collected at first visit (day 0) and 30 and 60 days after recruitment. RESULTS: 188 of 213 patients presented positive test result for SARS-CoV-2, among which 65 were co-infected with other respiratory viruses (e.g., rhinovirus, enterovirus, and parainfluenza). 25 had negative test results for SARS-CoV-2. Patients in both SARSCoV-2 and non-SARS-CoV-2 groups had objective anosmia (less than 2 points according to the psychophysical olfactory CCCRC) at day 0, with no significant difference between them. Both groups had significant smell scores improvement after 30 and 60 days, with no difference between them. Co-infection with other respiratory viruses, and SARS-CoV-2 viral load did not impact olfactory scores. CONCLUSION: Patients with sudden smell loss associated with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses had similar presentation, with most participants initiating with anosmia, and total or near total recovery after 60 days. SARS-CoV-2 viral load and co-infections with other respiratory viruses were not associated with poorer olfactory outcomes.

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The development and evaluation of synthesis materials are crucial to reducing the morbidity and magnitude of post-enterorrhaphy surgical complications. Despite the possibility of production, chitosan thread has not yet been used in enterorrhaphy, and its effects on intestinal healing have not been evaluated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of chitosan thread on the intestinal wall repair of rabbits submitted to cecorrhaphy. For this, 42 rabbits were allocated into two groups with 21 animals. One group was submitted to cecorrhaphy with chitosan suture thread (CG) and the other with poliglecaprone suture thread (PG). The occurrence of postoperative complications, the intensity of edema, cellular response, formation of granulation tissue, as well as the deposition and maturation of collagen fibers, and the intensity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-α) expression, were evaluated during the intestinal wall repair process. The evaluations occurred on the 5th, 15th, and 25th postoperative (PO) days. The animals did not develop peritonitis, but adherence was observed in six animals from CG and seven from PG, with no difference between groups. The polymorphonuclear infiltrate showed higher intensity and higher amount of type III collagen fibers in CG on the 15th PO day. In contrast, a lower amount of type I collagen fibers was observed in CG samples on the 25th PO day. Therefore, the chitosan thread used for cecorrhaphy in rabbits results in minimal postoperative complications, presents biocompatibility, and bioactively assists the tissue repair process of the cecal wall, inducing minimal tissue reaction, stimulating the deposition of type III collagen fibers in the proliferative phase, with sustained VEGF-α expression, but with reduced deposition of type I fibers, indicating a delay in collagen maturation.

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Abstract The northwestern portion of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion is one of the most disturbed and fragmented areas in the Atlantic Forest, and little is known about the local avifauna. In this study, we have described the composition and diversity of the aquatic avifauna of this region and analyzed the patterns of similarity with respect to the seasonal as well as spatial distribution. We used the line transect sampling technique in six distinct humid areas (including lentic and lotic water bodies) during the dry and rainy seasons of 2012 and 2013. A total of 52 species of waterfowl were recorded. The species richness of the studied areas was surprisingly distinct; only seven waterfowl species, namely Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758), Tigrisoma lineatum (Boddaert, 1783), Rosthramus sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817), Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766), Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782), Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766), and Arundinicola leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1764), were common to these six studied areas. This indicated that the other bird species that were observed might be habitat selective. Moreover, the analysis of the composition of birds in the two seasons (dry and rainy) combined with their spatial distributions showed significant dissimilarities between the areas with lotic (river and constructed wetland) and lentic (lagoons) characteristics. Nevertheless, despite the small extent and low total richness of the entire study area, it was found to be home to 1/3 of all freshwater aquatic birds documented in the state of São Paulo, with the record of 5 migratory species and 11 new species added to the northwest of the state. The heterogeneity of local aquatic environments, habitat selection combined with seasonality, and the absence of other humid locations in the surroundings can explain the diversity and distribution of these birds in the water bodies of this uninvestigated Atlantic Forest ecoregion.

Resumo A porção noroeste da ecorregião Floresta Atlântica do Alto Paraná é uma das mais alteradas e fragmentadas da Mata Atlântica, da qual pouco se sabe sobre a avifauna local. Nosso objetivo foi descrever a diversidade e composição da avifauna aquática, bem como analisar os padrões de similaridade quanto a distribuição temporal e espacial destas aves nesta ecorregião. Utilizamos a transecção linear para amostragem em seis áreas úmidas (corpos dágua lênticos e lóticos), nos períodos de seca e chuva entre 2012 e 2013. Registramos 52 espécies de aves aquáticas e as riquezas das áreas mostraram-se distintas, pois apenas Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758), Tigrisoma lineatum (Boddaert, 1783), Rosthramus sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817), Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766), Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782), Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766), and Arundinicola leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1764) foram comuns às seis áreas, o que indica seleção de habitat. Quando analisada a composição das aves nos dois períodos aliada à distribuição espacial, encontramos dissimilaridades temporais acentuadas entre os ambientes com características lóticas (rio e aterro) e lênticas (lagoas). Isto mostra que, além das diferentes épocas sazonais, é necessário analisar separadamente os diferentes tipos de áreas úmidas. Por fim, apesar da extensão pequena e baixa riqueza total, a área amostrada abrigou 1/3 das aves aquáticas de água doce para o estado de São Paulo, cinco espécies migratórias e 11 novas espécies para o noroeste do estado. A heterogeneidade de ambientes aquáticos locais, forte seleção de habitat aliada à sazonalidade e ausência de outros locais úmidos em seu entorno, explicam a diversidade e distribuição destas aves estreitamente relacionadas aos corpos dágua desta desconhecida ecorregião da Mata Atlântica.

RESUMO

Abstract The northwestern portion of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion is one of the most disturbed and fragmented areas in the Atlantic Forest, and little is known about the local avifauna. In this study, we have described the composition and diversity of the aquatic avifauna of this region and analyzed the patterns of similarity with respect to the seasonal as well as spatial distribution. We used the line transect sampling technique in six distinct humid areas (including lentic and lotic water bodies) during the dry and rainy seasons of 2012 and 2013. A total of 52 species of waterfowl were recorded. The species richness of the studied areas was surprisingly distinct; only seven waterfowl species, namely Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758), Tigrisoma lineatum (Boddaert, 1783), Rosthramus sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817), Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766), Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782), Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766), and Arundinicola leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1764), were common to these six studied areas. This indicated that the other bird species that were observed might be habitat selective. Moreover, the analysis of the composition of birds in the two seasons (dry and rainy) combined with their spatial distributions showed significant dissimilarities between the areas with lotic (river and constructed wetland) and lentic (lagoons) characteristics. Nevertheless, despite the small extent and low total richness of the entire study area, it was found to be home to 1/3 of all freshwater aquatic birds documented in the state of São Paulo, with the record of 5 migratory species and 11 new species added to the northwest of the state. The heterogeneity of local aquatic environments, habitat selection combined with seasonality, and the absence of other humid locations in the surroundings can explain the diversity and distribution of these birds in the water bodies of this uninvestigated Atlantic Forest ecoregion.

Resumo A porção noroeste da ecorregião Floresta Atlântica do Alto Paraná é uma das mais alteradas e fragmentadas da Mata Atlântica, da qual pouco se sabe sobre a avifauna local. Nosso objetivo foi descrever a diversidade e composição da avifauna aquática, bem como analisar os padrões de similaridade quanto a distribuição temporal e espacial destas aves nesta ecorregião. Utilizamos a transecção linear para amostragem em seis áreas úmidas (corpos d'água lênticos e lóticos), nos períodos de seca e chuva entre 2012 e 2013. Registramos 52 espécies de aves aquáticas e as riquezas das áreas mostraram-se distintas, pois apenas Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758), Tigrisoma lineatum (Boddaert, 1783), Rosthramus sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817), Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766), Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782), Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766), and Arundinicola leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1764) foram comuns às seis áreas, o que indica seleção de habitat. Quando analisada a composição das aves nos dois períodos aliada à distribuição espacial, encontramos dissimilaridades temporais acentuadas entre os ambientes com características lóticas (rio e aterro) e lênticas (lagoas). Isto mostra que, além das diferentes épocas sazonais, é necessário analisar separadamente os diferentes tipos de áreas úmidas. Por fim, apesar da extensão pequena e baixa riqueza total, a área amostrada abrigou 1/3 das aves aquáticas de água doce para o estado de São Paulo, cinco espécies migratórias e 11 novas espécies para o noroeste do estado. A heterogeneidade de ambientes aquáticos locais, forte seleção de habitat aliada à sazonalidade e ausência de outros locais úmidos em seu entorno, explicam a diversidade e distribuição destas aves estreitamente relacionadas aos corpos d'água desta desconhecida ecorregião da Mata Atlântica.

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The COVID-19 pandemic revealed opportunities to improve prevention practices in healthcare settings, mainly related to the spread of airborne microbes (also known as bioaerosols). This scoping review aimed to map methodologies used to assess the implementation of portable air cleaners in healthcare settings, identify gaps, and propose recommendations for future research. The protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework and reported following the checklist provided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis - an extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) statement. The search strategy was performed in five databases and one grey literature source. At the last selection phase, 24 articles that fulfilled our inclusion criteria were summarized and disseminated. Of these, 17 studies were conducted between 2020 and 2022; one of them was a protocol of a multicentre randomized controlled trial. The outcomes measured among the studies include airborne microbe counts, airborne particle concentrations, and rate of infections/interventions. The leading healthcare settings assessed were dental clinics (28%), patient's wards (16%), operating rooms (16%), and intensive care units (12%). Most of the devices demonstrated a significant potential to mitigate the impact of bioaerosols. Although some indoor air quality parameters can influence the mechanics of aerosols, only a few studies controlled these parameters in their analyses. Future clinical research should assess the rate of infections through randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up and large sample sizes to determine the clinical importance of the findings.

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The use of bladder antimuscarinics is very common in the elderly. However, recent population-based studies that assessed the use of anticholinergics or bladder antimuscarinics showed an increased risk of dementia when these drugs were used for a prolonged period. Several of these population-based studies included patients who used solifenacin, which is a bladder antimuscarinic released in 2005 with the prospect of being a more selective antimuscarinic for M3 receptors (M3R), which could make it a safer drug when trying to avoid unwanted effects of older bladder antimuscarinics such as oxybutynin, especially with regard to changes in cognition. Since the various bladder antimuscarinics have distinct pharmacological characteristics, such as in the ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, in selectivity for muscarinic receptors, and in brain efflux mechanisms, their effects on the central nervous system (CNS) may vary. Solifenacin was the drug selected in this review, which aims to describe the results of several articles published in recent years reporting the effects of solifenacin on cognition or the risk of dementia development. Although preclinical studies show that solifenacin can also act on brain M1 receptors (M1R), short-term clinical studies have shown it to be safe for cognition. However, there are no long-term randomized studies that prove the safety of this drug for the CNS. Thus, until the safety of solifenacin has been established by long-term studies, it seems advisable to avoid prolonged use of this drug in elderly patients.

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RESUMO

Poultry products may be a source of foodborne human salmonellosis. The use of alternatives to antimicrobials that are not harmful to humans may reduce the presence of Salmonella spp. in poultry production. Among the products used, organic acids stand out. In the present study, three different organic acid (OA) blends were evaluated for the control of Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) in commercial broilers. Day-old chicks (n = 114) were randomly assigned to four treatments, with three replicates of 12 birds each. Birds in treatments A and B received SCFA (0.2mL/L) and SCFA + MCFA (0.2mL/L), respectively, in the drinking water, while birds in treatment C received SCFA + MCFA in the feed (2g/Kg of feed). Birds from treatment D did not receive OAs (control group). At 8 days of age, each bird was orally inoculated with SH at 108 CFU/mL, and cloacal swabs and SH enumeration of the cecal content were performed 24-, 48-, and 72-hours post-inoculation (hpi). The results show a reduction of both SH shedding and counts in the birds fed OAs at all pi times relative to the control birds. Fecal shedding was significantly lower in the OA-treated groups compared with the control group. As for SH presence in the cecum, significant differences were detected between groups C and D at 24 and 72 hpi, and between groups B and D at 72 hpi. The results of this study indicate that the use of feeding OAs to broilers may contribute to reduce the incidence of SH in the poultry production chain, allowing better flock health management, provided an efficient biosecurity program is employed.(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

The use of bladder antimuscarinics is very common in the elderly. However, recent population-based studies that assessed the use of anticholinergics or bladder antimuscarinics showed an increased risk of dementia when these drugs were used for a prolonged period. Several of these population-based studies included patients who used solifenacin, which is a bladder antimuscarinic released in 2005 with the prospect of being a more selective antimuscarinic for M3 receptors (M3R), which could make it a safer drug when trying to avoid unwanted effects of older bladder antimuscarinics such as oxybutynin, especially with regard to changes in cognition. Since the various bladder antimuscarinics have distinct pharmacological characteristics, such as in the ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, in selectivity for muscarinic receptors, and in brain efflux mechanisms, their effects on the central nervous system (CNS) may vary. Solifenacin was the drug selected in this review, which aims to describe the results of several articles published in recent years reporting the effects of solifenacin on cognition or the risk of dementia development. Although preclinical studies show that solifenacin can also act on brain M1 receptors (M1R), short-term clinical studies have shown it to be safe for cognition. However, there are no long-term randomized studies that prove the safety of this drug for the CNS. Thus, until the safety of solifenacin has been established by long-term studies, it seems advisable to avoid prolonged use of this drug in elderly patients.

RESUMO

The northwestern portion of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion is one of the most disturbed and fragmented areas in the Atlantic Forest, and little is known about the local avifauna. In this study, we have described the composition and diversity of the aquatic avifauna of this region and analyzed the patterns of similarity with respect to the seasonal as well as spatial distribution. We used the line transect sampling technique in six distinct humid areas (including lentic and lotic water bodies) during the dry and rainy seasons of 2012 and 2013. A total of 52 species of waterfowl were recorded. The species richness of the studied areas was surprisingly distinct; only seven waterfowl species, namely Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758), Tigrisoma lineatum (Boddaert, 1783), Rosthramus sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817), Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766), Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782), Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766), and Arundinicola leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1764), were common to these six studied areas. This indicated that the other bird species that were observed might be habitat selective. Moreover, the analysis of the composition of birds in the two seasons (dry and rainy) combined with their spatial distributions showed significant dissimilarities between the areas with lotic (river and constructed wetland) and lentic (lagoons) characteristics. Nevertheless, despite the small extent and low total richness of the entire study area, it was found to be home to 1/3 of all freshwater aquatic birds documented in the state of São Paulo, with the record of 5 migratory species and 11 new species added to the northwest of the state. The heterogeneity of local aquatic environments, habitat selection combined with seasonality, and the absence of other humid locations in the surroundings can explain the diversity and distribution of these birds in the water bodies of this uninvestigated Atlantic Forest ecoregion.

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RESUMO

A general assumption in visual neuroscience is that basic receptive field properties such as orientation and direction selectivity are constructed within intrinsic neuronal circuits and feedforward projections. In addition, it is assumed that general neuronal excitability and responsiveness in early visual areas is to a great extent independent of feedback input originating in areas higher in the stream. Here, we review the contribution of feedback projections from MT, V4 and pulvinar to the receptive field properties of V2 neurons in the anesthetized and paralyzed monkey. Importantly, our results contradict both of these assumptions. We separately inactivated each of these three brain regions using GABA pressure injections, while simultaneously recording V2 single unit activity before and hours after inactivation. Recordings and GABA injections were carried out in topographically corresponding regions of the visual field. We outline the changes in V2 activity, responsiveness and receptive field properties for early, mid and late post-injection phases. Immediately after injection, V2 activity is globally suppressed. Subsequently, there is an increase in stimulus-driven relative to spontaneous neuronal activity, which improves the signal-to-noise coding for the oriented moving bars. Notably, V2 tuning properties change substantially relative to its pre-injection selectivity profile. The resulting increase or decrease in selectivity could not be readily predicted based on the selectivity profile of the inactivated site. Finally, V2 activity rebounds before returning to it pre-injection profile Our results show that feedback projections profoundly impact neuronal circuits in early visual areas, and may have been heretofore largely underestimated in their physiological role.

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Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges to treat bacterial infections worldwide, leading to increase in medical expenses, prolonged hospital stay and increased mortality. The use of blue light has been suggested as an innovative alternative to overcome this problem. In this study we analyzed the antibacterial effect of blue light using low emission parameters on Staphylococcus aureus cultures. In vitro bacterial cultures were used in two experimental approaches. The first approach included single or fractionated blue light application provided by LED emitters (470 nm), with the following fluencies: 16.29, 27.16 and 54.32 J/cm2. For the second approach a power LED (470 nm) was used to deliver 54.32 J/cm2 fractionated in 3 applications. Our results demonstrated that bacterial cultures exposed to fractionated blue light radiation exhibited significantly smaller sizes colonies than the control group after 24 h incubation, however the affected bacteria were able to adapt and continue to proliferate after prolonged incubation time. We could conclude that the hypothetical clinical use of low fluencies of blue light as an antibacterial treatment is risky, since its action is not definitive and proves to be ineffective at least for the strain used in this study.(AU)

A resistência a antibióticos é um dos maiores desafios para o tratamento de infecções bacterianas em todo o mundo, levando ao aumento de despesas médicas, prolongamento da internação hospitalar e aumento da mortalidade. O uso da luz azul tem sido sugerido como uma alternativa inovadora para superar esse problema. Neste estudo, analisamos o efeito antibacteriano da luz azul usando parâmetros de baixa emissão em culturas de Staphylococcus aureus. Culturas bacterianas foram usadas em duas abordagens experimentais in vitro. A primeira abordagem incluiu o uso da aplicação única ou fracionada de luz azul fornecida por emissores de LED (470 nm), com as seguintes fluências: 16,29, 27,16 e 54,32 J/cm2. Para a segunda abordagem, um LED de potência (470 nm) foi usado para fornecer 54,32 J/cm2 fracionado em 3 aplicações. Nossos resultados demonstraram que as culturas bacterianas expostas à radiação de luz azul fracionada exibiram colônias de tamanhos significativamente menores do que o grupo controle após 24 h de incubação, no entanto, as bactérias afetadas foram capazes de se adaptar e continuar a proliferar após um tempo prolongado de incubação. Podemos concluir que o uso clínico hipotético de baixas fluências de luz azul como tratamento antibacteriano é arriscado, pois sua ação não é definitiva e mostra-se ineficaz, pelo menos para a cepa utilizada neste estudo.(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges to treat bacterial infections worldwide, leading to increase in medical expenses, prolonged hospital stay and increased mortality. The use of blue light has been suggested as an innovative alternative to overcome this problem. In this study we analyzed the antibacterial effect of blue light using low emission parameters on Staphylococcus aureus cultures. In vitro bacterial cultures were used in two experimental approaches. The first approach included single or fractionated blue light application provided by LED emitters (470 nm), with the following fluencies: 16.29, 27.16 and 54.32 J/cm2. For the second approach a power LED (470 nm) was used to deliver 54.32 J/cm2 fractionated in 3 applications. Our results demonstrated that bacterial cultures exposed to fractionated blue light radiation exhibited significantly smaller sizes colonies than the control group after 24 h incubation, however the affected bacteria were able to adapt and continue to proliferate after prolonged incubation time. We could conclude that the hypothetical clinical use of low fluencies of blue light as an antibacterial treatment is risky, since its action is not definitive and proves to be ineffective at least for the strain used in this study.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges to treat bacterial infections worldwide, leading to increase in medical expenses, prolonged hospital stay and increased mortality. The use of blue light has been suggested as an innovative alternative to overcome this problem. In this study we analyzed the antibacterial effect of blue light using low emission parameters on Staphylococcus aureus cultures. In vitro bacterial cultures were used in two experimental approaches. The first approach included single or fractionated blue light application provided by LED emitters (470 nm), with the following fluencies: 16.29, 27.16 and 54.32 J/cm2. For the second approach a power LED (470 nm) was used to deliver 54.32 J/cm2 fractionated in 3 applications. Our results demonstrated that bacterial cultures exposed to fractionated blue light radiation exhibited significantly smaller sizes colonies than the control group after 24 h incubation, however the affected bacteria were able to adapt and continue to proliferate after prolonged incubation time. We could conclude that the hypothetical clinical use of low fluencies of blue light as an antibacterial treatment is risky, since its action is not definitive and proves to be ineffective at least for the strain used in this study.

A resistência a antibióticos é um dos maiores desafios para o tratamento de infecções bacterianas em todo o mundo, levando ao aumento de despesas médicas, prolongamento da internação hospitalar e aumento da mortalidade. O uso da luz azul tem sido sugerido como uma alternativa inovadora para superar esse problema. Neste estudo, analisamos o efeito antibacteriano da luz azul usando parâmetros de baixa emissão em culturas de Staphylococcus aureus. Culturas bacterianas foram usadas em duas abordagens experimentais in vitro. A primeira abordagem incluiu o uso da aplicação única ou fracionada de luz azul fornecida por emissores de LED (470 nm), com as seguintes fluências: 16,29, 27,16 e 54,32 J/cm2. Para a segunda abordagem, um LED de potência (470 nm) foi usado para fornecer 54,32 J/cm2 fracionado em 3 aplicações. Nossos resultados demonstraram que as culturas bacterianas expostas à radiação de luz azul fracionada exibiram colônias de tamanhos significativamente menores do que o grupo controle após 24 h de incubação, no entanto, as bactérias afetadas foram capazes de se adaptar e continuar a proliferar após um tempo prolongado de incubação. Podemos concluir que o uso clínico hipotético de baixas fluências de luz azul como tratamento antibacteriano é arriscado, pois sua ação não é definitiva e mostra-se ineficaz, pelo menos para a cepa utilizada neste estudo.

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RESUMO

With a view to reducing stress and discomfort and improving the practicality of making temperature measurements on cats, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a tympanic infrared thermometer (TIT), which is an easy-to-use device for measuring temperatures quickly, comfortably and more hygienically. For this, were selected 120 domestic cats living in Sousa, Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Among them, 100 were normothermic, ten were hypothermic and ten were hyperthermic. None of them had any clinical signs of external or internal otitis. The measurements using the digital thermometer were higher than those using the TIT (P < 0.05), in the normothermic and hyperthermic cats. In the hypothermic cats, there was no difference (P ≥ 0.05) in mean values from the three types of thermometer. The values obtained using the mercury thermometer did not differ (P ≥ 0.05) from the values obtained using the other thermometers. There was a strong positive correlation in almost all the evaluations between the three thermometers, except for digital versus TIT for hyperthermic cats (r < 0.75). Because of the discrepancy between the values obtained by the TIT and the digital rectal thermometer, we suggest that further studies should be carried out in order to establish a temperature correction table for the TIT, so that it can be better used in veterinary medicine.(AU)

Com o objetivo de reduzir o estresse, desconforto e melhorar a praticidade da medição da temperatura em gatos, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o uso de um termômetro timpânico infravermelho (TTI), que é um dispositivo de fácil utilização para medição de temperatura de forma rápida, confortável e higiênica. Para isso, foram selecionados 120 gatos domésticos criados no município de Sousa, Paraíba, Nordeste do Brasil. Dentre eles, 100 eram normotérmicos, dez hipotérmicos e dez hipertérmicos. Nenhum deles apresentava sinais clínicos de otite externa ou interna.(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

With a view to reducing stress and discomfort and improving the practicality of making temperature measurements on cats, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a tympanic infrared thermometer (TIT), which is an easy-to-use device for measuring temperatures quickly, comfortably and more hygienically. For this, were selected 120 domestic cats living in Sousa, Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Among them, 100 were normothermic, ten were hypothermic and ten were hyperthermic. None of them had any clinical signs of external or internal otitis. The measurements using the digital thermometer were higher than those using the TIT (P < 0.05), in the normothermic and hyperthermic cats. In the hypothermic cats, there was no difference (P ≥ 0.05) in mean values from the three types of thermometer. The values obtained using the mercury thermometer did not differ (P ≥ 0.05) from the values obtained using the other thermometers. There was a strong positive correlation in almost all the evaluations between the three thermometers, except for digital versus TIT for hyperthermic cats (r < 0.75). Because of the discrepancy between the values obtained by the TIT and the digital rectal thermometer, we suggest that further studies should be carried out in order to establish a temperature correction table for the TIT, so that it can be better used in veterinary medicine.

Com o objetivo de reduzir o estresse, desconforto e melhorar a praticidade da medição da temperatura em gatos, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o uso de um termômetro timpânico infravermelho (TTI), que é um dispositivo de fácil utilização para medição de temperatura de forma rápida, confortável e higiênica. Para isso, foram selecionados 120 gatos domésticos criados no município de Sousa, Paraíba, Nordeste do Brasil. Dentre eles, 100 eram normotérmicos, dez hipotérmicos e dez hipertérmicos. Nenhum deles apresentava sinais clínicos de otite externa ou interna.

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RESUMO

This study reports the development of a new PCR-free device, using IS6110 gene as biomarker, for Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. An arginine film (ARGFILM) was used to prepare the biosensor platform. MT-probe was immobilized on this biosensor platform to identify IS6110 gene. This gene is an excellent biomarker for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT). Electrochemical analyses were carried out using differential pulse voltammetry method (DPV) by methylene blue (MB) reduction signal measurement before and after hybridization either between probe and synthetic target or extracted DNA from clinical sputum samples. The optimization study of MT-probe immobilization on modified-electrode surface showed that the best probe concentration was 15 µM. The analytical analysis of hybridization assays was performed using different concentrations of synthetic MT-target (15-500 nM). The linear response was between 15 and 100 nM and the detection limit was 4.4 nM. The biosensor performance was also investigated with extracted DNA from sputum samples (PCR-free). The results showed that the biosensor was able to detect the MT from samples, exhibiting a high sensitivity and satisfactory selectivity. Thus, these results allow for the possibility of developing a portable detection device for effective diagnosis of TB patients.

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Abstract Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges to treat bacterial infections worldwide, leading to increase in medical expenses, prolonged hospital stay and increased mortality. The use of blue light has been suggested as an innovative alternative to overcome this problem. In this study we analyzed the antibacterial effect of blue light using low emission parameters on Staphylococcus aureus cultures. In vitro bacterial cultures were used in two experimental approaches. The first approach included single or fractionated blue light application provided by LED emitters (470 nm), with the following fluencies: 16.29, 27.16 and 54.32 J/cm2. For the second approach a power LED (470 nm) was used to deliver 54.32 J/cm2 fractionated in 3 applications. Our results demonstrated that bacterial cultures exposed to fractionated blue light radiation exhibited significantly smaller sizes colonies than the control group after 24 h incubation, however the affected bacteria were able to adapt and continue to proliferate after prolonged incubation time. We could conclude that the hypothetical clinical use of low fluencies of blue light as an antibacterial treatment is risky, since its action is not definitive and proves to be ineffective at least for the strain used in this study.

Resumo A resistência a antibióticos é um dos maiores desafios para o tratamento de infecções bacterianas em todo o mundo, levando ao aumento de despesas médicas, prolongamento da internação hospitalar e aumento da mortalidade. O uso da luz azul tem sido sugerido como uma alternativa inovadora para superar esse problema. Neste estudo, analisamos o efeito antibacteriano da luz azul usando parâmetros de baixa emissão em culturas de Staphylococcus aureus. Culturas bacterianas foram usadas em duas abordagens experimentais in vitro. A primeira abordagem incluiu o uso da aplicação única ou fracionada de luz azul fornecida por emissores de LED (470 nm), com as seguintes fluências: 16,29, 27,16 e 54,32 J/cm2. Para a segunda abordagem, um LED de potência (470 nm) foi usado para fornecer 54,32 J/cm2 fracionado em 3 aplicações. Nossos resultados demonstraram que as culturas bacterianas expostas à radiação de luz azul fracionada exibiram colônias de tamanhos significativamente menores do que o grupo controle após 24 h de incubação, no entanto, as bactérias afetadas foram capazes de se adaptar e continuar a proliferar após um tempo prolongado de incubação. Podemos concluir que o uso clínico hipotético de baixas fluências de luz azul como tratamento antibacteriano é arriscado, pois sua ação não é definitiva e mostra-se ineficaz, pelo menos para a cepa utilizada neste estudo.