ESTUDO FITOQUÍMICO, AVALIAÇÃO DA CAPACIDADE HEMOLÍTICA E ANTIMICROBIANA DE UM EXTRATO BRUTO DA CASCA DO CAULE DE Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. (Rhamnaceae).

O Ziziphus joazeiro Mart., popularmente conhecido como juazeiro, é uma planta típica do semiárido brasileiro sendo utilizada pela comunidade para diversas finalidades, dentre elas, como anti-inflamatório e antimicrobiano. Dessa forma, objetivo deste estudo é realizar um screening fitoquímico do extrato hidroalcoólico das cascas de Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. e avaliar seu o potencial hemolítico e sua atividade antimicrobiana devido a seu amplo uso com esta finalidade. Para a realização deste estudo foram obtidas cascas de caule de Ziziphus joazeiro Mart a qual foram submetidas à decocção hidroalcoólica (70%) seguido de rotaevaporação do solvente para obtenção do extrato seco. O extrato obtido foi utilizado primeiramente para a realização do screening fitoquímico qualitativo, quando foram realizados testes para a determinação da ausência ou presença de taninos, saponinas, flavonoides, antocianidinas, alcaloides e cumarinas. Além disso, foi avaliada a atividade antimicrobiana do extrato, através do método de microdiluição, frente a cepas padrão e também foi avaliado o potencial de dano às membranas pele teste de avaliação da atividade hemolítica. A análise fitoquímica revelou resultado positivo para os seguintes metabolitos secundários: saponinas, taninos e cumarinas. Já a análise hemolítica quantitativa mostrou dano hemolítico significativo para a concentração do extrato de 400μg.mL-1, já em relação as análises microbiológicas, eles mostraram uma concentração inibitória mínima de >4096;4096 e >4096 μg mL-1 para Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli e Candida albicans, respectivamente. Sendo assim, apesar do estudo fitoquímico ter revelado presença de saponinas, taninos e cumarinas, o extrato não se mostrou promissor em relação a sua atividade antimicrobiana, além de ter apresentado um potencial dano as membranas para concentrações acima de 400 μg.mL-1, o que limita o seu uso

Detection of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsies, saliva and dental plaques of dyspeptic patients from Marília, São Paulo, Brazil: presence of vacA and cagA genes

Helicobacter pylori, a gram-negative bacterium, possesses two important virulence factors: the vacuolating toxin (vacA), and the cytotoxin-associated gene product (cagA). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of H. pylori in the stomach and oral cavity of humans and compare the cagA and vacA genotypes of H. pylori found in different samples (stomach, saliva and dental plaque) from the same patient. Gastric biopsies, saliva and dental plaques were obtained from 62 dyspeptic adults. DNA was extracted and evaluated for the presence of H. pylori and the alleles cagA and vacA. Persons with gastritis had a higher frequency of H. pylori -positive samples in the stomach while positive samples from gastric biopsies were significantly correlated with those from the oral cavity. There was a high H. pylori frequency in patients while the cagA gene was associated with vacA s1 alleles in gastric biopsies. Our results suggest a reservoir of the species in the oral cavity and that, in one patient, more than one H. pylori strain may exist in the saliva, dental plaque and stomach. We found a relationship between gastric infection and the bacterium in the oral cavity, with the cytotoxin genotype varying between saliva and dental plaque.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Sacred Heart University Postgraduate Program in Oral BiologyMarília Medical School Blood Center Department of GeneticsMarília Medical School Department of Anatomic PathologyMarília Medical School Department of Digestive System SurgeryFederal University of São Paulo Department of MorphologyUNIFESP, Department of MorphologySciEL

Adherence to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Portuguese-Speaking Countries

Funding Information: National Research Council–CNPq. Process: 159908/2019-1. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Strengthening strategies to improve adherence to the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in key populations constitutes a global health priority to be achieved across countries, especially in countries that share a high flow of people such as Brazil and Portugal. This study aimed to analyze the factors associated with adherence to PrEP among MSM from two Portuguese-speaking countries, highlighting the opportunities and preventive strategies for the global health scenario. This was a cross-sectional analytical online survey conducted from January 2020 to May 2021 with MSM in Brazil and Portugal. For analysis of the data, the Poisson regression model was used to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR) for developing a model to evaluate the associated factors in both countries in a comparative and isolated way. Adherence to PrEP use corresponded to 19.5% (n = 1682) of the overall sample: 18.3% (n = 970) for Brazil and 21.5% (n = 712) for Portugal. Having more than two sex partners in the last 30 days (aPR: 30.87) and routinely undergoing HIV tests (aPR: 26.21) increased the use of this medication. Being an immigrant (PR: 1.36) and knowing the partner’s serological status (PR: 1.28) increased adherence to PrEP in Portugal, whereas, in Brazil, it was being an immigrant (PR: 0.83) and not knowing the serological status (PR: 2.24) that promoted the use of this medication. Our findings reinforce the need to invest in programs and strategies to improve access and adherence to PrEP, especially in key populations.publishersversionpublishe

Is lower intensity aquaculture a valuable means of producing food? An evaluation of its effects on near‐shore and inland waters

The effects of aquaculture on the environment have been the subject of much examination, but most of the focus has been on shrimp and salmon. These are not the most common species grown in aquaculture, nor the most common systems used. About 60% of production today uses lower intensity culture to produce organisms in natural systems such as ponds. This paper is an overview of the positive and negative environmental impacts of lower intensity aquaculture. The ranked positive impacts of lower intensity aquaculture include: conservation aquaculture that supplements reproduction in natural populations; improving the quality of natural waters through filtering or consuming wastes by cultured organisms; reducing pressure on wild stocks by providing alternative sources in the market; and replacing damaging employment with more sustainable aquaculture jobs. Negative impacts include: escapement of alien species that become invasive; eutrophication of receiving waters from pond effluents; release of parasites and diseases into natural communities; escapement of unique genotypes resulting in genetic alteration of native stocks; land degradation due to pond construction; release of antibiotics or other drugs into receiving waters; depletion of natural resources such as water; loss of benthic biodiversity from settling of sediments; and reductions in natural populations by collection of larval or juvenile fish. Some impacts, especially the use of fishmeal and the transmission of disease, are much less common in lower intensity aquaculture systems. Aquaculture has an important role in current and future food production, and in many cases lower intensity aquaculture provides a sustainable solution to increased aquaculture production.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94475/1/j.1753-5131.2012.01079.x.pd