Knowledge of the patients regarding leprosy and adherence to treatment

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is known for its great disfiguring capacity and is considered an extremely serious disease to public health worldwide. The state of Ceará ranks 13th in number of cases of leprosy in Brazil, and fourth in Northeastern region, with an average of 2,149 new cases diagnosed every year. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of leprosy patients regarding treatment, and to assess the level of treatment adherence and its possible barriers. The study was conducted in the reference center for dermatology, from September 2010 to October 2010, in Fortaleza, Ceará. The study data were collected by means of a structured interview, along with the Morisky-Green test, in order to assess treatment adherence and barriers to adherence. A total of 70 patients were interviewed, out of whom 66 were new cases. The majority of patients were between 42 and 50 years old, and 37 (52.9%) were male. Most patients were clinically classified as presenting multibacillary leprosy (80%), and 78.6% of them were from Fortaleza, Brazil. The Morisky-Green test indicated that 62.9% of patients presented a low level of adherence (p < 0.005), despite claiming to aware of the disease risks. However, it was observed that 57.1% of the patients had no difficulty adhering to treatment, while 38.6% reported little difficulty. This study shows that despite the patients claiming to be familiar with leprosy and its treatment, the Morisky-Green test clearly demonstrated that they actually were not aware of the principles of therapy, which is evidenced by the low degree of treatment adherence

Knowledge of the patients regarding leprosy and adherence to treatment

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is known for its great disfiguring capacity and is considered an extremely serious disease to public health worldwide. The state of Ceará ranks 13th in number of cases of leprosy in Brazil, and fourth in Northeastern region, with an average of 2,149 new cases diagnosed every year. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of leprosy patients regarding treatment, and to assess the level of treatment adherence and its possible barriers. The study was conducted in the reference center for dermatology, from September 2010 to October 2010, in Fortaleza, Ceará. The study data were collected by means of a structured interview, along with the Morisky-Green test, in order to assess treatment adherence and barriers to adherence. A total of 70 patients were interviewed, out of whom 66 were new cases. The majority of patients were between 42 and 50 years old, and 37 (52.9%) were male. Most patients were clinically classified as presenting multibacillary leprosy (80%), and 78.6% of them were from Fortaleza, Brazil. The Morisky-Green test indicated that 62.9% of patients presented a low level of adherence (p < 0.005), despite claiming to aware of the disease risks. However, it was observed that 57.1% of the patients had no difficulty adhering to treatment, while 38.6% reported little difficulty. This study shows that despite the patients claiming to be familiar with leprosy and its treatment, the Morisky-Green test clearly demonstrated that they actually were not aware of the principles of therapy, which is evidenced by the low degree of treatment adherence

Saúde bucal: conforto e rendimento ponderal em equinos pós-tratamento dentário

Alterações dentárias podem ocasionar lesões em tecidos moles, causando prejuízo à mastigação e ao desempenho animal. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da correção dentária, em equinos sem histórico de tratamentos prévios, e o reflexo do sucesso no tratamento sobre o ganho de peso pós-tratamento, bem como a melhoria do conforto mastigatório e redução dos ferimentos intraorais. Para tanto, 40 animais foram avaliados, sendo 27 equinos utilizados para policiamento (grupo 1) e 13 equinos para esporte (grupo 2). Os animais do grupo 1 apresentavam pontas dentárias, causando maior prevalência de lesões na bochecha relacionadas aos dentes 06, 09, 10 e 11, com área em torno de 2,04 cm2, as quais regrediram totalmente 30 dias após o tratamento. Esses animais apresentaram ganho de peso médio de 6,17±7,46 Kg e 15,83±11,65 Kg aos 30 e 80 dias, respectivamente, após a intervenção odontológica. Os animais do grupo 2 apresentavam pontas dentárias, causando lesões vestibulares que curaram-se espontaneamente e apresentaram ganho significativo de peso médio de 31±9,10 Kg (P<0.05) 30 dias após o tratamento dentário. Conclui-se que o tratamento odontológico recebido pelos animais possibilitou uma mastigação mais confortável e interferiu positivamente na digestibilidade dos alimentos, consequentemente, favorecendo o bem estar e a sanidade animal. Palavras-chave: odontologia equina. pontas de esmalte dentário. úlceras orais.Dental alterations may cause soft tissue lesions that impair mastication and animal performance. This work aimed at evaluating the effects of dental correction on weight gain in horses with no previous history of dental treatment and its effects on weight gain post treatment, masticatory comfort and reduction of intraoral injuries. For such, a total of 40 animals were evaluated, out of which 27 were police horses (group 1) and 13 were sport horses (group 2). Animals from group 1 presented enamel points, which caused a high prevalence of lesions on the cheek, adjacent to the teeth 06, 09, 10 and 11, with an average area of 2.04 cm2 . These lesions were completely healed after 30 days of the dental procedure. These animals presented a mean weight gain of 6.17±7.46 Kg and 15.83±11.65 Kg at day 30 and 80 after dental intervention, respectively. The animals from group 2 presented enamel points that caused vestibular lesions, which healed spontaneously. These animals presented a statistically significant mean weight gain of 31±9.10 Kg (P<0.05) at day 30, after treatment. It was concluded that the dental treatment received by the animals promoted a more comfortable mastication and positively interfered with food digestibility, hence, favoring animal health and well-bein

Evidências sorológicas de EHV-1 / EHV-4 em cavalos de vaquejada no estado do Ceará, Brasil

Vaquejada is a popular equestrian sport in Northeastern Brazil, which promotes frequent tournaments, where many animals are brought together, leading to exposure to pathogens. In the literature, there are no reports of the presence of equid herpesvirus (EHV-1/EHAV-4) in the State of Ceará. This study aimed at determining antiequid herpesvirus (EHV-1/EHV-4) antibody titer of non-vaccinated horses from the state of Ceará. Sixty-eight clinically healthy vaquejada horses were evaluated. Blood samples were collected for hematological, biochemical and serological evaluation. Anti-EHV-1 / EHV-4 antibody titers were determined through serum neutralization technique. Out of the 68 assessed animals, 28 (41.2%) were seropositive for EHV-1 and/or EHV-4, with a mean geometric titer of 4,76, while the remaining 40 (58.8%) animals were negative for the assay. No significant alterations in the hematological and biochemical parameters were found among seropositive and seronegative animals. The average age of the tested animals was 7 years. A mild positive correlation and a mild influence was observed between age and antibody titer. This is the first report of circulating equid herpesvirus in Ceará. Further studies must be performed to obtain knowledge on promoting the welfare of horses involved in the practice of vaquejada.Vaquejada é um esporte eqüestre popular no nordeste brasileiro, que promove encontros frequentes, onde há uma grande concentração de animais, propiciando a exposição à patógenos. Na literatura, não existem relatos da presença dos herpesvírus equídeo EHV-1/EHV-4 no Ceará. Objetivou-se determinar o título de anticorpos anti-herpesvírus equídeo (EHV-1/EHV-4) de animais não vacinados no estado do Ceará. Foram utilizados 68 equinos de vaquejada clinicamente saudáveis. Amostras de sangue foram coletadas para avaliações hematológica, bioquímica e sorológica. Os títulos de anticorpos anti-EHV foram determinados através da técnica de soroneutralização. Dos 68 animais avaliados, 28 (41,2%) foram soropositivos para EHV-1 e/ou EHV-4, com título médio geométrico de 4,76, enquanto que 40 (58,8%) foram negativos para o teste. Não foram encontradas alterações significativas nos parâmetros hematológicos e bioquímicos em animais soropositivos e soronegativos. A idade média dos equinos foi de sete anos e foram observadas leve correlação e leve influência sobre os títulos de anticorpos anti-EHV-1/EHV-4. Este é o primeiro relato de herpesvirus equídeo circulante no Ceará. Outros estudos devem ser realizados para conhecimento e orientação sobre a manutenção da saúde em animais praticantes de vaquejada

Simvastatin inhibits planktonic cells and biofilms of Candida and Cryptococcus species

The antifungal activity of some statins against different fungal species has been reported. Thus, at the first moment, the in vitro antifungal activity of simvastatin, atorvastatin and pravastatin was tested against Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp. Then, in a second approach, considering that the best results were obtained for simvastatin, this drug was evaluated in combination with antifungal drugs against planktonic growth and tested against biofilms of Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp. Drug susceptibility testing was performed using the microdilution broth method, as described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The interaction between simvastatin and antifungals against planktonic cells was analyzed by calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration index. Regarding biofilm susceptibility, simvastatin was tested against growing biofilm and mature biofilm of one strain of each tested yeast species. Simvastatin showed inhibitory effect against Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp. with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 15.6 to 1000 mg L−1 and from 62.5 to 1000 mg L−1, respectively. The combination of simvastatin with itraconazole and fluconazole showed synergism against Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp., while the combination of simvastatin with amphotericin B was synergistic only against Cryptococcus spp. Concerning the biofilm assays, simvastatin was able to inhibit both growing biofilm and mature biofilm of Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp. The present study showed that simvastatin inhibits planktonic cells and biofilms of Candida and Cryptococcus species. Keywords: Candida, Cryptococcus, Simvastatin, Antifungal activity, Biofil

EFEITO DA PROMETAZINA EM BIOFILMES DE COCOS GRAM-POSITIVOS IN VIVO E EX VIVO, ASSOCIADOS À ENDOCARDITE INFECCIOSA

Introdução: A American Heart Association (AHA) estima que cerca de 100.000 a 200.000 novos casos de endocardite infecciosa são diagnosticados nos Estados Unidos da América (EUA) a cada ano, e dados recentes mostram um aumento na incidência nos EUA e no Reino Unido (Yang et al. 2015; Huber et al. 2020). A endocardite geralmente é causada por uma infecção, onde um endotélio cardiovascular apresenta uma estrutura inflamatória de plaquetas e fibrina comumente observada com crescimento de vegetações compostas por microorganismos, o que pode ser considerado um sinal patognomônico da doença (Cahill e Prendergast, 2016; Pecoraro e Doubell, 2020). Os principais agentes etiológicos são os cocos Gram-positivos, com destaque para os gêneros Staphylococcus spp. e Streptococcus spp. (Htwe e KhadoriCitação 2012). Para tratar a infecção, vários regimes medicamentosos podem ser usados, a maioria dos quais inclui oxacilina ou vancomicina contra Staphylococcus spp. e ceftriaxona ou vancomicina contra Streptococcus spp., sendo a vancomicina o último recurso medicamentoso. Objetivo: Este estudo avaliou a atividade antimicrobiana da prometazina contra Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis e Streptococcus mutans e seu efeito na sensibilidade antimicrobiana de biofilmes cultivados in vitro e ex vivo em válvulas cardíacas suínas. Resultados: A prometazina foi avaliada sozinha e em combinação com vancomicina e oxacilina contra Staphylococcus spp. e vancomicina e ceftriaxona contra S. mutans na forma planctônica e biofilmes cultivados in vitro e ex vivo. A faixa de concentração inibitória mínima de prometazina foi de 24,4-95,31 μg/mL e a faixa de concentração mínima de erradicação de biofilme foi de 781,25-3,125 μg/mL. A prometazina interagiu sinergicamente com vancomicina, oxacilina e ceftriaxona contra biofilmes in vitro. A prometazina sozinha reduziu (p < 0,05) a contagem de UFC de biofilmes crescidos em válvulas cardíacas para Staphylococcus spp., mas não para S. mutans, e aumentou (p  < 0,05) a atividade de vancomicina, oxacilina e ceftriaxona contra biofilmes de Gram- cocos positivos cultivados ex vivo. Conclusão: Esses achados trazem perspectivas para o reaproveitamento da prometazina como possível adjuvante no tratamento da endocardite infecciosa, necessitando de mais estudos para entender melhor os mecanismos de ação, as aplicações e a viabilidade dessas perspectivas

Anti-Staphylococcal Activity of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Essential Oil against Planktonic and Biofilm Cells Isolated from Canine Otological Infections

The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical profile of Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil (CZEO) and their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus strains isolated from canine otitis. First, the CZEO chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (CG-MS). External otitis samples collected from dogs were submitted to staphylococcal isolation, followed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identification. The antimicrobial action was tested against the isolates using the disk-diffusion and microdilution methods. The antibiofilm activity was evaluated by CZEO-based concentrations, subMIC for biofilm formation and supraMIC against preformed biofilm, quantified by crystal violet (CV) staining and CFU counting. The chemical analysis revealed that (E)-cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and (E)-cinnamyl acetate were the main compounds in the CZEO, representing 77.42, 8.17 and 4.50%, respectively. Two strains of three different species, S. saprophyticus, S. schleiferi and S. pseudintermedius, were identified. The disk-diffusion test showed an inhibitory zone diameter, ranging from 34.0 to 49.5 mm, while the MIC and MBC values were around 500 and 1000 &micro;g/mL. SubMIC demonstrated an inhibition on biofilm formation against 4 out the 6 strains tested. On mature biofilm, the CZEO-based supraMIC groups had slightly change on biomass, however, the biofilm cell viability decreased the CFU in 3 magnitude orders