Efficacy and tolerability of a gatifloxacin/prednisolone acetate fixed combination for topical prophylaxis and control of inflammation in phacoemulsification: a 20-day-double-blind comparison to its individual components

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of a fixed combination of 0.3% gatifloxacin and 1% prednisolone (Zypred®) versus the individual components used separately (Zypred® and Predfort®) for infection prophylaxis and inflammation control after cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study of 108 patients who underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation was conducted. After random assignment, 47 eyes received the fixed combination of topical 0.3% gatifloxacin/1% prednisolone drops, and 61 eyes received the same doses of the individual components as separate solutions four times a day for 15 days. Baseline and postoperative assessments were made on postoperative days 1, 7, 15, and 20. RESULTS: All objective (best corrected visual acuity, sign of active ocular inflammation, central and incisional corneal edema, the number of cells per high-power field in the anterior chamber, and intraocular pressure) and subjective (eye pain, photophobia, burning sensation, itching, and foreign body sensation) criteria of efficacy were similar in both groups, with no significant differences. Group I included 47 eyes that received the fixed combination of gatifloxacin/prednisolone acetate eye drops and a placebo eye drop solution. Group II included 61 eyes that were treated with 0.3% gatifloxacin and 1% prednisolone acetate eye drops separately. The intraocular pressure was slightly higher in Group II (

Severe form of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis: a case report

Sporotrichosis is the most frequent subcutaneous mycosis in Latin America. It is caused by species of the genus Sporothrix. Infection in humans occurs through the entry of the fungus into the skin. Zoonotic outbreaks involving cats in the transmission of the disease have been frequently reported. The lymphocutaneous form is the most commonly observed and the upper limbs are the most affected sites. We report a case of a 64-year-old healthy female patient with a lymphocutaneous form with rapid progression of lesions, which was refractory to initial treatment with itraconazole. Treatment with liposomal amphotericin B was performed with a satisfactory resolution, but aesthetic and functional sequelae in the left upper limb were installed

Adubação orgânica e mineral no crescimento inicial de mudas de Cedrela Fissilis Vellozo / Organic and mineral fertilization in the initial growth Cedrela Fissilis Vellozo seedlings

O cedro rosa (Cedrela fissilis Vellozo) uma espécie florestal, indicada para ações como reflorestamento, preservação ambiental, arborização urbana, paisagismo, porém, de difícil manejo devido à dificuldade na produção de mudas devido a incidência de doenças destacando-se a morte do ponteiro, dificultando assim a produção de suas mudas como o plantio comercial ou não da espécie, apresenta elevado valor econômico devida as características da sua madeira. Este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar o crescimento e a qualidade das mudas de Cedro Rosa a partir da incorporação do substrato cama aviaria e NPK (9-28-20). O experimento foi conduzido, durante o período de julho de 2019 a fevereiro de 2020, na Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA), Campus Capitão Poço-PA. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados (DBC) com 8 (oitro) tratamentos e 6 (seis) repetições, totalizando 48 unidades experimentais obedecendo ao princípio da casualidade. Os tratamentos consistiram na testemunha, somente solo; e somente solo + NPK; diferentes níveis de cama aviária (10%, 20% e 40%) e a combinação de cama aviária + NPK (10%, 20% e 40%). As avaliações foram divididas em análises quantitativas: altura das mudas (AM); diâmetro do coleto (DC); número de folhas (NF); massas secas de folhas (MSF), caule (MSC) e raízes (MSR) e o índice de qualidade de Dickson (IQD), mensuradas ao final do experimento, aos 138 dias após o plantio. Os dados foram submetidos aos pressupostos de normalidade e homoscedasticidade, quando atendidos, foram submetidos à análise de variância com a aplicação do teste F (p < 0,05) e, posteriormente ao teste de médias Tukey (p < 0,05). Observa-se que a utilização de cama aviária 10% + NPK destacou-se apresentando as maiores medias, apesar do substrato cama aviária 10% apresentar resultados semelhantes. Com base nas informações, recomenda-se a utilização de cama aviária 10% do volume total ou cama aviária 10% + NPK incorporadas ao solo. 

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Bibliometric Review on New Possibilities of Antimycobacterial Agents: Exploring Siderophore Desferrioxamine’s Applications as an Antimicrobial Agent

Mycobacteria cause tuberculosis and other serious diseases. Understanding their mechanisms of resistance to our immune system and exploring novel drugs are critical strategies to combat infections. A bibliometric analysis was performed to identify publication trends and critical research areas in the field of the antimicrobial activity of desferrioxamine. A total of twenty-four publications on the topic, from 2012 to 2023, were retrieved from databases including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase, using specific keywords. The quality of the publications was assessed using impact and productivity metrics, with an average annual publication rate of 2.1 articles. The United States emerged as the most productive country, with medicine (23.4%, 11 publications) and biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology (21.3%, 10 publications) as the top research fields. The five most cited publications accounted for 672 citations, with a relatively low h-index (11:11). In conclusion, there has been a lack of publications on this topic in the last decade. The United States dominates production and publication in this area, and there appears to be limited exchange of knowledge, ideas, and technology within the field. Therefore, fostering international cooperation through funding is essential to facilitate further research and development of desferrioxamine-related studies

Structural investigation of C6/36 and Vero cell cultures infected with a Brazilian Zika virus - Fig 6

<p><b>C6/36 cells infected with ZIKV analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at different time points post-infection (A-B: 48 hr p.i., C-D: 72 hr p.i.).</b> Several large viroplasm-like perinuclear compartments (V) (A-B) and ZIKV particles (*) measuring approximately 40–50 nm in diameter in the endoplasmic reticulum cisternae (RER) (A, B) and in lysosomes (L) (C-D) were observed. Nucleocapsids were observed inside the rER (D). Thickening of the nuclear membrane and rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae (rER) (black head arrow) (C), numerous lysosomes (L) (C, D) and vesicular compartments associated with rER (arrow) (C) measuring approximately 100 nm in diameter were observed. Nucleus (N).</p

Detection of ZIKV RNA and viral load quantification from C6/36 and Vero cell supernatants at 24, 48 and 72 hr p.i. by quantitative real-time RT-PCR.

<p>Detection of ZIKV RNA and viral load quantification from C6/36 and Vero cell supernatants at 24, 48 and 72 hr p.i. by quantitative real-time RT-PCR.</p