Visceral leishmaniasis in a Brazilian endemic area: an overview of occurrence, HIV coinfection and lethality

The Brazilian municipality of Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso State, represents an important visceral leishmaniasis (VL) endemic area. This study described epidemiological and clinical aspects of the occurrence, VL/HIV coinfection and lethality related to VL in Rondonópolis. Data from autochthonous cases reported between 2011 and 2016 were obtained from official information systems. During this period, 81 autochthonous cases were reported, with decreasing incidence through 2016. Contrastingly, the lethality rate was 8.6% overall, but varied widely, reaching a peak (20%) in 2016. Almost 10% of patients had VL/HIVcoinfection. The occurrence of VL prevailed among men (56.8%), brown-skinned (49.4%), urban residents (92.6%), aged 0-4 years (33.3%). Housewives or retired (29.6%) were the most affected occupational groups. Lower age was the main difference among the total VL cases and those who were coinfected or died. Clinically, fever, weakness and splenomegaly were more frequent among all VL cases and VL/HIV coinfected individuals. Bacterial infections (p=0.001) and bleeding (

CARACTERIZAÇÃO MICROESTRUTURAL DE UMA LIGA DO TIPO AUSTENO – FERRÍTICA UTILIZADA NA PRODUÇÃO DE TUBOS CONFORMADOS

Os aços inoxidáveis duplex, possuem à temperatura ambiente, estrutura bifásica ferrítico-austenítica conferindo a liga maior resistência a corrosão e oxidação com apreciável tenacidade. Nesta pesquisa, utilizou-se as técnicas metalúrgicas que garantissem a caracterização do material como recebido e também a análise do seu comportamento quando submetida ao aquecimento a temperatura elevada (1.000°C) em diferentes tempos. Foram realizadas análises por Microscopia Eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e Difração de Raios X (DRX). Os resultados confirmam o adensamento da espessura da camada oxidada com a elevação do tempo de exposição a alta temperatura

Phytochemical screening and evaluation of cytotoxicity of stem bark extracts of Anaxagorea dolichocarpa and Duguetia chrysocarpa (Annonaceae)

Purpose: To investigate the phytochemistry and cytotoxic activity of stem bark extracts from Anaxagorea dolichocarpa and Duguetia chrysocarpa - two species of the Annonaceae family.Methods: The crude ethanol bark extracts (EtOH) of the plants were obtained by maceration. The crude extracts were suspended in a mixture of methanol (MeOH) and water (H2O) (proportion 3:7 v/v) and partitioned with hexane, chloroform (CHCl3) and ethyl acetate (AcOEt) in ascending order of polarity to obtain the respective fractions. The extracts were evaluated on thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates of silica gel to highlight the main groups of secondary metabolites. Cytotoxicity was tested against human tumor cell lines - OVCAR-8 (ovarian), SF-295 (brain) and HCT-116 (colon) - using 3- (4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.Results: The screening results demonstrated that all the extracts were positive for the presence of flavonoids and tannins. The presence of alkaloids also was detected in some extracts. The hexane extract of A. dolichocarpa showed the strongest cytotoxicity against HCT-116 with cell growth inhibition of 89.02 %.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate for the first time the cytotoxic activity of the extracts of A. dolichocarpa and D. chrysocarpa, thus providing some evidence that plants of the Annonaceae family are a source of active secondary metabolites with cytotoxic activity.Keywords: Annonaceae, Anaxagorea dolichocarpa, Duguetia chrysocarpa, Anti-cancer agents, Ovarian, brain and colon cell line

Antioxidant activity and acute toxicity of Neoglaziovia variegata (Bromeliaceae)

Antioxidant activities of Neoglaziovia variegata were evaluated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching and was compared with ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The total phenolics content of the extracts was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Total flavonoid was also determined. The most significant total phenolic content was of 543.50 ± 9.38 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g for ethyl acetate extract (AcOEt), which presented the best antioxidant activity (IC50 5.08 ± 0.20 μg/ml) for DPPH scavenging. The acute toxicity of Nv-EtOH was performed 2.0 g/kg intraperitoneally and 5.0 g/kg orally in mice. No mortality and no toxicity signs were observed, indicating low toxicity of the extract. Blood was removed after 14 days for laboratory analysis of hematological and biochemical parameters. Alterations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatinine were observed. The data obtained showed that the doses induced microscopic alterations in the liver and kidney. In conclusion, the Nv-EtOH can be considered of low toxicity.Keywords: Antioxidant activity, acute toxicity, Neoglaziovia variegata, Bromeliacea