Estado Confusional Agudo após Corticoterapia Inalada

Background: The connection between corticotherapy and neuropsychiatric symptoms is widely known, being one of the first questions we need to assess when presenting with first episode psychiatric symptoms or confusional state. Aims: To date, data on cases related to inhaled corticotherapy and neuropsychiatric effects is scarce. In this paper we describe a rare case in a young woman. Methods: The clinical case presented led us to try to understand the data published on the subject in order to discuss it in greater length. Results and Conclusions: We present and discuss a 27-year-old patient’s case, with no previous psychiatric disease, who was admitted to our Psychiatric ward after the onset of severe acute behavioural disturbance characterized by aggressiveness, visual and auditory hallucinatory activity, misidentification and altered conscience status. It was later found that seven days earlier she had been prescribed inhaled corticotherapy for a minor respiratory infection. A few days after corticotherapy withdrawal, the clinical symptoms improved significantly.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A novel approach for mycotoxigenic fungi identifications based on uncomplicated microscopy and mycotoxin characters

Species concepts within fungi are (a) subject to frequent revision and (b) unusually protean. However, this allows novel schemes some scope to be considered. The taxonomy of the penicillia is unstable particularly in the important antibiotic and mycotoxin-producing subgenus Penicillium. Non-specialists in particular encounter difficulty with assigning names to taxa. Name changes of important fungi have occurred frequently and recently. There are difficulties relating identifications to mycotoxin production. This is necessary for controlling mycotoxin contamination in food, drink, homes, etc. Patulin is an important mycotoxin produced by various fungi and has strict limits in the European Union and elsewhere. Also, it is a useful model mycotoxin per se. The mycotoxin and/or the isoepoxydon dehydrogenase (IDH) gene of the metabolic pathway have been assessed in 318 strains predominately of subgenus Penicillium. These data were used to classify the isolates, although the applied aspects of the scheme are emphasised over the purely taxonomic. Of course, the issue of whether to apply a dual nomenclature to different states of pleomorphic fungi is relevant. Subgenus Penicillium contained most of the IDH and patulin positives. Many of species contained positive and negative members, which demonstrates that identifications based on morphology do not indicate patulin production. The species and varieties in subgenus Penicillium which have been associated with patulin production can be reduced to one name, viz. Penicillium Pen p+, where p is the abbreviation of patulin. This basic concept has been extended to other mycotoxin producing fungi within the subgenus using published data to indicate the utility of the scheme. The classification will lead naturally to the number of taxa being reduced. In addition, more meaningful results are obtained in terms of assessing the potential for patulin production. The possibilities of direct analysis of environmental samples are also discussed. The scheme could be used with advantage for other fungi.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - grant SFRH/BPD/14923/2004

Fungi and Fusarium mycotoxins in corn silages

Ensiled forages and grains are very important for feeding dairy cows in the Portuguese Azores islands. Fungal spoilage of animal feed silage occurs frequently. Moulds have no significant beneficial purpose to the ensiling process, and their ability to proliferate results from silage environments that are aerobically unstable, leading to unstable silage, loss of nutritive substances and mycotoxins contamination. Eighty maize silos produced in the Azores were collected. Samples of the middle, surface, and critical points, which had visible mould contamination, were examined for the total fungi and Aspergillus fumigatus. Fumonisin B1 and deoxynivalenol were analysed for in 25 samples from the silo middle, that were considered to be good silos from the dry matter and the pH perspective. All samples contained fungi. High levels (over 104 CFU/g) of yeasts were found in 70 samples (89% of total samples). Thirteen samples (54%) from the middle, 21 samples (72%) from the surface and 19 samples (86%) from the critical points contained A. fumigatus. A. fumigatus is the dominant spoilage mould in maize silage in the Azores. Other fungi that were identified belong to the genera Absidia, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Monascus, Mucor, Penicillium, Phoma, Rhizopus, Sepedonium, Trichoderma, Verticillium. The mycotoxicological evaluation indicated contamination of 14 samples (56%) with fumonisin B1 and 10 samples (40%) with deoxynivalenol. Since Fusarium strains were rarely isolated, the presence of these mycotoxins could be explained by field contamination

Why do food and drink smell like earth?

Fungi have long been associated with earthy odours. One of the main contributors to this odour is geosmin, a sesquiterpenoid metabolite produced by soil living fungi. Some food commodities are liable to contamination by geosmin producing fungi. Under favourable environmental conditions the production of geosmin occurs. One of the producers of geosmin in fruits is Penicillium expansum which also produces the mycotoxin patulin. Recent reports indicate that geosmin production by P. expansum is stimulated by Botrytis cinerea. However, the effect on patulin production is not known. The above issues will be discussed in this contribution.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Venenos e panaceias do vinho tinto

É o propósito dos autores apresentar nesta comunicação uma reflexão crítica, com base nos dados disponíveis até à data, sobre os fundamentos dos debates recentes sobre segurança alimentar no vinho, bem como sobre o papel do vinho na saúde, usando como caso de estudo dados conjuntos sobre a casta Vinhão, quanto à presença da toxina ocratoxina A e antocianas. Aspectos como a avaliação e gestão do risco quanto à ocratoxina A, em termos de estabelecimento de limites máximos recomendados, e comunicação do risco ao consumidor serão aqui debatidos dos pontos de vista científicos, políticos e económicos, tendo a saúde do consumidor em vista final. Os mesmos pontos são focados na visão inversa, dos compostos com efeito benéficos para a saúde, quanto às antocianas. Um balanço final é apresentado

An applied identification scheme for penicillium

The goal is to provide an objective and practical identification scheme for Penicillium by using patulin as an example. The taxonomy of penicillia is unstable particularly in the important antibiotic and mycotoxin-producing subgenus Penicillium. Nonspecialists especially encounter difficulty with assigning names. Name changes of important fungi have occurred frequently and recently: There are difficulties relating identifications to mycotoxin production. This is necessary for controlling mycotoxin contamination in food, etc. Patulin is an important mycotoxin which has strict limits in the USA, European Union and elsewhere. Patulin and/or the isoepoxydon dehydrogenase (IDH) gene of the metabolic pathway have been analysed in 318 strains of Penicillium. The procedures involved predominately TLC and the PCR. These data were used to classify the isolates, although the applied aspects of the scheme are emphasised. Subgenus Penicillium contained most of the IDH and patulin positives. Many of the taxa were represented by positive and negative IDH and patulin detection included within each species. Numerous species were included in each category of patulin detection, IDH detection, etc. The species and varieties in subgenus Penicillium which are associated with patulin production can be reduced to one name, viz. Penicillium Penicillium patulin positive. This can be abbreviated to, Penicillium Penpat+. Other examples are Penicillium PenIDH+; Penicillium PenIDH+pat+. The occurrence of positive and negative detection within species demonstrates that identifications based on morphology do not necessarily indicate patulin production. The classification will lead naturally to the number of taxa being reduced dramatically. In addition, more meaningful results are obtained in terms of the potential for patulin production. The identification can accommodate quantitative data, and the concept could be extended usefully to other fungi. Identifications will be useful particularly to those attempting to identify weak spots in food commodity systems

Solutions to penicillium taxonomy crucial to mycotoxin research and health

The stability of taxonomy within Penicillium is reviewed with respect to mycotoxin production. Identification remains difficult despite the availability of modern methods. Proficiency testing is rare and conventional identifications do not inform reliably as to whether mycotoxins were detected/produced. A solution which consists of identifying a Penicillium strain as terverticillate and then undertaking mycotoxin analysis is described.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - SFRH/BPD/14923/200

Electrophoretic aqueous two-phase partition of proteins

An electrical field was applied to an aqueous two-phase system. The integration of these techniques in one step is used to improve the partition of biological molecules. Experiments were performed for an individual protein - BSA - and for a mixture of proteins - lysozyme and egg albumin - at different polarities and opposite charges of the biomolecules for the aqueous two-phase system Reppal PES - PEG8000. The separation between those two proteins improved more than two-fold