Alterações encontradas por ressonância magnética na esclerose lateral amiotrófica utilizando sequência spin-echo com transferência de magnetização: relato preliminar

We present the magnetic resonance (MR) findings of five patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using a spin-echo sequence with an additional magnetization transfer (MT) pulse on T1-weighted images (T1 SE/MT). These findings were absent in the control group and consisted of hyperintensity of the corticospinal tract. Moreover we discuss the principles and the use of this fast but simple MR technique in the diagnosis of ALSApresentamos as alterações do sinal de ressonância magnética (RM) encontradas em cinco pacientes com esclerose lateral amiotrofica (ELA) utilizando sequência spin-echo ponderada em T1 com pulso adicional de transferência de magnetização (T1 SE/MT). Essas anormalidades estão ausentes no grupo controle e consistem de hipersinal dos tratos piramidais. Discutimos os princípios e o emprego dessa técnica simples e rápida de imagens por RM no diagnóstico de ELA.Santa Casa de São PauloUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de Diagnóstico por ImagemUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de Diagnóstico por ImagemSciEL

Progresso genético e estrutura populacional do rebanho Nelore no Estado da Bahia

The objective of this work was to evaluate the population structure as well as the genetic and phenotypic progress in growth development traits of Nellore cattle raised in Bahia state, Brazil. Pedigree data of bovines, born between 1955 and 2007, and weight values adjusted to 205, 365, and 550 days of age, from 1970 to 2006, were used. The heritability coefficients were moderate to high for the adjusted weights, in all three ages. The herds presented a positive but small genetic gain. The phenotypic changes over years were almost exclusively related to environmental improvements. The effective size of the Nellore population raised in Bahia state has increased over some periods, thereby decreasing the inbreeding rate and leading to higher genetic gains. The generation interval is high and its reduction is important, in order to increase the annual genetic gain.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a estrutura populacional e o progresso genético e fenotípico de características de desenvolvimento ponderal, em bovinos da raça Nelore, no Estado da Bahia. Foram utilizadas informações de pedigree de animais nascidos no período de 1955 a 2007, e dados dos pesos ajustados aos 205, 365 e 550 dias de idade, de bovinos nascidos de 1970 a 2006. As estimavas dos coeficientes de herdabilidade foram de moderadas a altas, quanto aos pesos ajustados nas três idades. Os rebanhos apresentaram ganho genético positivo nas três características, porém, de baixa magnitude. A mudança fenotípica no decorrer dos anos foi quase exclusivamente relacionada à melhoria ambiental. O tamanho efetivo da população de Nelore do Estado da Bahia tem sido alto em alguns períodos, o que tem levado a menor incremento de endogamia e maiores ganhos genéticos. O intervalo de geração é alto e sua redução é importante para que se possa alcançar maior ganho genético anual

Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Activities of Pinus tropicalis and Pinus elliottii Resins and of the Diterpene Dehydroabietic Acid Against Bacteria That Cause Dental Caries

Considering the impact of dental caries on public health and the wide biological potential described for species belonging to the genus Pinus, here we investigate the antibacterial activity of the P. elliottii and P. tropicalis resins and of the diterpene dehydroabietic acid (DHA) against cariogenic bacteria. For this purpose, we have determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the resins and of the diterpene. We have also investigated the biofilm inhibition ability (through MBIC50 determination), as well as the synergistic effect (through fractional inhibitory concentration index) and the cytotoxic potential (through XTT assay) of the P. elliottii and P. tropicalis resins. The resins gave promising MIC and MBC values, which ranged from 12.5 to 400 μg/mL; DHA provided MIC and MBC values ranging from 25 to 400 μg/mL. The MICB50 values ranged from 0.78 to 400 μg/mL for the resins. Neither additive nor synergistic effects emerged for the combinations of one of the resins with chlorhexidine. The cytotoxic activity was ≥312.5 and ≥156.3 μg/mL for the P. elliottii and P. tropicalis resins, respectively. The resins showed antibacterial activity against planktonic and sessile cariogenic bacteria. These data are relevant and encourage further research into these plants, which may contribute to the discovery of new substances that can inhibit the growth of cariogenic microorganisms and reduce the incidence of dental caries

Rotavirus and the emergence of new genotypes: a narrative review

Rotavirus infection, which is directly related to the population’s quality of life, can culminate in death, mainly of children. This review discusses the prevalence and distribution of rotavirus genotypes, focusing on the genotypic variation of the virus after the implementation of vaccines and the cross-infection between animal and human species. It was searched the published literature from January 2006 to July 2017 using the Web of Knowledge database and the search terms “rotavirus”, “genotype”, “prevalence post vaccine”, and “emerging genotypes”. It was observed that the predominant genotypes changed in all continents, and that some genotypes are still emerging. Two hypotheses for this global change are the genetic variability of the virus and the emergence of vaccine-resistant genotypes. In addition, the virus can easily infect several animal species other than humans, as evidenced by reports of cross-infection of strains, which have served as warning for the generation of new virus genotypes. Inter-sectoral actions that encompass not only the health sector, but also all the socio-economic sector including the government, researchers, teachers, health agents, and communities contribute to decrease health-related expenditures and reduce mortality caused by the rotavirus, thereby improving health indicators and promoting health around the world.Rotavirus infection, which is directly related to the population’s quality of life, can culminate in death, mainly of children. This review discusses the prevalence and distribution of rotavirus genotypes, focusing on the genotypic variation of the virus after vaccines were implemented and cross-infection between animal and human species took place. We conducted a search of the literature from January 2006 to July 2017 by using the Web of Knowledge database and the search terms “rotavirus”, “genotype”, “prevalence post vaccine”, and “emerging genotypes”. The predominant genotypes changed in all the continents, and some genotypes are still emerging. There are two hypotheses for this global change: the genetics of the virus is variable, and vaccine-resistant genotypes have emerged. In addition, the virus can easily infect several animal species other than humans, as evidenced by reports of cross-infection of strains, which have served as a warning that new virus genotypes have been generated. Inter-sectoral actions that encompass not only the health sector, but also all the socio-economic sector including the government, researchers, teachers, health agents, and communities have contributed to reducing the health-related costs and mortality due to rotavirus infection, thereby improving health indicators and promoting health worldwide

Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil of Plectranthus neochilus

This work used the broth microdilution method to investigate the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil obtained from the leaves of Plectranthus neochilus (PN-EO) against a representative panel of oral pathogens. We assessed the antimicrobial activity of this oil in terms of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). PN-EO displayed moderate activity against Enterococcus faecalis (MIC = 250 μg/mL) and Streptococcus salivarus (MIC = 250 μg/mL), significant activity against Streptococcus sobrinus (MIC = 62.5 μg/mL), Streptococcus sanguinis (MIC = 62.5 μg/mL), Streptococcus mitis (MIC = 31.25 μg/mL), and Lactobacillus casei (MIC = 31.25 μg/mL), and interesting activity against Streptococcus mutans (MIC = 3.9 μg/mL). GC-FID and GC-MS helped to identify thirty-one compounds in PN-EO; α-pinene (1, 14.1%), β-pinene (2, 7.1%), trans-caryophyllene (3, 29.8%), and caryophyllene oxide (4, 12.8%) were the major chemical constituents of this essential oil. When tested alone, compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 were inactive (MIC > 4000 μg/mL) against all the microorganisms. These results suggested that the essential oil extracted from the leaves of Plectranthus neochilus displays promising activity against most of the evaluated cariogenic bacteria, especially S. mutans

Effectiveness of a new toothbrush design versus a conventional tongue scraper in improving breath odor and reducing tongue microbiota

For centuries, specific instruments or regular toothbrushes have routinely been used to remove tongue biofilm and improve breath odor. Toothbrushes with a tongue scraper on the back of their head have recently been introduced to the market. The present study compared the effectiveness of a manual toothbrush with this new design, i.e., possessing a tongue scraper, and a commercial tongue scraper in improving breath odor and reducing the aerobic and anaerobic microbiota of tongue surface. The evaluations occurred at 4 moments, when the participants (n=30) had their halitosis quantified with a halimeter and scored according to a 4-point scoring system corresponding to different levels of intensity. Saliva was collected for counts of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Data were analyzed statistically by Friedman's test (p<0.05). When differences were detected, the Wilcoxon test adjusted for Bonferroni correction was used for multiple comparisons (group to group). The results confirmed the importance of mechanical cleaning of the tongue, since this procedure provided an improvement in halitosis and reduction of aerobe and anaerobe counts. Regarding the evaluated methods, the toothbrush's tongue scraper and conventional tongue scraper had a similar performance in terms of breath improvement and reduction of tongue microbiota, and may be indicated as effective methods for tongue cleaning

Anticariogenic and Antimycobacterial Activities of the Essential Oil of Siparuna guianensis Aublet (Siparunaceae)

Siparuna guianensis&nbsp;is a Brazilian plant with extensive ethnobotanical indication and identified as one of the priority species that should be preserved in the Brazilian Cerrado. This work aimed to investigate the chemical composition and the antibacterial effects of the essential oil from leaves of S. guianensis (SG-EO) grown in southeastern Brazil against a representative panel of oral pathogens and mycobacteria. Anticariogenic and antimycobacterial activities of SG-EO were evaluated in terms of their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). The essential oil from leaves of S. guianensis was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Forty one compounds were identified, accounting for 92.7 % of the SG-EO composition. E,E-farnesol (18.0 %), β-myrcene (16.0 %), germacrene-D (10.0 %) and siparunone (14.6 %) were the major SG-EO constituents. SG-EO showed the strongest anticariogenic activity against the aerobic bacterium Streptococcus mutans (MIC of 50 µg/mL). SG-EO was also evaluated for its antimycobacterial activity, and showed MIC values of 250 µg/mL against Mycobacterium avium and 500 µg/mL against M. tuberculosis and M. kansasii. These results imply that&nbsp;S. guianensis&nbsp;may be a new alternative source of substances of medicinal interest. This is the first report of anticariogenic and antimycobacterial activities of essential oil of&nbsp;S. guianensis. DOI:&nbsp;http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v0i0.93

Chemical composition and in vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (Rutaceae) ripe and unripe fruits against bacterial genera Mycobacterium and Streptococcus

This study aims to investigate chemical composition of essential oils from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (Rutaceae) ripe and unripe fruits and determine their in vitro antibacterial activity. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack ripe and unripe fruits collected in the Cerrado, in Rio Verde, southwestern Goiás, Brazil. They were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sesquiterpenes, which represent the most abundant class of compounds in oils, predominated in both ripe and unripe fruits. Major constituents of essential oils extracted from ripe fruits (RF-EO) were β-caryophyllene (21.3%), α-ylangene (13.3%), germacrene-D (10.9%) and α-zingiberene (9.7%) whereas the ones of unripe fruits (UF-EO) were sesquithujene (25.0%), α-zingiberene (18.2%), germacrene-D (13.1%) and α-copaene (12.7%). In vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils was evaluated in terms of its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values by the broth microdilution method in 96-well microplates. Both essential oils under investigation showed moderate anti-streptococcal activity against the following bacteria: Streptococcus mutans, S. mitis, S. sanguinis, S. sobrinus and S. salivarius. MIC values ranged between 100 and 400 µg/mL. Regarding the antimycobacterial activity, essential oils from M. paniculata (L.) Jack unripe and ripe fruits were active against Mycobacterium kansasii (MIC = 250 µg/mL), moderately active against M. tuberculosis (MIC = 500 µg/mL) and inactive against M. avium (MIC = 2000 µg/mL). This study was pioneer in revealing similar chemical profiles of both essential oils extracted from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack unripe and ripe fruits, besides describing their in vitro anti-streptococcal and antimycobacterial activities