Phlebotomine fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) of an American cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic area in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

The occurrence of an outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis associated with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis in the municipality of Bela Vista, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and the absence of information on its vectors in this area led the authors to undertake captures of phlebotomine sand flies, using Shannon traps and automatic CDC light traps, in domiciles, forested areas and animal shelters from February 2004-January 2006. A total of 808 specimens belonging to 18 sandfly species have been identified: Bichromomyia flaviscutellata, Brumptomyia avellari, Brumptomyia brumpti, Brumptomyia sp, Evandromyia aldafalcaoae, Evandromyia cortelezzii, Evandromyia evandroi, Evandromyia lenti, Evandromyia teratodes, Evandromyia termitophila, Lutzomyia longipalpis, Nyssomyia whitmani, Pintomyia christenseni, Psathyromyia aragaoi, Psathyromyia campograndensis, Psathyromyia punctigeniculata, Psathyromyia shannoni and Sciopemyia sordellii. The presence of Lu.

Brain structural variability due to aging and gender in cognitively healthy Elders: results from the Sao Paulo Ageing and Health study.

Background And Purpose: Several morphometric MR imaging studies have investigated age- and sex-related cerebral volume changes in healthy human brains, most often by using samples spanning several decades of life and linear correlation methods. This study aimed to map the normal pattern of regional age-related volumetric reductions specifically in the elderly population.

Materials And Methods: One hundred thirty-two eligible individuals (67-75 years of age) were selected from a community-based sample recruited for the São Paulo Ageing and Health (SPAH) study, and a cross-sectional MR imaging investigation was performed concurrently with the second SPAH wave.

Structural stability of myoglobin in organic media.

The structural stability of metmyoglobin in organic solvents and cosolvents was investigated aiming the choice of a suitable medium to perform its dissolution with maintenance of the native folding. The spectroscopic behavior of metmyoglobin solution in UV-Visible and circular dichroism was used to evaluate the solubility and the secondary structure. The results were dependable of the chemical structure of the organic compounds, their polarity and content, in the case of cosolvents.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment trial of citalopram for major depressive disorder in older patients with heart failure: the relevance of the placebo effect and psychological symptoms.

Background: Little is known about the treatment of depression in older patients with heart failure. This study was developed to investigate the effectiveness of antidepressant treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) in the elderly with heart failure.

Methods: We enrolled 72 older outpatients with ejection fraction <50 and diagnosed with MDD by the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV.

Leishmanicidal metabolites from Cochliobolus sp., an endophytic fungus isolated from Piptadenia adiantoides (Fabaceae).

Protozoan parasites belonging to genera Leishmania and Trypanosoma are the etiological agents of severe neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that cause enormous social and economic impact in many countries of tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. In our screening program for new drug leads from natural sources, we found that the crude extract of the endophytic fungus Cochliobolus sp. (UFMGCB-555) could kill 90% of the amastigote-like forms of Leishmania amazonensis and inhibit by 100% Ellman's reagent reduction in the trypanothione reductase (TryR) assay, when tested at 20 microg mL(-1).

The characteristics of depressive symptoms in medical students during medical education and training: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Medical education and training can contribute to the development of depressive symptoms that might lead to possible academic and professional consequences. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of depressive symptoms among 481 medical students (79.8% of the total who matriculated).

[Oral health among adolescents: aspects relating to hygiene, dental cavities and periodontal disease in the cities of Recife and Feira de Santana, Brazil].

Objective: To characterize the oral health in adolescents in the cities of Recife and Feira de Santana, Northeast Brazil by assessment of personal hygiene and dental cavities and periodontal disease.

Method: Forty adolescents between ten and eighteen years old were assessed through an exploratory study run in Recife in 2005. In Feira de Santana, 971 adolescents (twelve years old) were examined through a cross section study in 2002.

Gastric emptying before and after cholecystectomy in patients with cholecystolithiasis.

Background/aims: The objective of the present study was to measure gastric emptying time of solids and semisolids in dyspeptic individuals with cholecystolithiasis before and 6 months after cholecystectomy in order to determine whether cholecystectomy interferes with gastric emptying.

Methodology: A prospective, self-pairing study was conducted on 29 patients selected according to appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria. Gastric emptying time of solids and semisolids was determined before and six months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy by the 13C-octanoic acid and 13C-acetate breath tests, respectively.

Adaptive optimal control of fed-batch alcoholic fermentation.

An adaptive control scheme is developed for the optimization of a fed-batch ethanol production process. The fermentation process is modeled by an hybrid neural model combining mass balance equations and neural networks, used to represent the kinetic rates. The networks used, the functional link networks (FLN), allow the linear estimation of their parameters; this enables the re-estimation of the parameters at each sampling time, and thus the development of an adaptive optimal control scheme.

Evaluation of untreated coffee husks as potential biosorbents for treatment of dye contaminated waters.

The objective of this work was to propose an alternative use for coffee husks (CH), a coffee processing residue, as untreated sorbents for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The effects of solution temperature, pH, biosorbent dosage and contact time on MB removal were investigated. The experimental adsorption equilibrium data were fitted to both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models.

Concentration of Cupriavidus necator cells by flocculation and sedimentation.

Separation and cells concentration constitute important stages in most biotechnological processes. Particularly, use of flocculation/sedimentation can improve significantly the extraction of biopolymers accumulated by microorganisms and the biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds by cell sludge. In this work the use of tannin and aluminum sulphate (Al2(SO4)3) as flocculating agents for concentration of cells of Cupriavidus necator DSM 545 is evaluated.

Modification of Disney trap for capture of sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae).

This paper describes the modifications made to the original model of the Disney trap, with a view to easier handling of the same, greater practicability in the collection of sand flies, protection of the animal bait and durability of the trap in the field.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry monitoring of indigo carmine degradation by advanced oxidative processes.

The degradation of the dye indigo carmine in aqueous solution induced by two oxidative processes (H(2)O(2)/iodide and O(3)) was investigated. The reactions were monitored by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in the negative ion mode, ESI(-)-MS, and the intermediates and oxidation products characterized by ESI(-)-MS/MS. Both oxidative systems showed to be highly efficient in removing the color of the dye aqueous solutions.

Estimating gluconeogenesis by NMR isotopomer distribution analysis of [13C]bicarbonate and [1-13C]lactate.

The gluconeogenic contribution to glucose production in livers isolated from rats fasted for 24 h was determined by 13C-NMR isotopomer distribution analysis of secreted glucose enriched from 99% [13C]bicarbonate (n = 4) and 99% [1-13C]lactate (n = 4). Experiments with 3% 2H2O were also performed, allowing the gluconeogenic contribution to be measured by the relative 2H enrichments at positions 5 and 2 of glucose. From 13C-NMR analyses, the contribution of gluconeogenesis to glucose output was estimated to be 93 +/- 3% for [13C]bicarbonate perfusion and 91 +/- 3% for [1-13C]lactate perfusion, in good agreement with the 2H-NMR analysis of the gluconeogenic contribution to glucose production (100 +/- 1% and 99 +/- 1%, respectively) and consistent with the expected negligible contribution from glycogenolysis.

Major depressive disorder and inflammatory markers in elderly patients with heart failure.

The authors evaluated levels of inflammatory markers in 34 chronic heart failure (CHF) out-patients age 65 years and over, with (N=18) and without (N=16) major depressive disorder (MDD), and healthy-control subjects (N=13). Patients with CHF had left-ventricular ejection fractions <0.40 and were in the New York Heart Association functional class II or III.

Prospective observational study of candidemia in São Paulo, Brazil: incidence rate, epidemiology, and predictors of mortality.

Background: Studies conducted in tertiary care hospitals of different European countries and the United States have shown incidence rates of candidemia ranging from 0.17 to 0.76 and 0.

Monitoring the degradation of tetracycline by ozone in aqueous medium via atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry.

The degradation of tetracycline (1) by ozone in aqueous solution was investigated. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and total organic carbon (TOC) analyses revealed that although tetracycline was quickly consumed under this oxidative condition, it did not mineralize at all. Continuous monitoring by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode, ESI(+)-MS, revealed that tetracycline (1), detected in its protonated form ([1 + H]+) of m/z 445, reacted to yield almost exclusively two unprecedented oxidation products (2 and 3) via a net insertion of one and two oxygen atoms, respectively.

Effects of antidepressant treatment on cognitive performance in elderly subjects with heart failure and comorbid major depression: an exploratory study.

Cognitive deficits are common in association with heart failure (HF), and it is possible that their severity is magnified by the concomitant presence of major depressive disorder (MDD). Using the Cambridge Mental Disorders of the Elderly Examination battery, the authors compared the cognitive performance of MDD-HF subjects (N=20), nondepressed HF subjects (N=23), and healthy control subjects (N=18). Scores were lower in both HF groups relative to control subjects.

[The Unified National Health System and the third sector: Characterization of non-hospital facilities providing basic health care services in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil].

In Brazil, nonprofit or charitable organizations are the oldest and most traditional and institutionalized form of relationship between the third sector and the state. Despite the historical importance of charitable hospital care, little research has been done on the participation of the nonprofit sector in basic health care in the country. This article identifies and describes non-hospital nonprofit facilities providing systematically organized basic health care in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2004.

Interactive properties of human glioblastoma cells with brain neurons in culture and neuronal modulation of glial laminin organization.

The harmonious development of the central nervous system depends on the interactions of the neuronal and glial cells. Extracellular matrix elements play important roles in these interactions, especially laminin produced by astrocytes, which has been shown to be a good substrate for neuron growth and axonal guidance. Glioblastomas are the most common subtypes of primary brain tumors and may be astrocytes in origin.

[Opaque intraocular lens in intractable diplopia: case report].

Intractable diplopia has been described in many situations but poor results are the rule with standard treatment modalities. The authors report a case of a woman with long-standing strabismus and diplopia who failed to improve following surgery, prism, and occlusive spectacles or contact lenses. Then, she was submitted to phacoemulsification and opaque intraocular lens implantation, which successfully neutralized diplopia.

Regional cerebral blood flow reductions, heart failure and Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives: To discuss whether there are similarities between the functional brain abnormalities detectable in association with the diagnoses of heart failure (HF) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), focusing particularly on neuroimaging findings in vivo.

Methods: Using an electronic database (Medline), we reviewed imaging studies that have evaluated resting cerebral blood flow (CBF), resting glucose metabolism or amyloid deposition in groups of subjects suffering AD or HF compared with healthy controls.

Results: Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) investigations have reported global CBF reductions in HF groups compared with controls.