Characterization of percutaneous absorption of calcium, magnesium, and potentially toxic elements in two tailored sulfurous therapeutic peloids: a comprehensive in vitro pilot study.

Pelotherapy treatments in thermal spas, which utilize peloids composed of clay minerals mixed with saltwater or mineral-medicinal water, can have various effects on spa users, ranging from therapeutic to potential adverse reactions. Despite the widespread use of peloids, comprehensive information on the penetration and permeation of essential and potentially toxic elements into deeper layers of the skin during pelotherapy is limited. Understanding the concentrations of these elements is crucial for evaluating therapeutic benefits and ensuring safety.

Bioaccessibility by perspiration uptake of minerals from two different sulfurous peloids.

The risks associated with the use of peloids in thermal centers, spas, or at home, must be tested to develop appropriate safety guidelines for peloids formulations and the release of substances of high concern. Additionally, the beneficial effects of some elements on human health should be assessed to aid in interpreting the therapeutic action and effectiveness of pelotherapy on dermatological or osteomuscular disorders. Therefore, a methodology was developed to better understand the biogeochemical behavior of the elements in formulated peloids.

The preeclampsia condition alters external potassium-evoked contraction of human umbilical vessels.

Introduction: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a disease of high incidence in parturients, that adversely affects both mother and fetus. Although PE prevalence is high, there are few studies on literature describing its etiology or its mechanism of action. Thus, the aim of this study was to elucidate PE-induced alterations of contractile reactivity in umbilical vessels.

Effect of (Mill.) N.E. Brown Essential Oil on the Human Umbilical Artery.

is popularly known as lemon balm, with its essential oil (EO) cited for displaying antimicrobial, sedative, and vasorelaxant effects. Yet, its action on isolated human vessels has not been described in the literature. Thus, we evaluated the vasorelaxant effect of essential oil of (EOLa) on human umbilical arteries (HUA) isolated in organ baths.

Characterization of the vasodilator effect of eugenol in isolated human umbilical cord arteries.

Eugenol (EUG) is a phenylpropanoid widely used in the food and cosmetic industries. It is commonly referred to in the literature by its biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and relaxing in organs of laboratory animals, especially in rodent vessels. However, its vasorelaxant potential in human tissue, has not been investigated.

Sexual function in women of fertile age with epilepsy.

Purpose: To evaluate Sexual Function Scores in women of childbearing age with epilepsy.

Method: Cross-sectional study and comparison of two groups, one with and the other without epilepsy. The instruments used were: semi-structured socioeconomic, demographic and clinical questionnaire; Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories; Word Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-brief); Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI); and Female Genital Self Image Scale (FGSIS).

Physiological and metabolic bases of increased growth in the tomato ethylene-insensitive mutant Never ripe: extending ethylene signaling functions.

The tomato mutant Never ripe (Nr), a loss-of-function for the ethylene receptor SlETR3, shows enhanced growth, associated with increased carbon assimilation and a rewiring of the central metabolism. Compelling evidence has demonstrated the importance of ethylene during tomato fruit development, yet its role on leaf central metabolism and plant growth remains elusive. Here, we performed a detailed characterization of Never ripe (Nr) tomato, a loss-of-function mutant for the ethylene receptor SlETR3, known for its fruits which never ripe.

Assessment of Clayey Peloid Formulations Prior to Clinical Use in Equine Rehabilitation.

Clays are natural ingredients used to prepare therapeutic cataplasms suitable for topical application. The knowledge about these formulations and their preparations to be applied on humans and animals has been orally transmitted since ancient times. Several empirical methods using clays have demonstrated fast and effective results in the reduction of the inflammatory response and the formation of edemas in horse limbs.

Evaluation of dot-blot test for serological diagnosis of bovine brucellosis.

The objective of this study was to standardize and validate the dot-blot test for the serological diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, compare the results with those found in the 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) and complement fixation test (CF), and estimate the relative sensitivity and specificity of the dot-blot compared to these tests. Fifty bovine blood serum samples were used for the test standardization, and 1315 samples were used for evaluation and comparison between the tests; the results were compared using the Kappa indicator. At the end of standardization, it was established as optimal for the antigen obtained from Brucella abortus B19 after passing through a microorganism rupture process, the blood serum samples diluted at 1:100, and the conjugate at 1:30,000.

Methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid are able to modify cell wall but only salicylic acid alters biomass digestibility in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon.

In addition to playing a key role in the response to environmental changes, cell walls are also considered as a valuable feedstock for cellulosic ethanol. Here we explored the effects of the stress-response hormones, salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate, on cell wall biosynthesis and biomass digestibility in Brachypodium distachyon, a species recently considered as a suitable model for biomass conversion. We found that in response to salicylic acid or methyl jasmonate treatment, plant growth was reduced coupled with significant changes in cell wall composition.

Use of L. (Asteraceae) and L. (Zingiberaceae) to treat intestinal mucositis in mice: Toxico-pharmacological evaluations.

Introduction: Several studies towards the development of an effective treatment for intestinal mucositis have been reported, since this condition represents a major problem in clinical oncology practice due to cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy. However standardized protocols and universally accepted treatment options are yet to be established.

Objectives: Given above, this study evaluated the protective effects of a mucoadhesive formulation containing both L.

Curcuminoids from L. reduced intestinal mucositis induced by 5-fluorouracil in mice: Bioadhesive, proliferative, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Introduction: Intestinal mucositis is a frequent limiting factor in anticancer therapy and there is currently no broadly effective treatment targeted to cure this side effect.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a mucoadhesive formulation containing curcuminoids (MFC) from L. on the pathogenesis of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced intestinal mucositis.

Serial and prolonged EEG monitoring in anti-N-Methyl-d-Aspartate receptor encephalitis.

Objective: To describe serial electroencephalographic (EEG) findings of three patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

Methods: Three women (age 15-34years) with confirmed anti-NMDAR encephalitis underwent serial EEG recordings. Continuous EEG for 72h was performed in one case and 3-day video-EEG monitoring was obtained in two cases.

Heterogeneous resistance to vancomycin and teicoplanin among Staphylococcus spp. isolated from bacteremia.

This study evaluated the BHIA screening method with 4 or 6 mug/mL of vancomycin to detect glycopeptides heteroresistant staphylococci strains isolated from bacteremia. A total of 213 staphylococci strains were isolated from 106 patients between October/2001 and November/2002 in a tertiary hospital in Rio de Janeiro city. Fifty-seven (53.

Simplified and reliable scheme for species-level identification of Staphylococcus clinical isolates.

Reliable and rapid identification of staphylococcal strains continues to be a problem faced by many microbiology laboratories. This study evaluates a simplified method that uses a flowchart to assist in the identification of 12 clinical species of Staphylococcus, including eight subspecies. A total of 198 isolates and 11 control strains were identified by the reference method, which employed 22 tests.

Capillaria hepatica in rats: focal parasitic hepatic lesions and septal fibrosis run independent courses.

Capillaria hepatica causes two main lesions in the liver of rats: multifocal chronic inflammation, directly related to the presence of disintegrating parasites and their eggs, and a process of systematized septal fibrosis. The comparative behavior of these two lesions was investigated in rats experimentally infected with 600 embryonated eggs, following either corticosteroid treatment or specific antigenic stimulation, in an attempt to understand the relationship between these two lesions, and the pathogenesis of septal fibrosis. The two treatments differently modified the morphological aspects of the focal parasitic-related lesions, but did not interfere with the presentation of diffuse septal fibrosis, although a mild decrease in the degree of fibrosis occurred in corticoid-treated animals.

How variable are hydroxyproline determinations made in different samples of the same liver?

Objectives: The haphazard distribution of fibrous tissue can interfere with quantitative methods for evaluating hepatic fibrosis. Inter-sample variation may represent a crucial issue when hydroxyproline measurement is used to quantify fibrosis. A comparative study of the hydroxyproline levels in normal and fibrotic rats is herein reported.

Heterogeneous resistance to vancomycin in Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus warneri clinical strains: characterisation of glycopeptide susceptibility profiles and cell wall thickening.

The population analysis profile (PAP) method as well as analysis of autolytic activity and cellular ultrastructure by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterise Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus warneri clinical strains with reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides. All strains showed heterogeneous profiles to vancomycin and teicoplanin by the PAP method. Subpopulations that grew in the presence of high concentrations of each drug were selected from the PAP as derivative strains.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci: comparison of phenotypic and genotypic oxacillin susceptibility tests and evaluation of the agar screening test by using different concentrations of oxacillin.

This study evaluated the oxacillin susceptibilities of 152 coagulase-negative staphylococcal (CoNS) strains of 12 species by disk diffusion; agar dilution; E-test; the slide latex agglutination test (Slidex MRSA Detection test; bioMérieux S/A, Paris, France); the agar screening test with 1, 2, 4, or 6 microg of oxacillin per ml and incubation for 24 or 48 h; and detection of the mecA gene by PCR. The results revealed that the agar screening test with 4 micro g of oxacillin per ml and incubation for 48 h was superior to any single phenotype-based susceptibility assay, presenting a sensitivity and a specificity of 100% each. For the different methods evaluated, the sensitivities and specificities were as follows: for disk diffusion, 94.