Predicting mortality in neonates with gastroschisis in a Southeastern state of Brazil.

Objective: This study aimed to verify risk factors associated with gastroschisis mortality in three neonatal intensive care units located in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of neonates with gastroschisis was performed between 2000 and 2018. Prenatal, perinatal, and postsurgical variables of survival or nonsurvival groups were compared using chi-square statistical test, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and logistic regression.

First assessment of floating marine litter abundance and distribution in the Bay of Biscay from an integrated ecosystem survey.

In the Bay of Biscay, regional monitoring programmes and data on abundance and distribution of floating marine litter are scarce, contrary to many other European marine regions. Here, a joint analysis of multiyear observations (2017-2019) of floating micro and macrolitter and oceanographic conditions was conducted for the Bay of Biscay by combining microlitter samplings with neuston nets and vessel-based macrolitter observations. Results show spatiotemporal abundance and distribution patterns.

Influence of birthplace on gastroschisis outcomes in a state in the southeastern region of Brazil.

Objective: To characterize the influence of birthplace on outcomes of patients with gastroschisis admitted to three hospitals in a state in Brazil's southeastern region, according to condition inborn (born in a reference center) or outborn (born outside the reference center).

Methods: Retrospective multicenter cohort study of patients with gastroschisis. The sample size utilized was of patients admitted in three hospitals with a diagnosis of gastroschisis ICD 10 Q79.

Comparative assessment of flatfoot in preschool children.

Background: The increase or reduction of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) can affect essential functions in the foot biomechanics with long-term health consequences. The aim of the present study was to determine the height of the MLA in children from 3 to 6 years of age through five methods of footprint analysis for the diagnosis of flat foot.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 367 children aged 3 to 6 years in a municipality of the State of Mexico.

Foodborne Salmonellosis in Italy: Characterization of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Monophasic Variant 4,[5],12:i- Isolated from Salami and Human Patients.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm) and its monophasic variant 4,[5],12:i:- (VMSTm) have been responsible for an increased number of foodborne infections in humans in Europe in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the origin of three foodborne salmonellosis outbreaks that occurred in Pavia Province (Lombardy region, northern Italy) in 2010. Phenotypic and genetic characteristics of the STm and VMSTm isolates from patients and from food that were recovered in the framework of the three outbreaks were evaluated through serotyping, phage typing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA).

The redox processes in Hg-contaminated soils from Descoberto (Minas Gerais, Brazil): implications for the mercury cycle.

Investigations of the redox process and chemical speciation of Hg(II) lead to a better understanding of biogeochemical processes controlling the transformation of Hg(II) into toxic and bioaccumulative monomethyl mercury, mainly in areas contaminated with Hg(0). This study investigates the speciation and redox processes of Hg in soil samples from a small area contaminated with Hg(0) as a result of gold mining activities in the rural municipality of Descoberto (Minas Gerais, Brazil). Soil samples were prepared by adding Hg(0) and HgCl2 separately to dry soil, and the Hg redox process was monitored using thermodesorption coupled to atomic absorption spectrometry.

Antibacterial activity and cytotoxic effect of SIAB-GV3.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity and cytotoxic effect of the compound SIAB-GV3, a new formulation presenting as an aqueous suspension of silicon dioxide (SiO2) functionalized with silver (Ag+) nanoparticles and benzalkonium. The product is formulated as an adjuvant for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity. This study demonstrates that SIAB-GV3 possesses strong antimicrobial activity against most of the common oral pathogens, in particular against Streptococcus pyogenes, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinimycetemcomitans.

Genomic epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Italy and novel insights into the origin and global evolution of its resistance to carbapenem antibiotics.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is at the forefront of antimicrobial resistance for Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, as strains resistant to third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems are widely reported. The worldwide diffusion of these strains is of great concern due to the high morbidity and mortality often associated with K. pneumoniae infections in nosocomial environments.

Humans parasitized by the hard tick Ixodes ricinus are seropositive to Midichloria mitochondrii: is Midichloria a novel pathogen, or just a marker of tick bite?

Midichloria mitochondrii is an intracellular bacterium found in the hard tick Ixodes ricinus. In this arthropod, M. mitochondrii is observed in the oocytes and in other cells of the ovary, where the symbiont is present in the cell cytoplasm and inside the mitochondria.

Chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine-impregnated central venous catheters: in vitro antibacterial activity and impact on bacterial adhesion.

The aim of this study was to compare the in vitro activity and the impact on bacterial adhesion of two different catheters, one impregnated with chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine (C-SS) and the other not impregnated with antibacterial agents. The antimicrobial coating prevented the bacterial colonization by slime positive Staphylococcus epidermidis in the first two days. The antibacterial activity of the effluents from catheters impregnated with C-SS dissipated by day seven.

Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis in Italy: commensal or emerging human pathogen?

Background: Specific bacterial infections or alterations of the gut microbiota likely trigger immuno-pathological phenomena associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is a candidate etiological agent of Crohn's disease. Definitive causal connection between Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection and Crohn's disease has not been demonstrated.

Report of three new leprosy cases in children under fifteen in the municipality of Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro: event alert for epidemiological investigation.

Leprosy is an infectious disease with an average incubation period of two to five years. It is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, mainly affecting skin, mucous membranes and peripheral nerves. When it occurs in children under fifteen, it reflects an intense and long contact period, with a high bacillary load.

Evaluation of fluoroquinolone resistance mechanisms in Pseudomonas aeruginosa multidrug resistance clinical isolates.

Efflux transporters have a considerable role in the multidrug resistance (MDR) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important nosocomial pathogen. In this study, 45 P. aeruginosa clinical strains, with an MDR phenotype, have been isolated in a hospital of Northern Italy and characterized to identify the mechanisms responsible for their fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance.

[Utilization of the Famacha method in individual clinic diagnostic of haemonchosis in sheep of south-west of Minas Gerais State].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Famacha method in individual clinical diagnosis of haemonchosis in sheep from the south-west of Minas Gerais. Fifty crossbred Santa Inês ewes were evaluated during 5 months as for conjunctival mucous colour (Famacha method), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Faecal Egg Counts (FEC), body score and clinic alterations. The score Famacha observed was from 1 to 3, the body score from 2 to 5, the PCV from 20 to 47%, and FEC from 0 to 7,750.

Control of MRSA infection and colonisation in an intensive care unit by GeneOhm MRSA assay and culture methods.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the major nosocomial pathogens. Due to the diffusion of MRSA strains in both hospital and community settings, prevention and control strategies are receiving increased attention. Approximately 25% to 30% of the population is colonised with S.

Effectiveness of distribution of multimicronutrient supplements in children and in women and adolescent girls of childbearing age in Chiclayo, Peru.

Background: There is a need to better understand the coverage of scaled-up multimicronutrient supplementation programs.

Objective: The coverage of the distribution of multimicronutrient supplements in 26 urban communities among women and adolescent girls 12 through 44 years of age and children under 5 years of age was evaluated for purposes of scaling-up.

Methods: Formative research and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the distribution of supplements.

Effect of Prototheca zopfii on neutrophil function from bovine milk.

This study was carried to investigate neutrophil function in the presence of Prototheca zopfii. For this purpose, bovine milk neutrophils were incubated in the absence (control) of and presence of P. zopfii, and then they were examined hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) production, antioxidant enzyme activities, and phagocytic capacity.

Mercury conversion processes in Amazon soils evaluated by thermodesorption analysis.

This paper reports on the speciation study and the Hg redox behavior in Amazon soils not influenced by gold mining and collected near Manaus, AM, Brazil. The samples were incubated by adding Hg(0) and HgCl(2) to dry soil. Solid phase Hg speciation analysis was carried out using a Hg thermodesorption technique with the aim of distinguishing elemental Hg(0) from Hg(II) binding forms.

Effect of indole acetic acid administration on the neutrophil functions and oxidative stress from neutrophil, mesenteric lymph node and liver.

This study was done to investigate the effect of the in vivo administration of indole acetic acid (IAA) on the neutrophil function, the activities of antioxidants enzymes in neutrophils, the mesenteric lymph node and on the oxidative stress in liver and plasma. The animals received subcutaneous administration of IAA in a phosphate-buffered saline (the control group received only the phosphate-buffered saline). The other groups received IAA at concentrations of 1 mg (T1), 2 mg (T2) and 18 mg (T3) per kg of body mass per day.

Effect of Cysticercus cellulosae fractions on the respiratory burst of pig neutrophils.

Neutrophils, eosinophils and macrophages are cells that interact with invading parasites and naive hosts have been shown to have anti-parasitic activity. The initial reaction of these leukocytes is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to play in parasite expulsion. The present work was carried out to study the effect of total extract, scolex and membrane fractions from Cysticercus cellulosae on respiratory burst by pig neutrophils.

Speciation and quantification of mercury in Oxisol, Ultisol, and Spodosol from Amazon (Manaus, Brazil).

In order to investigate the content and distribution of Hg in soils from Amazon areas not impacted by gold mining activities, the concentration and granulometric distribution of Hg were determined in three different types of soils. Hg speciation data were obtained by a thermodesorption atomic spectrometry system and the role of physico-chemical and mineralogical characteristics on Hg content were also studied. Hg concentrations found in the soil fraction <2000 microm were similar to values found in other Amazon areas without anthropogenic sources.