Publications by authors named "Debora A Rocha"

The cysteine proteases, cruzain and CATL (rhodesain), are therapeutic targets for Chagas disease and Human African Trypanosomiasis, respectively. Among the known inhibitors for these proteases, we have described -benzyl--phenylquinazoline-2,4-diamine (compound in the original publication, in this study), as a competitive cruzain inhibitor ( = 1.4 μM).

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Trichomonas vaginalis is an amitochondriate protozoan and the agent of human trichomoniasis, the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world. In this study we showed that 2,4-diamine-quinazoline derivative compound (PH100) kills T. vaginalis.

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Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are the main agents involved with implant-related infections. Their ability to adhere to medical devices with subsequent biofilm formation is crucial to the development of these infections. Herein, we described the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of a quinazoline-based compound, N -benzyl-N -phenylquinazoline-2,4-diamine, against both biofilm-forming pathogens.

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The combination of tools such as time-kill assay with subsequent application of mathematical modeling can clarify the potential of new antimicrobial compounds, since minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value does not provide a very detailed characterization of antimicrobial activity. Recently, our group has reported that the 8-hydroxy-5-quinolinesulfonic acid presents relevant antifungal activity. However, its intrinsic acidity could lead to an ionization process, decreasing fungal cell permeability.

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Chagas disease and Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) are important public health issues in Latin American and sub-Saharan African countries, respectively, and are responsible for a significant number of deaths. The drugs currently used to treat Chagas disease and HAT present efficacy, toxicity, and/or resistance issues; thus, there is a clear need for the discovery of novel targets and drug candidates to combat these diseases. In recent years, much effort has been made to find inhibitors of cruzain and rhodesain, which are promising targets for the design of novel trypanocidal compounds, since they are essential for parasite survival.

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In the chronic phase of Chagas disease, 60% of the patients develop the asymptomatic form known as indeterminate (IND). The remaining 30% of the patients develop a life-threatening form in which digestive and/or cardiac (CARD) alterations take place. The mechanisms underlying the development of severe forms of Chagas disease remain poorly understood.

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Objectives: Candidaemia is a public health problem mainly in hospitalized individuals worldwide. In Brazil, Candida albicans is the most prevalent species that causes candidaemia, followed by Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis . Few data on the abundance of antifungal resistance are available for Latin America.

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Candidiasis has become an important concern for clinical practice, especially with the increasing incidence of immunocompromised patients. In this scenario, the development resistance to fluconazole presents a challenge for treating these opportunistic infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate some epidemiology features of Candida infections in a Brazilian University Hospital using data, previously unavailable.

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Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes extraintestinal infections in birds, leading to an increase in the cost of poultry production. The ColV plasmid-linked genes iroN, ompT, hlyF, iss, and iutA have previously been suggested to be predictors of the virulence of APEC. In this research, we analyzed the frequencies of these genes in a Brazilian collection of E.

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Trichomonas vaginalis causes trichomoniasis in humans, a sexually transmitted disease commonly treated with metronidazole (MTZ), a drug that presents some toxicity, causing undesirable side effects. In addition, an increase in metronidazole-resistant parasites has been reported. Thus, the development of alternative treatment is recommended.

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Trichomonas vaginalis causes trichomoniasis in humans, a sexually transmitted disease commonly treated with metronidazole (MTZ). MTZ is known to cause undesirable side effects, and MTZ-resistant parasites have been reported. Thus, the development of an alternative treatment is desirable.

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We characterized 144 Escherichia coli isolates from severe cellulitis lesions in broiler chickens from South Brazil. Analysis of susceptibility to 15 antimicrobials revealed frequencies of resistance of less than 30% for most antimicrobials except tetracycline (70%) and sulphonamides (60%). The genotyping of 34 virulence-associated genes revealed that all the isolates harbored virulence factors related to adhesion, iron acquisition and serum resistance, which are characteristic of the avian pathogenic E.

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Trichomonas vaginalis is an important human parasite that causes trichomoniasis, a cosmopolitan sexually transmitted disease. Currently, the treatment of choice for T. vaginalis infections is metronidazole.

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