Evaluation of antifibrotic and antifungal combined therapies in experimental pulmonary paracoccidioidomycosis.

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic mycosis caused by the Paracoccidioides genus. Most of the patients with chronic form present sequelae, like pulmonary fibrosis, with no effective treatment, leading to impaired lung functions. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the antifibrotic activity of three compounds: pentoxifylline (PTX), azithromycin (AZT), and thalidomide (Thal) in a murine model of pulmonary PCM treated with itraconazole (ITC) or cotrimoxazole (CMX).

Myelination key factor krox-20 is downregulated in Schwann cells and murine sciatic nerves infected by Mycobacterium leprae.

Schwann cells (SCs) critically maintain the plasticity of the peripheral nervous system. Peripheral nerve injuries and infections stimulate SCs in order to retrieve homeostasis in neural tissues. Previous studies indicate that Mycobacterium leprae (ML) regulates the expression of key factors related to SC identity, suggesting that alterations in cell phenotype may be involved in the pathogenesis of neural damage in leprosy.

An enhanced regimen as post-exposure chemoprophylaxis for leprosy: PEP+.

The ongoing transmission of Mycobacterium (M.) leprae reflected in a very slow decline in leprosy incidence, forces us to be innovative and conduct cutting-edge research. Single dose rifampicin (SDR) as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for contacts of leprosy patients, reduces their risk to develop leprosy by 60%.

Statins increase rifampin mycobactericidal effect.

Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis antimicrobial resistance has been followed with great concern during the last years, while the need for new drugs able to control leprosy and tuberculosis, mainly due to extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), is pressing. Our group recently showed that M. leprae is able to induce lipid body biogenesis and cholesterol accumulation in macrophages and Schwann cells, facilitating its viability and replication.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel dapsone-thalidomide hybrids for the treatment of type 2 leprosy reactions.

We synthesized a series of novel dapsone-thalidomide hybrids (3a-i) by molecular hybridization and evaluated their potential for the treatment of type 2 leprosy reactions. All of the compounds had analgesic properties. Compounds 3c and 3h were the most active antinociceptive compounds and reduced acetic acid-induced abdominal constrictions by 49.

Optimized protocols for Mycobacterium leprae strain management: frozen stock preservation and maintenance in athymic nude mice.

Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is an important infectious disease that is still endemic in many countries around the world, including Brazil. There are currently no known methods for growing M. leprae in vitro, presenting a major obstacle in the study of this pathogen in the laboratory.

Quality of life profile and correlated factors in chronic leg ulcer patients in the mid-west of São Paulo State, Brazil.

Background: Chronic leg ulcer may have an impact on patients' quality of life.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the impact of leg ulcers on patient's quality of life using the Dermatology Life Quality Index and to define the main factors correlated with this perception.

Method: Cross-sectional, non-probabilistic sampling study.

Increased hepcidin expression in multibacillary leprosy.

Iron is essential for all organisms and its availability can control the growth of microorganisms; therefore, we examined the role of iron metabolism in multibacillary (MB) leprosy, focusing on the involvement of hepcidin. Erythrograms, iron metabolism parameters, pro-inflammatory cytokines and urinary hepcidin levels were evaluated in patients with MB and matched control subjects. Hepcidin expression in MB lesions was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Cellular mechanisms of atracurium-induced tetanic fade in the isolated rat muscle.

Although atracurium is a widely used neuromuscular blocker, we still lack knowledge regarding some of its cellular mechanisms of action. Thus, similar to other clinically used blockers atracurium induces, both in vivo and in vitro, fade of the tetanic contraction. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying this tetanic fade have never been systematically studied.