The Extraordinary Case of a Woman with a 30-Year-Long Diffuse Leishmaniasis Cured with One Single Ampoule of Intranasal Pentavalent Antimoniate.

Infection with Leishmania amazonensis and L. mexicana may lead to diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis. The cure is exceptional, especially for the strange case of this lady. Case report: The patient acquired the disease in childhood and remained with lesions for over 30 years, albeit several treatments. She worsened after a pregnancy, developing disseminated lesions. Miltefosine with amphotericin B and pentamidine resulted in remission. Lesions reappeared after one year, accompanied by intra-nasal infiltration of the disease. The nasal spraying of a single ampoule of pentavalent antimoniate resulted in the sustained disappearance of the nasal symptoms and all the cutaneous lesions. After over eight years, she remains disease-free, albeit under renal replacement therapy. The high nasal mucosal antimonial concentration may explain the long-lasting cure via new MHC class I epitope-specific CD8+ cell clones against L. amazonensis present in the nasal mucosa.

Taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia picteti-emortualis species-group (Richards, 1978), with descriptions of two new species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae).

A taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia picteti-emortualis species-group now demonstrates that this group is possibly the largest in Protopolybia, comprising 15 species: P. eldinaris sp. nov.; P. djaneteae sp. nov.; P. cameranii (Zavattari 1906) = P. bella (Von Ihering 1903) syn. nov.; P. fulvotincta stat. rev.; P. biguttata, P. nitida, P. alvarengai, P. iheringi, P. perfulvula, P. steinbachi, P. wheeleri, P. rotundata, P. picteti, P. emortualis and P. duckei. Male and female genitalia are illustrated for P. biguttata Bequaert, P. bella, P. nitida, P. fulvotincta and P. picteti. New collection records and a new identification key are presented for this species-group.

Performance and Profitability of Fungicides for Managing Soybean White Mold: A 10-Year Summary of Cooperative Trials.

White mold, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a yield-limiting disease of soybean in Brazil. Uniform fungicide trials have been conducted annually since 2009. Data from 74 cooperative field trials conducted over a 10-year period were assembled. We selected five fungicides applied two times around flowering: dimoxystrobin plus boscalid (DIMO+BOSC), carbendazim plus procymidone (CARB+PROC), fluazinam (FLUZ), fluopyram (FLUO), and procymidone (PROC). For comparison, thiophanate-methyl (TMET) applied four times was also included as a low-cost treatment. Network models were fitted to the log of white mold incidence (percentages) and log of sclerotia mass data (grams/hectare) and to the nontransformed yield data (kilograms/hectare) for each treatment, including the untreated check. Back-transformation of the meta-analytic estimates indicated that the lowest and highest mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) percent reductions in incidence and sclerotia mass were 54.2 (49.3 to 58.7) and 51.6% (43.7 to 58.3) for TMET and 83.8 (79.1 to 87.5) and 87% (81.9 to 91.6) for CARB+PROC, respectively. The overall mean (95% CI) yield responses ranged from 323 kg/ha (247.4 to 400.3) for TMET to 626 kg/ha (521.7 to 731.7) for DIMO+BOSC, but the variance was significantly reduced by a binary variable (30% threshold) describing disease incidence in the untreated check. On average, an increment of 352 kg/ha was estimated for trials where the incidence was >30% compared with the low-disease scenario. Hence, the probability of breaking even on fungicide costs for the high-disease scenario was >65% for the more effective, but more expensive fungicide (FLUZ) than TMET. For the low-disease scenario, profitability was less likely and depended more on variations in fungicide cost and soybean price.

Phylogeny of Protopolybia Ducke, 1905 and taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia exigua species-group (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae), with description of four new species.

A first phylogenetic hypothesis is proposed for Protopolybia Ducke, 1905 based on cladistic analysis of 31 species. New evidence in support of monophyly of the genus is presented. A revision of the Protopolybia exigua species-group is also presented. Protopolybia diligens (Smith, 1857), stat. resurr. is revalidated. Four new species are described: P. collombiana Santos, Silveira & Carpenter, sp. nov., P. clypeata Santos, Silveira & Carpenter, sp. nov., P. similis Santos, Silveira & Carpenter, sp. nov., and P. potiguara Santos, Silveira & Carpenter, sp. nov. Protopolybia holoxantha (Ducke, 1904) and P. rubrithorax Bequaert, 1944 are redescribed. New synonymy is proposed for P. bituberculata Silveira & Carpenter, 1995 =Polybia nana Cameron, 1912 (nom. praeocc., nec de Saussure 1863), syn. nov. New records and description of the male genitalia are provided for some of the species of the P. exigua species-group.

Stereo and regioselective microbial reduction of the clerodane diterpene 3,12-dioxo-15,16-epoxy-4-hydroxycleroda-13(16),14-diene.

The biotransformation of the clerodane diterpene, 3,12-dioxo-15,16-epoxy-4-hydroxy-cleroda-13(16),14-diene (1), obtained from Croton micans var. argyroglossum (Baill.) Mill., was investigated for the first time. Whole cells of Cunninghamella echinulata and Rhizopus stolonifer were used as enzymatic systems, and with both fungi the only biotransformation product obtained was the new ent-neo-clerodane diterpene (3R,4S,5S,8S,9R,10S)-3,4-dihydroxy-15,16-epoxy-12-oxo-cleroda-13(16),14-diene (2a). The absolute stereochemistry of 2a was inferred by comparison of its optical rotation with those of the chemical reduction product of 1 and its quasienantiomer 2c.

Biomimetic oxidation studies of monensin A catalyzed by metalloporphyrins: identification of hydroxyl derivative product by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Monensin A is an important commercially available natural product isolated from Streptomyces cinnamonensins that shows antibiotic and anti-parasitic activities. This molecule has a significant influence in the antibiotic market, but until now there are no studies on putative metabolite formations. Bioorganic catalysts applying metalloporphyrins and mono-oxygen donors are able to mimic the cytochrome P450 reactions. This model has been employed for natural product metabolism studies affording several new putative metabolites and in vivo experiments confirming the relevance of this procedure. In this work we evaluated the potential of 10,15,20-tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl) porphyrin metal(III) chloride [Fe(TFPP)Cl] catalyst models to afford a putative monensin A metabolite. Oxidation agents such as meta-chloroperoxy benzoic acid, iodosylbenzene, hydrogen peroxide 30 wt.% and tert-butyl hydroperoxide 70 wt.%, were used to investigate different reaction conditions, in addition to the analysis of the influence of the solvent. The quantification of total monensin A conversion and the structure of the new hydroxylated putative metabolite were proposed based on electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The porphyrin tested, afforded moderate conversions of monensin A in all reaction conditions and the selectivity was found to be dependent on the oxidation/medium employed.

Estudo cefalométrico comparativo dos efeitos esqueléticos e dentários promovidos pelos aparelhos APM3 (Aparelho de Protração Mandibular) e Jasper Jumper nas fases inicial e imediatamente após avanço mandibular / Comparative cephalometric study of dental and skeletal effects caused by MPA3 (Mandibular Protraction Appliance) and Jasper Jumper appliances in initial phase and immediately after mandible advancement

OBJETIVO: avaliar, cefalometricamente, os efeitos dentários e esqueléticos provocados pelos aparelhos APM e Jasper Jumper. METODOLOGIA: a amostra consistiu de 34 pacientes, de ambos os gêneros, com idade média de 11 anos e 8 meses, todos em fase de crescimento, com má oclusão de Classe II por retrusão mandibular. Os pacientes foram divididos em 3 grupos: grupo 1 - 14 pacientes tratados com o APM3; grupo 2 - 10 pacientes tratados com o aparelho Jasper Jumper; e grupo 3 - 10 pacientes de um grupo controle não tratados ortodonticamente. Nos grupos 1 e 2 foram tomadas radiografias cefalométricas antes da instalação de qualquer aparelho e imediatamente após o avanço mandibular. No grupo 3 (controle) os pacientes foram observados por um período de 8 meses e 29 dias. As medidas cefalométricas utilizadas foram: IMPA, 1.PP, Nperp-A, Nperp-P e FMA. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÕES: 1) Não ocorreram alterações esqueléticas e dentárias no grupo 1 (APM3) em relação ao grupo 3 (controle). 2) Houve uma maior inclinação para vestibular dos incisivos inferiores do grupo 2 (Jasper Jumper) em relação ao grupo 3 (controle) e não ocorreram alterações esqueléticas. 3) Apesar de não terem ocorrido diferenças significantes nas alterações dentárias entre os grupos 1 (APM3) e grupo 2 (Jasper Jumper), os incisivos inferiores apresentaram uma maior tendência à inclinação vestibular no grupo 2 (Jasper Jumper) e esqueleticamente não ocorreram diferenças entre os dois grupos estudados.

Estudo comparativo dos efeitos esqueléticos dentários e tegumentares, promovidos pelo tratamento da má oclusão Classe II mandibular com a aparelho de Herbst e com o Aparelho de Protração Mandibular / Comaparative study od skeletal, dental and soft tissue effects occurred by treatment of mandibular Class II malocclusion with Herbst appliance and Mandibular Protraction Appliance

Realizou-se um estudo cefalométrico, em norma lateral, visando comparar os efeitos esqueléticos, dentários e tegumentares, em pacientes portadores de má oclusão Classe II mandibular, submetidos a tratamento com o Aparelho de Protração Mandibular (APM). A amostra constituiu-se de 43 jovens, divididos em três grupos, sendo o Grupo I (Herbst) composto de 12 jovens, com idade média de 12 anos e 4 meses, tratados com o Aparelho de Herbst por um período médio de 8,7 meses; o Gupo II (APM) composto de 15 jovens, com idade média de 13 anos e 2 meses, tratados com o Aparelho de Protração Mandibular por um período médio de 8,3 meses. e Grupo III (Controle) composto de 16 jovens, com idade média de 10 anos e 4 meses, que não se submeteram a nenhum tipo de tratamento e foram acompanhados por um período de 10 meses. Da análise dos resultados, pode-se concluir que: tanto o aparelho Herbst como o APM provocaram um aumento do comprimento mandibular, com um maior aumento no grupo tratado com o APM que no grupo tratado com o aparelho de Herbst; uma inclinaçao vestibular dos incisivos inferiores e uma retrusão do lábio superior. Em relação aos efeitos dentários e tegumentares não foram observadas diferenças, estatisticamente significantes, entre os grupos tratados