Cellulose acetate butyrate/poly(caprolactonetriol) blends: Miscibility, mechanical properties, and in vivo inflammatory response.

This study reports the results of the characterization of cellulose acetate butyrate and polycaprolactone-triol blends in terms of miscibility, swelling capacity, mechanical properties, and inflammatory response in vivo. The cellulose acetate butyrate film was opaque and rigid, with glass transition (T g ) at 134℃ and melting temperature of 156℃. The cellulose acetate butyrate/polycaprolactone-triol films were transparent up to a polycaprolactone-triol content of 60%. T g of the cellulose acetate butyrate films decreased monotonically as polycaprolactone-triol was added to the blend, thus indicating miscibility. FTIR spectroscopy revealed a decrease in intramolecular hydrogen bonding in polycaprolactone-triol, whereas no hydrogen bonding was observed between cellulose acetate butyrate and -OH from polycaprolactone-triol. The increase in polycaprolactone-triol content in the blend decreased the water uptake. An increase in polycaprolactone-triol content decreased the modulus of elasticity and increased the elongation at break. A cellulose acetate butyrate/polycaprolactone-triol 70/30 blend implanted in rats showed only an acute inflammatory response 7 days after surgery. No change in inflammation mediators was observed.

A new focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the central area of Paraná State, southern Brazil.

We report a new endemic zone of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the central area of the State of Paraná (Municipality of Prudentópolis), in southern Brazil. This region was not previously considered endemic for CL, and this work constitutes the first report of CL endemicity there. Leishmaniasis was confirmed by smear, culture, and ELISA. Parasites were isolated and identified by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (PCR-RAPD). Phylogeographical analysis, based on two different criteria, was able to distinguish between RAPD profiles from different geographical regions. In total, 100 patients were diagnosed with leishmaniasis by culture and serology methods. The reported incidence rate was 4.32%. Of the 100 patients, 92% of the patients had single lesions, and 79.98% of these lesions were located on their limbs. The fact that 61% of patients were male rural workers points to an extradomiciliar type of transmission. In houses where human leishmaniasis was diagnosed, 29% of the dogs presented anti-Leishmania antibodies. A total of 1663 phlebotomines, representing 5 species, were captured in the studied area with CDC-like light minitraps. Lutzomyia intermedia s.l. was the most prevalent species (94.40%). The isolated parasites were grouped with Leishmania (V.) braziliensis. The epidemiological implications are discussed in the present article.