Evaluación de la actividad antimicrobiana de los extractos etanólicos de Azadirachta indica / Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of Azadirachta indica ethanolic extracts

La presencia del acné juvenil, es una enfermedad que repercute directamente en la autoestima del adolescente, provocando en ocasiones inseguridad para establecer comu nicación y relaciones con otras personas, debido a su falta de confianza y respeto a su imagen. Debido a los altos costo del tratamiento para esta patología, el siguiente trabajo tuvo como objetivo determinar la actividad antimicrobiana de la Azadirachta indica y preparar una fórmula magistral (crema) antiacné. Los resultados obtenidos de la actividad antibacteriana de los extractos etanólicos de las hojas de Azadirachta indica A. Juss, mostraron que el Staphylococcus aureus presentó la mayor sensibilidad con una zona de inhibición de 15 mm. a una dilución 1/10; E. faecalis, con una sensibilidad de 7 mm, tanto en las diluciones 1/10 y 1/100; K. pneumoniae, con una zona de inhibición de 8 mm. y E. coli; mostró ser resistente a todas las diluciones ensayadas. Esta búsqueda sugiere que los principios activos extraídos con etanol de las hojas, pueden jugar un rol significativo en la acción inhibitoria contra el Staphylococcus aureus responsable del acné juvenil.

The presence of the youthful acne, is a disease that directly repels in the self-esteem of the adolescent, causing sometimes insecurity to contact and relations with other people, due to its lack of confidence and respect to its image. Due to high the cost of the treatment for this pathology, the following work had as objective to determine the antimicrobial activity of the Azadirachta it indicates and to prepare a skillful formula (Cream) antiacne. The obtained results of the antibacterial activity of the etanólicos extracts of the leaves of Azadirachta indica A. Juss, showed that the Staphylococcus aureus presented/displayed greater sensitivity with a zone of inhibition of 15 mm to a dilution 1/10; E. faecalis, with a sensitivity of 7 mm, as much in dilutions 1/10 and 1/100; K. pneumoniae with a zone of inhibition of 8 mm and E. coli, showed to be resistant all the tried dilutions. This search suggests them extracted active principles with ethanol of the leaves, can play a significant roll in the inhibiting action against the Staphylococcus aureus responsible for the youthful acne.

Evaluation of radiofrequency dielectric heaters workers exposure.

Radiofrequency dielectric heaters (RFDH) are widely used in the woodworking industry for gluing laminates by applying pressure and RF heating. The workers operating such equipment remain in the vicinity of the machinery all day and can therefore be exposed to considerable levels of electric and magnetic field at RFs. This work describes the method used to measure the strength of fields generated by this particular machinery. This procedure is based on current methods cited in the literature and introduces the necessary modifications to meet this specific case. In particular, as there is often a scarcity of technical data available relating to such heaters, it is suggested that a spectrum analyser be used for measurements in the frequencies domain. On the basis of the data obtained the norms of reference are established, the instrumentation to be used in successive stages determined as well as the identification of possible sources of interference from spurious signals. Furthermore, a mapping of the field strengths is presented and the means of determining the decay curve as a function of distance. This last type of measurement is done to estimate the effectiveness of grounding the machinery. The report ends with an estimate of the exposure of workers to electromagnetic fields and also some recommendations for reducing risk.

Producción de biomasa de Saccharomyces cerevisiae y Candida utilis usando residuos de pulpa de Coffea arabica L

Los avances en biotecnología industrial ofrecen oportunidades potenciales para la utilización económica de residuos agro-industriales tales como la pulpa de café, material mucilaginoso, fibroso (producto secundario) obtenido durante el proceso húmedo o seco del beneficio de las cerezas de café. El propósito de este trabajo fue utilizar los residuos de la pulpa de café, rico en materia orgánica, como sustrato para la producción de biomasa de levaduras por procesos de fermentación aeróbica. Los residuos de café se sometieron a hidrólisis con una solución de ácido sulfúrico al 2%, en una relación 10:1 (líquido:sólido), con un tamaño de partícula ≤ 2 mm., operando a presión atmosférica, ebullición a reflujo, durante 4 horas. El extracto ácido se filtró y se ajustó a pH 4,5 y luego se esterilizó a 120 ºC por 15 minutos. La fermentación se realizó con Saccharomyces cerevisiae y Candida utilis, medio de producción extracto de café enriquecido con sales nutritivas. Se formularon diferentes medios de producción (1,2,3 y 4), siendo el N°3, enriquecido con extracto de café hidrolizado, 1L; urea, 3g/L; fosfato ácido de potasio, 2g/L; extracto de malta, 1,3g/L y melaza, 30g/L, el cual aportó los mejores resultados. El tiempo total de fermentación fue de 8 horas. Se obtuvo 10g/L de biomasa con un incremento proteico de 7,39 a 42,5%. Se puede concluir que la pulpa de café constituye un sustrato adecuado para obtener biomasa o proteína unicelular, que podría ser destinada como suplemento en formulaciones para alimentación animal.

The advances in industrial biotechnology offer potential opportunities for the economic use of agro-industrial remainders such as the coffee pulp, mucilagenous, fibrous material (secondary product) obtained during the humid or dry process of the benefit of the coffee cherries. The intention of this work was to use the remainders of the pulp of coffee, rich in organic matter, like substrate for the production of biomass of leavenings by processes of aerobic fermentation. The coffee remainders were put under hydrolysis with a sulfuric acid solution to 2%, in a 10:1 relation (liquid: solid), with a size of particle ≤ 2 mm, operating to atmospheric pressure, boiling to ebb tide, during 4 hours. The acid extract filtered and it adjusted to pH 4,5 and then it sterilize to 120 ºC by 15 minutes. The fermentation was made with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida utilis, the production means: extract of coffee enriched with nutritious salts. Different means from production were formulated (1,2,3 and 4), being the N°3, enriched with extract of hydrolyzed coffee, 1L; urea, 3g/L; acid potassium phosphate, 2g/L; extract of Malta, 1,3g/L and molasses, 30g/L, which contributed the best results. The total time of fermentation was of 8 hours. 10g/L of biomass with a protein increase from 7.39 to 42.5% was obtained. It is possible to be concluded that the coffee pulp constitutes an suitable substrate to obtain biomass or unicellular protein, that could be destined like supplement in formulations for feeding animal.

A technical note about Phidel: a new software for evaluating magnetic induction field generated by power lines.

The Regional Environment Protection Agency of Friuli Venezia Giulia (ARPA FVG, Italy) has performed an analysis on existing software designed to calculate magnetic induction field generated by power lines. As far as the agency's requirements are concerned the tested programs display some difficulties in the immediate processing of electrical and geometrical data supplied by plant owners, and in certain cases turn out to be inadequate in representing complex configurations of power lines. Phidel, an innovative software, tackles and works out all the above-mentioned problems. Therefore, the obtained results, when compared with those of other programs, are the closest to experimental measurements. The output data can be employed both in the GIS and Excel environments, allowing the immediate overlaying of digital cartography and the determining of the 3 and 10 muT bands, in compliance with the Italian Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 8 July 2003.

ELF field in the proximity of complex power line configuration measurement procedures.

The issue of how to measure magnetic induction fields generated by various power line configurations, when there are several power lines that run across the same exposure area, has become a matter of interest and study within the Regional Environment Protection Agency of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In classifying the various power line typologies the definition of double circuit line was given: in this instance the magnetic field is determined by knowing the electrical and geometric parameters of the line. In the case of independent lines instead, the field is undetermined. It is therefore pointed out how, in the latter case, extracting previsional information from a set of measurements of the magnetic field alone is impossible. Making measurements throughout the territory of service has in several cases offered the opportunity to define standard operational procedures.

Field comparison of two different passive radon detectors.

The present paper describes field performance of two different passive radon monitor devices formed, respectively, by a CR-39 track detector enclosed in a diffusion chamber and a cellulose nitrate detector (LR-115) in a heat-sealed polyethylene bag. The most important scope of these investigations was to study the performance of these detectors directly in the field. To this end, two different types of radon monitors mentioned above have been exposed simultaneously in 100 school rooms within the Italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia. Finally, the accuracy of their responses has been evaluated by exposing them under extreme humidity conditions and/or together with other radon measurement instruments.

Radon survey in schools in north-east Italy.

During the year 2000 the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) of Friuli Venezia Giulia together with the Pordenone Province carried out a survey to determine the radon concentration in the schools. About 900 measurements have been carried out in 300 schools located both in the mountainous and in the flat territory. Moreover, geological information was gathered. both on a regional scale and, where possible, on a small detailed scale. The purpose of this study is to consider the possibility of using all the data collected to discover some radon prone areas. The first results of this study seem to locate some radon prone areas where the cover consists of very permeable gravelly deposits.

[Patients with human immunodeficiency virus admitted to the emergency service of a general hospital]. / Pacientes con infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana ingresados por el servicio de urgencias de un hospital general.

BACKGROUND: The description of the demographic, toxicologic, immunologic and clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with known human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) admitted to hospital through the emergency department is presented. METHODS: A cohort study of patients with known HIV seropositivity who consecutively attended the emergency department of the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, from January to March 1995 and who required hospitalization with follow up until discharge from hospital was performed. From the clinical history of each patient the following parameters were analyzed: age, sex, domicile, toxicologic history, risk factors 'for HIV infection, epidemiologic and pathologic history, CD4 lymphocyte count, clinical stage, the complementary tests carried out, as well as the diagnosis on admission and hospital discharge. RESULTS: During the study period, 6,379 patients were attended in the emergency department, 323 of whom corresponded to HIV seropositive patients. Of 1,460 admissions, 126 (77 males [61%] and 49 females [39%]) corresponded to known HIV patients, of whom 75.5% were or had been intravenous drug addicts. Eighty-three point three percent were from the health care area assigned to the hospital. According to the AIDS clinical stage, 26 (20.6%) belonged to group A, 14 (11.1%) to group B and 86 (68.2%) to group C. The complementary tests performed were: thorax radiography in 80%, abdomen radiography in 4%, cerebral computerized axial tomography (CAT) in 9.5%, lumbar punction in 5%, thoracocentesis in 3%, paracentesis in 4% and clinical analysis in 95%. The most frequent cause of admission was pulmonary disease (40%) with 21.5% corresponding to tuberculosis. Homogenesis among diagnoses on admission and discharge was 75%. CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of hospitalary admissions in known HIV patients requiring medical attention in the emergency department is of note. The patients are usually from the health care area of the center, belong to group C, require a high number of complementary tests with pulmonary disease being the most frequent cause of admission.