Trans-resveratrol concentrations and antimutagenic potential of juice from the grape cultivars Vênus, BRS Violeta and Isabel.

Grape juice, in addition to being an energetic food, due to its high sugar content, has several compounds that can prevent or treat various types of diseases. Resveratrol is a compound present in grapes that has attracted a lot of interest; in addition to preventing cardiovascular disease linked to lipid metabolism, it has chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activities. We evaluated the antimutagenic activity and determined the trans-resveratrol content in grape juice from the varieties Vênus, BRS Violeta and Isabel. The grape juices from the three cultivars and the resveratrol solution were tested in the methG1 system in Aspergillus nidulans. The conidia from the biA1methG1 strain were treated for 4 h in 10% grape juice (v/v). After washing, the conidia were placed in selective media to analyze survival and mutations. The standard resveratrol solution and the grape juice of the cultivar Isabel, both with a trans-resveratrol content of 1 mg/mL, presented antimutagenic potential in this test system because the frequency of mutation of the treatments was significantly lower than the frequency of spontaneous mutation. However, grape juice from the varieties Vênus and BRS Violeta, both with a lower quantity of trans-resveratrol, gave weak antimutagenic activity in this test system because the frequency of mutation of the treatments was significantly higher than the frequency of spontaneous mutation.

Plant extracts for controlling the post-harvest anthracnose of banana fruit / Extratos de plantas para controle pos-colheita da antracnose da Banana

In banana, fruit rot is incited by Colletotrichum musae which has been the most serious post-harvest disease of immature and mature fruit. The usual control by fungicides prohibited in many countries reduces their commercial value. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of alternative products to the synthetic fungicides. First, berries naturally infected by anthracnose were immersed into Azadirachta indica and citric extracts at 2 and 4% (v/v) for 3 minutes and stored for 11 days under environmental conditions. Next, other berries were immersed into essential oil emulsions of Allium sativum, Copaifera langsdorfii, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Eugenia caryophyllata at 5% for 3 minutes but stored for 11 days. Berries immersed into distilled water were used as control-treatments. The percentage of disease incidence observed in the control-treatment was similar to the ones observed in the extract of A. indica at 2%. The control-treatment showed disease severity of 75.13% and the percentage of disease control was 20.85%. Fruit immersed into distilled water presented less effectiveness than the ones immersed into citric extracts, which promoted the highest effectiveness. Citric extract at 4% was the most efficient treatment because the disease incidence was 19.44%, the disease severity was 9.34% and the disease control was 90.16%. Less severity and, consequently, more disease control were achieved by immersing the berries into the emulsion of essential oil of A. sativum, followed by treatments with C. langsdorfii, E. caryophyllata and C. zeylanicum.

Em pós-colheita, a podridão dos frutos causada por Colletotrichum musae é a doença mais importante da banana (Musa spp.), sendo presente em frutos verdes e maduros, tornando o produto pouco apresentável e inadequado à comercialização. Considerando-se os efeitos prejudiciais à saúde do tradicional método químico de controle e a proibição da utilização de fungicidas em muitos países, objetivou-se no presente trabalho avaliar bioprodutos com atividade antimicrobiana, considerados alternativos para o controle de antracnose em banana em pós-colheita. Os experimentos foram realizados com frutos de banana naturalmente infectados com Colletotrichum musae, submetidos à imersã, em extratos da planta Azadirachta indica e extratos cítricos (Ecolife), nas concentrações de 2 e 4% (v/v), permanecendo por 11 dias em condições ambientes. A emulsão composta de óleos essenciais das plantas Allium sativum, Copaifera langsdorfii, Cinnamomum zeylanicum e Eugenia caryophyllata também foi avaliada quanto a sua eficácia no controle do patógeno, permanecendo em condição ambiente por 11 dias. Frutos tratados com água destilada constituíram o tratamento controle. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que frutos submetidos ao extrato aquoso de A. indica na concentração de 2% (88,89%) não diferiu do tratamento controle (100% de incidência da doença). O extrato cítrico a 4% promoveu percentuais de incidência, severidade e controle de 19,44; 9,34 e 90,16%, respectivamente, sendo o mais eficiente. Menor percentual de severidade e o maior percentual de controle da doença nos frutos foram proporcionados pela emulsão óleos essenciais de A. sativum, seguidos pelos tratamentos com C. langsdorfii, E. caryophyllata e C. zeylanicum.

Anestesia en cirugía vitreorretiniana utilizando un catéter retrobulbar / Anesthesia for vitreoretinal surgety using a retrobulbar catheter technique

Objetivos: Evaluar el manejo del dolor peroperatorio en la cirugía vitreorretiniana, utilizando un cateter retrobulbar que permita reinyecciones de anestésicos locales. Métodos: Fueron incluidos en el estudio 25 pacientes, sometidos a cirugía vitreorretiniana, utilizando un catéter flexible introducido en el espacio intraconal, a través de una aguja espinal 22 G 1 1/2 de 40x0,7 mm, con la que depositamos previamente 3,5 ml de ropivacaína 0,75% retrobulbares, dejando posteriormente el catéter fijado a piel. Ante la presencia de dolor (grado 3 o superior) se reinyectaron en el postoperatorio 2 ml de ropivacaína 0,2%, y 2 ml al 0,75% si el dolor acontecía intraoperatoriamente. El catéter se mantuvo entre 24 y 48 horas. Resultados: Un paciente (4%) manifestó moderado dolor intraoperatorio, que cedió tras la administración de 2 ml de ropivacaína 0,75% a través del catéter, y no ocasionó interrupción de la cirugía. Tres pacientes (12%) precisaron una reinyección postoperatoria de 2 ml de ropivacaína 0,2% por dolor. Las reinyecciones aliviaron el dolor de forma inmediata (menos de 3 min). No se precisaron segundas reinyecciones, ni se detectaron complicaciones derivadas de la técnica. Conclusiones: La cateterización del espacio retrobulbar permite la administración fraccionada de anestésicos locales, aportando a la cirugía vitreorretiniana un adecuado soporte anestésico, así como un control del dolor postoperatorio de forma inmediata, eficaz y segura (AU)

Objective: To evaluate peroperative pain management using a flexible spinal anesthesia catheter introduced into the retrobulbar space which allows injections of local anesthetics for vitreoretinal surgery. Methods: Twenty-five patients who underwent vitreoretinal surgery receiving retrobulbar anesthesia with 3.5 ml ropivacaine 0.75%. After injection, a catheter with spinal needle 22G x 1 1/2 (40 x 0.7 mm) was introduced to the retrobulbar muscle cone. The needle was withdrawn and the catheter was fixed. When the patient started to feel pain (grade 3 or higher), 2 ml ropivacaine 0.75% was administrated through the catheter during surgery or 2 ml ropivacaine 0.2% in the postoperative period. The catheter was removed 24-48h later. Results: During surgery, 1 patient (4%) received a re-injection of 2 ml ropivacaine 0.75% because of pain. Three patients (12%) experienced pain of grade 3 or higher in the postoperative period and needed re-injection of 2 ml ropivacaine 0.2%. Re-injections were an effective method to achieve analgesia. Adverse effects were not noticed. Conclusions: The retrobulbar catheter technique is a procedure which allows multiple re-injections of local anesthetics; it provides adequate analgesia during surgery and rapid, effective and safe postoperative pain management (AU)

Efficacy and safety of pidotimod in the treatment of recurrent respiratory infections in children.

The activity of pidotimod ((R)-3-[(S)-(5-oxo-2-pyrrolidinyl) carbonyl]-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid, PGT/1A, CAS 121808-62-6) was evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicentre trial, on 120 pediatric patients affected by recurrent respiratory infections. The clinical course of acute infections was favourable both in placebo and in treatment group, but recovery was quicker with pidotimod than with placebo. Antibiotic therapy and time of hospitalization were shorter in the patients taking pidotimod, and main symptomatic parameters (pharyngalgia, dysphagia, mucous membrane inflammation, adenopathy, anorexia) receded quickly. In patients receiving the drug as well as in placebo group changes in laboratory parameters, indicating recovery from the acute infectious events, were observed. A significant trend to normalization of the immune response, evidenced by chemotaxis and leukocyte phagocytosis index, was found only in patients treated with pidotimod. A significant decrease in the risk of relapses was observed in patients treated with pidotimod (35%), as well as a reduction of hospitalization (86%) and a decreased antibiotic therapy (47%). If a relapse occurred, the response of treated patients was quicker (fever, antibiotic therapy, hospitalization). These findings allow to correlate the individual immune response activation to the resistance to recurrent infections and also to a better response to therapy in case of clinically relevant disease. No side effects were observed. Only in 12 patients (5 pidotimod, 7 placebo) mild reactions were observed, but they were attributed to concomitant antibiotic treatment or other factors. No alterations in main laboratory parameters were seen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)