The skin redoxome.

Redoxome is the network of redox reactions and redox active species (ReAS) that affect the homeostasis of cells and tissues. Due to the intense and constant interaction with external agents, the human skin has a robust redox signalling framework with specific pathways and magnitudes. The establishment of the skin redoxome concept is key to expanding knowledge of skin disorders and establishing better strategies for their prevention and treatment. This review starts with its definition and progress to propose how the master redox regulators are maintained and activated in the different conditions experienced by the skin and how the lack of redox regulation is involved in the accumulation of several oxidation end products that are correlated with various skin disorders.

Insights into the antiviral activity of phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) from snake venoms.

Viruses are associated with several human diseases that infect a large number of individuals, hence directly affecting global health and economy. Owing to the lack of efficient vaccines, antiviral therapy and emerging resistance strains, many viruses are considered as a potential threat to public health. Therefore, researches have been developed to identify new drug candidates for future treatments. Among them, antiviral research based on natural molecules is a promising approach. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) isolated from snake venom have shown significant antiviral activity against some viruses such as Dengue virus, Human Immunodeficiency virus, Hepatitis C virus and Yellow fever virus, and have emerged as an attractive alternative strategy for the development of novel antiviral therapy. Thus, this review provides an overview of remarkable findings involving PLA2s from snake venom that possess antiviral activity, and discusses the mechanisms of action mediated by PLA2s against different stages of virus replication cycle. Additionally, molecular docking simulations were performed by interacting between phospholipids from Dengue virus envelope and PLA2s from Bothrops asper snake venom. Studies on snake venom PLA2s highlight the potential use of these proteins for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.

Toxicity of pesticides in lizards.

Many threats exist to reptile populations, environmental pollutants being one of them. Lizards and other reptiles are usually not taken into consideration in environmental risk assessments, with the use of surrogate species for their estimates. Unfortunately, not all pesticides have the same effects in the reptile species and on these surrogates, birds and mammals, some being more toxic in lizards. This difference brings the need to evaluate their toxicity in lizards to safeguard its protection. Studies in the last decades involving contaminants' toxicity in lizard species have increased, thus we proposed to gather these information in this comprehensive review. Through searches in databases about the toxicity of pesticides in lizards, 16 scientific articles were found. Most studies investigated locomotor performance, histopathology, oxidative stress, neurotoxicology, and genetic damage from diverse pesticides with different modes of action. Progress has been made to acquire data on lizard ecotoxicology and more research is needed to cover more variables, such as studies in the embryologic stage and different pesticides.

Inactivation of milk-borne pathogens by blue light exposure.

Food safety and quality management play a pivotal role in the dairy industry. Milk is a highly nutritious food that also provides an excellent medium for growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, dairy industry focuses most of their processes and costs on keeping contamination levels as low as possible. Thermal processes for microbial decontamination may be effective; however, they cannot provide excellent organoleptic, nutritional, and decontamination properties simultaneously. In this scenario, microbial inactivation by exposure to blue light is a promising alternative method in the food industry due to its intrinsic antimicrobial properties free of any thermal effect. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the inactivation kinetics induced by blue light (λ = 413 nm) against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Mycobacterium fortuitum cells suspended in whole milk or saline solution. We also performed a series of optic spectroscopies to investigate possible degradation of milk components. All species were sensitive to photoinactivation suspended either in saline solution or milk. Inactivation kinetics differs significantly depending on the suspension medium and each species is differently affected. All bacterial species tested presented more than 5 log10 of inactivation within less than 2 h of irradiation (720 J/cm2). Infrared spectroscopy did not reveal any significant alteration in any of the milk constituents (e.g., sugars, proteins, and lipids). Riboflavin (vitamin B2) was the only significantly degraded constituent found. Therefore, we conclude that microbial inactivation performed by blue light presents extraordinary potential for processes in the dairy industry.

Animal models in the neurotoxicology of 2,4-D.

2,4-D is a selective pre- and postemergence herbicide used for several crops. It is hazardous for the environment and risk for humans; therefore, several studies attempt to evaluate its effects and consequences of its use. The nervous system is supposedly a target for this herbicide, and this comprehensive review gathers the information about animal models that have been used for the study of the neurotoxicity of 2,4-D. The studies used several methods to evaluate the neurotoxicity of this herbicide, most of which used rodents, mainly rats, two used fish, and one used chicken eggs. The main behavioral effect observed concerned alterations in locomotor patterns and reduced motor activity. Biochemical analysis showed decreased levels of serotonin (5-HT) and increased levels of its metabolites and increased or decreased levels of DA and its metabolites depending on the brain area analyzed. Hypomyelination is also a possible effect of 2,4-D when the exposure occurs during the proliferation and development of the oligodendrocytes. The worst neuropathologic effects were observed in fish. Since most studies focused on the neurotoxicity of 2,4-D in rodents, the effect it may have on other species and groups of animals, especially with different physiology, is unclear and it should be researched.

Solution-combustion synthesis of doped TiO2 compounds and its potential antileishmanial activity mediated by photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy has emerged as an alternative treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis, and compounds with photocatalytic behavior are promising candidates to develop new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this parasitic disease. Titanium dioxide TiO2 is a semiconductor ceramic material that shows excellent photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity under Ultraviolet irradiation. Due to the harmful effects of UV radiation, many efforts have been made in order to enhance both photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties of TiO2 in the visible region of the spectrum by doping or through modifications in the route of synthesis. Herein, Fe-, Zn-, or Pt- doped TiO2 nanostructures were synthesized by solution-combustion route. The obtained compounds presented aggregates of 100 nm, formed by particles smaller than 20 nm. Doping compounds shift the absorption spectrum towards the visible region, allowing production of reactive oxygen species in the presence of oxygen and molecular water when the system is irradiated in the visible spectrum. The Pt (EC50 = 18.2 ±â€¯0.8 µg/mL) and Zn (EC50 = 16.4 ±â€¯0.3 µg/mL) -doped TiO2 presented the higher antileishmanial activities under visible irradiation and their application as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy (PDT) strategies for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis should be considered.

Update of microbial genome programs for bacteria and archaea

Since the Haemophilus influenzae genome sequence was completed in 1995, 172 other prokaryotic genomes have been completely sequenced, while 508 projects are underway. Besides pathogens, organisms important in several other fields, such as biotechnology and bioremediation, have also been sequenced. Institutions choose the organisms they wish to sequence according to the importance that these species represent to them, the availability of the microbes, and based on the similarity of a species of interest with others that have been sequenced previously. Improvements in sequencing techniques and in associated methodologies have been achieved; however, scientists need to continue working on the development of this field. In Brazil, a multicentered, centrally coordinated and research-focused network was adopted and successfully used for the sequencing of several important organisms. We analyzed the current status of microbial genomes, the trends for criteria used to choose new sequencing projects, the future of microbial sequencing, and the Brazilian genome network.

Estudos sobre a epidemiologia da doenca de Chagas no Ceara. XXVII Reservatorios de T. cruzi na regiao metropolitana de Fortaleza. / Epidemiology of the Chagas' disease in Ceara. XXVII Reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza

Foram examinados por xenodiagnostico com 10 ninfas de "Rhodnius prolixus", 109 marsupiais sendo 91 "Didelphis azarae" (22% positivas para "T. cruzi"), 16 "ratos-cachorros" "Monodelphis domestica" (com 1 positivo), 2"Marmosa sp" (com 1 positivo), 5 quiropteros negativos, 9 "punares" "Cercomys c. laurentius" (com 1 positivo), 22 "ratos domesticos" (1 positivo) e 4 ratos silvestres "Oryzomys subflavus" (negativos). O total de positividade em 150 animais e de 16,0%. A busca de triatomineos nas areas investigadas na regiao foi negativa. Conclui-se pela existencia do ciclo silvestre do "T. cruzi" em regiao muito urbanizada e nao endemica para a doenca de Chaga