ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is a fungal nail infection of difficult treatment due to the fungal survival capacity and reduced number of effective therapies. The present study aimed to isolate fungal agents that cause onychomycosis in immunocompetent patients and evaluate how LASER treatments affect the growth and ultrastructure of isolates. METHODS: In total, 21 patients with positive direct microscopic examination (DME) for onychomycosis had nail samples collected for cultivation and phenotypic identification of microorganisms. From these patients, 12 underwent LASER treatment, divided in Group 1 (n = 5) treated with Nd: YAG 1,064 nm, and Group 2 (n = 7) treated with Nd: YAG 1,064 nm + Er: YAG 2,940 nm + topical isoconazole. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) was performed to evaluate ultrastructural changes after treatment. RESULTS: DME, cultivation, and phenotypic identification showed that the most identified fungus was Trichophyton rubrum spp. After LASER therapy, sample cultivation showed alterations in the fungal morphology with reduction of hyphae, conidia, and reproductive structures. Alterations in fungal cell wall structure, cytoplasm density, and organelles were observed by TEM. CONCLUSION: LASER irradiation causes changes in the fungal cells, especially in the number of hyphae and the presence of conidia. In addition, it affects fungal growth and reproduction capacity, which interferes with their infection ability and virulence.
Subject(s)
Laser Therapy , Lasers, Solid-State , Onychomycosis , Humans , Onychomycosis/microbiology , Treatment Outcome , Nails/microbiology , Lasers, Solid-State/therapeutic use , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic useABSTRACT
The main purpose of this investigation was to study some aspects of leucocytes (granulocytes and limphocytes) and the phagocitic activity of peritoneal macrophages. In this experiment, which took place at Escola Paulista de Medicina - Universidade Federal de SÒo Paulo - Brazil, it was used twenty female C57BLACK mice. Half of them were submitted to radiation to obtain immunossupressed animals (group A - irradiated mice). The other ten mice were not irradiated (Group B - control). The animals were sorted in four subgroups: A-1, A-2, B-1 and B-2. Mice of the groups A-1 and B-1 were injected with saline, and those the subgroups A-2 and B-2, were infected with Candida albicans (ATCC 90029). The resultant data showed significant differences in the number of leucocytes (granulocytes and limphocytes), and in the medium size of limphocytes between irradiated and non irradiated mice. Related to peritoneal macrophages, it was observed that the number of macrophages was lower in irradiated mice and the phagocitic activity was decreased in the irradiated and infected animals.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Mice , Candida albicans/isolation & purification , Peritonitis/microbiology , Phagocytosis/radiation effects , Analysis of Variance , Leukocyte Count , Leukocytes/radiation effects , Lymphocytes/radiation effects , Macrophages , Radiation, Ionizing , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
Resumo:Oleos essenciais de Annona crassiflora (araticum) Cymbopogon citratus (capim santo), Cinnamomum zeylanicum (canela), Ocimum gratissimum (alfavaca), Protium heptaphyllum (almiscar), Xylopia frutescens (embiriba vermelha) foram ensaiados contra várias cepas e Microsporum canis, Trichophyton rubrum, trchophyton mentagrophytes e Epidermophyton floccosum isolados de pacientes com dermatofitoses. Essas plantas säo popularmente utilizadas no nordeste brasileiro para tratamento de infecçöes da pele e seus anexos, causadas por bactérias, vírus e fungos. Cinco dos óleos essenciais ensaiados mostraram excelente atividade antifúngica inibindo fortemente o crescimento e 81 (por cento) das cepas estudadas. O óleo de P. heptaphyllum foi completamente inativo (au)
