RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the popularization of information and communication technology in medical education. This study aimed to compare the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and the virtual objective structured clinical examination (vOSCE), based on expert opinion, as tools for assessing the competencies needed under medical curriculum guidelines in Brazil. METHODS: In this multicenter study, the suitability levels of the OSCE and vOSCE for assessing the competencies needed under the Brazilian National Curriculum Guidelines (DCNs) were compared. The DCNs encompass five groups of domains, namely, health education; general; health management; public health needs; and individual health needs. Sixteen teaching experts served as judges. They responded to a questionnaire with the provided Likert scores indicating the ability of the OSCE and vOSCE to assess each type of competency. Virtual meetings were held via the Delphi method and a focus group-based approach to enable the experts to reach a consensus. RESULTS: A total of 200 items included in the guidelines (100 for the OSCE and 100 for the vOSCE) were evaluated across a total of 3,200 responses. Analysis via the Likert scale revealed a high proportion of positive evaluations for the use of the vOSCE, with kappa values ââranging from 0.4 to 0.72. The values ââof the absolute agreement (positive view) between examiners and equivalence with the kappa statistic for the adoption of the vOSCE ranged from 0.38 to 0.72. Via the use of virtual meetings (Delphi and focus groups), consensus was reached regarding the capacity of the OSCE and vOSCE to evaluate 97% and 92% of these items, respectively. CONCLUSION: The vOSCE can be employed to assess relevant competencies. However, it faces limitations regarding 8% (8/100) of the items, and some items (3%) cannot be assessed via either method. The difference in results between the two assessment methodologies (OSCE and vOSCE) is 5%. It is necessary to invest in the creation of instruments that can be used to apply the vOSCE and to conduct costâbenefit analysis of its broader application in health education institutions. We conclude that the vOSCE is an effective tool for assessing most competencies of medical professionals and students required under Brazilian guidelines.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Competencia Clínica , Curriculum , Evaluación Educacional , Humanos , Brasil , Competencia Clínica/normas , COVID-19/epidemiología , Evaluación Educacional/métodos , Evaluación Educacional/normas , SARS-CoV-2 , Educación Médica/normas , Técnica Delphi , Guías como Asunto , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the reach and engagement on the history of nursing on social media of the Memory Center of the School of Nursing, Federal University of Minas Gerais (CEMENF/UFMG), in light of Pierre Lévy. METHODS: Documentary study carried out on CEMENF's Instagram and on the YouTube of the School of Nursing of UFMG, from September to December 2021. The findings were analyzed according to Pierre Lévy's concepts. RESULTS: Publications on social media, in the years 2020 and 2021, resulted in an average of 6.79 feed posts and 1.42 Reels on Instagram, with an average of 25.54 comments on feed posts and 512.17 views on Reels. As for YouTube, an average of 1.58 posts was observed, with 2164.08 views and 101.58 likes. CONCLUSIONS: Cyberspace can be a powerful instrument for bringing university museums closer to society and for disseminating extension and research projects.
Asunto(s)
Historia de la Enfermería , Medios de Comunicación Sociales , Medios de Comunicación Sociales/tendencias , Humanos , Brasil , Historia del Siglo XX , Historia del Siglo XXIRESUMEN
Mammary glands development is influenced by endocrine signaling, which remodels epithelial and stromal compartments. Reactive stroma phenotype is observed when stromal disturbances occur, leading to changes in extracellular matrix composition and occurrence of reactive cell types. One of the triggers of these alterations is endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure, such as bisphenol A (BPA). Studies suggest that BPA acts on receptor binding sites of several hormones interfering the endocrine response. The aim of this study was to investigate the reactive stroma features on mammary glands of aged female gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) exposed to BPA during windows of susceptibility. Thus, the analysis of cellular profile and growth factor expressions was provided. Fibroblastic population changed in BPA-exposed mammary glands, with a remarkable increase of myofibroblasts (vimentin+/α-SMA+) and active fibroblasts (FAP+). Normal fibroblasts (vimentin+/α-SMA-) were decreased mainly associated with the increase of FGF-10, an inductor of fibroblastic polarization. CD34+ stromal cells were also identified and detected among epithelial cells after BPA-induction disruption. Angiogenesis was supported by VEGF increasing in the gland tissue, which promoted an increase in blood vessel density. Thus, our results demonstrated that reactive stroma was raised in the mammary gland after BPA exposure. This profile was supported by changes in the fibroblastic population due to an induction to synthetic phenotypes and the expression of FGF-10, as well as the angiogenic activity that could corroborate with the malignancy and aggressiveness induced by BPA exposure.
Asunto(s)
Compuestos de Bencidrilo , Fibroblastos , Gerbillinae , Glándulas Mamarias Animales , Fenoles , Células del Estroma , Compuestos de Bencidrilo/toxicidad , Fenoles/toxicidad , Animales , Femenino , Células del Estroma/metabolismo , Células del Estroma/efectos de los fármacos , Glándulas Mamarias Animales/efectos de los fármacos , Glándulas Mamarias Animales/metabolismo , Glándulas Mamarias Animales/patología , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Fibroblastos/efectos de los fármacos , Envejecimiento/metabolismo , Disruptores Endocrinos/toxicidad , Células Epiteliales/efectos de los fármacos , Células Epiteliales/metabolismo , 60889RESUMEN
Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and dogs are the main domestic reservoir. This study compared the performance of parasitological tests using semi-automatic needle puncture (SANP) for collecting popliteal lymph node samples with samples collected from the same lymph node by fine needle aspiration puncture (FNAP) and by necropsy for the diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). Popliteal lymph node samples were collected from 30 CVL-seropositive dogs from an endemic region in Brazil. After clinical examination and euthanasia, samples were collected from the same lymph node by SANP, FNAP, and necropsy. The reference tests were culture, immunohistochemistry, and histopathology. Positivity for Leishmania spp. was 70% for immunohistochemistry and 33.3% for histopathology. Culture positivity using the different sampling techniques was 77% for necropsy (87% in the first week), 73% for FNAP (82% in the first week), and 63% for SANP (95% in the first week). The combination of SANP and culture proved to be an alternative for the diagnosis of Leishmania spp. in the lymph node samples of dogs because of its high positivity rate and because it is more practical and faster and has a shorter time to positivity by culture when compared to FNAP and necropsy sampling.
RESUMEN
Immunocompromised individuals were considered high-risk for severe disease due to SARS COV-2 infection. This study aimed to describe the safety of two doses of COVID-19 adsorbed inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac; Sinovac/Butantan), followed by additional doses of mRNA BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) in immunocompromised (IC) adults, compared to immunocompetent/healthy (H) individuals. This phase 4, multicenter, open label study included solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, cancer patients and people with inborn errors of immunity with defects in antibody production, rheumatic, end-stage chronic kidney or liver disease, who were enrolled in the IC group. Participants received two doses of CoronaVac and additional doses of mRNA BNT162b2. Adverse reactions (AR) data were collected within seven days after each vaccination. Serious adverse events and of special interest (AESI) were monitored throughout the study. We included 241 immunocompromised and 100 immunocompetent subjects. Arthralgia, fatigue, myalgia, and nausea were more frequent in the IC group after CoronaVac. Following the first additional dose of mRNA BNT162, pain, induration, and tenderness at injection site, fatigue and myalgia were more frequent in the H group. A heart transplant recipient had a graft rejection temporally associated with the second CoronaVac dose, but there was no literature evidence of causal association. Four cases of AESI were considered related to the vaccine: three erythema multiforme after CoronaVac, all in IC participants, and one paresthesia after mRNA, in a H participant. Our findings were comparable to other studies that evaluated the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in different immunocompromised populations. Both vaccines were safe for immunocompromised participants.
Asunto(s)
Vacuna BNT162 , Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Huésped Inmunocomprometido , Vacunas de Productos Inactivados , Humanos , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/efectos adversos , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/administración & dosificación , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/inmunología , Masculino , Femenino , Vacuna BNT162/administración & dosificación , Vacuna BNT162/inmunología , Vacuna BNT162/efectos adversos , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/inmunología , Vacunas de Productos Inactivados/efectos adversos , Vacunas de Productos Inactivados/administración & dosificación , Vacunas de Productos Inactivados/inmunología , Anciano , Adulto Joven , SARS-CoV-2/inmunología , Inmunocompetencia , Esquemas de InmunizaciónRESUMEN
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plays a vital role in global agriculture and is a model organism in genetic studies. Visual classification of tomatoes for genetic improvement programs faces challenges due to variety diversity, uneven ripening, external damages, and evaluator subjectivity. Recent advances in the field of computational resources, such as image phenotyping have enabled pre- and post-harvest assessments that are both fast and precise. This study aimed to classify tomato fruits based on shape, group, color, and defects using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The performance of five architectures - VGG16, InceptionV3, ResNet50, EfficientNetB3, and InceptionResNetV2 was evaluated to identify and determine the most efficient one for this classification. The research considered ten hybrids and their five parental lines. The experiment was conducted in the field, and images of ripe fruits were acquired using a portable mini studio. The ExpImage package in R software was used for fruit individualization by image and to aid in creating a synthetic database for network training. Images were grouped according to their classifications in terms of shape, color, groups, and defects. The InceptionResNetV2 architecture was the most efficient, achieving metrics such as precision and recall exceeding 93 % for most analyzed variables, and shorter classification times. This study advances the understanding of CNN applications in agriculture and research and provides valuable guidelines for optimizing classification tasks in distinct types of fruits.
Asunto(s)
Inteligencia Artificial , Redes Neurales de la Computación , Solanum lycopersicum , FitomejoramientoRESUMEN
Compound (4-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzylamine)benzenesulfonamide) (LQFM275) was designed and synthesized from darbufelone and sulfanilamide as a new multi-target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. LQFM275 showed a great range of safe cytotoxicity profile (100-400 µM) evaluated by MTT assay, preventing damage induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in EA.hy926 cell line. In mice, the acute oral treatment with LQFM275 (57, 114, and 228 mg/kg) reduced the number of writhing by 26, 37, and 49 %, respectively. LQFM275 (114 mg/kg) also presented an antinociceptive effect, reducing by 57 % the nociceptive response in the second phase of the formalin test and by 47 % the Carrageenan(Carra)-induced hyperalgesia. That effect was dependent on its anti-inflammatory activity. LQFM275 (114 mg/kg) also reduced 42 % and 31 % of the Carra and LPS-induced edema, respectively. The pleurisy test attenuated the leukocyte migration induced by Carra and LPS by reducing the number of polymorphonuclear cells (by 39 and 36 %, respectively). The production of reactive oxygen species in the pleural exudate was reduced, which is shown by a decrease in myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity (Carra = 35 % and LPS = 40 %) and in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1ß (Carra = 48 % and LPS = 47 e 36 %). On the other hand, it increased the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-4, and IL-10 (Carra = 50 % and LPS = 21 and 53 %). Moreover, LQFM275 demonstrated to be a dual COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibitor (IC50 = 81 and 167 µM, respectively). Therefore, the promising anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of LQFM275 provide an opportunity for a new multi-target drug development.
RESUMEN
The negative effects of land-use changes on biodiversity significantly contribute to climate change. Primates are among the animals most affected by these changes, because of their high dependence on forest cover where a lack of forest connectivity can limit their dispersal and segregate their populations. In this sense, protected areas (PAs) are crucial for conserving endangered primates, especially endemic species. Using species distribution models, we assessed the impact of climate change and deforestation on the geographic distribution of 35 endangered Brazilian primates. We also evaluated the potential of PAs to retain suitable habitats for primate species under current conditions (baseline) and four future climate scenarios (optimistic and pessimistic, both for the periods 2041-2060 and 2061-2080), as well as the capacity of PAs to preserve species' geographic representation both now and in the future. Our findings indicate that most primate taxa would experience a significant loss of suitable area (> 90%) in both pessimistic and optimistic scenarios. For future scenarios, the loss could exceed 98% for 10 taxa, particularly Amazonian species. Regarding PAs potential to retain suitable areas for maintaining the richness of threatened primates, only 8.6% harbor more species than expected by chance (1-6 taxa) in the baseline conditions, with a decrease in future scenarios. Results suggest that taxa already threatened with extinction are inadequately protected by PAs in the baseline conditions and even less so in future scenarios. Given the restricted geographic distribution and current population decline for most taxa, we emphasize the need to increase the number of PAs to ensure population viability and prevent future extinction.
Asunto(s)
Biodiversidad , Cambio Climático , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales , Especies en Peligro de Extinción , Primates , Animales , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales/métodos , Brasil , Primates/fisiología , Ecosistema , BosquesRESUMEN
The aim was to estimate the heritabilities for accumulated weight gain between 60 and 90 days (WG1), 90 and 120 days (WG2) and 120 and 150 days of age (WG3), pre-slaughter body weight (PRE), meat-to-shell ratio (MS), carcass yield (CY) and age at first oviposition (AFO) in a population of snails Cornu aspersum maximum. Single (for heritabilities) and bi-trait (for genetic correlations) analyses were performed using Bayesian inference. The animal model included the random effect of animal and systematic effects of contemporary groups and covariates. The heritability estimates for WG1, WG2 and WG3 were 0.59, 0.60 and 0.32, respectively. Heritabilities for PRE, MS, CY and AFO ranged from 0.22 to 0.51. Environmental factors mostly influenced PRE among the studied traits. However, for carcass traits and age at first oviposition, the 95% HPD intervals of estimates were large. Only the genetic correlations between weight gains reached chain convergence. The correlation between WG1 and WG2 was 0.74, between WG2 and WG3 was 0.57, and between WG1 and WG3 was 0.22 (not statistically significant). In this sense, WG1 appears to be the optimal period for evaluating the body performance of snails. Genetic improvement in WG2 may be obtained by direct selection for WG1 in this population of Cornu aspersum maximum.
RESUMEN
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains are subdivided into typical (tEPEC) and atypical (aEPEC) according to the presence or absence of a virulence-associated plasmid called pEAF. Our research group has previously demonstrated that two aEPEC strains, 0421-1 and 3991-1, induce an increase in mucus production in a rabbit ileal loop model in vivo. This phenomenon was not observed with a tEPEC prototype strain. Few studies on aEPEC strains evaluating their capacity to induce intestinal mucus hypersecretion were done. This study aimed to investigate aEPEC strains regarding their genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, their ability to alter mucus production in an in vivo intestinal infection model, and their potential mucinolytic activity. To investigate the relationship between strains 0421-1 and 3991-1 and 11 other aEPEC strains, their serotypes, sequence types (ST), and virulence factors (VF), several sequencing and genomic analyses were carried out. The study also involved researching the reproduction of mucus hypersecretion in rabbits in vivo. We found that the two mucus-inducing strains and two other strains (1582-4 and 2531-13) shared the same phylogroup (A), ST (378), serotype (O101/O162:H33), and intimin subtype (ι2), were phylogenetically related, and induced mucus hypersecretion in vivo. A wide diversity of VFs was found among the strains, confirming their genomic heterogeneity. However, among the genes studied, no unique virulence factor or gene set was identified exclusively in the mucus-inducing strains, suggesting the multifactorial nature of this phenomenon. The two strains (1582-4 and 2531-13) closely related to the two aEPEC strains that induced mucus production in vivo also induced the phenomenon. The investigation of the mucinolytic activity revealed that all aEPEC strains used mucins as their carbon sources. Ten of the 13 aEPEC strains could cross a mucin layer, and only four adhered better to agar containing mucin than to agar without mucin. The present study paves the way for subsequent investigations into the molecular mechanisms regarding cellular interactions and responses, as well as the correlation between virulence factors and the induction of mucus production/expression during aEPEC infections.
Asunto(s)
Escherichia coli Enteropatógena , Infecciones por Escherichia coli , Moco , Factores de Virulencia , Animales , Escherichia coli Enteropatógena/genética , Escherichia coli Enteropatógena/metabolismo , Escherichia coli Enteropatógena/patogenicidad , Conejos , Factores de Virulencia/genética , Factores de Virulencia/metabolismo , Moco/metabolismo , Moco/microbiología , Infecciones por Escherichia coli/microbiología , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Proteínas de Escherichia coli/genética , Proteínas de Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Familia de Multigenes , Filogenia , Mucinas/metabolismo , Genotipo , Virulencia/genética , Genoma Bacteriano , Mucosa Intestinal/microbiología , Mucosa Intestinal/metabolismo , Plásmidos/genética , SerogrupoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the contributions of the Public Health Nursing Specialization Course (1988-1992) of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in improving the expertise and professional status of its graduates. METHOD: Historical and social study in the history of nursing and expertise. The sources included 20 registration forms, enrollment documentation of graduates, and three course documents collected in the Memory Center of Escola de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, combined with Lattes/CNPq curricula and analyzed through Eliot Freidson's Sociology of Professions. RESULTS: The specialists were selected through a strategy of construction of knowledge for socio-sanitary transformation. The specialization provided support for the professional career of graduates in administrative leadership, management, and visibility positions in public health; the group's profile was focused on academia, which creates its own knowledge. CONCLUSION: The specialization provided its graduates the opportunity to exercise professional autonomy, elevating the state of affairs and contributing to the professionalization of public health nursing.
Asunto(s)
Enfermería en Salud Pública , Brasil , Humanos , Historia del Siglo XX , CurriculumRESUMEN
The diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) presents a challenge due to a variety of non-specific clinical signs. The available tests have low sensitivity. This study aimed to standardize and evaluate the loop-mediated isothermal amplification technique with K26 target (K26-LAMP) for diagnosis of CVL in conjunctival swab (CS) DNA samples extracted through a silica column commercial kit (SW-kit) and boiling (SW-DB) and to compare sensitivity with conventional PCR (kDNA-cPCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (18S-qPCR). Clinical samples of CSs were collected from 54 dogs after reactive serology tests. Positive parasitological and/or histological tests were used as inclusion criteria for a sensitivity analysis. A total of 79.2% (43/54) of dogs without clinical signs or with mild, moderate, or severe clinical signs were included in the study. The sensitivity results of K26-LAMP, kDNA-cPCR, and 18S-qPCR were 72.1%, 81.4%, and 80.5% with the SW-kit and 97.2%, 95.2%, and 57.1% with SW-DB, respectively. In all techniques, the proportion of positives was higher in the group with severe clinical disease, with statistically significant differences in the K26-LAMP and 18S-qPCR techniques being seen with the SW-kit. The results obtained with LAMP for CS samples are promising and its performance is similar to other techniques.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Proper analysis and interpretation of health care data can significantly improve patient outcomes by enhancing services and revealing the impacts of new technologies and treatments. Understanding the substantial impact of temporal shifts in these data is crucial. For example, COVID-19 vaccination initially lowered the mean age of at-risk patients and later changed the characteristics of those who died. This highlights the importance of understanding these shifts for assessing factors that affect patient outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to propose detection, initial characterization, and semantic characterization (DIS), a new methodology for analyzing changes in health outcomes and variables over time while discovering contextual changes for outcomes in large volumes of data. METHODS: The DIS methodology involves 3 steps: detection, initial characterization, and semantic characterization. Detection uses metrics such as Jensen-Shannon divergence to identify significant data drifts. Initial characterization offers a global analysis of changes in data distribution and predictive feature significance over time. Semantic characterization uses natural language processing-inspired techniques to understand the local context of these changes, helping identify factors driving changes in patient outcomes. By integrating the outcomes from these 3 steps, our results can identify specific factors (eg, interventions and modifications in health care practices) that drive changes in patient outcomes. DIS was applied to the Brazilian COVID-19 Registry and the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care, version IV (MIMIC-IV) data sets. RESULTS: Our approach allowed us to (1) identify drifts effectively, especially using metrics such as the Jensen-Shannon divergence, and (2) uncover reasons for the decline in overall mortality in both the COVID-19 and MIMIC-IV data sets, as well as changes in the cooccurrence between different diseases and this particular outcome. Factors such as vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced iatrogenic events and cancer-related deaths in MIMIC-IV were highlighted. The methodology also pinpointed shifts in patient demographics and disease patterns, providing insights into the evolving health care landscape during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a novel methodology combining machine learning and natural language processing techniques to detect, characterize, and understand temporal shifts in health care data. This understanding can enhance predictive algorithms, improve patient outcomes, and optimize health care resource allocation, ultimately improving the effectiveness of machine learning predictive algorithms applied to health care data. Our methodology can be applied to a variety of scenarios beyond those discussed in this paper.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Procesamiento de Lenguaje Natural , Semántica , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Atención a la Salud , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of microwave-assisted and conventional extraction using ethanol, hexane, and petroleum ether as solvents, and to optimize the process for extracting oil from Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds, with a focus on improving food-grade oil production. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to enhance the extraction process of the oil. Central composite rotational design (CCRD) was used to analyze the impact of solid-liquid ratio (x1), power (x2), and temperature (x3) on oil yield. The optimization identified the optimal conditions as a solid/liquid ratio of 1:38, power of 175 W, and temperature of 50 °C, achieving a 42% oil yield. Notably, the microwave-assisted extraction reduced the processing time from 8 h (using conventional Soxhlet extraction) to just 1 h. Conventional extraction with hexane and petroleum ether was also performed for comparison, resulting in similar oil content and fatty acid profiles, predominantly, oleic acid. FTIR analysis confirmed that the microwave-extracted oil contained fatty acids and had similar characteristics to the conventionally extracted oil. Thus, the use of ethanol as a green solvent in the microwave has shown significant improvement in terms of time and energy savings compared to the Soxhlet method with toxic solvents. This study concludes that microwave-assisted extraction with ethanol provides a more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and time-saving alternative for food-grade oil production, aligning with advancements in food engineering and production.
RESUMEN
Chrysin (CHR) is a naturally occurring flavonoid found in the human diet, recognized for its potential in preventing neurodegenerative diseases. However, its limited water solubility restricts its bioavailability and therapeutic applications. To address this issue and bolster the neuroprotective properties of CHR for potential nutraceutical or medicinal use, we investigated a novel compound, LQFM280, formed by conjugating CHR with ß-d-glucose tetraacetate. We conducted both in vitro (using SH-SY5Y cells, mutant STHdhQ111/Q111 cells, and wild-type STHdhQ7/Q7 cells), and in vivo (mice) neurotoxicity experimental model induced by 3-nitropropionic acid, which mimic biological changes akin to Huntington's disease in humans. Compared to non-glycosylated CHR, LQFM280 showed superior in vitro effects in preventing neurotoxicity caused by increased mitochondrial vulnerability due to mutant huntingtin. In vivo findings demonstrated that LQFM280 has heightened efficacy in mitigating weight loss, memory and locomotor impairment, oxidative stress, and disruptions in the antioxidant defense system, as well as succinate dehydrogenase, and cholinesterase activities induced by 3-nitropropionic acid. These findings underscore the significant enhancement of chrysin's neuroprotective effects through glycosylation with ß-d-glucose tetraacetate, positioning it as a promising candidate for use as a nutraceutical or food supplement to promote health benefits.
RESUMEN
Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important pathogen that causes several human infections, which is currently among the main bacterial species of clinical importance. Given the importance of understanding the characteristics of this pathogen and its evolutionary aspects, in this study, we sought to characterize strains of K. pneumoniae recovered in the 1980s and 1990s in São Paulo, Brazil. Our analyses included 48 strains recovered from diarrheagenic stools and extraintestinal infections. These strains were submitted to screening for virulence and ESßL-encoding genes, antimicrobial susceptibility tests, biofilm formation, and hypermucosity and hemolytic activity tests. Our results revealed that among the studied virulence genes, the most frequent were entB (100%), followed by iutA (100%), mrkD (98%), and ycfM (72%). Phenotypic tests revealed that the strains were non- hemolytic, and two strains were positive for the hypermucoviscosity phenotype but did not have the genetic markers associated with this phenotype. Furthermore, 17% of the isolates proved to be strong biofilm producers. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing demonstrated that most strains were susceptible to the tested antimicrobials, with the exception of five isolates that produced CTX-M-2. Our findings indicate that the collection of strains studied showed variability in virulence factors, as well as biofilm production. Still, a minority of the strains showed clinically significant resistance mechanisms. As far as we know, this is the oldest collection of K. pneumoniae studied in the country.Keywords: Bacterial virulence; Ancient bacterial strains; Enterobacterales; Bacterial infection; Diarrhea.
RESUMEN
The occurrence of carbapenemases encoding genes in Providencia rettgeri is a critical public health concern since this species has intrinsic resistance to several antimicrobials, including polymyxins. The identification of this multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen outside the hospital setting has become increasingly frequent, and raises an alert for the global health agencies, as they indicate a possible spread of such pathogens. Herein, we described three MDR P. rettgeri isolates carrying a diversity of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) isolated from stool samples of swine and bovine in Brazil. Molecular analysis revealed that all isolates belonged to the same clone. The whole genome sequencing (WGS) of a representative isolate (PVR-188) was performed by MiSeq Illumina® platform, while the assembling and annotation was achieved using SPAdes and Prooka, respectively. The WGS analyses indicated the presence of ARGs that confer resistance to ß-lactams (bla NDM-1, bla CTX-M-2), quinolones (qnrD1), aminoglycosides (aadA2, aadA1, aph(3')-Via), phenicol (catB2), sulfonamides (sul1, sul2), and trimethoprim (dfrA12, dfrA1). The presence of three plasmid replicons (Col3M, IncQ1, and IncT) was detected, but no phage sequences were found. The phylogenetic analyses confirmed the genomic relationship of the PVR-188 with P. rettgeri isolates recovered from animals and humans in the USA and Malaysia. In conclusion, we report the occurrence of MDR P. rettgeri clone colonizing the gut microbiota of food-producing animals in Brazil, revealing the spread of this pathogen beyond hospital boundaries.
RESUMEN
The aim of this study was to investigate the vertical transfer of microbiota from dams to the offspring. We studied a pair of 20 dams and its offspring. Maternal sources (colostrum, feces and vaginal secretion) and newborn fecal samples were analyzed using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing on days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28. Overall, newborns were maintained healthy and did not receive antimicrobial therapy. The Source Tracker analysis indicated that the newborn fecal microbiota was similar to colostrum and vaginal secretion from day 1 up to 7. However, an unknown source (probably from the environment) showed a gradual increase in its similarity with fecal samples from calves measured from day 3 to 28. The most abundant bacteria groups on meconium (day 1) and calf fecal samples on day 3 were Escherichia-Shigella and Clostridium, respectively. On day 7, the predominant genus were Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, while Fusobacterium was the most abundant genus on day 14, coinciding with the diarrhea peak. Faecalibacterium showed a gradual increase throughout the neonatal period. Maternal sources contribute to the neonatal microbiota, however other unknown sources (probably environment) had a strong influence on development of the gut microbiota later in the neonate period.
Asunto(s)
Animales Recién Nacidos , Calostro , Heces , Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Animales , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/genética , Bovinos , Femenino , Heces/microbiología , Calostro/microbiología , ARN Ribosómico 16S/genética , Bacterias/clasificación , Bacterias/genética , Bacterias/aislamiento & purificación , Embarazo , Vagina/microbiología , Meconio/microbiologíaRESUMEN
The aim of this study was to compare the in vitro activity of delafloxacin with other fluoroquinolones against bacterial pathogens recovered from inpatients with osteomyelitis, Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin-Structure Infections (ABSSSI). In total, 100 bacterial isolates (58 % Gram-negative and 42 % Gram-positive) recovered from inpatients between January and April 2021, were reidentified at species level by MALDI-TOF MS. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the broth microdilution method and the detection of biofilm formation was assessed through the microtiter plate assay. The screening for mecA was carried out by PCR, while mutations in the Quinolone Resistance Determining Regions (QRDR), specifically gyrA and parC, were analyzed using PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Results showed that delafloxacin exhibited greater in vitro potency (at least 64-times) than the other tested fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin) when evaluating Staphylococcus aureus (MIC50 ≤0.008 mg/L) and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (MIC50 0.06 mg/L). Furthermore, delafloxacin (MIC50 0.25 mg/L) was at least 4 times more potent than other tested fluoroquinolones (MIC50 1 mg/L) against P. aeruginosa. No difference in delafloxacin activity (MIC50 0.03 mg/L) was observed against Enterobacter cloacae when compared with ciprofloxacin (MIC50 0.03 mg/L). Despite presenting low activity against K. pneumoniae isolates (22.2 %), delafloxacin exhibited twice the activity compared to both levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. Delafloxacin also exhibited a strong activity (71.4 %â85.7 %.) against biofilm producing bacterial pathogens tested in this study. Interestingly, 82.14 % of the staphylococci tested in this study harbored mecA gene. In addition, the gyrA and parC genes in fluoroquinolone-resistant Gram-negative isolates displayed different mutations (substitutions and deletions). Herein, we showed that delafloxacin was the most active fluoroquinolone against staphylococci (including MRSA) and P. aeruginosa when compared to other fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.
Asunto(s)
Antibacterianos , Fluoroquinolonas , Pruebas de Sensibilidad Microbiana , Osteomielitis , Enfermedades Cutáneas Bacterianas , Humanos , Fluoroquinolonas/farmacología , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Enfermedades Cutáneas Bacterianas/microbiología , Enfermedades Cutáneas Bacterianas/tratamiento farmacológico , Osteomielitis/microbiología , Osteomielitis/tratamiento farmacológico , Bacterias Gramnegativas/efectos de los fármacos , Bacterias Gramnegativas/aislamiento & purificación , Biopelículas/efectos de los fármacos , Enfermedad Aguda , Farmacorresistencia Bacteriana , Bacterias Grampositivas/efectos de los fármacos , Bacterias Grampositivas/aislamiento & purificaciónRESUMEN
Access to vaccination has emerged as a growing global public health concern; however, there has been limited research on characteristics of local governments that are associated with vaccination coverage. The objective of this study was to evaluate predictors of vaccination coverage in Brazil for the first year of life between 2013 and 2022. We focused on variables pertaining to the available resources of local governments and their investments in infrastructure and human resources in the health sector. We used binomial generalized linear mixed models to estimate the association of these variables with vaccination coverage in Brazilian municipalities. Our results show that municipalities with better fiscal capacity were more effective in delivering vaccines. Municipalities that rely more on federal and state resources had lower vaccination coverage. Additionally, investment in health professionals was often negatively correlated with vaccination coverage. The study underscores the importance of better understanding the relationship between local government characteristics and vaccination coverage, particularly in regions where local governments are responsible for vaccine delivery.