Occurrence of the off-host life stages of Tunga penetrans (Siphonaptera) in various environments in Brazil.

To explore the local transmission dynamics of Tunga penetrans in brazil, 134 soil samples from various environments were collected in three different endemic regions of the country and checked for the presence of the flea's larvae, pupae and adults. the samples, which came from an urban slum in the north-east, a village of xavante indians in the central-west and a community of yanomami indians living in traditional longhouses (malocas) in the north, were categorized as indoor, outdoor or indoor-outdoor (the latter representing samples collected in the malocas). The proportion of samples found positive for T. penetrans was lowest in the slum (9.3%) and highest in the Yanomami village (32.0%; P=0.01). Soil samples collected below bedsteads or hammocks or from the indoor resting places of dogs were significantly more likely to be positive than the indoor samples collected at other sites (65.0% v. 35.0%; P=0.02). There was no evidence indicating that the presence of T. penetrans in a soil sample was markedly affected by soil temperature, air temperature or air humidity. As no life stages of T. penetrans were found in any outdoor sample, it seems likely that, in resource-poor settings in Brazil, most transmission of T. penetrans occurs indoors. Control measures against the off-host life stages of T. penetrans should therefore be targeted at particular indoor micro-environments.

Utilidad de las formulaciones Vimang® en pacientes con osteoartrosis de rodilla / Utility of Vimang® formulations in patients with knee osteoarthrosis

La osteoartrosis (OA) es la forma más común de artropatía y su localización en la articulación de la rodilla tiene una gran frecuencia. Dentro del grupo de fármacos de acción lenta para su tratamiento se aceptan los antioxidantes por su efecto protector en la progresión de la enfermedad. El Vimang® es una marca comercial registrada que cubre varios tipos de formulaciones a partir del extracto de la corteza del árbol de mango con propiedades antioxidantes, analgésicas, anti inflamatorias e inmuno-moduladoras. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la actividad analgésica de las tabletas y crema Vimang® en pacientes portadores de OA de rodilla y la posible mejoría de la capacidad funcional postratamiento. De igual manera, caracterizar mediante ultrasonografía los efectos del Vimang® en la inflamación sinovial (efusión y proliferación) que se asocia a la entidad. Se estudiaron 10 pacientes del Hogar Santovenia con diagnóstico clínico-de imagen deOA de rodilla. Sus puntuaciones diarias medias de dolor estaban comprendidas entre4 o superiores la semana previa al inicio del tratamiento, según una escala de Likert de11 puntos. Se aplicó el índice de capacidad funcional de WOMAC (The Westerm Ontario and Mc Master Universities Osteoarthritis Index) en la consulta inicial y al concluir el estudio. De igual manera, se realizó ultrasonido de partes blandas de ambas rodillas (equipo ALOKA 1100 con transductor de 7,5 mHz). Los pacientes fueron asignados aleatoriamente a 3 grupos (grupo Vimang tabletas 900 mg/día [n = 4], grupo Vimang tabletas1.800 mg/día [n = 3] y grupo Vimang tabletas 900 mg/día + crema Vimang 1,2% [n = 3]).La administración de las tabletas se repartió en 3 tomas cada 8 h y la crema se aplicó3 veces al día con el mismo intervalo en la rodilla afectada. La extensión del tratamiento en este estudio fue de 3 meses. Todos los pacientes mostraron analgesia satisfactoria a partir de los 15-21 días hasta los 3 meses (...) (AU)

Osteoarthrosis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and localization in the knee is common. Symptomatic slow acting drugs for osteoarthritis include antioxidant agents as possible modifiers of disease progression. Vimang‚ is a registered brand name that covers several formulations of Mangifera indica L., used for its antioxidant, antiinflammatory, analgesic and immunomodulatory properties. The aim of the present study was to determine the analgesic activity of Vimang tablets and cream in patients with knee OA and identify possible posttreatment functional improvement. A further aim was to characterize the effects of Vimang on the synovial inflammation (effusion and proliferation) associated with this entity using ultrasonography. Ten patients from Hogar Santovenia with a clinical-radiological diagnosis of knee OA were studied. Mean daily pain scores on an 11-point Likert scale were 4 or higher in the week prior to treatment initiation. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index was evaluated in the initial consultation and at the end of the study. Ultrasonographic examination (ALOKA device 1100 with a 7.5 mHz transducer) of the soft tissue of both knees was performed. The patients were randomly assigned to three groups. Group 1 (n = 3) received a daily dose of 1,800 mg/day (tablets), group 2 (n = 4) received 900 mg/day (tablets) and group 3 (n = 3) received a combination of tablets 900mg/day and Vimang cream 1.2%. The tables were administered in three daily doses every8 hours and the cream was applied three times per day every 8 hours on the affected knee. Treatment duration was 3 months. Satisfactory analgesia was achieved in all patients from days 15-21 until 3 months. This effect was at least partly related to the decrease in synovial effusion observed in most affected joints and was independent of the reduction in synovial thickness observed on ultrasound...(AU)

A theoretical study of nonlinearity in heterocyclic hydrogen-bonded complexes.

Ab initio calculations are performed at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) and DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) theoretical levels to obtain geometries, H-bond energies and harmonic infrared vibrational properties for the Cs symmetry structures of heterocyclic hydrogen-bonded complexes, CnHmY-HX. The H-bond lengths in DFT/B3LYP calculation level are in better agreement with the experimental values than the MP2 results. The geometry optimization are interpreted in terms of hydrogen bond nonlinearity represented by theta; and phi angles, once the hydrogen bond is formed among n-electrons pairs of the heteroatom in heterocyclic and the hydrogen atom in HX. The hydrogen bond energy after of the zero-point vibrational energy (ZPE) and basis set superposition error (BSSE) corrections are overestimated at DFT/B3LYP, whereas the MP2 BSSE corrections are very large than corresponding DFT/B3LYP. For example, the BSSE corrections for the C2H4S-HNC complex are 7.60 and 0.09 kJ mol(-1) in MP2 and DFT/B3LYP calculations levels, respectively. The new vibrational modes in infrared harmonic spectrum arising from complexation show several interesting features, especially the intermolecular stretching mode.

An MP2 and DFT study of heterocyclic hydrogen complexes CnHmY-HX with n=2, m=4 or 5, Y=O, S or N and X=F or Cl.

We present a theoretical study through MP2 ab initio molecular orbital calculations and B3LYP density functional theory with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set of the heterocyclic hydrogen complexes, CnHmY-HX, where CnHmY = C2H4O, C2H5N and C2H4S, and X=F or Cl. This study aided in the elucidation the main changes in the structural, electronic and the vibrational properties in isolated species, due the hydrogen complexes formation, CnHmY-HX, revealing systematic tendencies in these chemical systems studied. The complexes has CS symmetry, with the HX subunit lying in the plane perpendicular to that of CYC nuclei of heterocyclic and acting as proton donor in forming a hydrogen bond to the heteroatom, Y. A weak secondary interaction between the CH2 groups of heterocyclics and the X atoms in HX causes a significant nonlinearity of the primary hydrogen bond. The hydrogen bond linearity deviations in these complexes due to secondary interactions are represented by theta angle. The MP2 intermolecular distances of complexes C2H5N-HF, C2H4O-HF and C2H4S-HF correspond the 1.652, 1.671 and 2.164 A, respectively, these results are in excellent agreement with experimental results of 1.700 and 2.193 A found for the last two complexes. In the same way, the MP2 values to theta angle, 14.7, 19.1 and 16.8 degrees, has a better reproduction in the experimental results of 16.5, 21.0 and 16.8 degrees, get to the C2H4O-HCl, C2H4S-HCl and C2H4S-HF complexes, respectively.

Infecçäo por Dirofilaria immitis em cäes de Maceió / Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs from Maceió, Alagoas, Northeast region of Brazil

De 2.007 amostras de sangue examinadas de cäes da cidade de Maceió-AL, foram detectados 62 (3,1 por cento) animais positivos para a presença de microfilária (mf). Em 11 cäes, escolhidos aleatoriamente, foi colhido sangue venoso para a identificaçäo específica de Dirofilaria immitis. Para tal, foram utilizadas a motilidade, o tamanho, a morfologia das mf e a presença de antígenos solúveis do parasito, sendo encontrados cinco animais portadores de D. immitis. Mosquitos da espécies Culex quinquefasciatus foram alimentados com sangue de um cäo portador de D. immitis. O desenvolvimento de formas larvárias foi obsevado nos títulos de Malpighi, confirmando a ocorrência da dirofilariose canina por D. immitis na cidade de Maceió-AL