ENTEROPATHOGENS DETECTED IN A DAYCARE CENTER,SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL: BACTERIA,VIRUS, AND PARASITE RESEARCH

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and etiological profile of enteropathogens in children from a daycare center. Methods: From October 2010 to February 2011 stool samples from 100 children enrolled in a government daycare center in the municipality of São José do Rio Preto, in the state of São Paulo, were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 246 bacteria were isolated in 99% of the fecal samples; 129 were in the diarrheal group and 117 in the non-diarrheal group. Seventy-three strains of Escherichia coli were isolated, 19 of Enterobacter, one of Alcaligenes and one of Proteus. There were 14 cases of mixed colonization with Enterobacter and E. coli. Norovirus and Astrovirus were detected in children with clinical signs suggestive of diarrhea. These viruses were detected exclusively among children residing in urban areas. All fecal samples were negative for the presence of the rotavirus species A and C. The presence of Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana and hookworm was observed. A significant association was found between food consumption outside home and daycare center and the presence of intestinal parasites. Conclusions: For children of this daycare center, intestinal infection due to pathogens does not seem to have contributed to the occurrence of diarrhea or other intestinal symptoms. The observed differences may be due to the wide diversity of geographical, social and economic characteristics and the climate of Brazil, all of which have been reported as critical factors in the modulation of the frequency of different enteropathogens.     

Alcohol dependence and CD4 cell count: is there a relationship?

Alcohol and other drugs use seem to be common among people infected with HIV on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Their effects on HIV progression is still in debate. This study aimed to assess the association between alcohol and drug use and an HIV disease progression biomarker (CD4 cell count) among patients on ART. A cross-sectional study was carried out at an HIV treatment center affiliated with Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Four hundred and thirty-eight HIV-positive patients on ART were interviewed by trained psychiatrists and psychologists using the following instruments: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ). In the previous month, 219 (50%) and 41 (9.3%) patients reported use of alcohol and illicit drugs, respectively. Fifty patients (12.6%) were classified as having harmful alcohol use by AUDIT. According to SCID-I, 80 patients (18.3%) were alcohol abusers, 24 (5.5%) alcohol dependents, and 21 (4.2%) had a current depressive disorder. Almost 73% (n = 319–72.8%) of the patients were adherent to ART. Alcohol dependents were nine times (p < 0.01) more likely to have CD4 cell count ≤200/mm³, and this association was independent of ART adherence. In conclusion, alcohol dependence seems to be associated with low CD4 cell count in HIV-positive patients. Based on these data, HIV health care workers should always assess alcohol consumption in the treatment setting, and patients should be advised that alcohol dependence may be linked to low CD4.     

Development of low-calorie guava preserves with prebiotics and evaluation of their effects on carcinogenesis biomarkers in rats

Faced with the search for healthy products that provide additional benefits to consumers’ health, the main objectives of this work were to develop a low-calorie preserve containing prebiotics (lactulose and polydextrose) and to evaluate the effects of these prebiotics on oxidative stress and colon carcinogenesis in male rats treated with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). A total of 62.5% w/w of the sucrose in conventional preserves was replaced by polydextrose, and lactulose was added at 0%, 16%, 19.5% or 23% w/w concentrations. The acceptance of these four low-calorie guava preserve samples and the conventional sample was equal (P > 0.05), with a score of 6.49. The level of degradation of lactulose was low (18.45 g 100 g⁻¹ lactulose), ensuring that even at a lower concentration of this prebiotic (16% w/w), the concentration remained above the minimum level considered functional. We found that consumption of the low-calorie preserves with prebiotics does not have an effect on the development of mucin-negative ACF and classical ACF in the initiation phase of the mutagenic process. However, the consumption of 1.5 g of the preserve/rat/day potentiated lipid peroxidation and proteic oxidation in the liver.     

Septo-optic dysplasia-plus and dyskinetic cerebral palsy in a child

Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD), also called De Morsier’s syndrome, is a highly heterogeneous condition comprising a spectrum of central nervous system malformations that involves in various degrees the optic nerves, the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, and other midline structures such as the septum pellucidum and the corpus callosum. In a discrete number of cases, schizencephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum or other cortical malformations are associated (SOD-plus). The authors present a 6-year-old boy with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (athetoid-dystonic subtype) associated with SOD-plus. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) revealed the total absence of septum pellucidum, optic nerve hypoplasia, hypoplasia of the corpus callosum and right occipital cortical dysplasia. The patient was diagnosed with septo-optic dysplasia-plus syndrome based on the cMRI findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in which defects of midline brain structures, like in SOD-plus, are associated with a significant hyperkinetic movement disorder such as dyskinesia.