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Candidemia has been considered a persistent public health problem with great impact on hospital costs and high mortality. We aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and prognostic factors of candidemia in a tertiary hospital in Northeast Brazil from January 2011 to December 2016. Demographic and clinical data of patients were retrospectively obtained from medical records and antifungal susceptibility profiling was performed using the broth microdilution method. A total of 68 episodes of candidemia were evaluated. We found an average incidence of 2.23 episodes /1000 admissions and a 30-day mortality rate of 55.9%. The most prevalent species were Candida albicans (35.3%), Candida tropicalis (27.4%), Candida parapsilosis (21.6%) and Candida glabrata (11.8%). Higher mortality rates were observed in cases of candidemia due to C. albicans (61.1%) and C. glabrata (100%), especially when compared to C. parapsilosis (27.3%). Univariate analysis revealed some variables which significantly increased the probability of death: older age (P = 0.022; odds ratio [OR] = 1.041), severe sepsis (P < 0.001; OR = 8.571), septic shock (P = 0.035; OR = 3.792), hypotension (P = 0.003; OR = 9.120), neutrophilia (P = 0.046; OR = 3.080), thrombocytopenia (P = 0.002; OR = 6.800), mechanical ventilation (P = 0.009; OR = 8.167) and greater number of surgeries (P = 0.037; OR = 1.920). Multivariate analysis showed that older age (P = 0.040; OR = 1.055), severe sepsis (P = 0.009; OR = 9.872) and hypotension (P = 0.031; OR = 21.042) were independently associated with worse prognosis. There was no resistance to amphotericin B, micafungin or itraconazole and a low rate of resistance to fluconazole (5.1%). However, 20.5% of the Candida isolates were susceptible dose-dependent (SDD) to fluconazole and 7.7% to itraconazole. In conclusion, our results could assist in the adoption of strategies to stratify patients at higher risk for developing candidemia and worse prognosis, in addition to improve antifungal management.

Seascape mapping is critical to understanding ecosystem services and managing areas with potential for fishing, power generation, mining, and tourism. Despite advances in marine geophysics, the necessary equipment to make underwater cartography can be expensive and requires a certain degree of specialization. In areas with scarce data, ethnomapping can be used for the elaboration or complementation of marine cartography. In addition, it provides information about the nature, concepts, phenomena, and nomenclatures attributed by the local population. The aim of this study was to integrate the knowledge of artisanal fishermen from NE Brazil into the mapping of seascapes, validating the obtained cartography with scientific sampling. Focus groups were used to promote an open discussion of local users’ knowledge about seascapes and their importance for local fisheries. After analyzing, it was possible to correlate the products of participatory mapping with the scientific data available in the literature, resulting in the seascape ethnomap. Nine seascapes relevant to subsistence fisheries were identified. The mapping of seascapes and fauna captured by indigenous fishermen was similar to that produced from preexisting geology, geomorphology, and fishing data. This validated the methodological protocol and the importance of the participation of local populations in coastal conservation and management activities.

Purpose: Alternative methods for the use of animals in research have gained increasing importance, due to assessments evaluating the real need for their use and the development of legislation that regulates the subject. The principle of the 3R’s (replacement, reduction and refinement) has been an important reference, such that in vitro, ex vivo and cord replacement methods have achieved a prominent place in research. Methods: Therefore, due to successful results from studies developed with these methods, the present study aimed to evaluate the myorelaxant effect of the Dysphania ambrosioides essential oil (EODa) using a Sus scrofa domesticus coronary artery model, and the toxicity of both the Dysphania ambrosioides essential oil and its major constituent, α-terpinene, against Drosophila melanogaster in toxicity and negative geotaxis assays. Results: The EODa relaxed the smooth muscle of swine coronary arteries precontracted with K+ and 5-HT in assays using Sus scrofa domesticus coronary arteries. The toxicity results presented LC50 values of 1.546 mg/mL and 2.282 mg/mL for the EODa and α-terpinene, respectively, thus showing the EODa and α-terpinene presented toxicity to these dipterans, with the EODa being more toxic. Conclusions: Moreover, the results reveal the possibility of using the EODa in vascular disease studies since it promoted the relaxation of the Sus scrofa domesticus coronary smooth muscle.

Products of natural origin remain important in the discovery of new bioactive molecules and are less damaging to the environment. Benzaldehyde is a product of the metabolism of plants, and similarly to oxygenated terpenes, it can have antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and toxic action against Drosophila melanogaster; we aimed to verify these activities. The broth microdilution tests determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of benzaldehyde alone and in association with antibiotics and ethidium bromide (EtBr). Toxicity against Drosophila melanogaster was determined by fumigation tests that measured lethality and damage to the locomotor system. The results indicated that there was an association of norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin with benzaldehyde, from 64 μg/mL to 32 μg/mL of ciprofloxacin in the strain K6028 and from 256 μg/mL to 128 μg/mL of norfloxacin in the strain 1199B; however, the associations were not able to interfere with the functioning of the tested efflux pumps. In addition, benzaldehyde had a toxic effect on flies. Thus, the results proved the ability of benzaldehyde to modulate quinolone antibiotics and its toxic effects on fruit flies, thus enabling further studies in this area.

The in vitro propagation can provide the production of uniform plants, with high quality and free of diseases, and allow fast and genetically reliable multiplication of new cultivars and hybrids. In this context, the present work had the aim at developing a protocol for the in vitro propagation of Ananas lucidus Miller. Two experiments have been carried through, the first on the effect of BAP on nodal multiplication, an the second on plantlet acclimatization. For the multiplication it was used a completely randomized factorial design with 10 repetitions, and 2x5 factors, composed by two consistences, solid and liquid, and five BAP dosages (0,0; 1,0; 2,0; 3,0; 4,0) mg L-1. For the acclimatization experiment it was used a randomized blocks design with 5 treatments, 5 repetitions and 5 plants in each experimental unit, it being tested different substrata (coconut fiber, compost of plant residues, vermiculite, coconut fiber + compost, and vermiculite + compost). The number of sprouts (NB) produced in the liquid medium in the 2,0 mg. L-1 BAP dosage treatment was greater than in the 0,0 mg L-1 dosage, at a 5% probability level, and similar to the 1,0; 3,0 e 4,0 mg.L-1 dosages. It was observed that in the liquid media treatments there was a higher proliferation of sprouts than in the semi-solid media (11,3 and 9,0 respectively). The acclimatization survival index was of 96% for all treatments.

Objetivou-se com o presente trabalho estudar a perda de viabilidade das sementes de duas variedades de Vigna unguiculata , acondicionadas em embalagens de papel e recipiente metálico, armazenados em ambiente não controlado. Após a colheita das sementes, em campos preparados para esta finalidade, as mesmas foram beneficiadas manualmente, tratadas, acondicionadas e armazenadas, para que a cada dois meses fossem avaliadas quanto a sua qualidade fisiológica mediante teste de germinação, indicando a melhor capacidade armazenadora para a condição do estudo. A análise dos dados foi realizada no delineamento inteiramente casualizado, disposto em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 x 2 x 6 com 4 repetições, sendo os fatores quantitativos revelados pela regressão na análise de variância. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, a viabilidade das sementes de feijão Vigna unguiculata foi afetada pelos tratamentos e condição do armazenamento, tendo ao final de 360 dias a germinação passada de 99,37 para 41,68%; a variedade Emepa foi superior a Corujinha em 63,47% e o extrato de Piper nigrum revelou-se eficiente na manutenção da viabilidade dessas sementes.

Objetivou-se com o presente trabalho estudar a perda de viabilidade das sementes de duas variedades de Vigna unguiculata, acondicionadas em embalagens de papel e recipiente metálico, armazenados em ambiente não controlado. Após a colheita das sementes, em campos preparados para esta finalidade, as mesmas foram beneficiadas manualmente, tratadas, acondicionadas e armazenadas, para que a cada dois meses fossem avaliadas quanto a sua qualidade fisiológica mediante teste de germinação, indicando a melhor capacidade armazenadora para a condição do estudo. A análise dos dados foi realizada no delineamento inteiramente casualizado, disposto em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 x 2 x 6 com 4 repetições, sendo os fatores quantitativos revelados pela regressão na análise de variância. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, a viabilidade das sementes de feijão Vigna unguiculata foi afetada pelos tratamentos e condição do armazenamento, tendo ao final de 360 dias a germinação passada de 99,37 para 41,68%; a variedade Emepa foi superior a Corujinha em 63,47% e o extrato de Piper nigrum revelou-se eficiente na manutenção da viabilidade dessas sementes.