RESUMO Os óleos essenciais apresentam possibilidade de serem empregados nas indústrias de alimentos, bebidas, produtos de higiene pessoal e cosméticos para evitar ou reduzir a deterioração lipídica e a contaminação por micro-organismos. Este trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar as propriedades funcionais antimicrobianas e antioxidantes de óleos essenciais de folhas frescas de Coniza bonariensis, Parthenium hysterophorus, Tithonia diversifolia, Ambrosia polystachya, Hedychium coronarium e Baccharis dracunculifolia, extraídos por hidrodestilação. O potencial antioxidante foi avaliado pelas metodologias do consumo do radical DPPH e da inibição da oxidação do sistema β-caroteno/ácido linoleico. A sensibilidade das bactérias Salmonella Cholerasuis, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus e Escherichia coli frente aos óleos essenciais foi determinada pela utilização do método de difusão em cavidade ágar. Os óleos essenciais destacaram-se pelo elevado conteúdo de terpenoides. Todos os óleos essenciais avaliados pela metodologia do sequestro do radical DPPH não apresentaram CI50 significativos. Pela metodologia do β-caroteno/ácido linoleico, os óleos essenciais de T. diversifolia e H. coronarium não apresentaram atividades significativas e os de C. bonariensis, P. hysterophorus, A. polystachya, e B. dracunculifolia apresentaram CI50 superiores a maior concentração avaliada. Os óleos essenciais das espécies C. bonariensis, T. diversifolia, H. coronarium e de B. dracunculifolia apresentaram atividade antibacteriana para bactérias Gramnegativas e Gram-positivas, com exceção do óleo volátil de P. hysterophorus, que não impediu o crescimento de nenhuma das cepas bacterianas testadas. O óleo essencial de A. polystachya apresentou potencial antibacteriano apenas nas cepas de S. aureus.

ABSTRACT Essential oils can be employed in the food, drinks, toiletry and cosmetics industries to prevent or reduce lipid deterioration and contamination by microorganisms. The aim of this work was to evaluate the functional antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of essential oils of fresh leaves from Coniza bonariensis, Parthenium hysterophorus, Tithonia diversifolia, Ambrosia polystachya, Hedychium coronarium and Baccharis dracunculifolia, extracted by hydrodistillation. The methodologies used for assessing antioxidant potential were consumption of the DPPH radical and oxidation inhibition of the β-carotene/linoleic acid system. Sensitivity of the bacteria Salmonella cholerasuis, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to the essential oils was determined using the agar-well diffusion method. The essential oils were noteworthy for their high terpenoid content. None of the essential oils assessed by DPPH radical sequestration presented significant IC50. Using β-carotene/linoleic acid methodology, the essential oils of T. diversifolia and H. coronarium showed no significant activity, and C. bonariensis, P. hysterophorus, A. polystachya and B. dracunculifolia showed IC50 greater than the highest concentration evaluated. The essential oils of C. bonariensis, T. diversifolia, H. coronarium and B. dracunculifolia displayed antibacterial activity for gram-negative and grampositive bacteria, with the exception of the volatile oil of P. hysterophorus, which did not inhibit growth in any of the bacterial strains tested. The essential oil of A. polystachya displayed antibacterial activity only for strains of S. aureus.

RESUMOA síndrome metabólica (SM) representa uma conjunção de fatores de risco cardiometabólicos, incluindo obesidade, hiperglicemia, hipertrigliceridemia, dislipidemia e hipertensão. Vários estudos reportam que a condição oxidativa causada pela superprodução de espécies reativas de oxigênio (EROs) desempenha importante papel no desenvolvimento da SM. Nosso organismo apresenta sistema antioxidante natural para diminuir o estresse oxidativo, o qual consiste em numerosos componentes endógenos e exógenos e enzimas antioxidantes que são capazes de inativar as EROs. As principais enzimas de defesa antioxidante que contribuem para o processo de redução do estresse oxidativo são a superóxido dismutase (SOD), a catalase (CAT) e a glutationa peroxidase (GPx). O colesterol associado à lipoproteína de alta densidade (HDL-c) também está relacionado com o estresse oxidativo por apresentar propriedades antioxidantes e anti-inflamatórias. A atividade antioxidante do HDL-c pode ser atribuída, pelo menos em parte, à atividade da paraoxonase 1 (PON1) sérica. Além disso, os metabólitos derivados de oxigênio reativo (d-ROMs) também se destacam como atuantes nas doenças cardiovasculares e no diabetes, pelo desequilíbrio na produção de EROs, tendo relação importante com a inflamação. Relatos recentes vêm apontando a gama-glutamiltransferase (GGT) como biomarcador promissor para diagnóstico da SM, pois esta se associa ao estresse oxidativo, uma vez que desempenha papel relevante no metabolismo extracelular de glutationa. Com base nisso, vários estudos vêm buscando melhores marcadores do estresse oxidativo e sua relação com o desenvolvimento da SM.

ABSTRACTMetabolic syndrome (MS) is a combination of cardiometabolic risk factors, including obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Several studies report that oxidative condition caused by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in the development of MS. Our body has natural antioxidant system to reduce oxidative stress, which consists of numerous endogenous and exogenous components and antioxidants enzymes that are able to inactivate ROS. The main antioxidant defense enzymes that contribute to reduce oxidative stress are superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and gluthatione peroxidase (GPx). The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) is also associated with oxidative stress because it presents antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. HDL-c antioxidant activity may be attributed at least in part, to serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity. Furthermore, derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) also stand out as acting in cardiovascular disease and diabetes, by the imbalance in ROS production, and close relationship with inflammation. Recent reports have indicated the gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) as a promising biomarker for diagnosis of MS, because it is related to oxidative stress, since it plays an important role in the metabolism of extracellular glutathione. Based on this, several studies have searched for better markers for oxidative stress involved in development of MS.

This study had analyzed the antibacterial, antifungal and trypanocidal activity of the essential oils from Cinnamodendron dinisii Schwacke (Canellaceae) and Siparuna guianensis Aublet (Siparunaceae). The essential oils were obtained from fresh leaves by hydrodistillation, using a modified Clevenger apparatus. Chemical analysis by gas-liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed that these essential oils are rich in monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Activity against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella choleraesuis and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated with the agar cavity diffusion method, while activity on the filamentous fungi Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus carbonariusand Penicillium commune was evaluated by the disk diffusion technique. Trypanocidal activity was tested against Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes, using the Tetrazolium salt (MTT) colorimetric assay. Both essential oils exhibited low inhibitory effect towards bacteria, showing high MIC values (125–500 μg mL−1), with Gram positive bacteria being more susceptible. Better inhibitory effect was obtained for the evaluated fungi, with lower MIC values (7.81–250 μg mL−1), being A. flavus the most susceptible species. Both essential oils presented low trypanocidal activity, with IC50/24 h values of 209.30 μg mL−1 for S. guianensis and 282.93 μg mL−1 for C. dinisii. Thus, the high values observed for the MIC of evaluated bacteria and for IC50/24 h of T. cruzi, suggest that the essential oils have a low inhibitory activity against these microorganisms. In addition, the low MIC values observed for the tested fungi species indicate good inhibitory activity on these microorganisms’s growth.

Estudos neurossonológicos, especialmente o Doppler transcraniano (DTC) e o duplex transcraniano codificado a cores (DTCC), apresentam elevados níveis de especificidade e sensibilidade quando utilizados como exames complementares no diagnóstico de morte encefálica (ME). Um grupo de peritos do Departamento Científico de Doppler transcraniano da Academia Brasileira de Neurologia criou uma força-tarefa de forma a determinar os critérios neurossonológicos para os seguintes aspectos no diagnóstico de ME no Brasil: metodologia do DTC; metodologia do DTCC; treinamento e habilidades em Neurossonologia; diagnóstico de parada circulatória encefálica e documentação do exame para a ME. Os resultados deste encontro foram apresentados neste artigo.

Neurosonological studies, specifically transcranial Doppler (TCD) and transcranial color-coded duplex (TCCD), have high level of specificity and sensitivity and they are used as complementary tests for the diagnosis of brain death (BD). A group of experts, from the Neurosonology Department of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology, created a task force to determine the criteria for the following aspects of diagnosing BD in Brazil: the reliability of TCD methodology; the reliability of TCCD methodology; neurosonology training and skills; the diagnosis of encephalic circulatory arrest; and exam documentation for BD. The results of this meeting are presented in the current paper.

The plants of the Euphorbiaceae family, especially those of the genus Euphorbia, are frequently used by Brazilian folk communities to treat a wide variety of infectious, tumoral and inflammatory illnesses. Among the species of this genus, Euphorbia tirucalli L. is widely used in some Brazilian regions, such as the Jequitinhonha River Valley. There is evidence that the latex produced by E. tirucalli has antiviral and antitumor activities, but little is known about the mechanisms involved in these effects. It is likely that the mechanism for such activities involves leukocyte activation and cytokine production. In this work, we aimed to evaluate the production of type 1 (TNF-α and IFN-γ) and type 2 (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokines by circulating leukocyte subsets submitted to brief stimulation with the crude latex of E. tirucalli. Peripheral blood leukocytes of twenty healthy subjects were submitted to 4 h incubation with crude E. tirucalli latex diluted in dimethylsulfoxide. After the incubation period, the cells were stained with FITC-conjugated monoclonal antibodies specific to the cell surface receptors CD4, CD8 and CD14, and to PE-conjugated monoclonal antibodies specific to the cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10. The acquisition and analysis of data were performed by flow cytometry. The results showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the percentage of CD4+ T lymphocytes positive for the type 1 cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ. Neutrophils and CD8+ T lymphocytes showed a mixed profile of cytokine production, characterized by an increase in the percentage of cells expressing IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-10. The data indicate a predominant type 1 cytokine response. The findings presented suggest that the effect popularly attributed to E. tirucalli usage may be attributed to its effect on the production of TNF-α and IFN-γ. However, the relationship between the in vitro and in vivo effects of E. tirucalli needs to be investigated.

We study two experimental schemes generating highly excited number states starting from an initial squeezed state. One of the schemes works for stationary fields, the other for traveling ones.