Descrever marcadores antropométricos, clínicos e dietéticos associados ao risco cardiovascular em indivíduos infectados pelo vírus HIV. MétodosRealizou-se um estudo transversal com 100 indivíduos, adultos, com HIV/Aids, da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. O risco cardiovascular foi estimado pelo escore de risco de Framingham. O consumo alimentar foi avaliado por meio de um recordatório de 24 horas e de uma lista de frequência de consumo de alimentos. Para comparar variáveis, foram utilizados o teste t de Student e o teste Qui-quadrado. ResultadosDentre os indivíduos avaliados, 63% eram homens, com idade média de 41,8, DP=9,6 anos, 77% faziam uso de antirretrovirais. Escore de risco de Framingham >10% foi identificado em 53% dos indivíduos. Os principais fatores de risco cardiovascular potencialmente modificáveis identificados foram: lipoproteína de alta densidade baixo (70%), hipercolesterolemia (35%), hipertensão arterial (35%), seguidos de tabagismo (23%) e glicose alta (21%). Indivíduos com escore de risco de Framingham >10% apresentavam uma tendência para consumir dietas mais ricas em colesterol (p=0,720), em sódio (p=0,898), em açúcares/doces (p=0,032) e pobres em fibras (p=0,273), associadas a um maior consumo de bebidas alcoólicas (p=0,053). A avaliação dos hábitos de vida revelou maior prevalência de tabagismo e maior nível de sedentarismo no grupo com escore de risco de Framingham >10, porém não significativos.

A B S T R A C T ObjectiveTo describe the proportion of overweight among patients with human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and correlate overweight and highly active antiretroviral therapy with metabolic complications. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome outpatients undergoing nutritional therapy from 2000 to 2006 in a University Health Center. The sample consisted of 393 human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome patients. Nutritional and medical records were used as a source of data on personal, clinical and biochemical information. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test. ResultsSixty-nine percent of the patients were males aging from 26 to 49 years. Overweight and obesity were identified in 49% of this population. The most important metabolic complications were low levels of high-density lipoprotein (70%) and high levels of triglycerides (48%) and cholesterol (40%). Higher body mass index was associated with higher lipid levels and more evidence of insulin resistance. ConclusionThis study demonstrated an important proportion of overweight and obesity among human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome patients. These results suggest that nutritional interventions and lifestyle modifications may be useful strategies to decrease the cardiovascular risk in this population.

Aim: To investigate biopharmaceutical and antifungal properties of pure and complexed ellagic acid. Materials & methods: Caco-2 cells cultured in a Transwell® inserts were infected with Candida albicans to develop an in vitro model. Ellagic acid was complexed with cyclodextrins. Microbial compositions, ellagic acid concentration as function of time and characterization studies of complexes were evaluated. Results: Ellagic acid presented ability to reduce C. albicans invasion, although this was not statistically significant. Its poor water solubility and absorption probably limited this ability. Water solubility was increased after complexation with hydroxypropyl-β-CD; however, ellagic acid/hydroxypropyl-β-CD did not improve the antifungal activity. Conclusion: Although ellagic acid presented a promising antifungal activity, its biopharmaceutical properties limit such activity and should be improved.

The activation of water by non-thermal plasma creates a liquid with active constituents referred to as plasma-activated water (PAW). Due to its active constituents, PAW may play an important role in different fields, such as agriculture, the food industry and healthcare. Plasma liquid technology has received attention in recent years due to its versatility and good potential, mainly focused on different health care purposes. This interest has extended to dentistry, since the use of a plasma–liquid technology could bring clinical advantages, compared to direct application of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas (NTAPPs). The aim of this paper is to discuss the applicability of PAW in different areas of dentistry, according to the published literature about NTAPPs and plasma–liquid technology. The direct and indirect application of NTAPPs are presented in the introduction. Posteriorly, the main reactors for generating PAW and its active constituents with a role in biomedical applications are specified, followed by a section that discusses, in detail, the use of PAW as a tool for different oral diseases.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity and the toxicity of ellagic acid (EA) using a Drosophila melanogaster model. Candida albicans bacteria were inoculated into Toll heterozygous flies. Survival curves were obtained for the evaluation of the antimicrobial effect and toxicity of EA. A protective effect of EA against fungal infection in Drosophila melanogaster was observed at nontoxic concentrations. This study showed that EA is a promising tool for the treatment of candidiasis.

The increasing incidence of antifungal resistance represents a great challenge in the medical area and, for this reason, new therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of fungal infections are urgently required. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has been proposed as a promising alternative technique for the treatment of superficial candidiasis, with inhibitory effect both in vitro and in vivo. However, little is known on the association of CAP with conventional antifungals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the association between CAP and conventional polyene antifungals on Candida albicans biofilms. C. albicans SC 5314 and a clinical isolate were used to grow 24 or 48 h biofilms, under standardized conditions. After that, the biofilms were exposed to nystatin, amphotericin B and CAP, separately or in combination. Different concentrations of the antifungals and sequences of treatment were evaluated to establish the most effective protocol. Biofilms viability after the treatments was compared to negative control. Data were compared by One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey (5%). The results demonstrate that 5 min exposure to CAP showed more effective antifungal effect on biofilms when compared to nystatin and amphotericin B. Additionally, it was detected that CAP showed similar (but smaller in magnitude) effects when applied in association with nystatin and amphotericin B at 40 µg/mL and 60 µg/mL. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of CAP alone was more effective against C. albicans biofilms than in combination with conventional polyene antifungal agents.

In this study, the potential antimicrobial activity of plasma-activated tap water (PAW) was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. For this, PAW was prepared in a gliding arc plasma system using two treatment conditions: stagnant water and water stirring by a magnetic stirrer, called moving water. Subsequently, their oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), pH, electrical conductivity (σ), and total dissolved solids (TDS) were monitored in different areas of the sample divided according to the depth of the beaker. It was observed that PAW obtained in dynamic conditions showed a more uniform acidity among the evaluated areas with pH 3.53 and ORP of 215 mV. Finally, standardized suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Escherichia coli (ATCC 10799), and Candida albicans (SC 5314) were treated with PAW, and the reduction of viable cells determined the antimicrobial effect. Our results indicate that the tap water, activated by plasma treatment using gliding arc, is an excellent inactivation agent in the case of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. On the other hand, no significant antimicrobial activity was achieved for Candida albicans.

In this study, different plasma-activated liquids were evaluated for their antimicrobial effects against Escherichia coli, as well as for their cytotoxicity on mammalian cells. The PALs were prepared from distilled (DIS), deionized (DI), filtered (FIL), and tap (TAP) water. Additionally, 0.9% NaCl saline solution (SAL) was plasma-activated. These PALs were prepared using 5 L/min air gliding arc plasma jet for up to 60.0 min of exposure. Subsequently, the physicochemical properties, such as, the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), the pH, the conductivity, and the total dissolved solids (TDS) were characterized by a water multiparameter. The PALs obtained showed a drastic decrease in the pH with increasing plasma exposure time, in contrast, the conductivity and TDS increased. In a general trend, the UV-vis analyses identified a higher production of the following reactive species of nitrogen and oxygen (RONS), HNO2, H2O2, NO3−, and NO2−. Except for the plasma-activated filtered water (PAW-FIL), where there was a change in the position of NO2− and NO3− at some pHs, The higher production of HNO2 and H2O2-reactive species was observed at a low pH. Finally, the standardized suspensions of Escherichia coli were exposed to PAL for up to 60.0 min. The plasma-activated deionized water (PAW-DI pH 2.5), plasma-activated distilled water (PAW-DIS pH 2.5 and 3), and plasma-activated tap water (PAW-TAP 3.5) showed the best antimicrobial effects at exposure times of 3.0, 10.0, and 30.0 min, respectively. The MTT analysis demonstrated low toxicity of all of the PAL samples. Our results indicate that the plasma activation of different liquids using the gliding arc system can generate specific physicochemical conditions that produce excellent antibacterial effects for E. coli with a safe application, thus bringing future contributions to creating new antimicrobial protocols.