A bacterial strain with morphological and biochemical properties close to Acetobacter xylinum has been cultured in nonagitated, inverted sucrose- and yeast water-based medium for the production of thick, smooth, and floating cellulosic pellicles. The cellulose content (greater than 90%, dry weight, depending on the efficiency of water washing) and the beta-D-homopolyglucan nature of these pellicles were assessed by physical, chemical, and enzymatic methods. The apyrogenic bacterial biomass, a minor component of the dried biofilm (BioFill), is inactivated by ethylene dioxide. Once applied on exudating or bloody tissues, this biofilm displays several advantages as a biological dressing, and hence, it is valuable as a temporary skin substitute in the treatment of skin wounds, such as burns, ulcers, grafts, and as an adjuvant in dermal abrasions.

The use of 131I in the treatment of multinodular goiters (MNG) is well established. We evaluated the effect of 30 microCi 131I (1.11 GBq) in 18 patients with MNG with the aid of two injections of 0.1 mg recombinant human TSH (rhTSH), given on d 1 and 2. A dose of 30 microCi 131I was given on d 3. TSH, T3, free T4, and thyroglobulin were measured on d 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 30, 60, 90, and 180, and antithyroid antibodies were measured on d 1, 30, 90, and 180. Twenty-four-hour 131I uptake measured 1-3 months before rhTSH increased from 12.3 +/- 6.2 to 53.5 +/- 10.9% (P < 0.0001), free T4 from 1.3 +/- 0.2 to peak 3.2 +/- 1.1 ng/dl levels (P < 0.0001), T3 from 113.9 +/- 35.0 to peak 332.2 +/- 123.0 ng/dl levels (P < 0.0001), TSH from 0.76 +/- 0.71 to peak 18.9 +/- 5. 3 mU/liter levels (P < 0.0001), and thyroglobulin from 280.9 +/- 370.0 to peak 1838.5 +/- 1360.7 ng/dl levels (P = 0.001). Painful thyroiditis (33%) and mild thyrotoxicosis (39%) constituted minor side effects. There were no changes in echocardiographic parameters, done before and after rhTSH administration, on d 3. Hypothyroidism developed in 65%. Mean goiter size, measured by computed tomography, decreased from 97.9 +/- 45.4 to 65.5 +/- 47.3 ml (P < 0.0001; reduction: 39 +/- 19%) after 6 months. We conclude that rhTSH is a safe and efficient therapeutic tool in the treatment of MNG allowing the use of outpatient therapeutic 131I doses.

Therapy with dopamine agonists has been associated with valvular heart disease (VHD) in Parkinson's disease, raising concern about the safety of these drugs. In hyperprolactinemic patients, the studies have mainly focused on the cardiac effects of cabergoline (CBG), with little information on bromocriptine (BRC). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of VHD in patients with prolactinomas treated with CBG and BRC. The CBG group consisted of 51 patients (37 female; age 42.3 ± 13.5 years) who had been taking CBG for at least 1 year (mean 37.8 ± 21.3 months; cumulative doses 16-1,286.8 mg). The BRC group consisted of 19 patients (14 female; age 41.8 ± 11.5 years) who were on BRC for at least 1 year (mean 54.8 ± 30.2 months; cumulative doses 4,687.5-23,478.8 mg). The controls (CTR) were 59 healthy subjects matched for age, sex, and prevalence of arterial hypertension. Participants were subjected to transthoracic echocardiography and the valvular regurgitation was graduated as absent (grade 0), trace (1), mild (2), moderate (3) or severe (4). Compared to CTR, trace mitral (Mi) regurgitation (49% vs. 27.1%; P = 0.02), trace tricuspid (Tri) regurgitation (45.1% vs. 20.3%; P = 0.0003) and mild Tri regurgitation (7.8% vs. 0%; P = 0.0003) were more prevalent with CBG, while trace Tri regurgitation (73.7% vs. 20.3%; P = 0.0004) were more prevalent with BRC. Mitral tenting area was significantly higher in CBG than in BRC and CTR. None of the valvar abnormalities was associated with symptoms. In conclusion, patients with prolactinomas treated with either CBG or BRC showed higher prevalence of trace and mild Tri or Mi regurgitation, but these findings were not clinically significant.

Caffeine and related xanthines were identified as potent stimulators for the bacterial cellulose production in A. xylinum. These compounds are present in several plants whose infusions are useful as culture-medium supplements for this acetobacterium. The proposed target for these native purine-like inhibitory substances is the novel diguanyl nucleotide phosphodiesterase(s) that participate(s) in the bacterial cellulogenic complex. A better understanding of this feature of A. xylinum physiology may facilitate the preparation of bacterial cellulose pellicles, which are applied as a biotechnological tool in the treatment of skin burns and other dermal injuries.

Background: Vitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency is a cardiovascular risk factor in the hemodialysis (HD) population. The aim of this study was to identify hypovitaminosis D in HD patients without signs of hyperparathyroidism and to analyze its association to inflammation and echocardiographic alterations. Methods: Patients on HD with iPTH <300 pg/ml not receiving vitamin D therapy were recruited. Hypovitaminosis D was defined as 25(OH)D <30 ng/ml. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and serum albumin were used as inflammation markers. Echocardiograms were performed in an interdialytic mid-week day. Results: Sixty-one patients (mean age of 56 ± 15 years, 52% males, 93% Caucasians, 31% diabetic) were included, and 75% presented hypovitaminosis D. Inflammation was more prevalent among those with hypovitaminosis D, and these patients presented higher relative wall thickness (0.48 ± 0.11 vs. 0.42 ± 0.10 mm; p = 0.05) and lower left ventricular diastolic (49.8 ± 6.2 vs. 54.7 ± 5.8 mm; p = 0.013) and systolic (31.9 ± 5.7 vs. 36.8 ± 7.2 mm; p = 0.012) diameters. Conclusions: Hypovitaminosis D is associated with inflammation and concentric geometric pattern of the left ventricle, even in the absence of high iPTH levels. Vitamin D repletion (aiming to reduce cardiovascular complications) should also be considered in HD patients with normal or low iPTH levels.

-Right-to-left shunt (RLS) can be identified by contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler (cTCD) in patent foramen ovale (PFO) patients. Aim: To evaluate cTCD for PFO screening comparing it to cTEE. Method: 45 previous cTCD performed for PFO diagnosis and correlated its findings with cTEE. Patients were submitted to a cTCD standardized technique and were divided in two groups according to RLS: Group 1, patients with a positive RLS and Group 2 when RLS was negative. Results: 29 (65%) patients were included in group 1 and 16 (35%) in group 2. PFO confirmation by cTEE was performed in 28 (62%) patients. cTCD had a 92.85% sensitivity, 82.35% specificity, 89.65% positive predictive value and 87.5% negative predictive value when compared to cTEE for PFO diagnosis. Conclusion: Standardized technique cTCD allows for RLS visualization in PFO patients with a good correlation with cTEE and can be used as a screening test before cTEE.KEy wORDS: patent foramen ovale, transesophageal echocardiography, transcranial Doppler, ultrasonography. Doppler transcraniano contrastado para triagem de forame oval patente: existe boa correlação com ecocardiograma transesofágico?Resumo -A comunicação direita-esquerda (CDE) pode ser identificada por Doppler transcraniano contrastado (DTCc) em pacientes com forame oval patente (FOP Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a congenital heart disease characterized by an opening between the right and left atria resulting from incomplete closure of the ostium secundum by the septum secundum 1 . Recent studies have found an increase prevalence of PFO in women with migraine with aura and young adults (less than 55 years old) with so-called "cryptogenic" ischemic stroke [2][3][4][5][6] . Emboli from the venous system can cross the PFO reaching the arterial circulation through a right-to-left shunt (RLS) and thus leading to a stroke. PFO diagnosis is done by using a contrast-enhanced technique (by injecting saline solution in a peripheral vein) while performing a transesophageal echocardiography (cTEE) and, when positive, it shows a high correlation with necropsy studies 7 . In spite of both high sensibility and specificity, cTEE have some limitations, such as expensiveness, patient's low tolerability and imperfect intra and inter-observer correlation, due to the fact that it is an operator-dependent method 8 . A great ad-

Antimicrobial resistance is a critical health problem, and pathogens responsible for common infections have developed resistance to antimicrobials, posing a threat to global health and placing a huge burden on health services. During the past two decades, the search for new bioactive agents in nature has become extremely important for promoting health and in the development of more efficient antimicrobials. The genus is one of the largest in the Myrtaceae family, comprising approximately 1000 species from Mexico to Argentina, with a few species distributed in Australia and Africa. species are used in folk medicine, with antidiabetic, antirheumatic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. This study systematically reviews the species to compile the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial effects. In addition, we provide information regarding the traditional uses and cytotoxic activity of species. We conducted a systematic literature search of specialized databases (Web of Science, Scielo, Lilacs, Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus) and selected articles published between 1973 and 2015 using and antimicrobial activity, and toxicity, and and chemical composition as key words. Ninety-three studies were included, and the phytochemical analyses from these studies show that species are a rich source of flavonoids, tannins, triterpenes, and sesquiterpenes. Chemical constituents play an apparent role in the antimicrobial effects and reinforce the known antimicrobial potential of the genus. It is worth mentioning that some species cause significant cytotoxicity.

RESUMO:A espécie Senecio westermanii Dusén pertencente à família Asteraceae é planta endêmica e nativa do Brasil encontrada na região da Floresta Atlântica, nos estados do Paraná e São Paulo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a composição fitoquímica do extrato bruto etanólico e frações das partes aéreas (folha e caule) de S. westermanii utilizando-se a análise fitoquímica qualitativa e cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência com detector de arranjo de diodos (CLAE-DAD), avaliar in vitro a toxicidade preliminar utilizando Artemia salina e o potencial antioxidante. O estudo fitoquímico qualitativo revelou a presença de alcaloides, flavonoides, iridoides, esteroides/triterpenos, heterosídeos saponínicos e aminogrupos. Através da análise realizada por CLAE-DAD obteve-se o fingerprint característico de cada amostra. No ensaio frente à A. salina houve ausência de toxicidade das amostras, o resultado da DL 50 para todas as amostras foi superior a 1000 μg/mL. Todas as amostras apresentaram atividade antioxidante pela redução do complexo fosfomolibdênio, com destaque para a fração clorofórmio que apresentou atividade antioxidante de 92,51% em relação ao padrão rutina. Com relação ao ensaio de redução do radical DPPH•, a fração acetato de etila apresentou IC 50 de 26,98 μg/ mL. Pelo ensaio do ácido tiobarbitúrico (TBARS) a fração hexano apresentou o melhor índice antioxidante em relação ao padrão rutina. Os resultados obtidos demonstram evidências de que a espécie é fonte potencial de antioxidantes naturais, estimulando assim novos estudos que viabilizam sua utilização no tratamento de patologias associadas aos radicais livres. Além disso, a espécie não apresentou atividade tóxica preliminar, assegurando sua aplicabilidade. Palavras-chave:Senecio; Análise fitoquímica; Artemia salina; Antioxidante; CLAE-DAD ABSTRACT: Phytochemical analysis, antioxidant potential and toxicity of crude ethanol extract and fractions of the species Senecio westermanii Dusén against Artemia salina. The species Senecio westermanii Dusén, which belongs to the Asteraceae family, is an endemic and native plant from Brazil. It is found mainly in the Atlantic Forest region, in Paraná and São Paulo states. This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical composition using a qualitative phytochemical analysis and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), to evaluate preliminary toxicity in vitro using Artemia salina and antioxidant potential. Qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, iridoids, steroids, triterpenes, saponinic glycosides and aminogroups. The analysis by HPLC-DAD provided the characteristic fingerprint of each sample. In the A. salina assay, the results of LD 50 over 1000 μg/mL for all samples did not indicate toxicity of the evaluated extracts. All samples demonstrated antioxidant activity by reducing phosphomolybdenum complex. The highest activity was detected in the chloroform fraction, which presented activity of 92.51% compared to the standard rutin. Reg...