Skin injuries constitute a gateway for pathogenic bacteria that can be either part of tissue microbiota or acquired from the environmental. These microorganisms (such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus) produce virulence factors that impair tissue integrity and sustain the inflammatory phase leading for establishment of chronic wounds. The high levels of antimicrobial resistance have limited the therapeutic arsenal for combatting skin infections. Thus, the treatment of non-healing chronic wounds is a huge challenge for health services worldwide, imposing great socio-economic damage to the affected individuals. This scenario has encouraged the use of natural polymers, such as polysaccharide, in order to develop new formulations (membranes, nanoparticles, hydrogels, scaffolds) to be applied in the treatment of skin infections. In this non-exhaustive review, we discuss the applications of polysaccharide-based formulations in the healing of infected wounds in animal models and clinical trials. The formulations discussed in this review were prepared using alginate, cellulose, chitosan, and hyaluronic acid. In addition to have healing actions per se, these polysaccharide formulations can act as transdermal drug delivery systems, controlling the release of active ingredients (such as antimicrobial and healing agents). The papers show that these polysaccharides-based formulations are efficient in controlling infection and improve the healing, even in chronic infected wounds. These data should positively impact the design of new dressings to treat skin infections.

Tiquira is an alcoholic distillate handmade prepared from the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cassava. The saccharification and fermentation processes are carried out by wild microorganisms, randomly harvested, from the natural exposure of beijus to the environment. The growth of these microorganisms occurs for a period of 8 days, and starch hydrolysis and sugar fermentation are performed for the same period. As there are several strains collected, the quality of the distillate is compromised, resulting in defects in the composition of the drink and in the variable process yield. The objective of this work was to isolate, identify and select, among the native microorganisms, the best saccharifying and fermentative agents, enabling the production of inoculum to reduce the process time and to homogenize Tiquira's secondaries. Among the selected strains, it was possible to identify and characterize three species of filamentous fungi: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae. For all of them, SDA (Saboroud Dextrose Agar) medium, at 30 °C, was the one that best allowed fungal growth. Regarding starch saccharification yield, R. oryzae achieved a conversion value of 78.0 % (30 °C, 5.5 x 107 spore content, pH 5 and 50 g/L soluble starch), whereas A. flavus, A. niger, and the mixture of all of them, had a conversion rate of 71.5; 57.2 and 48.0 %, respectively, which highlights that the use of autochthonous filamentous microorganisms is an option for the saccharification of starch samples.

Is the concern with latent phenomenon of sensitization, as it exposes austenitic stainless steels to one of the most severe types of corrosion, intergranular, caused by chrome impoverishment in some regions after the material has been treated thermally in a temperature range between 450°C and 850°C. The aim of this study is to identify the conditions under which the stainless steel AISI 304 austenitic will sensitize, microstructural analysis and reactivation potentiodynamics technique by Double cycle method (DL-EPR). In steel samples were subjected to different ranges of time and temperature. The behavior of the degree of sentiment reveals that the rainfall happens so intense under the conditions under study with the exception of 900oC - 1, 2, and 6, which was observed and proven both by microstructural analysis and the DL-EPR.

O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os diferentes tipos de cimento (CP II-E, CP IV E CP V) para entender o seu funcionamento durante sua hidratação, visando prevenir patologias em estruturas de concreto, e quantificar um dos agentes de grande poder de corrosão, os íons de cloreto em pasta de cimento. A análise consistiu em testes, em laboratório, de pH em diferentes amostras de cimento, comprovando a alta alcalinidade do mesmo. O teste é feito com a utilização do peagâmetro metrohm, que é colocado o elétrodo na solução já filtrada para a obtenção do valor do pH. Esse pH alto do cimento é maior responsável pela proteção da armadura da estrutura de concreto, pela criação da película protetora de passivação. Foram realizados testes objetivando medir quantitativamente por precipitação o íon cloreto em diferentes tipos de cimento, uma vez que é um dos principais agentes de corrosão, além de São Luís ter presença constante de salinidade, o que contribui para o surgimento de patologias. E, na sequência, fora medida com termômetro a temperatura alcançada por período de tempo da pasta de cimento, visando-se obter a variação da mesma, causada pela hidratação do cimento.marx.5000@gmail.com

Schistosomiasis is a serious parasitic infectious disease, one of the most important waterborne diseases, which is closely related to poverty, lack of health education and basic sanitation. It is a public health problem in Brazil, presenting endemic in some municipalities in the Maranhão State. In this way, this study aimed to evaluate the research profile of schistosomiasis mansoni in some endemic municipalities in the Maranhão State. A descriptive, retrospective and quantitative study was carried out with data obtained in “Programa de Controle da Esquistossomose (PCE) – MA” (Program for Schistosomiasis Control) between 2005 and 2015. We evaluated 42, 40 and 25 municipalities in the years 2005, 2010 and 2015, respectively. In 2005 the population evaluated was 184787, in 2010 162220 and in 2015 they were only 48484. The highest number of people evaluated in the year 2015 was in São Luís (8068) and the lowest was in Tutoia (83). The municipalities of Bacurituba, Guimarães, Guimaraes, Mirinzal, Paulino Neves and São João Batista presented a survey coverage of schistosomiasis major in the year 2015, compared to 2005 and 2010. Schistosomiasis remains a public health problem in the Maranhão State, however, its scope of research is still low, taking into account the number of endemic municipalities, sites susceptible to infection and the number of people examined.Key words: Schistosomiasis; Schistosoma mansoni; Maranhão.