Candida parapsilosis is yeast capable of forming biofilms on medical devices. Novel approaches for the prevention and eradication of the biofilms are desired. This study investigated the anticandidal activity of sixteen essential oils on planktonic and biofilm cultures of C. parapsilosis complex. We used molecular tools, enumeration of colony-forming units, the colourimetric MTT assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a chequerboard assay coupled with software analyses to evaluate the growth kinetics, architecture, inhibition and reduction in biofilms formed from environmental isolates of the Candida parapsilosis complex; further, we also evaluated whether essential oils would interact synergistically with amphotericin B to increase their anticandidal activities. Of the environmental C. parapsilosis isolates examined, C. parapsilosis and C. orthopsilosis were identified. Biofilm growth on polystyrene substrates peaked within 48 h, after which growth remained relatively stable up to 72 h, when it began to decline. Details of the architectural analysis assessed by SEM showed that C. parapsilosis complex formed less complex biofilms compared with C. albicans biofilms. The most active essential oil was cinnamon oil (CO), which showed anticandidal activity against C. orthopsilosis and C. parapsilosis in both suspension (minimum inhibitory concentration-MIC-250 and 500 μg/ml) and biofilm (minimum biofilm reduction concentration-MBRC-1,000 and 2,000 μg/ml) cultures. CO also inhibited biofilm formation (MBIC) at concentrations above 250 μg/ml for both species tested. However, synergism with amphotericin B was not observed. Thus, CO is a natural anticandidal agent that can be effectively utilised for the control of the yeasts tested.

The aim of this study was to investigate oral yeast colonization, antifungal susceptibility and strain diversity in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients (175), as well as to evaluate the influence of dental prostheses. Oral rinse samples were cultured on selective media, in order to isolate, count and identify the yeasts recovered. More than half of the diabetic subjects (53%) carried significant amounts of Candida cells in the buccal cavity and these organisms were recovered at higher densities in diabetics wearing dentures. A total of 93 yeast strains were isolated from these patients, including: Candida spp. (n = 89); Pichia (n = 02); Trichosporon (n = 1), and Geotrichum (n = 1). C. albicans represented 56% of these strains, non-albicans Candida 39.8%, and other genera of yeast 4.3%. C. albicans was prevalent, followed by C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. rugosa and C. guilliermondii. Agar disk-diffusion tests of the susceptibility of non-albicans Candida and other genera of yeast to fluconazole showed resistance in 21.9%, mainly in C. rugosa (100%), C. glabrata (57%) and C. krusei (50%). Local oral factors, such as the presence of dentures, in association with diabetes, seemed to have the effect of increasing the amount and variety of Candida species in the oral cavities, mainly those with lower drug susceptibilities.

Literacia em saúde: tradução e validação de instrumento para pesquisa em promoção da saúde no BrasilHealth literacy: translation and validation of a research instrument on health promotion in Brazil Cualificación en salud: traducción y validación de un instrumento para la investigación en la promoción de la salud en Brasil Este é um artigo publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons Attribution, que permite uso, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, sem restrições, desde que o trabalho original seja corretamente citado.

No abstract

Recebido em 18/06/1998. Aceito em 17111/1998 RESUMO -( Estudo da germinação de sementes de espécies arhóreas pioneiras: TibouellinQ pulellra Cogn. e Tibouellina granulosa Cogn. (MelaslOmalaceae)). A inlluência da luz no processo de germinação de sementes de Tibouellino l'ldellra e T. granulosa foi eSludada. Sementes de Tibouehina fJulellra e T. granulosa submetidas a diferentes qualidades e quantidades de luz demonstram forte dependência para o processo de germinação. Em condições de escuro e irradiação com vermelho-extremo, as sementes não germinaram, demonslrando o envolvimento do l'itocromo no processo, como evidenciado através de curvas de fluência-resposta e de curvas de escape da ação do l'itocromo. Após 12 meses de estocagem sob baixa temperatura as sementes apresentaram a mesma percentagem de sementes viáveis. A partir destes resultados conclui-se que T. I'ulellra and T. granulosa são espécies pioneiras.Palavras-chave -espécies pioneiras, germinação de sementes. fitocromo, TibouellinQ ABSTRACT -(Seed gel'1nination of pioneer spccies 01' Tiboucllina pulell/'{{ Cogn. and Tibouchil1a granulosa Cogn. (Melastomataceae)). Seeds 01' Tiboucllina IJ/dcllra and T. granulosa suhmitted to dilTerent light treatments showed light dependence 01' the gel'1nination processo In conditions 01' complete darkness and when suhmitted to far-red light. seeds did not germinate. demonstrating the involvement 01' phytochrome in the processo This conclusion was corroborated by curves 01' fluence response for seed germination and escape curves 01' phytochrome action. Seeds of both species presented the same percelltage 01' viahle seeds aI' ter twelve months storage under low temperature. Our resu1ts indicates Ihal T. pulellra and T. granulosa are pioneer species.Key \Vords -pioneer species, seed germination. phytm:hromc. TibouchinQ IntroduçãoA quantidade e a qualidade espectral da luz, disponíveis para a germinação de sementes, são distintas nas diferentes situações da floresta tropical natural (Lopes-Quiles & Vazquez-Yanes 1976; Vazquez-Yanes ef aI. 1990). A luz pode tanto promover quanto inibir a germinação, até mesmo em sementes da mesma espécie. Algumas sementes I

Aims: The aim of this study was to identify and determine the diversity, occurrence and distribution of fungi in water used at a haemodialysis centre. Methods and Results: Samples in the hydraulic circuit for the distribution of the water, dialysate samples and samples of sterilization solution from dialysers were collected over a 3-month period, and 500 ml of each sample was filtered through membranes. All together 116 isolates of fungi were recovered from 89% of all water samples collected inside the haemodialysis unit, with prevalence of moulds in tap water samples and of yeasts in dialysate samples. Fusarium spp. was the most abundant genus found, whereas Candida parapsilosis was the predominant yeast species. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that various fungi were present in the water system. These data suggest the inclusion of the detection and quantification of fungi in the water of haemodialysis. Significance and Impact of the Study: The recovery of fungi from aqueous haemodialysis environments implies a potential risk for haemodialysis patients and indicates the need for continuous maintenance and monitoring. Further studies on fungi in haemodialysis water systems are required to investigate the organism ability to persist, their role in biofilm formation and their clinical significance.

S. dublin and S. infantis, showed low to moderate resistance profiles to most antimicrobial drugs. Nalidixic acid and tetracycline were the most and the least effective drugs, respectively, in the disk diffusion tests. We encountered changes in salmonellosis epidemiology in this geographical region.

The aim of this study is to describe the degree of yeast-colonization in diabetic and hemodialysed-users of dental prostheses. Individuals (306) were examined using an oral rinse technique in order to evaluate the incidence of yeast-carriage, and genotype of C. albicans. Yeasts were isolated from 68.4% (91/133) individual's dental prostheses users. Dental prostheses were found to be a significant factor for the yeast colonization (P < 0.05). Overall, the intensity of carriage was higher in diabetic patients as compared with health and hemodialysed individuals (P < 0.05). The isolation rates were: C. albicans (51.7%), C. parapsilosis (20.9%), C. tropicalis (14.3%), C. glabrata (6.6%), C. krusei (3.3%), C. rugosa (1.1%), and Pichia (Pichia ohmeri, 2.2%). Ready-To-Go RAPD Analysis Beads were used and primer OPJ 6 distinguished the C. albicans isolates found in prostheses users. All the isolates were grouped into 11 RAPD profiles in four main clusters and, the average S (AB) for the entire collection of 47 C. albicans isolates were 0.779 +/- 0.178. Over 85% of isolates had a similarity level higher than or equal to 0.8 reinforcing the idea that the use of dental prostheses, independently of the host's clinical condition, probably provides the necessary conditions for these strains to gain a growth-specific advantage over others.