Chagas disease is a so-called "neglected disease" and endemic to Latin America. Nifurtimox and benznidazole are drugs that have considerable efficacy in the treatment of the acute phase of the disease but cause many significant side effects. Furthermore, in the Chronic Phase its efficiency is reduced and their therapeutic effectiveness is dependent on the type of T. cruzi strain. For this reason, the present work aims to drive basic research towards the discovery of new chemical entities to treat Chagas disease. Differently substituted 5,7-diaryl-2,3-dihydro-1,4-diazepines were synthesized by cyclocondensation of substituted flavones with ethylenediamine and tested as anti-Trypanosoma cruzi candidates. Epimastigotes of the Y strain from T. cruzi were used in this study and the number of parasites was determined in a Neubauer chamber. The most potent diaryldiazepine that reduced epimastigote proliferation exhibited an IC50 value of 0.25 μM, which is significantly more active than benznidazole.

Plant extracts are complex mixtures that are difficult to characterize, and mass spectrometry is one of the main techniques currently used in dereplication processes. Fridericia chica is a species with medicinal uses in Latin American countries, used in the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases. Extracts of this plant species are characterized by the presence of anthocyanidins. In this study, using high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography, it was possible to determine the molecular formula of thirty-nine flavonoids. Fragmentation analysis, ultraviolet spectrum and nuclear magnetic resonance data allowed the partial characterization of the structures of these compounds. The spectral dataset allowed the identification of a series of flavones in addition to the desoxyanthocyanidins common in extracts of the species. The occurrence of some of the proposed structures is uncommon in extracts of species of the Bignoniaceae family, and they are reported for the first time in the extract of this species. Quantitative analyses of total flavonoids confirmed the high content of these constituents in the species, with 4.09 ± 0.34 mg/g of dry plant material. The extract under study showed low in vitro cytotoxicity with CC50 ≥ 296.7 ± 1.4 µg/mL for Vero, LLC-MK2 and MRC-5 cell lines. In antiviral activity assays, inhibition of the cytopathic effects of Dengue, Zika and Mayaro viruses was observed, with EC50 values ranging between 30.1 and 40.9 µg/mL. The best result was observed against the Mayaro virus, with an EC50 of 30.1 µg/mL.

Water is the main source of transmission of micro-organisms in health centers, which can cause infections that are a serious issue for public health. The goal of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of water used in a hospital of the microregion of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Twelve water samples were collected at different points for the detection of total and fecal coliforms, as well as other micro-organisms; in addition, antimicrobial susceptibility tests were also performed. The bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa was detected in the sample from the rinse water of clean clothes collected in the laundry's clean area and it was identified by Gram stain and automated analysis using VITEK ® equipment. The strain of P. aeruginosa showed sensitivity to the antibiotics commonly used to treat infections induced by this bacterium, such as cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, carbapenems and polymyxins. However, the results indicate the need for a greater attention to the process of cleaning of hospital clothing, a fact that is still neglected in Brazil. Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; hospital infection; Hospital Laundry Service; microbiology water RESUMOA água representa o principal meio de transmissão de micro-organismos em centros de saúde, os quais podem causar infecções que são um grave problema de saúde pública. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a qualidade microbiológica da água utilizada em um hospital da microrregião de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Foram coletadas doze amostras de água em pontos distintos para testes de detecção de coliformes totais e termotolerantes, assim como de outros microrganismos; além disso, testes de sensibilidade a antimicrobianos também foram realizados. A espécie bacteriana Pseudomonas aeruginosa foi detectada na amostra correspondente à água de enxágue de roupas limpas coletada na área limpa da lavanderia e foi identificada por coloração de Gram e análise automatizada utilizando o equipamento VITEK ®. O isolado de P. aeruginosa mostrou-se sensível aos antibióticos usualmente utilizados no tratamento de