The most common infections in human beings are caused by intestinal parasites. They can lead to a number of harmful effects, which could include, among others, intestinal obstruction, malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia, diarrhea, and poor absorption. In Brazil, enteroparasites are one of the main public health issues. The present study aims at analyzing the distribution and frequency of enteroparasite occurrence in 635 children from seven community schools in the city of Guarapuava, Paraná (PR). In addition, we used similarity and diversity indices to analyze the parasite community. We found 475 samples with at least one parasite showing that 75.27% of children had enteroparasites. A smaller fraction (26.73%) of children harbored several parasites (multiparasitism), especially Giardia duodenalis (56%), and Ascaris lumbricoides (18%). Statistical analysis showed that three (out of seven) children communities had higher similarity in frequency and amount of parasites. Our results suggest that the children studied were highly infected by enteroparasites. These levels of infestation could be related to several factors, such as climate, social and economic conditions and characteristics of the parasites.
Context: Lasiodiplodan, an exocellular (1→6)-β-d-glucan of molecular weight >1.4 × 106 Da produced by MMPI strain of Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Pat.) Griffon & Maubl. (Brotyosphaeriaceae) is known to exhibit anti-proliferative activity on breast cancer cells (MCF-7), anticoagulant activity when sulfonylated, and reduction in transaminase activity when administered in rats.Objective: The effect of intracerebroventricular (I.C.V) injection of lasiodiplodan on neurotoxicity and behavioural changes induced by d-penicillamine was investigated.Materials and methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were initially separated in groups of six and treated with 0.15 μmol/μL of NaCl (Groups Ct and d-Pen) and 0.01 μg/μL of lasiodiplodan (Groups Las and Las + d-Pen). After 15 min, they received 6 μmol/μL of NaCl (Groups Ct and Las) and 2 μmol/μL of d-penicillamine (Groups d-Pen and Las + d-Pen). The animal behavior was observed in an open-field test for 60 min. Twenty-four h later, the animals were sacrificed and histopathological analysis and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) production measurements were performed.Results: Lasiodiplodan prevented neurotoxicity induced by d-penicillamine significantly reducing the production of TBARS (308%; p < 0.05), and behavioural signs; convulsive and pre-convulsive. No histopathological alterations in the cerebral cortex were observed.Discussion and conclusion: The reduction of TBARS production and convulsive episodes suggests that the protector effect provided by lasiodiplodan passes thought an antioxidant path, possibly interfering in a cascade of neurochemical events, triggering cell death and convulsive episodes. These results demonstrated that lasiodiplodan can be effective in treating neurotoxicity, and reducing damage triggered by convulsions in neuropathies related to GABAergic system.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.