Background. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in elderly patients. Recently, several studies have shown that inflammation and oxidative stress precede the cardinal neuropathological manifestations of AD. In view of the proven antioxidant effects of probiotics, we proposed that continuous dietary supplementation with milk fermented with kefir grains might improve cognitive and metabolic and/or cellular disorders in the AD patients. Methods. This study was designed as an uncontrolled clinical investigation to test the effects of probiotic-fermented milk supplementation (2 mL/kg/daily) for 90 days in AD patients exhibiting cognitive deficit. Cognitive assessment, cytokine expression, systemic oxidative stress levels, and blood cell damage biomarkers were evaluated before (T0) and after (T90) kefir synbiotic supplementation. Results. When the patients were challenged to solve 8 classical tests, the majority exhibit a marked improvement in memory, visual-spatial/abstraction abilities, and executive/language functions. At the end of the treatment, the cytometric analysis showed an absolute/relative decrease in several cytokine markers of inflammation and oxidative stress markers (⋅O2–, H2O2, and ONOO−, ~30%) accompanied by an increase in NO bioavailability (100%). In agreement with the above findings by using the same technique, we observed in a similar magnitude an improvement of serum protein oxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage/repair, and apoptosis. Conclusion. In conclusion, we demonstrated that kefir improves cognitive deficits, which seems to be linked with three important factors of the AD—systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and blood cell damage—and may be a promising adjuvant therapy against the AD progression.

BackgroundThe beverage obtained by fermentation of milk with kefir grains, a complex matrix containing acid bacteria and yeasts, has been shown to have beneficial effects in various diseases. However, its effects on hypertension and endothelial dysfunction are not yet clear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of kefir on endothelial cells and vascular responsiveness in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).MethodsSHR were treated with kefir (0.3 mL/100 g body weight) for 7, 15, 30 and 60 days and compared with non-treated SHR and with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Vascular endothelial function was evaluated in aortic rings through the relaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh). The balance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) synthase was evaluated through specific blockers in the ACh-induced responses and through flow cytometry in vascular tissue.ResultsSignificant effects of kefir were observed only after treatment for 60 days. The high blood pressure and tachycardia exhibited by the SHR were attenuated by approximately 15 % in the SHR-kefir group. The impaired ACh-induced relaxation of the aortic rings observed in the SHR (37 ± 4 %, compared to the Wistar rats: 74 ± 5 %), was significantly attenuated in the SHR group chronically treated with kefir (52 ± 4 %). The difference in the area under the curve between before and after the NADPH oxidase blockade or NO synthase blockade of aortic rings from SHR were of approximately +90 and −60 %, respectively, when compared with Wistar rats. In the aortic rings from the SHR-kefir group, these values were reduced to +50 and −40 %, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis of aortic endothelial cells revealed increased ROS production and decreased NO bioavailability in the SHR, which were significantly attenuated by the treatment with kefir. Scanning electronic microscopy showed vascular endothelial surface injury in SHR, which was partially protected following administration of kefir for 60 days. In addition, the recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells was decreased in the non-treated SHR and partially restored by kefir treatment.ConclusionsKefir treatment for 60 days was able to improve the endothelial function in SHR by partially restoring the ROS/NO imbalance and the endothelial architecture due to endothelial progenitor cells recruitment.

This paper reports a case of Purpureocillium lilacinum infection in seven loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchlings kept in an aquarium under inadequate condition. The fungus was isolated from skin and pulmonary lesions. Metilene blue and NaCl solutions, Schinus terebinthifolius and eucalyptus essential oils Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations were determined indicating new possibilities for treatment.

Since 1928 when antibiotics were discovered they have promoted the control of infectious diseases of bacterial origin. However, the chemical characteristics of these medications may represent a potential risk to public health and the environment because their residues have some components which are resistant and difficult to decompose and, once administered to the general population or in large pharmacotherapeutic centers such as hospitals, may cause the contamination of soil, water sources and wastewater becomes imminent and worrysome. This research quantified the thermotolerant fecal coliforms E. coli and Enterococcus and also determined the antibiotic sensitivity profile of E. coli and Enterococcus spp. isolated from sewer waters and beach waters in the city of Vila Velha, Espírito Santo. The quantified microorganism indicators from beach waters demonstrated scores within the standards for balneability. The sewer water collection points allowed the isolation of enteric bacteria with scores between <3à >2, 4 × 10 5 . All the isolated E. coli showed (100%) sensitivity to aztreonam, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, imipenem and nitrofurantoin, while for amoxicillin, sulphazotrim and tetracycline the sensitivity profile was varied, showing lower percentages for samples from sewer waters. The isolated Enterococcus spp. showed (100%) sensitivity only to the antibiotics bacitracin, chloramphenicol and vancomycin. This lower sensitivity profile of isolated bacteria to some antibiotics may be related to the presence of these drugs in the environment.

Brazil has the second largest dairy herd in the world. Minas Gerais is the largest milk producer in Brazil and accounts for about 30% of all production in the country. The mastitis is a disease that causes major losses in the dairy industry under the economic point of view, because maintains a high prevalence and limited response to therapy and may be caused by more than one hundred different etiologic agents mainly bacteria. It is estimated that the loss in milk production by untreated, reach between 12 and 15%. Whatever its origin, there are chemical and physical changes in the milk, accompanied by pathological changes in the glandular tissue. Streptococcus agalactiae is highly contagious and ubiquitous in the mammary gland, is a major etiological agents of mastitis. The elucidation of the virulence factors of this agent is of great importance for the prevention and treatment of mastitis. Because of the few published studies with S. agalactiae isolates from cattle, this study aims to compare isolates from clinical and subclinical mastitis in relation to the presence of virulence genes related to polysaccharide capsule rich in sialic acid, hyaluronate lyase, fibrinogen binding protein and pili. Primers were designed to amplify the genes fbsA, cpsC, cpsD, cpsE, cpsK, neuB and the PI-1 cluster of 16 isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae from clinical mastitis and subclinical mastitis. Molecular analysis showed the presence of gene fbsA in 85.07% of the isolates, 38.80% in hylB, cpsC, cpsD and cpsE at 4.48%, cpkJ, cpsK and neuB 79.10% in the cluster and PI-1 at 1.49%. Observed diversity of strains within and between different flocks, however, no relationship was observed among virulence factors evaluated and the severity of infection.