The aim of this study was to assess the anti-quorum sensing activity of phenolic extracts from grumixama (Eugenia brasiliensis), also known as Brazilian cherry, in concentrations that did not interfere with bacterial growth. The pulp phenolic compounds were extracted by using solid phage extraction in a mini-collumn C18 and quantified by spectrophotometry. The anti-quorum sensing activity was evaluated by testing the inhibition of violacein production in Chromobacterium violaceum and by evaluating the swarming motility in Aeromonas hydrophila and Serratia marcescens, both phenotypes regulated by quorum sensing. The phenolic extract strongly inhibited the production of violacein in C. violaceum, reducing its production in comparison with a control with no extract. No inhibition of growth was observed at the concentrations tested for quorum sensing inhibition. Confirming the quorum sensing inhibition phenotype, the extract was also able to inhibit swarming motility in S. marcescens and in A. hydrophila, although in the later the effect was marginal. Dverall, these results indicate that phenolic extract from E. brasiliensis presents quorum sensing inhibitory activity most likely due to the presence of fruit phenolics which have been implicated as quorum sensing inhibitors in Gram negative bacteria.Keywords: quorum sensing; anti-quorum sensing; phenolic extract; Brazilian cherry; Eugenia brasiliensis. Practical Application:The phenolic extract in this study presents potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to inhibition of phenotypes regulated by quorum sensing, which include production of virulence factors and spoilage enzymes. By inhibiting phenotypes associated with quorum sensing, the extract presents potential application as a natural preservative for food conservation and as an alternative or an adjuvant with antibiotics.

We describe the characterization of the centesimal composition, mineral and phenolic content of Eugenia uniflora fruit and the determination of the antioxidant, antimicrobial and quorum quenching activities of the pulp phenolic extract. Centesimal composition was determined according to standard methods; trace elements were measured by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The phenolic compounds were extracted by solid-phase chromatography and quantified by spectrophotometry. Antioxidant activity was determined by using 3 different methods. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against a panel of foodborne microorganisms and antiquorum sensing activity in Chromobacterium violaceum was performed by measuring inhibition of quorum sensing dependent violacein production. The centesimal composition (per 100 g of pulp) was as follows: protein 3.68 ± 0.21 g, lipids 0.02 ± 0.03 g, carbohydrates 10.31 g and fiber 2.06 g. Trace elements (mg/g of pulp) were determined as: K 0.90, Ca 3.36, Fe 0.60, Zn 0.17, Cl 0.56, Cr 0.06, Ni 0.04, and Cu 0.07. The pulp is a source of phenolic compounds and presents antioxidant activity similar to other berries. The fruit phenolic extract inhibited all tested bacteria. We also found that the fruit phenolic extract at low subinhibitory concentrations inhibited up to 96% of violacein production in C. violaceum, likely due to the fruit's phenolic content. This study shows the contribution of E. uniflora phenolic compounds to the antioxidant, antimicrobial and the newly discovered quorum quenching activity, all of which could be used by the food and pharmaceutical industries to develop new functional products.

Sob as lentes da história, da literatura e da imprensa, apresenta-se neste artigo a questão da infância negra e o impacto do racismo dialogando com dois contos que têm duas meninas negras como protagonistas, a saber: Negrinha, de Monteiro Lobato (1994), e Nota – De como acabou, em Goiás, o castigo dos cacos quebrado no pescoço, de Cora Coralina (2011). Com essas duas escritas literárias, busca-se dialogar com matérias encontradas em páginas da imprensa que abordam casos de racismo cometidos contra crianças nos sete primeiros meses do ano de 2022. A análise desta temática se sustenta em estudos bibliográficos na literatura, história da infância e da atualidade, uma incursão que possibilitou constatar que, apesar das especificidades de cada conto, assim como a atualidade de parte da realidade, as narrativas se convergem e fornecem ao trabalho historiográfico o retrato da criança negra, vivendo em um espaço marcado pelo vestígio da escravidão, logo, lugar de opressão. Ao confrontar a literatura feita no século XX com os casos de racismo divulgados na imprensa, percebem-se os corpos marcados das crianças pelo racismo e, ainda que os movimentos antirracistas tenham conquistado espaço, são visíveis as marcas que atingem, com sequelas, as vidas das crianças negras.

Este texto apresenta reflexões sobre o trabalho docente no período da pandemia Covid-19. Tendo em vista o materialismo histórico e dialético, buscamos reinterpretar a atual realidade docente colocando em evidência as dificuldades enfrentadas pelos professores devido às circunstâncias impostas pelo contexto da pandemia Covid-19. Desse modo, o objetivo é analisar criticamente o formato de ensino implantado em decorrência da pandemia apontando os desafios que emanam desse processo e que repercutem no trabalho docente. Assim, a reflexão sobre a realidade do trabalho docente nesse cenário se apresenta como a questão central desse estudo. Vivemos um tempo político de ataques constantes à educação pública, aos educadores, tempo de crise sanitária. Nesse contexto, voltamos o nosso olhar para alguns pontos que merecem destaque como a sobrecarga de trabalho de muitos professores e a profunda desigualdade de condições de acesso suscitada por essa forma emergencial de ensino que torna ainda mais notória a vulnerabilidade social. Tendo em vista o embasamento teórico que sustenta está análise, pretendemos demonstrar os desafios e as possibilidades para o exercício da docência, mesmo em um contexto contraditório. Ademais, almejamos contribuir para as reflexões sobre a temática em questão ao denotar os impactos da implementação do ensino remoto no trabalho docente.