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Introduction: Cecropia pachystachya and C. hololeuca are common species in Brazil, popularly used to treat respiratory diseases. Phytochemical studies indicate that their leaves are rich in phenolic compounds, mainly C-glycosilated flavonoids. Orientin and isoorientin are reported in both species, while vitexina and isovitexina were reported in C. pachystachya. In addition, both are rich in chlorogenic acid and have some procyanidins. In some cases, syrups and teas are prepared from leaf blends from different species, which may affect the efficacy and safety of this natural medication. This problem motivated the investigation of the chemical profile of leaves of these species., Objective: The phenolic chemical profiles from C. pachystachya and C. hololeuca methanolic extracts were analysed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector and mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-MS), to investigate possible differences in their metabolite production., Material and Methods: The methanolic extracts of both species were analysed by UPLC-DAD-MS using a C-18 reverse phase column, DAD at 190-400 nm and electrospray ionisation quadruple time-of-flight (ESI-Q-TOF) mass spectrometer. The separation methodology was validated and most of the flavones present in the extracts were quantified., Results: Thirty-seven compounds were tentatively identified, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols, condensed tannins (procyanidins) and iridoids, through UV analysis and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectra obtained in the negative mode. Chlorogenic acid, orientin and isoorientin were observed as the major constituents in both extracts., Conclusions: Cecropia pachystachya presented a more diverse chemical profile than C. hololeuca. The methodology developed herein could be an important tool to analyse commercial Cecropia (embaúba) products., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The diagnosis of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) is based on the visualization or isolation of the parasite, which is a time-consuming and poorly sensitive method. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy and reliability of ELISA for the diagnosis of ATL using soluble (SF) and membrane-enriched (MF) antigen fractions obtained from an infectious strain of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. A total of 152 serum samples investigated at a referral center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 2005 and 2007 were studied. Each sample was tested twice with each fraction for the calculation of reliability (intraclass coefficient (ICC)). Cut-off values of 0.22 (SF) and 0.33 (MF) were defined. The use of the fractions resulted in good discrimination between patients, with a large area under the curve (P<0.0001), but no difference was observed between the two fractions (P=0.45). Sensitivity was 89.5% for each fraction, specificity was 89.5% for SF and 93.4% for MF, and the positive likelihood ratio was 8.5 for SF and 13.6 for MF. The ICCs were excellent (SF: 0.96 and MF: 0.90). The antigens tested provided precision and accuracy for the diagnosis of ATL, with SF being recommended due to its lower cost and greater practicality., (J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 24:289-294, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)