Candida tropicalis is one of the most pathogenic species within the genus. Increased antifungal resistance has been reported, which is in part due to the organism’s ability to form biofilms. In natural products derived from plants, such as essential oils (EOs) or their major components, there is significant potential to develop new antifungals or to both enhance the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of conventional antifungals. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of combining an EO of Lippia origanoides or thymol with fluconazole on an azole-resistant C. tropicalis strain. Synergism was observed in the combination of fluconazole with the EO and with thymol, and minimal inhibitory concentrations for fluconazole decreased at least 32-fold. As a consequence of the synergistic interactions, mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced, and mitochondrial superoxide production increased. Alteration in nuclear morphology, cell surface, and ultrastructure was also observed. In conclusion, the synergistic interaction between L. origanoides EO or thymol with fluconazole reverted the azole-resistant C. tropicalis phenotype. These findings suggest that L. origanoides EO or thymol alone, or in combination with fluconazole, have the potential for development as antifungal therapies for this yeast, including resistant strains.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is one of the most lethal cancers, lacking a definitive curative therapy due to essential constraints related to the toxicity and efficacy of conventional treatments. This study explores the co-adjuvant potential of Lippia alba essential oils (EO) for enhancing the effectiveness and selectivity of two chemotherapy agents (cytarabine and clofarabine) against AML cells. EO derived from L. alba citral chemotype were produced using optimized and standardized environmental and extraction protocols. Rational fractionation techniques were employed to yield bioactive terpene-enriched fractions, guided by relative chemical composition and cytotoxic analysis. Pharmacological interactions were established between these fractions and cytarabine and clofarabine. The study comprehensively evaluated the cytotoxic, genotoxic, oxidative stress, and cell death phenotypes induced by therapies across AML (DA-3ER/GM/EVI1+) cells. The fraction rich in citral (F2) exhibited synergistic pharmacological interactions with the studied chemotherapies, intensifying their selective cytotoxic, genotoxic, and pro-oxidant effects. This shift favored transitioning from necrosis to a programmed cell death phenotype (apoptotic). The F2-clofarabine combination demonstrated remarkable synergistic anti-leukemic performance while preserving cell integrity in healthy cells. The observed selective antiproliferative effects may be attributed to the potential dual prooxidant/antioxidant behavior of citral in L. alba EO.

Objetivo. Evaluar la presencia de helmintos en Didelphis marsupialis y Rattus rattus en zonas de invasión del Caracol Gigante Africano Achatina fulica en el área metropolitana de Bucaramanga, Santander. Metodología. Se capturaron ejemplares de Didelphis marsupialis y de Rattus rattus, los cuales se analizaron para presencia de helmintos en órganos internos. Resultados. El nematodo Angiostrongylus sp. no se halló en los vasos sanguíneos de las dos especies de mamífero examinadas. En el tracto digestivo de Didelphis marsupialis se hallaron los nematodos Physaloptera sp., Aspidodera sp., Travassostrongylus sp., Cruzia sp., Trichuris sp. y Capillaria sp., además del trematodo Rhopalias sp. En el tracto gastrointestinal de Rattus rattus se encontraron los nematodos Nippostrongylus sp., Heterakis sp., los cestodos Hymenolepis sp. y un estrobilocerco de Taenia taeniaeformis, este último en hígado. En las heces de Didelphis marsupialis se detectaron huevos Tipo Strongylida, Ascaroidea, Spiruroidea y Trichuroidea y en las de las ratas, se observaron huevos Tipo Strongylida, Ascaroidea e Hymenolepididae. Conclusiones. Las zarigüeyas (D. marsupialis) y las ratas (R. rattus) del área metropolitana de Bucaramanga parecen estar parasitadas por una amplia variedad de helmintos en su sistema digestivo, a juzgar por los hallazgos de varios géneros de nematodos, cestodos y trematodos, solamente con haber procesado dos ejemplares de cada especie de mamífero. Los autores recomiendan adelantar estudios similares en la región, con un mayor número de animales y examinando, además del tracto digestivo, órganos como el corazón y la vesícula biliar.

Anthropogenic landscape transformations are fundamentally reshaping the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases (VBDs), yet their causal impacts remain poorly quantified across diverse ecological and socio-economic contexts. This study evaluates the causal effect of the Human Footprint (HFP) on the transmission dynamics of malaria, dengue, and visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia. We conducted an ecological analysis using municipal-level retrospective data from Colombia’s National Public Health Surveillance System (SIVIGILA, 2007–2019). Epidemiological records were integrated with environmental and socio-economic indicators, and a Double Machine Learning (DML) framework was applied to estimate the Average Treatment Effect (ATE) and Conditional Average Treatment Effect (CATE) of HFP on excess disease cases. Model robustness was assessed through refutation tests and non-parametric sensitivity analyses for unmeasured confounding. A one-standard-deviation increase in HFP significantly reduced the probability of excess malaria cases by 7.6 percentage points (ATE = -0.076, 95% CI: -0.094 – -0.058), an effect that was more pronounced in socio-economically deprived municipalities and modulated by temperature and precipitation gradients. Conversely, the ATE for dengue and visceral leishmaniasis was not different from zero. Robustness tests suggest the presence of residual bias, but the sensitivity test points to a low plausibility of an unobserved confounder. These findings underscore the necessity of integrating HFP monitoring into public health planning to design context-specific, multi-sectoral interventions that address the evolving landscape of VBD risk in rapidly transforming regions.