This study examined whether the antidermatophytic activity of essential oils (EOs) can be used as an indicator for the discovery of active natural products against Leishmania amazonensis. The aerial parts of seven plants were hydrodistilled. Using broth microdilution techniques, the obtained EOs were tested against three strains of dermatophytes (Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum gypseum and Microsporum canis). To compare the EOs antifungal and antiparasitic effects, the EOs activities against axenic amastigotes of L. amazonensis were concurrently evaluated. For the most promising EOs, their antileishmanial activities against parasites infecting peritoneal macrophages of BALB/c mice were measured. The most interesting antifungal candidates were the EOs from Cymbopogon citratus, Otacanthus azureus and Protium heptaphyllum, whereas O. azureus, Piper hispidum and P. heptaphyllum EOs exhibited the lowest 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values against axenic amastigotes, thus revealing a certain correspondence between both activities. The P. hispidum EO was identified as the most promising product in the results from the infected macrophages model (IC50: 4.7 µg/mL, safety index: 8). The most abundant compounds found in this EO were sesquiterpenes, notably curzerene and furanodiene. Eventually, the evaluation of the antidermatophytic activity of EOs appears to be an efficient method for identifying new potential drugs for the treatment of L. amazonensis.

We study the existence of a structural break in TFP and in several indicators of openness for a sample of 20 Latin American and Caribbean economies for the period 1960-2005. For this purpose, the tests of Zivot and Andrews (1992) and Bai and Perron (1998) on a series of TFP computed from a development accounting exercise (Hsieh and Klenow, 2010) and alternative measures of openness with different characters (Wacziarg, 2001) have been used. The cases of breaks on TFP during the consolidation process of openness in the region (1985-1995) are not significant. Shocks in openness seem to have effects on the rate of growth of TFP.

Se ha estudiado la existencia de quiebres estructurales en la PTFy en varios indicadores de apertura para una muestra de 20 economías latinoamericanas y del Caribe para el período 1960-2005. Se han utilizado los tests de Zivot y Andrews (1992) y el de Bai Perron (1998) sobre una serie de PTF computada a partir de un ejercicio de contabilidad del desarrollo (Hsieh y Klenow, 2010) y sobre medidas alternativas de apertura con diferentes caracteres (Wacziarg, 2001). Los casos de quiebre en la PTF durante el proceso de consolidación de la apertura en la región (1985-1995) no son significativos. Los resultados parecen indicar que los shocks en la apertura operan sobre las tasas de crecimiento de la PTF.