Potential interactions between phytotherapycs anthracenics laxatives products and other drugs. Detection in community pharmacies of Seville

Introducción: Los productos fitoterápicos más dispensados en España son los laxantes. Los laxantes antracénicos como el acíbar de aloe (Aloe spp.) o la corteza de cáscara sagrada (Rhamnus purshianus), entre otros, podrían estar implicados en interacciones farmacológicas debido al riesgo de hipopotasemia que produce su uso continuado. Objetivos: Realizar un análisis de la situación de dispensación de estos laxantes y detectar potenciales interacciones con otros fármacos en farmacias de la Provincia de Sevilla. Material/Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, observacional, realizado desde 14 farmacias comunitarias, mediante aplicación de un cuestionario acerca del uso de plantas medicinales. Se identificaron las interacciones potenciales descritas en las monografías EMA y ESCOP, y se analizaron los factores de riesgo para las mismas (edad avanzada, polimedicación y frecuencia de consumo). Resultados: La muestra fue constituida por 252 pacientes. El 24,6% (n=62) consumían laxantes antracénicos, más del 50% de forma diaria. El porcentaje de asociación con otros fármacos fue del 70%. Se han identificado potenciales interacciones en el 40% (n=26) de los pacientes, basadas en la asociación del laxante con fármacos diuréticos, con fármacos que podrían prolongar el intervalo QT, o con ambos a la vez. En todos ellos se detectó la existencia de uno o varios Factores de Riesgo para la Interacción (FRI). Conclusiones: Los resultados obtenidos reflejan la necesidad de formación actualizada por parte de los farmacéuticos comunitarios sobre los beneficios y riesgos de estos fitomedicamentos. Su dispensación protocolizada favorecería la identificación de posibles interacciones farmacológicas y su uso seguro y racional.Background: The most dispensed phytotherapeutic products in Spain are laxatives. Anthracenic laxatives such as aloe vera (Aloe spp.) or cascara sagrada (Rhamnus purshianus) could be involved in drug interactions due to the risk of hypokalemia caused by their continued use. Objectives: To carry out an analysis of the dispensing situation of these laxatives and detect potential interactions in pharmacies of the Province of Seville. Material / Methods: A descriptive, observational study made from 14 Pharmacy Offices, through the application of a questionnaire about the use of medicinal herbs. The potential interactions described in the EMA and ESCOP monographs were identified, and the risk factors for them (advanced age, polymedication and frequency of use) were analyzed. Results: The sample was constituted by 252 patients. 24.6% (n=62) consumed anthracene laxatives, more than 50% daily. The percentage of association with other drugs was 70%. Potential interactions have been identified in 40% (n=26) of the patients, based on the association of the laxative with diuretic drugs, with drugs that could prolong the QT interval, or with both at the same time. In all of them, the existence of one or several Risk Factors for Interaction (FRI) was detected. Conclusions: The results obtained show the need for updated training by community pharmacists on the benefits and risks of these phytoterapics products. Its protocolized dispensation would favor the identification of possible pharmacological interactions and their safe and rational use

Characterization of celiac disease related oat proteins: bases for the development of high quality oat varieties suitable for celiac patients

Some studies have suggested that the immunogenicity of oats depends on the cultivar. RP-HPLC has been proposed as a useful technique to select varieties of oats with reduced immunogenicity. The aim of this study was to identify both the avenin protein patterns associated with low gluten content and the available variability for the development of new non-toxic oat cultivars. The peaks of alcohol-soluble avenins of a collection of landraces and cultivars of oats have been characterized based on the RP-HPLC elution times. The immunotoxicity of oat varieties for patients with celiac disease (CD) has been tested using a competitive ELISA based on G12 monoclonal antibody. The oat lines show, on average, seven avenin peaks giving profiles with certain similarities. Based on this similarity, most of the accessions have been grouped into avenin patterns. The variability of RP-HPLC profiles of the collection is great, but not sufficient to uniquely identify the different varieties of the set. Overall, the immunogenicity of the collection is less than 20 ppm. However, there is a different distribution of toxicity ranges between the different peak patterns. We conclude that the RP-HPLC technique is useful to establish groups of varieties differing in degree of toxicity for CD patients.España Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad Project IPT-2011-1321-010000España, Junta de Andalucía Project P12-AGR-176

Online sexual activities in Hispanic women: A chance for non-heterosexual women

Abstract: Sexuality is still modulated by social determinants that promote a passive role for women. In the recent decades, some findings have supported the influence of the Internet on sexuality. However, the relevance of online sexual activities for some groups such as Hispanic young women is still unknown. In this context, this study examines online sexual experience among 310 Hispanic women from Argentina, Mexico and Spain; as well as the role of their offline sexuality and country in this sexual pattern. As a result, Hispanic women report a variety of online sexual activities that ranges from searching information to masturbation. In particular, the Internet use for sexual purposes is more common for homosexual and bisexual women. Therefore, the Internet may be a new context to explore sexuality for Hispanic women, particularly for those who self-identified as lesbians and bisexuals.     Keywords: Online sexual activities; Hispanic culture; young people; women; sexual orientation.Actividades sexuales online en mujeres hispanas: ¿una oportunidad para mujeres no heterosexuales?Resumen: La sexualidad todavía está modulada por determinantes sociales que favorecen un rol pasivo entre las mujeres. Desde hace algunas décadas, algunos hallazgos han apoyado la influencia de internet en la sexualidad. Sin embargo, la importancia de las actividades sexuales online para algunos grupos como las mujeres jóvenes hispanas todavía es desconocida. En este contexto, este estudio examina la experiencia sexual online entre 310 mujeres hispanas de Argentina, México y España, así como el rol de la sexualidad offline y su procedencia en este patrón de conducta. Como resultado, las mujeres hispanas reportan variedad de conductas sexuales online que abarcan desde la búsqueda de información hasta la masturbación. En particular, el uso de internet con propósitos sexuales es más común entre las mujeres homosexuales y bisexuales. Así pues, internet podría suponer un nuevo contexto para explorar la sexualidad entre las mujeres hispanas, en particular, para aquellas que se identifican con la homosexualidad y la bisexualidad.  Palabras clave: Actividades sexuales online; cultura hispana; juventud; mujeres; orientación sexual

The sterols isolated from evening primrose oil inhibit human colon adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and induce cell cycle arrest through upregulation of LXR

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Evening primrose oil (EPO) is widely used as a dietary supplement from which beneficial effects have been reported in rheumatic and arthritic conditions, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, premenstrual and menopausal syndrome, and diabetic neuropathy. The aim of this study was to determine whether phytosterols isolated from evening primrose oil (PS-EPO), and its main components β-sitosterol and campesterol, affect proliferation, cell death, and the cell cycle of human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cells. PS-EPO were a potent antiproliferative agents in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 62.9 μg/mL after 48 h, lower than β-sitosterol and campesterol (79.0 μM and 71.6 μM respectively). Flow cytometry showed that PS-EPO exerted a stimulatory effect on apoptosis and necrosis, increasing the number of cells in G0/G1 phase. PS-EPO produced a significant upregulation in liver X receptor (LXR) gene expression that may be one of the principal mechanisms of the tumor shrinkage by PS-EPO.Peer Reviewe

Interacciones potenciales entre productos fitoterápicos con laxantes antracénicos y otros fármacos. Detección en farmacias comunitarias de Sevilla

Introducción: Los productos fitoterápicos más dispensados en España son los laxantes. Los laxantes antracénicos como el acíbar de aloe (Aloe spp.) o la corteza de cáscara sagrada (Rhamnus purshianus), entre otros, podrían estar implicados en interacciones farmacológicas debido al riesgo de hipopotasemia que produce su uso continuado.Objetivos: Realizar un análisis de la situación de dispensación de estos laxantes y detectar potenciales interacciones con otros fármacos en farmacias de la Provincia de Sevilla.Material/Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, observacional, realizado desde 14 farmacias comunitarias, mediante aplicación de un cuestionario acerca del uso de plantas medicinales. Se identificaron las interacciones potenciales descritas en las monografías EMA y ESCOP, y se analizaron los factores de riesgo para las mismas (edad avanzada, polimedicación y frecuencia de consumo).Resultados: La muestra fue constituida por 252 pacientes. El 24,6% (n=62) consumían laxantes antracénicos, más del 50% de forma diaria. El porcentaje de asociación con otros fármacos fue del 70%. Se han identificado potenciales interacciones en el 40% (n=26) de los pacientes, basadas en la asociación del laxante con fármacos diuréticos, con fármacos que podrían prolongar el intervalo QT, o con ambos a la vez. En todos ellos se detectó la existencia de uno o varios Factores de Riesgo para la Interacción (FRI).Conclusiones: Los resultados obtenidos reflejan la necesidad de formación actualizada por parte de los farmacéuticos comunitarios sobre los beneficios y riesgos de estos fitomedicamentos. Su dispensación protocolizada favorecería la identificación de posibles interacciones farmacológicas y su uso seguro y racional

Exposición involuntaria: impacto en usuarios y no usuarios de cibersexo

La diseminación de contenidos sexuales a través de distintos portales de Internet facilita que muchos adolescentes sean expuestos involuntariamente mientras navegan, con el impacto negativo que a veces esto podría suponer. Por eso es importante explorar qué aspectos pueden amortiguar los efectos negativos de esta exposición, como por ejemplo la pre-exposición voluntaria a pornografía. Este es precisamente el objetivo de este trabajo. Tomando una muestra de 152 chicos adolescentes de entre 14 y 16 años, se constata que efectivamente los pre-expuestos voluntariamente no sólo experimentan menos síntomas a consecuencia de la exposición involuntaria, sino que además parecen extraer aspectos positivos de ésta.The spread of sexual contents through various portals makes many adolescents could be involuntarily exposed while surfing and this can have a negative impact. Therefore it is important to explore aspects that can buffer the negative effects of this exposure, such as voluntary pre-exposure to pornography. In fact, this is the aim of this work. Taking a sample of 152 male students between 14 and 16 years old, we have found that voluntary pre-exposed experience fewer symptoms as a result of unwanted exposure and also extract positive aspects of exposure.Trabajo realizado gracias a una ayuda económica de la Universitat Jaume I de Castellón (P1•1B2012-49)peerReviewe

Potential therapeutic applications of the genus Annona: Local and traditional uses and pharmacology

Ethno-pharmacological relevance Annona species (Annonaceae) have long been used as traditional herbal medicines by native peoples in tropical areas. In different countries they are used against a large variety of illnesses, such as parasitic and infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes, peptic ulcers, and mental disorders. Aim of the study This review aims to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the research conducted so far on the local and traditional uses, pharmacological activities, mechanism of actions of active compounds, toxicity, and possible interactions with other drugs of the Annona species. Through analysis of these findings, evidences supporting their applications in ethno-medicines are described. We discuss the possible research opportunities and stand out the weak points in our knowledge that deserves further investigation. Material and methods Information on ethno-medicinal uses and pharmacological activities of the Annona genus was collected. The main scientific biomedical literature databases (Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, SeCiMed, Elsevier, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, SciFinder) were consulted. The search covered all the literature available until September 2017. National and regional databases of Herbal Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Medicine were also revised in order to explore further data. For a better understanding of the therapeutic importance of these species, we have classified the pharmacological activities within each group of disorders. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD), used from WHO Member States, was chosen as the reference classification. Results From among the 27 species revised, four species are highlighted for their important pharmacological activities in most of the groups of illnesses: A. muricata, A. squamosa, A. senegalensis, and A. cherimola. Many investigations have been performed with extracts from the leaves, bark, fruit and seeds and have shown a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as antiprotozoal, antitumoural, antidiabetic, hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic activities. The chemistry on the annonaceous acetogenins (ACGs) has been extensively investigated due to their potent antitumoural activity. Many of the assays were carried out with the isolated acetogenins in different lines of tumour culture cells and were found effective at very low doses even in multidrug-resistant tumours, and hence constitute promising compounds in the treatment of different types of cancers. No studies were found with extracts rich in acetogenins in the clinical field. Conclusions The experimental results from the pharmacological research enable the validation of their traditional uses in several of the groups of diseases in the countries of origin and reveal these plants to be a valuable source for therapeutic molecules. However, more toxicity assays and clinical trials would be necessary to establish optimal and safe doses of consumption on the application of these medicinal plants

The sterols isolated from evening primrose oil inhibit human colon adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and induce cell cycle arrest through upregulation of LXR

Evening primrose oil (EPO) is widely used as a dietary supplement from which beneficial effects have been reported in rheumatic and arthritic conditions, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, premenstrual and menopausal syndrome, and diabetic neuropathy. The aim of this study was to determine whether phytosterols isolated from evening primrose oil (PS-EPO), and its main components β-sitosterol and campesterol, affect proliferation, cell death, and the cell cycle of human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cells. PS-EPO were a potent antiproliferative agents in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 62.9 μg/mL after 48 h, lower than β-sitosterol and campesterol (79.0 μM and 71.6 μM respectively). Flow cytometry showed that PS-EPO exerted a stimulatory effect on apoptosis and necrosis, increasing the number of cells in G0/G1 phase. PS-EPO produced a significant upregulation in liver X receptor (LXR) gene expression that may be one of the principal mechanisms of the tumor shrinkage by PS-EPO