37 research outputs found

    Medicinal plants popularly used in the Xingó region – a semi-arid location in Northeastern Brazil

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    The aim of this study was to identify plant species among the diverse flora of the caatinga ecosystem that are used therapeutically. Research was undertaken in the municipalities of Piranhas and Delmiro Gouveia, in the Xingó region (state of Alagoas, NE Brazil). In order to identify the medicinal plants used in this region, semi-structured questionnaires were applied. The species cited were collected and sent to the Xingó Herbarium for taxonomic analysis. The relative importance (RI) of each species cited was calculated to verify their cultural importance. The therapeutic indications attributed to the species were classified under 16 body systems. A total of 187 medicinal species were cited, from 64 families and 128 genera. The main indications for medicinal plant use were against common colds, bronchitis, cardiovascular problems, kidney problems, inflammations in general, and as tranquilizers. Approximately 16% (30 plant species) were versatile in relation to their use, with an Relative Importance value over 1, having been indicated for up to nine body systems. The body systems that stood out the most were: the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, and infectious diseases. Most cited plant parts used for medicinal purposes were flowers, leaves, and inner stem bark

    Measuring access to medicines: a review of quantitative methods used in household surveys

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Medicine access is an important goal of medicine policy; however the evaluation of medicine access is a subject under conceptual and methodological development. The aim of this study was to describe quantitative methodologies to measure medicine access on household level, access expressed as paid or unpaid medicine acquisition.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Searches were carried out in electronic databases and health institutional sites; within references from retrieved papers and by contacting authors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nine papers were located. The methodologies of the studies presented differences in the recall period, recruitment of subjects and medicine access characterization.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The standardization of medicine access indicators and the definition of appropriate recall periods are required to evaluate different medicines and access dimensions, improving studies comparison. Besides, specific keywords must be established to allow future literature reviews about this topic.</p

    Low prevalence of renal, cardiac, pulmonary, and neurological extra-articular clinical manifestations in spondyloarthritis: analysis of the Brazilian Registry of Spondyloarthritis

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    OBJECTIVE: To describe the extra-articular manifestations (cardiac, renal, pulmonary, and neurological), usually not related to spondyloarthritis (SpA), in a large cohort of Brazilian patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 1,472 patients diagnosed with SpA and cared for at 29 health care centers distributed in the five major geographic regions in the country, participating in the Brazilian Registry of Spondyloarthritis (BRS). All patients were assessed for the prevalence of major extra-articular manifestations (cardiac, renal, pulmonary, and neurological), classified according to the diagnosis [ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), reactive arthritis (ReA), arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA), and juvenile SpA], and according to the clinical presentation (axial, peripheral, mixed, and enthesitis). RESULTS: Of the patients with SpA assessed, 963 had AS, 271 PsA, 49 ReA, 48 arthritis associated with IBD, 98 uSpA, and 43 juvenile SpA. Cardiac involvement was reported in 44 patients (3.0%), pulmonary involvement in 19 (1.3%), renal involvement in 17 (1.2%), and neurological involvement in 13 patients (0.9%). Most patients with visceral involvement had AS or PsA, and the mixed (axial + peripheral) and/or predominantly axial clinical form. CONCLUSION: Cardiac, renal, pulmonary, and neurological extra-articular manifestations are quite infrequent in SpA, ranging from 0.9% to 3% in this large Brazilian cohort, and affected predominantly patients with AS and PsA.OBJETIVO: Descrever as manifestações extra-articulares (cardíacas, renais, pulmonares e neurológicas) geralmente não relacionadas às espondiloartrites (EpA) em uma grande coorte de pacientes brasileiros. MÉTODOS: Este estudo retrospectivo analisou 1.472 pacientes com o diagnóstico de EpA atendidos em 29 centros distribuídos pelas cinco principais regiões geográficas do Brasil, integrantes do Registro Brasileiro de Espondiloartrites. Todos os pacientes foram avaliados para a prevalência das principais manifestações extra-articulares (cardíacas, renais, pulmonares e neurológicas), divididas por diagnóstico [espondilite anquilosante (EA), artrite psoriásica (AP), artrite reativa (ARe), artrite associada a doença inflamatória intestinal (DII), EpA indiferenciada (EI) e EpA juvenil] e por forma clínica (axial, periférica, mista e entesítica). RESULTADOS: Dentre os pacientes avaliados com EpA, 963 apresentavam EA, 271 AP, 49 ARe, 48 artrite associada a DII, 98 EI e 43 EpA juvenil. Acometimento cardíaco foi observado em 44 pacientes (3,0%), seguido por acometimento pulmonar em 19 (1,3%), renal em 17 (1,2%) e neurológico em 13 pacientes (0,9%). A maioria dos casos de acometimento visceral ocorreu nos pacientes com EA ou AP e naqueles com forma clínica mista (axial e periférica) e/ou predominantemente axial. CONCLUSÃO: As manifestações extra-articulares cardíacas, renais, pulmonares e neurológicas são muito pouco frequentes nas EpA, variando de 0,9%-3% nesta grande coorte brasileira, estando mais associadas a EA e AP.37938

    Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

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    Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

    Co-autoria como indicador de redes de colaboração científica

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    Estudo bibliométrico sobre redes de colaboração científica entre os professores do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia da Universidade Federal de Pelotas (PPGE/UFPel). As características de colaboração foram estudadas através das co-autorias dos artigos publicados em periódicos, no período entre 1991 e 2002. As análises revelaram que os professores publicam mais artigos em autoria compartilhada do que individual. Não foi encontrada relação entre o aumento da produtividade e um número maior de colaboradores, pois a taxa de produtividade e a taxa de autores por artigo não apresentam a mesma tendência; ou seja, o número de artigos publicados cresceu enquanto que o número de colaboradores permaneceu constante no período estudado. As análises de redes sociais revelaram uma configuração em torno dos professores mais produtivos

    Synthesis, structural characterization and leishmanicidal activity evaluation of ferrocenyl N-heterocyclic compounds

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    Agência Financiadora: FCT - PTDC/QUI/72656/2006 ; SFRH/BPD/27454/2006; SFRH/BPD/44082/2008; SFRH/BPD/41138/2007New ferrocenyl derivatives with the general formula FcC(O)L [Fc = (eta(5)-C5H5)Fe(eta(5)-C5H4)], where L is an aminoquinoline or hydroxyaminoquinoline, have been synthesized for evaluation of their leishmanicidal properties. The compounds were designed with ferrocene coupled to the quinolines by an amide or ester bridge. Ferrocenyl component is intended to act as quinoline carrier and ROS producer after in vivo oxidation to Fe(III), while decreasing normal cell cytotoxicity of coupled quinolines. The bridge was chosen based on its known ability to undergo hydrolysis by the protease/esterase rich media in phagolysosomes, the target of the intracellular form of leishmania parasites. The new compounds include N-(quinolin-3-yl)ferrocenamide (4), N-(quinolin-5-yl)ferrocenamide (5), N-(quinolin-6-yl)ferrocenamide (6), N-(2-methyl-quinolin-4-yl)ferrocenamide (7), N-(2-methylquinolin-6yl)ferrocenamide (8), N-(6-methoxy-quinolin-8-yl)ferrocenamide (9), 2-amino-quinolin-8-yl ferrocenoate (10) and 2-amino-quinolin-4-yl ferrocenoate (11). They were characterized by NMR, cyclic voltammetry, mass spectrometry, UV/vis, FT-IR and elemental analysis, which confirmed all the proposed molecular structures. Compounds 7 and 8 were also structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. In 7, the 4-amino-2-methylquinoline moiety is perpendicular to the substituted cyclopentadienyl ring (Cp), while in 8 the 6-amino-2-methylquinoline component is coplanar to the substituted Cp. The new compounds (4-11), same as four other previously published (1-ferrocenoyl-1H-(2-aminobenzimidazole) (1), 1-ferrocenoyl-1H-benzimidazole (2), 1-ferrocenoyl-1H-imidazole (3) and N-(pyridin-4-yl)ferrocenamide (12)), were evaluated in vitro in cultures of a Leishmania infantum strain, isolated from a human visceral leishmaniasis case, to establish their leishmanicidal activity. The toxicity against the human caucasian histiocytic lymphoma U-937 cell line was analyzed for the same set of compounds. All of them show activity against promastigote forms of L. infantum parasites at relatively high concentration (64-269 mu M). Among the complexes that showed a better ratio between the toxic and the therapeutic dose, 3, 9 and 12 were selected for further studies in infected macrophages. Such compounds showed a very significant increase in their activity (17-23 times) giving very similar IC50 values (5.2-5.7 mu M). All three compounds gave significantly better therapeutic indexes (88.5, 12; 56.4, 3; 16.6, 9) than the control miltefosine (6.1).(2) (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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