Results from the application of a quality management system in the community pharmacy

La presente investigación aborda el estudio de las propiedades neuroprotectoras, en base a la capacidad antioxidante, de los diterpenos andalusol, conchitriol y sidol aislados de diferentes especies del género Sideritis. La actividad protectora de estos compuestos fue evaluada en un modelo de estrés oxidativo inducido por el peróxido de hidrógeno sobre la línea celular U373 MG de astrocitoma humano. Los resultados mostraron que un pretratamiento durante 24 horas con los diterpenos del estudio, previo a la exposición del peróxido de hidrógeno 1 mM durante 30 minutos, incrementa de manera significativa la viabilidad celular comparado con las células tratadas únicamente con peróxido de hidrógeno. Además, los diterpenos revertieron los cambios morfológicos inducidos por el peróxido de hidrógeno. Este efecto protector se debe en parte a la capacidad de estos compuestos para captar los radicales libres generados por el peróxido de hidrógeno, efecto atribuido a su propiedad como antioxidantes tal y como revela el ensayo DPPH. Se sugiere que estos diterpenos aislados de Sideritis spp., podrían ejercer un efecto beneficioso en la prevención y tratamiento de aquellas enfermedades neurodegenerativas asociadas al estrés oxidativo incluidas el Alzheimer, el Parkinson y la esclerosis lateral amiotrófica.The quality management means the search of the continuous improvement in the activities and processes, with the aim of reaching the full satisfaction of the needs and requirements of our costumers. That is why we have to take management decisions that must be based in objective data and facts. We wanted to know if the application of a Quality Management System in the Community Pharmacy means a significant improvement in the processes related to the management of the pharmacies, the pharmaceutical care given to the costumers / patients, and their satisfaction level. The results of sixteen different processes indicators, obtained from several community pharmacies (1 to 7 depending on the indicator) that have established a Quality Management System according to the ISO 9001 Norm, were normalized. The time trend of every indicator was adjusted to a straight line, and we analysed, with the F test if the slope was different of 0, considering it significant if p<0.05. The improvement percentages in ten of the sixteen indicators (low rotation articles stock, suppliers errors, percentage of valued pharmacy advices, symptoms improvement, patients who received health education, drug-related negative clinical outcomes detected, informed consent obtaining, cosmetics produced, points in the satisfaction questioner and points in the mystery shopping test), showed a positive trend that was statistically significant. All these results prove that the application of a Quality Management System makes it possible to control and measure the most important processes and activities of a community pharmacy, and the satisfaction of its patients/costumers

Identification of wetland areas in the context of agricultural development using remote sensing and GIS [Identificación de áreas de humedal en el contexto del desarrollo agrícola usando teledetección y SIG]

This study aims to determine the wetland potential on a pixel basis on the floodplain of the Leon River: hydrology, hydrophytic vegetation and hydromorphic soils were taken into account. Field measurements and spatially explicit models were used to model surface hydrology and piezometric levels. Satellite data were used to derive inundated areas and vegetation. Existing maps from the national geographic institute (IGAC) were used to define the spatial distribution of hydromorphic soils. Special attention was paid to agricultural infrastructure, levees and diversion channels used to modify surface hydrology in order to promote plantations and cattle grazing. A total of 536 km2 meet one or more wetland conditions according to biophysical variables, but only 393 km2 were selected, using logical rules, as wetland pixels. The combination of biophysical variables to define wetland potential is discussed in terms of the spatial distribution and the implications for environmental resource management. © The author; licensee Universidad Nacional de Colombia