Cosmetovigilance in Hair Straighteners: Determination of Formaldehyde Content by Spectrophotometry and Label Evaluation

The aim of this work was to identify and quantify formaldehyde present in commercial hair straightening formulations, the application of cosmetovigilance from organoleptic/physicochemical tests and label analysis being approached. Samples A1, A3, A5, and A8 had a formaldehyde concentration ranging from 1.5 to 3.83% (w/v), corresponding to concentrations of 7.5, 16.45, 7.9, and 19.15 times higher than that allowed by the National Agency of Sanitary Monitoring (ANVISA), resulting in strong odor characteristic of this active substance. Of these samples, A3 and A5 did not indicate the presence of formaldehyde on the label besides ignoring the warning information and restrictions of use. The absence of the registration number granted by ANVISA for sample A5, which may be an indication of a clandestine product, was also verified. As to the organoleptic and physicochemical properties, only the A2 sample presented different viscosity and centrifugation results. In view of these results, it was concluded that 50% of the analyzed products were reproved because of the presence of formaldehyde out of the allowed concentration, being evident the importance of the implantation of cosmetovigilance system to guarantee the final quality of the cosmetic products, mainly in view of the safety and efficacy of these products

Effectiveness of home pharmaceutical interventions in metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of different risk factors that raises the chances of develop several health problems such, as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There are few cases in literature of studies that specifically address the use of pharmaceutical care in MetS. The aim of study was to evaluate the effectiveness of home pharmaceutical interventions in patients with this syndrome. The randomized clinical trial was conducted in subjects with diagnosis of MetS treated in a basic unit of health from Cuité, Paraíba. The patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to two groups: intervention (IG) and control (CG). The IG received monthly individual pharmaceutical interventions, while the CG did not. The effectiveness of the intervention protocol was measured after six months, comparing the hemodynamic values, anthropometric, biochemistry, cardiovascular risk, medication adherence, drug related problems (DRP) and quality of life. The sample consisted of 63 individuals (33 IG and 30 CG) and older than 60 years. The majority of pharmaceutical interventions were educational and/or behavioral. In the intervention group, significant differences were observed in the parameters systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, medication adherence and DRP. The pharmaceutical interventions at home were effective in improving medication adherence, decreasing DRPs and helping to control components of the metabolic syndrome

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications

MICROEMULSÃO DE CETOCONAZOL PARA INCORPORAÇÃO EM XAMPU

As micoses superficiais podem manifestar-se em várias regiões do corpo, inclusive no couro cabeludo, onde a caspa e dermatite seborréica, relacionadas ao fungo Malassezia furfur, estão entre as mais prevalentes. O xampu de cetoconazol é o tratamento de escolha para combater tais infecções. Os avanços da tecnologia farmacêutica têm produzido inovadores sistemas carreadores de fármacos, visando incrementos na solubilidade, liberação e/ou distribuição de princípios ativos, dentre eles, as microemulsões. Neste contexto, o objetivo do trabalho foi formular uma microemulsão de cetoconazol para incorporação em xampu. Para preparo dos sistemas microemulsionados e construção do diagrama de fases, utilizaram-se diferentes proporções da mistura tensoativo/cotensoativo Polietilenoglicol 400/Etanol, óleo de soja como fase oleosa e água destilada como fase aquosa. A microemulsão referida constituiu-se de 4% de cetoconazol, 90% de mistura tensoativa, 4% de óleo de soja e 6% de água destilada, mostrando uma eficiência de solubilização do princípio ativo de 40 mg/mL. Formulações de xampu base, xampu com cetoconazol e xampu microemulsionado com cetoconazol foram manipuladas e avaliadas quanto as características organolépticas, pH e viscosidade, apresentando resultados satisfatórios quanto a estes parâmetros. A determinação do teor do ativo nos xampus foi realizada por espectrofotometria UV-Vis. Verificou-se um teor de cetoconazol de 95% m/v no xampu microemulsionado, enquanto o xampu com cetoconazol convencional apresentou um percentual de ativo de 63% m/v. Os sistemas microemulsionados mostraram-se, portanto, eficazes na solubilização do princípio ativo cetoconazol

Avaliação da qualidade de xampus anticaspa

As micoses superficiais são infecções fúngicas localizadas em diversas partes do corpo, estando entre os principais motivos de consultas dermatológicas. Dentre as micoses superficiais mais comuns a caspa e a dermatite seborreica se destacam por terem distribuição universal, sendo frequentemente associadas à colonização por fungos do gênero Malassezia. Xampus contendo diferentes ativos antifúngicos como piritionato de zinco, cetoconazol e ciclopirox olamina, são os principais meios de tratamento para tais afecções. Estes produtos, por terem amplo uso pela população, têm a necessidade de comprovação de sua qualidade, verificando também a sua efetividade, através do controle de qualidade. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar os parâmetros de qualidade de xampus anticaspa, levando em consideração as exigências para produtos com essa finalidade. Foram realizadas análises da composição química rotulada, das características físico-químicas (pH, viscosidade, teste de centrífuga, densidade), organolépticas, índice de espuma e ensaios de eficácia microbiológica, utilizando Candida albicans e Aspergillus niger como marcadores biológicos de eficácia. Após a realização dos testes em cinco amostras comerciais, todas foram aprovadas quanto à analise organoléptica e teste de centrifuga. Enquanto que em relação ao pH, a amostra 4 mostrou-se fora dos padrões. No teste de viscosidade, apenas a amostra 5 apresentou em conformidade com o descrito na literatura. Os valores de densidade foram ligeiramente maiores que os encontrados na literatura, no entanto, não há influência deste parâmetro na qualidade dos produtos avaliados. No índice de espuma as amostras 1 e 2, apresentaram maior consistência da espuma. Após o ensaio de eficácia, apenas as amostras 1, 2 e 3 mostraram-se eficazes no combate aos microrganismos teste. Todas as amostras apresentaram ativos anticaspa com ação comprovada na literatura

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved