ABSTRACT
The antidiarrhoeal activity of Cryptocoryne spiralis rhizomes extract (250, 500, 750 mg/kg, po) was evaluated using faecal excretion, castor oil-induced diarrhoea, small intestinal transit, intestinal fluid accumulation, gastric emptying and PGE2 induced enteropooling models in rats. In addition, various biochemical estimations, histopathological studies and antibacterial evaluations on strains responsible for diarrhoea were also performed. The results illustrated a significant reduction in normal faecal output rate after 5th and 7th h of treatment, while castor oil-induced diarrhoea model depicted a protection of 55.44% at same dose level from diarrhoea. The other models except, gastric emptying test demonstrated more pronounced effect at same dose level. A significant inhibition in nitric oxide, increase in carbohydrates, protein, DNA, Na+ and K+ level with minimum degeneration of colonic fibrous tissues and potent antibacterial activity were also observed. The antidiarrhoeal potential of C. spiralis may be as a result of antimotility and antisecretory type effect mediated through nitric oxide pathway.
Subject(s)
Animals , Antidiarrheals/administration & dosage , Antidiarrheals/chemistry , Araceae/chemistry , Castor Oil/toxicity , Diarrhea/chemically induced , Diarrhea/drug therapy , Diarrhea/pathology , Humans , Metabolic Networks and Pathways/drug effects , Nitric Oxide/metabolism , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Rats , Rhizome/chemistryABSTRACT
Forty eight private medical practitioners and fifty six pharmacists were interviewed, using a prepared questionnaire in each group, in an attempt to evaluate the awareness and practice in the treatment of acute diarrhoea in children among private medical practitioners and the role of pharmacists in the dispensing of drugs for diarrhoea in children. 83% of the doctors prescribed an antibacterial agent, 56% prescribed loperamide, 19% of them prescribed diphenoxylate plus atropine while 31% prescribed an absorbent in children for the treatment of acute diarrhoea. Of fifty six pharmacists interviewed, 30 of them sold diphenoxylate on their own and 26 of them honoured a doctor's prescription of the same. 80% of pharmacists interviewed dispensed loperamide, more than 50% of them dispensed an antibacterial agent while 14% dispensed a binding agent such as pectin or kaolin for the treatment of acute diarrhoea without a valid prescription from a doctor. We recommend that the pharmaceuticals prominently display the harmful effects in children of drugs such as the antimotility drugs and immediately withdraw from the market, all pediatric preparations of the same.
Subject(s)
Acute Disease , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Antidiarrheals/administration & dosage , Child , Child, Preschool , Diarrhea/diagnosis , Female , Gastroenteritis/diagnosis , Health Care Surveys , Humans , India , Infant , Male , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/standards , Prognosis , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Los Departamentos de Pediatría de los Hospitales Roosevelt y General San Juan de Dios, hospitales-escuela y de referencia de la ciudad capital de Guatemala, solicitaron en 1985 la colaboración del Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá para efectuar la evaluación de los servicios de rehidratación oral que funcionaban en ambos establecimientos; y a partir de los resultados, efectuar los cambios necesarios para mejorar la atención de los niños con diarrea. Se efectuó un diagnóstico inicial que evaluó: a) condiciones de eficiencia; b) conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas en relación a diarrea y deshidratación del personal y de las madres de los niños que demandan atención; c) manejo clínico de los pacientes; y d) sistema de información. Tomando como base la información obtenida, se dieron los pasos sucesivos para el desarrollo de las Unidades de Rehidratación Oral que se describen en este documento. Estos tuvieron como producto el mejoramiento de la atención en casos de diarrea en ambos hospitales, fortalecimiento de la cooperación recíproca con centros y puestos de salud del Area Metropolitana y capacitación tanto del personal de los mismos, como de las madres de los niños atendidos. Colateralmente, se obtuvo valiosas enseñanzas sobre el mantenimiento de este servicio
Subject(s)
Antidiarrheals/administration & dosage , Diarrhea/therapy , Fluid Therapy , Hospital Departments/organization & administrationABSTRACT
Como parte de la evaluación de una intervención educativa llevada a cabo en dos clínicas del miss en la ciudad de México, se llevó a cabo una visita domiciliaria a pacientes tratados por diarrea infecciosa aguda. En esta visita, realizada a 401 pacientes antes de la intervención y a 406 después de la misma, fue posible evaluarla adherencia al tratamiento, la que fue medida a través de la cantidad de medicamentos prescritos entregados por la institución pero no consumidos por los pacientes. Se observó una mejoría significativa en la adherencia al tratamiento aun cuando éste no fue el objetivo explícito de la intervención. La adherencia está relacionada a variables de diferentes dimensiones características del médico, características del paciente, relación médico-paciente, condición de salud concepto de salud, y la intervención educativa tiende a homogeneizar la conducta del paciente como consecuencia de una mejoría, más acentuada en aquellos grupos que tenían los peores niveles de adherencia.
As part of the evaluation of an educational intervention carried out at primary health care units in Mexico City a home visit was included for patients treated for acute infectious diarrhea. In such visit; effected for 401 patients before the educational intervention and for 406 after the same, it was possible to evaluate compliance with the treatment measured through the amount of prescribed drugs distributed by the institution but not consumed by patients. A significat improvement was observed in compliance with the treatment even though this was not the explict objective of the intervention. Compliance is related to variables of different dimensions characteristics of the physician, characteristics of the patient, physician patient rapport, health condition and health concept and the educational intervention tends to homogenize the patient's behavior as a result of more emphatical improvement in those subgroups with worst compliance levels.