Counterfeit medicines: relevance, consequences and strategies to combat the global crisis

Abstract Counterfeiting of medicines, also known as "falsification" or "adulteration", is the process in which the identity, origin, or history of genuine medicines are intentionally modified. Currently, counterfeit medicines are a global crisis that affects and is mostly caused by developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. These countries lack strict law enforcement against this practice and have low-income populations with medicinal needs. Lately, the crisis has escalated, impacting developed countries as well, e.g., the US and the EU, mainly via the Internet. Despite this extension, some current laws aim to control and minimize the crisis' magnitude. Falsification of medicines maintains an illegitimate supply chain that is connected to the legitimate one, both of which are extremely complex, making such falsification difficult to control. Furthermore, political and economic causes are related to the crisis' hasty growth, causing serious consequences for individuals and public health, as well as for the economy of different countries. Recently, organizations, technologies and initiatives have been created to overcome the situation. Nevertheless, the development of more effective measures that could aggregate all the existing strategies into a large functioning network could help prevent the acquisition of counterfeit medicines and create awareness among the general population.

Avaliação de linguiças frescais comercializadas em Minas Gerais / Analysis of fresh sausages from Minas Gerais

As linguiças são produtos processados que admitem uma grande variedade de técnicas de fabricação e de matéria prima. Objetivou-se com este estudo, realizar a avaliação da composição centesimal de linguiças frescais artesanais comercializadas em Minas Gerais em relação a legislação vigente. Foram utilizadas 19 amostras de linguiças artesanais avaliando os teores de colágeno, umidade, proteína, cinzas, gordura e presença de sulfitos. Foram utilizados os métodos analíticos da AOAC e infravermelho (NIR). Observou-se que três amostras não estavam de acordo com a legislação em relação à umidade e, outras três ultrapassaram os limites de gordura, totalizando 31,57% de não conformidades. Para as linguiças artesanais houve desconformidade com a normativa vigente, independente da técnica de análise utilizada para composição centesimal.

Understanding the types of fraud in claims to South African medical schemes

Background. Medical schemes play a significant role in funding private healthcare in South Africa (SA). However, the sector is negatively affected by the high rate of fraudulent claims.Objectives. To identify the types of fraudulent activities committed in SA medical scheme claims.Methods. A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted, adopting a case study strategy. A sample of 15 employees was purposively selected from a single medical scheme administration company in SA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from study participants. A thematic analysis of the data was done using ATLAS.ti software (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development, Germany).Results. The study population comprised the 17 companies that administer medical schemes in SA. Data were collected from 15 study participants, who were selected from the medical scheme administrator chosen as a case study. The study found that medical schemes were defrauded in numerous ways. The perpetrators of this type of fraud include healthcare service providers, medical scheme members, employees, brokers and syndicates. Medical schemes are mostly defrauded by the submission of false claims by service providers and syndicates. Fraud committed by medical scheme members encompasses the sharing of medical scheme benefits with non-members (card farming) and non-disclosure of pre-existing conditions at the application stage.Conclusions. The study concluded that perpetrators of fraud have found several ways of defrauding SA medical schemes regarding claims. Understanding and identifying the types of fraud events facing medical schemes is the initial step towards establishing methods to mitigate this risk. Future studies should examine strategies to manage fraudulent medical scheme claims

Características demográficas de pacientes con enfermedad de pie-mano-boca. Serie de casos atípicos / Demographic characteristics of patients with hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Atypical cases series

La enfermedad de pie-mano-boca es un exantema frecuente en la niñez. Se han descrito varios tipos de lesiones de distribución generalizada en casos atípicos, aunque los datos sobre la predilección respecto de la localización de estas lesiones son insuficientes. Nuestro objetivo fue describir las características demográficas de los pacientes con esta enfermedad y caracterizar las localizaciones de las lesiones en pacientes con erupciones atípicas, tratadas en un centro ambulatorio de dermatología de un hospital pediátrico, entre noviembre de 2011 y agosto de 2013. Se incluyen a 67 pacientes en el estudio. La edad media de los pacientes fue de 34 meses con predominio de varones (60%). Todos los pacientes tuvieron erupciones en la boca, las manos y los pies. Los niños <24 meses se vieron afectados en la zona cubierta por el pañal y las extremidades, con un compromiso significativamente mayor en los que tenían entre 24 y 48 meses y en los >48 meses (p <0,0001 y p= 0,011, respectivamente). Ninguno de los pacientes tuvo complicaciones sistémicas graves.

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood exanthem. Various types of lesions and widespread distribution in atypical cases have been described, but data on the predilection of lesion localizations in atypical cases are insufficient. We aimed to describe the demographic features of patients with HFMD, and to characterize lesion localizations in patients with atypical eruptions treated at an outpatient dermatology clinic of a pediatric hospital, between November 2011 and August 2013.The study included 67 patients. Mean age of the patients was 34 months and there was a male predominance (60%). All the patients had eruptions on hands, feet, and mouth. Children aged <24 months had involvement of the diaper area and extremities, which was significantly higher than those aged 24-48 months and >48 months (P < 0.0001 and P= 0.011, respectively). None of the patients had serious systemic complications.

Tráfico de animais silvestres e seus produtos no extremo Oeste Brasileiro / Trafficking of wild animals and their products in the far West Brazilian / Tráfico de animales silvestres y sus productos en el extremo Oeste Brasileño

O tráfico de animais silvestres vivos e abatidos no estado do Acre ocorre constantemente. Notadamente a fauna silvestre está perdendo a batalha com a exploração desenfreada nesta região, uma vez que a carne de animais silvestres é importante fonte proteica e muitas pessoas alegam que praticam a caça como forma de subsistência. No entanto, a maioria das apreensões feitas pelos órgãos competentes pertence à avifauna acriana. Estas oriundas de atividades ilícitas, e se não interceptadas iriam abastecer o mercado ilegal, seriam exportadas e vendidas a preços exorbitantes. Diante do acentuado índice de ocorrência de autuações sobre tráfico de animais silvestres, vale ressaltar que a sociedade e as comunidades locais têm papel fundamental na conscientização de que os animais silvestres podem ser extintos devido à caça predatória.

Trafficking of live wild animals and slaughtered in Acre occurs constantly. Notably the wildlife is losing the battle with the unbridled exploitation in this region, since the meat of wild animals is important protein source and many people claim that practice hunting for subsistence. But most of the seizures made by the competent bodies belongs to acriana avifauna. These derived from illicit activities, and if not intercepted would supply the illegal market, would be exported and sold at exorbitant prices. Before the sharp assessments of occurrence index on wildlife trafficking, it is noteworthy that society and local communities have a vital role in awareness that wild animals may be extinct due to poaching.

El tráfico de animales silvestres vivos y sacrificados en el estado de Acre ocurre constantemente. Especialmente la fauna silvestre está perdiendo la batalla con la desenfrenada explotación en esa región, una vez que la carne de animales silvestres es una importante fuente de proteínas y muchas personas afirman que practican la caza como medio de subsistencia. Sin embargo, gran parte de las incautaciones hechas por los órganos competentes pertenecen a la avifauna del estado de Acre. Estos provienen de actividades ilegales que, si no fuera interceptada, abastecería el mercado ilegal, serian exportadas y vendidas a precios exorbitantes. Dada las altas tasas de ocurrencia de aprehensiones en el tráfico de animales silvestres, se debe destacar que la sociedad y las comunidades locales tienen un papel fundamental en la concientización de que los animales silvestres pueden ser extinguidos debido a la caza depredadora.

Promissory note fraud: A case report.

This article has been written about an extremely successful case which is interesting and instructive both from the point of view of the methods used and also from the way in which it was detected. In the case, a man dressed in official postman's uniform with a bunch of letters in his hand came to the house of the plaintiff and made him sign some documents as saying these are official directives from the Bailiff's Office. 5 months after this date the plaintiff was informed that proceedings were being taken against him on the part of the Bailiff's Court on account of two promissory notes.

Fraudes em alimentos / Frauds in foods

Analisa e exemplifica as fraudes mais praticadas por fabricantes e comerciantes de alimentos, classificando-as de acordo com a legislaçäo