Serum and hair zinc in severely malnourished Bangladeshi children associated with or without acute lower respiratory infection.

Objective. To assess the zinc status in Bangladeshi children suffering from severe protein energy malnutrition (severe PEM), acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI), PEM presented with ALRI and to evaluate the relationship of zinc status with aforementioned clinical conditions. Methods. We assessed zinc status by simultaneous estimation of serum and hair zinc of Bangladeshi children less than 5 yr of age suffering from severe PEM, ALRI, severe PEM presented with ALRI and compared them with zinc status of wellnourished healthy children (control) in a hospital based cross sectional four cell study. Zinc concentration was estimated by Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results. The number of children enrolled in severe PEM, ALRI, ALRI with PEM and control were 47, 35, 32 and 38 respectively (total number 152). Both serum and hair zinc in univariate analysis were found significantly (p<0.05) low in severe PEM, ALRI and severe PEM associated with ALRI. However, in multivariate analysis, when serum and hair zinc were included in the same model, both serum and hair zinc were found to have significant negative association with PEM (p=0.002 & 0.013 respectively) and with ALRI only when ALRI was associated with PEM (p=0.043 and 0.034 respectively). Conclusion. Severe PEM and PEM with ALRI were significantly associated with low zinc status.

Evaluation of serum vitamin a levels in patients with Rhinitis

The aim of this study is to evaluate serum vitamin A levels in patients with rhinitis. A case control study concerned with 48 patients with rhinitis who underwent serum vitamin A evaluation and compared with the corresponding results of 100 apparently healthy persons as a control group. The study was carried out in Department of ENT in Al-Salam Teaching Hospital in Mosul, from April 2001 to June 2004. Vitamin A evaluation was performed in Department of Biochemistry in Mosul Medical College. The parameters analyzed included age, sex, clinical diagnosis and vitamin A measurement. The average age was 25 years with a range of 3-52 years. It was found that patients with rhinitis had significantly lower serum vitamin A levels than the control subjects. The levels were 0.292 +/- 0.099 [SD] micro mol/liter versus 0.886 +/- 0.199 [SD] micro mol/ liter, respectively. These findings prompted us to suggest a hypothesis that in rhinitis and possibly in other respiratory tract infections, a general derangement in vitamin A handling exists

Determinação do prazo de validade do medicamento carbocisteína xarope através do método de Arrhenius / Determination of carbocysteine syrup shelf life by Arrhenius method

A carbocisteína é um agente mucolítico utilizado como adjuvante no tratamento de infecções do trato respiratório. A qualidade, segurança e eficácia do medicamento durante o seu prazo de validade são responsabilidades da indústria farmacêutica. A validade pode ser determinada através de estudos de estabilidade acelerados, nos quais fatores extrínsecos provocam a degradação do produto. De acordo com Arrhenius, existe uma relação entre temperatura e cinética química. Desta forma, amostras do produto foram expostas a condições drásticas: 40, 50, 60 e 70 ºC. O método de doseamento do xarope de carbocisteína foi validado podendo ser aplicado nas avaliações de rotina do controle de qualidade e no estudo de estabilidade deste produto. O prazo de validade proposto para o xarope de carbocisteína, calculado através da equação de Arrhenius, para a temperatura de 25 ºC foi de 240,9 dias. No entanto, foi observada diferença entre o prazo proposto e a validade usualmente praticada para este produto. Este estudo, ainda, demonstrou a presença de picos endógenos, que precisam ser melhor estudados a fim de se confirmar a presença de produtos de degradação.

Carbocysteine is a mucolytic agent in adjunctive therapy of respiratory tract infections. The pharmaceutical industry is responsible for quality, safety and efficiency of the product during its shelf life. Shelf life can be determinated through an accelerated stability study where the degradation of the drug is managed with the extrinsic factors. According to Arrhenius, there is a relationship between temperature and chemical kinetic, so, the samples were exposed to drastic conditions at 40, 50, 60 and 70 ºC. The syrup assay method has been validated and it may be applied to analysis of carbocysteine syrup in routine quality control and stability studies. Through Arrhenius equation the proposed shelf life of carbocysteine syrup was 240.9 days when the dosage form is stored in appropriated conditions, 25 ºC. However difference was found between the proposed shelf life and the usual shelf life of this drug. In addition, this study has showed the presence of endogenous peaks that must be better evaluated to confirm or not the presence of degradation products.

Zinc status in well nourished Bangladeshi children suffering from acute lower respiratory infection.

This study was done to investigate the association of zinc status of well nourished Bangladeshi children with Acute Lower Respiratory Infection (ALRI). In this case control study, simultaneous estimation of serum and hair zinc was performed in 35 well nourished children, aged 6-60 months suffering from ALRI and 38 normal matched controls. Serum zinc was low in children suffering from ALRI as compared to control (90 +/- 51 pg/dL vs 176 +/- 98 pg/dL, OR: 6, 95% CI: 1.83, 19.66;P <0.05) children. Hair zinc was also found significantly low in children suffering from ALRI as compared to control (158 + 48 1g/g vs 247 154 pg/g, OR: 3, 95% CI: 1.46, 10.04, P < 0.05). We conclude that Bangladeshi children suffering from pneumonia, have decreased levels of serum and hair zinc.

Xilitol: edulcorante com efeitos benéficos para a saúde humana / Xilitol: a sweetner with benefits for human health

Ao empregar adoçantes na produção de bebidas e alimentos, as indústrias atualmente levam em conta a quantidade de calorias do edulcorante, a possibilidade de seu uso em dietas para redução ou controle de peso e o grau de semelhança entre o seu sabor e o do açúcar. Nesse sentido, um produto que vem atraindo a atenção dos fabricantes de bebidas e alimentos é o xilitol, adoçante que se destaca das demais substâncias do gênero, não só pelo fato de poder ser obtido por via biotecnológica, mas também por possuir importantes propriedades físico-químicas e fisiológicas. Graças a essas propriedades, o xilitol tem um grande potencial de aplicação nas áreas odontológica e médica, tendo-se mostrado eficaz no...

Riboflavin metabolism--relevance to human nutrition.

Studies in developing countries like India have revealed a very high incidence of biochemical riboflavin deficiency, particularly in women and children as judged by erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation test (EGR-AC). Riboflavin deficiency can cause conditioned deficiency of vitamin B6 and the mucocutaneous lesions observed in these two vitamins deficiencies could be due to impaired skin collagen maturity. Subclinical riboflavin deficiency impairs psychomotor function and vitamin B2 requirement may be enhanced during increased physical activity. Riboflavin status is not dependent exclusively on dietary intake of the vitamin, certain non-dietary factors can modify riboflavin status. Respiratory infection, certain diseases, drugs and hormones can influence riboflavin metabolism.

Avaliaçäo comparativa da eficácia e tolerabilidade do nimesulide, diclofenaco e dipirona sódica aplicados aos processos inflamatórios do trato respiratório superior em populaçäo pediátrica / Comparative assessment on the efficacy and tolerability of nimesulide, diclofenac potassium and dipyrone applyed to inflammatory processes of the superior respiratory tract in the pediatric population

Em um estudo randomizado, comparativo e prospectivo se analizou a eficácia e a tolerabilidade de dois antiinflamatórios (nimesulide e diclofenaco potássico) e uma droga analgésica/antitérmica (dipirona) diante de processos inflamatórios do trato respiratório superior (faringites e/ou amigdalites) em uma populaçäo pediátrica. Os sinais e sintomas próprios a essas patologias foram analisados e a febre monitorizada durante um período de 24 horas. Observou-se uma melhora significativa e homogênea dos sinais e sintomas em todos os grupos de tratamento. A febre apresentou queda pronunciada após a administraçäo de nimesulide e diclofenaco e também após a administraçäo da dipirona, sendo que ocorreu uma reversäo do efeito da dipirona após algumas horas. Dois pacientes apresentaram efeitos adversos que, no caso do diclofenaco devido a intensidade, forçaram a retirada do medicamento. Os dados obtidos ressaltam a eficácia antipirética do nimesulide tal qual a da dipirona com as vantagens em tolerabilidade que näo säo encontradas com o uso de diclofenaco potássico. Assim concluímos que o nimesulide, além de uma poderosa açäo antitérmica, apresenta vantagens no combate ao processo inflamatório, principalmente com relaçäo a sua segurança.