Osteoporosis. Fisiología y patología / Osteoporosis. Physiology and pathology

Para conocer, diagnosticar, prevenir y tratar la osteoporosis es preceptivo conocer la fisiología del hueso, no sólo como elemento único que permite funciones como el movimiento, sino tambén como sistema, ya que el conjunto del esqueleto supone un elemento vivo y dinámico, determinante en la homeostasis del organismo. Así, el hueso es un tejido conjuntivo que tiene tres funciones principales...

A review on recent development of common cold therapeutic agents.

(1) The common cold is a frequently occurring illness caused by rhinoviruses. Inspite of its ubiquitous occurrence the disease has defied all efforts of finding a cure. The current approaches to the treatment of common cold can be divided into two important categories: the antiviral and antiinflammatory; both of these leave a lot to be desired. Most of the rhinovirus serotypes use a single cellular receptor, i.e. the intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1) for attachment to the cells. This has lead to the development of blockers of this receptor in an effort to find a cure for the common cold. (2) Recently tremacarmra, a synthetic ICAM-1 glycoprotein has been investigated in human volunteers as an antiadhesion molecule towards an approach to common cold therapy. Two dosage forms of the compound-phosphate buffered saline spray and carboxymethyl cellulose-mannitol powder spray were administered intra-nasally in two modes--pre-inoculation (7 h prior) and post-inoculation (24 h after) time periods of rhinovirus type 39 challenge to different groups of human volunteers. Both the treatment modes produced a significant decrease in the symptoms score of clinical illness and concentration of interleukin-8 in the nasal lavage. Saline spray was found to be devoid of any side effects, whereas powder spray produced some nasal irritation initially. The encouraging results of clinical trial with tremacamra show that a cure for common cold is not far off. However, it remains to be seen what would be the impact of such synthetic protein administration on the immune response of the body, should such compounds be used repeatedly. Further, since all colds are not due to rhinovirus it would be wise to restrict the use of tremacamra during autumn and spring when rhinoviruses are known to be the causative organisms of common cold.

Uso do itraconazol em 26 paciente portadores de leishmaniose tegumentar americana / The use of itraconazole in 26 patients with tegumentar leishmaniosis

Fundamento - A leishmaniose tegumentar americana é endêmica no Nordeste brasileiro. Objetivo - Contribuir com mais uma avaliaçäo do itraconazol enquanto agente terapêutico contra a leishmaniose. Método - Vinte e seis pacientes do sexo masculino, com idade entre 18 e vinte anos, com período médio de três meses de doença foram incluídos no estudo. Como meio de diagnóstico foram usados anamnese e aspecto clínico da lesäo, pesquisa direta da leishmania na lesäo, reaçäo de Montenegro e imunofluorescência indireta. Todos os pacientes receberam 100mg/dia de itraconazol, por via oral, durante sessenta dias, tendo apenas um necessitado complementaçäo por mais trinta dias. Resultados - Foi obtida regressäo total das lesöes nos 26 pacientes, com seguimento de nove meses sem alteraçöes. Conclusäo - Considera-se o itraconazol mais uma opçäo terapêutica contra a leishmaniose

Estudio de la actividad biológica del coralan III: influencia sobre los leucocitos / Study of the biologic activity of coralan III: influence on leukocytes

Los polisacáridos influyen sobre el organismo provocando leucocitosis. En el trabajo se estudió la influencia del coralán administrado por la via endovenosa y se determinó que en ratas y perros provoca una leucocitosis. debida fundamentalmente al aumento del porcentaje de granulocitos