RESUMEN
Chronic respiratory diseases affect both the upper and lower airways. The main components of the respiratory system are the rib cage, airways, and the pulmonary interstitium. The airway originates in the trachea, a structure located in the mediastinum, which splits into two parts to form the main bronchus (right and left bronchi). The bronchi gradually divide into secondary bronchi, bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveoli. Acute or chronic respiratory diseases are present in all age groups, with many different forms of clinical presentation. In general, the most common diseases are asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory allergies, occupational lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension, sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, tuberculosis, cold, and influenza (flu). Among the acute illnesses, infections of the upper respiratory tract, flu, and pneumonia are particularly prominent, and since 2019, we could include in this group the COVID-19 with the beginning of the pandemic of this disease. For chronic diseases, diseases of the lower respiratory tract are the most common, such as bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
RESUMEN
Natural products have been used in the treatment of illnesses throughout the history of humankind. Exploitation of bioactive compounds from natural sources can aid in the discovery of new drugs, provide the scaffold of new medicines. In the face of challenging diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, for which there was no effective treatment, nature could offer insights as to novel therapeutic options for control measures. However, the environmental impact and supply chain of bioactive production must be carefully evaluated to ensure the detrimental effects will not outweigh the potential benefits gained. History has already proven that highly bioactive compounds can be rare and not suitable for medicinal exploitation; therefore, the sustainability must be accessed before expensive, time-demanding, and large trials can be initialized. A sustainable option to readily produce a phytotherapy with minimal environmental stress is the use of agro-industry wastes, a by-product produced in high quantities. In this review we evaluate the sustainability issues associated with the production of phytotherapy as a readily available tool for pandemic control.
RESUMEN
In times of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact families have spent more time together, the job demands and commitments that adults have now brought into their homes may mean their attention has been taken away from their children. This, combined with the absence of older family members or domestic helpers that assist in looking after the children has left them potentially more exposed to domestic accidents. Data from the National Toxic-Pharmacological Information System indicate that two-thirds of domestic intoxications with plants (usually the ornamental ones) occur in children. These accidents can be caused either by inhalation, contact with the skin, eyes and mucous membranes, as well as by ingestion. The toxicity of ornamental plants is due to the presence of substances such as oxalic acid and its highly irritating salts, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, and toxic terpenes, among several other classes of secondary metabolites. In the present study, we carried out a survey of the main ornamental plants used in the country and analyzed the toxic substances that can cause numerous conditions from dermatitis in milder cases to death in more severe cases. © 2021 Sociedade Brasileira de Quimica. All rights reserved.