Human Health Risk Assessment of Arsenic and Other Metals in Herbal Products Containing St. John's Wort in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City.

Consumption of St. John's wort plant is high worldwide due to its various medicinal properties. However, herbal products containing St. John's wort may be contaminated with toxic metals. This is often related to contamination of both water and the atmosphere, lack of proper cultivation methods, and inadequate plant storage conditions, as well as a lack of stricter sanitary supervision. A safety assessment of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) content in 23 products containing St. John's wort (pharmaceutical herbal products, food supplements and traditional herbal remedies) sold in the metropolitan area of Mexico City was conducted. The analysis of metals was determined using a graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. All herbal products were contaminated with Cu, Pb, Cd and As. The pharmaceutical herbal items showed less contamination by metals. The daily human intake (DHI) values for Pb exceeded the permissible limits in the group of traditional herbal remedies. The DHI calculation for As exceeded the permitted intake values for all items in the group of traditional herbal remedies, five food supplements and one pharmaceutical herbal product. The hazard indicator calculation of the non-carcinogenic cumulative risk values for traditional herbal remedies was greater than 1, suggesting a risk to human health.

A Cross-Sectional Household Survey in the US Virgin Islands (2019) Reveals Cisterns as Challenging Peridomestic Aedes aegypti Habitats.

Most residences in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) rely on household rainwater-catchment systems and subterranean cisterns for long-term water storage that may provide suitable habitats for mosquitoes of public health relevance. We conducted a household cistern survey (n = 164) on the islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas in 2019. The survey revealed that 45.7% (95% CI: 38.3-53.4%) of cisterns contained mosquitoes (adult and/or immature mosquitoes). Aedes aegypti, a vector of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses in the USVI, was found in 27.4% (95% CI: 21.2-34.7%) of cisterns and accounted for 83.3% of the total mosquitoes identified in the study. The odds of detecting mosquitoes in a cistern were 5.45 times higher at locations where the residents reported that they had observed adult mosquitoes coming out of their cisterns (95% CI: 2.25-14.21), suggesting that vector control personnel should consider resident complaints about mosquitoes in their cistern as valid and likely reliable self-assessments. Resident mosquito management practices in cisterns did not correspond with decreased odds of mosquito detection. We conclude that cisterns in the USVI commonly provide habitat for immature and adult Ae. aegypti, which may decrease the effectiveness of area-wide mosquito control strategies. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate the importance of these cisterns as they relate to mosquito production and arbovirus transmission risk, and to assess physical and chemical control methods.

An isolated white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population on St. John, US Virgin Islands shows low inbreeding and comparable heterozygosity to other larger populations.

This is the first study to document the genetic diversity of the white-tailed deer population on St. John, US Virgin Islands. The island population was founded by a small number of animals, has very limited hunting or predation, and recently experienced a reduction in size following an extended drought in 2015. DNA samples were collected from hair from 23 anesthetized adult deer (13 males, 10 females) ranging in age from 1 to 8 years (3.36 ± 1.9 years) and also from fecal DNA samples, for a total of 42 individuals analyzed for genetic diversity. The St. John deer data set averaged 4.19 alleles per marker and demonstrates the second lowest number of alleles (A) when compared to other populations of Odocoileus virginianus (4.19). Heterozygosity was similar to the other studies (0.54) with little evidence of inbreeding. To explain the level of heterozygosity and level of inbreeding within the St. John population, three hypotheses are proposed, including the effect of intrinsic biological traits within the population, a recent infusion of highly heterogeneous loci from North American populations, and a consistent level of immigration from a nearby island. Additional work is needed to further understand the genetic history of the St. John and regional deer populations.

Melioidosis after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, St. Thomas/St. John District, US Virgin Islands, October 2017.

We report 2 cases of melioidosis in women with diabetes admitted to an emergency department in the US Virgin Islands during October 2017. These cases emerged after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and did not have a definitively identified source. Poor outcomes were observed when septicemia and pulmonary involvement were present.

Hematologic Parameters and Viral Status for Zika, Chikungunya, Bluetongue, and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in White-tailed Deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) on St. John, US Virgin Islands.

A population of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) resides throughout the island of St. John, US Virgin Islands, predominately in the Virgin Islands National Park. Adult deer ( n=23), ranging from 1 yr to 8 yr old, were assessed to characterize body condition and health. Serologic samples were screened for important viral pathogens in the area, including Zika, chikungunya, bluetongue, and epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses. Samples were collected in July 2016; males were in velvet and all females were in diestrus. Deer had recovered from a severe drought the previous year but were generally healthy, with a low-level but high incidence of tick parasitism. Marked statistically significant changes in hematocrit and hemoglobin levels were associated with the effects of the anesthetic mixture used for capture. No other statistically significant differences were observed. Serum from four deer induced reduction in Zika virus plaques, suggesting possible exposure. No serum was reactive for chikungunya virus. Bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease antibodies were present in 50% of the sampled deer, but no clinical signs associated with disease were observed during the study period. These data will be valuable for future dynamic health assessment and may help assess changes to the population, such as those induced by climate change, infectious disease, or other demographic events.

New records of fish parasitic isopods of the gill-attaching genus Mothocya Costa, in Hope, 1851 from the Virgin Islands, Caribbean, with description of a new species.

Two species of Mothocya Costa, in Hope, 1851 are reported from the Virgin Islands. Mothocya xenobranchia Bruce, 1986 was collected from St. John Island from the gills of the Atlantic needlefish, Strongylura marina, which is a new locality record and also confirms a previously uncertain host identity. Mothocya bertlucy sp. n. is described from St. Thomas, St John and Guana Islands, from the gills of the redlip blenny, Ophioblennius macclurei, the first record of a blenny as host for any Mothocya. The distinguishing characters of Mothocya bertlucy sp. n. include its small size (< 9 mm) and eyes, the slender pleotelson with a narrowly rounded caudomedial point, extended uropod peduncle and uropods which do not extend past the pleotelson posterior margin, and the narrow pleon which is only slightly overlapped by pereonite 7.

Fluoxetina ou Hypericum perforatum no tratamento de pacientes portadores de transtorno depressivo maior leve a moderado: uma revisão / Fluoxetine or Hypericum perforatum to treat mild to moderated major depressive disorder patients: a review

Conhecidos há mais de 2.500 anos, os transtornos afetivos continuam a dominar os interesses da saúde pública, com destaque ao transtorno depressivo maior (TDM). Diversos antidepressivos foram desenvolvidos destacando-se os Inibidores Seletivos da Recaptura de Serotonina (ISRS), entre eles, a fluoxetina medicamento de primeira escolha no manejo do TDM. Em contrapartida, os extratos do Hypericum perforatum (HP) vêm tomando destaque, representando os antidepressivos mais prescritos em vários países europeus. Essa revisão teve por objetivo analisar a eficácia e a aceitação das formas mais prevalentes de terapias medicamentosas do TDM leve a moderado: fluoxetina e HP, por meio de estudos avaliados, a partir de 2005, identificados nas bases de dados MEDLINE, Ovid, ScienceDirect, além de referências bibliográficas. Dentre os estudos avaliados, três consideraram o HP mais eficaz que fluoxetina, um o considerou menos eficaz e um não demonstrou diferença. Os trabalhos que avaliaram a aceitação foram unânimes quanto à superioridade do HP. Os trabalhos analisados são controversos quanto à eficácia do HP no manejo do TDM. Todos os estudos utilizaram doses de 900 mg de HP administrados uma a três vezes ao dia, contra 20 mg de fluoxetina uma vez ao dia. O tempo de tratamento realizado variou de 4 a 12 semanas, analisando o tratamento em depressão leve a moderada e apenas um estudo avaliou depressão com parâmetros vegetativos invertidos. Há, portanto, necessidade de mais estudos com tratamento em longo prazo, variando as doses das medicações a fim de avaliar se o HP consiste em mais uma arma contra o TDM leve a moderado.

Know over 2.500 years, affective disorders still present major interest in the public health studies, particularly the major depressive disorder (MDD). Several antidepressant drugs have been developed, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) fluoxetine, the first choice for the MDD drug-therapy. Besides that, Hypericum perforatum (HP) extracts have been more and more prescribed, and are the most used antidepressants in several European countries. This review had, as its objective, to evaluate efficiency and compliance to the treatment of mild to moderated MDD patients: fluoxetine and HP extracts, through studies published from 2005, identified in MEDLINE, Ovid, ScienceDirect databases as well as textbooks. Among these studies, three papers considered HP as more efficient than fluoxetine, one paper had the opposite conclusion and one did not demonstrate any significant difference. The studies that evaluated the tolerance were unanimous about the superiority of HP. HP efficiency in MDD treatment was controversial. All papers revised used one to three doses of HP 900 mg/day and a single fluoxetine 20 mg/day dose. The treatment was carried out for 4-12 weeks, and the patients were diagnosed with mild to moderated MDD. Further studies, including other dosage regimens and long-term treatments, must be carried out in order to provide consistent data on mild or moderated MDD drug-therapy for health professionals involved with the treatment of patients in this clinical condition.

Interações medicamentosas de fitoterápicos e fármacos: Hypericum perforatum e Piper methysticum / Drug interactions between herbs and medicines: Hypericum perforatum and Piper methysticum

A utilização de produtos naturais na medicina popular é milenar e persiste até os dias atuais. Entretanto, a idéia de que estes produtos são isentos de toxicidade torna o uso de medicamentos fitoterápicos cada vez maior e indiscriminado. Este trabalho trata de uma revisão sobre as interações que podem ocorrer com a utilização concomitante de Hypericum perforatum L. (erva de são joão) e Piper methysticum F. (kava-kava) com fármacos, podendo levar a sérios efeitos tóxicos, incluindo a fatalidade.

Natural products in popular medicine have been used for hundreds of years and persists nowadays. However, the idea that these products are exempted of toxicity turns the use of herbs to be larger and indiscriminate. This work is a review of interactions that can happen with concomitant use of Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's wort) and Piper methysticum F. (kava-kava) with medicines that can result in serious toxicological effects including fate.