Devices for osteoarthritis symptoms treatment: a patent review.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis is a musculoskeletal disease that can lead to the loss and inability of those affected to perform normal daily functions, which leads to a decrease in quality of life. The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are tenderness, joint pain, stiffness, crepitus, limited movement, and local inflammation. AREAS COVERED: The selected patents were deposited from 2010 to April 2022 involving 57 documents that were in line with the study objective in the final selection. The patents were classified in years, country, and applicants. Also, the therapeutic fields that presented the most documents were electrical stimulation, phototherapy, and ultrasound, followed by magnetic, electromagnetic, and thermotherapy. Therefore, the most current therapies used in the documents are already on the market. EXPERT OPINION: Although the OA is cureless, non-surgical treatments are classified as the primary management approach for this disease. The pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies are employed to reduce its prevalence and ensure the effectiveness of treatments. A strategy for relieving OA symptoms is non-pharmacological treatment, which can be based on exercise and patient education, combined with other alternative therapies. These therapies are used as supplements to the main OA treatments, enhancing the effectiveness of treatment outcomes.

The management of osteoarthritis symptomatology through nanotechnology: a patent review.

Osteoarthritis is considered a degenerative joint disease that is characterised by inflammation, chronic pain, and functional limitation. The increasing development of nanotechnology in drug delivery systems has provided new ideas and methods for osteoarthritis therapy. This review aimed to evaluate patents that have developed innovations, therapeutic strategies, and alternatives using nanotechnology in osteoarthritis treatment. The results show patents deposited from 2015 to November 2021 in the online databases European Patent Office and World Intellectual Property Organisation. A total of 651 patents were identified for preliminary assessment and 16 were selected for full reading and discussion. The evaluated patents are focused on the intraarticular route, oral route, and topical route for osteoarthritis treatment. The intraarticular route presented a higher patent number, followed by the oral and topical routes, respectively. The development of new technologies allows us to envision a promising and positive future in osteoarthritis treatment.

Mapping of New Pharmacological Alternatives in the Face of the Emergence of Antibiotic Resistance in COVID-19 Patents Treated for Opportunistic Respiratory Bacterial Pathogens.

BACKGROUND: The increase in bacterial resistance against antibiotics is thought to be another type of pandemic after COVID-19. Emergency treatment based on antibiotics is a major influence in increasing this resistance. Bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, are the most affected by the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, since they are resistant to most antibiotics currently available on the market. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to evaluate patents of new drugs and formulations, for the treatment of infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: The present patent review was carried out through a specialized search database Espacenet. The selection was based on the criteria of patents published from 2010 to May 2021, in any language, and containing the keywords in title or abstract. Also, a research was performed on the PubMed database, using the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-two patents were selected for the analysis according to the aim of the study. The advance of new patents has been mostly observed in the World Intellectual Property Organization, China, and United States. The results showed that the main approach was the drug association, followed by drug carriers, new isolated products, and vaccines. CONCLUSION: It has been observed that few studies use new drug alternatives for the treatment, probably due to the higher cost of the development and lack of investments. The effectiveness and safety of these therapies depend on the acceptance, the correct prescription, and rational use of medicines. Therefore, this review can further develop new treatments as alternatives against Klebsiella pneumoniae and pneumonia caused by it.

Efeito hipoalgésico das correntes diadinâmicas de Bernard em indivíduos saudáveis / Hypoalgesic effect of Bernard's diadynamic currents on healthy individuals

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: As correntes diadinâmicas são correntes alternadas retificadas em ondas completas ou semiondas e foram desenvolvidas por Pierre Bernard. Essas correntes são utilizadas na prática clínica para analgesia e reparação de lesões de tecidos moles; entretanto, sem evidências científicas. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o efeito hipoalgésico das correntes diadinâmicas de Bernard em indivíduos saudáveis e o desconforto sensorial de cada corrente. MÉTODO: Foram recrutados 75 voluntários saudáveis, sendo 35 homens e 40 mulheres na faixa etária de 18 a 60 anos. Os voluntários foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em cinco grupos de estudo (15 participantes por grupo), a saber: difásica fixa (DF), monofásica fixa (MF), curtos períodos (CP), longos períodos (LP) e grupo controle (GC). As correntes diadinâmicas foram aplicadas durante 15 minutos no antebraço não dominante e medidas de limiar de dor por pressão foram realizadas na mão e no antebraço antes, durante e 15 minutos após a aplicação das correntes. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos no limiar de dor por pressão na mão no 5° minuto (p = 0,490), 10° minuto (p = 0,590), 15° minuto (p = 0,996) e 30° minuto (p = 0,489). No antebraço também não foram encontradas diferenças significantes entre os grupos no 5° minuto (p = 0,767), 10° minuto (p = 0,439), 15° minuto (p = 0,395) e no 30° minuto (p = 0,915). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante no desconforto avaliado no 5° minuto (p = 0,087) e 10° minuto (p = 0,055). No entanto, no 15° minuto a corrente CP apresentou menor índice de desconforto quando comparado à corrente MF (p = 0,021). CONCLUSÃO: Não houve diferença no limiar de dor por pressão entre os grupos de estudo.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Diadynamic currents are alternate currents rectified in complete waves or half waves and were developed by Pierre Bernard. These currents are used in the clinical practice for analgesia and soft tissue healing; however, without scientific evidences. This study aimed at investigating the hypoalgesic effect of Bernard's diadynamic currents in healthy individuals and the sensory discomfort of each current. METHOD: Participated in this study 75 healthy volunteers, being 35 males and 40 females aged from 18 to 60 years. Volunteers were randomly distributed in five study groups (15 participants per group), as follows: fixed diphase (DF), fixed monophasic (MF), short periods (CP), long periods (LP) and control group (CG). Diadynamic currents were applied for 15 minutes to the non-dominant forearm and pressure pain thresholds were measured on hand and forearm before, during and 15 minutes after currents application. RESULTS: There has been no statistically significant difference among groups on hand pressure pain threshold in the 5th minute (p = 0.490), 10th minute (p = 0.590), 15th minute (p = 0.996) and 30th minute (p = 0.489). There has also been no significant differences among groups on forearm in the 5th minute (p = 0.767), 10th minute (p = 0.439), 15th minute (p = 0.395) and 30th minute (p = 0.915). There has been no statistically significant difference in discomfort evaluated in the 5th minute (p = 0.087) and 10th minute (p = 0.055). However, in the 15th minute, SP current has shown a lower discomfort index as compared to FM (p = 0.021). CONCLUSION: There has been no difference in pressure pain threshold among studied groups.