Potential use of essential oils in cosmetic and dermatological hair products: A review.

BACKGROUND: Essential oils have great interest among the increasing demand for herbal cosmetics in the market. They are natural sources of biologically active ingredients due to the wide application of such compounds as well as their particular chemical composition. Several researches have evaluated the effectiveness of these bioactive ingredients for use in cosmeceuticals, mainly in both hair scalp and shaft hair damage repair. Thus, the amounts and their associations define the properties of these compositions with interest for hair cosmetic use, such as antioxidant, inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. Because they are complex compounds, their actions on the skin, hair scalp, and shaft are not yet fully understood. AIMS: The purpose of this review is to highlight the relevant researches and findings on essential oils in hair care. METHODS: In order to achieve this objective, the present work comprises an updated bibliographic review related to essential oils used in hair care. RESULTS: It was possible to observe that cosmeceuticals containing essential oils applied to the scalp are preferable for topical activity. Also, it was noticed that there are few reports regarding their use in hair shaft. However, it was found that some oils are used to intensify the brightness and fix the hair color. CONCLUSIONS: This work demonstrated that the use of essential oils in both cosmetic products (industrial application) and those associated with oils carriers (as individual protocols) may lead to satisfactory results in the treatment of some scalp dysfunctions.

Effectiveness of ozonated water in the reprocessing of blood dialyzers

INTRODUCTION: Ozone is a potent antibacterial agent. Because ozone oxidizes organic material, it directly attacks microorganisms resulting in safe, fast and economical sterilization at low temperatures. This study evaluated the efficacy of ozonated water in the reprocessing of dialyzers obtained from a hemodialysis service in São José do Rio Preto. METHODS: A total of 23 blood dialyzers were collected at the conclusion of the morning hemodialysis shift. The equipment was collected after the maximum number of reuses, with the last disinfection performed with purified water (obtained by reverse osmosis and subsequent reverse ultrafiltration). The number and species of microorganisms in the dialyzers were evaluated before and after treatment with ozonated water. The ozonation of sterile deionized water was achieved by direct contact between the water and the ozone generating equipment. RESULTS:The mean number of microorganisms before sterilization was 1,47.10(9) colony forming units per ml (CFU/ml). After treatment with ozonated water, the number of microorganisms was 4,80.10¹ CFU/ml. CONCLUSION: Ozonated water is an effective decontaminant for most blood dialyzers.

Causas de traumas em pacientes idosos atendidos em unidade de emergência / Causes of trauma in elderly patients treated in emergency unit

Objetivo: identificar os principais traumas em idosos atendidos no pronto atendimento de uma unidade deemergência. Método: estudo exploratório e descritivo, retrospectivo, com dados coletados por meio deprontuários eletrônicos de pacientes idosos (acima de 60 anos), com diagnóstico de trauma, atendidos nopronto atendimento da unidade de emergência do Hospital de Base (HB) no Município de São José do RioPreto/SP/Brasil, no ano de 2011. Para a análise estatística dos dados foi aplicado o teste de associação Quiquadrado.O projeto de pesquisa foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa, sob o protocolo nº01216012.6.0000.5415. Resultados: 51,47% das causas dos traumas foram quedas; 59,65% tiveram fratura defêmur no sexo feminino e 58,53% de trauma cranioencefálico no sexo masculino; 94,64% tiveram fratura defêmur e receberam alta. Conclusão: a maioria dos idosos era do sexo feminino, vítimas de queda com fraturade fêmur no lar, foram submetidos à cirurgia e tiveram alta, com média de idade de 73 anos.