Descripción y uso de 100 plantas medicinales del altiplano boliviano / Description and use of 100 medicinal plants of the Bolivian Altiplano

Pretendemos la sistematización de la Etnomedicina Boliviana en "Cuadros Básicos" de Plantas Medicinales vigentes, capaces de responder a las endemias y a las patologías propias de cada zona. Buscamos una medicina bio-psico-socio-cultural que se muestra como un servicio: eficaz, inocuo, serio, humano, complementario, quizás bilingüe y bicultural en cada región, que considere al hombre en su totalidad y se adapte a las costumbres y a la economía de los bolivianos. Pretendemos la articulación orgánica de la investigación y ciencia bolivianas con la experiencia autóctona y la participación popular, para lograr una farmacia y una estrategia propias en salud para cada una de las regiones bolivianas: Quechua, Aymara, Amazónica y Chaqueña. Quisiéremos poner fin a la histórica rivalidad de médicos y expertos en etnomedicina y continuar con los primeros pasos hacia una abierta, franca y amigable combinación de los subsistemas medicinales en una actitud horizontal, dialogante y mutuamente respetuosa. (AU)

In vitro effect of gallium nitrate when combined with ketoconazole in the prostate cancer cell line PC-3.

Secondary hormonal manipulations are common following the failure of combined androgen blockade in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Ketoconazole has been shown to have activity in this disease by inhibiting cytochrome P450 steroid hormone biosynthesis, thus inducing androgen deprivation. Gallium nitrate has been reported to target tumor tissue in vitro and some preliminary data suggests activity in patients with prostate cancer. Thus, we conducted a Phase II study of gallium nitrate in patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer. Two patients with progressive prostate cancer were removed from this study and subsequently placed on ketoconazole, as a palliative agent. Surprisingly, both of these patients had a greater than 50% decline in their prostate specific antigen (PSA) with this secondary endocrine maneuver. Based on this clinical observation, we conducted the following in vitro study to determine if there was a substantial additive effect of gallium nitrate followed by ketoconazole. Gallium nitrate or ketoconazole was added to the androgen-independent prostatic epithelial cell line, PC-3. One hundred and twenty hours (120 h) following the addition of one of the agents, the media was aspirated and the second agent was added to the wells. One plate was assayed every 24 h for cell viability using a non-isotopic cell proliferation assay kit. Cells treated with gallium nitrate followed by ketoconazole were 70-100% of control at the end of the gallium nitrate treatment; ketoconazole was then added and viability either remained constant or dropped steadily. Gallium nitrate by itself had a weak inhibitory effect on cell viability that only became apparent at the highest concentration evaluated. Ketoconazole, on the other hand, showed a substantial growth inhibition that was concentration-dependent. Cells treated with this agent alone showed a pronounced steady decrease in viability. Exposure to ketoconazole for 120 h followed by incubation in culture medium alone for 120 h caused a decrease in cell viability to 26.0% of control. Our in vitro results suggest that the combination of gallium nitrate and ketoconazole has no additive activity in the PC-3 cell line. Furthermore, this study confirms that ketoconazole added to prostate cancer cells has antiproliferative activity. The in vitro activity of ketoconazole has traditionally been thought to result from its inhibition of cytochrome P450-dependent enzymes responsible for steroidogenesis; however, an alternative hypothesis is necessary to explain the cytotoxic effect in the absence of adrenal and testicular androgen production as found in an in vitro system.

Utasan Utjir Qollanaka: Medicinas junto a nuestra casa: Descripción y uso de 100 plantas Bolivianas / Utas Utjir Qollanaka: Drugs by our house: Description and use of 100 plants Bolivian

Este libro se debe en el sentido Recuperar al curandero y a la partera como amigos del médico, así como difundir tactos confiables tales como la preparación de pomadas, tinturas, fricciones y aceites de la medicina galénica .