Effect of Homeopathic Medicines and a Nosode on Larvae of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

BACKGROUND: Cochliomyia hominivorax is the major fly causing primary myiasis in livestock animals in Brazil; its larvae develop in the host's living tissues, causing mutilations, which can even lead to death. In conventional treatments of myiasis, chemo-synthetic insecticides have been employed directly on larvae present in the wounds. Homeopathy may represent a healthy and sustainable alternative both to prevent and to treat myiasis in animals and humans. The current study evaluated how the emergence of adult insects is affected by the use of the homeopathic medicines Sulfur 12cH and Pyrogenium 12cH, and the nosode produced from C. hominivorax larvae at potencies 8cH and 12cH, on third-stage larvae of a C. hominivorax colony. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The homeopathic medicines and the nosodes were produced according to the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. Control groups were distilled water, alcohol, no substance, and the organophosphate insecticide trichlorfon. For each group, 10 replicates were performed. Emergence rate of adult insects was evaluated by descriptive statistics followed by analysis of variance. Homogeneity of variances was verified by F-test and group means were compared with Tukey's test. RESULTS: Mortality rates in control groups were 2.7% for 30% (v/v) alcohol, 4.3% for distilled water, 3.2% for no substance (p > 0.05). In the trichlorfon group, the mortality rate of larvae was 90.8%. For Sulfur 12cH, the mortality of larvae was 94.6%, and for Pyrogenium 12cH it was 98.6%. The latter three means were not statistically different from each other or from the mean found for the trichlorfon group. The mortality rates of larvae were 61.3% and 66.6% for nosode C. hominivorax 8cH and 12cH, respectively (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that homeopathy could be used therapeutically to prevent and treat animals and humans with myiasis caused by C. hominivorax.

A novel nasal delivery system of a Chinese traditional medicine, Radix Bupleuri, based on the concept of ion-activated in situ gel.

The purpose of this study was to develop a nasal in situ gel system for Radix Bupleuri employing gellan gum as a polymer. Radix Bupleuri in situ gel containing 0.2 mL essential oil extracted from 450 g Radix Bupleuri, proper solubilizing agents and gellan gum (0.5% w/v) was prepared and characterized. The antipyretic effect produced by in situ gel formulation was investigated in fevered rabbits and compared to an intranasal solution. The resulting in situ gel was a clear and light-yellow liquid, with viscosity of 346 mPa x s and caproic acid content of 1.31 +/- 0.01 mg/mL. Intranasal administration of this preparation to fevered rabbits decreased body temperature markedly (1.1 degree C at the doses of oil from 1.5 g Bupleuri/body) and the effect could last for 20-30 h. The results suggest that Radix Bupleuri in situ gel can be greater effective than the solution in the treatment of fever.

[The use of preparations of protozoan origin as agents for the prevention and early therapy of combined radiation-thermal injuries]. / Ispol'zovanie preparatov protozoinogo proiskhozhdeniia v kachestve sredstv profilaktiki i rannei terapii kombinirovannykh radiatsionno-termicheskikh porazhenii.

Radioprotective and therapeutic effects of astazian and astazilide, the drugs of protozoan origin, were studied in comparison with known modifiers of biological reactions (bacterial polysaccharides, synthetic polypeptides) in combined radiation-thermal injuries (CRTI). The efficiency of drugs under examination was found to be time- and dose-dependent. Application of the drugs of protozoan nature 24 hours prior to or 1 hour following CRTI provided 30 to 50% survival of experimental animals for 30 days as compared to 4.5% in the group of untreated mice. Administration of the drugs 3-7 days following CRTI exerted no therapeutic effect.

[T-lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with gastric cancer]. / Subpopuliatsii T-limfotsitov u bol'nykh rakom zheludka.

T-lymphocyte subpopulation profile in peripheral blood of gastric cancer patients proved abnormal. The disbalance became more apparent with progression of disease. A decrease in T gamma-lymphocyte level was observed after radical surgery. T gamma- and T mu- lymphocyte levels proved significantly altered following combined treatment including surgery and chemotherapy with ftorafur or pyrogenal immunotherapy.

[Treatment of patients with chronic catarrhal bronchitis using bacterial polysaccharides as a way to correct secondary immunologic deficiency]. / Lechenie bol'nykh khronicheskim kataral'nym bronkhitom bakterial'nymi lipopolisakharidami kak put' korrektsii vtorichnoi immunologicheskoi nedostatochnosti.

In mild exacerbation of chronic catarrhal bronchitis secondary immune deficiency manifests itself in a reduced level of the main classes of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) and lowered function of neutrophilic leukocytes. Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (prodigiozan, pyrogenal) are recommended for the correction of the above disorders.

[Influence of drugs on the effect of antitumor preparations in experiments and in clinic medicine]. / Vliianie nekotorykh lekarstvennykh sredstv na éffekt protivoopukholevykh preparatov v éksperimente i klinike.

Experimental and clinical data concerning the interaction of cytostatics with diuretics, anticoagulants, neurotropic drugs, prostaglandin inhibitors, etc. are reviewed. It is considered necessary to take into account the possible clinical effect when applying different drugs for treatment of the tumour patients. Side by side with intensification of the antitumour activity of the cytostatic or with a decrease of its toxic effect on haemopoiesis and on the function of parenchymatous organs some undesirable effects such as an increase of the toxicity or a decrease of the antitumour effect are possible. Interaction of cytostatics with different groups of drugs demands further study taking into account the "medicinal background" of the modern population.

[Prevention and treatment of adhesions]. / Profilaktika i lechenie spaechnoi bolezni.

The pyrogenal therapy was used for the treatment and prophylaxis of the adhesive disease (both the acute and chronic forms). In acute forms parallel with pyrogenal the intraperitoneal administration of a warm 0,25% solution of novokain was used. The method is thought by the author to improve the immediate and late results of the treatment.

[Sulfazin in the thermoradiotherapy of experimental tumors]. / Sul'fazin v termoradioterapii éksperimental'nykh opukholei.

A possibility of radiosensitization of Pliss' lymphosarcoma and tumor RS-1 by using general hyperthermia with sulfazin was studied. Subcutaneous transfusion of sulfazin to rats caused a rise of the body temperature by 2-2.5 degrees C on the 2nd day after injection with the upkeep of hyperthermia for 3 days. A combined effect of sulfazin and irradiation enhanced the retardation of growth rate of tumors and increased their regression. The lifetime of animals increased significantly. A more noticeable postradiation suppression of mitotic activity was observed.

[Cerebral arachnoiditis]. / K voprosu o tserebral'nom arakhnoidite.

An examination of 200 patients with cerebral arachnoiditis has shown that the meningeal adhesions and cysts revealed on pneumoencephalography may be consequences of current or terminated chronic leptomeningitis and chorioependimitis. Characteristic of current inflammatory process are variability and progress of the neurological symptoms, increase of cytosis and, sometimes, of protein content in the CSF, as well as some hematological signs of an inflammation, such as relative lymphocytosis, positive test for the C-reactive protein, and dysproteinemia. Such a differentiation of cerebral arachnoiditis has enabled the authors to choose more rational therapeutic measures and to give an adequate evaluation of their efficacy.