Epidemiological surveillance of herpes viral encephalitis in Cordoba, Colombia.

Objective To establish an epidemiological surveillance of viral herpes encephalitis in major hospitals of Monteria, Cordoba. Methods From September 2009 to December 2011, a descriptive study of cases of viral encephalitis was made in three hospitals in the city of Monteria. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 118 patients were included in the study.

Coxiella burnetii infection in a patient from a rural area of Monteria, Colombia.

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. In Colombia, there have been very few human cases reported to date. This report describes the case of a 56-year-old patient with a background in agriculture and livestock handling.

Neutralizing effects of Nectandra angustifolia extracts against Bothrops neuwiedi snake venom.

Leaves extracts and essential oil of Nectandra angustifolia were explored for the first time for neutralization of Bothrops neuwiedi diporus snake venom. The ethanol extract was the most active and inhibited both venom activities (hemolytic and coagulant), while the oil was only active on the coagulant activity. These observations confirmed that certain medicinal plants from Corrientes and Chaco Provinces possess significant snake venom neutralizing capacity and need further examination for their active constituents.

Tramadol for osteoarthritis: a systematic review and metaanalysis.

Objective: Tramadol is increasingly used for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) because it does not produce gastrointestinal bleeding or renal problems and does not affect articular cartilage. We sought to determine the analgesic effectiveness, the effect on physical function, the duration of benefit, and the safety of oral tramadol in people with OA.

Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central), Medline, Embase, and Lilacs databases up to August 2005.