Nutraceuticals and Herbal Food Supplements for Weight Loss: Is There a Prebiotic Role in the Mechanism of Action?

Numerous nutraceuticals and botanical food supplements are used with the intention of modulating body weight. A recent review examined the main food supplements used in weight loss, dividing them according to the main effects for which they were investigated. The direct or indirect effects exerted on the intestinal microbiota can also contribute to the effectiveness of these substances.

[Cancer of the anus. Analysis of our surgical experience].

Background: The different histological varieties of anal cancer due to the presence of different histogenesis tissue can be anatomically distinguished from anal canal tumours by their growth in a periorificial or marginal site. The first appearance of symptoms are common to usual non-tumoral pathologies, but can be ascertained at an early stage using biopsy. Anal cancer can be treated with surgery, conservative or radical treatment, radiotherapy alone and radiochemotherapy with possible surgery.

[Evaluation of the mechanism determining the painful symptomatology after proctological interventions].

In order to evaluate the importance of the contraction of the perineal muscular system in causing the symptomatology following a hemorrhoidal prolapse operation, a drug, dantrolene sodium which has a known myorelaxant action due to a partial inhibition of the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the muscular cell was used. The double-blind study involved 40 patients, of whom 20 were treated with sodium dantrolene in doses of 25 mg, twice a day, for seven days; the remaining 20 with a placebo. Symptoms, consumption of pain-killers and need for catheters, were monitored daily, while hemochemical parameters were checked before the start, and at the end of the study.