Hepatotoxic Medicinal Plants in Weight Loss Formulations Sold at Ver-o-Peso Market, Amazon Region, Brazil.

Obesity represents a significant global public health challenge. Various therapeutic strategies for weight reduction are available, including formulations containing medicinal plants, which are favored due to their availability and low cost. The efficacy and safety of these formulations must be evaluated as they can lead to adverse reactions, including severe hepatic injuries.

Monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) low-expression variants and increased risk of Plasmodium vivax malaria relapses.

Objectives: Primaquine is essential for the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria and must be metabolized into its bioactive metabolites. Accordingly, polymorphisms in primaquine-metabolizing enzymes can impact the treatment efficacy. This pioneering study explores the influence of monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) on primaquine metabolism and its impact on malaria relapses.

Delayed gametocyte clearance in malaria is associated with polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR).

Primaquine (PQ) is the main drug used to eliminate dormant liver stages and prevent relapses in malaria. It also has an effect on the gametocytes of ; however, it is unclear to what extent PQ affects gametocytes. PQ metabolism involves multiple enzymes, including the highly polymorphic CYP2D6 and the cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR).

Influence of sex on the exposure to isoniazid in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Isoniazid is a key component of tuberculosis treatment. Adequate exposure is a determinant for therapeutic success; however, considerable inter- and intraindividual variations in drug plasma levels can lead to unfavorable outcomes. While some predictors of isoniazid levels are well-known, others, such as sex, yield controversial results, requiring further investigation to optimize exposure.

Pharmacokinetics of chloroquine in patients with malaria by P. vivax from the Western Brazilian Amazon basin.

The western Amazon basin is an important endemic area for malaria by P. vivax. In recent years, several reports showed the treatment failure with chloroquine, which can be related to resistance.

A preliminary study on the association of tamoxifen, endoxifen, and 4-hydroxytamoxifen with blood lipids in patients with breast cancer.

The long-term treatment with tamoxifen can alter the lipid profile of patients with breast cancer. Only a few studies associated the plasma concentrations of tamoxifen, endoxifen, and 4-hydroxytamoxifen with blood lipids, which is relevant as the distribution of these compounds for the tissues can be changed, negatively affecting the treatment. The variations in lipids also can account for the high interindividual variation in plasma concentrations of these compounds.

An Ultra-Sensitive Technique: Using -mtCOX1 qPCR to Detect Early Recurrences of in Patients in the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: Early recurrence of is a challenge for malaria control in the field, particularly because this species is associated with lower parasitemia, which hinders diagnosis and monitoring through blood smear testing. Early recurrences, defined as the persistence of parasites in the peripheral blood despite adequate drug dosages, may arise from resistance to chloroquine. The objective of the study was to estimate early recurrence of in the Brazilian Amazon by using a highly-sensitive detection method, in this case, PCR.

Absence of gender influence on the pharmacokinetics of chloroquine combined with primaquine in malaria vivax patients.

Chloroquine is the first-line therapy against the asexual stages of Plasmodium vivax . There is a high variation of chloroquine plasma levels after therapeutic doses, which can lead to inadequate exposure to the drug. The gender influence was low regarding the disposition of the drug, which is relevant as there are significant physiological variations between male and female patients.

Exposure to chloroquine in male adults and children aged 9-11 years with malaria due to Plasmodium vivax.

Background: Chloroquine is effective against the asexual blood stage of Plasmodium vivax. A high proportion of children are underdosed with the drug, but there are no studies comparing chloroquine exposure in adults and children aged 8-11 years old. The present study intends to compare these populations using the area under the curve (AUC) derived from the plasma concentration-time profile in patients with P.

Doses of primaquine administered to children with according to an age-based dose regimen.

Primaquine is still the first-line drug to eliminate hypnozoites of . The therapeutic efficacy is related to the total dose administered. In several endemic areas, the drug is administered for children in an age-based regimen, which can lead to inadequate exposure, increasing the rates of recurrence of the infection.

The extent of chloroquine underdosing in adult patients with malaria by Plasmodium vivax from an endemic area of the Brazilian Amazon basin.

Objectives: To evaluate the extent of chloroquine underdosing and to measure the concentrations of chloroquine and desethylchloroquine in adult patients with P. vivax malaria in the Brazilian Amazon basin.

Methods: Prospective study of cases in male adult patients with malaria by Plasmodium vivax treated with a total dose of 1500 mg chloroquine over three days and a short course of primaquine.

Can diabetes mellitus modify the plasma concentrations of rifampicin in patients under treatment for tuberculosis?

Rifampicin is a key component of treatment for tuberculosis and its efficacy is determined by the blood levels attained after therapeutic doses. However, there is a high variability of rifampicin blood levels that is related to both the patient and the formulation used. To date, the effect of diabetes mellitus on the plasma levels of rifampicin was low exploited, which could be relevant either by the significant increase of the comorbidity worldwide as by the probable influence of diabetes on the rifampicin exposure.

Doses of chloroquine in the treatment of malaria by Plasmodium vivax in patients between 2 and 14 years of age from the Brazilian Amazon basin.

Background: A total dose of chloroquine of 25 mg/kg is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat malaria by Plasmodium vivax. In several endemic areas, including the Brazilian Amazon basin, anti-malarial drugs are dispensed in small plastic bags at a dosing regimen based on age. This practice can lead to suboptimal dosing of the drug, which can impact treatment outcomes.

Association of Lipid Levels with Mefloquine and Carboxy-Mefloquine Concentrations in Patients with Uncomplicated Falciparum Malaria.

Mefloquine shows a high capacity to bind plasma proteins, which influences the amount of drug in erythrocytes. The study investigated the association of lipids levels with plasma concentrations of mefloquine and carboxy-mefloquine in 85 Brazilian patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria. There were no significant associations between the total cholesterol or triglycerides with plasma concentrations of mefloquine and of carboxy-mefloquine.

Concentrations of rifampicin in pre-dose samples in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Rifampicin is used in both phases of treatment for tuberculosis. In chronic use, the short half-life and the self-induction of metabolism can decrease the levels of the drug below the minimal inhibitory concentration. The aim of the study was to investigate whether plasma concentrations of rifampicin are sustained above 0.

Levels of primaquine and carboxyprimaquine in patients with malaria vivax from the Brazilian Amazon basin.

In the last two years, a substantial increase in the number of malaria vivax cases has occurred in the Brazilian Amazon basin. The adequate exposure of hypnozoites to primaquine is a matter of interest as these dormant forms are responsible for the maintenance or even the increase of malaria burden in endemic areas. The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of primaquine and carboxyprimaquine in whole blood samples of patients with P.

Chloroquine resistance is associated to multi-copy pvcrt-o gene in Plasmodium vivax malaria in the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: The resistance of Plasmodium vivax to chloroquine has become an obstacle to control strategies based on the use of anti-malarials. The current study investigated the association between P. vivax CQ-resistance in vivo with copy number variation and mutations in the promoter region in pvcrt-o and pvmdr1 genes.

(-)-β-Caryophyllene, a CB2 Receptor-Selective Phytocannabinoid, Suppresses Motor Paralysis and Neuroinflammation in a Murine Model of Multiple Sclerosis.

(-)-β-caryophyllene (BCP), a cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2)-selective phytocannabinoid, has already been shown in precedent literature to exhibit both anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in mouse models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Herein, we endeavored to investigate the therapeutic potential of BCP on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a murine model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Furthermore, we sought to demonstrate some of the mechanisms that underlie the modulation BCP exerts on autoimmune activated T cells, the pro-inflammatory scenery of the central nervous system (CNS), and demyelination.

Lipid Profile of Children with Malaria by .

. Changes in lipid profile are commonly reported in adult patients with malaria. However, a few studies evaluated lipid abnormalities in children continuously exposed to .

Recurrence of Plasmodium falciparum after treatment with quinine and doxycycline in the Amazon basin.

Objective: To investigate whether the recurrence of infection by Plasmodium falciparum in patients from the Brazilian Amazon was caused by an inadequate exposure to quinine.

Methods: A retrospective study was carried out using blood samples from patients with slide-confirmed infection by P. falciparum, classified according to the parasitological response after 28 days of follow-up.

EVALUATION OF CIRCUMSPOROZOITE PROTEIN OF Plasmodium vivax TO ESTIMATE ITS PREVALENCE IN OIAPOQUE , AMAPÁ STATE, BRAZIL, BORDERING FRENCH GUIANA.

Malaria is a major health problem for people who live on the border between Brazil and French Guiana. Here we discuss Plasmodium vivax distribution pattern in the town of Oiapoque, Amapá State using the circumsporozoite (CS) gene as a marker. Ninety-one peripheral blood samples from P.

Patient age does not affect mefloquine concentrations in erythrocytes and plasma during the acute phase of falciparum malaria.

Objective: To evaluate whether patient age has a significant impact on mefloquine concentrations in the plasma and erythrocytes over the course of treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

Methods: A total of 20 children aged between 8 and 11 years and 20 adult males aged between 22 and 41 years with uncomplicated falciparum malaria were enrolled in the study. Mefloquine was administered to patients in both age groups at a dose of 20mgkg(-1).