A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of mud-bath therapy on knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) results from loss of cartilage in-tegrity in association with changes to the structure of the entire joint. Treatment of OA is based on different pharmaceutical and no phar-maceutical approaches and the latter include the use of spa-therapy. The biological effects of mud-bath therapy are mainly secondary to heat stimulation and to physic-chemical properties of mineral waters and mud-packs.

Involvement of Muscarinic Receptors in Hypotensive and Diuretic Effects of Aqueous Soluble Fraction from Cav.

. Cav. (Asphodelaceae) is widely used in Pakistan traditional medicine as a hypotensive and diuretic agent.

Endothelium-independent vasorelaxant effect of Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav. via inhibition of myosin light chain kinase activity in the porcine coronary artery.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav. (Asphodelaceae), a wild, terrestrial, annual stemless herb, is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis and circulatory problems. A previous research study from our laboratory revealed that A.

From general toxicology to DNA disruption: A safety assessment of Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel (Myrtaceae) is popularly known as "jaboticaba" or "jaboticaba". The fruit is appreciated for both fresh consumption and the manufacture of jelly, juice, ice cream, fermented beverages, and liqueurs.

Pharmacological safety of (Mart.) Kausel in rabbits.

Fruit peels of (Mart.) Kausel are widely used in Brazilian traditional medicine, but no studies have proved the safety of its pharmacological effects on the respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems. The present study assessed the safety pharmacology of in New Zealand rabbits.

Cardioprotective effects of Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel in a rabbit model of doxorubicin-induced heart failure.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: In Brazil, the fruit of a native species that is popularly known as "jabuticaba" (Plinia cauliflora [Mart.] Kausel) is widely consumed fresh or used for the production of liqueur, juice, and jelly. In Brazilian folk medicine, this species is used to treat asthma, throat inflammation, and gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disturbances.

A. St.-Hil. as a Cardiovascular-Endowed Species: A Whole-Biological Investigation.

Although leaves of are used in Brazilian traditional medicine, there is no available data in the literature proving its efficacy and safety. Thus, the aim of the study was to perform a meticulous botanical, phytochemical, toxicological, and pharmacological investigation of in Wistar rats. At first, a morphoanatomical characterization of leaves and stems was performed.

Identification of Peptide Mimotope Ligands for Natalizumab.

Mimotope peptides selected from combinatorial peptide libraries can be used as capture reagents for immunoassay detection of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We report the use of phage display libraries to identify peptide ligands (Veritopes) that bind natalizumab, a therapeutic mAb indicated for use in multiple sclerosis. PKNPSKF is identified as a novel natalizumab-binding motif, and peptides containing this motif demonstrated utility as capture reagents in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).

Efficacy of Spa Therapy, Mud-Pack Therapy, Balneotherapy, and Mud-Bath Therapy in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis. A Systematic Review.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal disease in the world. OA is the result of an inflammatory and degenerative process affecting the entire joint. Osteoarthritis, especially involving the knee, has a relevant socioeconomic impact in terms of drugs, hospital admissions, work absences, and temporary or permanent invalidity.

Parthenolide Influences Herpes simplex virus 1 Replication in vitro.

Background/aims: Parthenolide is a sesquiterpene lactone that is present in plants of the Tanacetum genus, for which many biological effects have already been reported, including antiherpetic activity. Although the effectiveness of parthenolide against Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) has already been demonstrated, such findings are still controversial. The objective of this study was to investigate the ways in which parthenolide exerts anti-HSV-1 activity.

Electrochemical monitoring of native catalase activity in skin using skin covered oxygen electrode.

A skin covered oxygen electrode, SCOE, was constructed with the aim to study the enzyme catalase, which is part of the biological antioxidative system present in skin. The electrode was exposed to different concentrations of HO and the amperometric current response was recorded. The observed current is due to HO penetration through the outermost skin barrier (referred to as the stratum corneum, SC) and subsequent catalytic generation of O by catalase present in the underlying viable epidermis and dermis.

Antiviral Activity of Crude Hydroethanolic Extract from Schinus terebinthifolia against Herpes simplex Virus Type 1.

virus infections persist throughout the lifetime of the host and affect more than 80 % of the humans worldwide. The intensive use of available therapeutic drugs has led to undesirable effects, such as drug-resistant strains, prompting the search for new antiherpetic agents. Although diverse bioactivities have been identified in , its antiviral activity has not attracted much attention.

In vitro Cytotoxicity and Anti-herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Activity of Hydroethanolic Extract, Fractions, and Isolated Compounds from Stem Bark of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi.

Background: Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is associated with orofacial infections and is transmitted by direct contact with infected secretions. Several efforts have been expended in the search for drugs to the treatment for herpes. Schinus terebinthifolius is used in several illnesses and among them, for the topical treatment of skin wounds, especially wounds of mucous membranes, whether infected or not.

Prevention and treatment of nephrolithiasis: a review on the role of spa therapy.

The prevalence and incidence of nephrolithiasis is reported to be increasing across the world. It is a disease of increased urinary concentration of stone-forming salts. The physicochemical mechanism of stone formation includes precipitation, homogenous/heterogeneous nucleation, growth, aggregation and concretion of various modulators in urine.

[Ethics in clinical practice and in health care].

The clinical ethics is the identification, analysis and solution of moral problems that can arise during the care of a patient. Given that when dealing with ethical issues in health care some risks will be encountered (talking about ethics in general, or as a problem overlapped with others in this area, or by delegation to legislative determinations) in the text certain important aspects of the topic are examined. First of all ethics as human quality of the relationship between people for the common good, especially in health services where there are serious problems like the life and the health.

Polyelectrolyte complex containing silver nanoparticles with antitumor property on Caco-2 colon cancer cells.

Polyelectrolyte complex (beads) based on N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan/alginate was successful obtained and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were loaded within beads. In vitro cytotoxicity assays using beads/silver nanoparticles (beads/AgNPs) provided results, indicating that this material significantly inhibited the growth of colon cancer cells (Caco-2). In vitro release studies showed that the beads stabilized AgNPs and repressed Ag(0) oxidation under gastric conditions (pH 2.

Synthesis and characterization of pectin derivative with antitumor property against Caco-2 colon cancer cells.

New pectin derivative (Pec-MA) was obtained in specific reaction conditions. The presence of maleoyl groups in Pec-MA structure was confirmed by (1)H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The substitution degree of Pec-MA (DS=24%) was determined by (1)H NMR.

The therapeutic activity of sulphate-bicarbonate-calcium-magnesiac mineral water in the functional disorders of the biliary tract.

Background And Aim: Functional disorders of the biliary tract involve gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi and cause pain and/or digestive troubles. In this context, in addition to pharmacological treatments, an important role is played by the use of sodium-sulphate and sulphate-bicarbonate mineral waters that, because of their composition into ions macro and trace elements, can stimulate the release or modulate the activity of some neurohumoral regulators of the digestive process. We want to do a study on the effects of hydropinotherapy with a sulphate-bicarbonate-calcium-magnesium mineral water in patients suffering from pain and other symptoms caused by biliary dyskinesias, biliary sand (without gallstones), or following a cholecystectomy (post-cholecystectomy syndromes).

Preparation and cytotoxicity of N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan/alginate beads containing gold nanoparticles.

Polyelectrolyte complex beads based on N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC) and sodium alginate (ALG) were obtained. This biomaterial was characterised by FTIR, TGA/DTG, DSC and SEM analysis. The good properties of polyelectrolyte complex hydrogel beads were associated, for the first time, with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).

[The possible uses of balneotherapy in treating chronic venous insufficiency of lower limbs].

The Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) of inferior limbs is a widespread disease, with an increasing incidence as a consequence of longer life expectance, life-style, obesity, smoking, use of drugs as oestrogens and progestins and working conditions. Medical therapy is still lacking for evidence of efficacy, and compression therapy is useful only in preventing a worsening of this condition. Surgical treatment is the only radical therapy effective for the advanced phases of the disease.

Synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxicity of TMC-graft-poly(vinyl alcohol) copolymers.

N-trimethyl chitosan-graft-poly(vinyl alcohol) (TMC-g-PVA) copolymers were prepared. The grafting reactions were conducted in water changing the feed ratios of poly(vinyl alcohol)/6-O-succinate-N-trimethyl chitosan (PVA/STMC). The structure of TMC-g-PVA copolymers was characterized through (1)H NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Antimicrobial activity of plants used as medicinals on an indigenous reserve in Rio das Cobras, Paraná, Brazil.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: A considerable percentage of global biodiversity is located in Brazil, a country that also has rich cultural and ethnic diversity. In the community of Rio das Cobras, Paraná, plants are still widely used in the health care not only by indigenous people but also by the non-indigenous population that inhabits the region. The investigation of the efficacy and safety of these plants in the treatment of infectious diseases provides insights for future studies of these species allowing the appropriated use by the indigenous people, since few or none study has been conducted so far.

Evaluation of the antiproliferative activity of the leaves from Arctium lappa by a bioassay-guided fractionation.

Arctium lappa L. (Asteraceae) is used in folk medicine around the World, and shows several kinds of biological activity, particularly in vitro antitumor activity in different cell lines. This study evaluated the antiproliferative activity of the crude extract, semipurified fractions, and isolated compounds from the leaves of A.