Cosme Rafael Martínez

Sucrose concentration and pH in liquid oral pediatric medicines of long-term use for children

OBJECTIVES To determine the pH and sucrose concentrations (SC) of pediatric liquid drugs of long-term use by children in order to evaluate the potential risk for dental caries and dental erosion. METHODS After assessing the pH, we analyzed 71 aqueous medicine samples for sucrose by the Lane-Eynon general volumetric method. The pH and SC values (mean +/- standard deviation (SD) were calculated according to therapeutic action. RESULTS The highest and the lowest SC values (mean +/- SD) were found in respiratory (37.75% +/- 17.23%) and endocrine drugs (11.97% +/- 15.16%) (p < 0.01). The values for medicines prescribed for daily ingestion were 47.15% +/- 9.57%, whereas for twice daily and three or four times a day, these numbers were 24.42% +/- 18.03% and 34.43% +/- 14.83%, respectively (p < 0.01). The SC (mean +/- SD)) values were higher in syrups (36.32% +/- 17.62%) than in other formulations (p > 0.05). The overall pH (mean +/- SD) was 5.89 +/- 2.02 (range 2.3 +/- 0.01 to 10.6 +/- 0.02). In products with acidic pH, the SC (mean +/- SD) was significantly lower (22.14% +/- 15.72%) than in nonacidic medicines (39.22% +/- 15.82%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS It can be concluded that the pediatric medicines studied have a high SC and low pH, which vary according to therapeutic class, daily dose, and brand. Caution about dental caries, dental erosion, and systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus is warranted when these medicines are ingested frequently.

Selection of plant growth-promoting bacteria in sweet sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) under the effects of salinity

Background Sorghum, a grassy non-halophyte, it is both drought and salinity tolerant, and is considered a promising crop for semiarid regions. During the last 20 years, its culture has expanded in Brazilian production by 780%, reaching 1,928,970 tons in 2009 [1]. Salinization of the soil and lack of rain are increasing constraints in semiarid regions. They predominate in northeastern Brazil. This has helped limit the production of plant biomass, which is the basis of agricultural activity. The advantages of sorghum in these conditions can be improved still further by using plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) for the biological processes of nitrogen fixation, and hormone production, as well as others [2]. Endophytic bacteria can secrete up to one half of the nitrogen they fix, and plants may then assimilate the nitrogen efficiently [3]. Inoculation with Azotobacter chroococcum has been shown to attenuate stress in maize grown in saline soil [4]. In this study, we evaluated the action of PGPB on a “Wray” saccharine variety with low salinity tolerance.