Êurica Adélia Nogueira Ribeiro

Efficacy and Safety of Medicinal Plants or Related Natural Products for Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review

To assess the effects of medicinal plants (MPs) or related natural products (RNPs) on fibromyalgia (FM) patients, we evaluate the possible benefits and advantages of MP or RNP for the treatment of FM based on eight randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) involving 475 patients. The methodological quality of all studies included was determined according to JADAD and “Risk of Bias” with the criteria in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions 5.1.0. Evidence suggests significant benefits of MP or RNP in sleep disruption, pain, depression, joint stiffness, anxiety, physical function, and quality of life. Our results demonstrated that MP or RNP had significant effects on improving the symptoms of FM compared to conventional drug or placebo; longer tests are required to determine the duration of the treatment and characterize the long-term safety of using MP, thus suggesting effective alternative therapies in the treatment of pain with minimized side effects.

Association between visual impairment and depression in the elderly: a systematic review

A systematic review was conducted to investigate the relationship between visual impairment and depression in the elderly. We searched electronic databases (LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception to August 2014 and researched the described references. The search strategy used the following terms: (visual impairment or blindness) and (elderly) and (depression). Of the 641 electronics, 42 works were selected in full and another 20 were identified as being possibly relevant. Ten studies were included. The studies ranged in sample size from 31 to 21,995 participants. Depression was associated with visual impairment in all studies; however, without standardization of diagnostic tests, we could not conduct a meta-analysis or establish a relationship between visual impairment and depression in the elderly.

Indole Alkaloids from Marine Sources as Potential Leads against Infectious Diseases

Indole alkaloids comprise a large and complex class of natural products found in a variety of marine sources. Infectious diseases remain a major threat to public health, and in the absence of long-term protective vaccines, the control of these infectious diseases is based on a small number of chemotherapeutic agents. Furthermore, the emerging resistance against these drugs makes it urgently necessary to discover and develop new, safe and, effective anti-infective agents. In this regard, the aim of this review is to highlight indole alkaloids from marine sources which have been shown to demonstrate activity against infectious diseases.

Antinociceptive activity of Syzygium cumini leaves ethanol extract on orofacial nociception protocols in rodents

Abstract Context: Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae) is a tree with dark purple fruits, popularly known as “jambolão” or “jambolan”. In folk medicine, this plant is used for the treatment of diabetes and inflammatory conditions. Objective: We investigated the antinociceptive effect of ethanol extract (EE) from S. cumini leaves on orofacial nociception. Material and methods: The antinociceptive effects of the EE obtained from the leaves of S. cumini were evaluated in mice using formalin- and glutamate-induced orofacial nociception. Results: ESI-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that major constituents in the analyzed samples coincided with the mass of the phenolic acids and flavonoids. In pharmacological approach, pre-treatment with EE (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) the percentage of paw licks time during phase 2 (43.2, 47.1, and 57.4%, respectively) of a formalin pain test when compared to control group animals. This effect was prevented by pretreatment with glibenclamide and NG-nitro-l-arginine (l-NOARG). The extract, all doses, also caused a marked inhibition (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001) of glutamate-induced orofacial nociception (38.8, 51.7, and 54.7%) when compared with the control group. No effect was observed with the rota-rod model. Conclusions: We can suggest that the antinociceptive effect of the EE is mediated by peripheral mechanisms, possibly involving KATP channels and the nitric oxide pathways. These effects appear to be related to the presence of flavonoids compounds, such as quercetin.

Platelet-rich plasma in diabetic dry eye disease

Objetivo: Avaliar a eficacia do colirio de concentrado de plaquetas (CCP) autologo no olho seco sintomatico de pacientes diabeticos. Projeto Um estudo de intervencao unico grupo prospectivo. Participantes Doze pacientes diabeticos com doenca do olho seco refratario. Metodos Os pacientes foram tratados com colirio de PRP autologo quatro vezes por dia durante um mes. Sintomas de olho seco e sua frequencia, seguindo os criterios de DEWS, tempo de ruptura do filme lacrimal, a melhoria das linhas de acuidade visual e teste de Schirmer. Resultados Todos os pacientes tiveram alguma melhora dos sintomas de ressecamento, coceira, ardor e vermelhidao (p = 0,002). Destes, 41,66% (5/12) tiveram melhora de uma ou mais linhas de acuidade visual em ambos os olhos; 50% e 58,33% nao tinham alteracao no olho direito e esquerdo, respectivamente (p = 0,14) . Considerando o teste de Schirmer, 66,66% (8/12) tiveram melhora no valor do teste, 25% (3/12) nao apresentaram alteracao neste valor de teste e de 8,33% (1/12) tiveram um valor reduzido no teste apos tratamento. (p = 0,04). Considerando o valor de teste BUT 58,33% (7/12) apresentaram melhora no valor de teste e 41,66% (12/05) nao apresentaram alteracao neste valor de teste (p = 0,018). Conclusoes O CCP e seguro e uma terapia alternativa interessante no olho seco diabetico sintomatico. Mais ensaios clinicos sao necessarios para criar protocolos especificos para este tratamento.

Adherence assessment of eye drops in patients with glaucoma using 8 item Morisky Score: a cross sectional study

Objective: To determine adherence to glaucoma eye drops in patients from Glaucoma Project (Ministry of Health) by Morisky scale of 8 items. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study through a questionnaire applied to 237 patients diagnosed with glaucoma regularly enrolled in the Glaucoma Project at Institutode Olhos de Maceio, adapting the Morisky scale, already validated in Portuguese, for eyedrops. The variables were adherence to antiglaucoma eyedrops, age, sex, race, glaucoma diagnosis time, eyedrops number used, systemic diseases, education, subjective vision (categorized in bad, reasonable or good) and the factors correlated with poor adherence. Statistical analysis between variables was performed with the statistical test Chi-square test for categorical variables and test Mann-Whitney test for continuous outcomes, considering a 5% significance level. Results: The rate of adherence to the glaucoma drops was 54%. The age and number of drops (p = 0.02 and 0,03 respectively), and quality of vision (p<0,001) were statistically significant for the inappropriate use of the therapy and the most common reason both adherent group as the non-adherent was forgetfulness (23% and 76,15% respectively). Conclusion: Using the Morisky scale adapted to antiglaucoma eyedrops the adherence was 54%.

Sickle cell retinopathy: A literature review

Hemoglobinopathies are a group of hereditary diseases that cause quantitative or qualitative changes in the shape, function or synthesis of hemoglobin. One of the most common is sickle cell anemia, which, due to sickling of erythrocytes, causes vaso-occlusive phenomena. Among the possible ocular manifestations, the most representative is retinopathy, which can lead to blindness if left untreated. Therefore, periodic ophthalmologic monitoring of these patients is important for early diagnosis and adequate therapeutic management, which can be done localy by treating the lesions in the eyes, or systemically.

The use of platelet rich-plasma in Ophthalmology: a literature review

The aim of this review is to list the ophthalmological conditions in which platelet concentrate (CP) has been used, as well as its biochemical and physiological properties. The CP has both anticatabolic potential, present in autologous serum, and substances with anabolic properties, which together are responsible for its benefits in the treatment of ocular surface diseases. There is currently a shortage of clinical trials in this area, both in ophthalmology and other medical areas, with more studies and reports on the use of autologous serum. In ophthalmology, CP has been used in the treatment of symptomatic dry eye, corneal ulcers and ocular burns, among other applications, being an effective alternative in several ocular pathologies; therefore, it’s evident the importance of more studies in this topic to prove the efficiency of this product.

Clinical features of diabetic patients with dry eye disease in a community in Maceio: a cross-sectional study

Objective: This study was carried out in order to assess the epidemiological profile of symptomatic dry eye in diabetic patients. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-one diabetic patients were evaluated using a specific questionnaire about other diseases and drugs. Of these, 58 who classified as having moderate to severe dry eye were included. Results: In this study, 58 of the 221 diabetic patients had moderate to severe dry eye (26.2%). Of the 58 patients, dry eye was more prevalent at age 61.46 ± 14.18 years for men, and 61.09 ± 10.64 for women (p<0.005). Dry eye was more common in women (75.9%) (p=0.456). Of the 58 patients, 15 (25.9%) had at least one ocular disease.The most common was diabetic retinopathy (13 of 15 patients, 86.7%, 95% CI 69.46-103.87). A total of 19 patients used eye drops (32.8%); and most (14 of the 19 individuals, 73.7%) used lubricants (95%CI 53.88-93.48). Hypertension was the most prevalent associated comorbidity (56.9%) and the most commonly used medications were hypoglycemic agents (98 %, 95%CI 94.00 - 101.92) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (53.1%, 95%CI 53.06 39.09 - 67.04). Conclusion: Further epidemiologic studies need to be done to establish a real etiologic relationship between diabetes and dry eye, and its correlation to other risk factors. In spite of these limitations, we have strong evidence of this relationship, and in clinical practice, examination for dry eye should be part of the assessment of diabetic disease.

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of guanidinederivatives with potential hypoglycemic activity

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of guanidinederivatives with potential hypoglycemic activity Patricia de Albuquerque Sarmento, Polliane Maria Cavalcante-Araujo, Igor Santana de Melo, Paulo Henrique Barcellos Franca, Navylla Candeia de Medeiros, Tales Lyra de Oliveira, Thais Honorio Lins, Regina Celia Sales Santos Verissimo, Maria Lysete de Assis Bastos, Eurica Adelia Nogueira Ribeiro, Robinson Sabino-Silva, Joao Xavier de Araujo-Junior