Hasil untuk "Pharmacy and materia medica"

Carlo Ciccullo, Marco Grassi, Marco Antonio Carletti et al.

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Hospital-acquired and fracture-related infections remain major complications in orthopedic trauma surgery, with significant clinical and socio-economic impact. Antibacterial implant surface coatings represent a promising strategy to reduce early postoperative bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. <b>Methods</b>: This retrospective matched case–control study evaluated the clinical effectiveness of an antibiotic-free fast-resorbable hyaluronic acid and poly-<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>, <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-lactide hydrogel (DAC^®) applied intraoperatively to orthopedic implants. A total of 222 patients with comorbidities who underwent open reduction and internal fixation between May 2023 and April 2024 in two trauma centers were included: 99 patients received the DAC^® coating and 123 served as controls with standard fixation. The primary endpoint was infection incidence within 6 months; secondary endpoints included wound complications, revision surgery, prolonged antibiotic therapy, and bone healing. <b>Results</b>: Postoperative infection incidence was significantly lower in the DAC^® group compared with controls (0.7% vs. 5.3%; <i>p</i> = 0.0363). Wound complications were also reduced (1.3% vs. 8.0%; <i>p</i> = 0.028), and only one patient in the DAC^® cohort required additional surgical interventions or prolonged antibiotic therapy. Bone healing outcomes were comparable between groups, with no delayed unions reported in the treated cohort. <b>Conclusions</b>: Even if larger prospective studies with longer follow-up are required to further confirm these findings and better define long-term safety and effectiveness, the routine intraoperative use of DAC^® hydrogel without antibiotic loading appears to be a safe and promising strategy to reduce early postoperative infections and wound complications in orthopedic trauma patients with comorbidities.

Faezeh Shaban, Shaghyegh Ghadimi, Afra Alipour et al.

Orthodontic-related root resorption affects dental health. The aim of the present study was to review the research conducted on the risk factors associated with orthodontic-related root resorption and its treatment methods. This is a review on scientific databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Available data were extracted from the studies, and they were reviewed for quality and methodology. Between 2021 and 2024, 16,531 records were identified. Based on the search keywords, 398 studies were remined from screened records, and finally, 24 records were included. Factors such as the intensity and duration of orthodontic forces, tooth root characteristics (including root length and shape), age, history of dental trauma, and genetics may increase the risk of root resorption.

Thayná Figueredo Góis, Amanda Maria Paixão Soares, Anna Gabriela Souto Maior Nascimento

Introdução: A efetividade do tratamento farmacológico está intimamente relacionada à disponibilidade do medicamento de forma acessível ao usuário1. O Componente Especializado da Assistência Farmacêutica (CEAF) busca garantir a integralidade do tratamento medicamentoso para agravos crônicos e raros, com custos de tratamento mais elevados ou de maior complexidade2. Durante o fluxo padrão, do cadastro à dispensação do medicamento, por vezes se faz necessário o comparecimento do paciente ou familiar à sede do CEAF, fato que, em alguns casos, se torna uma barreira de acesso; principalmente para pacientes idosos, com mobilidade reduzida ou vulneráveis financeiramente, comprometendo assim a disponibilidade do medicamento ao usuário e a adesão ao tratamento farmacológico3. O Programa Remédio em Casa é uma iniciativa pública que, inicialmente, foi instituída visando à entrega domiciliar de medicamentos a pacientes atendidos nas unidades de atenção básica. Mas, recentemente, observa-se a expansão ou implementação do programa no CEAF em alguns estados4,5. Objetivo: Neste contexto, este estudo foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar a extensão, em âmbito nacional, do Programa Remédio em Casa no Componente Especializado da Assistência Farmacêutica (CEAF), e o seu impacto no tratamento medicamentoso de pacientes vulneráveis portadores de agravos crônicos e raros. Material e Método: Tratou-se de um estudo quantitativo de caráter descritivo, cuja análise foi realizada a partir de dados coletados em publicações científicas, sites oficiais do governo ou contato direto com as coordenações dos CEAFs estaduais. Resultados: No levantamento realizado, encontraram-se registros do programa de entrega domiciliar de medicamentos do CEAF em 50% dos estados brasileiros e no Distrito Federal, sendo eles Acre, Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, São Paulo e Sergipe; com variações no nome do programa como “Medicamento em Casa”, “Remédio aqui em Casa” ou apenas “Entrega à Domicílio do CEAF”. Sobre os demais estados, não foram encontrados registros públicos a respeito, tampouco houve sucesso nas tentativas de contato. Como impacto do programa nos estados em que está implantado, têm-se uma maior adesão terapêutica e alto nível de satisfação dos pacientes beneficiados, com geração de bem-estar e qualidade de vida, além do melhoramento do fluxo de atendimento a todos os usuários, com redução de filas e do tempo de espera dos atendimentos presenciais. Conclusões: Assim, conclui-se que o serviço de entrega domiciliar de medicamentos do CEAF, comumente nomeado “Programa Remédio em Casa”, é uma estratégia eficiente de apoio à saúde pública, através da garantia do acesso ao medicamento e melhoria da adesão terapêutica. Além da promoção da inclusão social, ao fortalecer a cidadania de uma parcela vulnerável da população, é evidenciado, ainda, a grande possibilidade de replicação, adaptabilidade e expansão do projeto para os demais estados do país.

Kirana H, Murthy RLN, Sindhu L

Medicinal plants and their secondary metabolites are progressively used in the treatment of various diseases as complementary medicines. The safety of many efficient synthetic medications has become dubious due to their side effects and serious health risks prompting a shift towards natural alternatives. Recent studies have shown that many medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities are rich in alkaloids which serve as bioactive compounds. Alkaloids are characterized by their diverse chemical structure and have been extensively documented for their pharmacological effects. Out of 171 alkaloids evaluated 137 demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity. This clearly indicates that the alkaloidal compounds play a crucial role in therapeutic potential of various herbal drugs. Hence the present review explored the alkaloid rich herbs such as Berberis vulgaris Leucas aspera Adhatoda vasica Trigonella foenum-graecum Punica granatum Areca catechu Tinospora cordifolia Colchicum autumnale Piper nigrum and Piper longum etc. and their effect on inflammation. These herbal phytoconstituents exhibit significant anti-inflammatory activity mainly by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 COX-2 enzyme. They also can directly modulate inflammatory mediators like interleukins IL prostaglandins PG and thromboxanes TXs. By understanding the relationship between alkaloids and anti-inflammatory activity we can better appreciate their therapeutic value in wide range of pathological conditions involving chronic inflammation and work towards developing them into effective therapeutic agents.

Shuai Li, Zhesheng Zhao, A-Man Zhang et al.

In this paper, we present a theoretical, experimental, and numerical study of the dynamics of cavitation bubbles inside a droplet suspended in another host fluid. On the theoretical side, we provided a modified Rayleigh collapse time and natural frequency for spherical bubbles in our particular context, characterized by the density ratio between the two liquids and the bubble-to-droplet size ratio. Regarding the experimental aspect, experiments were carried out for laser-induced cavitation bubbles inside oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) droplets. Two distinct fluid-mixing mechanisms were unveiled in the two systems, respectively. In the case of O/W droplets, a liquid jet emerges around the end of the bubble collapse phase, effectively penetrating the droplet interface. We offer a detailed analysis of the criteria governing jet penetration, involving the standoff parameter and impact velocity of the bubble jet on the droplet surface. Conversely, in the scenario involving W/O droplets, the bubble traverses the droplet interior, inducing global motion and eventually leading to droplet pinch-off when the local Weber number exceeds a critical value. This phenomenon is elucidated through the equilibrium between interfacial and kinetic energies. Lastly, our boundary integral model faithfully reproduces the essential physics of nonspherical bubble dynamics observed in the experiments. We conduct a parametric study spanning a wide parameter space to investigate bubble-droplet interactions. The insights from this study could serve as a valuable reference for practical applications in the field of ultrasonic emulsification, pharmacy, etc.

M. Ghavam, M. D. Filipović, R. Z. E. Alsaberi et al.

We present new Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio observations toward N49, one of the brightest extragalactic Supernova remnants (SNRs) located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Our new and archival ATCA radio observations were analysed along with $Chandra$ X-ray data. These observations show a prominent `bullet' shaped feature beyond the southwestern boundary of the SNR. Both X-ray morphology and radio polarisation analysis support a physical connection of this feature to the SNR. The 'bullet' feature's apparent velocity is estimated at $\sim$1300 km s$^{-1}$, based on its distance ($\sim$10 pc) from the remnant's geometric centre and estimated age ($\sim$7600 yrs). we estimated the radio spectral index, $α= -0.55 \pm 0.03$ which is typical of middle-age SNRs. Polarisation maps created for N49 show low to moderate levels of mean fractional polarisation estimated at 7$\pm$1% and 10$\pm$1% for 5.5 and 9 GHz, respectively. These values are noticeably larger than found in previous studies. Moreover, the mean value for the Faraday rotation of SNR N49 from combining CABB data is 212$\pm$65 rad m$^{-2}$ and the maximum value of RM is 591$\pm$103 rad m$^{-2}$.

Khyati V Patel, Ajay Kubavat, Nikunj Prajapati et al.

Aim: The current study's objective was to find out the prevalence of malocclusion and the need for orthodontic treatment in 13- to 15-year-old school students in the Mehsana District of Gujarat using the IOTN. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional epidemiological survey was planned among 13- to 15-year-old school-going children of Mehsana district. The sample comprised of 1290 school children. DHC-IOTN was applied to evaluate normative need for orthodontic treatment. Perceived orthodontic treatment was described by the Aesthetic component of the IOTN index. Results: Results showed that 33.7 percent of participants required little/no treatment need, 43.9 percent of participants required moderate orthodontic treatment need, and 22.4 percent of participants required severe orthodontic treatment need in the district. Conclusion: To prepare for public orthodontic and dental services, the current study provides baseline data on the need for orthodontic treatment among school-aged children.

Prof Dr Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamed

Adolescence is an important developmental period1,2 characterized by engagement in risky behaviours, including the use of tobacco products such as cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems such as e-cigarettes (e-cigs)3. The use of tobacco in the form of cigarettes and e-cigs is indeed of interest to the public health community and the nation at large. E-cigs are defined as devices that deliver aerosolized or vaporised nicotine form heating of liquids (e-juice) with constituents including nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol, and other flavouring agents. It has been reported that 90% of smokers start smoking before the age of 18 years4. The Tobacco & E-Cigarette Survey among Malaysian Adolescents (TECMA) 2016, a nationwide school-based survey, found 11.7% current cigarette smokers among students between 10 to 19 years old. 78.7% of ever cigarette smokers tried their first cigarette before the age of 14. In addition, 9.1% of the students were current e-cigarettes users, with 40.9% vaping once a day and 33.9% doing it 2 to 5 times per day. Alarmingly, data from the 2022 Adolescent Health Survey found a sharp increase in adolescent vaping prevalence among adolescents aged 13-17 years old, reaching a high of 14.9% in 2022.6 E-cigs are heavily promoted directly to users include advertising and promotion at combustible cigarette point-of-sale (e.g., behind cashier’s counter). E-cigs are also promoted via physical and online shops, internet, social media, events, etc. According to TECMA, 10.6% of school-going adolescents aged 10-19 years were offered a free trial session of e-cigarette/vape while 7.9% were offered a free e-cigarette/ vape liquid (e-liquid)5. With proliferation of e-cig promotions via the social media, internet, and vape shops (some under the guise of selling electronic products, handphones, etc.,), using celebrities and others, the number of dual users and vapers among non-smokers, especially adolescents in Malaysia can be even higher now. In early adolescence, development of executive function and neurocognitive processes in the brain has not fully matured. Adolescence is a sensitive period for maturation of brain circuits that regulate cognition and emotion, with resulting vulnerability to the effects of nicotine and tobacco. The rapidly changing, immature adolescent brain has differing sensitivity to drugs such as nicotine and tobacco, and drug exposure during this time can lead to long-term changes in neural circuitry and behaviour6. The American Academy of Pediatrics produced a policy statement showing evidence regarding the effects of nicotine on the developing brain. Nicotine has neurotoxic effects on the developing brain, an effect on the brain as a “gateway” drug for cocaine and other illicit drugs. The gateway theory postulates that smoking, especially among adolescence, increases the risk of substance use due to effects of nicotine, shown to be a neuroteratogen that exerts long-term, maturational effects at critical stages of brain development7.

Vanessa Mildenberger, Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza, Ernesto M. Martell-Huguet et al.

The diminishing portfolio of mankind’s available antibiotics urges science to develop novel potent drugs. Here, we present a peptide fitting the typical blueprint of amphipathic and membrane-active antimicrobial peptides, denominated C14R. This 2 kDa peptide consists of 16 amino acid residues, with seven being either hydrophobic, aromatic, or non-polar, and nine being polar or positively charged, strictly separated on opposite sides of the predicted α-helix. The affinity of the peptide C14R to <i>P. aeruginosa</i> membranes and its intrinsic tendency to productively insert into membranes of such composition were analyzed by dynamic simulations. Its biological impact on the viability of two different <i>P. aeruginosa</i> reference strains was demonstrated by determining the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), which were found to be in the range of 10–15 µg/mL. C14R’s pore-forming capability was verified in a permeabilization assay based on the peptide-triggered uptake of fluorescent dyes into the bacterial cells. Finally, the peptide was used in radial diffusion assays, which are commonly used for susceptibility testing of antimicrobial peptides in clinical microbiology. In comparison to reference strains, six clinical <i>P. aeruginosa</i> isolates were clearly affected, thereby paving the way for further in-depth analyses of C14R as a promising new AMP drug in the future.

Satvik Sharma, Huang Huang, Kaushik Shivakumar et al.

Moving objects to find a fully-occluded target object, known as mechanical search, is a challenging problem in robotics. As objects are often organized semantically, we conjecture that semantic information about object relationships can facilitate mechanical search and reduce search time. Large pretrained vision and language models (VLMs and LLMs) have shown promise in generalizing to uncommon objects and previously unseen real-world environments. In this work, we propose a novel framework called Semantic Mechanical Search (SMS). SMS conducts scene understanding and generates a semantic occupancy distribution explicitly using LLMs. Compared to methods that rely on visual similarities offered by CLIP embeddings, SMS leverages the deep reasoning capabilities of LLMs. Unlike prior work that uses VLMs and LLMs as end-to-end planners, which may not integrate well with specialized geometric planners, SMS can serve as a plug-in semantic module for downstream manipulation or navigation policies. For mechanical search in closed-world settings such as shelves, we compare with a geometric-based planner and show that SMS improves mechanical search performance by 24% across the pharmacy, kitchen, and office domains in simulation and 47.1% in physical experiments. For open-world real environments, SMS can produce better semantic distributions compared to CLIP-based methods, with the potential to be integrated with downstream navigation policies to improve object navigation tasks. Code, data, videos, and the appendix are available: https://sites.google.com/view/semantic-mechanical-search

Nayara S. LEITE, Fabiola S. VIEIRA

Objectives: To identify methods and indicators applied to the evaluation of the results of hospital pharmaceutical care (AFH). Methods: A scoping review was carried out, considering the PRISMA recommendations. The search was carried out in the EMBASE, MEDLINE and LILACS databases. The analysis sought to explore the methods and indicators employed, and to identify the quality dimensions investigated. Results: Of 418 articles analyzed, six were included in the study. All employed quantitative methods and the indicators used analyzed the evolution, acceptability, efficiency and optimization of pharmaceutical care. Conclusion: It is concluded that studies evaluating the results of AFH are still scarce and that there is a lack of knowledge, especially regarding indicators of effectiveness, lack and equity of care in this area. However, simple, easy-to-apply and low-cost indicators have been identified that can be used in the evaluation of AFH regarding its passage, acceptability, efficiency and optimization.

Dulce Mata-Espinosa, Jacqueline V. Lara-Espinosa, Jorge Barrios-Payán et al.

Tuberculosis (TB), an infection caused by <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)</i>, is one of the primary causes of death globally. The treatment of TB is long and based on several drugs, producing problems in compliance and toxicity, increasing <i>Mtb</i> resistance to first-line antibiotics that result in multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB. Thus, the need for new anti-TB treatments has increased. Here, we review some model strategies to study gene therapy based on the administration of a recombinant adenovirus that encodes diverse cytokines, such as IFNγ, IL12, GM/CSF, OPN, TNFα, and antimicrobial peptides to enhance the protective immune response against <i>Mtb</i>. These models include a model of progressive pulmonary TB, a model of chronic infection similar to latent TB, and a murine model of pulmonary <i>Mtb</i> transmission to close contacts. We also review new vaccines that deliver <i>Mtb</i> antigens via particle- or virus-based vectors and trigger protective immune responses. The results obtained in this type of research suggest that this is an alternative therapy that has the potential to treat active TB as an adjuvant to conventional antibiotics and a promising preventive treatment for latent TB reactivation and <i>Mtb</i> transmission. Moreover, Ad vector vaccines are adequate for preventing infectious diseases, including TB.

Davide Bassani, Matteo Pavan, Mattia Sturlese et al.

The function of the allosteric sodium ion in stabilizing the inactive form of GPCRs has been extensively described in the past decades. Its presence has been reported to be essential for the binding of antagonist molecules in the orthosteric site of these very important therapeutical targets. Among the GPCR–antagonist crystal structures available, in most cases, the sodium ion could not be experimentally resolved, obliging computational scientists using GPCRs as targets for virtual screening to ask: “Should the sodium ion affect the accuracy of pose prediction in docking GPCR antagonists?” In the present study, we examined the performance of three orthogonal docking programs in the self-docking of GPCR antagonists to try to answer this question. The results of the present work highlight that if the sodium ion is resolved in the crystal structure used as the target, it should also be taken into account during the docking calculations. If the crystallographic studies were not able to resolve the sodium ion then no advantage would be obtained if this is manually inserted in the virtual target. The outcomes of the present analysis are useful for researchers exploiting molecular docking-based virtual screening to efficiently identify novel GPCR antagonists.

Ana Milevic, Marko Simic, Marina Tomovic et al.

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the effects of methanol extract of G. verum on redox status of isolated heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats after ischemia. Twenty-four Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: untreated control rats and rats that received 125 and 250 mg/kg G. verum extract for 4 weeks per os. Index of lipid peroxidation (measured as TBARS) and parameters of antioxidative defence system such as level of reduced glutathione (GSH) and activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were spectrophotometrically determined in heart homogenate. The index of lipid peroxidation in heart tissue was lower in both treated groups compared to the control group. On the other hand, the activity of SOD was significantly higher after consumption of both doses, while the activity of CAT was significantly higher only after treatment with a higher dose of extract. Based on our results we might conclude that 4-week treatment with methanol extracts of G. verum has the potential to modulate myocardial redox signaling after ischemia, thus significantly alleviating cardiac oxidative stress and exerting dose-dependent antioxidant properties. Future studies are certainly necessary to fully clarify the role of this plant species in myocardial I-R injury.

Lakshmi Prasanna Kolluru, Prachi Atre, Syed A. A. Rizvi

Preparing a suitable formulation for parenteral administration is already a difficult task; this, coupled with poor water-soluble new chemical entity (NCE), complicates this situation even further. There are several methodologies available to enhance water solubility, but this alone does not entail successful formulation. Making a micro/nano emulsion with a suitable surfactant not only increases the drug solubility but also the cell membrane permeability. Thus, not only biopharmaceutic classification system (BCS)-II (low solubility compounds) but also BCS-III (low permeability) and BCS-IV drugs (low solubility and low permeability) can be further exploited. Those drug candidates otherwise will not move further in NCE evaluation or clinical trials. This succinct review article delves into various aspects of biphasic micro/nano emulsion systems for parenteral drug delivery including the structure of the biphasic colloidal systems, characterization parameters, stability issues, regulatory considerations, and applications in life sciences.

Vitri Agustiarini, Endang Darmawan, Akrom

Metabolic syndrome causes an imbalance of the immune system and increased levels of HbA1c and IL-17A expression. Black cumin seed oil (BCSO) is known to have antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. This study reports the effects of dosage variation in BCSO (1.5 and 3 ml per day for 20 days) on HbA1c levels and IL-17A expression in patients at risk of metabolic syndrome at Jetis 1 Public Health Center in Bantul, Yogyakarta. It employed a crossover design in which a total of 66 patients at risk of metabolic syndrome were divided into two groups receiving a sequence of different treatments. Group 1 (N=33) received treatment A first, which was BCSO at a dose of 1.5 ml/day for 20 days. Then, after a washout period of 7 days, it received treatment B, 3 ml of BCSO per day for 20 days. Group 2 followed the same procedure only vice versa, treatment B, then A. The HbA1c levels were measured by the mean plasma glucose (MPG) method, while the IL-17A expression was detected by flow cytometry. The average HbA1c level and IL-17A expression of the treatment groups were statistically analyzed with 95% confidence level. In response to the treatment regime, the HbA1c level of group 1 was 7.34 ± 2.51% (a decrease), and that of group 2 was 7.72 ± 2.44% (an increase). The IL-17 expression in group 1 was 3.74 ± 3.52% (a decrease), and the one in group 2 was 4.07 ± 3.65% (an increase). The effects of administering 1.5 ml and 3 ml BCSO per day for 20 consecutive days on Hb1c level (p=0.17) and IL-17A expression (p=0.67) were not significantly different. Most patients experience a decrease in HbA1c levels and IL-17A expression after the treatment. Insignificant differences between the two groups mean that at the doses of 1.5 ml/day and 3 ml/day for 20 days, BCSO exhibits the same effects in patients at risk of metabolic syndrome registered at Jetis 1 Public Health Center in Bantul, Yogyakarta.

Krajišnik Danina, Milić Jela, Savić Snežana

A greater variety of pharmaceutical preparations can be administered by the parenteral route, the composition of which can be simple (aqueous solutions) and more or less complex (emulsions, suspensions, liposomes as carriers of active pharmaceutical ingredients, particle systems, solid implants/implants). In addition, advances in bioand nanotechnology have enabled the development of new classes of complex drugs, so-called non-biological complex drugs (and their similars) whose further development is expected in the near future, and which are in many cases applied by parenteral route. Parenteral preparations containing active substances encapsulated in the liposome-type carriers represent a class of non-biological complex drugs which have the longest use so far and whose properties and defined quality characteristics are being most examined. In this paper, an overview of mandatory and additional (specific) in vitro tests for parenteral liposomal drug carriers is presented. The fact that standard testing procedures are often not available in relevant pharmacopoeias (Ph. Eur., USP and JP), so that they can vary significantly between laboratories, contributes to the great variability of the results obtained and constraints in their mutual comparison. EMA and FDA, as regulatory agencies, have also participated in the preparation of certain documents and development of appropriate standards and guidelines for quality control of liposomal drug carriers for parenteral application.

Kuninori Iwayama, Junpei Kimura, Aya Mishima et al.

Abstract Background It is well known that low-dose, long-term macrolide therapy is effective against chronic inflammatory airway diseases. Oxidative stress is considered to be a key pathogenesis factor in those diseases. However, the mechanism of action of low-dose, long-term macrolide therapy remains unclear. We have reported that clarithromycin (CAM), which is a representative macrolide antibiotic, could inhibit hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced reduction of the glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) ratio in human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs), via the maintenance of GSH levels through an effect on γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) expression. In this study, we examined the influence of CAM against H2O2-induced activities of cellular antioxidant enzymes and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulatory kinase (p-ERK) using SAECs, the main cells involved in chronic airway inflammatory diseases. Methods SAECs were pretreated with CAM (1, 5, and 10 μM) for 72 h, and subsequently exposed to H2O2 (100 μM) for 0.5–2 h. Levels of GSH and GSSG, and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-1, glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), heme oxygenase (HO)-1 and p-ERK were assayed. mRNA expressions of GPx-1 and HO-1 were measured using the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Tukey’s multiple comparison test was used for analysis of statistical significance. Results Pretreatment with low-dose (1 and 5 μM) CAM for 72 h inhibited H2O2-induced reductions of GPx-1, GR, SOD, CAT and HO-1 activities, and mRNA expressions of GPx-1 and HO-1, and improved the GSH/GSSG ratio. However, these alterations were not observed after pretreatment with high-dose (10 μM) CAM, which suppressed phosphorylation of cell proliferation-associated ERK to cause a significant (p < 0.01) decrease in cell viability. Conclusions CAM is efficacious against deterioration of cellular antioxidant enzyme activity caused by oxidative stress under low-dose, long-term treatment conditions. On the other hand, pretreatment with high-dose CAM suppressed phosphorylation of cell proliferation-associated ERK and decreased cell viability. The present study may provide additional evidence as to why low-dose, long-term administration of macrolides is effective for treating chronic inflammatory airway diseases.

Harris CM, Kiruthi C, Jacob E.

J.D. LIMA, W. da S. MORAES, S.H. MODENESE-GORLA DA SILVA

RESUMO Experimentos foram conduzidos para avaliar o efeito do meio ácido e do alumínio, assim como para determinar a concentração mais apropriada de ácido indolbutírico (AIB) para o enraizamento de estacas de diferentes genótipos de Camellia sinensis L (planta de chá). Para tal, foram coletados ramos de plantas-matrizes em Pariquera-Açu-SP, Brasil, no inverno de 2012 e preparadas estacas semi-lenhosas, contendo uma gema e uma folha, que foram mantidas em viveiro com 70% de sombreamento. A irrigação do substrato foi feita com água e soluções contendo ácido fosfórico e sulfato de alumínio a pH 5,5, 4,5; 3,5. No primeiro experimento, o delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3 x 7, três genótipos (F 15, IAC 259 e Comum) e sete condições diferentes de enraizamento (vermiculita a pH 6,5, vermiculita acidificada com ácido fosfórico a pH 3,5; 4,5 e 5,5 ou vermiculita acidificada com sulfato de alumínio a pH 3,5; 4,5 e 5,5). No segundo experimento, o tratamento que promoveu o maior enraizamento no primeiro experimento (vermiculita acidificada com sulfato de alumínio a pH 3,5) foi combinado ao tratamento com AIB. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3 x 6, sendo três genótipos e seis concentrações de AIB (0, 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000 e 1000 mg L-1). A vermiculita acidificada com sulfato de alumínio a pH 3,5, combinada a aplicação de 10000 mg L-1 de AIB por 30 segundos, foi o tratamento mais adequado para o enraizamento de estacas semi-lenhosas dos genótipos F15, IAC 259 e Comum.