Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson is a tree found in the northern Amazon savannahs (common name:Promoting scientific research into traditional medicine can be a means of preventing the disappearance of the cultural practices of a people and provide a simple and locally accessible therapeutic alternative to local health authorities. In recent times, greater access to industrialized pharmaceuticals has, in general, been accompanied by a decline in medicinal knowledge and the use of plant-based remedies. However, in the Amazon Region, the medicinal use of products derived from plants by local communities continues to be a significant practice. Furthermore, many local indigenous populations depend exclusively on natural products for the treatment and cure of disease (Milliken 1995). In general, many widely-used plant-derived remedies from the Amazon have never been evaluated in a laboratory or clinical setting. Such investigations generate valuable knowledge on the potential of Amazon biodiversity (Carneiro et al. 2008).Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson (Apocynaceae) is a tree found in Panama, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and in the savannah regions of the state of Roraima (RR), in the northern Brazilian Amazon (Milliken 1995, Wood et al. 2001, Mobot 2007 (Elizabetsky & Castilhos 1990) and are important agents in the treatment of blood parasites such as Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania donovani (Mesquita et al. 2005). Antitumor and aphrodisiac properties have been reported for the latex derived from sucuba, which is typically diluted in water and administered orally (Van den Berg 1984). According to Souza et al. (2004), plants belonging to the genus Himatanthus demonstrate a large spectrum of anti-bacterial activities. Also, sucuba is commonly sold for use as an antimicrobial agent in popular markets in RR. No previous investigation of the antibacterial or antifungal activity of H. articulatus is available in the literature, although antimicrobial activity has been reported for other Himatanthus spp. (Morel et al. 2006).It is known that microorganisms frequently become resistant to conventional antimicrobial agents, so the utilization of natural antimicrobial agents could represent a low-cost alternative therapy for traditional communities from the Brazilian Amazon. Also, chemical studies of antimicrobial plant extracts could reveal new substances with potential usefulness as antimicrobial drugs or as models for the development of new drugs. Thus, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the antibacterial and antifungal potential of leaf, bark and branch wood extracts and the latex of H. articulatus against the growth of several human pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains.According to statistical data available from the Laboratório Central de Roraima (LACEN), which is located in Boa Vista, the capital of RR, for the period of 2004-2007, Escherichia coli was responsible for 80% of the clinical cases of genital and urinary infections, Staphylococcus aureus was resp...
Syphilis continues to be a public health problem worldwide and its incidence has increased in people living with HIV/AIDS in recent years. This study determined the prevalence and factors associated with syphilis in people living with HIV/AIDS in the city of Belém, northern Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to November 2018. A total of 500 people living with HIV/AIDS attended at a specialized unit of the public health network of the State of Pará were studied. Questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic data and potential risk factors for syphilis. Blood samples were collected from all subjects and screened for syphilis using VDRL, and the seropositive were confirmed using FTA-abs. Logistic regressions were used to identify the factors associated with syphilis. Most subjects were male (56.8%), had more than 40 years (54.0%), single (63.0%), had finished high school (54.2%), had monthly income ≤1 minimum wage (72.4%), and had been born to the city of Belém (59.8%). Prevalence of syphilis was 6.4%. Eight characteristics/behaviors associated with syphilis: male, young adults, single, studied at least high school, monthly income >1 minimum wage, homosexual/bisexual, does not use or sporadically use condoms during sexual intercourse, and have had more than one sexual partner in the last three months. The prevalence of syphilis in people living with HIV/AIDS in Belém is low when compared to other Brazilian states. However, there is a need for public policies and actions to monitor, control and prevent these two sexually transmitted infections.
Objetivo: Avaliar a Qualidade de Vida (QV) dos portadores de HIV/AIDS que residem no estado de Roraima e seu impacto sobre o processo saúde-doença. Métodos: Pesquisa transversal, descritiva, de caráter quantitativo, envolvendo 70 participantes, com idades entre 18 a 65 anos. Foram aplicados dois questionários, um sociodemográfico e o WHOQOL-120 HIV específico para avaliar a QV dos portadores de HIV/AIDS. A análise inferencial dos dados foi realizada através do teste T de Student. Resultados: Verificou-se que nos domínios Nível de Independência, Relações Sociais, Meio Ambiente e Espiritualidade/Religiosidade/Crenças, os participantes que ganham mais de um salário mínimo possuem melhores escores de QV. Evidenciou-se que os participantes que possuíam carga viral indetectável, apresentavam melhor QV em relação ao domínio Psicológico. Foi observada também maior prevalência de HIV/AIDS entre os participantes do sexo masculino. Conclusão: Observa-se que as questões financeiras influenciam a QV dessa população apesar dos grandes avanços relacionados à melhoria na qualidade do tratamento e também dos serviços de saúde. Conclui-se que Qualidade de Vida, envolve não somente as características biológicas da doença, mas uma infinidade de fatores que influenciam diretamente no prognóstico e na resposta ao tratamento.
Objetivo: Estimar a prevalência e os possíveis fatores de risco associados às Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis (IST) na terceira idade. Métodos: Trata-se de estudo transversal, analítico de caráter quantitativo, realizado na região norte do Brasil, no período de março a dezembro de 2019, com 200 idosos, os quais foram submetidos a questionários e realização de testes rápidos para Sífilis, Hepatite B, Hepatite C e Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana (HIV). Resultados: A prevalência das Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis (IST) foi de 6% e entre as 12 ocorrências, foram observados 9 casos (4,5%) de sífilis, dois (1%) de hepatite C e um (0,5%) de infecção pelo HIV. Houve associação entre ter IST e ser homem, ter relacionamento fixo e não usar preservativo rotineiramente. Conclusão: Os resultados demonstraram um elevado percentual de ISTs entre idosos associadas a vários fatores, evidenciando situações de vulnerabilidade dessa população. Propõe-se educação contínua por meio dos profissionais de saúde, abordando vários aspectos da sexualidade, formas de prevenção e transmissão das IST, além do diagnóstico precoce, proporcionando assim uma melhor qualidade de vida a essa população.
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