We investigated the antioxidant activity of phenylpropionic acids--caffeic (CAF), ferulic (FER), para-coumaric (COU) and cinnamic (CIN)--and phenolic acids and related compounds--gallic (GAL), methyl gallate (meGAL), vanillic (VAN) and gentisic (GEN)--using visible spectroscopy, inhibition of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction, and electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry and potentiometry. In the spectroscopic assays, only CAF, GAL and meGAL were able to inhibit NBT reduction. The same compounds showed the lowest oxidation potentials (Epa) and the highest redox potentials deltaE) in the cyclic voltammetric and potentiometric studies, respectively. In addition, it was observed that the greater the number of hydroxyls linked to the aromatic ring, the greater was the antioxidant activity of the analysed compounds. The correlations of Spermann--used to compare the methods between themselves and the methods with the relationship structure-antioxidant activity--were r = -0.9762 for the cyclic voltammetric-potentiometric methods. r = 0.8333 for the inhibition of NBT reduction-potentiometric methods and r = -0.8095 for the inhibition of NBT reduction-cyclic voltammetric methods. The correlations for cyclic voltammetric, potentiometric and inhibition of NBT reduction methods-number of hydroxyls linked to the aromatic ring were r = -0.9636, 0.9636 and 0.9142, respectively. These findings indicate that the electrochemical methods together with spectroscopic studies are a good tool to evaluate the antioxidant activity of substances.

Estudo de utilização de medicamentos em idosos residentes em uma cidade do sul de Santa Catarina (Brasil): um olhar sobre a polimedicaçãoStudy of the use of medicine in elderly living in a city in the South of Santa Catarina (Brazil): a look at the polymedication

O comportamento eletroquímico do ácido cafeico (H 3 CAF) em meio aquoso foi estudado na faixa de pH 2,0-8,5 aplicando-se as técnicas voltametria cíclica, eletrólise com potencial controlado e espectroscopia UV-vis. A eletro-oxidação envolve a transferência reversível de dois elétrons e de dois prótons em soluções de pH até 5,5, de acordo com o mecanismo uma etapa-dois elétrons. Em soluções de pH superiores a 5,5 a eletro-oxidação do H 3 CAF segue um mecanismo EC i . O principal produto desta oxidação é a o-quinona correspondente (o-HCAF), a qual decompõe-se rapidamente em soluções de pH superior a 7,4, obedecendo a uma cinética de primeira ordem. Na faixa de pH 2,0-8,5, o potencial formal (E 0' ) varia linearmente com o pH, gerando uma reta com coeficiente angular de -60,83 mV/pH. Em paralelo, a corrente de pico anódica (i pa ) diminui de modo não-linear. Os processos são controlados por difusão em toda a faixa de pH estudada.The electrochemical behavior of caffeic acid (H 3 CAF) in aqueous solutions with pH 2.0 to 8.5 was studied by cyclic voltammetry, controlled potential electrolysis and UV-vis spectroscopy. The electrooxidation of H 3 CAF involves a reversible transfer of two electrons and two protons in solutions of pH up to 5.5, in agreement with the one step-two electron mechanism. In solutions of pH higher than 5.5, the process of electro-oxidation of H 3 CAF follows an EC i mechanism. The main oxidation product is the corresponding o-quinone (o-HCAF), which is decomposed quickly at pH higher than 7.4 obeying a first order kinetics. In the pH range investigated, the formal potential (E 0' ) varies linearly with pH, generating a straight line with an angular coefficient of -60.83 mV/pH. In parallel, the anodic peak current (i pa ) decreases in a nonlinear mode. The processes are controlled by diffusion over the whole pH range studied.

Background The inadequate management of solid waste impacts populations’ health and quality of life, and disproportionately affects developing countries. This study aims to describe a protocol for epidemiological diagnosis, the purpose being to estimate the prevalence of chronic and communicable and non communicable diseases in waste pickers, and the occupational and environmental risk factors to which these are exposed. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, based on survey design in an area of extreme social vulnerability – the largest garbage dump in Latin America. Using a multidimensional research protocol, divided in three stages : 1- The identification of the subjects, and the scheduling of tests; 2- Situational diagnosis through interviews, anthropometric evaluation, measuring blood pressure, collecting hair and nail samples to detect exposure to heavy metals and undertaking laboratory tests; 3- The return of the waste pickers to receive the test results, followed by referral to the health team and to report occupational accidents. Results One thousand twenty-five waste pickers undertook tests and interviews. The majority were women (67.0%), with 36–45 years old (45.7%), and 96.0% had children. In total, 27.3% of the participants did not attend to any school and 47.7% were educated only up to primary level. The majority of waste pickers (68.70%) reported accidents and most of them (89.69%) were related to sharp objects. The mean time working in this open dump was 15 years. According the anthropometric measure, 32.6% were overweight and 21.1% were obese. The most common reported diseases were: osteomuscular disorders (78.7%); arboviruses (28.6%); episodic diarrhea (24.9%); hypertension (24.2%); bronchitis (14.3%); intestinal worms (12.6%) and diabetes (10.1%). According to the blood tests, the values outside the reference limits were: Uric acid (23.89%); creatinine (54.06%); GGT range (16.04%); SGOT - Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (5.29%); SGPT - serum Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase (35.52%). Conclusions This study is the first to evaluate multiple risks and diseases in the majority of waste pickers working in the largest garbage dump of a continent. These findings highlight the importance to address urgently the environmental, social and health impacts related to the management of solid waste in developmental countries to protect these workers and their families. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6879-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Automedicação em estudantes universitários: a influência da área de formaçãoSelf-medication among university students: the influence of the field of study

No abstract

This article presents a review, based on a qualitative study, of pharmaceutical orientation in the management of minor illness. Action research methodology was used by a group of faculty members responsible for the community pharmacy internship and by postgraduates in clinical pharmacy, to carry out the study with the objective to present a standard service for this kind of procedure. The interaction with the individual starts with a welcoming reception, at which point the pharmacist should be receptive and show empathy. Subsequently, data from the history of the patient are collected to obtain relevant information. Based on this information, the pharmacist must develop a line of clinical reasoning and make a decision, taking the context of the patient into account. After this analysis, the most appropriate intervention is performed. This intervention could indicate the need for referral to another health professional, the use of a non-pharmacological therapy or the provision of sound advice on medicines available without prescription. The next step is monitoring the patient in order to identify the effectiveness and safety of treatment. The standardization process of pharmaceutical attendance in the management of minor disorders contributes to the rational use of medicines.Uniterms: Self-medication. Community pharmacy. Drugs/rational use. Pharmaceutical orientation. Responsible self-medication. Minor illness.A reflexão apresentada neste artigo representa um estudo de abordagem qualitativa baseada na pesquisaação da prática do atendimento farmacêutico no manejo de transtornos menores, realizada pelo grupo de professores do Estágio em Farmácia Comunitária e por farmacêuticos pós-graduados em Farmácia Clínica, com o objetivo de realizar uma proposta de atendimento padrão para este tipo de procedimento. A interação com o indivíduo é iniciada pelo acolhimento, momento no qual o farmacêutico deve ser receptivo e empático. A seguir, se executa a coleta de dados sobre a história do paciente, para obtenção de informações relevantes. Com base nas informações, o farmacêutico deve desenvolver um raciocínio clínico e tomar uma decisão, levando em consideração o contexto do paciente. Após esta análise é realizada a intervenção mais adequada ou o conjunto dessas que podem ser: procurar outro profissional de saúde, utilizar uma terapia não-farmacológica ou auxiliar na escolha de um medicamento de venda livre. O próximo passo é o acompanhamento do paciente com vistas a identificar a efetividade e segurança do tratamento. A padronização do processo de atendimento farmacêutico no manejo de transtornos menores, contribui para o uso racional de medicamentos.

Background:The complexity of a medication regimen is related to the multiple characteristics of the prescribed regimen and can negatively influence the health outcomes of patients.Objective:To propose cut-off points in the complexity of pharmacotherapy to distinguish between patients with low and high complexities seen in a primary health care (PHC) setting to enable prioritization of patient management.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study, which included 517 adult and elderly patients, analyzing different cut-off points to define the strata of low and high pharmacotherapy complexities based on percentiles of the population evaluated. Data collection began with the solicitation of prescriptions, followed by a questionnaire that was administered by an interviewer. The complexity of a medication regimen was estimated from the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI). High complexity pharmacotherapy scores were analyzed from patient profiles, the use of health services, and pharmacotherapy. The criteria for subject inclusion in the sample population were as follows: inhabitant of the area covered by the municipality, 18 years or older, and being prescribed at least one drug during the collection period. Exclusion criteria at the time of collection were the use of any medication whose prescription was not available. All medications were accessed through the Primary Healthcare Service (PHS).Results:The median total pharmacotherapy complexity score was 8.5. High MRCI scores were correlated with age, medications taken with in the Brazilian PHS, having at least one potential drug-related problem, receiving up to eight years of schooling, number of medications and polypharmacy (five or more medicines), number of medical conditions, number of medical appointments, and number of cardiovascular diseases and endocrine metabolic diseases. We suggest different complexity tracks according to age (e.g., adult or elderly) that consider the pharmacotherapy and population coverage characteristics as high complexity limits. For the elderly patients, the tracks were as follows: MRCI≥25.4, MRCI≥20.9, MRCI≥17.5, MRCI≥15.7, MRCI≥14.0, and MRCI≥13.0. For adult patients, the limits of high complexity were MRCI≥25.1; MRCI ≥ 23.8; MRCI≥21.0; MRCI≥17.0; MRCI≥16.5; and MRCI≥15.5.Conclusion:The medication regimen complexity is associated with the patient’s illness profile and problems with the use of drugs; therefore, the proposed scores can be useful in prioritizing patients for clinical care by pharmacists and other health professionals.