Cuban patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 2 (SCA2) have reduced concentrations of zinc in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). To assess the effect and safety of zinc supplementation, 36 Cuban SCA2 patients were randomly assigned to receive daily either 50 mg ZnSO(4) or placebo, together with neurorehabilitation therapy in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial during 6 months. Outcome measures included the changes of zinc levels in CSF and serum, ataxia score, oxidative stress and saccadic eye movements. At the end of the study, the Zinc-treated group showed: (i) a significant increase of the Zn levels in the CSF, (ii) mild decrease in the ataxia scale subscores for gait, posture, stance and dysdiadochocinesia (iii) reduction of lipid's oxidative damage, and (iv) reduction of saccadic latency when compared with the placebo group. The treatment was safe and well tolerated by all subjects. This study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of Zn supplementation, combined with neurorehabilitation for SCA2 patients and therefore it may encourage further studies on the clinical effect of zinc supplementation in SCA2 based in the conduction of future clinical trials with higher number of subjects.

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Orthosiphon aristatus (Lamiaceae) is an herb medicinal found mainly in China, Indian and South East Asia. The purpose of this work was to develop a technological process for obtaining dry extract of Orthosiphon aristatus by spray dry. A process for the obtaining of dry extract from aqueous extract of Orthosiphon aristatus was studied. Response Surface Methodology experimental design was applied to evaluate the effects of inlet and outlet air temperature on drying yield (%). Mixture experimental design was applied to evaluate the drying adjuvant -total solids relation. Maltodextrin was evaluated as drying adjuvant. The best results were obtained when applying an inlet temperature of 120 °C and outlet temperature of 80 °C and a drying adjuvant -total solids relation (w/w) of 60:40. Under these conditions it was demonstrated that the process is reproducible scale studied.

Justicia pectoralis Jacq., Acanthaceae, is a herb known popularly in Cuba as Tilo and used traditionally as sedative. The development in a solid pharmaceutical (Tablets 100 mg) using dry extract of Justicia pectolaris aqueous extract is of interest for the development of phytomedicines, which uses this active raw material. The aim of the present study was to carry out chemical and biological stability studies to the formulation. A method of coumarin determination by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used and validated. The stability studies during different periods of time (24 months) showed a stability of the product stored at 32 ± 2 °C, and protected of the light.

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Calcium phosphates are the major inorganic compound found in hard human tissues, being then the main material used to mimetite bone tissues, and considering the increase in the expectation and quality of life, the development of biomaterials for tissue regeneration is of great importance and their demand increases every day. In this work, it was studied the influence of freeze-dry method for the synthesis of nanocrystals of calcium phosphates in the tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) phase due to its similarity with the natural bone. This procedure affects the morphologic and crystallinity characteristics of the β-TCP phase. X-ray diffractograms confirmed a higher degree of crystallinity in the β-TCP freeze-dried. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) histograms from the images of both samples confirmed that the freeze-dried one has presented a narrower particle size distribution with 150 nm average diameter particles, conferring it a technological advantage for bone regeneration applications to prevent the immunological adverse effects.