ABSTRACT Purpose: To analyze the effects of Anacardium occidentale Linn on the healing of skin wounds. Methods: Twenty Wistar male rats were distributed into four groups (with five animals each one): negative control group (NCG), treated with saline solution; cashew tree group (CG), treated with hydroalcoholic extract of the bark of A. occidentale Linn; manipulated cashew tree group (MCG), with the ointment of extract of the bark of A. occidentale Linn; positive control group (PCG), treated with sunflower oil. All animals were examined daily, observing the macroscopic aspects of the surgical wound. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used for tissue morphology analysis and Masson’s trichrome for better collagen fiber characterization. Results: On day 7, the MCG group had the expansion of the surgical wound covered by crust, exceeding the initial limits. On day 21, the wounds were observed to be completely closed and epithelialized in the NCG and CG groups. PCG and MCG still had remnants of crusts on the wound. The NCG was the only one not to present an abscess in histopathological analysis. Conclusions: There was a prolongation of the healing phase of the animals treated with the extract, and the animals in the NCG showed a better outcome by histological analysis.

Abstract Rifampicin is a key component of treatment for tuberculosis and its efficacy is determined by the blood levels attained after therapeutic doses. However, there is a high variability of rifampicin blood levels that is related to both the patient and the formulation used. To date, the effect of diabetes mellitus on the plasma levels of rifampicin was low exploited, which could be relevant either by the significant increase of the comorbidity worldwide as by the probable influence of diabetes on the rifampicin exposure. The study aims to evaluate whether diabetes mellitus contribute to the variation of the maximum concentration of rifampicin in patients with tuberculosis treated with a daily dose of 10 mg/kg. Rifampicin and glycated hemoglobin were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, and blood glucose by spectrophotometry. A total of 62 male patients were included in the study, and 26 presented diabetes mellitus. Rifampicin plasma levels in 2-h plasma samples collected at day 61 ranged from 3 µg/mL to 14.2 µg/mL. Drugs levels were similar between diabetic and non-diabetic patients and were not correlated with blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin. Moreover, a high percentage of patients in both groups presented low levels of rifampicin.

ABSTRACT Rifampicin is used in both phases of treatment for tuberculosis. In chronic use, the short half-life and the self-induction of metabolism can decrease the levels of the drug below the minimal inhibitory concentration. The aim of the study was to investigate whether plasma concentrations of rifampicin are sustained above 0.5 µg/mL in patients with tuberculosis using 600 mg/day. Rifampicin was measured in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography and a sputum smear microscopy was performed in all days of the study. A total of 44 male patients completed the study. On days 31, 61 and 91, the mean plasma concentrations of rifampicin were 0.6 (0.5) µg/mL, 0.55 (0.5) µg/mL and 0.46 (0.4) µg/mL. There was a high variation of rifampicin levels leading to a high percentage of samples with concentrations below 0.5 µg/mL. There was no significant association between the frequency of samples with drug levels below 0.5 µg/mL with the conversion of the sputum microscopy. These data suggest that pre-doses samples offer limited information on the exposure of M. tuberculosis to rifampicin.

ABSTRACT In the last two years, a substantial increase in the number of malaria vivax cases has occurred in the Brazilian Amazon basin. The adequate exposure of hypnozoites to primaquine is a matter of interest as these dormant forms are responsible for the maintenance or even the increase of malaria burden in endemic areas. The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of primaquine and carboxyprimaquine in whole blood samples of patients with P. vivax treated with chloroquine and an abbreviated regimen of primaquine (0.5 mg/kg/d for 7 days), with adequate clinical and parasitological outcomes after 180 days of follow-up. A total of 40 male patients met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Primaquine and carboxyprimaquine were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The levels of primaquine in whole blood samples ranged from 40-238 ng/mL, 42-196 ng/mL and 42-150 ng/mL on days 1, 3 and 7. The levels of carboxyprimaquine in whole blood samples ranged from 87-234 ng/mL, 96-252 ng/mL and 74-448 ng/mL on days 1, 3 and 7. These data provide a reliable estimation of exposure of the infecting parasite to primaquine. Based on the regional pattern of relapse, the estimated blood levels of primaquine can be considered effective against hypnozoites of the local circulating strains of P. vivax.