Qualea grandiflora, a Brazilian "Cerrado" medicinal plant presents an important antiulcer activity.

Qualea grandiflora is one of the species widely used in folk medicine to treat gastric ulcers in Cerrado of the central region of Brazil. The hydroalcoholic extract of bark (HE) of Qualea grandiflora was investigated for their ability to prevent and heal lesions in the gastric mucosa. The oral administration of HE exhibited antiulcer activity decreasing the ulcerative index induced by HCl/ethanol solution, indomethacin/bethanechol and stress. In the Shay model, results showed that HE (p.o.) only reduced the severity of gastric lesions without effects on pH, gastric acidity or volume. When given by intraduodenal route, HE changed the pH, but did not modify the other parameters of the gastric juice. These data were in accordance with those obtained when HE was administered orally for 14 days after gastric ulcers were induced by acetic acid in rats. HE presented healing process in subacute gastric ulcer induced by acetic acid in rats. Moreover, histological examinations showed the simple columnar epithelium, lamina propria with simple branched tubular glandules with dilated lumen and large amounts of mucus secretion. Phytochemical investigation of HE led to the detection of terpenes, steroids, saponins, phenolic compounds and tannins in this extract, which may be involved in the observed activity.

Histeroscopia no diagnostico do sangramento uterino anormal. / Hysteroscopy in the diagnosis of abnormal uterine bleeding

Cinquenta e nove pacientes foram submetidas a histeroscopia por sangramento uterino anormal. Foram diagnosticados 14 casos de mioma, 2 de sinequias, 1 de corpo estranho, 1 de malformacao uterina, 1 de polipo endometrial, 4 de polipo endocervical alem de 3 carcinomas de endometrio. E proposta uma correlacao entre ambos achados histeroscopicos e histologicos em termos de tipo de endometrio.Para este ensaio foram usados os resultados de 74 histeroscopias sucessivas,incluindo ai as 59 pacientes com sangramento uterino anormal. O indice de correlacao nos endometrios atroficos foi de 87,5% Para endometrio baixo foi de 96,3%. Para copioso, de 93,9%. Para endometrio irregular e para tumoral o percentual foi de 100%. A histeroscopia mostrou-se extremamente util, como metodo coadjuvante da curetagem uterina, na investigacao das hemorragias anormais do utero.Identifica com exatidao doencas organicas intracavitarias e, nos casos em que ocorre tratamento simultaneo da patologia, funciona como second look imediato,assegurando a qualidade da terapeutica