In Vivo and In Vitro Taste Assessment of Artesunate-Mefloquine, Praziquantel, and Benznidazole Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Pediatric Patients.

The assessment of drug taste is crucial for pediatric treatments so that formulations can be developed to enhance their effectiveness. In this study, in vivo and in vitro methods were applied to evaluate the taste of tablets of three drugs administered to children without taste-masking excipients to treat tropical diseases, namely artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ), praziquantel (PZQ), and benznidazole (BNZ). In the first method, a model of rat palatability was adapted with recirculation to ensure sample dispersion, and the data were analyzed using ANOVA (single factor, 95%). The taste assessment results (in vivo) indicated an aversion to the three medicines, denoted by the animals retracting themselves to the bottom of the box after the first contact with the drugs. For the placebo samples, the animals behaved normally, indicating that taste perception was acceptable. The second method was based on the in vitro analysis of capacitance data from a homemade impedimetric electronic tongue. Consistent with the in vivo taste assessment results, the data points obtained with PZQ, ASMQ, and BNZ were far away from those of their placebos in a map built with the multidimensional projection technique referred to as Interactive Document Mapping (IDMAP). A combined analysis of the results with the two methods allowed us to confirm the bitterness of the three drugs, also pointing to electronic tongues as a promising tool to replace in vivo palatability tests.

Cuidado farmacêutico domiciliar na Estratégia Saúde da Família / Home Pharmaceutical Care in the Family Health Strategy

Resumo Este trabalho desenvolveu e avaliou uma ferramenta para auxiliar no planejamento, execução, registro de dados e avaliação das ações da visita domiciliar farmacêutica na equipe de Estratégia Saúde da Família. A primeira fase consistiu na construção da ferramenta de visita domiciliar farmacêutica, através de grupo focal e análise de discurso. Discutiu-se a visão dos profissionais sobre o papel do farmacêutico e sua prática profissional, em especial na visita domiciliar em unidades de atenção primária à saúde. Na segunda fase, utilizou-se o formulário desenvolvido na etapa anterior durante a visita domiciliar por 32 farmacêuticos, e avaliaram-se adequação, clareza, efetividade/precisão, exequibilidade e sugestões para a ferramenta. Todos os participantes do estudo efetivamente realizam visita domiciliar na Estratégia de Saúde da Família no município do Rio de Janeiro. Segundo avaliação expressiva dos participantes, o instrumento foi considerado adequado, claro, efetivo, preciso e exequível para utilização na prática de visita domiciliar; representando importante auxílio ao profissional na realização do cuidado farmacêutico domiciliar naquele município.

Abstract This work developed and evaluated a tool to assist in the planning, execution, data recording and evaluation of the actions of the pharmaceutical home visit in the Family Health Strategy team. The first phase comprised the construction of the pharmaceutical home visit tool, through a focus group and discourse analysis. The professionals' view on the role of the pharmacist and his professional practice was discussed, especially in home visits in primary health care units. In the second phase, the form developed in the previous step was used during the home visit by 32 pharmacists, and adequacy, clarity, effectiveness / precision, feasibility and suggestions for the tool were evaluated. All study participants effectively perform home visits in the Family Health Strategy in the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to an expressive evaluation of the participants, the instrument was considered adequate, clear, effective, precise and feasible for use in the practice of home visits, and is an important assistance to the professional in performing home pharmaceutical care in that city.