Artemisia abrotanum L. (Southern Wormwood)-History, Current Knowledge on the Chemistry, Biological Activity, Traditional Use and Possible New Pharmaceutical and Cosmetological Applications.

Artemisia abrotanum L. (southern wormwood) is a plant species with an important position in the history of European and Asian medicine. It is a species famous as a medicinal plant in Central Asia, Asia Minor, and in South-East and Central Europe. The raw materials obtained from this species are Abrotani herba and Abrotani folium. In the traditional European medicine, they have been used successfully most of all in liver and biliary tract diseases, in parasitic diseases in children and as antipyretic medication. In the official European medicine, this plant species is recommended by the French Pharmacopoeia for use in homeopathy. In many European countries, it is used traditionally in allopathy. The latest studies on the biological activity of extracts from the aboveground parts of the plant and/or the leaves, and/or the essential oil have provided evidence of other possible applications related to their antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anticancer, and antiallergic properties. The latest studies have also focused on the repellent activity of the essential oil of this species and the possibility to use it in the prevention of diseases in which insects are the vectors. The main substances obtained from the plant that are responsible for this activity are: the essential oil, coumarins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. Some of the latest investigations emphasize the large differences in the composition of the essential oil, determined by the geographical (climatic) origin of the plant. A. abrotanum is recommended by the European Cosmetic Ingredients Database (CosIng) as a source of valuable cosmetic ingredients. Additionally, the leaves of this species possess a well-established position in the food industry. This plant species is also the object of biotechnological studies.

Once again on the Empress Zoe: Women, dermatology, cosmetics, and materia medica (medical matter) in the ancient world.

BACKGROUND: An article published in 2012 in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology discussed the historical sources presenting the Byzantine Empress Zoe Porphyrogenita as an expert in cosmetic and pharmacological remedies that could give their users a youthful appearance and a kind of eternal youth. However, it did not take into account a dermatological recipe attributed to Zoe which text transmission has preserved. AIMS: To examine some ingredients of Zoe's recipe from a historical medical point of view and contextualize the text in the tradition of ancient medical matter, physiology of aging, and gender pharmacological skills. METHODS: After contextualizing the recipe from the historical medical point of view, some of its ingredients have been analyzed in relation not only to their use in the most authoritative pharmacological and medical sources of antiquity but also to their symbolic meaning. RESULTS: The analysis of Zoe's dermatological recipe allowed to highlight: The links between cosmetics and medicine in Greek and Roman Antiquity. The reason why ancient sources dealing with medical matter attributed to certain substances and plants the power to save the human body from old age and decay. The consistency between the ingredients of Zoe's recipe and the humoral physiology by genders and by age of Hippocrates. The existence of a female tradition in pharmacological competence. CONCLUSION: Cosmetic dermatology of antiquity is the perfect point in which survival of the myth and rational pharmacology overlap.

2022 Annual Report of the National Poison Data System® (NPDS) from America's Poison Centers®: 40th Annual Report.

INTRODUCTION: This is the 40th Annual Report of America's Poison Centers National Poison Data System (NPDS). As of 1 January, 2022, all 55 of the nation's poison centers (PCs) uploaded case data automatically to NPDS. The upload interval was 4.72 [4.40, 9.27] (median [25%, 75%]) minutes, effectuating a near real-time national exposure and information database and surveillance system. METHODS: We analyzed the case data tabulating specific indices from NPDS. The methodology was similar to that of previous years. Where changes were introduced, the differences are identified. Cases with medical outcomes of death were evaluated by a team of medical and clinical toxicologist reviewers using an ordinal scale of 1-6 to assess the Relative Contribution to Fatality (RCF) of the exposure. RESULTS: In 2022, 2,483,183 closed encounters were logged by NPDS: 2,064,875 human exposures, 50,381 animal exposures, 363,099 information requests, 4,790 human confirmed nonexposures, and 38 animal confirmed nonexposures. Total encounters showed a 12.9% decrease from 2021, and human exposure cases decreased by 0.771%, while health care facility (HCF) human exposure cases increased by 0.214%. All information requests decreased by 48.4%, medication identification (Drug ID) requests decreased by 21.2%, and medical information requests showed a 76.92% decrease, although these remain twice the median number before the COVID-19 pandemic. Drug Information requests showed a 52.4% decrease, due to declining COVID-19 vaccine calls to PCs but still comprised 5.55% of all information contacts. Human exposures with less serious outcomes have decreased 1.70% per year since 2008, while those with more serious outcomes (moderate, major or death) have increased 4.41% per year since 2000.Consistent with the previous year, the top 4 substance classes most frequently involved in all human exposures were analgesics (11.5%), household cleaning substances (7.23%), antidepressants (5.61%), and cosmetics/personal care products (5.23%). Antihistamines (4.81%) replaced sedatives/hypnotics/antipsychotics as the 5th substance class. As a class, analgesic exposures increased most rapidly, by 1,514 cases/year (3.26%/year) over the past 10 years for cases with more serious outcomes.The top 5 most common exposures in children age 5 years or less were household cleaning substances (10.3%), analgesics (9.54%), cosmetics/personal care products (9.49%), dietary supplements/herbals/homeopathic (6.65%), and foreign bodies/toys/miscellaneous (6.61%). NPDS documented 3,255 human exposures resulting in death; 2,622 (80.6%) of these were judged as related (RCF of 1-Undoubtedly responsible, 2-Probably responsible, or 3-Contributory). CONCLUSIONS: These data support the continued value of PC expertise and the need for specialized medical toxicology information to manage the increasing number of more serious exposures. Unintentional and intentional exposures continue to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. The near real-time status of NPDS represents a national public health resource to collect and monitor US exposure cases and information requests. The continuing mission of NPDS is to provide a nationwide infrastructure for surveillance for all types of exposures (e.g., foreign body, infectious, venomous, chemical agent, or commercial product), and the identification and tracking of significant public health events. NPDS is a model system for the near real-time surveillance of national and global public health.

Aspergillus niger as a new allergic agent associated with bindis and its efficacy against homeopathic drugs.

Aspergillus was found as a dominant fungi to associate with brands of bindis. Among three potencies of four homeopathic drugs, Lycopodium 1M, Sulphur 1M, and Sepia 30 showed maximum inhibition zone of Aspergillus niger in inhibition zone technique. In poison food technique, Sepia 30M, Tellurium 30M, Sulphur 1M and Lycopodium 200 showed maximum percentage inhibition against A. niger

Incremento na dissolução da caffeine em base de ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer: desenvolvimento farmacotécnico de géis anti-celulite / Dissolution enhancement of caffeine in the ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer base: pharmaceutical development of anti-cellulite gels

A hidrolipodistrofia ginóide (HLDG), popularmente conhecida como ?celulite?, consiste em uma alteração patológica do tecido adiposo e da função veno- linfática. Géis contendo caffeine tem sido empregados no tratamento não-invasivo da HLDG, oferecendo resultados satisfatórios a baixos custos. Devido a baixa hidrossolubilidade da caffeine, este gel apresenta como principal inconveniente a formação de precipitados/ grumos, oriundos da precipitação da caffeine na base hidrofílica (gel). Este trabalho tem como objetivo o incremento na dissolução da caffeine em gel de Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, através da adição de adjuvantes como o citric acid e o sodium benzoate, além de solução hidroalcoólica, empregada como co-solvente da caffeine. O incremento na dissolução da caffeine foi verificado através da determinação do seu teor nos géis. Além disso, todas as amostras foram submetidas a análises macroscópicas e determinações de pH e viscosidade. A análise macroscópica permitiu a nítida visualização dos precipitados/grumos nos géis preparados sem os adjuvantes, enquanto que o emprego dos mesmos originou géis sem a presença de precipitados. A determinação do teor de caffeine demonstrou que os adjuvantes e co-solvente quase dobraram a concentração deste ativo nos géis. O pH do gel e a concentração de citric acid não influenciaram na dissolução da caffeine. Por outro lado, esses parâmetros influenciaram negativamente na viscosidade dos géis, o que parece ter sido ocasionado pela instabilidade do ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer em valores baixos de pH. Com isso, o aumento na dissolução da caffeine no gel anti-celulite parece ter sido ocasionada pela formação de sais hidrossolúveis com os adjuvantes empregados.(AU)

Gynoid hydrolipodystrophy, popularly known as cellulite, is a pathological alteration of the adipose tissue and the venous-lymphatic system. Gels containing caffeine has been used as a non-invasive treatment of cellulite offering satisfactory results at low costs. Due to the low aqueous solubility of caffeine, this gel has a major drawback, which is the formation of a drug precipitate in the hydrophilic excipient (ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer gel). The aim of this work is to increase the dissolution of caffeine in the gel by adding adjuvants such as citric acid and sodium benzoate, as well as a water-alcohol solution as a co-solvent for caffeine. The increase in the dissolution of caffeine was verified by determining its content in the gel. In addition, all samples were subjected to macroscopic analysis, pH determinations and viscosity measurements. Macroscopic analysis allowed a clear visualization of a white precipitate in the gels prepared without the adjuvants, whereas the use of both adjuvants and the water-alcohol solution avoided the precipitation of caffeine. Determination of caffeine content showed that the adjuvants and co-solvent nearly doubled the concentration of this drug in the gels. The pH of the gel and the concentration of citric acid did not influence the dissolution of caffeine, whereas the viscosity of the gel was negatively influenced by these parameters, which seems to be caused by the instability of ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer at low pH. Thus, the increase in the dissolution of caffeine seems to have been caused by the formation of water-soluble salts with the adjuvants used.(AU)

Controle de qualidade e análise sensorial em voluntários de xampu esfoliante com extrato hidroalcoólico de Capsicum frutescens L. (Solanaceae) / Quality control and sensory acceptability of exfoliating shampoo containing hydroethanolic extract of Capsicum frutescens L. (Solanaceae) peppers.

A fitocosmética é um setor em nítido crescimento por se ter verificado reais vantagens na incorporação de produtos vegetais em relação a certos produtos sintéticos em produtos cosméticos. O proposto trabalho foi desenvolvido enfocando-se o uso de xampu com a utilização de microesferas de biopolímero e extrato hidroalcoólico de Capsicum frutescens L., mais popularmente conhecida como pimenta-malagueta, para o tratamento de queda capilar simples (alopecia androgênica). As análises físico-químicas envolveram determinação de cinzas totais, pH, identificação de capsaicina e densidade do xampu, entre outros. Considerando-se os diversos aspectos exigidos para a garantia da qualidade do material botânico, que englobam não somente os aspectos físico-químicos, mas também o microbiológico, realizou-se, tanto no extrato quanto no produto final, a contagem total de micro-organismos, pesquisa de Salmonella sp e Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus e Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Foram realizadas análises sensoriais em voluntários, visando avaliar a qualidade sensorial do produto. Os voluntários avaliaram a amostra segundo questionário aplicado. Para as propriedades avaliadas, as microesferas esfoliantes incorporadas ao xampu mostraram-se ser bem aceitas pelos voluntários, principalmente devido à sensação transmitida pela esfoliação, fazendo com que o extrato hidroalcoólico promova uma maior oxigenação local.

Phytocosmetics is a sector of the market in rapid growth, since real advantages have been demonstrated in the incorporation of plant products in cosmetics, in place of certain synthetic products. The focus of this study was on the use of shampoo containing microspheres of biopolymer and a hydroalcoholic extract of the fruit of Capsicum frutescens L., more commonly known as chili pepper, for the treatment of hair loss (androgenic alopecia). The physical and chemical analysis included the determination of total ash, pH and density of the shampoo and the identification of capsaicin. Considering the various requirements for quality assurance of the plant material, encompassing not only physicochemical but also microbiological criteria, both the extract and the final product were subjected to a total count of microorganisms and tests for Salmonella sp, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The sensory quality of the product was assessed by a panel of volunteers, who rated the sample of shampoo in response to a questionnaire. For the properties assessed, the exfoliating microspheres incorporated into the shampoo proved to be well tolerated by the volunteers, mainly on account of the feeling conveyed by exfoliation, causing the hydroalcoholic extract to promote greater local oxygenation.

Contact dermatitis to botanical extracts.

A review of the literature of reported cases of contact dermatitis to a variety of natural herbal extracts is Presented. Natural extracts are commonly used ingredients in many cosmetic preparations and homeopathic remedies. Although the term natural botanical extracts inherently purports to have beneficial and benign properties, these extracts can cause adverse reactions in individuals. As such, dermatologists should be cognizant of these agents as possible sources of allergenicity in patients presenting with contact dermatitis.