Cardiovascular Effects of Herbal Products and Their Interaction with Antihypertensive Drugs-Comprehensive Review.

Hypertension is a highly prevalent population-level disease that represents an important risk factor for several cardiovascular complications and occupies a leading position in mortality statistics. Antihypertensive therapy includes a wide variety of drugs. Additionally, the potential antihypertensive and cardioprotective effects of several phytotherapy products have been evaluated, as these could also be a valuable therapeutic option for the prevention, improvement or treatment of hypertension and its complications. The present review includes an evaluation of the cardioprotective and antihypertensive effects of garlic, Aloe vera, green tea, Ginkgo biloba, berberine, ginseng, Nigella sativa, Apium graveolens, thyme, cinnamon and ginger, and their possible interactions with antihypertensive drugs. A literature search was undertaken via the PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase and Cochrane databases. Research articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 2010 and 2023, in the English, Hungarian, and Romanian languages were selected.

Enantioselective analysis of venlafaxine and its active metabolites: A review on the separation methodologies.

Venlafaxine (VFX) is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor chiral drug used in therapy as an antidepressant in the form of a racemate consisting of R- and S-VFX. The two enantiomers of VFX exhibit different pharmacological activities: R-VFX inhibits both norepinephrine and serotonin synaptic reuptake, whereas S-VFX inhibits only the serotonin one. R- and S-VFX are metabolized in the liver to the respective R- and S-O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODVFX), R- and S-N-desmethylvenlafaxine (NDVFX), and R- and S-N,O-didesmethylvenlafaxine (NODVFX). The pharmacological profile of ODVFX is close to that of VFX, whereas the other two chiral metabolites (NDVFX and NODVFX) have lower affinity for the receptor sites. The pharmacokinetics of the VFX enantiomers appear stereoselective, including the metabolism process. In the past 20 years, several studies describing the enantioselective analysis of R- and S-VFX in pharmaceutical formulations and its chiral metabolites in biological matrices were published. These methods encompass liquid chromatography coupled with UV detection, mass spectrometry, or tandem mass spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis. This paper reviews the published methods used for the determination of the individual enantiomers of VFX and its chiral metabolites in different matrices.

Retrovesical hydatidosis associated with urinary tract pathology - case report.

Cystic hydatidosis (CH) is a worldwide distributed parasitic zoonosis. It is considered one of the 17 neglected parasitic tropical diseases, among cysticercosis and soil transmitted helminthiases. CH is caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, a tapeworm that usually infects dogs and other carnivorous animals as definitive hosts and herbivorous animals and rarely humans as intermediate hosts. Main primary localizations are the liver and the lung. In less than 3% they can primarily be present in the spleen. Treatment is mainly surgical, in some cases resulting in reoccurrence. In this paper we present the case of a male 55 years old patient who underwent a surgical intervention on his spleen for a solitary hydatid cyst as primary localization. Fifteen years after the operation the patient presented macroscopic haematuria; routine laboratory findings presented soft eosinophilia, 5%, without any other modification. There was found no palpable tumour in the pelvis by rectal examination. Abdominal ultrasound investigation revealed a 2×1 cm formation in the urinary bladder at the base of the left bladder-wall and a retrovesical, inhomogeneous 10×10 cm tumour with multiple septa and transonic zones. Computed tomography (CT) scan strongly suggested the presence of a bladder tumour and a hydatid cyst. The symptoms caused by the bladder tumour revealed the co-existing non-symptomatic retrovesical secondary CH, which is a rare complication of splenic Echinococcus granulosus infection. Close follow-up and a proper pre- and postoperative anti-parasitic medication of the patient could have prevented reoccurrence of CH.

Urogenital myiasis: a human case report.

Myiasis is caused by the larval stages of flies feeding on live or dead mammalian tissues and fluids. Human cases involving the genitourinary system are very rare and present with unusual symptoms.We report the case of a male, 25-year-old shepherd who underwent a surgical intervention on his urinary tract for renal lithiasis and was catheterized with a drain dwelling in his left kidney. A few days after the patient showed signs of dysuria, polyuria and pollakisuria. Lower urinary tract infection with ciprofloxacin susceptible E. coli was diagnosed and treated accordingly. The symptoms persisted and, a few days later, fly maggots were released repeatedly in the urine of the patient and sent for investigation. Macroscopic analysis and microscopy were performed. We detected 3-4 mm long, dorso-ventrally flattened white live fly larvae with lateral projections, typical for Fannia (Diptera: Fannidae) genus. Identification on a species level could not be performed as larva feeding facilities or specific DNA based methods were not available for us.Even if maggot urinary tract infestations are extremely rare in Europe, we should consider them in order to provide a rapid and correct diagnosis followed by an adequate treatment.

[Dynamics of intestinal parasitic diseases in children admitted to the TB Preventorium in Gornesti, Mures county]. / Dinamica parazitozelor intestinale la copiii internati in Preventoriul TBC din Gornesti, judetul Mures.

This study follows the evolution of the intestinal parasitic infections during a 5 year period between 2000-2004, detected at the inhabitants of the TBC Preventorium Gornesti from Mures county. The 127 children included in the study are aged between 3 and 16 year, they attend a special kindergarten and a special school. The most important species of parasites found were Giardia lamblia, Ascaris lumbricoides, Hymenolepis nana and Trichuris trichiura. Most of the infected children had mono-parasitosis, only a few showed poly-parasitic infections with 2 parasites. In spite of the adequate treatment, the infections did not disappear, but neither did their number increase.