Analysis of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine in human plasma by HPLC-UV using a high purity C18 silica-based SPE sorbent

This paper reports on the development and validation of a simple and sensitive method that uses solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection to analyze fluoxetine (FLX) and norfluoxetine (NFLX) in human plasma samples. A lab-made C18 SPE phase was synthesized by using a sol–gel process employing a low-cost silica precursor. This sorbent was fully characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to check the particles' shape, size and C18 functionalization. The lab-made C18 silica was used in the sample preparation step of human plasma by the SPE-HPLC-UV method. The method was validated in the 15 to 500 ng mL 1 range for both FLX and NFLX using a matrix matched curve. Detection limits of 4.3 and 4.2 ng mL 1 were obtained for FLX and NFLX, respectively. The repeatability and intermediary precision achieved varied from 7.6 to 15.0% and the accuracy ranged from 14.9 to 9.1%. The synthesized C18 sorbent was compared to commercial C18 sorbents. The average recoveries were similar (85–105%), however the lab-made C18 silica showed fewer interfering peaks in the chromatogram. After development and validation, the method using the lab-made C18 SPE was applied to plasma samples of patients under FLX treatment (n ¼ 6). The concentrations of FLX and NFLX found in the samples varied from 46.8–215.5 and 48.0–189.9 ng mL 1 , respectively.

The stigma and prejudice of leprosy: influence on the human condition

Introduction: To analyze the knowledge, feelings and perceptions involving patients affected by leprosy, as a better understanding of these factors may be useful to decrease the stigma and prejudice associated with the condition. Methods: The study cohort consisted of 94 patients who underwent treatment for leprosy at the Health Units in the City of Cuiaba, Mato Grosso (MT), Brazil. The study questionnaire included items to collect information on socio-demographic data, knowledge about the disease, stigma, prejudice, self-esteem and quality of life of leprosy patients. Bivariate analyses were used to assess the data based on the chi-square test with a 5% significance threshold. Results: The results revealed that the study population consisted predominantly of males (55.3%) with an income between 1 and 3 times the minimum wage (67%). The survey respondents reported that the most significant difficulties related to the treatment were the side effects (44.7%) and the duration of the treatment (28.7%). A total of 72.3% of the subjects were knowledgeable about the disease, of whom 26.6% had the leprosy reaction. Stigma and prejudice were cited by 93.6% of the participants. Based on the responses, 40.4% of patients reported being depressed and sad, and 69.1% of the subjects encountered problems at work after being diagnosed. A total of 45.7% of the patients rated their quality of life between bad and very bad. Conclusions: Our results suggest that leprosy causes suffering in patients beyond pain and discomfort and greatly influences social participation.

Trichomes related to an unusual method of water retention and protection of the stem apex in an arid zone perennial species

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Isolation and characterization of mayaro virus from a human in Acre, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Chemical carcinogenesis - mode of action to inform quantitative human risk

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Redox-active biflavonoids from Garcinia brasiliensis as inhibitors of neutrophil oxidative burst and human erythrocyte membrane damage

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluation of preservative effectiveness of liquid crystalline systems with retinyl palmitate by the challenge test and D-value

The objective of this work was to evaluate the preservative effectiveness of liquid crystalline systems containing retynil palmitate (RP) by the challenge test (CT) and D-value. A system was developed containing water, silicon glycol copolymer, and polyether functional siloxane with 1% RP added. The analyses were carried out by methods in the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP 31, 2008) using the microorganisms Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. The CT showed that after 7 days, all microorganisms were eliminated except A. niger, which maintained viability for at least 28 days after inoculation. Moreover, the microorganisms E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, C. albicans and A. niger presented different growth behaviors, evidenced by differences among the D-values calculated. It was concluded that the CT and D-value were efficient methods for evaluation of the preservative property of these formulations.

Correlations of trace elements in breast human tissues: Evaluation of spatial distribution using μ-XRF

The aim of this work is to investigate microscopic correlations between trace elements in breast human tissues. A synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microprobe system (μ-XRF) was used to obtain two-dimensional distribution of trace element Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn in normal (6 samples) and malignant (14 samples) breast tissues. The experiment was performed in X-ray Fluorescence beam line at Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron (LNLS), Campinas, Brazil. The white microbeam was generated with a fine conical capillary with a 20 μm output diameter. The samples were supported on a XYZ table. An optical microscope with motorized zoom was used for sample positioning and choice the area to be scanned. Automatic two-dimensional scans were programmed and performed with steps of 30 μm in each direction (x, y) on the selected area. The fluorescence signals were recorded using a Si(Li) detector, positioned at 90 degrees with respect to the incident beam, with a collection time of 10 s per point. The elemental maps obtained from each sample were overlap to observe correlation between trace elements. Qualitative results showed that the pairs of elements Ca-Zn and Fe-Cu could to be correlated in malignant breast tissues. Quantitative results, achieved by Spearman correlation tests, indicate that there is a spatial correlation between these pairs of elements (p < 0.001) suggesting the importance of these elements in metabolic processes associated with the development of the tumor.