Evaluation of electrical conductivity, pH and refractive index as physico-chemical parameters for quality control of Aveloz homeopathic solutions

Euphorbia tirucalli Lineu (Aveloz) belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae and is used in the treatment of cancer and warts. Some studies have reported that phorbol esters are the active principles responsible for the antitumor activity of Aveloz. The production of these molecules occurs in greater quantity in May, during the morning. This study aimed to evaluate whether the physico-chemical parameters of Aveloz homeopathic aqueous solutions such as pH, electrical conductivity and refractive index change due to storage time. Such parameters were measured regularly for 180 days. All solutions were prepared according to the method of grinding with lactose and subsequent dissolution in aqueous medium, as described in the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia, using as starting point the Aveloz latex collected in May. Homeopathic aqueous solutions containing only lactose were also prepared and evaluated as a control group. The potencies that were analyzed for electrical conductivity, pH and refractive index were: 4cH, 7cH, 9cH, 12cH, 14cH, 15cH, 29cH, 30cH. As a result, we found out that there was only statistical difference (p=0.035) in electrical conductivity between the homeopathic solutions containing Aveloz and the homeopathic solutions without Aveloz, when 15cH potency was compared. We also observed that the electrical conductivity increased with the aging of the solutions but is not directly related to the pH or the refractive index of the solutions, indicating that the aging process may alter the electrical conductivity of the homeopathic medicines. The presence of gas inside the glass that stores these solutions may affect the electrical conductivity measurements. Finally, no statistically significant difference was observed (p> 0.05) in the pH and refractive index.

Analytical Methods Employed at Quality Control of Fuel Ethanol

The existence of organic and inorganic contaminants present in both fossil and biomass fuels and the fact that they can provide undesirable effects (environmental problems, corrosion processes, lead to storage instability, and others) implies a rigorous quality control of these fuels, although these contaminants make up a small part of the final fuel composition. Considering the rising importance of fuel ethanol in the worldwide panorama, this review aims at reporting the use of successful alternative analytical methods in the monitoring of organic and inorganic contaminants at trace levels, used to determine and to quantify these substances in fuel ethanol and also presenting all official norms for quality control of fuel ethanol employed by ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Norms), ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), and ECS (European Committee for Standardization).

Carbon isotope composition as a tool for quality control of herbs, spices and medicinal plants

Isotope screening is a simple and cheap test for determining the photosynthetic pathway used by plants. The scope of this work was to classify the photosynthetic type of Melissa officinalis L. and Cymbopogon citratus [DC.] Stapf, through studies of the carbon isotope composition (δ13 C), and we are proposing the use of carbon isotope composition results as a tool to control the quality of medicinal plants. For studies of δ 13C (13 C% = [R (sample)/R (standard) - 1] × 10 -3), dried, powdered leaves were analyzed in a mass spectrometer coupled with an elemental analyzer for determining the ratio R (R = 13CO2/12CO2). As results, M. officinalis presented a C3 photosynthetic type, and C. citratus presented a C4 photosynthetic type. The carbon isotope composition from this study can be used as quality control of M. officinalis adulterants.

Quality control of Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from different Brazilian bio-factories

The goal of this study was to evaluate the quality of Cotesia flavipes from different bio-factories as biological control agents. We evaluated biological characteristics of the parasitoids throughout their lifespan, and measured the body length and width, abdomen width, thorax width and width and length of the right forewing of female and male parasitoids. Our results showed that the number of males and pupal viability were similar among the bio-factories; the number of emerged females was greater in bio-factories I and II; the egg-pupa period and the pupal period were shorter in bio-factory IV; and a greater longevity was found in bio-factories II and III. Sex ratio (at approximately 60% females) was satisfactory (in terms of suitability for release) across all bio-factories. For morphometric measurements, the body, abdomen and wing widths were similar in males; however, thorax width was greater in the males from bio-factory I; bio-factory III produced females with the highest body length; bio-factory I produced females with the greatest abdomen width; bio-factories III and IV produced females with the greatest wing length. Among the bio-factories studied, bio-factory IV produced the best quality C. flavipes, with respect to the greatest number of parasitoids per pupal mass (a mean of 57% more parasitoids) in a satisfactory sex ratio, and with the shortest developmental time, which facilitates faster rearing in the laboratory. Studies such as this, which assess the quality of a mass-produced C. flavipes, are crucial for the continued use of this parasitoid in controlling Diatraea saccharalis in the field. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Use of anatomical, chemical, and molecular genetic characteristics in the quality control of medicinal species: a case study of sarsaparilla (Smilax spp.)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Quality control of cosmetics containing Calendula officinalis, Melampodium divaricatum, Matricaria chamomila linné and Acchilea millefolium extracts

The use of medicinal plants occurs since the Antiquity, but has become more popular in the present time. In the United States, 50% of the population uses the phytotherapy. Calendula officinalis and Melampodium divaricatum have components called flavonoids. Matricaria chamomila Linn and Acchilea millefolium, popularly known as camomila and mil folhas, respectively, have sesquiterpenic components called azulens. These substances present many effects; some of them offer benefits to the human health. Thus, these plants had their extract incorporated in cosmetic-dermatological formulations. This study aimed to prove the presence of the active substances, sesquiterpenes and flavonoids, in cosmetic creams with Matricaria chamomila Linn, Acchilea millefolium, Calendula officinalis and Melampodium divaricatum extracts. Also, aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of the products. Flavonoids and sesquiterpernes were detected in the emulsions and the microbiological quality was verified. Thus, the products are safe to the users in relation to the microbiological aspects and should present beneficial effects due to the presence of flavonoids and sesquiterpenes.

Development, optimization and validation of gas chromatographic fingerprinting of Brazilian commercial gasoline for quality control

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Assessment of the quality evaluation of compounded fluconazole capsules marketed in the region of Araraquara (SP, Brazil)

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

Development and validation of a microbiological agar assay for determination of orbifloxacin in pharmaceutical preparations

Orbifloxacin is a fluoroquinolone with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and belongs to the third generation of quinolones. Regarding the quality control of medicines, a validated microbiological assay for determination of orbifloxacin in pharmaceutical formulations has not as yet been reported. For this purpose, this paper reports the development and validation of a simple, sensitive, accurate and reproducible agar diffusion method to quantify orbifloxacin in tablet formulations. The assay is based on the inhibitory effect of orbifloxacin upon the strain of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 used as test microorganism. The results were treated statistically by analysis of variance and were found to be linear (r = 0.9992) in the selected range of 16.0-64.0 μg/mL, precise with relative standard deviation (RSD) of repeatability intraday = 2.88%, intermediate precision RSD = 3.33%, and accurate (100.31%). The results demonstrated the validity of the proposed bioassay, which allows reliable orbifloxacin quantitation in pharmaceutical samples and therefore can be used as a useful alternative methodology for the routine quality control of this medicine. © 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Development and validation of a successful microbiological agar assay for determination of ceftriaxone sodium in powder for injectable solution

Ceftriaxone sodium is a cephalosporin with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and belongs to the third generation of cephalosporins. Regarding the quality control of medicines, a validated microbiological assay for the determination of ceftriaxone sodium in powder for injectable solution has not been reported yet. This paper reports the development and validation of a simple, accurate and reproducible agar diffusion method to quantify ceftriaxone sodium in powder for injectable solution. The assay is based on the inhibitory effect of ceftriaxone sodium on the strain of Bacillus subtilis ATCC 9371 IAL 1027 used as test microorganism. The results were treated statistically by analysis of variance and were found to be linear (r = 0.999) in the selected range of 15.0-60.0 μg/mL, precise with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of repeatability intraday = 1.40%, accurate (100.46%) and robust with a RSD lower than 1.28%. The results demonstrated the validity of the proposed bioassay, which allows reliable ceftriaxone sodium quantitation in pharmaceutical samples and therefore can be used as a useful alternative methodology for the routine quality control of this medicine. © 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Validation of analytical methodology for quantification of cefazolin sodium pharmaceutical dosage form by high performance liquid chromatography to be applied for quality control in pharmaceutical industry

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

Application of wavelets to the evaluation of phantom images for mammography quality control

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic fingerprinting of commercial gasoline: Pattern-recognition analyses for screening quality control purposes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)