Medicinal plants used in the Huasteca Potosina, México

Ethnopharmacological importance

Medicinal plants have been a source of medicinal compounds since ancient times. This study documented the use of plant species in traditional medicine in the municipality of Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, México.

Materials and methods

Direct interviews were performed with inhabitants from Aquismón. The interviews were analyzed with two quantitative tools: (a) the informant consensus factor (ICF) that estimates the level of agreement about which medicinal plants may be used for each category and (b) the relative importance (RI) that determines the extent of potential utilization of each species.

Results

A total of 73 plant species with medicinal purposes, belonging to 37 families and used to treat 52 illnesses and 2 cultural filiations were reported by interviewees.Nineteen mixtures with medicinal plants were reported by the interviewers. Matricaria recutita was the most used plant for combinations (five mixtures). The results of the ICF showed that diseases of the digestive and respiratory systems had the greatest agreement. The most versatile species according to their RI are Ruta graveolens, Tagetes erecta, Ocimum basilicum and Erigeron karwinskianus.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that plant species play an important role in healing practices and magical–religious rituals among inhabitants from Huasteca Potosina. Further studies with medicinal flora, including mixtures, from Aquismón are required for the experimental validation of their traditional uses.     

A Phase I study of 9-nitrocamptothecin given concurrently with capecitabine in patients with refractory,metastatic solid tumors

BACKGROUND: 9-Nitrocamptothecin (9-NC) is an orally available camptothecin analog with antineoplastic activity that results from the inhibition of DNA topoisomerase I. Previous studies have suggested that it has significant clinical efficacy. The primary toxicities of 9-NC include gastrointestinal upset, cystitis, and myelosuppression at the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 1.5 mg/m(2) per day. Capecitabine is a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil that is approved for use in patients with metastatic breast carcinoma and colorectal carcinoma, and it offers the convenience of oral administration. This trial examined the combination of these two oral agents in patients with metastatic solid tumors. METHODS: Capecitabine was administered twice daily at a total daily dose of 1300 mg/m(2) per day for 14 days followed by a 1-week break. 9-NC was taken daily 5 days per week for 2 weeks in a dose-escalation scheme. The starting dose was 0.5 mg/m(2) per day, and cohorts of 3 patients were enrolled until the dose level reached 1.25 mg/m(2) per day. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were evaluable for toxicity and response, and nausea and emesis were the dose-limiting toxicities. Despite antiemetic prophylaxis with 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 antagonists, 2 of 3 patients at the 1.0 mg/m(2) per day dose level had Grade 2-3 nausea; while at the MTD of 0.75 mg/m(2) per day, 3 of 14 patients had Grade > or = 2 nausea. The incidence of hand-foot syndrome, stomatitis, diarrhea, and myelosuppression did not exceed that expected with capecitabine alone, suggesting that 9-NC does not exacerbate these side effects. No objective responses were seen. Stable disease was observed in 9 patients (43%) with a median duration of 11 weeks, including 3 patients with responses that lasted from 20 weeks to 40 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of 9-NC and capecitabine with the current schedule was limited in dose by nausea and had minimal clinical efficacy in a group of patients with refractory solid tumors.     

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and glutathione S-transferase P1 A313G are associated with a reduced risk of preeclampsia in Maya-Mestizo women

Preeclampsia, a common complication of pregnancy, is characterized by elevated blood pressure and proteinuria developing after 20 weeks' gestational age. Susceptibility to this syndrome is believed to have a genetic component. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) A313G polymorphisms are associated with preeclampsia in Maya-Mestizo women. A case-control study was performed, in which 125 preeclamptic patients and 274 healthy controls were genotyped for the MTHFR C677T and GSTP1 A313G polymorphisms by real-time PCR allelic discrimination. Allele and genotype frequencies were compared using the chi2 tests. The MTHFR 677T allele and the 677TT genotype were significantly more frequent in the controls, suggesting an association with a decreased risk of preeclampsia (p = 0.017 and p = 0.007, respectively). Similarly, GSTP1 313GG/GC genotypes and the G allele were more frequent in controls, showing a significant association with reduced risk of preeclampsia (p = 0.008 and p = 0.013, respectively). Our results suggest, for the first time, that the MTHFR 677T and GSTP1 313G polymorphisms confer a significantly decreased risk of developing preeclampsia in the Mexican Maya-Mestizo population.     

Renal Transplantation in Second-Level Private Hospitals in the State of Mexico

Background

Kidney transplantation (KT) is the replacement therapy of choice in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Here we show a cohort of kidney transplant recipients from the period of May 1994 to May 2016 in 2 2nd-level private hospitals from the city of Toluca in the state of Mexico.

Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS): inter-rater and test-retest reliability and validity in a Spanish population.

OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability and validity of the DIGS in Spanish population. METHODS: Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Spanish version of DIGS was tested in 95 inpatients and outpatients. The resultant diagnoses were compared with diagnoses obtained by the LEAD (Longitudinal Expert All Data) procedure as "gold standard". The kappa statistic was used to measure concordance between blind inter-raters and between the diagnoses obtained by LEAD procedure and through the DIGS. RESULTS: Overall kappa coefficient for inter-rater reliability was 0.956. The kappa value for individual diagnosis varied from major depression=0.877 to schizophrenia=1. Test-retest reliability was 0.926. Kappa for all individual target diagnoses ranged from 0.776 (major depression) to 1. Kappa between LEAD procedure and DIGS ranged from 0.704 (major depression) to 0.825 (bipolar I disorder). CONCLUSION: Most of the DSM-IV major psychiatric disorders can be assessed with acceptable to excellent reliability with the Spanish version of the DIGS interview. The Spanish version of DIGS showed an acceptable to excellent concurrent validity. Giving the good reliability and validity of Spanish version of DIGS it should be considered to identify psychiatric phenotypes for genetics studies.     

Blood pressure and lipid goal attainment in the hypertensive population in the primary care setting in Spain

Although blood pressure (BP) control is crucial in hypertensive patients, clinical practice guidelines agree that the goal of treatment should be aimed at not only decreasing BP but reducing global cardiovascular risk. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate BP, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and composite control rates in a hypertensive population in a primary care setting in Spain. Good BP control was defined as <140/90 mm Hg (<130/80 mm Hg for diabetics).LDL-C control rate was established according to the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel criteria. A total of 12,954 patients (49.9% women, aged 62.1+/-10.7 years) were included. BP was controlled in 24.8% of patients, LDL-C in 26% of patients and, when combined, in only 8.6%. The rates of control were significantly worse in high-risk subgroups, such as high-coronary-risk, diabetic, or metabolic syndrome patients. The BP and LDL-C control rates in the hypertensive population attended to daily in primary care settings in Spain are low.