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Biomedical subjects

A C Zanini

Publications and source records attributed to A C Zanini.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Patient cooperation with his therapeutic regimen].

The common failure of patients to follow medical instructions creates a problem for the physicians who need to know whether or not their patient are following advice. Lack of patient compliance with prescribed regimens is an important and fascinating problem in medical care. Reports indicate that patients do not follow medical instructions faithfully and that physicians are unable to determine their patient's cooperation levels. Medication compliance has been defined in terms of agreement between the prescription and the behaviour of those who will be taking medicines. The conclusion that can be drawn is that more research in the cited field is quite necessary.

Communication↗

[The quantitative assessment of drug use].

In a large number of countries where a national health care or a comparable institution is established, precise data on drug utilization are not generally available and often difficult to obtain. This unsatisfactory situation is particularly evident in cases where the preference for drugs in the treatment of certain diseases differ substantially among various countries, since there exists no information about the comparative benefits of the diverse drug regimens. The use of a defined daily dose (DDD) as a unit of measurement makes it possible to compile comparative drug statistics at any time and between regions and countries, independent of changes in prices and currency, as well as differences in drug assortment. The DDD is defined as the assumed average daily doses for adults in the main indication of the drug. It should be emphasized that the DDD is not the recommended dose, but simply a technical unit of measurement.

Drug Utilization↗

[Drug utilization at the University Hospital].

With the aim of establishing guidelines on the proper use of drugs and defined daily doses (DDD) for Brazil, a system for collecting data and analyzing the demand for and consumption of drugs is being implemented at the University Hospital of the University of São Paulo. To this end, statistics were drawn from the pharmacy and from medical records. The products standardized by the hospital using the alphanumeric code (based on the official structure of the Ministry of Health) were identified, with five levels of information. The first, expressed in letters, divides the drugs into 14 major groups, defined in accordance with specializations in medical services. The subsequent levels identify the anatomical-pharmacological subgroups, classes, active principles, and dosage forms. The system makes possible access to different levels of drug classification, and allows for introducing changes to the list of standardized drugs without affecting the already-recorded information. This study on the use of drugs, in a standard health care environment, will make it possible to draw important conclusions as to the relationship between the demand profile and the morbidity profile.

Brazil↗

Anti-inflammatory activity of oleoresin from Brazilian Copaifera.

The oleoresin from Brazilian Copaifera species yielded copalic acid and sesquiterpenes and showed marked anti-inflammatory activity using various experimental models in rats. The oleoresin significantly inhibited carrageenin-induced pedal edema following oral doses from 0.70 to 2.69 ml/kg, but was somewhat less effective than 50 mg/kg calcium phenylbutazone. Repeated administration of the oleoresin at a dose of 1.26 ml/kg for a 6-day period reduced granuloma formation with a response comparable to that of 20 mg/kg of calcium phenylbutazone. This same dose of oleoresin also reduced the vascular permeability to intracutaneous histamine. The LD50 value of the oleoresin in rats was estimated to be 3.79 (3.21-4.47) ml/kg.

Animals↗

Cost of drugs manufactured by the university hospital--role of the Central Pharmacy.

UNLABELLED: The hospital pharmacy in large and advanced institutions has evolved from a simple storage and distribution unit into a highly specialized manipulation and dispensation center, responsible for the handling of hundreds of clinical requests, many of them unique and not obtainable from commercial companies. It was therefore quite natural that in many environments, a manufacturing service was gradually established, to cater to both conventional and extraordinary demands of the medical staff. That was the case of Hospital das Clínicas, where multiple categories of drugs are routinely produced inside the pharmacy. However, cost-containment imperatives dictate that such activities be reassessed in the light of their efficiency and essentiality. METHODS: In a prospective study, the output of the Manufacturing Service of the Central Pharmacy during a 12-month period was documented and classified into three types. Group I comprised drugs similar to commercially distributed products, Group II included exclusive formulations for routine consumption, and Group III dealt with special demands related to clinical investigations. RESULTS: Findings for the three categories indicated that these groups represented 34.4%, 45.3%, and 20.3% of total manufacture orders, respectively. Costs of production were assessed and compared with market prices for Group 1 preparations, indicating savings of 63.5%. When applied to the other groups, for which direct equivalent in market value did not exist, these results would suggest total yearly savings of over 5 100 000 US dollars. Even considering that these calculations leave out many components of cost, notably those concerning marketing and distribution, it might still be concluded that at least part of the savings achieved were real. CONCLUSIONS: The observed savings, allied with the convenience and reliability with which the Central Pharmacy performed its obligations, support the contention that internal manufacture of pharmaceutical formulations was a cost-effective alternative in the described setting.

Brazil↗

Cyclosporine bioavailability of two physically different oral formulations.

To assess the comparative bioavailability of two cyclosporine capsule products with different pharmaceutical formulation an open randomized two-period cross over study was conducted in 24 healthy volunteers. Our results, obtained from cyclosporine HPLC determination onto the whole blood samples collected, show that the test cyclosporine non-SMEDDS formulation was not bioequivalent cyclosporine SMEDDS formulation due to a statistically significantly lower absorption rate. The outcome does not support free and full interchangeability in chronic stable graft recipients of the two products studied, unless validated clinical and laboratory conversion protocols for each kind of organ transplantation are enforce.

Area Under Curve↗