Use of honey associated with Ananas comosus (Bromelin) in the treatment of acute irritative cough

Current Uses of Bromelain in Children: A Narrative Review

Bromelain is a complex natural mixture of sulfhydryl-containing proteolytic enzymes that can be extracted from the stem or fruit of the pineapple. This compound is considered a safe nutraceutical, has been used to treat various health problems, and is also popular as a health-promoting dietary supplement. There is continued interest in bromelain due to its remarkable therapeutic properties. The mechanism of action of bromelain appears to extend beyond its proteolytic activity as a digestive enzyme, encompassing a range of effects (mucolytic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and antiedematous effects). Little is known about the clinical use of bromelain in pediatrics, as most of the available data come from in vitro and animal studies, as well as a few RCTs in adults. This narrative review was aimed at highlighting the main aspects of the use of bromelain in children, which still appears to be limited compared to its potential. Relevant articles were identified through searches in MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE. There is no conclusive evidence to support the use of bromelain in children, but the limited literature data suggest that its addition to standard therapy may be beneficial in treating conditions such as upper respiratory tract infections, specific dental conditions, and burns. Further studies, including RCTs in pediatric settings, are needed to better elucidate the mechanism of action and properties of bromelain in various therapeutic areas.

Medications and non-pharmacological measures to alleviate the symptoms of respiratory tract infections in the pediatric population

In the pediatric population, acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most common reason for seeking professional help from a physician or a pharmacist. Alleviation of symptoms is the only therapeutic measure in viral RTIs and is an adjunct to antibiotic therapy in bacterial RTIs. This article discusses pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options for treating nasal congestion, cough, fever and sore throat in RTIs and clinical evidence on their efficacy and safety in the pediatric population. In general, clinical studies conducted in children for most of these drug groups are few or nonexistent, making it difficult to create evidence-based recommendations. Nasal decongestants, cough suppressants, mucolytics, expectorants, antipyretics/analgesics and sore throat local preparations are available in suitable pharmaceutical forms and strengths for the certain age. As many of them are over-the-counter (OTC) preparations, it is necessary to strictly take into account the age of the child in whom they may be used and dose properly. Multicomponent preparations carry the risk of taking unnecessary medications and of their side effects. The use of multiple OTC medicines is associated with the risk of an overdose of a component that may be present in different preparations. Appropriate non-pharmacological measures (e.g. oral hydration, nasal saline application or irrigation, honey) may be helpful and should be used whenever possible due to their safety.

Honey Evaluation Using Electronic Tongues: An Overview

Honey-rich composition in biologically active compounds makes honey a food products highly appreciated due to the nutritional and healthy properties. Food-manufacturing is very prone to different types of adulterations and fraudulent labelling making it urgent to establish accurate, fast and cost-effective analytical techniques for honey assessment. In addition to the classical techniques (e.g., physicochemical analysis, microscopy, chromatography, immunoassay, DNA metabarcoding, spectroscopy), electrochemical based-sensor devices have arisen as reliable and green techniques for food analysis including honey evaluation, allowing in-situ and on-line assessment, being a user-friendly procedure not requiring high technical expertise. In this work, the use of electronic tongues, also known as taste sensor devices, for honey authenticity and assessment is reviewed. Also, the versatility of electronic tongues to qualitative (e.g., botanical and/or geographical origin assessment as well as detection of adulteration) and quantitative (e.g., assessment of adulterants levels, determination of flavonoids levels or antibiotics and insecticides residues, flavonoids) honey analysis is shown. The review is mainly focused on the research outputs reported during the last decade aiming to demonstrate the potentialities of potentiometric and voltammetric multi-sensor devices, pointing out their main advantages and present and future challenges for becoming a practical quality analytical tool at industrial and commercial levels.