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Salt abuse in nutrition may exert harmful effects on health, increasing arterial hypertension and its cardiovascular consequences. It is a risk factor, particularly for older subjects and those having chronic diseases such as arterial hypertension, some renal diseases, and obesity. In subjects more particularly vulnerable, the maintenance of sodium balance, which is mainly aldosterone dependent, is perturbed. Although the use of salt for food preservation has greatly declined, it remains a serious risk factor. Excessive salt intake however results more often from poor dietary habits. The WHO and AFSSA have advised to reduce daily salt intake to 5 g, whereas it is currently about 9-10 g. In spite of repeated warnings, salt abuse remains the causal agent for many disease conditions, mainly arterial hypertension. That is why legislative measures should be taken in order to limit the salt content of food industry products, particularly as a preservative in foods. A large-scale public information campaign would be necessary with participation of public health partners, particularly physicians and pharmacists.

How the epidemic obesity appeared in the United States during the eighties. Respective intake of fats, proteins and carbohydrates (ch) in the diet is notified. Ch such as sucrose provide pleasure and reward specially by infants and children. Lactose occurs in the life of the newborn with a peculiar situation; its sweetening effect is weak and devoid of any neurochemical stimulation. The amounts of lipids and ch in the daily diet are frequently excessive if physical activity is inappropriate. TV dinners are specially endangered. Eating too much snacks disrupts the physiological rhythm of the digestive economy. The carbonated soft beverages are used instead of water, affording large amounts of inapparent sugars. Ice creams are often too rich in ch and lipids. Fruits and vegetable fibers fail in the diet.

Lactose is the main source of energy supplied to the newborn mammalian in its mother's milk. Because of its lower sweeting power, lactose is unable to induce a reaction as does dextrose. Lactose does not lead to release of mediators such as endorphins or dopamine and is free of reward effects.

Currently, the word tea applies to the teatree and to the vegetal material, as well as to the infused drink itself. During the VIth century, the chinese language and writing become specific when they designate the teatree with the word -cha-. However, this word is likewise used to designate different hot infused drinks. When imported from China to Europe during the XVIIth century, its consumption spreads rapidly among town people. Used by the Chinese traders operating in the Fou-Kien area, the vulgar word -te- set up in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and France, from which issue tea, Tee and the . At a time when the physicians consider the consumption of hot infused drinks as jeopardizing the stomach, their common use becomes largely widespread during the XVIIIth century with several types of medicinal herbs often named tea, as the Swiss tea (labiateae), the tea of Europe (veronica) and for example the lime tea. The use of China tea influenced the habits of European people.

A number of plants of ancestral tradition exhibit properties deserving therapeutic applications. However, their use in conditions which do not guarantee sufficient safety may lead to incidences and sometimes serious accidents. In the US the weakness of the present provisions of the federal regulation do not allow a satisfactory and preliminary control. Moreover, these plants are mostly prescribed by non-medicals and outside the authority of pharmacists. This situation would be highly prejudicial if it would be implemented in Europe. France has a well conceived and satisfactory system, but which is unable to benefit from new accessions, namely exotic plants. To ignore them would lead to strengthening the already existing and parallel organizations. The authors suggest that the health authorities should create a complementary system open to new medicinal plants, avoiding uncontrolled sales. They suggest also that before any acceptance a realistic probationary period would be applied in order to evaluate the quality but overall the eventual toxicity of these plants.

In the wake of the war of 1914-1918, Professor E. Perrot and Dr A. Yersin were concerned with providing various territories of the French empire with sufficient cinchona resources to fight off malaria. This aim was particularly important in case of a conflict which could impede the supply of quinine due to the quasi-monopoly held by the Netherlands with their overseas possessions in Indonesia. Beginning with documents, in particular the correspondence held by the Museum of Materia Medica at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Paris, an attempt is made to illustrate the policy carried out with difficulty by Perrot and Yersin.

A convenient education in Greek and Latin language would be highly suitable for a correct use of the medical vocabulary. The book La mémoire des mots en médecine, pharmacie et sciences is a first attempt for this goal. It presents about 4000 French and European words.

Etymology is useful for acquiring and properly using vocabulary. Words are precise tools. Exactness in the meaning of the words used is needed when new scientific words are created.

Toxicity for albino rats is very low. In mice an anxiolytic effect is exhibited and the pentobarbital evokated sleeping time is increased in animals given essential oil, but this effect disappears if they are administrated during five days.

Hydroalcoholic extract of Matricaria chamomilla added during the early stage of Poliovirus development inhibits cellular and viral RNA synthesis. This inhibition is partially reversible.

Vegetable extracts prepared with 530 species belonging to 120 botanical families are biologically screened with fourth stage larvae of Aedes aegypti. About twenty species are selected. Eight species of Convolvulaceae are specially toxic.

Mice Swiss are orally given essential oil of lavander diluted at 1/60 in olive oil. Sedative effects are observed with some tests (hole board test, four plates test, plus-maze test, potentiation of barbiturate sleeping time). A significant interaction exists with pentobarbital: the sleeping time is increased and the asleeping time shortened.

The authors describe a simple method of spectrofluorimetric estimation of acebutolol, applicable to blood and urine, sufficiently sensitive to obtain therapeutic concentrations. After administration of a 200 mg dose by mouth, one may observe a maximal plasma concentration 3 hours later, with average values of 1.02 +/- 0.20 mg/liter. The principle of the estimation is based on acid hydrolysis of the product, then condensation of the liberated amine with nitroso-1 naphtol-2 to give a fluorescent derivative (stimulation 460 nm, emission 545 nm).