Treatment of tropical sprue: the work of Dr. Bailey K. Ashford examined in retrospect

Tropical sprue is a malabsorption syndrome that responds to treatment with folic acid and a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Eighty years ago, prior to the identification of the vitamins and the discovery of penicillin, clinical trials often consisted of best guess treatments based upon current knowledge and available technology. Dietary interventions were emerging as effective treatments for alleviation of diseases such as pellagra and beri beri. Representative of his generation of clinicians, Bailey K. Ashford, MD, one of the pivotal figures in academic medicine in Puerto Rico, carried out dietary studies in his patients with tropical sprue. This historical retrospective presents an examination of the diets used by Ashford in terms of nutrient content and comparison to current recommended dietary allowances. Results show the diets to be inadequate for sustained nutrient value and especially low in folic acid. In summary, Ashford recognized the basic causes of tropical sprue but was unable to effectively treat the syndrome due to lack of adequate resources.

Dietary analysis of meals served in the breakfast and lunch programs of Puerto Rican schools

BACKGROUND: Nutritional analysis of meals in the Federally-sponsored Breakfast and Lunch Programs in Stateside Schools has recently been completed. However due to ethnic and cultural differences, the findings may not be directly applicable to similar nutrition programs in Puerto Rico. It is our aim to carry out an analysis of meals served in Federal programs in Puerto Rico and to compare results to the stateside study. METHODS: Twenty eight different breakfast meals and 96 different lunch meals being cycled in elementary, middle and secondary schools throughout the entire island of Puerto Rico were analyzed for content using the Minnesota Nutrition Data System 32 and compared with: 1) compliance to meal pattern requirements of federal programs, 2) dietary guidelines for Americans (DG) and 3) recommended dietary allowances (RDA's). RESULTS: Breakfasts and lunches served in Puerto Rican Schools satisfy federal meal pattern requirements however most frequently offered foods different from programs in the mainland, reflecting ethnic and cultural food preferences. In terms of DG's adequate protein waspresent, cholesterol content was satisfactory but meals had excess percent energy from fat as well as excess energy from saturated fat, high sodium and a lower than recommended level of energy from carbohydrate. In terms of RDA's meals had prescribed levels of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, calcium, folacin, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Below prescribed levels included vitamin B6, copper, vitamin E, energy, fiber, iron, niacin and zinc. CONCLUSIONS: While differences in food preferences exist between foods available in the Breakfast and Lunch Programs in Puerto Rican and U.S., schools, they have similar strengths and weaknesses when compared to compliance with U.S. Dietary Guidelines and with recommended dietary allowances

Glycation of blood proteins during pregnancy and lactation in the rat

Non-enzymatic glycation of blood proteins is a time and concentration dependent process and has been used clinically to monitor carbohydrate metabolism during human pregnancy. Since gestation in rats is of much shorter duration than in humans (3 weeks vs 9 mos) the question was raised whether similar differences in glycated proteins could be observed. Therefore, levels of glucose, glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine were measured during normal pregnancy and lactation in rats. Glucose levels during late pregnancy were significantly lower than in non pregnant and early pregnant rats. During lactation glucose levels return to normal. Glycated hemoglobin paralleled glucose decrease during late pregnancy and increased during lactation. Fructosamine followed a similar pattern. Therefore glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine appear to be reliable indicators of glucose status during gestation and lactation similar to humans and may have value as predictors of gestational diabetes mellitus once a suitable rat model is developed

Use of games to improve scores on memory-type examinatios

Las técnicas que facilitan la memoria, tales como juegos de palabras, son las técnicas de enseñanza comunmente usadas, pero son ellas transmisores de información efectivas? Para contestar ésta pregunta, se hizo una lista de científicos y se examinaron con pruebas de tipo pareo usando tres métodos diferentes al preparar los examenes. Estos incluyeron dos métodos tradicionales: 1) Identidad de los científicos que se les dieron (DEFINE). 2) Identidad de los científicos buscados en una referencia de biblioteca (BUSCAR) y el método no tradicional consistió de deducir la identidad de los científicos resolviendo un rompe cabeza de palabras (ROMPE CABEZA). Los resutlados entre la pre- y pos-prueba demostraron un aumento significativo usando todos los métodos, sin embargo, el ROMPE CABEZA tenía mayor aumento, luego el DEFINE o el BUSCAR. Un cuestionario indicó que el ROMPE CABEZA fue el método proferido de estudios, y los estudiantes se sintieron igual de confiados usando el ROMPE CABEZA como método de preparación que con los otros dos métodos tradicionales. Se concluye que los juegos de palabras deben de promoverse como método para mejorar la memoria

A profile of knowledge and attitudes toward tobacco usage of first and fourth year medical students at the University of Puerto Rico

Estudiantes de medicina del Recinto de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Puerto Rico que terminaban su primero y cuarto año de estudios fueron sometidos a un cuestionario titulado "Actitud sobre el uso del tabaco de los profesionales de la salud en Puerto Rico". El porciento de cada grupo que fuma actualmente resultó ser 18.5%. Entre los estudiantes varones 24.2% de ler año y 13.5% de 4to año fuman, mientras que entre los estudiantes mujeres los porcientos obtenidos son de 9.1% para ler año y 3.2% para 4to año. Se pudo observar en este estudio que hay tendencia a empezar a fumar a una edad más temprana que en años anteriores, al comparar los resultados obtenidos con los de una encuesta realizada hace 20 años. Ambos grupos demostraron que sabían sobre los riesgos y consecuencias de fumar, sin embargo, los estudiantes de 4to año están más concientes de los peligros que envuelve el fumar. La actitud hacia el tabaco depende en gran escala de si el encuestado fuma o no; los no fumadores como podría predecirse están más en contra del uso del tabaco. A pesar de que existen diferencias culturales entre los profesionales de la salud en Puerto Rico y Estados Eunidos, ambos grupos tienen conocimiento y actitudes similares hacia el uso del tabaco