Evaluación geriátrica integral del adulto mayor / Cross sectional geriatric assessment of Mexican older people

Background: Due to the progressive aging of our population, it is imperative to evaluate the life conditions and health limitations of older people. Aim: To report the results of an integral geriatric evaluation of Mexican older people. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional assessment of 324 older subjects of a median age of 70 years (57 percent females) beneficiaries of the Mexican Institute of Social Security of the city of Querétaro. Social, demographic, medical, functional and cognitive variables were evaluated. Results: Of the studied subjects, 37 percent were illiterate, 61 percent lived with a partner and 47 percent were dedicated to household activities. Thirty three percent had visual impairment, 54 percent had hearing impairment, 39 percent had urinary incontinence, 26 percent reported falls in the last six months, 34 percent had nutritional problems, 38 percent were functionally dependent, 49 percent had sleeping problems, 25 percent had cognitive impairment and 25 percent had depression. Conclusions: The general health outlook of this population is encouraging, considering that more than half are not functionally impaired.

Prevención primaria de las malformaciones congénitas / Primary prevention of congenital malformations

Las malformaciones congénitas han adquirido durante los últimos años una importancia creciente como causa de morbimortalidad, especialmente durante el primer año de vida. Dado que la modificación génica es una realidad en el tratamiento de muy pocas enfermedades genéticas, el énfasis está destinado a la prevención. Por otro lado, la gran mayoría de las malformaciones congénitas se producen por la interacción de factores genéticos y ambientales. De tal manera que la prevención primaria se ha basado principalmente en la modificación de estos factores ambientales. En el presente artículo se discuten pautas básicas de prevención de malformaciones congénitas, aplicables a cualquier población y se enfatiza el uso de ácido fólico en la prevención de los defectos de cierre del tubo neural, utilizando por primera vez intervenciones nutricionales de salud pública.

Further observations on clinical tuberculosis among BCGd Filipino children

For about 12 years now (i.e., since the year 1947), we have been conducting mass BCG inoculation here in the Philippines. Many thousands, and perhaps over half a million of our infants and young children have already been subjected to this procedure. With inadequate or no follow-up of these children, we have heard and continue to hear favorable reports resulting from this procedure On the other hand, in the clinic, we encounter active cases of clinical tuberculosis among these BCGd babies and young children. This last report, together with the previous two, seems to show that BCG inoculation does not protect our poor and undernourished children from developing severe manifestations of tuberculosis, and the supposedly attenuated or harmless BCG bacilli may at times produce a severe BCG-itis. (Summary and Conclusion)

Morphogenesis of the epithelial cell transporting phenotype: systhesis and distribution of ion channels

The exchange of substance between higher organisms and the environment takes place across epithelia consisting of one or more cell layers. To perform this function, epithelial cells have two basic differentiated properties: 1) they form tight junctions (Tjs) that seal the extracellular space, and 2) they are polarized into an apical and a basolateral domain, with entirely different structural, biochemical and physiological properties. Our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the expression of these properties has been greatly enchanced by the availability of epithelial cell lines that form Tjs and polarize in vitro under conditions suitable for experimental control. In this article we summarize our studies on the synthesis and polarized expression of ion channels in epithelial cells. MDCK cells have four types of K+ channels in the apical domain, and a fifth one in the basolateral domain. The basolateral side also has a population of Cl- channels. Each type of channel is absolutely polarized. Harvesting with trypsin-EDTA reduces the area of the plasma membrane by 50 per cent and the channel population by 90 per cent. Upon plating, these channels are recovered within a few hours. We describe here the main extracellular and intracellular mechanisms involved in these phenomena.