Ruta colombiana del colesterol. Mesa redonda nacional sobre el colesterol en Colombia. Llamado a la acción / Colombian Cholesterol Roadmap. National roundtable on cholesterol in Colombia. Call to action

Resumen La enfermedad cardiovascular aterosclerótica (infarto de miocardio, accidente cerebrovascular y enfermedad arterial periférica) continúan siendo las causas más importantes de muerte prematura, discapacidad y gastos en atención médica en todo el mundo. Por lo tanto, evitar la acumulación vascular de lipoproteínas aterogénicas de colesterol es fundamental para prevenir los eventos cardiovasculares mayores. La actualización de la ruta colombiana del colesterol, Colombian Cholesterol Roadmap, es el resultado de la reunión realizada en el Congreso Nacional de Cardiología 2023, con el apoyo de la Federación Mundial del Corazón y una mesa de expertos clínicos, temáticos y representantes de diferentes instituciones relacionadas con el manejo de las dislipidemias en Colombia. Este documento tiene como objetivo ser un marco conceptual para describir los hallazgos y logros obtenidos a partir de las mesas de trabajo relacionadas con la identificación de barreras que limitan el tratamiento adecuado de la hipercolesterolemia en Colombia y las acciones que fueron propuestas ajustadas al contexto local que buscan desarrollar políticas nacionales y enfoques en nuestros sistemas de salud. Así mismo, confirma el compromiso del trabajo articulado intersectorial para lograr las metas en salud cardiovascular propuestas para el año 2030.

Abstract Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (including myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease) continue to be a leading cause of premature death, disability, and healthcare expenditures worldwide. Therefore, preventing the vascular accumulation of atherogenic cholesterol-containing lipoproteins is crucial in averting major cardiovascular events. The Colombian Cholesterol Roadmap update is the outcome of a meeting held during the 2023 National Cardiology Congress, with the support of the World Heart Federation and a panel of clinical and thematic experts, along with representatives from various institutions involved in the management of dyslipidaemias in Colombia. The present update of this Cholesterol Roadmap provides a conceptual framework to describe the findings and achievements derived from working groups focused on identifying barriers that hinder the appropriate treatment of hypercholesterolemia in Colombia. It also outlines proposed actions adjusted to the local context, aiming to develop national policies and approaches within our healthcare systems. Furthermore, it reaffirms the commitment to intersectoral collaboration to achieve the cardiovascular health goals set for the year 2030.

Role of 5-hydroxytryptamine in Moringa oleifera induced potentiation of pentobarbitone hypnosis in albino rats.

The role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in pentobarbitone (PB) sleeping time, gross behaviour, electrical activity of the brain and serum 5-HT level was studied in Holtzman strain adult albino rats following treatment with M. oleifera (MO). MO (350mg/kg) caused inhibition of awareness, touch response, motor activity, righting reflex, and grip strength. It significantly increased the PB sleeping time, serum 5-HT level (P<0.001) and alpha-wave activity. These observations indicate that the aqueous extract of MO potentiated PB induced sleeping time and increased the alpha-wave activity through 5-HT.

Knowledge about cancer in West Bengal - a pilot survey.

A pilot survey was conducted based on 900 respondents of the population of West Bengal to assess their level of awareness regarding cancer with the aim of estimating associations between response variables (knowledge about cancer) and predictor variables (age, sex, level of education). The data of the pilot survey revealed that 98% of the respondents had heard of the disease 'Cancer'. Unfortunately only 35% of the respondents were aware of the 7-danger signals (i.e. the primary symptoms of cancer) as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO). None of the respondents knew all 7-primary symptoms of cancer and the majority (about 88%) knew only one or two (mainly tumour lumps and ulcers). Only 44.67% were aware of the major risk factors (like smoking and tobacco chewing). The percentage of the respondents believing that most cancers are curable in early stages was 58%. Some of the respondents (21%) expressed the vague idea that cancer is a infectious disease which is creating a problem of isolation from the family/society with some unfortunate cancer patients. Over 11% of the respondents suggested that a cancer diagnosis should be kept secret from neighbours due to some social stigma like problems with daughters' marriage. Only 8% had experienced any cancer awareness programme conducted by any organisation, only 37% had listened to any cancer awareness programme conducted by the All India Radio, only 36% had seen any cancer awareness programme conducted by Doordarsan/ private Television channels, only 34% had read cancer awareness articles in the newspapers/magazines and only 13% had seen posters/hoardings regarding cancer awareness. The results thus revealed a huge lack regarding cancer awareness in the region. Most of the respondents (68%) expressed a wish for starting cancer awareness programmes. From the Pilot Survey it has been found that the average Knowledge Index of the respondents is 58+ 1.7 irrespective of the socio-economic and personal status. On testing of associations, there was no statistically significant association of the Knowledge Index with the domicile status (rural or urban), sex, occupation and religion of the respondents. However, statistically significant links were evident with the level of education (p=0.00001), social participation (p=0.00004) and income (p=0.00013) of the respondents.

Central inhibitory effect of Moringa oleifera root extract: possible role of neurotransmitters.

Effect of chronic treatment of standardized aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera (MO) root (100, 200, 300, 350, 400, 450 mg/kg; po) on penicillin (PCN) induced convulsion, locomotor behaviour, brain serotonin (5-HTT), dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) level was studied in Holtzman strain adult albino rats. The result revealed that pretreatment with MO inhibited PCN-induced seizure and markedly reduced locomotor activity. Chronic treatment with MO significantly increased the 5-HT and decreased the DA level in cerebral cortex (CC), midbrain (MB), caudate nucleus (CN) and cerebellum (CB). NE level was significantly decreased in CC but no appreciable change was observed in MB, CB and CN. Thus the central inhibitory effect of MO is discussed in the light of the disturbed balance between 5-HT, DA and NE.