Características Clínicas y Terapéuticas de los Pacientes que Ingresan por Trauma Craneoencefálico en el Complejo Hospitalario Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid. 2022 - 2023

Introducción: El trauma craneoencefálico (TCE) se define como una patología caracterizada por la alteración cerebral secundaria a una lesión traumática en la región de la cabeza, con la presencia de alteración de la consciencia y/o amnesia debido al trauma, cambios neurológicos, neurofisiológicos, con posibles fracturas de cráneo o lesiones intra craneanas atribuibles al trauma. Metodología: Es un estudio observacional, descriptivo, prospectivo en pacientes que sufrieron TCE internados en el servicio de neurocirugía en el Complejo Hospitalario Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid durante el periodo de marzo de 2022 a febrero de 2023. Resultados: Los resultados de este estudio mostraron que predomina el sexo masculino (78%) sobre el femenino (22%) en pacientes con TCE. Las causas de lesión más comunes fueron caídas de sus pies (27%), caídas de altura (25%) y colisión de moto/automóvil (20%). Las presentaciones clínicas más comunes fueron pérdida de consciencia (49%), amnesia/desorientación (19%) y cefalea (10%). Conclusión: El seguimiento promedio de los pacientes con TCE fue de 16 días. El género masculino fue el más frecuente, con mayor proporción en la edad media y adulta mayor. La etiología principalmente fue por caídas, manifestándose comúnmente por perdida del estado de alerta, y teniendo hallazgos múltiples en la tomografía cerebral. La mayoría de los pacientes se les dio manejo conservador. (provisto por Infomedic International)

Introduction: Cranioencephalic trauma (TBI) is defined as a pathology characterized by cerebral alteration secondary to traumatic injury in the head region, with the presence of altered consciousness and/or amnesia due to trauma, neurological, neurophysiological changes, with possible skull fractures or intracranial lesions attributable to trauma. Methodology: This is an observational, descriptive, prospective study in patients who suffered TBI hospitalized in the neurosurgery service at the Complejo Hospitalario Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid during the period from March 2022 to February 2023. Results: The results of this study showed a predominance of male (78%) over female (22%) patients with TBI. The most common causes of injury were falls from their feet (27%), falls from height (25%) and motorcycle/automobile collision (20%). The most common clinical presentations were loss of consciousness (49%), amnesia/disorientation (19%) and headache (10%). Conclusion: The average follow-up of patients with TBI was 16 days. The male gender was the most frequent, with a higher proportion in middle age and older adults. The etiology was mainly due to falls, commonly manifested by loss of alertness, and multiple findings in brain tomography. Most patients were managed conservatively. (provided by Infomedic International)

In vitro assessment of biofunctional properties of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain Jb21-11 and the characterization of its exopolysaccharide / Evaluación in vitro de las propiedades biofuncionales de Lactiplantibacillus plantarum cepa Jb21-11 y caracterización de su exopolisacárido

The microbiota of traditional food provides a rich reservoir of biodiversity to find new strains with interesting features for novel functional food formulation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the biofunctional potential of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strain Jb21-11 isolated from Jben, a traditional Algerian fresh cheese. This isolate was selected out of a collection of 154 LAB based on its exopolysaccharide (EPS) phenotype and was preliminarily identified by polyphasic characterization as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (previously known as Lactobacillus plantarum) and its biofunctional properties were then assessed in vitro. The tested strain demonstrated good resistance to gastric juice, acidity around pH 2, and 2% (v/v) bile salts, which are important characteristics for potential biofunctional LAB candidates. It also showed a good production of ropy EPS with 674 mg/L on MRS medium. However, this ability appears to compromise the adhesion of the strain to Caco-2 cells (less than 1%), which according to our results, seems not to be related to autoaggregation and hydrophobicity (44.88 ± 0.028% and 16.59 ± 0.012%). Furthermore, promising antimicrobial activity against three pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella) was detected probably due to antimicrobial metabolites excreted during fermentation process into the medium. Moreover, the strain L. plantarum Jb21-11 displayed a therapeutic functionality with both anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory action using RAW 264.7 cells. The chemical features of the novel ropy Jb21-11-EPS were also investigated revealing the presence of three monosaccharides, namely, mannose, galactose, and glucose, with a molar ratio of 5.42:1.00:4.52 linked together by α- and β-glycosidic bonds, presenting a relatively high molecular weight of 1.08 × 105 Da of interest for a texturing potential. Therefore, the new producing EPS strain Jb21-11 is a promising candidate for use as an adjunct culture for improving the texture of functional food.(AU)

In vitro assessment of biofunctional properties of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain Jb21-11 and the characterization of its exopolysaccharide.

ABSTACT: The microbiota of traditional food provides a rich reservoir of biodiversity to find new strains with interesting features for novel functional food formulation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the biofunctional potential of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strain Jb21-11 isolated from Jben, a traditional Algerian fresh cheese. This isolate was selected out of a collection of 154 LAB based on its exopolysaccharide (EPS) phenotype and was preliminarily identified by polyphasic characterization as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (previously known as Lactobacillus plantarum) and its biofunctional properties were then assessed in vitro. The tested strain demonstrated good resistance to gastric juice, acidity around pH 2, and 2% (v/v) bile salts, which are important characteristics for potential biofunctional LAB candidates. It also showed a good production of ropy EPS with 674 mg/L on MRS medium. However, this ability appears to compromise the adhesion of the strain to Caco-2 cells (less than 1%), which according to our results, seems not to be related to autoaggregation and hydrophobicity (44.88 ± 0.028% and 16.59 ± 0.012%). Furthermore, promising antimicrobial activity against three pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella) was detected probably due to antimicrobial metabolites excreted during fermentation process into the medium. Moreover, the strain L. plantarum Jb21-11 displayed a therapeutic functionality with both anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory action using RAW 264.7 cells. The chemical features of the novel ropy Jb21-11-EPS were also investigated revealing the presence of three monosaccharides, namely, mannose, galactose, and glucose, with a molar ratio of 5.42:1.00:4.52 linked together by α- and ß-glycosidic bonds, presenting a relatively high molecular weight of 1.08 × 105 Da of interest for a texturing potential. Therefore, the new producing EPS strain Jb21-11 is a promising candidate for use as an adjunct culture for improving the texture of functional food.

Proportion of women on the editorial committees of dental journals in the world / Proporção de mulheres nos comitês editoriais de revistas odontológicas no mundo

Objective: Despite the increase in the female contribution to careers in the health sector, Dentistry has shown slow progress towards gender equality. The objective of this study was to quantify the proportion of women in the editorial committees of dental journals in the world. Material and Methods: Dental journals published in the world were compiled, which met inclusion criteria: dental journals indexed to Scopus in their 2020 edition, access to the composition of the editorial committee. Non-current journals, without access to their website, journals not classified in a quartile, and journals with publishers outside their country of origin, were excluded. The selection of journals was carried out from January 11 to 19, 2021. The analysis variables were the composition of the editorial committee, dental specialty according to the SJR category and the title of the journal, quartile of the journal, and country of origin of the editorial headquarters. Results: One hundred eighty nine journals were identified. Women represented 22.91% for the position of director or editor-in-chief. With respect to associate editors and members of the editorial board, 24.76% and 22.91% were women, respectively. Likewise, greater female participation was observed in Q2 and Q1 journals and in thematic areas of Geriatric Dentistry, Dental Education, Dental Public Health, and Basic Sciences. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the low proportion of women on the editorial boards of dental journals in the world (AU)

Objetivo: Apesar do aumento da contribuição feminina para as carreiras no setor da saúde, a odontologia tem apresentado avanços lentos em direção à equidade de gênero. O objetivo deste estudo foi quantificar a proporção de mulheres nos comitês editoriais de periódicos odontológicos no mundo. Material e Métodos: Foram compilados periódicos odontológicos publicados no mundo, que atenderam aos critérios de inclusão: periódicos odontológicos indexados ao Scopus em sua edição de 2020, acesso à composição do comitê editorial. Foram excluídos os periódicos não atuais, sem acesso ao site, os periódicos não classificados em quartil e os periódicos com editoras fora do país de origem. A seleção dos periódicos foi realizada no período de 11 a 19 de janeiro de 2021. As variáveis de análise foram a composição do comitê editorial, especialidade odontológica de acordo com a categoria SJR e o título do periódico, quartil do periódico e país de origem da sede do editorial. Resultados:Cento e oitenta e nove periódicos foram identificados. As mulheres representaram 22,91% para o cargo de diretora ou redatora-chefe. Em relação aos editores associados e membros do comitê editorial, 24,76% e 22,91% eram mulheres, respectivamente. Da mesma forma, foi observada maior participação feminina nos periódicos Q2 e Q1 e nas áreas temáticas de Odontologia Geriátrica, Educação Odontológica, Saúde Pública Odontológica e Ciências Básicas. Conclusão: Os achados demonstram a baixa proporção de mulheres nos conselhos editoriais de periódicos odontológicos no mundo. (AU)

Distribution of procyanidins and their metabolites in rat plasma and tissues in relation to ingestion of procyanidin-enriched or procyanidin-rich cocoa creams.

BACKGROUND: Procyanidins are extensively metabolized via phase-II and microbial enzymes. However, their distribution in the body is not well characterized. AIM: This study investigates the distribution of procyanidins (monomers and dimers) and their phase-II metabolites in plasma and tissues (thymus, heart, liver, testicle, lung, kidney, spleen and brain). METHODS: Wistar rats were fed with 1 g of cocoa cream (CC), 50 mg of procyanidin hazelnut skin extract (PE) and 50 mg PE in 1 g CC (PECC). The rats were killed at 0, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 and 18 h after gavage, and the plasma and tissues were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. RESULTS: Epicatechin-glucuronide was the main metabolite in the plasma after the CC intake, with C(max) at 423 nM and t(max) at 2 h, and methyl catechin-glucuronide (301 nM, 2 h) was the main metabolite in the plasma after the PE intake. As a result of the PECC enrichment, epicatechin-glucuronide (452 nM, 1.5 h) and catechin-glucuronide (297 nM, 2 h) were the main metabolites in the plasma. Methyl catechin-glucuronide was found in the liver after PE (8 nmol/g tissue, 4 h) and PECC (8 nmol/g, 1.5 h). The kidney was found to contain a high concentration of phase-II metabolites of procyanidins and is therefore thought to be the main site of metabolism of the compounds. Methyl catechin-sulfate (6.4 nmol/g, 4 h) was only quantified in the brain and after PE intake. Catechin metabolites were not found in the spleen or heart. Phenolic acids were detected in all tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The formulation of a product enriched or fortified with procyanidins is a way to increase their bioavailability, with clear effects on the plasmatic pharmacokinetics, and a greater accumulation of phenolic metabolites in such tissues as the liver, kidney, lung and brain.

Multicompartmental LC-Q-TOF-based metabonomics as an exploratory tool to identify novel pathways affected by polyphenol-rich diets in mice.

Metabonomics has recently been used to study the physiological response to a given nutritional intervention, but such studies have usually been restricted to changes in either plasma or urine. In the present study, we demonstrate that the use of LC-Q-TOF-based metabolome analyses (foodstuff, plasma, urine, and caecal content metabolomes) in mice offer higher order information, including intra- and intercompartment relationships. To illustrate this, we performed an intervention study with three different phenolic-rich extracts in mice over 3 weeks. Both unsupervised (PCA) and supervised (PLS-DA) multivariate analyses used for pattern recognition revealed marked effects of diet in each compartment (plasma, urine, and caecal contents). Specifically, dietary intake of phenolic-rich extract affects pathways such as bile acid and taurine metabolism. Q-TOF-based metabonomics demonstrated that the number of correlations is higher in caecal contents and urine than in plasma. Moreover, intercompartment correlations showed that caecal contents-plasma correlations are the most frequent in mice, followed by plasma-urine ones. The number of inter- and intracompartment correlations is significantly affected by diet. These analyses reveal the complexity of interorgan metabolic relationships and their sensitivity to dietary changes.

LUDOPATIA: Características de la población que asiste a salas de juego en Tegucigalpa / Compulsive gambling: characterization of people that visit gambling casinos in Tegucigalpa

La ludopatía consiste en una alteración progresiva del comportamiento por la que un individuo siente una incontrolable necesidad de jugar, menospreciando cualquier consecuencia negativa. Objetivo: Caracterizar la población que asiste a lugares de juego de azar en Tegucigalpa M.D.C., diciembre de 2006. Metodologí­a: Tipo de estudio. Descriptivo transversal. El universo de estudio fue de 50,000 personas que asistían a lugares de juegos de azar. El tamaño de muestra fue de 384 personas. El método de muestreo fue estratificado, conformado por: 40 billares y 8 casinos. La unidad de análisis fue seleccionada aleatoriamente. Procedimiento: previo consentimiento informado de las personas que asist­an a los lugares de juego, se solicitó permiso a los gerentes de los establecimientos.Se utilizarón dos instrumentos de recolección de datos: un cuestionario de carácter general con preguntas abiertas y cerradas que recogía datos personales; el segundo instrumento utilizado fue el SOGS(South Oaks ambling Scrren). El Grpo de investigadores se capacitó para el levantamiento de datos y aclarar dudas en aquellos casos que el entrevistado desaba llenar los instrumentos. Resultados: la población de estudio fur clasificada en: Jugador social 143(37%), con problemas 86(22%) y jugador patológico 155(40%). La edad de la población predominó en el grupo de 20-29 años 184(48%) y mayores de 50 años con 38(10%); el sexo mayoritario fue masculino co 301(78%), la edad de inicio en el juego fue de 15-19 años 204(53%), el motivo de inicio fue por entretenimiento 184(48%) e influencia de amiastades 93(24%); La escolaridad era universidad incompleta 109(28%), secundaria completa 93(24%) y universidad completa (22%), la actividad laboral fue: estudiantes 113(29%), comerciante 82(21%) con ingreso económico en el rango 2,501-5,000 Lempiras. Los jugadores juegan, los días sábado 152(40%) y viernes 128(33%), el tiempo de permanencia...(AU)

Rapid determination of phenolic compounds and alkaloids of carob flour by improved liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

An improved chromatographic method was developed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to identify and quantify phenolic compounds and alkaloids, theobromine and caffeine, in carob flour samples. The developed method has been validated in terms of speed, sensitivity, selectivity, peak efficiency, linearity, reproducibility, limits of detection, and limits of quantification. The chromatographic method allows the identification and quantification of 20 phenolic compounds, that is, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their aglycone and glucoside forms, together with the determination of the alkaloids, caffeine and theobromine, at low concentration levels all in a short analysis time of less than 20 min.

Effect of fat content on the digestibility and bioaccessibility of cocoa polyphenol by an in vitro digestion model.

This work describes the applicability of an in vitro digestion model for the evaluation of the digestibility and bioaccessibility of cocoa polyphenols (procyanidins, phenolic acids, and flavones) and for the study of the food matrix effect in relation with the fat content. For this purpose, two cocoa samples, cocoa liquor ( approximately 50% fat content) and cocoa powder ( approximately 15% fat content), were used. The results showed an important increase of the concentration of procyanidin (monomers and dimers), probably due to the hydrolysis of procyanidins with a high degree of polymerization (pentamers to nonamers) submitted to the digestion procedure. In relation to flavones, the concentration of aglycone forms remained almost constant after the digestion steps; in contrast, the concentration of the glycoside forms an increase in the digestion mixtures mainly after the duodenal step, probably as a result of the partial digestion of the dietary fiber present in the cocoa. The higher fat content in the cocoa liquor seemed to have a protective effect, probably related with a better micellarization that favors the stability of polyphenols during digestion.

Obtention and characterization of phenolic extracts from different cocoa sources.

The aim of this study was to evaluate several cocoa sources to obtain a rich phenol extract for use as an ingredient in the food industry. Two types of phenolic extracts, complete and purified, from different cocoa sources (beans, nibs, liquor, and cocoa powder) were investigated. UPLC-MS/MS was used to identify and quantify the phenolic composition of the extracts, and the Folin-Ciocalteu and vanillin assays were used to determine the total phenolic and flavan-3-ol contents, respectively. The DPPH and ORAC assays were used to measure their antioxidant activity. The results of the analysis of the composition of the extracts revealed that the major fraction was procyanidins, followed by flavones and phenolic acids. From the obtained results, the nib could be considered the most interesting source for obtaining a rich phenolic cocoa extract because of its rich phenolic profile content and high antioxidant activity in comparison with the other cocoa sources.