Value of high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of amino acids in the determination of Panax ginseng radix extract effect in cultured neurons.

The present research describes a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method that allows the determination of several amino acids in primary cultured cortical neurons of rats. The concentration of amino acids was determined by using pre-column derivatization with dansyl chloride and UV-diode array detection. Data show that Panax ginseng radix extract (GS) can modulate amino acid release in neurons. The levels of glutamate (Glu), aspartate (Asp), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine (Gly) in the GS-treated groups were higher than in the non-treated groups dose-dependentwise. In this case, Glu and GABA were the most released amino acids (74.43% +/- 0.97 and 88.41% +/- 4.12 at ginseng dose 0.01 mg/ml after 1h from treatment, respectively). The values obtained in the determination of the analytical parameters (linearity, precision, limit of detection and accuracy) confirm the quality of the method. The average recoveries for intra and inter-day assay (n = 5) were 101.18 and 102.38 for Asp, 99.35 and 98.44 for Glu, 99.59 and 99.66 for Gly, and 100.06 and 100.37 for GABA. These data proved that the method yields accurate results, with RSD lower than 2.2%. The precision of the method was estimated on the basis of RSD of six injections at two different concentrations of amino acids. This technique is useful in studying the GS-mediated modulation of the dynamic equilibrium of amino acids and neurotransmission in neurons.

[Barcelona Bipolar Eating Disorder Scale (BEDS): a self-administered scale for eating disturbances in bipolar patients]. / Una escala autoaplicada para las alteraciones de la conducta alimentaria en el trastorno bipolar: Bipolar Eating Disorder Scale (BEDS) de Barcelona.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of eating disorders in bipolar population is not rare, with rates over 10 %, according to the few available epidemiologic studies, however the literature on this issue is still scarce. An even higher percentage of bipolar individuals suffer from serious problems related to eating behavior without fulfilling criteria for DSM-IV eating disorder. METHODS: The Bipolar Eating Disorders Scale (BEDS) was designed on the basis of the existing eating scales, adjusted to the characteristics of bipolar disorders from the complaints of our sample of patients (n=350). Subsequently, a group of experts made the selection of the most representative and independent items in order to obtain a short, 10-item scale, aimed at assessing the intensity and frequency of eating dysfunctions in the bipolar population and not at diagnosis. We administered the scale to a healthy control group (n=55) to evaluate feasibility and to determine the cut-off score. RESULTS: The BEDS is a 10-item simple, self-administered scale. Average time of completing this scale is about 1.13 min (1 min, 21 seconds) +/-26 seconds. Median score was 6 and the mean score was 6.6 with a standard deviation of 3.7, this being the reason why the cut-off point was found to be around 13 points. Patients receiving scores over 13 may require an individualized intervention to evaluate which were the main difficulties and to propose treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The BEDS allows for a rapid and effective evaluation of both the intensity and the frequency of eating dysfunctions in bipolar patients in order to perform an adequate intervention for the specific needs of each one of the patients.

[Medical and social considerations of family planning]. / Consideraciones medico-sociales de la planificacion familiar.

PIP: The motivations which led to creation of a family planning specialty within social medicine are discussed and currently available contraceptive methods are reviewed. Among considerations which lead to family planning are the universal worry about uncontrolled population growth and limited resources, especially in the 3rd World: the earth's population is expected to reach 6.5 billion in the year 2000, but already 2.2 billion persons lack adequate resources. Health education and family planning are needed to promote safe conditions for pregnancy and to avoid pregnancy in cases of genetic deficiency. Family planning is a purely medical problem when the woman has a medical problem that would be life threatening to her or her child in case of pregnancy. Illnesses that may be aggravated by pregnancy include cardiopathy, diabetes, nephropathies, thyroid disease, and tuberculosis. Family planning involves provision of information and counseling for patients suffering such disorders as well as for patients who are infertile. Among psychosocial indications for family planning are 2 major problems of modern society: the quality of life and abortion. Family planning has given women the possibility of becoming sexual companions, but the fact that they and not men must submit themselves to contraceptive methods is a negative psychological factor for the stability of the couple. A great change has occurred in Spanish society, in that marriage used to be the only legitimate context for sexual activity and, for Catholics, the only legitimate sexual activity was that oriented toward procreation. Promiscuity, pornography, and sexual liberties and abuses promote undesired pregnancies and abortions. In addition, premarital and extramarital sexual relations have become more frequent. Some 300,000 abortions occur annually in Spain, but abortion can never be a valued family planning method because of its associated morbidity and mortality, and high costs of hospitalization in cases of complications. There is no better prophylactic for abortion than state supported family planning and coeducation as the maximum exponent of respect between the sexes. Contraception has been legal in Spain for about a dozen years, although various methods were in use prior to that time. The choice of a contraceptive method depends largely on motivation and the couple's marital status, number of children living and desired, unconscious psychological motivations, and other factors. The most common methods in Spain in 1982 in order of frequency were coitus interruptus, combined oral contraceptive, barrier methods, IUDs, Ogino-Knaus, temperature rhythm, injectables, female sterilization, and male sterilization.^ieng