Antagonistic effects of leucine and glutamine on the mTOR pathway in myogenic C2C12 cells.

This study compared the effects of leucine and glutamine on the mTOR pathway, on protein synthesis and on muscle-specific gene expression in myogenic C(2)C(12) cells. Leucine increased the phosphorylation state of mTOR, on both Ser2448 and Ser2481, and its downstream effectors, p70(S6k), S6 and 4E-BP1. By contrast, glutamine decreased the phosphorylation state of mTOR on Ser2448, p70(S6k) and 4E-BP1, but did not modify the phosphorylation state of mTOR on Ser2481 and S6. Whilst the phosphorylation state of the mTOR pathway is usually related to protein synthesis, the incorporation of labelled methionine/cysteine was only transiently modified by leucine and was unaltered by glutamine. However, these two amino acids affected the mRNA levels of desmin, myogenin and myosin heavy chain in a time-dependant manner. In conclusion, leucine and glutamine have opposite effects on the mTOR pathway. Moreover, they induce modification of muscle-specific gene expression, unrelated to their effects on the mTOR/p70(S6k) pathway.

Dietas vegetarianas / Vegetarians diets

El vegetarianismo como estilo de vida y forma de alimentación tiene en nuestra sociedad una importante presencia. Actualmente en Europa se sitúa entre el 3 y el 8% de la población, con una tendencia ascendente. Las dietas vegetarianas se relacionan con una menor incidencia de enfermedades crónicas propias del mundo desarrollado (problemas cardiovasculares, hipertensión arterial, hipercolesterolemia, diabetes, cáncer), pero excluir alimentos de origen animal conlleva riesgos nutricionales (déficit energético, proteico, de vitamina B12 y minerales), sobre todo en períodos críticos de la vida como la infancia y la adolescencia. Se revisan los principios de esta forma de alimentación, sus beneficios y riesgos, y se establecen algunas consideraciones y recomendaciones prácticas para el pediatra de Atención Primaria con familias vegetarianas entre sus pacientes (AU)

Vegetarianism as a way of life and nourishing style has an important presence in our society. Currently in Europe they are 3 to 8 % of the population, with an increasing tendency. Vegetarian diets are related to less incidence of developed world’s chronic diseases (cardiovascular impairment, arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, cancer), but excluding animal origin foods carry some nutritional risks (energy, proteins, B12 vitamin and minerals deficit), specially in critical periods of life such as childhood and adolescence. The principles of this style of nutrition are revised, its benefits and risks, and some considerations and recommendations are established for Primary Care paediatricians counting with vegetarian families among their patients (AU)

Nuevos procedimientos en anestesia local en odontología: el sistema Injex / New proceedings in dental anesthesia: the Injex system

Una de las circunstancias que han contribuido al desarrollo de la odontología en los últimos tiempos ha sido la mejora en las técnicas anestésicas. Sin embargo, el uso de la aguja en la mayor parte de los sistemas de anestesia dental, a pesar de ser un sistema casi indoloro, constituye un problema por la gran cantidad de pacientes que presentan fobias a la misma. Este hecho empeora cuando las poblaciones que han de ser tratadas son niños o pacientes especiales. En esta revisión bibliográfica se exponen las ventajas e inconvenientes de las técnicas anestésicas sin aguja, y se describe un nuevo sistema aparecido en el mercado español, el sistema Injex® (AU)

In the recent years, the improvement of anesthesics methods have been one of the circunstances who had contributed to the development of Odontology. In the other hand, sometimes is an important problem the employrnent of the needle in the most of anethesisc systems, because many patients present fobic situations when the needle is employed. This situation is worst when children or handicapped patients have to be treated. In this review, the advantages and mistakes of dental anesthesia without needle is exposed, and a new method developed, called Injex® , is presented (AU)

[Comparative study of medical advice and cognitive-behavioral group therapy in the treatment of child-adolescent obesity]. / Estudio comparativo entre el consejo médico y la terapia grupal cognitivo conductual en el tratamiento de la obesidad infantojuvenil.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of medical advice and cognitive-behavioral group therapy in the treatment of primary obesity in children and adolescents 7 to 15 years old. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From five primary care centers 353 subjects (176 boys and 177 girls) were recruited and assigned to three groups. These groups were: medical advice (Group 1), cognitive-behavioral group therapy (Group 2) and those that rejected all treatments (Group 3). Forty variables were controlled and studied for association with prognosis. RESULTS: A significant, but modest decrease in relative body mass index was noted in groups 1 and 2 in the first 6 months, but at two years no differences between the three groups were detected. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that cognitive-behavioral group therapy is not more effective than medical advice in our population and neither had a significant effect at two years when compared to no treatment.