Assessing the decoupling of economic growth from environmental impacts in the European Union: A consumption-based approach.

Pursuing a responsible and sustainable development, the United Nations urged to decouple economic growth from environmental impacts. Several European Union (EU) policies have been implemented towards such goal. Although multiple authors have evaluated the decoupling of the economic growth from the resource use or environmental concerns, the environmental assessment mostly focused on pressures rather than impacts, and used single indicators assumed to be a proxy of the overall effects on the environment. Furthermore, no studies were found using a process-based life cycle approach to quantify the environmental impacts of consumption. To solve such research gap, this paper assesses the decoupling in the EU focusing on potential environmental impacts, complementing a production-based approach with two options for accounting for the impacts of consumption. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the decoupling of the economic growth (in terms of Gross Domestic Product) from the environmental impacts due to EU-28 consumption, assessed by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). The decoupling is then assessed in impact terms rather than limited to pressures by using the Environmental Footprint (EF2017) indicators, which allows assessing 16 different impacts. The Consumption Footprint indicator quantified the environmental impacts of EU apparent consumption, including the territorial impacts (Domestic Footprint) and the embodied impacts in both imports and exports (Trade Footprint). The inventory of pressures for the trade component is compiled either with a bottom-up approach (process-based LCA of representative traded goods) or a top-down approach (input-output-based LCA). Methodological aspects influencing the decoupling assessment and the resulting outputs are presented and discussed. According to the results, the environmental impacts of EU-28 consumption showed decoupling during the last decades (2005-2014), between relative to absolute decoupling depending on the inventory modeling approach taken. Some countries showed higher decoupling levels than others displaying a heterogeneous map of EU-28 decoupling, which was led by acidification, particulate matter, land use and eutrophication impacts. Notwithstanding current limitations, the assessment of decoupling using consumption-based environmental indicators is very promising for supporting policy-making towards addressing the actual impacts driven by the EU production and consumption system.

Improving water management in European catfish recirculating aquaculture systems through catfish-lettuce aquaponics.

In the context of climate change and population growth, aquaculture plays an important role for food security, employment and economic development. Intensive recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) allow to treat and recycle fish effluents to reduce waste concentration in outflow water thereby reducing environmental contamination. RAS sustainability may be further improved using aquaponics, a circular productive system in which RAS wastewater is recovered for crop cultivation and recycled back to the fish tanks. In this study, water metabolism of a catfish RAS was assessed and the opportunity to produce lettuce with the RAS effluent was tested. Crop growth and water consumption in aquaponics were compared to those experienced in hydroponics at three nutrient solution concentration (EC of 1.6, 2.0 and 3.0 dS∙m-1), also considering water- (WUE) and nitrogen- use efficiency (NUE). A scenario for converting the RAS in a catfish-lettuce aquaponic system was, then, proposed. The RAS water balance included an input of 555 L∙day-1, out of which 32 L∙day-1 were lost by evaporation from the tubs whereas 460 L∙day-1 were discarded. The lettuce yield, NUE and WUE in aquaponics were respectively 20.3%, 22.3% and 20.6% lower than those obtained in hydroponics. Best performances in hydroponics were achieved with EC of 2.0 dS m-1. No difference in term of water consumption arose between the treatments, with average water use of 46 mL∙plant-1∙day-1. Considering the current RAS productivity of 329 kg year-1, a 10 m2 raft system hosting 160 lettuces would satisfy the nitrogen filtration demand. Once closed the water loop between the two productive sub-units, the current water input of 532 L∙day-1 could be reduced to the amount needed to replace the water lost by evaporation (50 L∙day-1) and the RAS water output would decrease from 555 to 103 L∙day-1.

Detection of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: 23 years of experience. / Detección de tumores neuroendocrinos pancreáticos: 23 años de experiencia.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Neuroendocrine tumors are of great scientific interest, given that they are difficult to diagnose and treat. Despite being relatively rare (< 1/100,000 individuals, 1-2% of the gastrointestinal neoplasias) and indolent, their potential malignancy must not be forgotten. An increase in the number of diagnosed tumors has been observed in recent years. The aim of the present study was to update a published case series of 19 patients suspected of presenting with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor with 51 current cases, to study and compare the new results with those of the previous case series, as well as with other recent publications from Spain, the United States, China, and India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, multicenter case series was conducted on 70 patients (19 cases published in 2011), whose data has been collected over a period of 23 years. The variables analyzed were: age, sex, symptomatology, tumor size, location, metastasis, final diagnosis, and surgery, among others. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 55 years and 60% of the patients were men. Disease location was the pancreatic head in 28.5% of the patients and the tail in 27.1%, mean tumor size was 3.9cm (0.2-10cm), 71.4% of the patients had non-functioning tumors, 32.8% had metastases (100% to the liver), 74.2% of the patients were operated on, and actuarial survival was 75%. CONCLUSIONS: Differences were observed between the previously published case series and the current results. There was an increase in incidentalomas and non-functioning tumors, but no variation in the overall survival rate. The differences with other case series (age, sex, and tumor location) were dependent on the country where the cases were compiled. The increase in tumors could be related to a higher number of diagnoses made through imaging studies and to the greater sensitivity of the devices employed.

Arborization patterns of amygdalopetal axons from the rat ventral pallidum.

We previously analyzed the arborization patterns of rat ventral pallidal (VP) axons that coursed caudally to innervate the thalamus and brainstem (Tripathi et al. in Brain Struct Funct 218:1133-1157, 2013). Here, we have reconstructed 16 previously undetected axons from the same tracer deposits that follow a more lateral trajectory. Virtually all 16 axons emanating from the different VP compartments collateralized in the extended amygdala system (EAS) and amygdaloid complex. The most frequent targets of axons from the lateral and medial (VPm) VP compartments were the rostral sublenticular extended amygdala, the extended amygdala (EA), the central nucleus of the amygdala and the posterior part of the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus. In contrast, axons from the rostral extension of the VP preferentially innervated the anterior amygdaloid area, the magnocellular preoptic nucleus, and the anterior part of the basomedial amygdaloid nucleus. We additionally found and reconstructed a single corticopetal axon arising from the VPm. The new results show that both direct and indirect projections from the basolateral complex and EAS to the ventral striatopallidal system are reciprocated by VP projections, and suggest that the systems can be activated simultaneously. The results additionally suggest that the amygdaloid complex and cortex are innervated separately from the VP. Finally, the combination of new and previous data indicate that approximately 84 % of VP axons (88/105) participate in basal ganglia circuits, 15 % (16/105) target the amygdaloid complex, and less than 1 % innervate the cortex.

[Gastric cancer risk estimate in patients with chronic gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori infection in a clinical setting]. / Estimación de riesgo de cáncer gástrico en pacientes con gastritis crónica asociada a la infección por Helicobacter pylori en un escenario clínico.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Severity of chronic gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori infection (CGAHpI) could play a role in evaluating the potential risk to develop gastric cancer. Our aim was to estimate the risk for gastric cancer in a clinical setting, according to histopathologic criteria, by applying the gastric cancer risk index (GCRI) METHODS: Histopathologic study of the gastric biopsies (corpus-antrum) from consecutive adult patients that underwent gastroesophageal duodenoscopy was carried out, and the GCRI was applied in patients presenting with CGAHpI. RESULTS: One hundred eleven patients (77% female) with a mean age of 38.6±13.1 years were included. Active Helicobacter pylori infection (aHpi) was diagnosed in 77 cases (69.40%). In 45% of the cases with aHpi, pangastritis (23%) or corpus-predominant gastritis (22%) was diagnosed. Nine cases were diagnosed with intestinal metaplasia (8%), 7 of which (77.70%) were in the aHpi group. Twenty one percent of the patients with aHpi had a GCRI of 2 (18.10%) or 3 (2.50%) points (high risk index), while 79.10% accumulated a GCRI of 0 or 1 points (low risk index). Of the patients with no aHpi, none of them had 3 points (p=0.001). Of the 18 patients that accumulated 2 or 3 points, 6 (33.30%) presented with intestinal metaplasia (all with pangastritis and corpus-predominant gastritis), of which 4 cases (66.60%) had aHpi. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated gastric cancer risk in patients with CGAHpI in the clinical setting studied was relatively low and 5% of the patients had a histopathologic phenotype associated with an elevated risk for developing gastric cancer.

Viability of ICSI oocytes after caffeine treatment and sperm membrane removal with Triton X-100 in pigs.

Non-adequate decondensation of injected sperm nucleus is one the main problems of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in porcine. With the aim of improving pronuclear formation, the effects on activation and embryo development rates of 0.1% Triton X-100 (TX) sperm pre-treatment for membrane removal and/or 5 mM Caffeine (CAF) addition in oocyte manipulating and culture medium for 2 h after ICSI or artificial activation were studied. The effects of 4 different Ca(2+) concentrations contained in the injection medium on embryo development after sham injection were also analysed. In Experiment 1, no significant effect on cleavage or blastocyst rate was detected independently of Ca(2+) concentration contained in the injection medium. In Experiment 2, oocytes injected with TX pre-treated sperm showed a significant higher rate of male pronuclear formation in comparison with oocytes from control group (2PN; 54.1 vs 36.6%). However, no differences on in vitro embryo development, cleavage or blastocyst rates were observed. In Experiment 3, oocytes treated with CAF during and after micromanipulation and injected with sperm pre-treated with TX had a significantly lower oocyte activation rate than any other experimental groups (25.7 vs 56.3-66.3%). No differences were observed in cleavage rates among different experimental groups. However, the CAF group showed a higher blastocyst rate significantly different from TX+CAF group (12.0 vs 1.9%, respectively). In a second approach, the effect of electric field strengths and CAF treatments on oocyte activation was studied. In Experiment 4, oocytes submitted to 0.6 kV/cm showed significant higher activation rates than 1.2 kV/cm ones regardless of the caffeine treatment (83.7 vs 55.9% and 75.7 vs 44.3%; in control and caffeine groups, respectively). No effect of caffeine treatment was observed in any experimental group. In conclusion, TX sperm treatment before ICSI without an additional activation procedure improved male pronuclear formation, but did not improve embryo development until blastocyst stage. No significant effect of caffeine was found when sperm was not treated with TX, although in membrane absence caffeine avoided oocyte activation and embryo development. Finally, caffeine had no effect on female pronuclear formation regardless of electric field strengths applied to the parthenogenetic activation.

Enteroscopia doble balón y videocápsula endoscópica en el diagnóstico de patologías del intestino delgado: hospital universitario de maracaibo. 2007-2010 / Double-balloon enteroscopy and endoscopic video capsule in the diagnosis of diseases of the small intestine: maracaibo university hospital. 2007-2010

Introducción: La Enteroscopia Doble Balón (EDB) y la Videocápsula Endoscópica (VCE) se introdujeron en el Hospital Universitario de Maracaibo desde 2007 y 2008, respectivamente. Se analizó y comparó el desempeño de estas pruebas para diagnosticar enfermedades del intestino delgado. Pacientes y Métodos: Se revisaron retrospectivamente los casos sometidos a EDB superior (EDBS), EDB inferior (EDBI) y/o VCE, desde su implementación hasta enero de 2010. Resultados: En 94 casos (55 ♂ y 39 ♀; 10-89 años) se realizaron 155 procedimientos: 52 EDBS, 8 EDBI, 16 VCE y 79 procedimientos combinados. Indicaciones predominantes: Hemorragia de origen oscuro, hemorragia digestiva superior o inferior, anemia, diarrea crónica y sospecha de tumoración intestinal. Visualización completa del tracto entérico: 86,7% (EDBS), 57,7% (EDBI) y 100% (VCE). Biopsias, terapias y/o cromomarcaje: 58,2% (EDBS) y 23,1% (EDBI). Diagnósticos endoscópicos predominantes: Malformaciones vasculares, enteropatías de aspecto parasitario, neoplasias malignas, enteropatías ulcerosas y erosivas. Concordancia indicación/diagnóstico: 74,3% (EDBS), 57,7% (EDBI) y 70% (VCE). Conclusiones: La EDB y la VCE constituyen herramientas eficientes con ventajas particulares para diagnosticar patologías del intestino delgado: La EDB permite realizar procedimientos adicionales; la VCE ofrece mayor probabilidad de visualizar todo el tracto entérico. En casos concretos, combinar estar pruebas podría aumentar su eficiencia diagnóstica y terapéutica.

Introduction: Double Balloon Enteroscopy (DBE) and Endoscopic Viocapsule (EVC) were introduced in the University Hospital of Maracaibo since 2007 and 2008, respectively. Their performance in diagnosing small bowel diseases were analyzed and compared. Patients and Methods: Cases undergoing upper DBE (UDBE), lower DBE (LDBE) and/or CE, were retrospectively reviewed since the introduction of these techniques, until January 2010. Results: In 94 cases (♂: 55; ♀:39; Ages: 10 to 89), 155 diagnostic procedures were performed: 52 UDBE, 8 LDBE, 16 EVC and 79 combined procedures. Predominating indications: obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, upper and/or lower gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, chronic diarrhea, and suspicion of an intestinal tumor. Full visualization of small bowel: 86.7% (UDBE), 57.7% (DBUE) and 100% (EVC). Biopsies, therapies and/or India ink tattooing: 58.2% (UDBE) and 23.1% (DBLE). Predominant endoscopic diagnoses: vascular malformations, parasitic enteropathies, malign tumor, ulcerative enteropathies and erosive enteropathies. Agreement indication/diagnosis: 74.3% (UDBE), 57.7% (LDBE) and 70% (EVC). Conclusions: DBE and EVC constitute efficient methods with particular advantages for diagnosing small bowel pathologies: DBE allows additional procedures; EVC provides a greater chance of full visualization of small intestine. In specific cases, combination of these tests could improve their diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency.

Effects of different oocyte activation procedures on development and gene expression of porcine pre-implantation embryos.

Among the factors that affect the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in pigs, the activation protocol is the most variable among the current SCNT procedures. The aim of this study is focused on defining an efficient activation treatment of porcine oocytes. In Experiment 1, we studied the effects of nine different oocyte activation procedures (including chemical- and electrical-based treatments) on parthenogenetic embryo development. In Experiment 2, we studied the effect of the more efficient activation procedures on the gene expression profile of Oct4 and Igf2r in parthenogenetic blastocysts. In conclusion, ionomycin as a first calcium stimulus is not able to activate porcine oocytes efficiently in comparison with electric procedures. Electrical treatments with 6-DMAP significantly increased the level of Oct4 expression, whereas the single and double pulse treatments alone maintained the same profile as the IVF group.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection in livestock species: an update.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a powerful technique in the field of assisted reproduction (ART) and provides exciting opportunities for studying the basic mechanisms of fertilization and early embryo development. Nevertheless, its application in agriculture and conservation biology has been greatly hampered by the low success rate reported for this method in respect of economically important species. Specifically, the rates of blastocyst formation and live newborn are greatly reduced when zygotes are generated by ICSI. Except for humans, ICSI remains a low efficiency technology in comparison with alternatives such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and its application is less widespread. In this paper, we discuss the present status, applications and factors affecting ICSI in pigs and other species.

The use of R-roscovitine to fit the 'time frame' on in vitro porcine embryo production by intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Micromanipulation of oocytes is time consuming during ICSI experiments; however the 'time frame' to manipulate oocytes without a drop in efficiency is not very wide due to the use of not completely matured and/or aged MII oocytes. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the effect of a short roscovitine pretreatment for 5 h and two different IVM periods (5R + 40IVM or 5R + 45IVM) and a prolonged IVM time from 45 h (45IVM) to 50 h (50IVM) on parthenogenetic and ICSI embryo development, in order to fit the time frame to manipulate pig oocytes to the whole labour day session. In the first experiment, oocytes, pretreated with roscovitine and IVM cultured for 5 h, showed a similar nuclear stage as non-cultured oocytes and a significantly higher percentage of GVI-GVII oocytes compared with non-roscovitine treated oocytes cultured for 5 h in IVM conditions. When COC were cultured under the 5R + 40IVM system, nuclear maturation and cleavage rates after electrical activation were significantly lower than when COC were cultured under the 45IVM, 50IVM and 5R + 45IVM culture systems (54.2% vs. 72.6-76.8% and 58.8% vs. 81.4-88.3%, respectively). However, this difference was not statistically significant for parthenogenote blastocyst rate. No differences were observed in MII and in parthenogenote and ICSI embryo development among 45IVM, 50IVM and 5R + 45IVM experimental groups. In conclusion, under our conditions and using parthenogenetic and ICSI embryos, we observed that it is feasible to prolong the pig oocyte manipulation 'time frame' by at least 5 h with no significant drop in blastocyst rate.

Oocyte activation procedures and influence of serum on porcine oocyte maturation and subsequent parthenogenetic and nuclear transfer embryo development.

The viability of SCNT embryos is poor, with an extremely low cloned piglet production rate. In the present work, we studied the effect of three activation protocols based on ionomycin treatment (5 microM ionomycin for 5 min and incubated in 2 mM 6-DMAP for 3.5 h) or electric stimuli (two square wave electrical DC pulses of 1.2 kV/cm for 30 micros) combined or not with 6-DMAP on parthenogenetic embryo development. Oocytes activated by ionomycin plus 6-DMAP showed lower cleavage (47.2 vs. 78.5-81.5; p < 0.05) and blastocyst rates (11.3 vs. 29.2-32.1; p < 0.05) than those activated by electrical and electrical plus 6-DMAP treatments. Also, we studied the effect of addition of serum to maturation medium (0% vs. 10%) on nuclear maturation and further parthenogenetic and SCNT embryo development. We observed in the parthenogenetic embryos that cleavage rates in the serum-free group were significantly higher than in the serum-supplemented group (81.8 vs. 69.6% respectively; p < 0.05), although these differences were not detected in blastocyst rates or blastocyst nuclei numbers. Regarding SCNT embryos, no significant differences were observed in cleavage or blastocyst rates between different experimental groups of SCNT embryos. In conclusion, electrical pulse followed or not by 6-DMAP was found to be an efficient procedure to artificially activate MII porcine oocytes. Moreover, the addition of serum to oocyte maturation media did not seem to improve parthenogenetic or SCNT porcine embryo development.

Neurokinin-1 receptors in cholinergic neurons of the rat ventral pallidum have a predominantly dendritic distribution that is affected by apomorphine when combined with startle-evoking auditory stimulation.

Cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain are implicated in startle reflex inhibition by a prior weak stimulus often referred to as prepulse inhibition (PPI) and used as an index of sensorimotor gating deficits in schizophrenia. Gating deficits can be produced in rodent models by acute systemic administration of apomorphine, a non-selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonist that also affects trafficking of neurokinin-1 (NK(1)) receptors induced by startle evoking auditory stimulation (AS) in midbrain neurons. We used electron microscopic immunolabeling of NK(1) receptors and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAchT) to test the hypothesis that the subcellular distributions of these receptors in cholinergic neurons of the rat ventral pallidum are subject to a similar regulation. In vehicle controls, NK(1) immunogold was often seen near cytoplasmic endomembranes in somata and large dendrites, but was more equally distributed in cytoplasmic and plasmalemmal compartments of medium dendrites, and principally located on the plasma membrane of small dendrites. These labeling patterns appeared to be largely independent of whether the NK(1) receptor was co-expressed with VAchT, however only the medium and small VAchT-labeled dendrites showed significant treatment-specific differences in NK(1) immunogold distributions. The NK(1) receptor immunogold particle density on the plasma membrane of medium cholinergic dendrites was significantly enhanced by combined apomorphine and AS, while neither alone affected either the plasmalemmal density or the equality of the plasmalemmal and cytoplasmic distributions of NK(1) receptors in these dendrites. Small cholinergic dendrites showed a significant AS-induced increase in both the plasmalemmal and cytoplasmic density of NK(1) gold particles, and an apomorphine-induced disruption of the preferential plasmalemmal targeting of the NK(1) receptors. These results provide ultrastructural evidence that NK(1) receptors in cholinergic neurons of the ventral pallidum have subcellular locations and plasticity conducive to active involvement in dopamine-dependent sensorimotor processing.

Effect of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone on in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes evaluated by the subsequent in vitro development of embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or parthenogenetic activation.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of recombinant human (rh) FSH and LH on in vitro maturation of pig oocytes compared with a conventional hormonal supplement based on equine (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropins (hCG), as evaluated by the developmental ability of 3 types of pig embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), or artificial activation (ATA). In Exp. 1, one cumulus-oocyte complex group (A group) was supplemented with rh-FSH and rh-LH (0.1 IU/mL each), and the other group (B group) was supplemented with PMSG and hCG (10 IU/mL each). No differences in nuclear maturation between the A and B groups were observed (68.5 vs. 71.4%, respectively). No differences were detected between hormonal treatments in the rates of cleavage or blastocyst formation of ATA, IVF, and ICSI embryos. Total cell number of the embryos was not significantly different in any experimental group (A: 31.1, 28.5, and 19.8 vs. B: 25.2, 25.5, and 20.6 for ATA, IVF, and ICSI embryos, respectively). In Exp. 2, the effects of different concentrations of rh-FSH and rh-LH (0.5, 0.1, or 0.05 IU/mL) in maturation medium on nuclear maturation and in vitro development of embryos obtained by IVF were studied. No effect of different hormonal concentrations on blastocyst formation rates was observed (8.5, 13.0, and 5.7%, respectively). Blastocyst cell number was not different in any experimental group. In conclusion, the results obtained here permit us to substitute PMSG and hCG with rh-FSH and rh-LH and to produce pig embryos obtained by IVF, ICSI, or ATA.

Variaciones por edad y sexo en el HOMAir, en los niveles de insulina y glucosa séricas en niños y adolescentes de Maracaibo-Estado Zulia / Variations for age and sex in the HOMAir, in the levels of insulin and glucose séricas in children and adolescents of Maracaibo-state Zulia

Las variaciones en el índice de insulina-resistencia y en las concentraciones séricas de glucosa e insulina han sido poco investigadas en la población pediátrica venezolana. Por esta razón el objetivo de este estudio fue describir las variaciones de los niveles básales de insulina y glucosa así como de los valores para el HOMAIR (sensibilidad a la insulina utilizando el Homeostatic model assessment) en una muestra de niños y adolescentes del Municipio Maracaibo-Zulia-Venezuela. Para el desarrollo de la presente investigación, se estudio una muestra de 256 niños y adolescentes (120 hembras y 136 varones) en edades comprendidas entre 2 y 18 años. A cada participante se le realizo una evaluación médica y nutricional la cual incluyó cálculo de índice de masa corporal, medición de la circunferencia de cintura, pliegues cutáneos y tensión arterial. Fueron determinados los niveles de glucosa e insulina séricas en ayuno y el índice HOMAIR fue calculado como un indicador de la insulina-resistencia. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en los niveles de glucosa al comparar los diferentes grupos por edad y sexo. Sin embargo los niveles de insulina y el índice HOMAIR fueron significativamente mayores en las niñas del grupo de 14-18 años al compararlo con los niños del mismo grupo de edad (p < 0.001). El promedio del valor del HOMAIR así como de los niveles de insulina fueron mayores en el grupo de hembras y varones de 10-13 años (p < 0.05) al comparar con el resto de los grupos del mismo sexo. Las concentraciones de glucosa mostraron una distribución bastante similar en todos los grupos por edad y sexo. Las concentraciones promedio de glucosa fueron menores en nuestra población que en otras poblaciones pediátricas. Los valores mas elevados de insulina y del índice HOMAIR se observaron en el grupo de 10-13 años de edad en ambos sexos

Marcadores biológicos de estrés oxidativo: distribución por edad y sexo de las concentraciones basales de MDA, NO y ácido úrico en niños y adolescentes de Maracaibo-Venezuela / Biomarkers of oxidative stress: age and sex distribution of basal concentrations of MDA, NO and uric acid in children and adolescents in Maracaibo-Venezuela

Aunque el malondialdehído (MDA), óxido nítrico (ON) y el ácido úrico están siendo utilizados con mayor frecuencia como marcadores biológicos confiables del estrés oxidativo, no han sido estudiados en niños y adolescentes sanos, por esta razón el objetivo del presente estudio fue describir el comportamiento de estos parámetros en una muestra de niños y adolescentes sanos de Maracaibo, Estado Zulia, Venezuela. Luego de la evaluación nutricional y clínica, fueron seleccionados 256 individuos sanos (120 femeninos y 136 masculinos) con edad promedio de 10,67± 0,29 años; divididos según el sexo en 4 grupos etarios, 2-5, 6-9, 10-13 y 14-18 años para determinarles las concentraciones séricas basales de MDA, NO y ácido úrico. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizaron las pruebas ANOVA de un factor (Tukey post hoc) y “t” de student para impares según el caso, considerándose significativo un valor de p< a 0,05. Con relación al MDA se observaron niveles significativamente mas altos en el total de los individuos masculinos comparados con el total de los femeninos (p<0,001); al comparar internamente los subgrupos se observó niveles significativamente mas bajos (p<0,01) en el femenino de 2-5 años comparado con el de 10-13 y 14-18 años y niveles significativamente mas altos (p<0,001) en los masculinos de 10-13 años y 14-18 años con relación a los de 2-5 años y 6-9 años. Para el NO solo se evidenció un aumento significativo (p<0,03) en el subgrupo masculino de 2-5 años comparado con el de 6-9 años. El ácido úrico sérico fue más alto (p<0,001) en el grupo masculino que en el femenino, siendo la concentración sérica más alta la de los subgrupo masculino y femenino de 14-18 años al compararlo con los otros grupos etarios del mismo sexo. Los resultados sugieren que en la muestra estudiada el sexo masculino presenta marcadores de stress oxidativo más elevados que el femenino estando dicho incremento influenciado por la edad en ambos grupos.

Aspectos Psicológicos y Personales en el manejo de la Diabetes Mellitus

El objetivo del presente estudio fue examinar los resultados obtenidos por diferentes investigaciones en el ámbito de la psicología de la salud, específicamente en el tratamiento de la diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Se realizó una evaluación exhaustiva de las investigaciones recientes en esta área, determinándose que hoy en día los trastornos psiquiátricos y las alteraciones psicológicas constituyen un problema de salud pública que se incrementa con el paso del tiempo y que afecta tanto a poblaciones clínicas como a la población en general. Además, a pesar de la asociación entre las alteraciones psiquiátricas y los rasgos de personalidad con el padecimiento de complicaciones crónicas en pacientes con diabetes mellitus, y la evidente implicación de estos trastornos sobre la adhesión al tratamiento, la adaptación de los pacientes a nuevos estilos de vida son difíciles. Los estudios en el ámbito de la psiconeuroendocrinología son escasos y el tratamiento psicológico ha sido muy esporádico; por lo que se plantea la evidente necesidad de ampliar este campo de investigación para así poder brindarle a los pacientes la atención requerida desde el punto de vista de la multidisciplinariedad.

The main objective of this study was to examine different results obtained from diverse researches about type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment in the psychology health area. An thorough evaluation of recent investigations in this area was developed, with results that show that as today psychiatric disorders and psychological alterations have become a public health problem that has increased with time and that affects symptomatic populations as well as the over all general population. Even though there’s an association between psychiatric disorders and personality types with chronic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the obvious implication of these disorders in the effects of treatment, the adapting process in these patients to new life styles is hard. There are few studies in the psyconeuroendocrinology area and psychological treatment has been rare, which is why there’s an evident need to expand this research area so we can be able to offer patients the care they need from a multidisciplinary point of view.

Niveles de Depresión y Sintomatología característica en pacientes adultos con Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2

Las personas que padecen diabetes son dos veces más propensas a sufrir depresión, por lo cual es de gran importancia conocer la comorbilidad entre la depresión, la diabetes y el impacto en la calidad de vida del individuo afectado. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar los niveles de depresión y su sintomatología característica en pacientes adultos con diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Para ello fueron estudiados 40 pacientes diabéticos con edades comprendidas entre los 30 y los 65 años de edad que acudieron por primera vez a la consulta de diabetes en el Centro de Investigaciones Endocrino - Metabólicas "Dr. Felix Gómez", utilizando el inventario de depresión de Beck que es un instrumento de evaluación psicológica conformado por 21 items que mide diferentes síntomas cognitivos, afectivos, somáticos e interpersonales de la depresión. Los resultados indican que un 55% de los pacientes evidenciaban algún nivel de depresión, al comparar por sexo se determinó que los sujetos de sexo femenino evidenciaron niveles más graves de depresión (1,4 ± 0,2 los femeninos vs. 0,4 ± 0,1 los masculinos; p < 0,02) y un mayor índice de sintomatología característica de esta alteración del estado de ánimo que los hombres. Las conclusiones del presente estudio confirman la comorbilidad entre la depresión y la Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 y plantean la necesidad de la atención psicológica a poblaciones clínicas con esta condición crónica debido al impacto potencial que podría tener la depresión en el manejo y la calidad de vida de pacientes con Diabetes.

Adults with Diabetes are twice more likely to suffer depression, and for this reason is important to know the relationship between depression, diabetes and how this affects an individuals quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine in adult type 2 diabetic patients, depression levels and its main symptoms. 40 type 2 diabetic patients, between 30 and 65 years of age, who assisted for the first time to the Endocrine - Metabolic Research Center "Dr. Félix Gómez", were studied. Depression levels were quantified using the Beck Depression Inventory. Results show that 55% of these patients had some level of depression. Female patients had higher levels of depressión than male patients (female 1,4 ± 0,2 vs. 0,4 ± male 0,1; p < 0,02) and more severe depressive symptoms than men. This study confirms the comorbility between depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus and shows the necesity of psycological treatment.

El alcohol: ¿factor de riesgo o de protección para la enfermedad coronaria? / The alcohol: risk of factor with coronary diseas of protection

La gran variedad de bebidas alcohólicas que existen en la actualidad, difieren entre si, por sus componentes, concentración alcohólica y por su forma habitual de consumo, lo cual varía según el medio sociocultural en el que se consumen, aunque comparten las mismas repercusiones metabólicas, observadas en múltiples investigaciones tendientes a esclarecer la relación entre el alcohol y la reducción del riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular. Estos estudios han demostrado que los individuos que consumen de 10-10 gr. de alcohol diarios tienen menor riesgo de enfermedad coronaria gracias a sus efectos en los diferentes tejidos, cambios en las lipoproteínas plasmáticas, como aumento de col-HDL y un descenso del col-LDL. Por otra parte su efecto anti-trombogénico esta relacionado a sus alto contenido de antioxidantes, vasodilatadores y estimulantes del efecto antiagregante plaquetarío secundarios a la secreción del activador tisular del plasminógeno por las células endoteliales. Sin embargo, se ha observado un efecto inverso deletéreo cuando hay una ingesta excesiva y crónica de alcohol, así los lípidos se acumulan en los tejidos que metabolizan el atenol, desencadenándose disfunciones en el metabolismo de carbohidratos y de las lipoproteínas, los cuales son el común denominador necesario para desarrollar enfermedad vascular

La fracción del aceite de oliva (FG-30), disminuye el área de la quemadura con costra hipotrófica, escasa secreción y analgesia en ratas con quemaduras de tercer grado / Olive oil (FG-30), dimenish of area of the burn with hypotroprics scab, in rats with burns of grade thrid

El aceite de oliva ha sido utilizado desde tiempos inmemoriales como agente cicatrizante. La separación química de sus constituyentes nos ha permitido aislar una fracción que hemos denominado FG-30, con potente efecto cicatrizante que en el presente estudio fue comparado con la Sulfadiacina de plata con respecto a la evolución y el porcentaje de disminución del área de quemadura de tercer grado en ratas. Para ello se estudiaron 22 ratas Sprague-Dawley, con pesos entre 225-250 g. con quemaduras de tercer grado, las cuales fueron divididas en tres grupos, uno control, sin tratamiento; uno experimental que recibió tratamiento tópico con FG-30, y otro experimental que recibió tratamiento tópico con Sulfadiacina. A los tres grupos se le midió el área de quemadura los días 1, 10, 20 y 35 luego de iniciado el tratamiento, además se procedió a la observación de los cambios macroscópicos de la lesión y comportamiento de las ratas. El tratamiento con FG-30 y con sulfadiacina produjo una mejoría significativa en el porcentaje de disminución del área de la quemadura a los 20 y 35 días. En cuanto a la observación clínica del grupo FG-30 se apreció poca secreción, costra hipotrófica y uniforme así como analgesia; el grupo Sulfadiacina presentó abundante secreción, costra hipertrófica, deforme, fétida, blanquecina, y dolor durante 35 días, todo esto comparado con el grupo control que no recibió ningún tipo de tratamiento. Las mejorías producidas por el FG-30 con respecto al porcentaje de disminución de la quemadura y la observación macroscópica, lo ubica como una alternativa potencial como cicatrizante en quemadura