Study of the Ghrelin/LEAP-2 Ratio in Humans and Rats during Different Phases of Pregnancy.

The Liver-Expressed Antimicrobial Peptide 2 (LEAP-2) has emerged as an endogenous GHS-R antagonist and blunts the orexigenic action of ghrelin. This study aimed to determine the Ghrelin/LEAP-2 ratio in humans and rats during pregnancy. In humans, we conducted a nested case-control study within an observational prospective cohort. Healthy and mild preeclamptic pregnant women were studied at each trimester of gestation and three months postpartum. In addition, a group of non-pregnant women was studied into the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Furthermore, Ghrelin/LEAP-2 ratio was investigated in non-pregnant rats and at different periods of rat pregnancy. Human and rat serum ghrelin and LEAP-2 levels were determined using the commercially available ELISA kits. The Ghrelin/LEAP-2 ratio peak around the second trimester of gestation in healthy pregnant women (p < 0.05). Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences in Ghrelin/LEAP-2 ratio between healthy and preeclamptic pregnant women at each trimester of gestation (p > 0.05). The Ghrelin/LEAP-2 ratio in pregnant rat reached the peak around mid-gestation with a similar pattern to the human pregnancy. LEAP-2 was visualized by immunohistochemistry in human term placenta and rat placentas on days 12, 16 and 21 of pregnancy. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence of a Ghrelin/LEAP-2 ratio peak around the half-way point of pregnancy onwards during human and rat pregnancy, and it might be associated with increased rates of weight gain during pregnancy. Thus, this study suggests that LEAP-2 and Ghrelin/LEAP-2 ratio might play an important role in maternal physiology adaptation of weight gain during pregnancy.

Estudio de casos y controles de factores relacionados con el rendimiento académico en estudiantes de medicina / Case-control study on factors related with the academic performance of medical students

Introducción: el bajo rendimiento y la consecuente deserción académica son problemas crecientes que pueden afectar la situación socio-económica de un país. Se han postulado los estilos de aprendizaje como factores determinantes del rendimiento académico y es necesario estudiarlos, con el fin de proponer estrategias encaminadas a su resolución. Objetivos: relacionar el estilo de aprendizaje y diferentes variables sociodemográficas con el rendimiento académico en los estudiantes de medicina de una universidad privada del suroccidente colombiano. Métodos: participaron los estudiantes de medicina que cumplían los criterios de inclusión: caso por bajo rendimiento y su respectivo control, a quienes se les analizó variables sociodemográficas, académicas y estilos de aprendizaje; información que se obtuvo de la base de registro académico de la universidad ICESI, mediante un proceso avalado por el comité de ética de dicha universidad. Para el análisis, se usaron técnicas de estadística descriptiva e inferencial por medio del software SPSS 19.0. Resultados: del total de la población (n= 340 estudiantes), 35 cumplieron los criterios de elegibilidad, a quienes se les asignó el respectivo control. No se encontró relación estadísticamente significativa entre el estilo de aprendizaje y el rendimiento académico general, ni con el rendimiento específico de las materias profesionales evaluadas. Tampoco se encontró relación entre el rendimiento académico y las variables sociodemográficas de la población a estudio. Conclusiones: el rendimiento académico en los estudiantes de medicina de nuestra población, puede estar influenciado por otras variables diferentes al estilo de aprendizaje. Sin embargo, se deben tener en cuenta las diversas limitaciones técnicas que este estudio pudo haber tenido(AU)

Introduction: low academic performance and dropout rates are consistently growing problems that can affect the socio-economic situation of a country. The determinants of the problem need to be identified, in order to propose strategies which could be adopted for a further solution. Objectives: Relate learning style and different sociodemographic variables with academic performance in medical students of a private university in southwestern Colombia. Methods: The study includes medical students which met the criteria for inclusion as a case for underperformance and its respective control. Socio-demographic, academic and learning style variables were analyzed with information obtained from the basis of the academic record from Icesi university. Through a process, supported by the ethics committee of the institution. For the analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics techniques were used by SPSS 19.0 software. Results: of the total population (n = 340 students), 35 met the criteria for eligibility and were assigned to their respective control. No statistically significant relationship between learning style and the general performance or the specific performance of professionalizing subjects was found. Nor relationship between academic performance and socio-demographic variables of the study population was found. Conclusions: academic performance in medical students in our population may be influenced by other different learning style variables. However, the technical limitations of the study should had been considered(AU)