Acute Malnutrition and Under-5 Mortality, Northeastern Part of India.

We assessed the prevalence of childhood acute malnutrition and under-five mortality rate (U5MR) in Darbhanga district, India, using a two-stage 49-cluster household survey. A total of 1379 households comprising 8473 people were interviewed. During a 90-day recall period, U5MR was 0.5 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.2-1.4] per 10 000 per day. The prevalence of global acute malnutrition among 1405 children aged 6-59 months was 15.4% (NCHS) and 19.4% (2006 WHO references). This survey suggests that in Darbhanga district, the population is in a borderline food crisis with few food resources. Appropriate strategies should be developed to improve the overall nutritional and health status of children

Population and production parameters of the wedge clam Donax trunculus (Linnaeus, 1758) in intertidal areas on the southwest Spanish coast: Considerations in relation to protected areas

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A mobile visual diary for personal pain management

Back-pain is one of the most prolific health problems within the population and costs industry lost revenue due to the amount of days people have to take off in order to recover. In this paper, we have targeted this problem and suggested a mobile app for visually diarizing the pain experience of patients. The Android platform is utilized and its technology stack forms the basis for this 3D centric application. Positive evaluations obtained provide evidence of the promising nature of the approach and indicate several future directions of research within mobile pain management

Activitats d'aprenentatge basades en l'estudi de casos i aplicades en l'avaluació d'estudiants de postgrau

L'objectiu del projecte 2010PID-UB/38, ha consistit en fomentar l'autoaprenentatge i l'aplicació dels coneixements mitjançant la implementació d'activitats avaluatives de comprensió i estudi de casos en estudiants de postgrau. Els estudiants van ser avaluats després de la lectura d'un text, van elaborar un informe escrit a partir d'un cas clínic i, posteriorment, van ser avaluats dels coneixements adquirits. Es va recollir l'opinió anònima dels estudiants. En conclusió, les activitats plantejades han repercutit positivament en la formació dels estudiants, el projecte ha demostrat ser factible a través del CV, i les activitats han estat valorades molt positivament pels estudiants

Effect of cocoa-enriched diets on lymphocytes involved in adjuvant arthritis in rats

Cocoa and its flavonoids have potential anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in acute inflammation models in vivo. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the effects of two cocoa-enriched diets on adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats, considering not only clinical and biochemical inflammatory indices, but also antibody response and lymphocyte composition. Female Wistar rats were fed with a 5 or 10 % cocoa-enriched diet beginning 2 weeks before arthritis induction and until the end of the study. AA was induced by an intradermal injection of heat-killed Mycobacterium butyricum suspension. The hind-paw swelling (plethysmometry), serum anti-mycobacterial antibody concentration (ELISA), blood and inguinal lymph node lymphocyte subset percentage (flow cytometry), and IL-2, interferon γ and PGE2 released from splenocytes (ELISA) were assessed. Although the cocoa diets had no significant effect on hind-paw swelling, a tendency to reduce it was observed at the end of the study. Cocoa-enriched diets were able to decrease the serum anti-mycobacterial antibody concentration and the splenocyte PGE2 production, as well as the proportion of T-helper (Th) lymphocytes in blood and regional lymph nodes, which probably includes cells responsible for the arthritic process. The cocoa diets prevented a decrease in the proportion of regulatory T-cells in blood and a disequilibrium between inguinal lymph node natural killer (NK) CD8+ and NK CD8− subsets. In conclusion, the cocoa-enriched diets during AA were not able to significantly decrease joint inflammation but modified Th-cell proportions and prevented specific antibody synthesis

Activitats d'aprenentatge basades en l'estudi de casos i aplicades en l'avaluació d'estudiants de postgrau

L'objectiu del projecte 2010PID-UB/38, ha consistit en fomentar l'autoaprenentatge i l'aplicació dels coneixements mitjançant la implementació d'activitats avaluatives de comprensió i estudi de casos en estudiants de postgrau. Els estudiants van ser avaluats després de la lectura d'un text, van elaborar un informe escrit a partir d'un cas clínic i, posteriorment, van ser avaluats dels coneixements adquirits. Es va recollir l'opinió anònima dels estudiants. En conclusió, les activitats plantejades han repercutit positivament en la formació dels estudiants, el projecte ha demostrat ser factible a través del CV, i les activitats han estat valorades molt positivament pels estudiants

Effect of Theobroma cacao flavonoids on immune activation of a lymphoid cell line

We analysed the effect of (-)-epicatechin and cocoa extract on the activation of a lymphoid cell line. Particularly the expression of IL-2 receptor alpha (IL-2Ralpha or CD25) and, the secretion of IL-2 and IL-4 were established after flavonoid treatment. Two media culture conditions (1 and 10 % of fetal calf serum supplementation) and the different moments of flavonoid addition (simultaneously or 2 h before cell-activation) were compared. IL-2Ralpha (CD25) expression on activated cells was significantly reduced by epicatechin and cocoa extract in a dose-dependent manner, achieving the highest inhibition of about 50 % when flavonoids were added 2 h before stimulation. IL-2 secretion was also inhibited by the presence of both epicatechin and cocoa extract, displaying 60 and 75 % of inhibition, respectively. Cocoa flavonoids were also able to enhance 3-4.5-fold IL-4 release. In summary, cocoa extract down-modulated T lymphocyte activation and therefore the acquired immune response. This fact could be important in some states of the immune system hyperactivity such as autoimmune or chronic inflammatory diseases

Changes in intestinal immune system after training and exhausting physical exercise in rats

Podeu consultar el III Workshop anual INSA-UB complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/118993Sessió 1. Pòster núm.

Effects of a cocoa diet on an intestinal inflammation model in rats

Cocoa is a rich source of fiber and flavonoids with recognized antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a cocoa-enriched diet on rats with dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Wistar rats were fed with either a 5% cocoa diet or standard diet. Colon inflammation was induced by DSS in the drinking water: 5% for 6 days and 2% over the following 9 days. Colitis was assessed by body weight loss, stool consistency and blood presence in stools. A group of animals fed standard diet was treated with quercitrin (1 mg/kg) after colitis establishment. After 2 weeks of DSS treatment, the colon oxidative and inflammatory status and lymphocyte composition from blood and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) were assessed. The cocoa-fed group did not exhibit amelioration of clinical colitis but displayed higher antioxidant activity than the colitic reference group by the restoration of colon glutathione content and prevention of lipid peroxidation. The cocoa diet showed anti-inflammatory potential because it down-regulated serum TNF-alpha, colon iNOS activity and decreased colon cell infiltration. Lymphocyte composition in MLN was not modified by drinking DSS, but there was an increase in the proportion of NK and regulatory T cells in the blood. These changes were not modified by cocoa. In conclusion, cocoa intake may help to inhibit the negative oxidative effects consequent to colitis, although this action is not enough to abrogate the intestinal inflammation significantly