Anorexia nervosa versus hyperinsulinism: therapeutic effects of neuropharmacological manipulation

Fuad Lechin1,2, Bertha van der Dijs1,2, Betty Pardey-Maldonado1, Scarlet Baez1, Marcel E Lechin31Sections of Neuroendocrinology, Neuropharmacology, and Neurochemistry, Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas; 2Instituto de Vias Digestivas Caracas, Centro Clínico Profesional Caracas, Venezuela; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Texas A & M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Texas, USABackground: We have demonstrated that anorexia nervosa is underpinned by overwhelming adrenal sympathetic activity which abolishes the neural sympathetic branch of the peripheral autonomic nervous system. This physiological disorder is responsible for gastrointestinal hypomotility, hyperglycemia, raised systolic blood pressure, raised heart rate, and other neuroendocrine disorders. Therefore, we prescribed neuropharmacological therapy to reverse this central and autonomic nervous system disorder, in order to normalize the clinical and neuroendocrine profile.Methods: The study included 22 female patients with anorexia nervosa (10 restricted type, 12 binge-eating type) who received three months of treatment with amantadine 100 mg/day. We measured blood pressure, heart rate, and circulating neurotransmitters, (noradrenaline, adrenaline, dopamine, platelet serotonin, free plasma serotonin) during supine resting, one minute of orthostasis, and a five-minute exercise test before and after one, two, and three months of treatment with amantadine, a drug which abrogates adrenal sympathetic activity by acting at the C1(Ad) medullary nuclei responsible for this branch of the peripheral sympathetic activity.Results: We found the amantadine abolished symptoms of anorexia nervosa from the first oral dose onwards. Normalization of autonomic and cardiovascular parameters was demonstrated within the early days of therapy. Abrupt and sustained increases in the plasma noradrenaline:adrenaline ratio and disappearance of abnormal plasma glucose elevation were registered throughout the three-month duration of the trial. Significant and sustained increases in body weight were documented in all cases. No relapses were observed.Conclusion: We have confirmed our previously published findings showing that the anorexia nervosa syndrome depends on the hypomotility of the gastrointestinal tract plus hyperglycemia, both of which are triggered by adrenal sympathetic hyperactivity. The above neuroendocrine plus neuroautonomic and clinical disorders which underpinned anorexia nervosa were abruptly suppressed since the first oral dose of amantadine, a drug able to revert the C1(Ad) over A5(NA) pontomedullary predominance responsible for adrenal and neural sympathetic activity, respectively. Keywords: amantadine, anorexia nervosa, adrenal sympathetic activity, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinism, neural sympathetic activit

Cambios ambientales durante el Holoceno superior registrados en secuencias morfosedimentarias fluvio-eólicas del Valle de Santa María (Noroeste Argentino)

The Santa Maria valley is located in the northern sector of the Sierras Pampeanas in Northwest Argentina. In spite of its arid characteristics, it was a densely populated area during the Pre-hispanic period. The populations developed an agropastoral economy, taking advantage of the wetter epochs that characterized some periods. The study of fluvio-aeolian records of the El Paso and Cafayate areas yielded interesting data for regional paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Geomorphological maps, field surveys, and archaeological digs were complemented with the detailed stratigraphic record of several points, together with radiocarbon and OSL dating. Alternating wetter and drier periods were inferred for the last 2, 800 years. The wetter phases generated enough stability to allow soil formation and a better plant cover, thus favouring human settlements. For the paleoenvironmental interpretation, well defined European chronozones were used because there are no South American denominations. Within the sequence, some wetter periods stand out, such as the one between 2, 800-2, 500 Be the intermediate Roman Period (80-280 AD), and the LALIA (Late Antique Little Ice Age) (536-660 AD), while the drier phases comprise the Roman Epoch and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Moreover, dune active phases during the last millennium were determined for 1,000, 1,350, 1,650, and 1,770 AD approximately, separated by wetter periods recorded by the presence of a paleosoil (15th century) and historical data (17th and 18th centuries)

Late holocene environmental changes from fluvio-aeolian morpho-sedimentary sequences (Santa María Valley, northwest Argentina)

El valle de Santa María se sitúa en el sector septentrional de las Sierras Pampeanas del Noroeste Argentino.A pesar de sus características áridas, en el pasado albergó importantes poblaciones prehispánicas que pudieronsustentarse mediante la explotación agropastoril de este ambiente, aprovechando fluctuaciones demayor humedad. El estudio de los registros morfosedimentarios fluvio-eólicos de los sectores de El Paso yCafayate han proporcionado datos de interés para una aproximación a la reconstrucción paleoambientalregional durante el Holoceno superior. Para ello se han utilizado técnicas geomorfológicas, estratigráficas,arqueológicas y cronológicas (radiocarbono y fuentes documentales complementadas con edades OSL previas).La intercalación de cenizas volcánicas también ha permitido correlaciones cronológicas al ser utilizadascomo niveles guías. A partir de estos datos se dedujeron alternancias de períodos húmedos y secos a lo largode los últimos 2800 años. Durante las fases más húmedas la estabilidad geomórfica fue suficiente para permitirel desarrollo de suelos y una mejor cobertura vegetal, favoreciendo la ocupación humana. Para la interpretaciónpaleoambiental se han utilizado cronozonas bien definidas en Europa, al no haber denominacionespropias del continente sudamericano. Dentro de la secuencia evolutiva paleoambiental destacan los períodoshúmedos establecidos regionalmente hacia 2800-2500 BP, periodo intermedio Romano (80-280 AD) y la LALIA(Late Antique Little Ice Age) (536-660 AD), mientras que las fases secas abarcan la Época Romana y laAnomalía Cálida Medieval. Por otra parte, para el último milenio se reconocen fases de reactivación de dunasen torno a los años 1000, 1350, 1650 y 1770 AD separados por fluctuaciones más húmedas, algunas evidenciadaspor la presencia de un paleosuelo (siglo XV) y por datos documentales históricos (siglos XVII-XVIII).The Santa María valley is located in the northern sector of the Sierras Pampeanas in Northwest Argentina. In spite of its arid characteristics, it was a densely populated area during the Pre-hispanic period. The populations developed an agropastoral economy, taking advantage of the wetter epochs that characterized some periods. The study of fluvio-aeolian records of the El Paso and Cafayate areas yielded interesting data for regional paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Geomorphological maps, field surveys, and archaeological digs were complemented with the detailed stratigraphic record of several points, together with radiocarbon and OSL dating. Alternating wetter and drier periods were inferred for the last 2,800 years. The wetter phases generated enough stability to allow soil formation and a better plant cover, thus favouring human settlements. For the paleoenvironmental interpretation, well defined European chronozones were used because there are no South American denominations. Within the sequence, some wetter periods stand out, such as the one between 2,800-2,500 BP, the intermediate Roman Period (80-280 AD), and the LALIA (Late Antique Little Ice Age) (536-660 AD), while the drier phases comprise the Roman Epoch and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Moreover, dune active phases during the last millennium were determined for 1,000, 1,350, 1,650, and 1,770 AD approximately, separated by wetter periods recorded by the presence of a paleosoil (15th century) and historical data (17th and 18th centuries).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Late holocene environmental changes from fluvio-aeolian morpho-sedimentary sequences (Santa María Valley, northwest Argentina)

El valle de Santa María se sitúa en el sector septentrional de las Sierras Pampeanas del Noroeste Argentino.A pesar de sus características áridas, en el pasado albergó importantes poblaciones prehispánicas que pudieronsustentarse mediante la explotación agropastoril de este ambiente, aprovechando fluctuaciones demayor humedad. El estudio de los registros morfosedimentarios fluvio-eólicos de los sectores de El Paso yCafayate han proporcionado datos de interés para una aproximación a la reconstrucción paleoambientalregional durante el Holoceno superior. Para ello se han utilizado técnicas geomorfológicas, estratigráficas,arqueológicas y cronológicas (radiocarbono y fuentes documentales complementadas con edades OSL previas).La intercalación de cenizas volcánicas también ha permitido correlaciones cronológicas al ser utilizadascomo niveles guías. A partir de estos datos se dedujeron alternancias de períodos húmedos y secos a lo largode los últimos 2800 años. Durante las fases más húmedas la estabilidad geomórfica fue suficiente para permitirel desarrollo de suelos y una mejor cobertura vegetal, favoreciendo la ocupación humana. Para la interpretaciónpaleoambiental se han utilizado cronozonas bien definidas en Europa, al no haber denominacionespropias del continente sudamericano. Dentro de la secuencia evolutiva paleoambiental destacan los períodoshúmedos establecidos regionalmente hacia 2800-2500 BP, periodo intermedio Romano (80-280 AD) y la LALIA(Late Antique Little Ice Age) (536-660 AD), mientras que las fases secas abarcan la Época Romana y laAnomalía Cálida Medieval. Por otra parte, para el último milenio se reconocen fases de reactivación de dunasen torno a los años 1000, 1350, 1650 y 1770 AD separados por fluctuaciones más húmedas, algunas evidenciadaspor la presencia de un paleosuelo (siglo XV) y por datos documentales históricos (siglos XVII-XVIII).The Santa María valley is located in the northern sector of the Sierras Pampeanas in Northwest Argentina. In spite of its arid characteristics, it was a densely populated area during the Pre-hispanic period. The populations developed an agropastoral economy, taking advantage of the wetter epochs that characterized some periods. The study of fluvio-aeolian records of the El Paso and Cafayate areas yielded interesting data for regional paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Geomorphological maps, field surveys, and archaeological digs were complemented with the detailed stratigraphic record of several points, together with radiocarbon and OSL dating. Alternating wetter and drier periods were inferred for the last 2,800 years. The wetter phases generated enough stability to allow soil formation and a better plant cover, thus favouring human settlements. For the paleoenvironmental interpretation, well defined European chronozones were used because there are no South American denominations. Within the sequence, some wetter periods stand out, such as the one between 2,800-2,500 BP, the intermediate Roman Period (80-280 AD), and the LALIA (Late Antique Little Ice Age) (536-660 AD), while the drier phases comprise the Roman Epoch and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Moreover, dune active phases during the last millennium were determined for 1,000, 1,350, 1,650, and 1,770 AD approximately, separated by wetter periods recorded by the presence of a paleosoil (15th century) and historical data (17th and 18th centuries).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Effects of amantadine on circulating neurotransmitters in healthy subjects

Considering that glutamatergic axons innervate the C1(Ad) medullary nuclei, which are responsible for the excitation of the peripheral adrenal glands, we decided to investigate catecholamines (noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopamine) plus indolamines (plasma serotonin and platelet serotonin) at the blood level, before and after a small oral dose of amantadine, a selective NMDA antagonist. We found that the drug provoked a selective enhancement of noradrenaline plus a minimization of adrenaline, dopamine, plasma serotonin and platelet serotonin circulating levels. Significant enhancement of diastolic blood pressure plus reduction of systolic blood pressure and heart rate paralleled the circulating parameter changes. The above findings allow us to postulate that the drug was able to enhance the peripheral neural sympathetic activity. Minimization of both adrenal sympathetic and parasympathetic activities was also registered after the amantadine challenge. The above findings supported the postulation that this drug should be a powerful therapeutic tool for treating diseases affected by adrenal sympathetic hyperactivity

patrimonio intelectual

Actas de congresoLas VI Jornadas se realizaron con la exposición de ponencias que se incluyeron en cuatro ejes temáticos, que se desarrollaron de modo sucesivo para facilitar la asistencia, el intercambio y el debate, distribuidos en tres jornadas. Los ejes temáticos abordados fueron: 1. La enseñanza como proyecto de investigación. Recursos de enseñanza-aprendizaje como mejoras de la calidad educativa. 2. La experimentación como proyecto de investigación. Del ensayo a la aplicabilidad territorial, urbana, arquitectónica y de diseño industrial. 3. Tiempo y espacio como proyecto de investigación. Sentido, destino y usos del patrimonio construido y simbólico. 4. Idea constructiva, formulación y ejecución como proyecto de investigación. Búsqueda y elaboración de resultados que conforman los proyectos de la arquitectura y el diseño

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Development of a descriptive study of work stress, physical activity, eating habits and obesity in the maquiladora industry using software applications

Workers around the world face major changes in work organization and industrial relations to fulfill the demands of modern working life. The problem of work stress and obesity have become rather delicate subjects because of the negative consequences it brings for employees and companies. The objectives of this research are perform a descriptive analysis using the SPSS v.23 software on work stress, physical activity, eating habits and obesity in the industry for sample characterization. Methods entail the application of a questionnaire for gathering information, the creation of the database in the software and the accomplishment of the descriptive analysis of each section of the questionnaire with the help of the software. As results, physical activity is that all three dimensions show the degree of sedentariness as values fall below 9. As for the diagnosis of eating habits, from the resulting scores, population shows a diagnosis of food anxiety since all the dimensions of the instrument were among the mean values obtained. As conclusions, manufacturing industries must take preventive actions to reduce them by increasing physical activity and improving eating habits among staff. It is also recommended to implement techniques to improve health, ergonomics and safety practices in the manufacturing industry so it is that all three dimensions engage in more activity that is physical