Nutrición en el enfermo con fibrosis quística

La fibrosis quística es una enfermedad que se asocia a una mutación de un gen localizado en el brazo largo del cromosoma 7. Esta enfermedad multisistémica afecta especialmente a los pulmones y al páncreas exocrino, lo cual supone el trastorno más influyente en la nutrición de estos pacientes. Generalmente, la suplementación con enzimas pancreáticas es necesaria como elemento terapéutico. La prevalencia de diabetes en esta enfermedad aumenta con la edad, mientras que la afectación hepática clínica es menos frecuente y otras complicaciones intestinales como el ileomeconial, el reflujo gastroesofágico o la obstrucción del intestino distal pueden condicionar también la malnutrición. La prevalencia de la desnutrición en los pacientes con fibrosis quística es elevada, aunque variable, y se asocia directamente con el estado pulmonar y la supervivencia. La terapia nutricional ha adquirido gran importancia ya que se asocia con un mejor crecimiento y mejora o estabilización de la función pulmonar, por lo que debe ser una parte integral del tratamiento de estos pacientes

Weight loss and brown adipose tissue reduction in rat model of sleep apnea

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background -</p> <p>Obesity is related to obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), but its roles in OSAHS as cause or consequence are not fully clarified. Isocapnic intermittent hypoxia (IIH) is a model of OSAHS. We verified the effect of IIH on body weight and brown adipose tissue (BAT) of Wistar rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Nine-month-old male breeders Wistar rats of two groups were studied: 8 rats submitted to IIH and 5 control rats submitted to sham IIH. The rats were weighed at the baseline and at the end of three weeks, after being placed in the IIH apparatus seven days per week, eight hours a day, in the lights on period, simulating an apnea index of 30/hour. After experimental period, the animals were weighed and measured as well as the BAT, abdominal, perirenal, and epididymal fat, the heart, and the gastrocnemius muscle.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Body weight of the hypoxia group decreased 17 ± 7 grams, significantly different from the variation observed in the control group (p = 0,001). The BAT was 15% lighter in the hypoxia group and reached marginally the alpha error probability (p = 0.054).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our preliminary results justify a larger study for a longer time in order to confirm the effect of isocapnic intermittent hypoxia on body weight and BAT.</p

El ensayo Micro Deval. Sus características y ámbitos de aplicación

En este documento se presentan los aspectos más relevantes del proceso de implementación del ensayo Micro Deval, contemplado por la Norma ASTM D 6928, “Standard test method for resistance of coarse aggregate to degradation by abrasion in the Micro-Deval apparatus”, en los laboratorios de Suelos y Pavimentos del Centro de Estudios Geotécnicos de la Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería. En el proceso de implementación se evaluaron las principales características, ventajas y limitaciones del ensayo, los factores que afectan sus resultados, las correlaciones con otros ensayos relacionados con la dureza y con la durabilidad de los agregados, en especial con el ensayo de Desgaste Los Ángeles, y las correlaciones del ensayo con el comportamiento en servicio de los pavimentos, obtenidas en diferentes ambientes por diversos autores. Estos aspectos se tratan en este documento y se dejan para otro documento los resultados encontrados, al aplicar el ensayo Micro Deval, sobre agregados provenientes principalmente de fuentes de la ciudad de Bogotá. Se concluye en general que el Ensayo Micro Deval tiene gran aceptación, es simple, consume poco tiempo, tiene buena repetibilidad, reproducibilidad y comprobada correlación con el comportamiento en servicio de los agregados, ya se usen para la conformación de capas granulares o para la elaboración de mezclas asfálticas.This report shows the most relevant aspects of the implementation of the Micro Deval test, according to ASTM D 6928, “Standard test method for resistance of coarse aggregate to degradation by abrasion in the Micro-Deval apparatus”, at the Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Soils and Pavements Laboratory. During the implementation process the main characteristics, advantages, weaknesses, limiting factors of the test were evaluated, as well as correlations with other tests related to hardness and durability of aggregates, particularly the Los Angeles test and correlations with pavements in-service performance in different environments according to different authors. It is concluded that the Micro-Deval test is a widely accepted test, simple, no time consuming, has good repeatability, reproducibility and shows good correlation with aggregates in-service performance, either for granular bases or asphalt mixes. As other studies have shown, the Micro-Deval results had no correlation with the Los Angeles and aggregates absorption results

Biochemical analyses reveal amino acid residues critical for cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of human Cdc14A phosphatase by cyclin-dependent kinase 1

Cdc14 enzymes compose a family of highly conserved phosphatases that are present in a wide range of organisms, including yeast and humans, and that preferentially reverse the phosphorylation of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase (Cdk) substrates. The budding yeast Cdc14 orthologue has essential functions in the control of late mitosis and cytokinesis. In mammals, however, the two Cdc14 homologues, Cdc14A and Cdc14B, do not play a prominent role in controlling late mitotic events, suggesting that some Cdc14 functions are not conserved across species. Moreover, in yeast, Cdc14 is regulated by changes in its subcellular location and by phosphorylation events. In contrast, little is known about the regulation of human Cdc14 phosphatases. Here, we have studied how the human Cdc14A orthologue is regulated during the cell cycle. We found that Cdc14A is phosphorylated on Ser411, Ser453 and Ser549 by Cdk1 early in mitosis and becomes dephosphorylated during late mitotic stages. Interestingly, in vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that, unlike in yeast, Cdk1-mediated phosphorylation of human Cdc14A did not control its catalytic activity but likely modulated its interaction with other proteins in early mitosis. These findings point to differences in Cdk1-mediated mechanisms of regulation between human and yeast Cdc14 orthologues.We thank S. Andrés for technical assistance and other members of laboratory for helpful discussions. We are grateful to Dr. I. García-Higuera and S. Moreno (IBFG, Salamanca) for Cdh1 plasmids and anti-Plk1 antibodies, Dr. J. Dong (Univ. Nebraska Medical Center, Nebraska) for the KIBRA plasmids, Dr. C. Guerrero (IBMCC, Salamanca) for the anti-PP2A antibody and Dr. Jallepalli (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York) for the RPE Cdc14A − / − cells. We are grateful to the proteomics facility of Centro de Investigación del Cáncer, Salamanca, Spain, where the proteomic analysis was performed, Grant PRB2 (IPT13/0001 - ISCIII-SGEFI / FEDER). This work was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO; BFU2015-69709-P and SAF2015-69920-R). S.O. was supported by a FPU fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education and P.A. was supported by a JAE-Predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish National research Council (CSIC).S

Caracterización de agregados pétreos con el ensayo Micro Deval

En este documento se presentan los aspectos más relevantes del proceso de implementación del ensayo Micro Deval, contemplado por la Norma ASTM D 6928, “Standard test method for resistance of coarse aggregate to degradation by abrasion in the Micro-Deval apparatus”, en los laboratorios de Suelos y Pavimentos del Centro de Estudios Geotécnicos de la Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería. En esta segunda parte se incluyen los resultados obtenidos de los ensayos Micro Deval y de Desgaste Los Ángeles y sus variantes (100 rev. y en húmedo 500 rev.) realizados sobre 15 muestras de agregados, utilizados en la ciudad de Bogotá principalmente para la elaboración de mezclas asfálticas. Igualmente, se incluye el análisis de estos resultados junto con unas conclusiones preliminares, así como algunas recomendaciones derivadas de este proceso. Como se ha mostrado en otros estudios, sobre los materiales analizados en el presente no se evidenció una adecuada correlación con el ensayo de Desgaste Los Ángeles, ni con la absorción de los agregados. Sin embargo, las líneas de tendencia muestran un incremento en las pérdidas medidas con el ensayo de Desgaste Los Ángeles y en la absorción con el aumento en las pérdidas en el Micro Deval. Del análisis de los resultados encontrados también se concluye que si se tienen en cuenta los requisitos del agregado grueso para mezclas asfálticas en caliente, fijados por el IDU en las Especificaciones ET-2005, para tránsitos pesados (tipo T4 –T5) y capas de rodadura, el ensayo de Desgate Los Ángeles resulta ser más conservador que el Ensayo Micro Deval. Se recomienda continuar evaluando fuentes de materiales para seguir ajustando las respectivas especificaciones a las condiciones imperantes en nuestro medio.This report shows the most relevant aspects of the implementation of the Micro Deval test, according to ASTM D 6928, “Standard test method for resistance of coarse aggregate to degradation by abrasion in the Micro-Deval apparatus”, at the Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Soils and Pavements Laboratory. Micro-Deval and Los Angeles tests results in 15 samples of aggregates used in Bogotá, principally for asphalt mixes, are shown as well as the analyses of these results along with preliminary conclusions and recommendations. As other studies have shown, the Micro-Deval results had no correlation with the Los Angeles and aggregates absorption results. The trend lines do, however, show increasing Los Angeles Abrasion and absorption results with the increasing Micro Deval results. From the analysis of the materials results used in this investigation, it can be concluded that the Los Angeles test is more conservative than Micro-Deval test, for coarse aggregate used in hot asphalt mixes under IDU high volume of traffic (types T4 – T5) and surface courses, according the Specifications IDU ET-2005. It is recommended to evaluate more aggregate sources to continue adjusting specifications to our particular conditions

Esofagectomía transhiatal por vía abierta y vía laparoscópica para el cáncer de esófago: análisis de los márgenes de resección y ganglios linfáticos

Surgical treatment of cancer of the oesophagus is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Minimally invasive surgery has been proposed as an alternative to try to reduce these complications; however, at this time there are not many studies that evaluate the oncological validity of this method. The objective of this work is to give a preliminary audit of the results of our experience in both surgical techniques, with special emphasis on the oncopathological aspects (resection margins and lymph nodes). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between April 2003 and February 2007, 40 patients diagnosed with distal oesophageal cancer were surgically intervened at Charing Cross Hospital, London, 24 open and 16 by laparoscopy in accordance with the surgeon responsible. Of these, 50% received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Both groups were homogeneous for age, sex, ASA, tumour stage and tumour location. In all cases, the pathological tumour stage (TNM), the tumour distal margin, tumour proximal margin, tumour circumference and number of resected lymph nodes, were collected in a data base. RESULTS: The number of resected lymph nodes was similar in both groups; (19 for open and 18 for laparoscopy). The mean distal tumour margin for the group treated by open surgery was 4.9 cm compared to 4.3 in the group treated by laparoscopy (p = 0.578). The mean proximal tumour margin for the group treated by open surgery was 8.4 cm compared to 4.6 cm in the laparoscopy group (p = 0.004) and tumour circumference margin was positive in 11 patients (45%) belonging to the open group compared to 5 patients (33%) in the laparoscopy group (p = 0.519). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, laparoscopic surgery for cancer of the oesophagus appears to show similar initial results to those of open surgery as regards the number of resected lymph nodes and resection margins

Effects of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester on visfatin and apelin in lean and overweight (cafeteria diet-fed) rats

Previous studies have demonstrated that the n-3 fatty acid EPA improves insulin resistance induced by high-fat diets. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential role of visfatin and apelin in the insulin-sensitising effects of EPA ethyl ester. The effects of EPA on muscle and adipose GLUT mRNA, as well as on liver glucokinase (GK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activity, were investigated. Male Wistar rats fed on a standard diet or a high-fat cafeteria diet were daily treated by oral administration with EPA ethyl ester (1 g/kg) for 5 weeks. A significant decrease (P,0·01) in white adipose tissue (WAT) visfatin mRNA levels was found in the cafeteria-fed rats, which was reversed by EPA administration (P,0·05). Moreover, a negative relationship was observed between homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) and the visfatin:total WAT ratio. In contrast, cafeteria-diet feeding caused a significant increase (P,0·01) in apelin mRNA in visceral WAT. EPA increased (P,0·01) apelin gene expression, and a negative relationship between HOMA index with visceral apelin mRNA and serum apelin:total WAT ratio was also observed. EPA treatment did not induce changes in skeletal muscle GLUT1, GLUT4 or insulin receptor mRNA levels. Neither liver GK and G6Pase activity nor the GK:G6Pase ratio was modified by EPA. These data suggest that somehow the insulin-sensitising effects of EPA could be related to its stimulatory action on both visfatin and apelin gene expression in visceral fat, while changes in skeletal muscle GLUT, as well as in hepatic glucose production, are not likely to be the main contributing factors in the improvement in insulin resistance induced by EPA

The proinflammatory mediator CD40 ligand is increased in the metabolic syndrome and modulated by adiponectin

OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that the CD40/CD40 ligand (CD40L) system is up-regulated in the metabolic syndrome (MS) and modulated by adiponectin (AN). The objectives were: 1) to compare plasma and monocyte CD40L in patients with MS and controls and its association with clinical and biochemical parameters, 2) to investigate platelets as a source of soluble CD40L (sCD40L), and 3) to analyze the effects of AN on CD40/CD40L. METHODS: Plasma sCD40L and AN were measured in 246 controls and 128 patients with MS by ELISA. Monocyte CD40/CD40L expression and platelet CD40L content and release were compared in patients with MS and controls. Monocytes and endothelial cells were cultured with AN and CD40/CD40L expression determined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Patients with MS had higher sCD40L and lower AN levels than controls (0.89 +/- 0.1 vs. 0.76 +/- 0.07 ng/ml and 10.10 +/- 0.65 vs. 12.99 +/- 0.80 microg /ml, P < 0.05). Monocyte CD40/CD40L expression was higher (P < 0.05) in patients than controls (CD40: 1.31 +/- 0.31 vs. 0.80 +/- 0.14 arbitrary units; CD40L: 1.24 +/- 0.85 vs. 0.43 +/- 0.14 pg/microg protein). No differences were observed on CD40L content between resting platelets from patients with MS and controls (7.7 +/- 3.5 vs. 7.2 +/- 2.2 pg/microg protein). Stimulated platelets from patients with the MS released more (P < 0.05) sCD40L than controls (582 +/- 141 vs. 334 +/- 60% change vs. nonstimulated platelets). AN reduced CD40L mRNA and protein expression in monocytes from MS patients and endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced sCD40L and cellular CD40L expression in the MS suggests that CD40L is of pathophysiological relevance in MS. Also, a new antiinflammatory effect of AN is described through the modulation of the CD40/CD40L system

Use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a teaching resource promoter of school coexistence

This research is based on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as a didactic resource for the promotion of values in a healthy coexistence in a group of eighth grade students of the District Educational Institution "Los Pinos", at Barranquilla-Colombia. The methodological component of this research was oriented under the empiricalanalytical paradigm, with a descriptive focus. The use of ICT as an educational resource allowed students to propose situations, respond to questions, develop academic activities, get a dynamical interaction with the knowledge through a blog, and improve attitudes of tolerance, respect and cooperation with their partners. The results indicated that the strategy implemented with the use of ICT, reduced the cases of school conflicts and disagreements in the categories selected as object of study, leaving a brand new the possibility of being used in other grades and adjust it to the strengthening of other values.El estudio se centró en el uso de tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) como recurso didáctico para el fomento de valores para una sana convivencia escolar, en estudiantes de octavo grado en una Institución Pública. El estudio es de corte descriptivo. Los resultados indicaron que la estrategia implementada con utilización de TIC, disminuyo los casos de conflicto escolar en las categorías seleccionadas. Dejando la posibilidad de ser utilizada en otros grados y al fortalecimiento de otros valores

Lipoic acid inhibits leptin secretion and Sp1 activity in adipocytes

Lipoic acid (LA) is an antioxidant with therapeutic potential on several diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Hyperleptinemia and oxidative stress play a major role in the development of obesity-linked diseases. The aim of this study was to examine in vivo and in vitro the effects of LA on leptin production, as well as to elucidate the mechanisms and signalling pathways involved in LA actions. Methods and results: Dietary supplementation with LA decreased both circulating leptin, and adipose tissue leptin mRNA in rats. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with LA caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of leptin secretion and gene expression. Moreover, LA stimulated the anaerobic utilization of glucose to lactate, which negatively correlated with leptin secretion. Furthermore, LA enhanced phosphorylation of Sp1 and inhibited Sp1 transcriptional activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Moreover, LA inhibited Akt phosphorylation, a downstream target of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Treatment with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 mimicked LA actions, dramatically inhibiting both leptin secretion and gene expression and stimulating Sp1 phosphorylation. Conclusion: All of these data suggest that the phosphorylation of Sp1 and the accompanying reduced DNA-binding activity are likely to be involved in the inhibition of leptin induced by LA, which could be mediated in part by the abrogation of the PI3K/Akt pathway