Effects of a glucose meal on energy metabolism in patients with cirrhosis before and after liver transplantation.

HYPOTHESIS: Liver transplantation results in hepatic denervation. This may produce alterations of liver energy and substrate metabolism, which may contribute to weight gain after liver transplantation. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Liver transplantation clinics in a university hospital. PATIENTS: Seven nondiabetic patients with cirrhosis were recruited while on a waiting list for liver transplantation. Seven healthy subjects were recruited as controls. INTERVENTION: Orthotopic liver transplantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Evaluation of energy and substrate metabolism after ingestion of a glucose load with indirect calorimetry was performed before, 2 to 6 weeks after, and 5 to 19 months after transplantation. Whole-body glucose oxidation and storage and glucose-induced thermogenesis were calculated. RESULTS: Patients with cirrhosis had modestly elevated resting energy expenditure and normal glucose-induced thermogenesis and postprandial glucose oxidation and storage. These measures remained unchanged after liver transplantation despite a significant increase in postprandial glycemia. Patients, however, gained an average of 3 kg of body weight after 5 to 19 months compared with their weight before transplantation. CONCLUSION: Liver denervation secondary to transplantation does not lead to alterations of energy metabolism after ingestion of a glucose load.

Evaluation of oral versus intravenous dose of vinorelbine to achieve equivalent blood exposures in patients with solid tumours.

Patient's preference is for oral chemotherapy when both oral and i.v. are available, provided that efficacy is equivalent. Reliable switch from oral to i.v. is possible if correspondence between respective doses has been established. Vinorelbine oral was developed as a line extension of VRL i.v. on the basis that similar AUCs result in similar activities. From a first crossover study on 24 patients receiving VRL 25 mg/m2 i.v. and 80 mg/m2 oral data extrapolation concluded on AUCs bioequivalence between Vinorelbine 30 mg/m2 i.v. and 80 mg/m2 oral. A new trial was performed to support this calculation. In a crossover design study on patients (PS 0-1) with advanced solid tumours (44% breast carcinoma), VRL was administered (30 mg/m2 i.v., 80 mg/m2 oral) with a standard meal and 5-HT3 antagonists, at 2 weeks interval. Pharmacokinetics was performed over 168 h and VRL was measured by LC-MS/MS. Statistics included bioequivalence tests. Forty-eight patients were evaluable for PK: median age 58 years (25-71), PS0/PS1: 20/28, M/F: 11/37. Mean AUCs were 1,230 +/- 290 and 1,216 +/- 521 ng/ml for i.v. and oral, respectively. The confidence interval of the AUC ratio (0.83-1.03) was within the required regulatory range (0.8-1.25) and proved the bioequivalence between the two doses. The absolute bioavailability was 37.8 +/- 16.0%, and close to the value from the first study (40%). Patient tolerability was globally comparable between both forms with no significant difference on either haematological or non-haematological toxicities (grade 3-4). This new study, conducted on a larger population, confirmed the reliable dose correspondence previously established between vinorelbine 80 mg/m2 oral and 30 mg/m2 i.v.

Biologia do Triatoma nitida Usinger, 1939 em laboratório (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Triatoma nitida is a wild species occurring in Mexico and Central America. In order to establish the length of its life cycle and transmission potential, the following parameters were observed: the incubation period, the interval between hatching, or moulting, and the first feeding; the number of blood meals and the time of development. The time-lapse before the bite, the length of feeding and the interval between the end of the blood meal and defecation, as well as the site of defecation were also analyzed. Average length of the egg incubation period was 18.2 days. Time interval between the food source offering and the bite was less than 4 min in 60//of the analyzed cases, except in the fifth instar, where only 38//of the insects began feeding in less than 5 min. The blood-sucking period was long and rising until the fifth instar, decreasing in adults, and ranging from 1 min to 2 and a half hours. Only 26//of the blood meals were followed by defecations within 20 min. The average length of the life cycle was 897.5 days.

Alguns aspectos da biologia de Triatoma pseudomaculata Corrêa & Espínola, 1964, em condições de laboratório (Hemiptera:Reduviidae:Triatominae)

Biology of Triatoma pseudomaculata Corrêa & Espínola, 1964, under Laboratory Conditions (Hemiptera:Reduviidae:Triatominae) - Observations were made on the evolutive cycle of Triatoma pseudomaculata, held under laboratory conditions, fed weekly on bird (pigeon). Of 60 eggs obtained, only 34 nymphs reached the adult stage in a period of X(S)=398±76 days. The following parameters were observed: the time immature stages took to develop from egg to adult emergence; the occurrence of the first meal; the time-lapse between the presenting of the blood-meal and the begining of feeding; time of feeding; amount of blood ingested; variation of weight 24 hr after the blood-meal and until the next blood-meal; and the defecation pattern. The experiment was carried out for 20 months, held in BOD incubator with the average of temperature and humidity of 28±1ºC and 80±5% RU, respectively

¿Nuevos actores, nuevas prácticas?. Los casos de reordenamiento de los bipartidismos en Argentina, Colombia y Uruguay, desde los años 60

La mayoría de las democracias latinoamericanas se caracterizaban por un esquema de competencia partidaria bipartidista. Se observó, no obstante, en los años ochenta-noventa un re-ordenamiento concomitante a toda la región de los sistemas de partidos, cuya principal consecuencia fue la deconstrucción de los bipartidismos. Esta situación nos lleva a preguntarnos si es posible identificar causas comunes que den cuenta de este fenómeno. Demostramos en este trabajo, a través del estudio de Colombia, la Argentina y Uruguay, que aquello consistió más bien en un realineamiento de los patrones de representación dentro de los sistemas de partido. Los procesos de cada uno de estos países, cuyos bipartidismos suelen considerarse como “tradicionales”, se caracterizaron por dinámicas específicas y diferenciadas no extrapolables a toda la región. Presentaremos asimismo las lógicas de realineamiento partidario y destacaremos los “eventos críticos” más propensos a la transformación política en la región.

Efectividad de la Vacuna Neumocócica Polisacarida Polivalente en la prevención de enfermedad invasiva por neumococo en personas mayores de 60 años.

INTRODUCCIÓ La vacuna pneumocòccica polisacàrida polivalent (VPP-23) es recomana en ancians i persones d'alt risc. No obstant això, la seva efectivitat en la prevenció d'infeccions per pneumococ és controvertida. Aquest estudi avalua l'efectivitat de la vacunació en la prevenció de malaltia pneumocòccica invasiva (MPI) en persones majors de 60 anys. METODOLOGIA Estudi poblacional de casos i controls en el qual es van incloure 88 pacients majors de 60 anys amb MPI (Pneumònia bacteriana, meningitis o sepsis) confirmada per laboratori, i 176 controls que van ser assignats segons Centre d'Atenció Primària, edat, sexe i nivell de risc. La regressió logística condicional va ser usada per a estimar la odds ràtio (OR) segons cada condició clínica. L'efectivitat de la vacuna va ser estimada segons (1-OR) x100. RESULTATS L'efectivitat de la vacunació pneumocòccica va ser significativament mes baixa en casos que en controls (38.6% vs 59.1%; p=0.002). L'efectivitat ajustada va anar de 72% (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.15-0.54) per a MPI i 77% (OR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.08-0.60) per als serotips vacunals inclosos en la VPP-23. La vacunació va ser efectiva per a l'MPI tant en el grup d'edat de 60-79 anys (OR 0.32; 95% CI: 0.14-0.74) com en el grup de 80 anys o mes (OR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.09-0.91). L'efectivitat vacunal va ser estadísticament significativa en persones d'alt risc inmunocompetents (OR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.11-0.79) així com en persones inmunocompromeses (OR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.03- 0.53). CONCLUSIÓ Aquestes troballes confirmen l'efectivitat de la vacuna pneumocòccia polisacàrida polivalent (VPP-23) en l'MPI, i el benefici en la prevenció d'infecció invasiva en persones de risc i en ancians.

Influence of the blood meal source on the biology of Meccus picturatus Usinger 1939 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) under laboratory conditions

Aspects related to hatching, time-lapse between presenting the blood meal and beginning of feeding, feeding time, postfeed defecation delay,life time, mortality and fecundity for each stage of Meccus picturatus, life-cycle were evaluated and compared in two cohorts of M. picturatus fed on hens or rabbits. The hatching rate observed for each of the two studied groups of eggs was 78.1% (n = 2298) on the group fed on hens and 82.1% (n = 2704) on that fed on rabbits, and the average time of hatching was 20 days. Mean time-lapse for beginning feeding was under 3 min in nymphal stages and postfeed defecation delay was under 10 min in all stages, in both cohorts. Mean feeding time was significantly (P < 0.05) shorter in triatomines fed on hens than on rabbits. A similar number of nymphs of each cohort, 69 fed on hens (34.5%) and 68 fed on rabbits (34%), completed the cycle. No significantly (P > 0.05) differences were recorded among the average times from NI to adult in the cohort fed on hens (196.8 ± 15.8 days) and the average time in the cohort fed on rabbits (189.5 ± 22.9). The average span in days for each stage fed on hens was not significantly different to the average span for each stage fed on rabbits. The number of blood meals at each nymphal stage varied from 1 to 6 in both cohorts. The mortality rates were higher on fifth nymphal stage, in both cohorts. No significant (P > 0.05) differences were recorded on mortality rates on most nymphal stages of both cohorts. The average number of eggs laid per female from the cohort fed on hens in a 9-month period was 791.1, whereas the average number of eggs in the cohort fed on rabbits was 928.3.

A Happy and a Healthy 2012

Many of us start the New Year with the best of intentions to lose weight, get fitter and eat well. It's that sense of new possibilities and fresh beginnings that can also help motivate changes in lifestyle. The Public Health Agency advises that making small changes to your own and your family's lifestyle can have a significant impact on improving overall health. Taking time to reflect, and making a plan, can all help. Choosing healthier food and increasing your physical activity will help maintain a healthy weight and prevent unwanted weight gain, which can have serious implications for a person's physical and mental health as it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, respiratory problems, joint pain and depression.What can I do to improve my health?Make 1 or 2 small changes at a time - don't try to change your lifestyle radically or all at once as you're more likely to fail. Small changes in what you eat, or how active you are, are easier to make and more likely to be maintained.Mary Black, Assistant Director of Health and Wellbeing Improvement, PHA, said: "The New Year brings a time when many people reflect on their lives and very often eating more healthily is one of things they identify for change. I recommend setting a couple of small, achievable targets that can then be continued in the long term, for example:Eat breakfast everyday;Eat an extra portion of vegetables every day;Swap deep fried chips for oven chips;Choose fruit for between-meal snacks instead of a biscuit or bun;Begin to enjoy a hot drink on its own without feeling the need to have something sweet at the same time.Be active. Any sort of activity will be good for you. Think about how you can be more active each day. This doesn't have to involve running a marathon or joining a gym. Some suggestions include:· Go for walks with the children/family or friends. It's free! Walk on your lunch break;· Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator;· Park further away and walk to work/school;· Get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest;· Minimise the amount of time you are sitting down - take breaks from the computer at work or watching TV at home and walk around;· Children and adults can build up to the recommended daily activity levels in 10 minute sessions rather than doing it all in one session.Adults need at least 30 minutes, five days a week of moderate physical activity and children need 60 minutes of physical activity every day.Mary continued "It's easy for people to get into the habit of spending their spare time sitting down - watching TV, playing computer games, listening to their MP3 players - but being active will help you maintain a healthy weight and generally make you feel better. It can also improve your mood, reduce anxiety and protect against depression."It is what you do most of the time that really matters, so if you eat too much or don't exercise on any one day, don't worry too much - just accept it and get back to your new way of eating and being more active as soon as possible.

Les expériences de vieillissement vécues par des femmes sénégalaises âgées de 60 ans et plus, vivant dans la communauté.

Cette étude vise à mieux comprendre la signification que des femmes sénégalaises âgées de 60 ans et plus donnent au vieillissement. Des entrevues non structurées auprès de dix participantes ont été analysées selon l'approche phénoménologique descriptive de Giorgi. Vingt-quatre sous-thèmes, huit thèmes et une structure générale émergent de l'analyse des données recueillies. Le vieillissement féminin est vécu comme un processus de réflexion existentielle et une expérience d'épanouissement malgré une vulnérabilité physique, psychologique et économique. Ainsi, pour ces femmes, vieillir représente une expérience paradoxale intégrant à la fois des satisfactions et des contraintes. Des recommandations ont été faites dans le sens de la mise en oeuvre d'un programme de recherche visant l'amélioration des conditions de vie et de santé des femmes âgées de 60 ans et plus.

We get 10 of our 60 minutes playing football

This poster highlights the importance of children being physically active for at least 60 minutes every day. Parents, carers and children are encouraged to visit the website www.getalifegetactive.com to download the activity log book to track how much activity they are doing daily.

Influence of blood meal and mating in reproduction patterns of Triatoma brasiliensis females (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) under laboratory conditions

The influence of blood meal and mating on Triatoma brasiliensis (Neiva) female fecundity, fertility, life-span and the preoviposition period were investigated under laboratory conditions. Nourishment increased fecundity, fertility and adult lifespan, whereas mating increased fecundity, fertility and decreased the preoviposition period. Females also required more than one mating to reach their full reproductive potential. Results indicate that both nourishment and mating are important in T. brasiliensis proliferation. Such information will help towards developing effective control strategies of this vector of Chagas disease.

Mis recetas sin gluten

"Plan para la promoción de la actividad física y la alimentación equilibrada 2004-2008". Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Salud: www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud (Consejería de Salud / Ciudadanía / Nuestra Salud / Vida sana / Alimentación equilibrada y actividad física / Alimentación y Celiaquía). Esta publicación cuenta con el respaldo de la Asociación Provincial de Celíacos de Sevilla (ASPROCESE) y de la Sociedad Andaluza de Nutrición Clínica y Dietética (SANCYD)