Riesgo de hipertensión arterial por ruido laboral: revisión sistemática

Introducción: la pérdida auditiva inducida por ruido es el efecto nocivo del ruido más comúnmente estudiado, sin embargo, el ruido también produce trastornos digestivos y del sueño, cambios en los niveles de cortisol, efectos cardiovasculares e hipertensión arterial (HTA), entre otros. Objetivo: determinar si la exposición laboral a ruido induce hipertensión arterial. Materiales y métodos: se siguieron las recomendaciones del método PRISMA para revisiones sistemáticas. Se hizo una búsqueda de estudios en PUBMED utilizando los términos “occupational and noise and hypertension” y aplicando los filtros: 1) publicaciones incluidas entre 2005-2015; 2) estudios publicados en inglés; 3) revisión de títulos y resúmenes; 4) revisión completa de los textos para un total final de 32 estudios. Se hizo la revisión, análisis y resumen de todos los estudios. Resultados: los estudios concluyeron que aquellos portadores de los polimorfismos de la enzima convertidora de angiotensina expuestos a ruido, tuvieron una mayor susceptibilidad genética a tener HTA. Los estudios reportaron una asociación positiva entre ruido e HTA. Hay controversia acerca de la relación que existe entre HTA, ruido y coexposición a otros factores como calor, trabajo por turnos, presencia de solventes o plomo en el lugar de trabajo y carga física. Conclusiones: Se presume que solo los niveles de ruido ≥ 85 dBA tienen efectos negativos sobre la salud, pero se ha encontrado que los efectos no auditivos del ruido se producen por debajo de este parámetro. Recomendaciones: se sugiere el uso de la pérdida auditiva inducida por ruido entre población trabajadora como un método de tamizaje para detectar personas prehipertensas, con el fin prevenir la generación de HTA.

Eficacia y seguridad de la melatonina para el manejo de los trastornos del sueño en el autismo: meta-análisis

INTRODUCCIÓN: El 80% de los niños y adolescentes con trastornos del espectro autista (TEA) presenta algún trastorno del sueño, en cuya génesis al parecer intervienen alteraciones en la regulación de la melatonina. El objetivo de este metaanálisis fue determinar la eficacia y seguridad de la melatonina para el manejo de ciertos trastornos del sueño en niños con TEA. MÉTODOS: Tres revisores extrajeron los datos relevantes de los ensayos clínicos aleatorizados doble ciego de alta calidad publicados en bases de datos primarias, de ensayos clínicos, de revisiones sistemáticas y de literatura gris; además se realizó búsqueda en bola de nieve. Se analizaron los datos con RevMan 5.3. Se realizó un análisis del inverso de la varianza por un modelo de efectos aleatorios para las diferencias de medias de los desenlaces propuestos: duración del tiempo total, latencia de sueño y número de despertares nocturnos. Se evaluó la heterogeneidad interestudios con el parámetro I2 RESULTADOS: La búsqueda inicial arrojó 355 resultados, de los cuales tres cumplieron los criterios de selección. La melatonina resultó ser un medicamento seguro y eficaz para aumentar la duración total del sueño y disminuir la latencia de sueño en niños y adolescentes con TEA; hasta el momento la evidencia sobre el número de despertares nocturnos no es estadísticamente significativa. DISCUSIÓN: A la luz de la evidencia disponible, la melatonina es una elección segura y eficaz para el manejo de ciertos problemas del sueño en niños y adolescentes con TEA. Es necesario realizar estudios con mayores tamaños muestrales y comparados con otros medicamentos disponibles en el mercado.

Anestesia regional y periférica guiada por ultrasonido en el paciente critico

El presente trabajo es un capítulo de libro titulado “Anestesia Regional y Periférica Guiada por Ultrasonido en el Paciente Crítico” que será incluido en la última edición del libro “Manual de Ultrasonido en Terapia Intensiva y Emergencias” cuyo editor es el Doctor José de Jesús Rincón Salas y que será publicado por la Editorial Prado de México para distribución latinoamericana desde dicho país. Por solicitud del editor y teniendo en cuenta el enfoque del libro, el presente trabajo está dirigido a estudiantes de formación, médicos graduados y especialistas en las áreas de cuidado intensivo, anestesiología, dolor, medicina interna y medicina de urgencias. Tiene como propósito empapar de conocimientos necesarios y prácticos en anestesia regional a personas que usualmente no han tenido contacto con la anestesia regional, pues desafortunadamente sólo en los últimos años ha sido posible que la anestesia regional haya comenzado a salir de las salas de cirugía, ámbito donde ha estado confinada tradicionalmente. El lenguaje utilizado es sencillo y el capítulo ha sido escrito para que sea fácil de leer y consultar, dejando así mensajes muy claros sobre la utilidad, viabilidad e implicaciones que tiene el uso de anestesia regional guiada por ultrasonido en cuidado intensivo. Los autores esperamos que de esta manera, el presente capítulo permita continuar superando los obstáculos que se interponen entre los invaluables beneficios de la anestesia regional y los pacientes de cuidado intensivo que necesitan de ella.

Social perception gaze patterns, symptom severity and resting brain function measured using Arterial Spin Labelling

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by qualitative alterations in reciprocal social interactions. Some recent studies show alterations in gaze patterns during social perception and rest-functional abnormalities in the ‘social brain network’. This study investigated: i) social perception gaze patterns in children with ASD and controls, ii) the relationship between autism clinical severity and social perception gaze patterns, iii) the relationship between resting cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and social perception gaze patterns. Methods: Nine children with ASD and 9 children with typical development were studied. Eye-tracking was used to detect gaze patterns during presentation of stimuli depicting social scenes. Autism clinical severity was established using the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R). Arterial spin labelling MRI was used to quantify rCBF. Results: The ASD group looked less at social regions and more at non-social regions than controls. No significant correlation was found between ASD clinical severity and social perception gaze patterns. In the ASD group, gaze behaviour was related to rCBF in the temporal lobe regions at trend level. Positive correlations were found between temporal rCBF and gaze to the face region, while negative correlations were found between temporal rCBF and gaze to non-social regions. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that social perception gaze patterns are altered in children with ASD, and could be related to temporal rCBF.

Feline cutaneous lymphangioma : case report

This article describes a case report of a feline cutaneous lymphangioma. Lymphangiomas (synonym: lymphangiomatosis) and lymphangiosarcomas are rare tumors, usually associated with skin, some are believed to be congenital in young animals associated with vascular abnormalities. In gross pathology description they are poorly defined, cavernous-spongy, soft and they may be identified along fascial planes, because of this it may be difficult to remove, so tumors tend to recur. In histopathology description we can see interconnecting channels lined by endothelium usually without erythrocytes, but these tumors do not have unique features.

Desmite dos Ligamentos Colaterais da Articulação Interfalângica Distal em Equinos

Os objectivos deste estudo basearam-se na análise dos aspectos clínicos de cavalos de desporto, aos quais foi diagnosticado através de ecografia, desmite dos Ligamentos Colaterais (LCs) da articulação Interfalângica Distal (IFD). Os cavalos incluídos na amostra foram examinados entre Setembro de 2011 e Junho de 2012 tendo sido selecionados aqueles que apresentaram os critérios de inclusão requeridos, nomeadamente o diagnóstico de desmite em pelo menos um dos LCs da articulação IFD. Foram incluídos 8 animais no estudo, sendo que o diagnóstico foi feito através de um cuidadoso exame ortopédico e de ecografia, tendo-se verificado as lesões nos membros anteriores. O LC Lateral foi o mais afectado (5 cavalos) seguido do Medial (2 cavalos). Apenas em 1 dos casos as lesões eram bilaterais. A maioria dos animais apresentavam distensão da articulação IFD confirmada ecograficamente. A claudicação foi invariavelmente exacerbada em círculo no piso duro, sendo que 7 dos 8 (87.5%) animais aumentaram o grau de claudicação quando o membro afectado estava no interior do círculo. Após o bloqueio digital palmar a claudicação foi atenuada em 7 dos 8 animais (87.5%) sendo totalmente abolida em 3 (37.5%) deles. O bloqueio da articulação IFD foi positivo em todos os animais, e o bloqueio da bursa podotroclear negativa em 7 dos 8 cavalos. Metade dos animais (50%) apresentaram alterações radiográficas como osteoartrite da articulação IFD, remodelação óssea da origem/inserção do LC afectado e um deles apresentava ossificação de uma cartilagem ungular. Todos os animais apresentaram sinais evidentes de lesão na ecografia, sendo que alguns demostraram sinais de desmite crónica e outros aguda. Os tratamentos instituídos variaram de acordo com a história, sinais clínicos, sinais radiográficos e severidade das lesões ecográficas. A desmite dos LC da articulação IFD deve ser considerada como uma causa de claudicação que afecta a performance dos cavalos de desporto. Mais estudos são necessários, de modo a caraterizar melhor estas lesões e avaliar as melhorias após a terapia por forma a determinar os factores que mais influenciam o prognóstico. Palavras-Chave: Equinos, Ligamentos colaterais, Desmite, articulação Interfalângica distal

Estudo de vinte casos de hiperadrenocorticismo no cão

O hiperadrenocorticismo canino consiste no conjunto de alterações físicas e bioquímicas resultantes da exposição prolongada e inapropriada, do organismo, a elevadas concentrações de cortisol. Esta dissertação teve como principal objectivo o estudo de vinte casos de hiperadrenocorticismo no cão, com base na recolha e interpretação de dados clínicos, laboratoriais e de imagem, efectuados durante o período de dois anos, entre Março de 2010 e Março de 2012, no Hospital Veterinário da FMVZ/UNESP em Botucatu. Constatou-se que a maioria das características individuais (idade, peso, raça e sexo), sinais clínicos e alterações laboratoriais (hemograma, bioquímicas sanguíneas e urianálise) comuns desta doença estavam presentes. Os cães do nosso estudo eram na sua maioria geriátricos, de raça miniatura como o caniche, com peso inferior a 20 Kg e do sexo feminino; estes apresentavam habituais sinais clínicos como poliúria, polidipsia, distensão abdominal, polifagia, fraqueza muscular, alterações respiratórias, cutâneas e neurológicas, e habituais alterações laboratoriais como trombocitose, linfopenia, eosinopenia, neutrofilia, aumento da fosfatase alcalina sérica, alanina aminotransferase, colesterol e triglicéridos. Alguns destes cães apresentaram ainda três das complicações mais comuns do hiperadrenocorticismo como hipertensão arterial, infecção do tracto urinário inferior e diabetes mellitus. Para chegar ao diagnóstico final realizou-se o teste de supressão de dexametasona a baixas doses em associação com a avaliação das glândulas adrenais através de ecografia, o qual nos permitiu obter a nossa amostra final, os vinte cães com hiperadrenocorticismo. Este estudo contribuiu para aprofundar o conhecimento relativamente às alterações clínicas, laboratoriais e de imagem presentes nos cães com hiperadrenocorticismo e demonstrou que a informação daí retirada é fundamental para chegar ao seu diagnóstico.

Dietary fatty acids and chylomicron synthesis and secretion

There is currently considerable interest in potential atherogenic and thrombogenic consequences of elevated concentrations of triacylglycerols, especially in the post-prandial state. Despite this, there is limited information on the effects of dietary fatty acids on the synthesis, secretion and metabolism of chylomicrons, the large triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins synthesized in the enterocyte following the digestion and absorption of dietary fat. This brief review considers current approaches to the investigation of chylomicron synthesis and summarizes some of the human, cell and animal studies that have investigated effects of different fatty acids on these pathways. Potential sites for modulatory effects of dietary fatty acids on the molecular events of chylomicron synthesis are proposed in the light of the recent model that has been developed from cell and animal studies and observations based on abnormalities in chylomicron formation in human inherited autosomal recessive diseases.

The role of Wnt signalling in the development of somites and neural crest

The Wnt family of secreted signalling molecules controls a wide range of developmental processes in all metazoans. In this investigation we concentrate on the role that members of this family play during the development of (1) the somites and (2) the neural crest. (3) We also isolate a novel component of the Wnt signalling pathway called Naked cuticle and investigate the role that this protein may play in both of the previously mentioned developmental processes. (1) In higher vertebrates the paraxial mesoderm undergoes a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transformation to form segmentally organised structures called somites. Experiments have shown that signals originating from the ectoderm overlying the somites or from midline structures are required for the formation of the somites, but their identity has yet to be determined. Wnt6 is a good candidate as a somite epithelialisation factor from the ectoderm since it is expressed in this tissue. In this study we show that injection of Wnt6-producing cells beneath the ectoderm at the level of the segmental plate or lateral to the segmental plate leads to the formation of numerous small epithelial somites. We show that Wnts are indeed responsible for the epithelialisation of somites by applying Wnt antagonists which result in the segmental plate being unable to form somites. These results show that Wnt6, the only member of this family to be localised to the chick paraxial ectoderm, is able to regulate the development of epithelial somites and that cellular organisation is pivotal in the execution of the differentiation programmes. (2) The neural crest is a population of multipotent progenitor cells that arise from the neural ectoderm in all vertebrate embryos and form a multitude of derivatives including the peripheral sensory neurons, the enteric nervous system, Schwann cells, pigment cells and parts of the craniofacial skeleton. The induction of the neural crest relies on an ectodermally derived signal, but the identity of the molecule performing this role in amniotes is not known. Here we show that Wnt6, a protein expressed in the ectoderm, induces neural crest production. (3) The intracellular response to Wnt signalling depends on the choice of signalling cascade activated in the responding cell. Cells can activate either the canonical pathway that modulates gene expression to control cellular differentiation and proliferation, or the non-canonical pathway that controls cell polarity and movement (Pandur et al. 2002b). Recent work has identified the protein Naked cuticle as an intracellular switch promoting the non-canonical pathway at the expense of the canonical pathway. We have cloned chick Naked cuticle-1 (cNkd1) and demonstrate that it is expressed in a dynamic manner during early embryogenesis. We show that it is expressed in the somites and in particular regions where cells are undergoing movement. Lastly our study shows that the expression of cNkd1 is regulated by Wnt expression originating from the neural tube. This study provides evidence that non-canonical Wnt signalling plays a part in somite development.

Metabolic syndrome: what is it and what are the implications?

Obesity and overweight are linked with a cluster of metabolic and vascular disorders that have been termed the metabolic syndrome. Although there is not yet a universally-accepted set of diagnostic criteria, most expert groups agree that the syndrome is characterised by impaired insulin sensitivity and hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia (elevated blood triacyglycerols with depressed HDL-cholesterol), abdominal obesity and hypertension. Based on existing published criteria estimates suggest that the syndrome affects a substantial percentage of the middle-aged and elderly populations of most European countries (10-20%) and confers increased risk of type 2 diabetes (2-8(.)8-fold) and CVD (1(.)5-6-fold), as well as having a marked effect on morbidity. Although the pathophysiology is incompletely understood, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity are central to subsequent abnormalities in circulating glucose and lipoproteins, and vascular function that lead to type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and CVD. The link between metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and CVD, as well as inability to reverse the present rising rates of obesity, will lead to economically-unsustainable costs of health care in the next 10-20 years. Preventative strategies for metabolic syndrome are required to slow rates of progression and to reduce dependence on costly medical management. A notable development is recent evidence that shows that diet and exercise are more effective than drug treatment in preventing the development of type-2 diabetes in high-risk individuals. The LIPGENE project will investigate dietary fat quality as a strategy for the prevention of metabolic syndrome and identify food chain approaches that can support consumer attempts to alter their dietary patterns.

Molecular inventory of faecal microflora in patients with Crohn's disease

Intestinal microbial community is involved in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease, but knowledge of its potential abnormalities has been limited by the impossibility to grow many dominant intestinal bacteria. Using sequence analysis of randomly cloned bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA, the dominant faecal species from four Crolin's disease patients and four controls were compared. Whereas marked inter-individual differences were observed in the faecal microflora of patients, three remained distantly related to controls on the basis of their operational taxonomic unit composition. Bacteroides vidgatus and closely related organisms represented the only molecular species shared by all patients and exhibited an unusually high rate of occurrence. Escherichia coli clones were isolated only in two patients with ileocolonic Crohn's disease. Moreover, numerous clones belonged to phylogenetic groups or species that are commonly not dominant in the faecal microflora of healthy subjects: Pectinatus, Sutterella, Verritcomicrobium, Fusobacterium, Clostridium disporicum, clostridium glycolicum, Clostridium ramosum, Clostridium innocuum and Clostridium perfringens. (C) 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Moderate fish-oil supplementation reverses low-platelet, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid status and reduces plasma triacylglycerol concentrations in British Indo-Asians

Background: The mechanisms involved in the increased mortality from coronary artery disease in British Indo-Asians are not well understood. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether British Indo-Asian Sikhs have higher plasma triacylglycerol concentrations, lower platelet phospholipid levels, and lower dietary intakes of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) than do age- and weight-matched Europeans and whether moderate dietary fish-oil intake can reverse these differences. Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel, fish-oil intervention study was performed. After a 2-wk run-in period, 44 Europeans and 40 Indo-Asian Sikhs were randomly assigned to receive either 4.0 g fish oil [1.5 g eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 1.0 g docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] or 4.0 g olive oil (control) daily for 12 wk. Results: At baseline, the Indo-Asians had significantly higher plasma triacylglycerol, small dense LDL, apolipoprotein B, and dietary and platelet phospholipid n-6 PUFA values and significantly lower long-chain n-3 PUFAs (EPA and DHA) than did the Europeans. A significant decrease in plasma triacylglycerol, plasma apolipoprotein B-48, and platelet phospholipid arachidonic acid concentrations and a significant increase in plasma HDL concentrations and platelet phospholipid EPA and DHA levels were observed after fish-oil supplementation. No significant effect of ethnicity on the responses to fish-oil supplementation was observed. Conclusions: Moderate fish-oil supplementation contributes to a reversal of lipid abnormalities and low n-3 PUFA levels in Indo-Asians and should be considered as an important, yet simple, dietary manipulation to reduce CAD risk in Indo-Asians with an atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype.

Lack of association between central adiposity and lipaemia in UK Sikh men

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the positive statistical associations between measures of total and regional adiposity and measures of glucose, insulin and triacylglycerol ( TAG) metabolism reported in Caucasian men, are also observed in UK Sikhs. DESIGN: A matched cross-sectional study in which each volunteer provided a blood sample after a 12-h overnight fast and had anthropometric measurements taken. SUBJECTS: A total of 55 healthy Caucasian and 55 healthy UK Sikh men were recruited. The Caucasian and Sikh men were matched for age ( 48.7 +/- 10.9 and 48.3 +/- 10.0 y, respectively) and body mass index (BMI) ( 26.1 +/- 2.8 and 26.3 +/- 3.2 kg/m(2), respectively). MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometric measurements were performed to assess total and regional fat depots. The concentrations of plasma total cholesterol, high-density cholesterol (HDL- C), low-density cholesterol (LDL-C) and small dense LDL (LDL3), TAG, glucose, fasting insulin (ins) and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) were analysed in fasted plasma. Surrogate measures of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity (RQUICKI) were calculated from insulin and glucose (HOMA-IR) and insulin, glucose and NEFA ( RQUICKI) measurements. RESULTS: The Sikh men had significantly higher body fat, with the sum of the four skinfold measurements (Ssk) ( P = 0.0001) and subscapular skinfold value (P = 0.009) higher compared with the Caucasian men. The Sikh volunteers also had characteristics of the metabolic syndrome: lower HDL-C (P = 0.07), higher TAG (P = 0.004), higher % LDL3 (P = 0.0001) and insulin resistance (P = 0.05). Both ethnic groups demonstrated positive correlations between insulin and waist circumference (Caucasian: r = 0.661, P = 0.0001; Sikh: r = 0.477, P = 0.0001). The Caucasian men also demonstrated significant positive correlations between central adiposity (r = 0.275, P = 0.04), other measures of adiposity (BMI and suprailiac skinfold) and plasma TAG, whereas the Sikh men showed no correlation for central adiposity (r = 0.019, ns) and TAG with a trend to a negative relationship between other measures ( Ssk and suprailiac) which reached near significance for subscapular skinfold and TAG (r = - 0.246, P = 0.007). The expected positive association between insulin and TAG was observed in the Caucasian men (r = 0.318, P = 0.04) but not in the Sikh men (r = 0.011, ns). CONCLUSIONS: In the Caucasian men, the expected positive association between plasma TAG and centralized body fat was observed. However, a lack of association between centralized, or any other measure of adiposity, and plasma TAG was observed in the matched Sikh men, although both ethnic groups showed the positive association between centralized body fat and insulin resistance, which was less strong for Sikhs. These findings in the Sikh men were not consistent with the hypothesis that there is a clear causal relationship between body fat and its distribution, insulin resistance, and lipid abnormalities associated with the metabolic syndrome, in this ethnic group.

Symposium on 'nutrition interventions in high-risk groups' - CVD risk in South Asians: the importance of defining adiposity and influence of dietary polyunsaturated fat

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), CVD and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is known to be higher in populations from the Indian subcontinent compared with the general UK population. While identification of this increased risk is crucial to allow for effective treatment, there is controversy over the applicability of diagnostic criteria, and particularly measures of adiposity in ethnic minorities. Diagnostic cut-offs for BMI and waist circumference have been largely derived from predominantly white Caucasian populations and, therefore, have been inappropriate and not transferable to Asian groups. Many Asian populations, particularly South Asians, have a higher total and central adiposity for a similar body weight compared with matched Caucasians and greater CVD risk associated with a lower BMI. Although the causes of CVD and T2D are multi-factorial, diet is thought to make a substantial contribution to the development of these diseases. Low dietary intakes and tissue levels of long-chain (LC) n-3 PUFA in South Asian populations have been linked to high-risk abnormalities in the MetS. Conversely, increasing the dietary intake of LC n-3 PUFA in South Asians has proved an effective strategy for correcting such abnormalities as dyslipidaemia in the MetS. Appropriate diagnostic criteria that include a modified definition of adiposity must be in place to facilitate the early detection and thus targeted treatment of increased risk in ethnic minorities.

Dietary PUFA and the metabolic syndrome in Indian Asians living in the UK

Indian Asians living in the UK have a 50% higher CHD mortality rate compared with the indigenous Caucasian population, which cannot be attributed to traditional risk factors. Instead, features of the metabolic syndrome, including raised plasma triacylglycerol, reduced HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and an increased proportion of small dense LDL particles, together with insulin resistance and central obesity, are prevalent among this population. The present review examines evidence to support the hypothesis that an imbalance in dietary PUFA intake, specifically a higher intake of n-6 PUFA in combination with a lower intake of the long-chain (LC) n-3 PUFA, plays an important role in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome observed in Indian Asians. Data are presented to illustrate the impact of manipulation of the background n-6 PUFA intake (moderate or high n-6 PUFA) and the subsequent response to supplementation with LC n-3 PUFA on blood lipids and insulin action in a group of Indian Asian volunteers. The results demonstrate that supplementation with LC n-3 PUFA had no impact on insulin action in those subjects consuming either the moderate-or high-n-6 PUFA diet. In the postprandial phase reductions in plasma triacylglycerol concentrations were greater in those consuming the high-n-6 PUFA background diet subsequent to fish oil supplementation. The present study concludes that, contrary to the central hypothesis, the prevalence of metabolic abnormalities in Indian Asians compared with Caucasians may not be attributable to differences in intakes of n-6 and n-3 PUFA.