The effect of shielding gas feeding method in laser welding of steel

Gas shielding plays an important role in laser welding phenomena. This is because it does not only provide shielding against oxidization but it has an effect in beam absorption and thus welds penetration. The goal of this thesis is to study and compare the effects of different shielding gas feeding methods in laser welding of steel. Research method is a literature survey. It is found that the inclination angle and the arrangement of the gas feeding nozzles affect the phenomena significantly. It is suggested that by designing shielding gas feeding case specifically better welding results can be obtained.

Surface electromyography of facial muscles during natural and artificial feeding of infants

Objective: To measure and compare the activity of the masseter, temporalis and buccinator muscles in different infant feeding methods. Method: Cross-sectional study of 60 full-term infants with no intercurrent diseases, aged between two and three months, classified into the following groups: 1) exclusive breastfeeding; 2) breastfeeding plus bottle-feeding; and 3) exclusive breastfeeding plus cup feeding. Surface electromyography was performed during infant feeding. The Krushal-Wallis test was used, complemented by multiple paired comparisons of the groups. A 5% significance level was chosen for the tests. Results: Statistically higher results were verified in the breastfeeding group in relation to the bottle-feeding one, both in the range of movement and the mean contraction of the masseter. With regard to the temporalis muscle, statistically higher results were found in the breastfeeding group comparatively to the bottle-feeding one. As to the buccinator muscle, statistically higher results were observed in the breastfeeding group in relation to the bottle-feeding one, although in this case, the difference concerned only the range of contraction. Conclusion: The similarities between the muscle activity in the breastfeeding and in the cup-feeding groups suggests that cup-feeding can be used as an alternative infant feeding method, being better than bottle-feeding, due to the hyperactivity of the buccinator muscle, which could result in changes to the structural growth and development of the stomatognathic system functions. Copyright © 2006 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.

Correlação entre métodos de aleitamento, hábitos de sucção e comportamentos orofaciais

TEMA: o desenvolvimento do controle motor oral depende em parte das experiências sensoriais e motoras. OBJETIVO: analisar a relação entre a duração do aleitamento natural, artificial e da sucção e destas com o desempenho motor orofacial. MÉTODO: cento e setenta e seis crianças, de 6 a 12 anos de idade, passaram por avaliação miofuncional orofacial, empregando o protocolo com escores, e os responsáveis foram entrevistados a respeito do aleitamento e hábitos de sucção de suas crianças. As correlações foram calculadas pelo teste de Spearman. RESULTADOS: na amostra estudada, a média de duração do aleitamento natural foi de 10,30 meses (variando de zero a 60 meses), do aleitamento artificial 44,12 (zero a 122 meses) e dos hábitos de sucção de 39,32 meses (zero a 144 meses). Houve correlação negativa da duração do aleitamento natural com a duração do aleitamento artificial e a duração dos hábitos de sucção (p < 0,001). A maior duração do aleitamento artificial correspondeu à maior duração dos hábitos de sucção, apresentando, assim, correlação positiva (p < 0,001). A duração do aleitamento natural foi correlacionada positivamente com a mobilidade orofacial (p = 0,05). Houve correlação negativa da duração do aleitamento artificial e da duração dos hábitos de sucção com, respectivamente, o desempenho na mastigação e na deglutição, bem como da duração de ambos os tipos de sucção com a prova de diadococinesia (p = 0,05). CONCLUSÃO: a duração do aleitamento natural mostrou efeito positivo sobre a mobilidade das estruturas orofaciais. Os efeitos deletérios da duração dos hábitos de sucção no controle motor orofacial foram confirmados.

Documento de consenso SENPE/SEGHNP/ANECIPN/SECP sobre vías de acceso en nutrición enteral pediátrica.

Standardization of clinical procedures has become a desirable objective in contemporary medical practice. To this effect, the Spanish Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SENPE) has endeavoured to create clinical practice guidelines and/or documents of consensus as well as quality standards in artificial nutrition. As a result, the SENPE´s Standardization Team has put together the "Document of Consensus in Enteral Access for Paediatric Nutritional Support" supported by the Spanish Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SEGHNP), the National Association of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery (ANECIPN), and the Spanish Society of Pediatric Surgery (SECP). The present publication is a reduced version of our work; the complete document will be published as a monographic issue. It analyzes enteral access options in the pediatric patient, reviews the levels of evidence and provides the team-members' experience. Similarly, it details general and specific indications for pediatric enteral support, current techniques, care guidelines, methods of administration and complications of each enteral access. The data published by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) and several European Societies has also been incorporated.

Guidelines for specialized nutritional and metabolic support in the critically-ill patient. Update. Consensus SEMICYUC-SENPE: Obese patient

As a response to metabolic stress, obese critically-ill patients have the same risk of nutritional deficiency as the non-obese and can develop protein-energy malnutrition with accelerated loss of muscle mass. The primary aim of nutritional support in these patients should be to minimize loss of lean mass and accurately evaluate energy expenditure. However, routinely used formulae can overestimate calorie requirements if the patient's actual weight is used. Consequently, the use of adjusted or ideal weight is recommended with these formulae, although indirect calorimetry is the method of choice. Controversy surrounds the question of whether a strict nutritional support criterion, adjusted to the patient's requirements, should be applied or whether a certain degree of hyponutrition should be allowed. Current evidence suggested that hypocaloric nutrition can improve results, partly due to a lower rate of infectious complications and better control of hyperglycemia. Therefore, hypocaloric and hyperproteic nutrition, whether enteral or parenteral, should be standard practice in the nutritional support of critically-ill obese patients when not contraindicated. Widely accepted recommendations consist of no more than 60-70% of requirements or administration of 11-14 kcal/kg current body weight/day or 22-25 kcal/kg ideal weight/day, with 2-2.5 g/kg ideal weight/day of proteins. In a broad sense, hypocaloric-hyperprotein regimens can be considered specific to obese critically-ill patients, although the complications related to comorbidities in these patients may require other therapeutic possibilities to be considered, with specific nutrients for hyperglycemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis. However, there are no prospective randomized trials with this type of nutrition in this specific population subgroup and the available data are drawn from the general population of critically-ill patients. Consequently, caution should be exercised when interpreting these data.

Guidelines for specialized nutritional and metabolic support in the critically-ill patient. Update. Consensus SEMICYUC-SENPE: Septic patient

Nutritional metabolic management, together with other treatment and support measures used, is one of the mainstays of the treatment of septic patients. Nutritional support should be started early, after initial life support measures, to avoid the consequences of malnutrition, to provide adequate nutritional intake and to prevent the development of secondary complications such as superinfection or multiorgan failure. As in other critically-ill patients, when the enteral route cannot be used to ensure calorie-protein requirements, the association of parenteral nutrition has been shown to be safe in this subgroup of patients. Studies evaluating the effect of specific pharmaconutrients in septic patients are scarce and are insufficient to allow recommendations to be made. To date, enteral diets with a mixture of substrates with distinct pharmaconutrient properties do not seem to be superior to standard diets in altering the course of sepsis, although equally there is no evidence that these diets are harmful. There is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of glutamine in septic patients receiving parenteral nutrition. However, given the good results and absence of glutamine-related adverse effects in the various studies performed in the general population of critically-ill patients, these patients could benefit from the use of this substance. Routine use of omega-3 fatty acids cannot be recommended until further evidence has been gathered, although the use of lipid emulsions with a high omega-6 fatty acid content should be avoided. Septic patients should receive an adequate supply of essential trace elements and vitamins. Further studies are required before the use of high-dose selenium can be recommended.

Efectos de la suplementación con glutamina sobre el sistema antioxidante y la peroxidación lipídica en pacientes críticos con nutrición parenteral

INTRODUCTION In the critically ill patient, there is a continuous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that need to be neutralized to prevent oxidative stress (OS). Quantitatively speaking, the glutathione system (GSH) is the most important anti-oxidant endogenous defense. To increase it, glutamine supplementation has been shown to be effective by protecting against the oxidative damage and reducing the morbimortality. OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of adding an alanylglutamine dipeptide to PN on lipid peroxidation lipidica and glutathione metabolism, as well as its relationship with morbidity in critically ill patients. METHODS Determination through spectrophotometry techniques of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, total glutathione, and maloniladdehyde at admission adn after seven days of hospitalization at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in 20 patients older than 18 years on parenteral nutrition therapy. RESULTS The group of patients receiving parenteral nutrition with glutamine supplementation had significant increases in total glutathione (42.35+/-13 vs 55.29+/-12 micromol/l; p<0.05) and the enzymatic activity of glutathione peroxidasa (470+/-195 vs 705+/-214 micromol/l; p<0.05) within one week of nutritional therapy, whereas the group on conventional parenteral nutrition did not show significant changes of any of the parameters studied (p>0.05). However, both mortality and ICU stay were not different between the study group, whereas the severity (assessed by the SOFA score) was lower in the group of patients receiving glutamine (SOFA 5+/-2 vs 8+/-1.8; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Glutamine intake in critically ill patients improves the antioxidant defenses, which leads to lower lipid peroxidation and lower morbidity during admission at the ICU.

Historia de la alimentación parenteral; primera lección Jesús Culebras

Artículo histórico. Texto de la “Primera lección Jesús Culebras” dictada en el XXV Congreso Nacional de SENPE, Badajoz, 11-14 de mayo de 2010.

Perspectivas en el diseño y desarrollo de productos para nutrición enteral

Enteral nutrition is a technique that even though it was used in times immemorial, in the last 25 years has suffered a considerable development, from being considered a secondary therapeutic weapon destined only to feed the patient, to occupying an important status that goes beyond the single act of nourishing. The quantitative composition but overall the qualitative one, is object of an interesting argument in which a profile allowing the modulation of certain aspects of the organism response through the supplementation with different nutrients is searched. That includes from the keeping of the intestinal trophism and of the anti-bacteria intestinal barrier, so important to avoid the frightening multiple organ dysfunction, up to the lessening of the Systemic Response Inflammatory Syndrome (SRIS), going through the immuno-modulative feeding concepts, specific-feeding, pharmaco-nutrient or eco-nutrition. In this new dynamic not only certain nutrients such as glutamine, arginine, nucleotides, omega-3 fatty acids and many antioxidants have acquired importance, but also the manipulation of other molecules of a non- nutritional nature, such as hormones, cytokines and blockers. These aspects that imply passionate ways of investigation for the future are born from the better knowledge that is being acquired from such a severe pathophysiology processes such as sepsis and the organism response before fast and severe aggression; therefore, the modulation of that response through changes in the quantitative and qualitative formulas composition is being attempted.

Nutrición, fibrosis quística y aparato digestivo

The prevalence of hyponutrition in cystic fibrosis is high although it may vary according to the different studies. Detection of hyponutrition should be done by combining different methods, depending on their availability. However, the simplest and most validated criterion is to measure at each visit the weight (and height in children) in order to calculate the body mass index and categorizing hyponutrition according to absolute criteria: in adults < 18.5 kg/m(2), and in children as percentiles of the body mass index. Worsening of the nutritional status is directly related with the decrease in lung function parameters and it has been proposed as a morbidity (and even mortality) predictive factor in people with cystic fibrosis, independently of the level of pulmonary dysfunction. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is present is approximately 70-90% of the patients with cystic fibrosis and the genotype-phenotype correlation is high. Most of the patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency tolerate a high-fat diet provided that they are treated with pancreatic enzymes at appropriate doses. The prevalence of diabetes increases with age, reaching up 40% of the cases in patients older than 30 years. Clinical liver involvement is less prevalent (it approximately affects 1/3 of the patients). Other intestinal complications such as meconial ileus, gastroesophageal reflux, obstruction of the distal intestine, or fibrosing colon disease may also condition malnourishment. In patients with cystic fibrosis, a usual high-fat diet providing 120%-150% of the recommended calories is advised. If the nutritional goals are not achieved or maintained with diet modifications, artificial supplements may be added, although the recommendation for their use has not been endorsed by solid scientific evidences. The most frequently used preparations usually are polymeric or hypercaloric. The indications for enteral (through a tube, especially gastrostomy) or parenteral nutritional support are similar to those used in other pathologies. Dietary and nutritional control should be included in a multidisciplinary program allowing the improvement of the functional capacity and the quality of life and reducing, at least from a theoretical viewpoint, the morbimortality associated to malnourishment in these patients.

Fístula gastrocolocutánea: una infrecuente complicación de la gastrostomía endoscópica percutánea

Endoscopic percutaneous gastrostomy is a safe technique although with potential complications before which the clinician has to be on alert in order to early detect them even after a long period of normal functioning. Most of them represent minor problems. Gastrocolocutaneous fistula is a rare but severe complication favored by some risk factors such as previous post-surgical adherences, deformities of the spine, or excessive gastric inflation at the time of performing the technique. We present the case of a patient with PEG with this complication that occurred after the first tube replacement. Our goal was in two senses: on the one hand, to analyze the preventive aspects and basic guidelines for a safe PEG placement to minimize the risks; on the other hand, to alert on the possible presence of this entity to prevent a progressive nutritional impairment. This complication ought to be included in the differential diagnosis of the diarrhea syndrome in the patient carrying a PEG. The diagnostic techniques of choice are radiologic tests such as CT scan and contrast media administration through the tube. Surgical therapy should be reserved to patients with acute peritonitis in order to perform a new gastrostomy.

Vector biology prospects in dengue research

We argue that using more natural blood feeding methods to study mosquito vector competence for dengue viruses and exploring the effect of viral infection on other mosquito life-history traits that influence vectorial capacity will significantly advance our understanding of dengue epidemiology.

Nutrición enteral en el paciente neurológico: ¿es suficiente el contenido en vitamina D en las fórmulas de uso habitual?

INTRODUCTION Vitamin D deficiency produces inadequate bone mineralization, proximal muscle weakness, abnormal gait and increased risk of falls and fractures. Moreover, in epidemiological studies, has been associated with increased risk of cancer, autoimmune diseases, type 1 and 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases and depression. When synthesis through the skin by sun exposure is not possible and the patient can not eat by mouth, as in the advanced stages of various neurological diseases, the supply of vitamin D has to be done by enteral nutrition. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to review the role of vitamin D in a common group of neurological conditions that often require artificial nutrition and analyze whether the vitamin D of different enteral nutrition formulas is adequate to meet the needs of this group of patients. RESULTS Numerous studies have shown the association between vitamin D deficiency and increased incidence of dementia, stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases. Interventions aimed to increase levels of vit. D and its effects on functional (falls, pain, quality of life) and cardiovascular goals (cardiovascular death, stroke, myocardial infarction, cardiovascular risk factors) have obtained as highlight data a clear reduction of falls and fractures, while the evidence for the other parameters studied is still limited and inconsistent. The content of calcium and vitamin D of enteral formulas is legislated in our country. The total amount of vitamin D for a daily intake of 1,500-2,000 kcal ranges between 300 and 1,600 IU/d (mean ± SD: 32.9 ± 8.5 mg/100 kcal) in the complete formulas for enteral nutrition most commonly used. 50% of the diets studied, for an intake of 2,000 kcal/d, and 90% for an intake of 1,500 kcal/d, provide less than 600 IU/d of vitamin D. DISCUSSION Some revised recently guidelines published recommendations of daily intake of vitamin D. The document published by the U.S. Institute of Medicine recommended for adults between 19 and 70 years, 600 IU/d and up from 70, proposes 800 IU/d of vitamin D. These amounts are deemed insufficient by other scientific societies to state that to achieve blood levels of 25 (OH) D equal or greater than 30 ng/ml may be required a daily intake of 1,500-2,000 IU and a number two or three times higher if previous deficiency exists. CONCLUSIONS Further controlled studies are needed to ascertain which is the appropriate dose of vitamin D in advanced stages of neurological disease, where sun exposure is difficult and unlikely. We suggest that the vitamin D content should probably be reconsidered in enteral nutrition formulas, which, in light of recent publications appear as clearly insufficient for standard energy intakes (1,500-2,000 kcal).

Recommendations of the GARIN group for managing non-critically ill patients with diabetes or stress hyperglycaemia and artificial nutrition.

BACKGROUND & AIMS By means of this update, the GARIN working group aims to define its position regarding the treatment of patients with diabetes or stress hyperglycaemia and artificial nutrition. In this area there are many aspects of uncertainty, especially in non-critically ill patients. METHODS Bibliographical review, and specific questions in advance were discussed and answered at a meeting in the form of conclusions. RESULTS We propose a definition of stress hyperglycaemia. The indications and access routes for artificial nutrition are no different in patients with diabetes/stress hyperglycaemia than in non-diabetics. The objective must be to keep pre-prandial blood glucose levels between 100 and 140 mg/dl and post-prandial levels between 140 and 180 mg/dl. Hyperglycemia can be prevented through systematic monitoring of capillary glycaemias and adequately calculate energy-protein needs. We recommend using enteral formulas designed for patients with diabetes (high monounsaturated fat) to facilitate metabolic control. The best drug treatment for treating hyperglycaemia/diabetes in hospitalised patients is insulin and we make recommendations for adapt the theoretical insulin action to the nutrition infusion regimen. We also addressed recommendations for future investigation. CONCLUSIONS This recommendations about artificial nutrition in patients with diabetes or stress hyperglycaemia can add value to clinical work.

Hidratos de carbono: actualización de su papel en la diabetes mellitus y la enfermedad metabólica.

BACKGROUND: There is a prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), unknown DM and stress hyperglycemia among hospital patients, and the nutritional treatment is a key part of care, where carbohydrates (CH) intake is a controversial issue. There is also a discussion on the increase of prevalence for DM, obesity and metabolic disease with refined CH or sugar. OBJECTIVES: This review examines the recommendations from different scientific societies about the percentage of CH in the total calorie intake of the diabetic patient, the CH value in the glycemic index and glycemic load, the new CH included in enteral formulae and the association of refined CH with the high prevalence of DM and metabolic disease. METHODS: Systematic review of literature using the electronic scientific databases Pubmed, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus and Medline. CONCLUSIONS: Scientific societies are flexible about the CH intake in the diet of diabetic patients, suggesting to customize it according to each metabolic profile. Using the glycemic index and glycemic load can provide an extra benefit in the postprandial glycemic control. The new diabetes-specific enteral formulae, with fructooligosaccharides, resistant maltodextrins and fructose-free show efficacy in improving the glycemic control, although more controlled and long-term studies are needed. There is still some controversy about the links between sugar intake and DM, obesity and metabolic disease, although this relationship would be more linked to an increase of the total calorie intake than to a specific nutrient. .