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En éste trabajo se analizan los componentes de rendimiento de líneas experimentales de triticales y tricepiros con aptitud para grano y forraje como criterio de selección indirecta para incrementar el rendimiento de grano. La partición de las correlaciones simples en efectos directos e indirectos brinda información sobre la relación funcional entre componentes de diferente jerarquía y el producto final. El peso de mil granos tuvo una influencia directa muy significativa sobre el rendimiento de grano. El número de granos por espiga influye menos pero significativamente. Estas dos variables ayudarían al mejorador en su objetivo de elevar el rendimiento de grano.

En Santa Rosa (La Pampa), se evaluo entre 2008 y 2010 el rendimiento de forraje de 22 genotipos de triticales y tricepiros y de 17 genotipos en la produccion de grano. Se utilizo un diseno en bloques completos al azar con tres repeticiones y siembra en parcela estandar. Las diferencias entre ambientes y genotipos fueron evaluadas mediante Analisis de la Variancia Conjunto y se utilizo la prueba de Diferencias Minimas Significativas (¿¿=0,05). El promedio del rendimiento de materia seca del trienio fue para los triticales de 2508 kg ha-1 y para los tricepiros de 2007 kg ha-1. Los triticales superaron en un 25% a los tricepiros. En la produccion de grano se detecto un comportamiento diferencial de las lineas en cada ano de evaluacion. El promedio del rendimiento de grano del trienio fue para los triticales de 1945 kg ha-1 y para los tricepiros de 1442 kg ha-1. Los triticales superaron en rendimiento de grano en un 35% a los tricepiros. Para los materiales evaluados se evidencio una mayor estabilidad en los rendimientos de forraje que en la produccion de granos. La mejora genetica habria sido mas efectiva en triticales. No obstante, se han detectado lineas de tricepiro con rendimientos similares a triticales.

El término ciática describe el dolor en la parte inferior de la espalda y la cadera que se irradia por la parte posterior del muslo hacia la pierna. Es muy común y tiene una incidencia a lo largo de la vida del 13%-40%. El prolapso del disco intervertebral es la causa más habitual de ciática. Otras causas menos frecuentes de ciática son las fracturas pélvicas, los tumores pélvicos, el síndrome del piriforme o la sacroileítis. Los quistes sinoviales acetabulares son comunes. Pueden ser asintomáticos o causar dolor y restricción en la articulación de la cadera. En raras ocasiones pueden causar compresión de estructuras neurovasculares locales como la vena femoral y los nervios femoral, obturador y ciático. Presentamos, el caso de una mujer de 31 años con clínica de ciática izquierda secundaria a un quiste sinovial localizado en la cara posterior de la articulación de la cadera. Palabras clave: Articulación de la cadera, ciática, disco intervertebral, imagen de resonancia magnética, quiste sinovial. The term sciatica describes pain in the lower back and hip that radiates down the back of the thigh into the leg. It is very common and carries a lifetime incidence of 13%-40%. The prolapse of the intervertebral disc is the most common cause of sciatica. Other less frequent causes of sciatica are pelvic fractures, pelvic tumors, piriformis syndrome or sacroiliitis. Acetabular synovial cysts are common. They may be asymptomatic or cause pain and restriction at the hip joint. On rare occasions they can cause compression of local neurovascular structures such as the femoral vein and the femoral, obturator and sciatic nerves. We report the case of a 31-year-old woman with symptoms of left sciatica caused by a synovial cyst located on the posterior aspect of the hip joint. Key words: Hip joint, sciatica, intervertebral disc, magnetic resonance imaging, synovial cyst., Introducción El prolapso del disco vertebral y la estenosis del canal lumbar son las causas más habituales de ciática. Las causas extraespinales de neuralgia del nervio ciático son habitualmente pasadas [...]

In 1981, toxic oil syndrome, a progressive multi-system disease caused by consumption of rapeseed oil denatured with aniline occurred in Spain. To date, the causal toxic agent or agents remain unknown. Measures of acidity, moisture, impurities, phosphorous, soaps, and spectrophotometric determinations of color at 409 nm were performed. Since fatty acid anilide concentrations in these oils are associated with risk of disease, w e studied the formation of aniline-derived compounds over time after oil denaturation and by oil deodorization temperatures (200ºC, 215ºC, 230ºC, 245ºC, 260ºC, y 270ºC) and times (3, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5 and 6 hours). Formation of fatty acid anilide compounds increased with storage time. Deodorization led to a reduction of total anilides in all the samples, particularly at temperatures above 245ºC. Esters of 3-(N-phenylamino)-1,2-propanediol were not detected.

FMOC-Cl is a derivatizing agent widely used both in N-protection reactions of α-amino acids as well as in quantification and detection of amino acids and related molecules using HPLC-PDA or fluorescence analysis. In this work we studied the reaction of FMOC-Cl with gabapentin. However, it was observed that the degradation of gabapentin-N-FMOC and FMOC-Cl to FMOC-OH occur simultaneously in presence of the basic reaction medium which is specific for gabapentin derivatization. The degradation reaction is accelerated in temperatures above 45 °C and also by the time of contact of the reactant and product with basic medium. In this study, gabapentin derivatization reactions were shown to be cleaner and more efficient when an FMOC-Cl/gabapentin ratio of 2:1 was used, at 25 °C over a period of 15 minutes.

GC-FID, GC-MS and NMR spectral data were used to analyze the composition of the essential oils extracted from young and mature leaves of E. uniflora L. grown in Seropédica - RJ. Thirty and twenty-five compounds were identified, corresponding to approximately 98.19% and 93.77% of the total amount of oils, respectively. The major components of the young leaves were (3Z,7E)-3,7-dimethyl-10-(propan-2-ylidene)cyclodeca-3,7-dienone (germacrone, 34.59%), 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-3,6-dimethyl-5-(prop-1-en-2-yl)-6-vinylbenzofuran (curzerene, 26.56%) and (1Z,5E)-1,5-dimethyl-8-(propan-2-ylidene)cyclodeca-1,5-diene (germacrene B, 12.72%), and of the mature leaves were curzerene (35.75%), germacrene B (19.22%) and β-(E,1R,9S)-4,11,11-trimethyl-8-methylenebicyclo[7.2.0]undec-4-ene (caryophyllene, 12.55%). The multivariate analysis applied to data from GC-MS allowed discrimination of the differences in the chemical composition of oils based on the age of the leaves. The components germacrone, curzerene e furanodiene (not observed during conventional chromatographic analysis) were isolated from the essential oil of young leaves. These compounds were characterized by GC-MS, and 1H and 13C NMR (1D and 2D).

The antioxidant activities and polyphenolic levels of "assa peixe," "cambara," and "morrão de candeia" Brazilian honeys were investigated. Phenolic extracts of 11 honeys were evaluated spectrophotometrically to determine their total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and their antioxidant activities were measured using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection was applied to determine the phenolic composition of the honey extracts. The presence of fourteen phenolic compounds was established (eleven phenolic acids and three flavonoids), as well as HMF and abscisic acid. Principal component analysis was applied to classify the honey samples according to their floral origins.

The olive industry in Northwestern Argentina has experienced substantial growth during the past two decades to produce virgin olive oil for export. To assess the fatty acid profiles of the main varietal olive oils, 563 oil samples from 17 varieties cultivated in the province of La Rioja were analyzed from 2005-2008. Olive varieties were ranked according to oleic acid content as low (65%; Manzanilla, Empeltre, Leccino, Coratina, Changlot, Picual). Using data from this study and the literature, the fatty acid composition of Spanish (Arbequina, Picual) and Italian (Coratina, Frantoio) varieties indicated consistently lower oleic acid contents when grown in NW Argentina versus the Mediterranean. For Arbequina, the oleic content decreased with increasing temperature during oil accumulation (-2% per °C). The classification of varieties should be useful in the selection of virgin olive oils for corrective blending and for choosing varieties for new orchards in order to meet IOOC requirements. The differences in fatty acid composition between NW Argentina and the Mediterranean Basin are most likely to be related to a genotype produced by environmental interaction, and the negative effect of the high seasonal mean temperature during oil accumulation will need further research.

Under lab conditions, tilapia fry at culture densities of 8 fish/L-1 can reach a body weight of 0.5 to 1.0 g after the masculinization phase. In commercial hatcheries, the stocking density is four to six times higher, and consequently the occurrence of ectoparasitic infections also rises. The aim of this study was to examine the growth and survival of masculinized Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fry in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The fry, which were naturally parasitized by protozoan of the genera Trichodina, Ambiphrya and Chilodonella, weighed 0.013 ± 0.003 g and were reared in replicated tanks (N = 3) during 32 days at density of 18 fish/L-1 in the RAS to maintain good water quality, which was achieved especially during the first 22 days of fish rearing. The infection parameters and growth were monitored twice a week. The final fish weight was 1.17 ± 0. 6 g and survival 99.5%. The most frequent parasites were Trichodina and Gyrodactylus cichlidarum (Monogenea). Although nitrogen compounds increased significantly over the last 10 days of fry rearing, final growth and survival were higher than those reported, additionally, the ectoparasitic infections were relatively low.

Chione cortezi is not a well known species of bivalve and has been reported with a distribution that includes the Gulf of California as far as Bahía Magdalena on the western coast of Baja California. Since there are no recent observations of this species outside the northern Gulf of California, two expeditions were done in search of this species in May and July 1996. The records from the Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas at La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, were also revised. The results of this study indicate that this species is restricted to the Biosphere Reserve of the Northern Gulf of California and the delta of the Colorado River. Alternatives are analyzed that explain the discrepancy between the observed and reported distributions. It is concluded that the reports of geographical distribution were based on a confusion of species between Chione fluctifraga and C. cortezi.

The phytochemical investigation of Clusia lanceolata leaves yielded fourteen compounds including six flavones, vitexin, isovitexin, isovitexin-2"-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, vitexin-2"-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, orientin and isoorientin, two phaeophytins [132-hydroxy-(132-S-)-phaeophytin a and 132-hydroxy-(132-R)-phaeophytin a], two triterpenes, α- and β-amyrin, and four steroids, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, sitosterone and stigmasterone. Their structures were assigned based on spectroscopic analysis, including two-dimensional NMR techniques and comparison with literature data. The antioxidant capacity in vivo of vitexin and mixing isovitexin-2"-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside and vitexin-2"-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside was evaluated using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the biological system model and hydrogen peroxide as a stressor agent. The results showed that the tested flavonoids were able to protect the yeast cell against the oxidative damage caused by H2O2.

Fifty-two samples of street cocaine seized in the state of Rio de Janeiro, from May 2016 to April 2017, were evaluated according to their purity, presence of inorganic and sugar diluents and concentration of pharmacologically active adulterants. Cocaine contents, as well as the adulterants caffeine, lidocaine and phenacetin, were evaluated by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The samples were screened by Raman spectroscopy for the presence of inorganic diluents and carbohydrates. The main diluents were calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, which were found in 93% and 71% of the cocaine hydrochloride samples, respectively. Caffeine was found in 91% of the cocaine hydrochloride samples, while phenacetin was found in all freebase cocaine samples. Freebase cocaine samples were majorly composed of pharmacological active compounds (adulterants), unlike cocaine hydrochloride samples, which were majorly composed of inorganic compounds (diluents). It could be observed, by Raman Spectroscopy associated to multivariate analysis, similarities on cocaine hydrochloride composition according to certain criminal gangs. The percentage of pharmacological active compounds varied significantly on the analyzed samples, showing that these adulterants are indiscriminately added to street cocaine, what may increase consumers’ health risks.

In this work were determined the total phenolic contents, antioxidant activity and chemical composition of twelve samples of green propolis acquired from beekeepers and other twelve commercial extracts samples from different regions of Southeast Brazil. The phenolic contents and the antioxidant activity were evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteau and DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods, respectively. Both types of propolis showed significant radical scavenging properties. HPLC-PDA was applied for quantification of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, para-coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, vanillin, hesperidin, naringenin, pinobanksin, kaempferol, Artepillin-C (4-hydroxy-3,5-diprenyl cinnamic acid), kampheride and pinostrobin. Despite the chemical composition of both in natura and commercial propolis extracts were similar the multivariate analysis allowed the discrimination between them.

Introduction: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common cause of preventable intellectual disability in the pediatric population. Early diagnosis and treatment during the first month of life are essential to avoid delaying the neuropsychological development of these patients., Objective: to describe the social, cognitive, and psychomotor development of children with CH treated at the National Institute of Child Health (INSN) in Lima, Peru., Patients and Method: Retrospective analysis of 26 CH pa tients seen during 2012-2017 at INSN were reviewed. The aspects of neuropsychological development studied were: cognitive development (IQ), social development (social category), and psychomotor development (gait, speech, and chest control). The IQ was classified according to the result of the Weschler IV scale. An analysis was carried out with the Fisher-Freeman-Halton test to verify if there was a difference in the frequency of the variables according to the age of diagnosis and beginning of treatment., Results: Most of the patients presented a borderline IQ (38.5%), the most frequent social category was educable (88.7%), and most of the patients presented delay in developing the speech (88.5%). In the Fisher-Freeman-Halton test, there was only a statistically significant increase in the number of cases of speech delay in patients treated between 22 days and 12 months of age (c2 = 11.246, p = 0.002, V of Cramer = 0.778)., Conclusion: Neuropsychological developmental delay was more frequent in patients with CH diagnosed and treated after 21 days of age.

Objective: Empowerment on the part of the Civil Association "Hijos de Morán" of the Health System of the Morán Municipality of Lara State, Venezuela., Methods: The fundamentals of the Harol Lasswell and Douglas Torgerson methodologies were implemented to create a Social Agenda and conduct a technical assessment of the healthcare system. To develop the Social Agenda, the Logic Framework and the Public Problem Structuration methodologies were implemented. For the technical assessment, multiple instruments were generated, complying with engineering standards and medical service requirements. Finally, a five-year cost approximation was made to improve medical technologies., Results: The Social Agenda was discussed with all the health care system stakeholders, including politicians. Decision-making was divided into two aspects: the first referred to the determinants that influence health, and the second to the constituent elements of the health system. The five-year cost necessary for improving medical technologies is USD 5 421 818., Discussion: The methodology implemented is considered replicable in different regions, especially in those are where there is a consensus deficit, which unfortunately are the vast majority. Public policy recommendations are made aimed at improving the institutional performance of the health care system.

Introduction: Programs focused on active aging do not always have actions to guide the elderly about healthy eating. Therefore, the concordance between the feeding habits and the morphological characteristics of this population group is little known., Objective: To correlate the anthropometric health indexes with the frequency of food consumption in physically active elderly (PAE)., Methods: The sample consisted of 307 physically active Chilean elders of both sexes (8.4% males), with a mean age of 70.2 years. The studied variables corresponded to nutritional status, abdominal adiposity, cardiovascular risk and frequency of food consumption. A logistic regression model was applied, considering alpha < 0.05., Results: Fruit intake (OR = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.92) and water consumption (OR = 0.20; CI 95%, 0.04-0.90) are shown as protective factors for obesity; on the other hand, alcohol consumption (OR = 4.19; 95% CI, 1.03-17.02) and sweet snacks (OR = 10.68; 95% CI, 1.85-61.74) are presented as risk factors for obesity. In addition, vegetable intake (OR = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.11-0.92) was associated as a protective factor against abdominal adiposity and sweet snack consumption (OR = 6.45; 95% CI, 1.08-38.43) as a factor to present cardiovascular risk., Conclusion: The PAE that are more frequent in the consumption of healthy foods also show better nutritional status, abdominal adiposity and lower cardiovascular risk than active Chilean elderly who exhibit less healthy eating behavior.

Introduction: Escherichia coli is the major causative agent of urinary tract infections (UTI), and virulence factors are responsible for the severity of these emerging infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between virulence determinants and antibiotic susceptibility with phylogenetic groups of E.coli isolates of UTI in two locations in Mexico., Methods: An analysis was performed on 50 isolates of E.coli from the centre of the country and 57 from a town in the southwest. The isolates were characterized by phenotype (serotyping assays, in vitro adhesion, biofilm formation, production of haemolysin, and antibiotic susceptibility) and genotype (phylogenetic groups and virulence genes)., Results: In the centre of the country location the phylogenetic group B2 (60%) and F (12%) were significantly more prevalent and had a higher frequency of genes, fimH (96%), iutA (66%), sat (36%), compared to the southwest location, where the group A (35%) and B1 (21%) were significantly predominant and had fewer virulence genes. About one-fifth (21.5%) of all isolates belonged to the O25-ST131 group. Haemolysin and biofilm producing strains were significantly higher in the southwest location. Resistance to ampicillin (92.5%), tetracycline (76.6%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (70.1%) were the most common in both groups., Conclusion: The phylogenetic group, virulence factors, and antibiotic susceptibility of the E.coli that causes UTI in the community, varies significantly among the Mexican populations studied. Phylogenetic groups A and B1 may be multidrug resistant and have the ability to produce UTI., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are considered the primary manifestations of the cardiovascular disease. Studies have established a relationship among components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) with inflammatory markers and the loss of permeability, vasoconstriction and vasodilatation endothelial., Objective: To determine the relationship among the concentrations of soluble endothelial dysfunction molecules and inflammation cytokines and components of the metabolic syndrome in young population., Material and Methods: A study was performed in 240 young adult students ages 18-28 years. To define the presence of clinical and metabolic alterations and MetS the modified ATP-III criteria was considered. In all subjects were determined sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measures and the metabolic profile. Circulating levels of MCP-1, VEGF-A, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, sE-selectin and sVE-cadherin were determined by ELISA immunoassay (Bioscience). Statistical analysis was performed using STATA statistical software v. 9.2., Results: From all the participants, 44.6% had obesity, 59.9% had abdominal obesity, 49.6% low HDL-c and 16.7% high levels triglycerids. The 16.25% of the population showed 3 or more components of the MetS. Elevated MCP-1, sICAM-1 and sE-selectin levels were linked to the presence of obesity. In a model adjusted by age-gender, high soluble levels of MCP-1 and VEGF-A were linked with abdominal obesity (OR=1.83; 1.02-3.28 and OR=2.03; 1.15-3.56, respectively), as well as to the presence of the 2 components of MetS. sVCAM-1 levels were associated with impaired glucose (OR=4.74; 1.32-17.0); sE-selectin with low HDL-c (OR=1.99; 1.05-3.75), although sICAM-1 and sVE-cadherin were associated with impaired systolic blood pressure (OR=4.04; 1.24-13.1 and OR=6.28; 1.90-20.7, respectively)., Conclusion: Levels of circulating MCP-1 and VEGF-A were associated with adiposity, levels of sVCAM-1 with the presence of impaired glucose, sE-selectin with low HDL-c, while the levels of sICAM-1 and sVE-cadherin were associated with impaired systolic blood pressure in young adults independently of other traditional risk factors., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Epileptic seizures are one of the main reasons for neurological visits in an emergency department. Convulsions represent a traumatic event for the patient and the family, with significant medical and social consequences. Due to their prevalence and impact, the initial management is of vital importance. Although following the first epileptic seizure, early recurrence diminishes after establishing treatment with antiepileptic drugs, the forecast for developing epilepsy and long-term outcomes are not altered by any early intervention. Detailed questioning based on the symptoms of the convulsions, the patient's medical history and a full electroencephalogram and neuroimaging study make it possible to define the risk of recurrence of the seizure and the possible diagnosis of epilepsy. Epileptic abnormalities, the presence of old or new potentially epileptogenic brain lesions, as well as nocturnal seizures, increase the risk of recurrence. Physicians must assess each patient on an individual basis to determine the most suitable treatment, and explain the risk of not being treated versus the risk that exists if treatment with antiepileptic drugs is established.

Listeriosis is caused by Listeria monocytogenes, an important food-borne disease due to its clinical forms, high mortality rate, and the economic impact in both clinical and food production industries. In Mexico, the lack of epidemiological surveillance systems leads to the need of accurate data on the incidence of listeriosis and its association with food-borne disease. In this paper, we present data about the presence of this bacterium in food, reports related to clinical cases of listeriosis, and information of diseases in which L. monocytogenes may be involved. However, in most of these cases the etiology was not established. Given this, there's a need to inform and warn the appropriate entities, to define strategies for the mandatory search of L. monocytogenes through the whole food production chain and clinical suspects, for the epidemiological importance and control of listeriosis in Mexico.

Ormond's disease (OD) is an uncommon process with an annual incidence nearing 1 per million inhabitants. The etiology in most of the cases is unknown and several pathogenic mechanisms are implicated in secondary OD. Ormond disease is characterized by a fibrotic and inflammatory mass with three different clinical features: i) retroperitoneal fibrosis, ii) perianeurysmatic retroperitoneal fibrosis and iii) inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms. Classic management is based on surgical treatment associated or not with steroids. Immunosuppressive agents have been used in the last years with unclear results. We report five cases from the University Hospital of Salamanca occurring during 2000-2008. We highlight the lack of trials designed to establish clinical guidelines for the treatment of the disease and improvement of outcome., (Copyright © 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to characterize the relationships of students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of UNAN León, with licit and illicit drugs. This was accomplished by means of a traversal, descriptive study carried out in the year 2008 in the City of León, Nicaragua. The SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) questionnaire, adapted for the Nicaraguan context, was applied anonymously. The questionnaire was completed by a total of 954 students, between 17 and 35 years old, of both sexes. It was found that 52.6% of the students used alcohol, 25.3% tobacco, 48.7% medication and 2.6% cocaine. It is necessary to develop other studies to guide prevention and intervention in the university context.

Objective: To perform the molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus (MRSH) clinical isolates from patients in a Mexican hospital., Methods: Sixty three Staphylococcus ssp. isolates collected from September 2000 to October 2002 were analyzed. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion method and the presence of the mecA gene was detected by PCR technique. Isolates characterization was carried out by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)., Results: The frequency of S. haemolyticus was 25.5% (18 of 63 clinical isolates), all S. haemolyticus isolates were methicillin-resistant and they were positive for the mecA gene. A major pattern (A) with 8 subtypes was identified. This clone was distributed during the 20 months period. Most of them were isolated from the surgery (55%) and pediatric services (27.5%)., Conclusion: The methicillin-resistant S. haemolyticus permanence as pathogen in this hospital, suggest the implementation of control programs in order to decrease the prevalence of this multiresistant pathogen.

To obtain a valid, reliable, stable and easy to use questionnaire to be used by professionals non-trained in diabetes education that allowed them to decide priority for diabetical education to a diabetic patient. The initial aim of the study is considered to have been achieved.

Praziquantel (PZQ) is an effective drug for treatment of neurocysticercosis. The drug shows an extensive first-pass effect and therefore plasma levels are low. In order to increase plasma and CSF levels of PZQ other alternatives have been investigated such as the use of PZQ jointly with cimetidine or food. With the pharmacokinetic parameters obtained in these studies, in the present work computer simulations were made in order to predict plasma concentrations of PZQ-administration with cimetidine or with meals under the two treatments currently used: ultrashort scheme (three dose of 25 mg/kg given at 2-hours intervals) and the traditional scheme (50 mg/kg/day divided in three dose given at 8-hours intervals for 15 days). The results of our simulations showed that the combination of PZQ with a high carbohydrate diet could be an adequate alternative for clinical therapy. Furthermore a clinical study was performed in 18 patients with neurocysticercosis, which received the ultrashort scheme in fasting state, with cimetidine or with a high carbohydrate diet. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by the percentage of disappearance of the lesions and plasma levels obtained in each group. The results showed that a high carbohydrate diet increases plasma levels of PZQ. The results of the clinical study, together with our simulations indicate that the treatment of PZQ with a high carbohydrate diet was an adequate clinical alternative and showed improvement of the effectiveness of PZQ therapy.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and identify the basic training needs of nursing home staff, in terms of attitudes, knowledge and skills required to work effectively with geriatric patients. Three focus groups were performed, two groups of employees, and a group of elderly residents of the institution, in order to explore issues pertaining to the following topics: personal attributes required to work with geriatric patients, basic knowledge and skills needed to provide effective services. Group discussions were transcribed and themes were extracted through consensus reached by the investigators. Results indicated that the interviewed staff lack of formal preparation or continuing education in gerontology or geriatrics. Needs identified were the following: the aging process, caring behaviors, management of common health conditions, administration of medications, transference and mobility of residents, among others. Finding were use to design an educational program aimed in assisting nursing home staff in providing an effective service to their geriatric patients.

Three hundred patients were studied: 150 had NIDDM and the other 150 were non diabetics. Serum glucose and total and fractionated bilirrubin were measured in samples taken after night fasting. The mean glucose in the NIDDM group was 180.4 +/- 17.9 mg/dL (+/- SD) and 82.7 +/- 4.4 mg/dL in the non diabetic (p < 0.001). The levels of total bilirrubin were similar in both groups (0.84 +/- 0.04 vs 0.81 +/- 0.02 mg/dL, p > 0.40) but there were group differences in direct bilirrubin (NIDDM 0.52 +/- 0.03 vs 0.20 +/- 0.01 mg/dL, p < 0.001) and in indirect bilirrubin (NIDDM 0.32 +/- 0.03 vs 0.61 +/- 0.02 mg/dL, p < 0.001). Thus, 62% of the circulating bilirrubin was conjugated in the diabetics and only 25% in the non diabetics. We believe that at least part of the UDP-glucose pathway is altered in NIDDM and leads to an increase in the levels of glucouronic acid and, in turn, may cause a rise in direct bilirrubin at the expense of indirect bilirrubin.

Objective: Infant programme evaluation in our health centre., Design: Descriptive study, with random sample. SITE. Torrero-La Paz Health Centre in Zaragoza., Patients and Other Participants: Fifty medical records of all the 275 infants younger than two years old included in the "Infant Programme"., Main Measurements and Results: Some criteria were studied with its standards previously accented by the team. The obtained results were compared with the standards. The programme coverage was 70%, with 10% of loss. There were some criteria that indicated a good accomplishment of the programme, such as vaccination (87.2%), Hischberg test (87%), testicle examination (96.5%, preventive fluorine administration (92.5%). Others got lower results: dry spot screening (76%), maternal lactation advise (70%), maternal/mixed lactation at the third month (36%). The pathology detected in programmed check-ups was principally urologic disorders., Conclusions: Poor structure for the programme performance in despite of the fact there is a good follow-up of the programme activities. It would be necessary to insist on the maternal lactation advise and lactation at the third month.

The influence of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D on different seric levels of osteocalcin in Paget's disease of the bone and in 11 of the control group, other parameters were also determined such as: seric levels of calcium, phosphate, parathormone, osteocalcin, 25-hydroxyvitamin D an 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D. We observed that patients with Paget's disease showed increased or normal levels of seric osteocalcin, despite the high bone remodelling and significantly low level of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D observed in patients with high levels of osteocalcin. At the same time, we noticed a negative lineal correlation between both parameters. We suggest that 24,25-hydroxyvitamin D can be one of the important factors in producing increased or normal levels of osteocalcin in patients with Paget's disease of the bone.