Genetic Factors Affecting Pork Quality: Halothane and Rendement Napole Genes.

The most common pork quality problems are pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) and acid pork (AP). PSE is associated with the expression of recessive halothane (Hal) allele Haln. Recessive Hal pigs (Halnn) have defective Ca2+ release channels (CRC) or Ryanodine Receptors (RYR1) within the sarcoplasmic reticulum that allow uncontrolled release of Ca2+ in response to stress. Abnormal lactic acid metabolism caused by stress prior to slaughter leads to the sudden drop in postmortem muscle pH producing the PSE pork. Conversely, AP is caused by the dominant RN- allele of the Rendement Napole gene. RN- pigs have high glycolytic potential that causes the lower ultimate pHu due to excessive lactic acid production postmortem. Poor water holding capacity of muscle cells in PSE and AP causes excessive drip loss leading to low cooking and processing yields. The conventional methods to evaluate Hal and RN genotypes are less effective compared to the more accurate gene marker tests. Selection against the Haln and RN- alleles by genomic selection can potentially reduce the frequencies of the defective genes with high accuracy in less time. As more quantitative trait loci (QTL) are identified, pig breeders are able to select traits more effectively to increase efficiency of pig production and enhance pork quality.

Caracterización del paciente pediátrico quemado en un hospital infantil de Cartagena (Colombia), 2015: estudio descriptivo / Characterization of the patient pediatric burn in a children’s hospital of Cartagena (Colombia), 2015: descriptive study

describir las características epidemiológicas, clínicas y la intervención brindada a los pacientes con quemadura atendidos en un Hospital Infantil de Cartagena (Colombia) durante los años 2005 al 2009. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivo retrospectivo, se revisan 423 historias clínicas de pacientes quemados. Se analizó el agente causal, grado de quemadura, localización, área de superficie total quemada, tratamiento realizado en el Hospital Infantil y las complicaciones, entre otras. Resultados: el 65,7% de las quemaduras se presentó en el género masculino, la media de edad de los pacientes fue de 55 meses (DE 45,6), se encontró como causa frecuente a los liquidos hirvientes (46,1%), la zona corporal más afectada fue el miembro superior (52%) y el 79,9% presentó quemadura de segundo grado. El 19,4% de los niños recibieron fisioterapia (19,4%), el 3,07% presentaron retracción del tejido blando, se considera que el 41,6% de las quemaduras es por maltrato infantil de los padres. Conclusiones: la población quemada son lactantes, niños y jóvenes que por su naturaleza de descubrir lo que circunda en su ambiente son susceptible a las quemaduras y aunque, los pacientes presentaron mínimas deficiencias y limitaciones permanentes, y no se presentó muerte por este evento, es imperativo el incremento de la seguridad en el hogar mediante la educación a padres y cuidadores de niños y niñas.

Prevalence and characteristics of MUTYH-associated polyposis in patients with multiple adenomatous and serrated polyps.

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of MUTYH mutations in patients with multiple colonic polyps and to explore the best strategy for diagnosing MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP) in these patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: This study included 405 patients with at least 10 colonic polyps each. All cases were genetically tested for the three most frequent MUTYH mutations. Whole-gene analysis was performed in heterozygous patients and in 216 patients lacking the three most frequent mutations. Polyps from 56 patients were analyzed for the KRAS-Gly12Cys and BRAF V600E somatic mutations. RESULTS: Twenty-seven (6.7%) patients were diagnosed with MAP, of which 40.8% showed serrated polyps. The sensitivity of studying only the three common variants was 74.1%. Of 216 patients without any monoallelic mutation in common variants, whole-gene analysis revealed biallelic pathogenic mutation in only one. G396D mutation was associated with serrated lesions and older age at diagnosis. There was a strong association between germinal MUTYH mutation and KRAS Gly12Cys somatic mutation in polyps. BRAF V600E mutation was found in 74% of serrated polyps in MUTYH-negative patients and in none of the polyps of MAP patients. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a low frequency of MUTYH mutations among patients with multiple adenomatous and serrated polyps. The MAP phenotype frequently included patients with serrated polyps, especially when G396D mutation was involved. Our results show that somatic molecular markers of polyps can be useful in identifying MAP cases and support the need for the complete MUTYH gene analysis only in patients heterozygous for recurrent variants.

National training program for comprehensive community physicians, Venezuela.

Introduction Through the 1990s, wide disparities in health status were recorded in Venezuela, a mirror of poor social conditions, decreasing investment in the public health sector and a health workforce distribution unable to meet population health needs or to staff effective, accessible public health services. Venezuelans' health status deteriorated as a result. In 2003-2004, the Venezuelan government launched Barrio Adentro, a new national public health model aimed at assuring primary health care coverage for the entire population of an estimated 26 million. Cuban physicians staff Barrio Adentro clinics, mainly in poor neighborhoods, until enough Venezuelan physicians can be trained to fill the posts. Intervention Cuban experience with community-oriented medical education and global health cooperation was drawn upon to develop curriculum and provide faculty for the new National Training Program for Comprehensive Community Physicians, begun in 2005 in cooperation with six Venezuelan universities. The program differs from previous Venezuelan medical education models by adopting a stated goal of training physicians for public service, recruiting students who had no previous opportunity for university-level education, and concentrating the weight of their training on a service- and community-based model of education, relying on practicing physician-tutors. Results Over 20,000 students have been enrolled in three years. The six-year program has been extended to all 24 Venezuelan states, relying mainly on Cuban faculty who are practicing Barrio Adentro doctors and who receive postgraduate training in medical education. This "university without walls" has accredited 5,131 Barrio Adentro clinics as teaching institutions; its infrastructure includes other health care delivery facilities plus 855 multipurpose classrooms throughout the country. For the 2006-2007 academic year, the pass rate was 82% for first-year students and 94% for second-year students. Some difficulties persist in student selection, pre-medical preparation, and achieving optimum use of existing resources. Academic, institutional, and external evaluations are ongoing. Conclusion This is the most ambitious example of scaling up of physician training in a single country. The program has been made possible by considerable political will from the Venezuelan and Cuban governments; by the experience acquired through development of the Cuban health system and medical education programs; by the individual commitment of Cuban curriculum developers and physician-tutors; and by ever-more-organized Venezuelan communities. The size of the undertaking, coupled with significant innovations in curriculum, present challenges. The Venezuelan experience - emphasis on training physicians for a revitalized public health sector, accompanied by a paradigm shift in primary care - warrants attention from the international community in the context of the global shortage of health workers and efforts to achieve a more equitable distribution of health services worldwide.