DHA Supplementation of Obese Rats throughout Pregnancy and Lactation Modifies Milk Composition and Anxiety Behavior of Offspring.

We investigated if supplementing obese mothers (MO) with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improves milk long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) composition and offspring anxiety behavior. From weaning throughout pregnancy and lactation, female Wistar rats ate chow (C) or a high-fat diet (MO). One month before mating and through lactation, half the mothers received 400 mg DHA kg-1 d-1 orally (C+DHA or MO+DHA). Offspring ate C after weaning. Maternal weight, total body fat, milk hormones, and milk nutrient composition were determined. Pups' milk nutrient intake was evaluated, and behavioral anxiety tests were conducted. MO exhibited increased weight and total fat, and higher milk corticosterone, leptin, linoleic, and arachidonic acid (AA) concentrations, and less DHA content. MO male and female offspring had higher ω-6/ ω-3 milk consumption ratios. In the elevated plus maze, female but not male MO offspring exhibited more anxiety. MO+DHA mothers exhibited lower weight, total fat, milk leptin, and AA concentrations, and enhanced milk DHA. MO+DHA offspring had a lower ω-6/ω-3 milk intake ratio and reduced anxiety vs. MO. DHA content was greater in C+DHA milk vs. C. Supplementing MO mothers with DHA improves milk composition, especially LCPUFA content and ω-6/ω-3 ratio reducing offspring anxiety in a sex-dependent manner.

[Comparison of the severity index in Cushing's syndrome between patients with endogenous and iatrogenic disease]. / Comparación del índice de gravedad del síndrome de Cushing entre pacientes con origen endógeno y yatrogénico de la enfermedad.

UNLABELLED: Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a rare condition that is most often secondary to glucocorticoid (GC) intake. Definitive data on the distinction between endogenous CS (ECS) and yatrogenic (YCS) have not been published. OBJECTIVE: To compare the severity index in Cushing's syndrome (SICS) score in the two etiologies, endogenous and yatrogenic, and identify which clinical parameters of the SICS are the most frequent and representative of CS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. The ECS group included men and women with a diagnosis of endogenous hypercortisolism, with measurement of adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and absence of causes of pseudo-Cushing's syndrome. The YCS group included patients with a history of use of high-dose systemic GC, cushingoid facies, absence of causes of pseudo-Cushing's syndrome and no diagnosis of hypertension or diabetes mellitus before the start of GC intake. We investigated the diagnosis of the disease entity causing ECS. In patients with ICS, the characteristics of the GC employed and how these drugs were used were recorded. We calculated daily and cumulative doses in milligrams of prednisone. In all patients, the SICS was applied and the clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: We included 20 patients, 10 with YCS and 10 with ECS. There were eight women in the ECS group (80%) and five in the YCS group (50%). The diagnoses in patients with ECS were ACTH-dependent CS in nine and ACTH-independent CS in one. The mean daily dose of prednisone equivalent used by patients with YCS was 13.5mg, and the mean total cumulative dose for all patients with ICS was 9962.5mg. The mean total SICS score for the ECS group was 8.6 and was 3.8 points for the YCS group (p <0.005, 95% CI 3.36-6.23). All patients with ECS had a mean score of 6 or higher whereas none of the patients with ICS scored more than 6 points. Fat distribution, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and gender-related changes were more representative of patients with ECS. CONCLUSION: SICS scores were higher patients with ECS than in those with ICS. The clinical differences between the two groups may be important.

Combined use of fine-needle aspiration biopsy, MIBI scans and frozen section biopsy offers the best diagnostic accuracy in the assessment of the hypofunctioning solitary thyroid nodule.

PURPOSE: The probability of malignancy is increased in hypofunctioning solitary thyroid nodules (HFNs). Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA), (99m)Tc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) and frozen section biopsy (FS) have limited independent diagnostic accuracy for the differential diagnosis of HFNs. The goal of this study was to assess the accuracy of the three independent diagnostic methods in distinguishing between benign and malignant disease. METHODS: A total of 130 patients with an HFN on the (99m)Tc-pertechnetate scan were included in this study. FNA, MIBI scans, FS, thyroidectomy and histological analysis of surgical specimens for final diagnosis were performed in all patients. RESULTS: Of the 130 patients, 80 (61.54%) had benign lesions and 50 (38.46%), malignant lesions. FNA was diagnostic in 78/130 (60%) patients and non-diagnostic in 52/130 (40%) patients. None of the patients with a negative MIBI scan had a final histological diagnosis of malignancy, and MIBI scans were negative in 38.46% of patients with non-diagnostic FNA results. FS was diagnostic in 104/130 (80%) patients and non-diagnostic in 26/130 (20%) patients. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and positive and negative likelihood ratios were 81.3%, 97.8%, 96%, 88%, 36.95 and 0.19 respectively for FNA; 100%, 61.3%, 61.7%, 100%, 2.58 and 0 respectively for MIBI; and 80.5%, 100%, 100%, 89%, 0 and 0.2 respectively for FS. Use of both MIBI scans and FS in patients with non-diagnostic FNA rendered a specificity and sensitivity of 100%. CONCLUSION: MIBI scans exclude malignancy in a significant proportion of patients with non-diagnostic FNAs (38% in this study). Cystic nodules with a positive MIBI scan should be further investigated even when the FNA result indicates a benign lesion. Combined use of FNA, MIBI and FS offers the best diagnostic accuracy.

Frecuencia de la patología quirúrgica tiroidea / Frequency of the thyroid pathology

Introducción: Una pieza importante en el diagnóstico, tratamiento, pronóstico y prevención de la patología quirúrgica tiroidea es conocer la frecuencia de la misma. Objetivo: Determinar la frecuencia actual de la patología quirúrgica tiroidea. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo, transversal no comparativo en 1,038 pacientes intervenidos quirúrgicamente por patología tiroidea de 1992 a 1996. Fueron recopilados los siguientes datos: diagnóstico histopatológico (variable dependiente), así como sexo, edad y presentación clínica (variables independientes); los cuales fueron analizados por medidas de tendencia central. Resultados: El predomino del sexo femenino fue de 15:1 y edad promedio de 39.9 años. El cáncer representó el 20.1 por ciento, siendo el más frecuente el papilar (85.2 por ciento), seguido por el medular (6.7 por ciento). El bocio eutiroideo representó el 39.1 por ciento, siendo el nodular el más común 87.1 por ciento. Los adenomas representaron el 6.2 por ciento, el más frecuente folicular (86 por ciento). Los padecimientos autoinmunes que requirieron cirugía para diagnóstico y tratamiento representaron el 34.6 por ciento. La presentación clínica más frecuente fue el nódulo tiroideo con 60.7 por ciento y, de éstos, el cáncer representó el 33 por ciento. Conclusiones: 1) El predomino femenino se ha incrementado. 2) La presentación clínica más frecuente es nódulo tiroideo. 3) La frecuencia de cáncer en nódulo tiroideo es de 33 por ciento. 4) El cáncer medular tiene un incremento en su frecuencia.

Prevalencia de factores de riesgo de enfermedad coronaria en trabadores del Hospital General de México / Prevalence of risk factors of coronary disease in personnel of the Generla Hospital of Mexico

Objetivo. Conocer la prevalencia de algunos factores de riesgo coronario en trabajadores de una institución de salud. Material y métodos. De 1993 a 1995 se evaluaron 2228 trabajadores del Hospital General de México, 1531 mujeres (68.7 por ciento) y 697 hombres (31.2 por ciento) con edades entre 16 a 65 años, y se les clasificó por áreas de trabajo: en Intendencia hubo 477 participaciones (21.4 por ciento); en Administración, 697 (31.2 por ciento); en Personal Médico, 495 (22.2 por ciento), y en Enfermería, 559 (25.0 por ciento). Se les practicó historia clínica, mediciones antropométricas y determinación de glucosa, colesterol total, LDL, HDL y triglicéridos. Resultados. Trescientos sesenta y siete sujetos (14.9 por ciento) tenían colesterol por arriba de 240 mg/dl, con valores altos en las mujeres del área administrativa (17.1 por ciento) y en los hombres del departamento de enfermería (26 por ciento) que presentó la mayor tendencia (26 por ciento). Se encontraron niveles de triglicéridos por arriba de los 200 mg/dl en 471 personas (19.1 por ciento); obesidad, en 329 (13.5 por ciento); hipertensión arterial, en 549 sujetos (22.2 por ciento), y tabaquismo positivo, en 32 por ciento de los trabajadores. La prevalencia de diabetes mellitus fue de 6.24 por ciento. Conclusiones. Se confirma la elevada prevalencia de factores de riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular entre los trabajadores del Hospital General de México, factores que en muchos casos son modificables, lo que confiere la posibilidad de realizar acciones preventivas

Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of risk factors of coronary heart disease in the personnel of the General Hospital in Mexico City. Material and methods. We studied 2 228 workers, 1 531 female (68.7%) and 697 male (31 .2%) whose ages ranged from 16 to 65 years old in the period of 1993 to 1995. They were divided in work areas: Intendancy 477 (21.4%), Administrative, 697 (31.2%), Physicians, 495 (22.2%) and Nurses, 559 (25.0%). We collected clinical histories, anthropom etric measures, and laboratory determinations of glucose, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglicerydes. Results. We found that 367 (14.9%) had total cholesterol above 240 mg/dl, with high values in females of the administrative area (17.1%) and males in the nursing department (26%), which was the highest tendency. Trigliceryde levels above 200 mg/dl were found in 208 males (24.6%) and 263 females (16.2%), with high prevalence in the nursing and administrative departments, in males (39.1 and 34.1% respectively). Obesity was present in 236 females (14.5%) and 97 males (11.5%). High blood pressure in 549 individuals (22.2%), 297 females (18.3%) and 252 males (29.8%) without significance regarding to work area. Smoking habits were positive in 32% of the total with highest prevalence in males from 30 to 45 years and in females from 30 to 50 years. We found an incidence of 6.24% of diabetes in all the subjects studied, 2.27% ignored the diagnosis at the moment they were studied. Conclusions. In t his study we confirmed the high prevalence of risk factors of coronary heart disease in personnel of the General Hospital in Mexico City. In most cases, these risk factors that can be modified and, therefore, prevented.

Prevalencia de hipertensión ocular en pacientes hipotiroideos / Ocular hypertensin prevalence in subjects with hipothyroidsm

Se estudiaron, en forma prospectiva, 32 pacientes con diagnóstico de hipotiroidismo en quienes se buscaba cifras altas de tensión ocular. Se encontró hipertensión en el 12.5 por ciento de los casos, cifras que descendieron a los 3 meses de tratamiento hormonal tiroideo, como único tratamiento, con un valor de p< 0.001, Las cifras se mantuvieron normales durante 9 meses de seguimiento clínico oftalmológico