Nutrients and Dietary Approaches in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease: A Narrative Review.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. The prevalence of CVD is much higher in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who may benefit from lifestyle changes, which include adapted diets. In this review, we provide the role of different groups of nutrients in patients with T2DM and CVD, as well as dietary approaches that have been associated with better and worse outcomes in those patients. Many different diets and supplements have proved to be beneficial in T2DM and CVD, but further studies, guidelines, and dietary recommendations are particularly required for patients with both diseases.

Calea zacatechichi Schltdl. (Compositae) produces anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, and increases the hippocampal activity during REM sleep in rodents.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Calea zacatechichi is a plant with an extensive popular and ritual use in Mexico. In healthy volunteers, it induces well-being and tranquility senses, and facilitates superficial stages of sleep. However, anxiolytic, and antidepressant-like effects and changes on the sleep-waking stages have not been explored. AIM: To determine anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects of an aqueous extract of C. zacatechichi (CZ) in rodents and to analyze their effects on hippocampal activity in the rat sleep-waking cycle. MATERIAL AND METHODS: CZ anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects were evaluated in several mice and rat behavioral paradigms. CZ effects on temporal distribution of sleep were described, and hippocampus EEG frequency patterns were analyzed during the sleep-waking cycle; absolute and relative powers were analyzed during Rapid Eye Movements (REM) and non-REM sleep stages. CZ chemical analysis was performed by UPLC-ESI-MS. RESULTS: CZ produced specific and robust anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in mice and rats, similar to those of prototypical drugs, at doses ranging from 0.5 to 50 mg/kg. CZ at 100 mg/kg produced visible mild sedative effects in rats, associated with a significant increase in Slow Wave Sleep episodes during a 6 h recording, and enhanced fast frequencies of hippocampus (gamma-band:31-50 Hz) during REM sleep. CONCLUSION: Results could support the well-being and tranquility senses reported by healthy consumers, and to explain the oneiric content during dreams and some improvements in cognitive processes described by consumers. Anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of this species, reported for first time in this study could improve some aspects of mental health.

Preliminary results of the in vivo and in vitro characterization of a tentacle venom fraction from the jellyfish Aurelia aurita.

The neurotoxic effects produced by a tentacle venom extract and a fraction were analyzed and correlated by in vivo and in vitro approaches. The tentacle venom extract exhibited a wide range of protein components (from 24 to >225 kDa) and produced tetanic reactions, flaccid paralysis, and death when injected into crabs. Two chromatography fractions also produced uncontrolled appendix movements and leg stretching. Further electrophysiological characterization demonstrated that one of these fractions potently inhibited ACh-elicited currents mediated by both vertebrate fetal and adult muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) subtypes. Receptor inhibition was concentration-dependent and completely reversible. The calculated IC(50) values were 1.77 µg/µL for fetal and 2.28 µg/µL for adult muscle nAChRs. The bioactive fraction was composed of a major protein component at ~90 kDa and lacked phospholipase A activity. This work represents the first insight into the interaction of jellyfish venom components and muscle nicotinic receptors.

Urine as a CO2 absorbent.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of urine on the absorption of greenhouse gases such as CO(2). Human urine diluted with olive-oil-mill wastewaters (OMW) could be used to capture CO(2) from flue gas of coal-fired power plant and convert CO(2) emissions into valuable fertilizers (mainly, NH(4)HCO(3)) that can enhance CO(2) sequestration into soil and subsoil layers. Thus, the CO(2) emissions could be reduced between 0.1 and 1%. The proposed strategy requires further research to increase CO(2) absorption and assess the risks associated with wastewater reuse and xenobiotics in the agroecological environment.

Evaluación de los criterios de Stegen y Toledo en niños con tuberculosis pulmonar en el Hospital de Pichanaki. 2000-2011 / Evaluation of the criteria of Stegen and Toledo in children with pulmonary tuberculosis in the Hospital Pichanaki. 2000-2011

Objetivos: Determinar el valor diagnóstico de los criterios de Stegen y Toledo en los pacientes pediátricos con diagnóstico clínico de tuberculosis pulmonar. Material y métodos: El estudio fue de tipo Descriptivo, retrospectivo, transversal. La muestra estuvo constituida por 166 historias clínicas de pacientes (0 a 15 años) con diagnóstico de tuberculosis pulmonar que ingresó al programa nacional de control de tuberculosis. El instrumento principal de estudio fue la ficha de datos previamente validada. Los datos obtenidos durante la investigación, por medio de la ficha de recolección de datos, elaborada para los fines de la investigación se ordenaron y procesaron en una computadora personal, valiéndonos del programa SPSS 18.0 para Windows 2007. Resultados: De un total de 166 pacientes 60.2 por ciento eran de sexo masculino y 39.8 por ciento femenino. El 71.7 por ciento de los pacientes al ingresar al momento del diagnóstico eran eutróficos, el 27.1 por ciento restante presentaba algún tipo de malnutrición. Los criterios de Stegen y Toledo hallados fueron el epidemiológico 67.5 por ciento, radiológico 90.4 por ciento, clínico 51.4 por ciento, inmunológico 62 por ciento bacteriológico 18.7 por ciento y anatomopatológico 6 por ciento. En relación al puntaje, el 36.1 por ciento tuvieron tuberculosis factible y certeza de tuberculosis 63.9 por ciento. Al comparar puntajes de certeza encontramos que los pacientes que tuvieron diagnostico de certeza tuvieron una media de la edad de 9.3+/-4.4 años y los que tuvieron tuberculosis factible tuvieron una media de la edad de 5.7+/-5.5 años. Conclusiones: Los criterios de Stegen y Toledo relacionados estadísticamente significativos con un diagnóstico de certeza de tuberculosis pulmonar fueron los criterios clínicos, inmunológicos y el BK positivo (P<0.05).

Fixation of ammonium-N and nitrate-N with olive oil mill wastewaters.

The present work evaluates whether ammonium and nitrate ions become linked with diluted olive oil mill wastewaters (OOMW). From a laboratory experiment it was concluded that the ammonium ion linked with OOMW in the presence of carbonates or hydroxides and OOMW could block up to a third of the present ammonium-N ion. On the other hand, OOMW are capable of joining with the nitrate ion, in a sulphuric diluted medium at room temperature, retaining up to 80% of nitrate-N. These complexes could be useful for recycling OOMW as new OOMW-N fertilizers. In soils treated with OOMW-N fertilizers, the nitrate-N emissions were reduced by 90% for two months. So, inorganic-N fertilizers mixed with OOMW could produce new organic fertilizers with a higher efficiency index for N.

Olive oil mill wastewater for soil nitrogen and carbon conservation.

In this work the application of two levels of N fertilizer (NH(4)NO(3)) dissolved in water or olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW) diluted 10 or 20 times in water, has been studied in relation to the properties of two soils (Loam and Silt-Clay-Loam). Also, the effect of irrigation water bubbled with CO(2) (Dissolved Inorganic Carbon, DIC) was studied. Nitrate N, ammonium N, total N, organic C (OC), and CaCO(3) contents were determined in the soil as well as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and absorbance at 250 and 360 nm. Our data provide evidence that inorganic-N fertilizer dissolved in OOMW significantly reduced the emission of nitrates from soils for two months, increasing OC values. Moreover, OOMW significantly lowered the ORP. The irrigation with DIC also increased soil OC. Thus, the application of inorganic-N fertilizers dissolved in OOMW diluted with water on soils and the irrigation with water bubbled with CO(2) could reduce the environmental impact of OOMW, nitrates, and CO(2).