Study on the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl CoA reductase inhibitory properties of Agaricus bisporus and extraction of bioactive fractions using pressurised solvent technologies.

BACKGROUND: Agaricus bisporus mushrooms were able to lower cholesterol levels in hypercholesterolaemic rats and it was suggested that dietary fibre might inhibit cholesterol absorption. However, A. bisporus extracts were also able to inhibit the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl CoA reductase (HMGCR, the key enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway) and this might also contribute to the observed lowering of cholesterol levels in serum. RESULTS: The methanol-water extracts obtained from A. bisporus were able to inhibit up to 60% the HMGCR activity using an in vitro assay. The HMGCR inhibitory capacities depended on cultivation conditions, strains, etc. The potential inhibitors were not statins, they might be ß-glucans able to scavenge the substrate and impair the enzymatic reaction. They were present during all mushroom developmental stages and similarly distributed through all the tissues including the parts discarded as a by-product. Accelerated solvent extractions using 1:1 ethanol-water as pressurised solvent (10.7 MPa, 25°C, five cycles of 5 min) were more effective in the extraction of the HMGCiR inhibitor(s) than supercritical fluid extractions (9 MPa, 40°C) using CO2 with 10% ethanol. CONCLUSION: A mushroom cultivation and two extraction procedures were optimised to obtain fractions from A. bisporus with high HMGCR inhibitory activities to design novel ingredients for hypocholesterolaemic functional foodstuffs.

Poliarteritis nodosa sistémica / Systemic polyarteritis nodosa

Resumen La poliarteritis nodosa sistémica de inicio en la infancia es una vasculitis caracterizada por inflamación y necrosis fibrinoide de las arterias de mediano y pequeño calibre, con cuadro clínico extraordinariamente variable y dependiente de la localización histológica de la lesión. Su compromiso cardiaco constituye un comportamiento infrecuente en pediatría, por lo que se considera de interés presentar el caso de un escolar de 8 años, determinado por compromiso hemodinámico secundario a derrame pericárdico, disfunción sistólica grave y múltiples dilataciones aneurismáticas, que permite establecer la sospecha de vasculitis de vasos pequeños y medianos. Se realiza un diagnóstico oportuno gracias al cual se evitan complicaciones potencialmente mortales y se instaura un tratamiento con buena respuesta a corto, mediano y largo plazo.

Abstract Systemic polyarteritis nodosa of childhood onset is a vasculitis characterized by inflammation and fibrinoid necrosis in the medium and small-caliber arteries, with an extraordinarily variable clinical picture and dependent on the histological location of the lesion. His cardiac involvement constitutes an infrequent behavior in pediatrics, so it is considered of interest to present the case of an 8-year-old schoolboy, characterized by hemodynamic compromise secondary to pericardial effusion, severe systolic dysfunction, and multiple aneurysmal dilatations that establish the suspicion of vasculitis. small and medium glasses. A timely diagnosis is made avoiding life-threatening complications and allowing to establish a treatment with a good response in the short, medium and long term.

Evaluación docente como factor de desarrollo profesional desde una pedagogía reflexiva / Teacher evaluation as a factor for professional development from the perspective of reflexive pedagogy

Resumen Introducción. Esta investigación cualitativa y hermenéutica-interpretativa explora el proceso de evaluación docente de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia con profesores de modalidad cátedra en la cohorte de ingreso 2007-2011. Objetivo. Analizar el proceso de evaluación docente y su relación con el desarrollo profesional de los profesores. Materiales y métodos. Estudio descriptivo transversal llevado a cabo en fases metodológicas: 1) fase documental, profundización temática en evaluación educativa, tendencias de evaluación docente, políticas educativas en evaluación y marco legal en evaluación docente de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia; 2) trabajo de campo, entrevista personal con apoyo de encuesta semiestructurada, y 3) proceso analítico de datos cualitativos hecho a partir de la codificación axial y por medio del programa Atlas ti. Resultados. Se construyeron categorías deductivas descriptivas: percepciones, modalidades, aspectos, ventajas y desventajas de la evaluación docente y categorías inductivas interpretativas: pedagogías reflexivas, evaluación por competencias profesionales y profesionalización de la docencia. Conclusión. Se generan consideraciones pedagógicas que promueven la comprensión de la evaluación docente como un proceso reflexivo, formativo e integral que favorece el desarrollo profesional de los profesores, los procesos educativos y las prácticas académicas de investigación-acción.

Abstract Introduction: This qualitative and hermeneutic-interpretative research explores the evaluation process applied to the teaching staff of the Faculty of Medicine at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia that were hired as lecturers during the period 2007-2011. Objective: To analyze the teacher evaluation process and its correlation with the professional development of professors. Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in methodological phases: 1) documentary phase, with emphasis on educational evaluation, teacher evaluation trends, educational evaluation policies and the legal framework for teacher evaluation at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia; 2) field work, personal interviews through semi-structured surveys, and 3) analysis of qualitative data based on axial coding and using the Atlas Ti program. Results: The following descriptive deductive categories were established: perceptions, methods, aspects, advantages and disadvantages of teacher evaluation. Interpretive inductive categories were also established: reflexive pedagogy, evaluation based on professional competencies, and professionalization of teaching. Conclusion: Pedagogical considerations are proposed to promote the understanding of teacher evaluation as a reflexive, formative and comprehensive process that favors professional development of teachers, educational processes and academic practices related to action research.

Avances en las bases moleculares de la anestesiología / Advances in the molecular basis of anaesthesiology

Aunque la primera anestesia se dio hace más de 100 años, el posterior surgimiento de múltiples anestésicos permitió desarrollar todos los componentes implicados durante su administración. Solo hasta hace aproximadamente 30 años se han venido conociendo las bases moleculares de los mecanismos de acción de los anestésicos gracias a la biología molecular, con un vertiginoso desarrollo en los últimos 10 años. Es de vital importancia para el anestesiólogo conocer las bases moleculares de la anestesia, lo cual le permitirá entender efectos, interacciones y toxicidad de los anestésicos e impactará en la adecuada administración de los medicamentos disponibles, a la vez que influirá en el desarrollo de nuevos fármacos con acciones más específicas.

Although the first anaesthetic was given more than a century ago, the subsequent emergence of several anaesthetic drugs enabled several components involved in its administration to be identified. Only during the past 30 years has the molecular basis for anaesthetics’ mechanisms of action become known (especially undergoing vertiginous progress during the last decade). It is of vital importance for an anaesthesiologist to know the molecular basis of anaesthesia and ensure complete comprehension of anaesthetics’ effects, interactions and toxicity. Such knowledge will have an impact on the suitable administration of available drugs and the creation of new ones having more specific action.