Cumplimiento de la dieta mediterránea en el personal sanitario de la provincia de Las Palmas / Adherence to the Mediterranean diet in health personnel from the province of Las Palmas

Antecedentes y objetivos Demostrado efecto protector de la dieta mediterránea, se evaluó su seguimiento y la influencia de distintos factores en el cumplimiento dietético. Material y métodos Se realizó un estudio transversal con encuestas anónimas para obtener datos sobre características demográficas, actividad laboral, antecedentes de factores de riesgo cardiovascular, consumo de alcohol y tabaco, actividad física y consumo de dieta mediterránea. Se evaluó el cumplimiento por medio del cuestionario 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Score (MEDAS) y los factores estadísticamente relacionados con el mismo. Resultados y conclusiones De 922 personas encuestadas (664 mujeres) de edad media 42,61 años (rango: 20 a 69 años), un 61,2% mostró buen cumplimiento. De manera independiente, el consumo de la dieta mediterránea se asoció con la categoría profesional, siendo superior en el personal médico (OR = 1,92; IC 95%: 1,20 a 3,06; p = 0,01) y de enfermería (OR = 1,67; IC 95%: 1,08 a 2,57) comparado con los técnicos auxiliares en cuidados de enfermería. Además, se relacionó con realizar actividad física (OR = 1,78; IC 95%: 1,29 a 2,47; p < 0,001) y cocinar en casa (OR = 1,35; IC 95%: 1,00 a 1,80; p = 0,05). Sin embargo, no se asoció significativamente con la edad, el sexo ni con la presencia de comorbilidades, con las características de la jornada laboral, ni con el consumo de alcohol ni tabaco. Convendría cuantificar el conocimiento sobre la dieta e incrementar los programas educativos, fomentando el ejercicio y el hábito culinario (AU)

Introduction and objectives Given the proven protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet, adherence to it by healthcare personnel and the influence of different factors on dietary compliance were evaluated. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on healthcare personnel, obtaining the data through anonymous surveys that collected demographic characteristics, professional activity, history of cardiovascular risk factors, alcohol, and tobacco consumption, physical activity, and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, using the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Score (MEDAS). Adherence and related factors were measured. Results and conclusions Of a total of 922 respondents (664 women) mean aged 42.61 years (range 20 to 69), 61.2% showed a good adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. Adherence was significantly associated with the professional categories of physicians (OR = 1.92; 95% CI: 1.20-3.06; p = 0.01) and nurses (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.08-2.57). Furthermore, it was associated with physical exercise (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.29 – 2.47; p < 0.001) and cooking at home (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.00 – 1.80; p = 0.05). However, adherence was not significantly associated with age or sex, comorbidities, working hours, alcohol, or tobacco consumption. Quantifying knowledge of the diet would be useful, as well as increasing educational programs, promoting physical exercise and cooking habits (AU)

Natural treatment system for wastewater (NTSW) in a livestock farm, with five years of pilot plant management and monitoring.

This paper reports results of a 5-year trial study of a natural treatment system for wastewater (NTSW) on a livestock pig farm on Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). The pilot plant consist of a rotary screen, a first-generation multi-chamber digester, and two horizontal subsurface flow treatment wetlands (HSFCW) with a pond installed between them. Results show that the removal efficiency of total chemical oxygen demand (CODt), total suspended solids (TSS), volatile solids (VS) and total dissolved solids (TDS) of the treatment were 91.77%, 95.99%, 82.62%, and 55.78%, respectively. Other removal values include 93.79% for total nitrogen (TN) and 93.05% for phosphorus (P2O5). The results demonstrate the suitability of NTSW solutions applied to livestock waste in pig farms and their potential application to other farms of similar size.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet in health personnel from the province of Las Palmas.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Given the proven protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet, adherence to it by healthcare personnel and the influence of different factors on dietary compliance were evaluated. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on healthcare personnel, obtaining the data through anonymous surveys that collected demographic characteristics, professional activity, history of cardiovascular risk factors, alcohol, and tobacco consumption, physical activity, and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, using the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Score (MEDAS). Adherence and related factors were measured. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Of a total of 922 respondents (664 women) mean aged 42.61 years (range 20-69), 61.2% showed a good adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. Adherence was significantly associated with the professional categories of physicians (OR = 1.92; 95% CI: 1.20-3.06; p = 0.01) and nurses (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.08-2.57). Furthermore, it was associated with physical exercise (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.29-2.47; p < 0.001) and cooking at home (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.00-1.80; p = 0.05). However, adherence was not significantly associated with age or sex, comorbidities, working hours, alcohol, or tobacco consumption. Quantifying knowledge of the diet would be useful, as well as increasing educational programs, promoting physical exercise and cooking habits.

Application of a mathematical model to predict simultaneous reactions in anaerobic plug-flow reactors as a primary treatment for constructed wetlands.

Anaerobic digestion technologies offer a set of advantages when they are implemented as a primary treatment phase prior to the use of constructed wetland systems in low cost wastewater facilities. The aim of this study is to describe a model capable of reflecting the complex functioning of anaerobic lagoons, subject to continuous flux in the feed pipe, taking into account that physicochemical properties are subject to a concentration gradient and biochemical ones to simultaneous reactions which depend on each other. Based on both Stokes and advection-diffusion-reaction equations, the proposed model includes twenty-one variables to describe hydraulic, physical, biochemical and physicochemical characteristics that take place in different points of the system and at different moments of time. Drawn up by the International Water Association, the anaerobic digestion model ADM1 is included for the purpose of incorporating the anaerobic processes in the calculation. The finite element method was used to solve the nonlinear, second order partial differential equations of the model. The calculation strategy was designed using a flowchart. Using the open-source FreeFem++ software, a simulation of the mathematical model, in bi-dimensional space, is presented to demonstrate the dynamic behaviour of the proposed model. This yields essential information about the performance of the substrate, cells, and the biochemical reaction products in each of the points within the reactor. Simulations show the potential of this methodology to carry out studies of the behaviour of each of the variables contemplated in the model, as well as comparative studies of the various possible options. In addition, this methodology can be used to help modify the behaviour of the variables based on digester geometry and the boundary values the system is subject to. From the results, it can be concluded that the proposed methodology can be a useful tool for calculating and designing the aforementioned synergistic systems of anaerobic digester plug-flow reactors and constructed wetlands.

Soil net nitrogen mineralisation across global grasslands.

Soil nitrogen mineralisation (Nmin), the conversion of organic into inorganic N, is important for productivity and nutrient cycling. The balance between mineralisation and immobilisation (net Nmin) varies with soil properties and climate. However, because most global-scale assessments of net Nmin are laboratory-based, its regulation under field-conditions and implications for real-world soil functioning remain uncertain. Here, we explore the drivers of realised (field) and potential (laboratory) soil net Nmin across 30 grasslands worldwide. We find that realised Nmin is largely explained by temperature of the wettest quarter, microbial biomass, clay content and bulk density. Potential Nmin only weakly correlates with realised Nmin, but contributes to explain realised net Nmin when combined with soil and climatic variables. We provide novel insights of global realised soil net Nmin and show that potential soil net Nmin data available in the literature could be parameterised with soil and climate data to better predict realised Nmin.

Improvement in postoperative mortality in elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer: Analysis of predictive factors in 1066 patients from a single centre.

BACKGROUND: Gastrectomy represents the main treatment for gastric adenocarcinoma. This procedure is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the postoperative mortality changes across the study period and to identify predictive factors of 30-day mortality after elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of a prospective database from a single centre. Patients treated with an elective gastrectomy from 1996 to 2014 for gastric adenocarcinoma were included. We compared postoperative mortality between four time periods: 1996-2000, 2001-2005, 2006-2010, and 2011-2014. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify predictors of 30-day postoperative mortality. RESULTS: We included 1066 patients (median age 65 years; 67% male). The 30-day mortality rate was 4.7%. Mortality decreased across the four time periods; from 6.5% to 1.8% (P = 0.022). In the univariate analysis, age, ASA score, albumin <3.5, multivisceral resection, splenectomy, intrathoracic esophagojejunal anastomosis, R status, and T status were significantly associated with postoperative mortality. In the multivariate analysis, ASA class 3 (OR 10.06; CI 1.97-51.3; P = 0.005) and multivisceral resection (OR 1.6; CI 1.09-2.36; P = 0.016) were associated with higher postoperative 30-day mortality; surgery between 2011 and 2014 was associated with lower postoperative 30-day mortality (OR 0.55; CI 0.33-0.15; P = 0.030). CONCLUSION: There was a decrease in postoperative 30-day mortality during this 18-year period at our institution. We have identified ASA score and multivisceral resection as predictors of 30-day mortality for elective gastrectomy for cancer.

Postoperative adjuvant treatment for gastric cancer improves long-term survival after curative resection and D2 lymphadenectomy. Results from a Latin American Center.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of adjuvant treatment in the context of a D2 lymph node dissection are controversial. The aim was to investigate the effects of postoperative adjuvant treatment on the survival of patients with a curative resection for gastric cancer and a D2 lymph node dissection. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study. Patients operated from 1996 to 2013 were selected. We compared long term survival of patients treated with surgery alone and those with surgery plus postoperative adjuvant treatment. A multivariate analysis for survival was applied in every stage. RESULTS: The study included 580 patients. Two-hundred and four patients received postoperative adjuvant treatment (AD) and 376 patients were treated only with surgery (SU). Patients in the AD group were younger (60 versus 68, p < 0.001), had a lower rate of multiple organ resection (21% versus 39%, p < 0.001) and had less postoperative complications (14% versus 32%, p < 0.001). In the AD group, patients had more advanced disease (stage III; 77% versus 66%, p < 0.001). No difference was found in lymph nodes resected (31 versus 30, p = ns). The median survival with adjuvant treatment was 33 months (39% 5 year survival) and 22 months (31% 5 year survival) for patients without adjuvant treatment (p = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, patients with stage IIIB and IIIC had significantly better overall and disease specific long-term survival with adjuvant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there is a long-term survival benefit for patients treated with postoperative adjuvant treatment for stages IIIB and IIIC gastric cancer after D2 lymph node dissection.

Utility of the INECO frontal screening (IFS) in the detection of executive dysfunction in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Several studies have reported that about 65 % of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) suffer from cognitive impairment, with executive dysfunction being the most frequently described. Even if several executive screening tests have been designed to specifically detect executive deficits, few studies have investigated their ability to tackle such dysfunction particularly in multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the INECO frontal screening (IFS) in the detection of executive dysfunction in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). 54 patients with RRMS were included in the study. 34 presented executive dysfunction while 20 did not. 32 control subjects matched for age, sex, and educational level were also included. All were evaluated with the IFS and with a battery of classical executive tests. A patient was considered to have executive dysfunction if he/she scored a one and a half standard deviation below the control mean in at least one of the classical executive tests. Sensitivity and specificity of the IFS in its ability to detect executive dysfunction in MS was analyzed. Using a cut-off of 25.5 points, sensitivity of the IFS was 73.53 %, and specificity 78.13 % in differentiating controls from MS patients with executive dysfunction. The IFS showed excellent concurrent validity with executive tasks. The IFS can be considered a brief, easy-to-administer, cost-less tool for the detection of executive dysfunction in patients with RRMS.

Pre- and post-Chernobyl accident levels of 129I and 137Cs in the Southern Baltic Sea by brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus.

(129)I is a very long-lived radionuclide (T(1/2) = 15.7 × 10(6) years) that is present in the environment both because of natural and anthropogenic sources. In this work (129)I concentration and (129)I/(127)I ratio have been determined in seaweed Fucus vesiculosus collected in the Southern Baltic Sea during 1982 and 1986 (post-Chernobyl accident). The resulting data were evaluated in terms of (129)I concentrations, (129)I/(127)I and (129)I/(137)Cs ratios. (129)I concentrations were found to be in the order of (0.82-5.89) × 10(9) atoms g(-1) in 1982 and (1.33-38.83) × 10(9) atoms g(-1) in 1986. The (129)I/(127)I ratios ranged from (22.7-87.8) × 10(-10) for seaweed collected in 1982 and from (26.1-305.5) × 10(-10) for seaweed collected in 1986. Also a linear relationship was established for (127)I concentrations in seawater and salinity in this area, enabling the estimation of concentration factors for (127)I in F. vesiculosus. The high levels of (129)I and (129)I/(127)I in the Kattegat and their gradually decreasing trend to the Baltic Sea indicates that the most important contribution to the (129)I inventory in the Baltic Sea area comes from Sellafield and La Hague reprocessing plants. With respect to Chernobyl accident, (129)I concentrations in samples collected in 1986 were not much higher than those expected in less contaminated samples from 1982. This supports the view that the contribution of the Chernobyl accident to (129)I in the Baltic region was not significant.

Anestro posparto en ganado bovino en el trópico: [revisión] / Postpartum anestrus in cattle in the tropic: [review]

La productividad y rentabilidad de las empresas ganaderas depende en gran medida de la capacidad fisiológica de las hembras para cumplir con el objetivo de tener una cría por año. Un factor determinante para lograrlo es reducir al máximo el periodo de anestro posparto, que es el tiempo luego del parto durante el cual no existen suficientes niveles pulsátiles de hormona luteinizante (LH) que permitan un desarrollo final del folículo y la consiguiente ovulación. Dos factores intervienen principalmente en este fenómeno: la nutrición y el amamantamiento. Existen señales metabólicas que indican al eje hipotálamo-hipófisis que se ha alcanzado un equilibrio en el balance energético para que este inicie la secreción de hormona liberadora de gonadotropinas (GnRH) y se inicie el restablecimiento de la actividad reproductiva. Por su parte, el estimulo que ejerce el ternero sobre la vaca genera secreción de endorfinas endógenas a nivel hipotalámico que también van a inhibir la liberación de GnRH. Otros factores que modulan los efectos de la nutrición y el amamantamiento son la edad, numero de partos, raza, estrés calórico y factores sociales (efecto macho y hembra). Generalmente, luego de la primera ovulación, se presenta un ciclo estral de corta duración que corresponde a una luteolisis temprana en respuesta a la prostaglandina F2 alfa (PGF2) de origen uterino; sin embargo, los niveles de progesterona producidos durante este corto periodo ejercen un importante papel en el establecimiento de la ciclicidad subsecuente.

Interpretación de refranes y enfermedad de Alzheimer / Interpretation ofproverbs and alzheimer´s disease

Resumen. Objetivo. Evaluar la ejecución de pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) en etapa leve-moderada, en una tarea de abstracción de material verbal que implica la interpretación del significado implícito de refranes. Sujetos y métodos. Se realizó un análisis cualitativo-cuantitativo de la ejecución de 30 pacientes con EA y 30 controles pareados por edad, género y nivel educativo. Resultados. Los pacientes presentan dificultades significativas para interpretar refranes, al compararlos con los controles. Se encontró una alta correlación entre los años de escolaridad de los sujetos y la puntuación total de la prueba de interpretación de refranes. Los resultados sugieren que los procesos que pueden verse predominantemente alterados en los pacientes con EA son la investigación de las condiciones del problema y la selección de una alternativa y formulación de un plan cognitivo para resolver la tarea. Conclusiones. Los resultados contribuyen al conocimiento de las características del desempeño de los pacientes con EA en una prueba de interpretación del significado implícito de refranes y aportan información acerca de los procesos que pueden verse predominantemente alterados; sin embargo, es necesario realizar más investigaciones acerca del tema para obtener explicaciones más concluyentes (AU)

Summary. Aim. To evaluate the performance of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the mild-moderate stage in a verbal material abstraction task that involves interpreting the implicit meaning of proverbs and sayings. Subjects and methods. A qualitative-quantitative analysis was carried out of the performance of 30 patients with AD and 30 controls, paired by age, gender and level of education. Results. Patients had significantly greater difficulties than the controls when it came to interpreting proverbs. A high correlation was found between subjects’ years of schooling and the overall score on the proverb interpretation test. Results suggest that the processes that may be predominantly affected in patients with AD are the investigation of the conditions of the problem, together with selecting an alternative and formulating a cognitive plan to resolve the task. Conclusions. The results help to further our knowledge of the characteristics of performance of patients with AD in a test involving the interpretation of the implicit meaning of proverbs and also provide information about the processes that may be predominantly affected. Further research is needed, however, on this subject area in order to obtain more conclusive explanations (AU)

[Interpretation of proverbs and Alzheimer's disease]. / Interpretación de refranes y enfermedad de Alzheimer.

AIM: To evaluate the performance of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the mild-moderate stage in a verbal material abstraction task that involves interpreting the implicit meaning of proverbs and sayings. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A qualitative-quantitative analysis was carried out of the performance of 30 patients with AD and 30 controls, paired by age, gender and level of education. RESULTS: Patients had significantly greater difficulties than the controls when it came to interpreting proverbs. A high correlation was found between subjects' years of schooling and the overall score on the proverb interpretation test. Results suggest that the processes that may be predominantly affected in patients with AD are the investigation of the conditions of the problem, together with selecting an alternative and formulating a cognitive plan to resolve the task. CONCLUSIONS: The results help to further our knowledge of the characteristics of performance of patients with AD in a test involving the interpretation of the implicit meaning of proverbs and also provide information about the processes that may be predominantly affected. Further research is needed, however, on this subject area in order to obtain more conclusive explanations.

The possible role of one-electron reduction of aminochrome in the neurodegenerative process of the dopaminergic system.

We present for discussion a possible molecular mechanism explaining the formation of reactive oxygen species involved in the neurodegenerative process of dopaminergic system in Parkinson's disease. This new hypothesis involves one-electron reduction of aminochrome to o-semiquinone radical, which seems to be the reaction responsible for neurodegenerative process of dopaminergic system. Leukoaminochrome o-semiquinone is extremely reactive with oxygen, which reoxidizes by reducing oxygen to superoxide radicals. Superoxide radicals enzymatically or spontaneously dismutate to dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide which is a precursor of hydroxyl radicals. ESR-experiments have showed that aminochrome o-semiquinone is extremely reactive in the presence of oxygen compared to dopamine o-semiquinone. In addition, the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase play a prooxidant role by increasing the autoxidation rate and formation of superoxide radicals. One electron reduction of aminochrome to o-semiquinone can be performed by flavoenzymes which use NADPH and NADH as electron donator. The ability of aminochrome o-semiquinone to autoxidize in the presence of oxygen gives rise to a redox cycling process which will continue until oxygen, NADH and/or NADPH are depleted. Depletion of NADPH will prevent glutathione reductase from reducing glutathione, which is one of the main antioxidants in the cell. In addition depletion of NADH will prevent the formation of ATP in the electron transport chain in the mitochondria. Two antioxidants, probably, neuroprotective reactions are also discussed.

Glutathione transferase M2-2 catalyzes conjugation of dopamine and dopa o-quinones.

Human glutathione transferase M2-2 prevents the formation of neurotoxic aminochrome and dopachrome by catalyzing the conjugation of dopamine and dopa o-quinone with glutathione. NMR analysis of dopamine and dopa o-quinone-glutathione conjugates revealed that the addition of glutathione was at C-5 to form 5-S-glutathionyl-dopamine and 5-S-glutathionyl-dopa, respectively. Both conjugates were found to be resistant to oxidation by biological oxidizing agents such as O(2), H(2)O(2), and O(*-)(2), and the glutathione transferase-catalyzed reaction can therefore serve a neuroprotective antioxidant function.

Enhancement of noradrenergic neural transmission: an effective therapy of myasthenia gravis: a report on 52 consecutive patients.

Neurochemical, neuroautonomic and neuropharmacological assessments carried out on all our myasthenia gravis (MG) patients showed that they presented a neural sympathetic deficit plus excessive adrenal-sympathetic activity. These abnormalities were registered during the basal (supine-resting) state, as well as after several stress tests (orthostasis, exercise, oral glucose and buspirone). In addition, MG patients showed increased levels of free-serotonin (f5HT) in the plasma, supposedly associated with the increased platelet aggregability which we found in all MG patients. As the above trio of neurochemical disorders (low noradrenergic-activity + high adrenergic-activity + increased f-5HT plasma levels) is known to favor Th-1 immunosuppression + Th-2 predominance, we outlined a neuropharmacological strategy for reverting the above neurochemical disorder. This treatment provoked sudden (acute), and late sustained improvements. Acute effects have been attributed to the increase of alpha-1 activity at the spinal motoneuron level. Late improvements always paralleled a significant normalization of immunological disorders. Complete normalization was registered only in non-thymectomized MG patients.

Effects of buspirone on plasma neurotransmitters in healthy subjects.

Buspirone is an anxiolytic drug which exerts several central effects. It antagonizes presynaptic inhibitory DA2 autoreceptors at dopaminergic neurons and acts as an agonist for 5-HT1A inhibitor autoreceptors at serotonergic cells. Thus, buspirone respectively enhances and depresses the firing rates of both type of neurons. At doses which correlate with dopaminergic stimulation, but not 5-HT inhibition, buspirone also increases the firing rates of the central noradrenergic cells. We measured levels of circulating neurotransmitters before and up to 240 minutes after the oral administration of 20 mg of buspirone in 32 healthy volunteers. Buspirone significantly increased levels of noradrenaline, dopamine, and free serotonin but did not affect levels of adrenaline, tryptophane, or platelet serotonin. Small but significant drops in systolic blood pressure and heart rate were observed after buspirone ingestion. Atropine administration before buspirone ingestion annulled the free serotonin increase as well as systolic blood pressure-heart rate decrease. We found significant positive correlations between noradrenaline and dopamine levels. The strength and significance of these correlations were increased by using the noradrenaline/adrenaline ratio instead of noradrenaline absolute values. This finding indicates that increases in both noradrenaline and dopamine arise from sympathetic nerves rather than the adrenal glands. We also found significant negative correlations between free serotonin increases and systolic blood pressure-heart rate decreases. Our results indicate that buspirone stimulates central sympathetic activity. These acute effects of buspirone are reflected in an increased peripheral neural sympathetic activity, but not adrenal sympathetic activity in healthy individuals. In addition, buspirone increases free serotonin plasma concentrations and decreases systolic blood pressure plus heart rate levels through mechanisms associated with parasympathetic activation.

Glutathione transferases catalyse the detoxication of oxidized metabolites (o-quinones) of catecholamines and may serve as an antioxidant system preventing degenerative cellular processes.

o-Quinones are physiological oxidation products of catecholamines that contribute to redox cycling, toxicity and apoptosis, i.e. the neurodegenerative processes underlying Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. The present study shows that the cyclized o-quinones aminochrome, dopachrome, adrenochrome and noradrenochrome, derived from dopamine, dopa, adrenaline and noradrenaline respectively, are efficiently conjugated with glutathione in the presence of human glutathione transferase (GST) M2-2. The oxidation product of adrenaline, adrenochrome, is less active as a substrate for GST M2-2, and more efficiently conjugated by GST M1-1. Evidence for expression of GST M2-2 in substantia nigra of human brain was obtained by identification of the corresponding PCR product in a cDNA library. Glutathione conjugation of these quinones is a detoxication reaction that prevents redox cycling, thus indicating that GSTs have a cytoprotective role involving elimination of reactive chemical species originating from the oxidative metabolism of catecholamines. In particular, GST M2-2 has the capacity to provide protection relevant to the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

Human class Mu glutathione transferases, in particular isoenzyme M2-2, catalyze detoxication of the dopamine metabolite aminochrome.

Human glutathione transferases (GSTs) were shown to catalyze the reductive glutathione conjugation of aminochrome (2, 3-dihydroindole-5,6-dione). The class Mu enzyme GST M2-2 displayed the highest specific activity (148 micromol/min/mg), whereas GSTs A1-1, A2-2, M1-1, M3-3, and P1-1 had markedly lower activities (<1 micromol/min/mg). The product of the conjugation, with a UV spectrum exhibiting absorption peaks at 277 and 295 nm, was 4-S-glutathionyl-5,6-dihydroxyindoline as determined by NMR spectroscopy. In contrast to reduced forms of aminochrome (leucoaminochrome and o-semiquinone), 4-S-glutathionyl-5, 6-dihydroxyindoline was stable in the presence of molecular oxygen, superoxide radicals, and hydrogen peroxide. However, the strongly oxidizing complex of Mn3+ and pyrophosphate oxidizes 4-S-glutathionyl-5,6-dihydroxyindoline to 4-S-glutathionylaminochrome, a new quinone derivative with an absorption peak at 620 nm. GST M2-2 (and to a lower degree, GST M1-1) prevents the formation of reactive oxygen species linked to one-electron reduction of aminochrome catalyzed by NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. The results suggest that the reductive conjugation of aminochrome catalyzed by GSTs, in particular GST M2-2, is an important cellular antioxidant activity preventing the formation of o-semiquinone and thereby the generation of reactive oxygen species.

[Risk factors for gallbladder cancer in Chilean females].

A case-control study of gallbladder cancer was conducted with 90 Chilean cases registered at one hospital in Santiago city, Chile from January, 1992 to August, 1994. Controls were selected among outpatients of the hospital who received abdominal echography. Each case was assigned 2 age- and sex-matched controls; either with or without gallstone(s). Study subjects were all directly interviewed by well-trained medical students. The present study focused on 74 female pairs and the following findings were obtained: 1) Odds Ratio(OR)s were significantly high for education years less than or equal to 6, body mass index greater than or equal to 24.0, constipation, and consumption of egg, fried meals, green and red chili. Chili pepper consumption of both types in cases showed significantly elevated risks with higher frequency. 2) While high ORs were observed, biliary symptoms such as dyspepsia and past history of cholelithiasis were strongly involved with present gallstone(s) and may not be independent factors for gallbladder cancer. 3) Significantly low ORs were seen for past history of intestinal parasitosis and surgical operation, hormone therapy, all industrial workers and workers in clothes & textile industry. However results may be influenced by more years of education or recall bias. 4) When a conditional logistic model was applied and controls with gallstone(s) were taken as reference, those with the habit of constipation showed a significantly high risk of 2.10 (95% CI: 1.01-4.38), and the consumers of red chili with a frequency > or = 1 time/day had elevated risks of 2.16 (1.27-3.66) vs those < 1 time/day and 4.66 (1.63-13.40) vs non-consumers, respectively. From the above results, the occurrence of gallbladder cancer in Chilean females may be related to constipation and chili pepper consumption, based on the presence of gallstone(s). Further investigations are needed to elucidate whether these are actual risk factors or whether only a false association was detected.