Effects of undernourishment, recurrent seizures and enriched environment during early life in hippocampal morphology.

It has been recently shown that enriched environment led to a significant benefit in learning and retention of visual-spatial memory, being able to reverse the cognitive impairment generated by undernourishment and recurrent seizures. We investigated the hippocampal morphological effects of recurrent seizures and undernourishment early in life in Wistar rats and the possible benefits produced by the enriched environment in these conditions. The morphological parameters stereologically evaluated were hippocampal volume, thickness of pyramidal stratum of the CA1 subfield and neuronal and glial densities in the same subfield. Male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups including nourished, nourished+enriched environment, nourished+recurrent seizures, nourished+recurrent seizures+enriched environment, undernourished, undernourished+enriched environment, undernourished+recurrent seizures and undernourished+recurrent seizures+enriched environment. Undernourishment model consisted in nutritional deprivation regimen from post-natal day 2 (P2) to P15. From P8 to P10, recurrent seizures group were induced by flurothyl three times per day. Enriched environment groups were exposed between P21 and P51. Our main findings were: (1) animals submitted to the enriched environment showed an increased hippocampal volume; (2) enriched environment promotes increases in the thickness of the pyramidal layer in hippocampal CA1 subfield in animals nourished and undernourished with recurrent seizures; (3) undernourishment during early development decreased neuronal density in CA1 and CA3 subfields. Our findings show that these three conditions induces important changes in hippocampal morphology, the most deleterious changes are induced by undernourishment and recurrent seizures, while more beneficial morphological changes are produced by enriched environment.

Estudio de la oportunidad en la administración de medicamentos anticonvulsivantes en un servicio de pediatria en Bogotá / Opportunity study drug administration anticonvulsants in a pediatric service in Bogota

El presente estudio, está enmarcado en la línea de investigación denominada Calidad en salud y enfermería de la Facultad de Enfermería de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Tiene como objetivo describir los elementos de estructura, proceso y resultado de la atención de enfermería relacionados con la oportunidad en la administración de medicamentos anticonvulsivantes en un servicio de pediatría de Bogotá. Es un estudio descriptivo con dos componentes: uno descriptivo univariado que permitió a partir de los hallazgos hacer una descripción de algunas variables de estructura, proceso y resultado que, desde la teoría, tienen relación con la administración de medicamentos, y el segundo componente descriptivo bivariado, permitió describir la relación entre la razón enfermero-a-paciente (variable de estructura) y la puntualidad en la administración de medicamentos (variable de proceso), a la vez que describir la relación entre cada una de las variables de estructura y proceso con la ocurrencia de eventos adversos (variable de resultado). La investigación se desarrolló en un servicio de hospitalización de una institución de tercer nivel de atención en Bogotá especializada en pediatría. La unidad de observación estuvo constituida por un periodo de 12 horas de tal manera que el día tenía dos periodos. Los datos se obtuvieron a través de la observación continua (24 horas), durante 150 periodos de tiempo, previa autorización de la institución. Se diseñó y utilizó un formato en el que se consignaron sistemática y ordenadamente los datos. Los resultados muestran que en términos de las variables observadas se cuenta con un protocolo disponible para la administración, hay buena disponibilidad de los medicamentos anticonvulsivantes y la razón paciente enfermero promedio es de 24:1. En proceso se encontró baja variabilidad del proceso, puntualidad en la administración de 1000 dosis e interrupciones ocasionadas fundamentalmente por llamadas telefónicas. En cuanto a resultado en el 62% de los turnos no se presentaron eventos convulsivos. Se encontró que no existe relación entre la razón paciente enfermero, con la variable puntualidad. No se encontraron correlaciones fuertes en los diferentes contextos entre las variables de estructura y proceso, con la variable de resultado "eventos convulsivos", sin embargo se evidenciaron correlaciones no nulas, aunque débiles.

This study is a contribution to the research line of health and nursing quality of the Nursing faculty at the National University of Colombia. Its purpose is to describe the elements of structure, process and outcome of nursing care related to the timing of anticonvulsant medication administration in a pediatric ward of Bogotá. It is a descriptive study with two components: one that allowed descriptive univariate findings from a description of some variables of structure, process and outcome, from the theory, are related to medication administration, and the second component bivariate descriptive, allowed to describe the relationship between nurse-to-patient ratio (variable structure) and timely medication administration (process variable), while describing the relationship between each of the variables of structure and process the occurrence of adverse events (outcome variable).The research took place in a tertiary care level pediatric hospital specialized located in Bogotá. The observation unit consisted of a period of 12 hours. The data were obtained through continuous observation (24 hours), along 150 periods, with the previous authorization of the institution. A format was designed and used to record and organize systematically the data. The results show that in terms of the observed variables has a protocol is available for administration, there is good availability of anticonvulsant medication and nurse-to-patient ratio averages 24:1. In process showed low variability of the process, timely administration of 1000 doses and disruptions caused mainly by telephone. As a result in 62% of shifts were not presented convulsive events. We found no relationship between the nurse-to-patient ratio, with variable punctuality. No strong correlations were found in different contexts between structure and process variables with the outcome variable "convulsive events", however non-zero correlations were evident, albeit weak.

Effects of enriched environment in spatial learning and memory of immature rats submitted to early undernourish and seizures.

We recently reported that early undernourishment and seizures to the rat brain resulted in morphological changes and progressive learning and memory disability, which started at around 6 week later and is representative of human adolescence. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether enriched environmental can recovery this slowly progressing deficits in early undernourished and in two different models for seizures. Undernourished groups were maintained on a nutritional deprivation regimen from post-natal day 2 (P2) to P15. From P8 to P10, recurrent seizures (RS) groups were exposed to three seizures per day, while status epilepticus (SE) groups experienced status epilepticus at P16, both induced by flurothyl. Next, animals were exposed to enriched environment between P30 and P60. Beginning at P61, all groups were trained and tested in the Morris water maze (MWM). Enriched environment led to a significant benefit in learning and retention of visual-spatial memory, being able to reverse the cognitive impairment generated by undernourishment and SE.

Crisis convulsivas de difícil manejo secundarias a dependencia de piridoxina: presentación de un caso

Se presenta el caso de un lactante, con crísis clónicas inicialmente y luego tónicoclónicas que lo llevan finalmente a status epiléptico, secundarias a déficit de piridoxina. El caso debe alertar sobre la posibilidad de procesos infrecuentes, como el de este ejemplo, como causa de cuadros convulsivos de difícil manejo.

Protocolo para la atencion de enfermeria a pacientes con sindrome convulsivo en el servicio de urgencias del Hospital San Juan de Dios / Nursing care protocol for patients with convulsive syndrome in the hospital San Juan de Dios emergency room

En este trabajo se establece un modelo de protocolo para orientar el manejo de enfermeria al paciente que padece un transtorno convulsivo. Tiene un enfoque eminentemente teorico y por consiguiente debe evaluarse en la practica, en el servicio de urgencias. Para ello se diseno un instrumento de valoracion del paciente que permite detectar precozmente su condicion de salud, y prevenir los episodios convulsivos.