jueves, 31 de julio de 2014

Effect of dietary prebiotic supplementation on advanced glycation, insulin resistance and inflammatory biomarkers in adults with pre-diabetes: a study protocol for a double-blind placebo-controlled randomised crossover clinical trial.

Muy interesante....

2014 Jul 10;14:55. doi: 10.1186/1472-6823-14-55.

Effect of dietary prebiotic supplementation on advanced glycation, insulin resistance and inflammatory biomarkers in adults with pre-diabetes: a study protocol for a double-blind placebo-controlled randomised crossover clinical trial.

Kellow NJ¹, Coughlan MT, Savige GS, Reid CM.

Author information

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) contribute to the development of vascular complications of diabetes and have been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Since AGEs are generated within foodstuffs upon food processing, it is increasingly recognised that the modern diet is replete with AGEs. AGEs are thought to stimulate chronic low-grade inflammation and promote oxidative stress and have been linked to the development of insulin resistance. Simple therapeutic strategies targeted at attenuating the progression of chronic low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance are urgently required to prevent or slow the development of type 2 diabetes in susceptible individuals. Dietary modulation of the human colonic microbiota has been shown to confer a number of health benefits to the host, but its effect on advanced glycation is unknown. The aim of this article is to describe the methodology of a double-blind placebo-controlled randomised crossover trial designed to determine the effect of 12 week consumption of a prebiotic dietary supplement on the advanced glycation pathway, insulin sensitivity and chronic low-grade inflammation in adults with pre-diabetes.

METHODS/DESIGN:

Thirty adults with pre-diabetes (Impaired Glucose Tolerance or Impaired Fasting Glucose) aged between 40-60 years will be randomly assigned to receive either 10 grams of prebiotic (inulin/oligofructose) daily or 10 grams placebo (maltodextrin) daily for 12 weeks. After a 2-week washout period, study subjects will crossover to receive the alternative dietary treatment for 12 weeks. The primary outcome is the difference in markers of the advanced glycation pathway carboxymethyllysine (CML) and methylglyoxal (MG) between experimental and control treatments. Secondary outcomes include HbA1c, insulin sensitivity, lipid levels, blood pressure, serum glutathione, adiponectin, IL-6, E-selectin, myeloperoxidase, C-reactive protein, Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4), soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE), urinary 8-isoprostanes, faecal bacterial composition and short chain fatty acid profile. Anthropometric measures including BMI and waist circumference will be collected in addition to comprehensive dietary and lifestyle data.

DISCUSSION:

Prebiotics which selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the human colon might offer protection against AGE-related pathology in people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION:

Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): ACTRN12613000130763

miércoles, 30 de julio de 2014

Cuanto se debe dormir ?

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/how-much-sleep-do-you-really-need

lunes, 28 de julio de 2014

Alerta y Respuesta Mundiales (GAR) - Enfermedad por el virus del Ebola en África Occidental — Actualización

Brote epidémico
19 de julio de 2014

Epidemiología y vigilancia

La OMS sigue de cerca la evolución del brote de enfermedad por el virus del Ebola (EVE) en Guinea, Liberia y Sierra Leona. La epidemia sigue siendo grave en Liberia y Sierra Leona, donde ha habido 67 nuevos casos confirmados, probables y posibles, 19 de ellos mortales, entre el 15 y el 17 de julio de 2014. El brote de EVE en Guinea sigue mostrando una tendencia a la baja, sin que se hayan notificado nuevos casos en este periodo. Se está efectuando un análisis crítico de la actual respuesta al brote para fundamentar el proceso de elaboración de planes operacionales nacionales priorizados, cuya aplicación será esencial para revertir la actual evolución del brote, sobre todo en Liberia y Sierra Leona.

Completo en: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_07_19_ebola/es/

Más info: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/guinea/

miércoles, 16 de julio de 2014

Electronic Atlas of Ancient Maya sites

En la página de Electronic Atlas of Ancient Maya sites podrán descargar una serie de mapas del área maya, así también encontrarán un enlace para abrir con Google Earth una gran cantidad de sitios arqueológicos y podrán obtener las coordenadas geográficas de los mismos.

El enlace es:

http://mayagis.smv.org/index.htm

domingo, 13 de julio de 2014

Es así como Guatemala está en los últimos lugares del desarrollo humano

Manolo E. Vela Castañeda | manolo.vela@ibero.mx - Los sistemas de partidos políticos son uno de los grandes temas de la ciencia política. En varios países de América Latina los partidos forman parte del paisaje, y tienen una larga vida. En Chile, tenemos a la Unión Demócrata Independiente, y a la coalición de izquierdas, liderada por los socialistas; en México, están el Partido de Acción Nacional (PAN), el Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), y el Partido de la Revolución Institucional (PRI); en El Salvador, están la Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (Arena), y el Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN). En Honduras liberales y nacionalistas habían cohabitado por décadas, hasta que en 2013 una tercera fuerza –Partido Libertad y Refundación (Libre) irrumpió. Y así podríamos seguir ilustrando casos y casos de Estados, en donde los partidos son instituciones estables. Y ocurre de vez en cuando un terremoto político, que barre con los partidos existentes, como lo acontecido, desde finales de la década de los noventa, en Venezuela, Bolivia, y Ecuador. Pero, en ese contexto, el sistema de partidos políticos de Guatemala es un caso raro. No ha habido ni terremotos políticos, ni partidos que sobrevivan. Después de gobernar, al cabo de unas cuantas elecciones más, los partidos perecen; le dejan su espacio a otros, que simplemente toman el relevo. ¿Qué país es este que devora a sus partidos?

Pero quizá los estudiosos de la política en Guatemala han obviado algo: la existencia de una agrupación de intereses que, en términos reales, no funciona como tal, sino como un mega partido.

¿Qué es una organización de intereses? es un grupo de personas que coinciden con el propósito de plantear sus demandas ante los representantes electos; para ello, como parte de su repertorio, empleando redes de influencia, utilizan estrategias de cabildeo, presión en los medios de comunicación, y también emplean recursos económicos, entre otros. Y a esto se le conoce como proceso –muy normal en toda democracia– de intermediación de intereses, el mismo que da forma a las decisiones políticas. Y claro, todas las sociedades se caracterizan por una –mayor o menos– desigualdad en la forma como los grupos influyen en la toma de decisiones.

Pero el megapartido CACIF, el Comité Coordinador de Asociaciones Agrícolas, Comerciales, Industriales y Financieras, la organización de la patronal guatemalteca, a pesar de no presentarse de forma directa en las elecciones tiene a “sus” diputados, congresistas que le son más fieles a ellos, que a los partidos que –solo formalmente– les inscribieron en sus listas. Se hace también de posiciones en los gabinetes de Gobierno. Y mantiene un incontrolable cruce de intereses entre abogados de grandes consorcios empresariales que luego se hacen magistrados.

Como ayer fue el Movimiento de Liberación Nacional (MLN); la Unión del Centro Nacional (UCN); el Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN); la Gran Alianza Nacional, (Gana); hoy es el Partido Patriota (PP). Los partidos van y vienen y el megapartido CACIF permanece. Su relación con estos es la de un intercambio: el Gobierno se compromete a no abordar temas molestos para los empresarios; a cambio de que la patronal desista de emplear su aplastante fuerza en los medios de comunicación; y así, los partidos logran salir vivos de la Presidencia, para disfrutar del dinero –bien o mal habido, eso a los empresarios no les interesa– que amasaron.

En esta relación, el megapartido CACIF transforma a los políticos –que se dejan, claro está– en sus perritos falderos ¿Es usted uno de ellos, examínese? Les amaestra, quitándoles toda idea de poder, de soberanía popular, de autonomía en la toma de decisiones. Les coloca su gorrito de colores; y les pone a hacer miradas tiernas. A condición de que el país pierda, políticos y empresarios ganan. Los políticos se hacen más pillos de lo que ya eran, porque actúan a sabiendas de que cuentan con garantía de impunidad; y los empresarios terminan contradiciendo la filosofía del emprendimiento y la responsabilidad social empresarial. Ya en adelante, el “éxito empresarial” consiste en obtener, por parte de los políticos, concesiones, obras y compras, operar en un contexto en el que se pagan impuestos y salarios bajos, y contar con una Policía que puede controlar el desorden. No hay grandes empresarios, que inviertan en investigación, que creen patentes, que compitan, que se miren en la punta de los desarrollos tecnológicos a nivel mundial… Se trata de una elite, cegada por un pobre fundamentalismo neoliberal, que no tiene compromiso con los grandes temas del país, esos que nos siguen colocando en los últimos lugares del desarrollo humano.

Fuente: http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20140706/domingo/250343/

Do Healthcare CEOs Deserve More Money Than Doctors?

When politicians and government officials talk about high healthcare costs, physician earnings and salary tend to be at the heart of those discussions.

And yet, there are other players in the healthcare arena who earn much more than physicians -- in particular, much more than primary care physicians.

At a lot of health insurance companies, hospital systems, and large academic hospitals, many chief executive officers (CEOs) earn millions of dollars per year, far exceeding what any practicing physician makes.

This wide gap is troubling to some doctors. They wonder what it says about the importance of clinical work, the stress of patient care, and the training needed to become a physician.

Researchers have pinned the average income for a CEO at a nonprofit hospital at almost $600,000, with CEOs at large networks and large teaching hospitals making much more than that. In California, for example, no fewer than 32 CEOs at nonprofit hospitals made more than $1 million per year in 2013. In addition to base pay, healthcare CEOs can make a great deal more in bonuses -- and, at for-profit organizations, in stock options.

Does the amount of CEO pay have anything to do with raising quality of care, or even improving the hospital's bottom line? Not according to a recent study^[1] in JAMA Internal Medicine, which examined pay for CEOs at not-for-profit hospitals. The study found no significant association between CEO compensation and the hospitals' finances or these organizations' quality, mortality, or readmission rates.

Paying healthcare CEOs a lot of money without solid outcomes troubles Roy M. Poses, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, who blogs at Health Care Renewal (http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com). "I certainly think it takes talent to run a hospital well," he said, "but it's not clear that only really talented CEOs get high compensation."

Fuente: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/827501?src=emailthis

Aluminium deodorants: Sweating with fear without proof

hildren's toys are often criticised, health investigators repeatedly find substances of concern in plastic bottles and sweaters as well. For several years now another group of products has been working up tempers too: deodorants. One group of active substances in particular is subject to discussion.

Many deodorants contain aluminium salts such as aluminium chlorohydrate. These pull the skin together and clog sweat pores like a cork. In this way they ensure that one sweats less.

For the cosmetics industry, these materials are an asset. For some time however, the rumour has been going around that aluminium is supposed to increase the risk of breast cancer and power the development of Alzheimer disease. Only recently a film on French-German TV channel ARTE unsettled many consumers. The audience got to know a cancer patient who suspected the existence of a link between her illness and deodorant use. The scientist and oncologist Philippa Darbre expressed her views on this. She claims to have found that aluminium transforms healthy breast cells in Petri dishes into cancer cells.

Aluminium-containing deodorants in any supermarket. A scandal?

It’s not quite so simple. If one looks at the film more closely, it becomes clear that fears are provoked here without providing real facts. High doses of aluminium act as a poison, which can cause the body serious harm. But what occurs with small amounts such as those found in deodorants? In fact, no one can tell thus far whether the aluminium contained increases the risk of breast cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. The available studies show inconsistency and most studies do not meet the required academic standards. It is true that scientists in recent years have noted an increased development of tumours in the upper-outer quadrant, that part of the chest which is particularly close to the armpits. Beyond that the influence of aluminium was studied.

Among other things, a piece of work was published according to which higher aluminium concentrations were able to be detected in the liquid of the nipples of breast cancer patients than in healthy subjects. Other studies however showed no noticeable differences between the aluminium contents in healthy and diseased breast tissue. But even if aluminium should accumulate in cancer cells, this does not yet mean that the substance is also the causeresponsible for the disease. The aluminium might also accumulate as a result of changes in the tissue.

Do not apply to freshly shaved skin

In order to provide a better overview, the Scientific Committee of the European Commission for Consumer Safety is grappling with the topic. The experts looked once again at all previous studies. They weren’t able to recognise any acute danger: “The SCCS is of the opinion that the available information does not support the concerns about a possible cancer-promoting effect of aluminium”, it states in the provisional opinion statement, which was able to be commented on until May 26. Nevertheless, experts advise that aluminium-containing deodorants at least not be applied to freshly shaved skin. From outside, the metal compounds can indeed only with difficulty find their way into the body. Experts assume that a few milligrams of aluminium are applied with a deodorant, but of this probably only tiny amounts in the microgram range manage to reach the bloodstream. The sharp blades of a razor, however, lead to micro-injuries to the skin. Through these far more aluminium can be absorbed than through intact skin.

In addition, aluminium does not only exist in deodorants. As the third most abundant element in the earth’s crust, aluminium is a natural component of human plant-based nourishment. It occurs in foods such as tea, cocoa, chocolate, lettuce and vegetables. As a dye component it is mixed in industrial sugar-based and bakery products, or cosmetics such as lipstick and eye-shadow. It is to be found even in toothpastes or sunscreens, small amounts of the metal are transmitted from fine metal coverings and films to the food. In this way too much of the metal may be managing to enter the body. “The tolerable upper intake level is probably reached solely via food for a part of the population”, says the German Federal Institute for Risk Research, the BfR. Add to this the burden of aluminium-containing deodorants, the limit could at least sometimes get exceeded and aluminium thus accumulate, for example, in the lungs, skeletal system or brain.

Studies with consistent body of data needed

Nevertheless, there is also repeated reporting of a risk for Alzheimer’s. Researchers have found the metal – among many other substances – in the amyloid plaques of diseased brains. But it is involved in their creation? The experts of the SCCS play down the issue on the basis of a lack of unequivocal results. A similar conclusion was previously reached by the German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment. In February this year they wrote in an opinion piece: “Several epidemiological studies that attempt to prove a relationship between the intake of aluminium (…) and Alzheimer’s disease do not permit any scientific deduction because of the inconsistent nature of the data”. The consumer policy spokesperson of the German Greens, Nicole Maisch, has now urged the government to better guarantee the safety of cosmetics: “Consumers need to be informed about possible health dangers”. The German federal government wants to deal with the issue. Upon a request from the Green Group in the Bundestag the German Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection replied that the measures needed would be discussed. What’s more, an additional labelling system for the cosmetics involved would be tested out.

What is needed now are good studies that will work out – free from conflicts of interest – whether or not and how aluminium present in cosmetic products can harm health. Scientists need to find out what the reasonable limits for the various aluminium compounds are and how consumers can avoid an increased intake. Whoever would like to do without deodorants with aluminium already has a large selection available. A look at the ingredients is enough. Some manufacturers already advertise on their packaging the fact that their product does not include aluminium.

Fuente: http://news.doccheck.com/en/newsletter/938/6588/?utm_source=DC-Newsletter&utm_medium=E-Mail&utm_campaign=Newsletter-EN-DocCheck+News-2014-06-17&user=1479eb13b686c9c528b8911e6b9e012b&n=938&d=28&chk=da5b308eda9b900117c217449a0fb028