Latanoprost Mylan Pharmaceuticals 0,005%/2,5ml, nuevo lanzamiento en oftalmología.

Con la responsabilidad de acercar la salud a todos los colectivos y ampliar su vademécum para ofrecer una gama de productos de calidad en el área de Oftalmología, Mylan Pharmaceuticals lanza Latanoprost Mylan Pharmaceuticals.

Latanoprost Mylan Pharmaceuticals está indicado para la reducción de la presión intraocular elevada en pacientes con glaucoma de ángulo abierto e hipertensión ocular.

Mylan, con presencia en más de 150 países y territorios, es una de las compañías líderes mundiales en medicamentos genéricos y especiales. Posee uno de los portafolios más amplios y de la más alta calidad además de una de las carteras más importantes de productos en desarrollo. Asimismo, dirige una de las mayores compañías de principios activos farmacéuticos del mundo. En nuestro país, Mylan suministra medicamentos especiales y genéricos, con una fuerte especialización en las áreas de cardiología, osteoporosis, antiinfecciosos, digestivo y sistema nervioso central (neurología y psiquiatría).

Aumentan las reconsultas en Urgencias por intoxicación por cocaína‏

Cada vez es más frecuente realizar segundas visitas a urgencias por motivo de una intoxicación por consumo de cocaína en los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios. Según los resultados prelimitares del estudio MARRIED-COCAINE, un estudio multicéntrico llevado a cabo en 6 servicios de urgencias españoles, al cabo de un mes de la primera visita el riesgo de reconsulta es del 7 por ciento, al cabo del año del 18 por ciento y al cabo de dos se eleva al 22 por ciento. El doctor Óscar Miró, del Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, presentó estos datos en la jornada de urgencias por drogas de abuso del jueves pasado, organizada por la Societat Catalana de Medicina d’Urgències i Emergències y Área Científica Menarini.
Con el objetivo de conocer los motivos por los cuales los pacientes que son atendidos por esta causa regresan al hospital, el mencionado estudio (MARRIED-COCAINE) liderado por el Hospital Clínic de Barcelona ha puesto al descubierto cuatro factores predictores independientes de nuevas visitas al hospital: que la primera consulta haya sido en día laborable, que el paciente hay requerido valoración psiquiátrica, que se haya realizado una consulta previa por consumo de alcohol y que se haya consultado antes por consumo de otras drogas. Con todo, el doctor Miró apuntó que cuando dispongan de los datos completos se podrá planificar de forma más eficiente la asistencia hospitalaria a este tipo de enfermos y sobre todo el plan al alta de los mismos.
El estudio, que incluyó a más de 800 pacientes, también ha servido para realizar un retrato robot del consumidor de cocaína: joven, varón que consume mayormente en horario nocturno y en fin de semana. Actualmente representan del 15 al 20 por ciento de consultas toxicológicas en España, que se calcula que suponen en total unas 25.000 consultas al año a los servicios de urgencias relacionadas con el consumo de esta droga.

-Complicaciones cardiovasculares
El doctor Guillermo Burillo, del Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital Universitario de Canarias, centró su ponencia en los efectos cardiovasculares de la cocaína. "No hay que olvidar que los consumidores de cocaína, la mayoría menores de 45 años, son un reservorio de pacientes que en un futuro va a tener problemas cardiovasculares". El doctor Burillo señaló que la hipertermia, el shock y el coma son las complicaciones más graves que puede desencadenar un consumo excesivo de cocaína y que pueden provocar la muerte.
En referencia al dolor torácico, el doctor Miquel Sánchez, presidente de la Societat Catalana de Medicina d’Urgències, afirmó que aunque en pocos casos finalmente llega a resultar un infarto de miocardio, existe un 4 por ciento más de riesgo en los consumidores de cocaína. Aún así, el doctor Sánchez, del Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital Clínic, reconoce que "el pronóstico de este tipo de enfermos en general es relativamente bueno".

Research team identifies receptor for Ebola virus

A team of researchers has identified a cellular protein that acts as a receptor for Ebola virus and Marburg virus. Furthermore, the team showed that an antibody, which binds to the receptor protein, is able to block infection by both viruses. "This is the first receptor identified for Ebola and Marburg viruses," said Wendy Maury, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and senior study author. "That's important because if you can identify and understand the first step in infection - how the virus enters cells - then perhaps you can prevent the infection by nipping it in the bud."
Ebola and Marburg viruses cause hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates. For some strains, infection can lead to death in 50 to 90 percent of cases, and there is no cure or effective treatment. The findings are published online the week of May 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
Maury led a multidisciplinary team that included colleagues from four UI departments as well as collaborators at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in Bethesda, Md., University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and Biogen Idec, in Cambridge, Mass.
The researchers used a new bioinformatics-based approach, developed by John Chiorini at NIDCR, to identify a protein called TIM-1 as a receptor for Ebola and Marburg viruses. Subsequent experiments proved that both Ebola and Marburg viruses use TIM-1 is a receptor for infecting cells.
The study also showed that TIM-1 protein is widely expressed on epithelial cells that line various tissues in the body including mucosal surfaces of the airways and in the eyes.
Maury noted that these locations are consistent with some of the ways the Ebola virus is thought to be transmitted -- inhalation of aerosolized droplets and hand-to-eye contact.
A further collaboration with Paul Rennert, Ph.D., at Biogen Idec, a biotech company based in Cambridge, Mass., provided the team with antibodies targeted to TIM-1 and the team found that one of these antibodies, ARD5, very effectively blocks Ebola and Marburg virus entry into cells.
Finally, work performed by Robert Davey, Ph.D., in a BSL-4 lab (the highest level of biocontainment) at University of Texas Medical Branch verified that the ARD5 antibody blocks infection by infectious Zaire Ebola Virus in cells that express the TIM-1 protein.
The results suggest that being able to block Ebola's entry into epithelial cells, perhaps with a human-compatible version of the ARD5 antibody, might provide a way to prevent initial infection and potentially limit the spread of the disease during an outbreak.
Importantly, the study found that TIM-1 protein is not expressed on all the cell types that are infected by Ebola and Marburg.
"It's clear that there are other receptors for Ebola because while TIM-1 is found on a number of epithelial cells in the body, it is not found on some important cell types that are infected by Ebola," Maury said. "Ultimately, epithelial cells are not as important a target for the virus as some other cell types, but they may be the first entry point for Ebola, so they may provide a conduit that allows Ebola access to those other cells within the body."

**Source: University of Iowa Health Care

A little belly fat can double the risk of death in coronary artery disease patients

One of the largest studies of its kind has found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or muffin top are at higher risk for death than people whose fat collects elsewhere. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI). The findings of this Mayo Clinic analysis are published in the May 10 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers analyzed data from 15,923 people with coronary artery disease involved in five studies from around the world. They found that those with coronary artery disease and central obesity, measured by waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, have up to twice the risk of dying. That is equivalent to the risk of smoking a pack of cigarettes per day or having very high cholesterol, particularly for men.

The findings refute the obesity paradox, a puzzling finding in many studies that shows that patients with a higher BMI and chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease have better survival odds than normal-weight individuals.

"We suspected that the obesity paradox was happening because BMI is not a good measure of body fatness and gives no insight into the distribution of fat," says Thais Coutinho, M.D., the study's lead author and a cardiology fellow at Mayo Clinic. "BMI is just a measure of weight in proportion to height. What seems to be more important is how the fat is distributed on the body,'' she says.

Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., the project's lead investigator and director of the Cardiometabolic Program at Mayo Clinic, explains why this type of fat may be more harmful: "Visceral fat has been found to be more metabolically active. It produces more changes in cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. However, people who have fat mostly in other locations in the body, specifically, the legs and buttocks, don't show this increased risk."

The researchers say physicians should counsel coronary artery disease patients who have normal BMIs to lose weight if they have a large waist circumference or a high waist-to-hip ratio. The measure is very easy to use, Dr. Coutinho says: "All it takes is a tape measure and one minute of a physician's time to measure the perimeter of a patient's waist and hip."

The research subjects were diverse, coming from studies in the U.S. (Rochester, Minn. and San Francisco, Calif.), Denmark, France and Korea. The inclusion of different ethnic groups makes the study more applicable to the real world, Dr. Coutinho says.

**Source: Mayo Clinic

Cataluña: Yoga en las aulas para mejores concentración y conducta

Instituto Mercè Rodoreda de l’ Hospitalet de Llobregat. Once de la mañana, clase de inglés. Los veinte chavales –entre 12 y 13 años– están en el aula, ante sus pupitres, relajados y en un silencio absoluto. “¿Silencio? ¿Qué es eso?”, bromea la profesora de otra escuela al conocer la experiencia. El milagro se debe a la práctica de yoga en clase.

Breves sesiones de yoga adaptadas al contexto escolar, con los alumnos sentados o de pie, entre mesa y silla, bastan para devolver la calma a una clase en plena revolución. “Es evidente que los estiramientos consiguen enderezar la espalda y unos simples ejercicios de respiración calman y mejoran la atención”. Pero no es esta una fórmula que deba tomarse como solución de urgencia para tranquilizar a los alumnos más inquietos. Va mucho más allá. “Son enseñanzas que les sirven fuera de la escuela. Pueden usarlas de por vida: en momentos de estrés, ante una situación agobiante, etcétera... Y en clase, por supuesto, los conflictos disminuyen y ellos se responsabilizan”, explica la profesora Lídia Serra.

“En nuestro gremio, últimamente, estamos viendo muchos casos de maestros con depresiones, con ansiedad... De hecho, empezamos a asistir a clases de yoga para nosotros, los adultos. Y allí descubrimos las aplicaciones en el alumnado”, confiesa Lídia. Ella forma parte del grupo de profesionales que, desde hace cinco años, están introduciendo en Catalunya unas técnicas que en algunos países de Europa –como Francia– ya llevan treinta en las aulas. Puede encontrarse yoga, además, dentro de la lista de optativas de escuelas inglesas, norteamericanas, rusas, australianas...

Constituidos como grupo de trabajo del Institut de Ciències de l’Educació (ICE) de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), esta veintena de personas –docentes y no docentes– trabajan en el yoga, se forman y, a su vez, imparten sus enseñanzas a maestros. Defienden las ventajas de la aplicación del yoga en clase, desde la educación infantil al bachillerato. “Si, como hemos visto, armoniza absolutamente con la nueva ley educativa, si responde a las demandas del informe Delors y la pedagogía sistémica... ¿por qué no llega un respaldo institucional más definitivo?”, plantea Serra.

Los estudios les dan la razón: son técnicas que estimulan las capacidades de aprendizaje y motivación, pulen la relación entre alumnos y profesor, disminuyen la agitación propia de las clases, aumentan el grado de atención y mejoran la conducta. “Los primeros días algunos se sienten extraños, pero luego ellos mismos son los que te piden las técnicas”, explica Eulàlia Muñoz, profesora de inglés que lleva doce años usando el yoga en clase y cinco en el grupo de trabajo. Recibió su formación en Francia. Detalla las ventajas: “Aumenta de modo espectacular la complicidad entre profesor y alumno. Se trata de un trabajo emocional que deja que cada uno crezca a su modo. Aquí no hay uno que lidera y otro que se aparta. Todos son capaces –el niño tímido o el violento– y eso aumenta su autoconocimiento, socialización y concentración”.

El yoga, en definitiva, sería una lección democrática: “Aquí desaparecen los roles, no hay nadie mejor ni peor”.

**Publicado en "LA VANGUARDIA"

Washing with contaminated soap increases bacteria on hands

People who wash their hands with contaminated soap from bulk-soap-refillable dispensers can increase the number of disease-causing microbes on their hands and may play a role in transmission of bacteria in public settings according to research published in the May issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. "Hand washing with soap and water is a universally accepted practice for reducing the transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms. However, liquid soap can become contaminated with bacteria and poses a recognized health risk in health care settings," says Carrie Zapka from GOJO Industries in Akron Ohio, the lead researcher on the study that also included scientists from BioScience Laboratories in Bozeman, Montana and the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Bulk-soap-refillable dispensers, in which new soap is poured into a dispenser, are the predominant soap dispenser type in community settings, such as public restrooms. In contrast to sealed-soap dispensers, which are refilled by inserting a new bag or cartridge of soap, they are prone to bacterial contamination and several outbreaks linked to the use of contaminated soap have already been reported in healthcare settings.
In this study Zapka and her colleagues investigated the health risk associated with the use of bulk-soap-refillable dispensers in a community setting. They found an elementary school where all 14 of the soap dispensers were already contaminated and asked students and staff to wash their hands, measuring bacteria levels before and after handwashing. They found that Gram-negative bacteria on the hands of students and staff increased 26-fold after washing with the contaminated soap.
"This is the first study to quantitatively demonstrate that washing hands with contaminated liquid soap actually increases the number of Gram-negative bacteria on hands. Furthermore, the results directly demonstrate that bacteria from contaminated hands can be transferred to secondary surfaces," says Zapka.
Zapka notes that all the participants' hands were decontaminated after testing by washing with uncontaminated soap followed by hand sanitizer. At the conclusion of the study, all the contaminated soap dispensers were replaced with dispensers using sealed-soap refills. After one year of use, not one of them was found to be contaminated.

**Source: American Society for Microbiology

Washing with contaminated soap increases bacteria on hands

People who wash their hands with contaminated soap from bulk-soap-refillable dispensers can increase the number of disease-causing microbes on their hands and may play a role in transmission of bacteria in public settings according to research published in the May issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. "Hand washing with soap and water is a universally accepted practice for reducing the transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms. However, liquid soap can become contaminated with bacteria and poses a recognized health risk in health care settings," says Carrie Zapka from GOJO Industries in Akron Ohio, the lead researcher on the study that also included scientists from BioScience Laboratories in Bozeman, Montana and the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Bulk-soap-refillable dispensers, in which new soap is poured into a dispenser, are the predominant soap dispenser type in community settings, such as public restrooms. In contrast to sealed-soap dispensers, which are refilled by inserting a new bag or cartridge of soap, they are prone to bacterial contamination and several outbreaks linked to the use of contaminated soap have already been reported in healthcare settings.
In this study Zapka and her colleagues investigated the health risk associated with the use of bulk-soap-refillable dispensers in a community setting. They found an elementary school where all 14 of the soap dispensers were already contaminated and asked students and staff to wash their hands, measuring bacteria levels before and after handwashing. They found that Gram-negative bacteria on the hands of students and staff increased 26-fold after washing with the contaminated soap.
"This is the first study to quantitatively demonstrate that washing hands with contaminated liquid soap actually increases the number of Gram-negative bacteria on hands. Furthermore, the results directly demonstrate that bacteria from contaminated hands can be transferred to secondary surfaces," says Zapka.
Zapka notes that all the participants' hands were decontaminated after testing by washing with uncontaminated soap followed by hand sanitizer. At the conclusion of the study, all the contaminated soap dispensers were replaced with dispensers using sealed-soap refills. After one year of use, not one of them was found to be contaminated.

**Source: American Society for Microbiology