Fue un acuerdo de asamblea. Y ahora se pone en marcha. El Barcelona ha anunciado que a partir de enero no se podrá fumar en el Camp Nou. El club, a través de Toni Freixa, portavoz y secretario de la junta, ha comunicado que a partir del 19 de noviembre ya no se podrá fumar en el interior del estadio. Será, por lo tanto, un Camp Nou sin humos.
"El socio que fume será avisado y si persiste su caso será estudiado por la comisión de disciplina", ha declarado Freixa, recalcando que si se trata de un aficionado, que no sea socio, "irá a la calle".
Además, la directiva ha informado que a partir del mes de enero habrá 250 abonos nuevos (todos los que estaban libres por impago) y a mitad de precio porque ya se habrá disputado la mitad de la temporada. Se repartirán, por lo tanto, entre los socios que están en la lista de espera.
25 October 2011
Exposure to chemical BPA before birth linked to behavioral, emotional difficulties in girls
Exposure in the womb to bisphenol A (BPA) -- a chemical used to make plastic containers and other consumer goods -- is associated with behavior and emotional problems in young girls, according to a study led by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. BPA is found in many consumer products, including canned food linings, polycarbonate plastics, dental sealants, and some receipts made from thermal paper. Most people living in industrialized nations are exposed to BPA. BPA has been shown to interfere with normal development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in people. In a 2009 study, HSPH researchers showed that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased the level of urinary BPA.
In this study, published Oct. 24, 2011, in an advance online edition of Pediatrics, lead author Joe Braun, research fellow in environmental health at HSPH, and his colleagues found that gestational BPA exposure was associated with more behavioral problems at age 3, especially in girls.
The researchers collected data from 244 mothers and their 3-year-old children in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study, conducted in the Cincinnati area. Mothers provided three urine samples during pregnancy and at birth that were tested for BPA; their children were tested each year from ages 1 to 3. When the children were 3 years old, the mothers completed surveys about their children's behavior."None of the children had clinically abnormal behavior, but some children had more behavior problems than others. Thus, we examined the relationship between the mom's and children's BPA concentrations and the different behaviors," Braun said.
BPA was detected in over 85% of the urine samples from the mothers and over 96% of the children's urine samples. The researchers found that maternal BPA concentrations were similar between the first sample and birth. The children's BPA levels decreased from ages 1 to 3, but were higher and more variable than that of their mothers.
After adjusting for possible contributing factors, increasing gestational BPA concentrations were associated with more hyperactive, aggressive, anxious, and depressed behavior and poorer emotional control and inhibition in the girls. This relationship was not seen in the boys.
The study confirms two prior studies showing that exposure to BPA in the womb impacts child behavior, but is the first to show that in utero exposures are more important than exposures during childhood, Braun said. "Gestational, but not childhood BPA exposures, may impact neurobehavioral function, and girls appear to be more sensitive to BPA than boys," he said.
Although more research is needed to fully understand the health effects of BPA exposure, clinicians can advise those concerned to reduce their BPA exposure by avoiding canned and packaged foods, thermal paper sales receipts, and polycarbonate bottles with the number 7 recycling symbol, the authors wrote. Bruce Lanphear of Simon Fraser University was senior author of the study.
The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
**Source: Harvard School of Public Health
In this study, published Oct. 24, 2011, in an advance online edition of Pediatrics, lead author Joe Braun, research fellow in environmental health at HSPH, and his colleagues found that gestational BPA exposure was associated with more behavioral problems at age 3, especially in girls.
The researchers collected data from 244 mothers and their 3-year-old children in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study, conducted in the Cincinnati area. Mothers provided three urine samples during pregnancy and at birth that were tested for BPA; their children were tested each year from ages 1 to 3. When the children were 3 years old, the mothers completed surveys about their children's behavior."None of the children had clinically abnormal behavior, but some children had more behavior problems than others. Thus, we examined the relationship between the mom's and children's BPA concentrations and the different behaviors," Braun said.
BPA was detected in over 85% of the urine samples from the mothers and over 96% of the children's urine samples. The researchers found that maternal BPA concentrations were similar between the first sample and birth. The children's BPA levels decreased from ages 1 to 3, but were higher and more variable than that of their mothers.
After adjusting for possible contributing factors, increasing gestational BPA concentrations were associated with more hyperactive, aggressive, anxious, and depressed behavior and poorer emotional control and inhibition in the girls. This relationship was not seen in the boys.
The study confirms two prior studies showing that exposure to BPA in the womb impacts child behavior, but is the first to show that in utero exposures are more important than exposures during childhood, Braun said. "Gestational, but not childhood BPA exposures, may impact neurobehavioral function, and girls appear to be more sensitive to BPA than boys," he said.
Although more research is needed to fully understand the health effects of BPA exposure, clinicians can advise those concerned to reduce their BPA exposure by avoiding canned and packaged foods, thermal paper sales receipts, and polycarbonate bottles with the number 7 recycling symbol, the authors wrote. Bruce Lanphear of Simon Fraser University was senior author of the study.
The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
**Source: Harvard School of Public Health
La diálisis domiciliaria libera a los pacientes de los hospitales
Diálisis suena a condena. A pena de hospital y máquina, tres días en semana durante cuatro horas. Suena a dependencia y a dejar de hacer una vida normal. Quienes se someten a este tratamiento padecen una insuficiencia renal avanzada. Sus riñones no son capaces de filtrar qué debe llegar a la sangre y tienen que limpiarla para sobrevivir. Suelen ser personas de edad avanzada, pero no siempre. Las hay jóvenes que quieren seguir trabajando, viajar y moverse sin estar atados a un centro de salud. Y hace años que pueden. Existe una técnica veterana y fiable, pero no demasiado implantada (algo más de un 10% de los casos), que permite dializarse en casa, al ritmo que el paciente prefiera, con limitaciones, pero que le da mucha más libertad que el método más común.
El tratamiento es la diálisis peritoneal. La hemodiálisis, que obliga al enfermo a acudir tres o cuatro veces por semana a un centro con el equipamiento adecuado, consiste en sacar sangre al paciente, depurarla y devolverla a su cuerpo; la peritoneal elimina las sustancias tóxicas introduciendo una solución salina en el abdomen del paciente, que absorbe los componentes dañinos antes de ser desechada.
Cuando hace dos años le ofrecieron las dos posibilidades a Raquel Romero, lo tuvo claro. Le diagnosticaron la enfermedad renal hace 13 años, pero hasta 2009 no fue necesaria la diálisis. Está a la espera de un trasplante de riñón, pero mientras tanto, a sus 37 años, no está dispuesta a renunciar a una vida normal. "Trabajo y la diálisis en casa es lo más rutinario del mundo", afirma.
El Servicio de Nefrología del hospital de La Paz, en Madrid, es uno de los que con más ahínco están promoviendo la diálisis peritoneal. Su jefe, Rafael Selgas, explica que no todos los pacientes con enfermedades renales avanzadas pueden someterse a este tratamiento. Un tercio debe recurrir a hemodiálisis, ya sea por cuestiones clínicas o por el estado de salud previo a la enfermedad. "Si una persona es mayor y dependiente no se puede aspirar a que sea independiente en lo que se refiere a la diálisis", afirma. Entre los dos tercios restantes, alrededor de la mitad de los que acuden a su centro eligen el tratamiento domiciliario y el resto prefiere tratarse en el hospital. "Hay quien es más refractario a llevarse a casa la enfermedad y el tratamiento por cuestiones ambientales y de familia. Pero tan eficaz es una como la otra. Los estándares son iguales, pero la peritoneal tiene el valor añadido de recuperación sociolaboral y familiar. Aunque representa también un peso. El paciente se tiene que cuidar a sí mismo y se convierte en su propio sanitario", explica Selgas. La doctora Ana María Tato Ribera, responsable de Diálisis del hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, pone el ejemplo de una persona que es viuda y vive sola, que puede estar más tranquila acudiendo cada dos días al hospital. "También hay que tener en cuenta que es una tarea manual, que requiere cierta habilidad de la que no siempre gozan las personas mayores", añade.
Hay quien tiene reparos a usar los aparatos por sí mismos. Pero tanto los médicos que los recomiendan como los pacientes que los usan aseguran que son muy sencillos e indoloros. Hace falta un entrenamiento durante los primeros días en el que un sanitario acude a casa. Pero el resto es bastante simple. Lo explica Antonio Pedro Martos, también a la espera de un trasplante que se lleva demorando ya más de dos años: "En el hospital te ponen un catéter en el vientre para que puedas conectar el tubo. Estás ingresado unos días y después te vas a casa al entrenamiento. Hay dos modalidades. La primera es hacerlo manual. En mi caso eran cuatro intercambios al día durante media hora cada uno. La otra es con una pequeña máquina a la que te conectas por la noche, que dura unas ocho horas y media", cuenta. Él cambió a la nocturna por resultarle más cómoda y, tras acostumbrarse -"al principio con los movimientos mientras duermes taponas los tubos y saltan alarmas cada dos por tres"-, está más que satisfecho con él. "Cuando oí la palabra diálisis, dije: madre mía, lo que se me viene encima. Pero en todo este tiempo no he tenido ni una baja por la diálisis", relata este informático.
Con esta modalidad, incluso si una noche el paciente tiene menos tiempo por llegar más tarde a casa o madrugar más de lo normal, hay un programa más corto que se adapta a esta situación. "Todo es probarlo. Si no pruebas una cosa, no sabes cómo te irá, si vas a tener miedo o no. Conozco gente en hemodiálisis que se han pasado a esto otro y están muy contentos, la vida les cambia", asegura Begoña Hernández, de 50 años; lleva los últimos 18 meses con diálisis domiciliaria.
El aparataje que el enfermo se tiene que llevar a casa consiste en unas bolsas del tamaño aproximado de las de los supermercados, unos tubos y una máquina del tamaño de una impresora pequeña si se hace automáticamente por las noches. Los dos continentes están unidos formando una Y. Uno tiene el líquido que se va introduciendo en el vientre y el otro recoge los desechos una vez filtrados.
Aunque es relativamente aparatoso, las empresas que los suministran tienen una red bastante potente que permite a los enfermos viajar. Basta que digan dónde van a estar para que les suministren en ese lugar los líquidos, ya que sería imposible transportarlos en un avión, por ejemplo. Con la hemodiálisis, los enfermos tienen muy reducida su movilidad. Aunque en España hay muchos centros para recibir el tratamiento y pueden concertarlo antes de llegar al destino, siguen atados a las máquinas. Otra opción son los viajes que organizan las asociaciones. Hay incluso cruceros que cuentan con el material necesario para recibir el tratamiento. Pero con la peritoneal todo se simplifica. El paciente es dueño de sus movimientos.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
El tratamiento es la diálisis peritoneal. La hemodiálisis, que obliga al enfermo a acudir tres o cuatro veces por semana a un centro con el equipamiento adecuado, consiste en sacar sangre al paciente, depurarla y devolverla a su cuerpo; la peritoneal elimina las sustancias tóxicas introduciendo una solución salina en el abdomen del paciente, que absorbe los componentes dañinos antes de ser desechada.
Cuando hace dos años le ofrecieron las dos posibilidades a Raquel Romero, lo tuvo claro. Le diagnosticaron la enfermedad renal hace 13 años, pero hasta 2009 no fue necesaria la diálisis. Está a la espera de un trasplante de riñón, pero mientras tanto, a sus 37 años, no está dispuesta a renunciar a una vida normal. "Trabajo y la diálisis en casa es lo más rutinario del mundo", afirma.
El Servicio de Nefrología del hospital de La Paz, en Madrid, es uno de los que con más ahínco están promoviendo la diálisis peritoneal. Su jefe, Rafael Selgas, explica que no todos los pacientes con enfermedades renales avanzadas pueden someterse a este tratamiento. Un tercio debe recurrir a hemodiálisis, ya sea por cuestiones clínicas o por el estado de salud previo a la enfermedad. "Si una persona es mayor y dependiente no se puede aspirar a que sea independiente en lo que se refiere a la diálisis", afirma. Entre los dos tercios restantes, alrededor de la mitad de los que acuden a su centro eligen el tratamiento domiciliario y el resto prefiere tratarse en el hospital. "Hay quien es más refractario a llevarse a casa la enfermedad y el tratamiento por cuestiones ambientales y de familia. Pero tan eficaz es una como la otra. Los estándares son iguales, pero la peritoneal tiene el valor añadido de recuperación sociolaboral y familiar. Aunque representa también un peso. El paciente se tiene que cuidar a sí mismo y se convierte en su propio sanitario", explica Selgas. La doctora Ana María Tato Ribera, responsable de Diálisis del hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, pone el ejemplo de una persona que es viuda y vive sola, que puede estar más tranquila acudiendo cada dos días al hospital. "También hay que tener en cuenta que es una tarea manual, que requiere cierta habilidad de la que no siempre gozan las personas mayores", añade.
Hay quien tiene reparos a usar los aparatos por sí mismos. Pero tanto los médicos que los recomiendan como los pacientes que los usan aseguran que son muy sencillos e indoloros. Hace falta un entrenamiento durante los primeros días en el que un sanitario acude a casa. Pero el resto es bastante simple. Lo explica Antonio Pedro Martos, también a la espera de un trasplante que se lleva demorando ya más de dos años: "En el hospital te ponen un catéter en el vientre para que puedas conectar el tubo. Estás ingresado unos días y después te vas a casa al entrenamiento. Hay dos modalidades. La primera es hacerlo manual. En mi caso eran cuatro intercambios al día durante media hora cada uno. La otra es con una pequeña máquina a la que te conectas por la noche, que dura unas ocho horas y media", cuenta. Él cambió a la nocturna por resultarle más cómoda y, tras acostumbrarse -"al principio con los movimientos mientras duermes taponas los tubos y saltan alarmas cada dos por tres"-, está más que satisfecho con él. "Cuando oí la palabra diálisis, dije: madre mía, lo que se me viene encima. Pero en todo este tiempo no he tenido ni una baja por la diálisis", relata este informático.
Con esta modalidad, incluso si una noche el paciente tiene menos tiempo por llegar más tarde a casa o madrugar más de lo normal, hay un programa más corto que se adapta a esta situación. "Todo es probarlo. Si no pruebas una cosa, no sabes cómo te irá, si vas a tener miedo o no. Conozco gente en hemodiálisis que se han pasado a esto otro y están muy contentos, la vida les cambia", asegura Begoña Hernández, de 50 años; lleva los últimos 18 meses con diálisis domiciliaria.
El aparataje que el enfermo se tiene que llevar a casa consiste en unas bolsas del tamaño aproximado de las de los supermercados, unos tubos y una máquina del tamaño de una impresora pequeña si se hace automáticamente por las noches. Los dos continentes están unidos formando una Y. Uno tiene el líquido que se va introduciendo en el vientre y el otro recoge los desechos una vez filtrados.
Aunque es relativamente aparatoso, las empresas que los suministran tienen una red bastante potente que permite a los enfermos viajar. Basta que digan dónde van a estar para que les suministren en ese lugar los líquidos, ya que sería imposible transportarlos en un avión, por ejemplo. Con la hemodiálisis, los enfermos tienen muy reducida su movilidad. Aunque en España hay muchos centros para recibir el tratamiento y pueden concertarlo antes de llegar al destino, siguen atados a las máquinas. Otra opción son los viajes que organizan las asociaciones. Hay incluso cruceros que cuentan con el material necesario para recibir el tratamiento. Pero con la peritoneal todo se simplifica. El paciente es dueño de sus movimientos.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
Genetic difference in staph infects some heart devices, not others
Infectious films of staph bacteria that collect around an implanted cardiac device, such as a pacemaker, often force a second surgery to replace the device at a cost of up to $100,000. But not all implanted cardiac devices become infected. Now researchers from Duke University Medical Center and Ohio State University (OSU) have discovered how and why certain strains of staphylococcus aureus (SA) bacteria, the leading cause of these device infections, have infected thousands of implanted cardiac devices. About 4 percent of the one million annually implanted devices become infected.
The researchers examined SA's ability to bind to a sticky human (mammalian) substance called fibronectin that circulates in blood and sticks to the surfaces of implanted devices, like pacemakers.
Staph bacteria have fibronectin-binding molecules and bind to the human protein to establish an infection on the implanted medical device. Once established, these infections are difficult or impossible to eradicate without removing the device itself.
"This the first step in biofilm-based disease work," said Vance Fowler, MD, MHS, an associate professor of infectious diseases in the Duke Department of Medicine and co-corresponding author of the study. "I would expect the findings would be relevant for most implanted devices. The difference is that the cardiac devices are in direct contact with the bloodstream, and thus with fibronectin, so we need to do further work to clarify."
The study appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"The question was, 'are all SA created equal when binding with fibronectin?' and the answer is no," Fowler said. "We identified differing SA isolates from the blood of patients. All of the patients had SA, but some of the cardiac devices were infected and some were not, and we wanted to learn why. Most people had the infection but a lucky few didn't."
Working with the lab of Steven K. Lower, PhD, at OSU, which specializes in atomic force microscopy, the team sequenced the binding regions of the gene that coded for fibronectin-binding protein in the bacteria.
They found that SA with three specific one-letter differences in their DNA were significantly more common in the infected cardiac-device group. The infectious bacteria had one to three of these changes. The research team also verified that the ability to bind was stronger in the three SA strains found in the infected group.
"We often hear that nanoscience will make the world a better place, and our study demonstrates a direct correlation between something that occurs at the scale of a nanometer (i.e. a bond between a bacterium and implant) and the health of human patients with cardiovascular implants," said Steven K. Lower, co-corresponding author and associate professor in the OSU School of Earth Sciences.
"Some practical implications of this research could be a new protocol to determine risk of serious biofilm-related infections for patients with prostheses or patients who are considering surgical implants. For example, we could obtain a culture of S. aureus from the skin of a patient, and determine the risk of a biofilm-based infection, using the methods we described."
Roberto D. Lins, a computer engineer with structural biochemistry and modeling expertise at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, showed through dynamic modeling the interaction of the protein and the SA polymorphs of interest.
Using a powerful computer, the team saved about two-and-a-half years' time and learned that the three DNA differences were associated with SA's ability to form more chemical bonds with fibronectin. These SA strains had an increased number of hydrogen bonds between the fibronectin (in people) and the fibronectin-binding protein (in the SA).
"Getting to the fundamental answers of common, serious infections that plague our patients is why I stay in research," Fowler said. "Now we have a plausible biological explanation of why these particular SNP mutations matter. We have a basis for working on prevention strategies."
Lower noted, "I like to think that one day we will discover a fundamental force law that we can exploit so that S. aureus never forms a bond with the surface of an implanted device."
The two other co-corresponding authors are Pao Lamlertthon of the Fowler lab, and Nadia Casillas-Ituarte of the Lower lab. Other authors include L. Barth Reller of Duke University Medical Center; Ruchirej Yongsunthon, Eric S. Taylor, Alex C. DiBartola, and Brian H. Lower of OSU; Catherine Edmonson and Lauren M. McIntyre of University of Florida, Gainesville; Yok-Ai Que of University of Lausanne in Switzerland; and Robert Ros of Arizona State University in Tempe.
Funding came from grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, as well as the Swiss National Science Foundation/Swiss Medical Association and SICPA.
**Source: Duke University Medical Center
The researchers examined SA's ability to bind to a sticky human (mammalian) substance called fibronectin that circulates in blood and sticks to the surfaces of implanted devices, like pacemakers.
Staph bacteria have fibronectin-binding molecules and bind to the human protein to establish an infection on the implanted medical device. Once established, these infections are difficult or impossible to eradicate without removing the device itself.
"This the first step in biofilm-based disease work," said Vance Fowler, MD, MHS, an associate professor of infectious diseases in the Duke Department of Medicine and co-corresponding author of the study. "I would expect the findings would be relevant for most implanted devices. The difference is that the cardiac devices are in direct contact with the bloodstream, and thus with fibronectin, so we need to do further work to clarify."
The study appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"The question was, 'are all SA created equal when binding with fibronectin?' and the answer is no," Fowler said. "We identified differing SA isolates from the blood of patients. All of the patients had SA, but some of the cardiac devices were infected and some were not, and we wanted to learn why. Most people had the infection but a lucky few didn't."
Working with the lab of Steven K. Lower, PhD, at OSU, which specializes in atomic force microscopy, the team sequenced the binding regions of the gene that coded for fibronectin-binding protein in the bacteria.
They found that SA with three specific one-letter differences in their DNA were significantly more common in the infected cardiac-device group. The infectious bacteria had one to three of these changes. The research team also verified that the ability to bind was stronger in the three SA strains found in the infected group.
"We often hear that nanoscience will make the world a better place, and our study demonstrates a direct correlation between something that occurs at the scale of a nanometer (i.e. a bond between a bacterium and implant) and the health of human patients with cardiovascular implants," said Steven K. Lower, co-corresponding author and associate professor in the OSU School of Earth Sciences.
"Some practical implications of this research could be a new protocol to determine risk of serious biofilm-related infections for patients with prostheses or patients who are considering surgical implants. For example, we could obtain a culture of S. aureus from the skin of a patient, and determine the risk of a biofilm-based infection, using the methods we described."
Roberto D. Lins, a computer engineer with structural biochemistry and modeling expertise at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, showed through dynamic modeling the interaction of the protein and the SA polymorphs of interest.
Using a powerful computer, the team saved about two-and-a-half years' time and learned that the three DNA differences were associated with SA's ability to form more chemical bonds with fibronectin. These SA strains had an increased number of hydrogen bonds between the fibronectin (in people) and the fibronectin-binding protein (in the SA).
"Getting to the fundamental answers of common, serious infections that plague our patients is why I stay in research," Fowler said. "Now we have a plausible biological explanation of why these particular SNP mutations matter. We have a basis for working on prevention strategies."
Lower noted, "I like to think that one day we will discover a fundamental force law that we can exploit so that S. aureus never forms a bond with the surface of an implanted device."
The two other co-corresponding authors are Pao Lamlertthon of the Fowler lab, and Nadia Casillas-Ituarte of the Lower lab. Other authors include L. Barth Reller of Duke University Medical Center; Ruchirej Yongsunthon, Eric S. Taylor, Alex C. DiBartola, and Brian H. Lower of OSU; Catherine Edmonson and Lauren M. McIntyre of University of Florida, Gainesville; Yok-Ai Que of University of Lausanne in Switzerland; and Robert Ros of Arizona State University in Tempe.
Funding came from grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, as well as the Swiss National Science Foundation/Swiss Medical Association and SICPA.
**Source: Duke University Medical Center
Comer fresas para proteger el estómago es bueno según un estudio
Las fresas, y en concreto los antioxidantes que contienen, previenen la inflamación de la mucosa del estómago causada por el consumo de alcohol, las infecciones víricas o la acción de ciertos fármacos antiinflamatorios. Así lo acaba de demostrar en un modelo animal un equipo de investigadores italianos, serbios y españoles.
El estudio que recoge la revista 'PLoS ONE' se realizó con un conjunto de ratas a las que los científicos les administraron una gran cantidad de etanol (alcohol etílico). Aquellos roedores que previamente habían recibido un extracto de fresa sufrieron muchas menos lesiones gástricas. "Se podría pensar que nuestro estudio abre la posibilidad de emborracharse más sufriendo menos, pero ese no era nuestro fin", comenta a ELMUNDO.es Maurizio Battino, de la Universidad Politécnica de la Marche (Ancona, Italia) y autor principal del trabajo. El objetivo era confirmar el efecto protector de las fresas, algo que consiguieron con creces. "Los resultados fueron mucho más positivos de lo que esperábamos", asegura el investigador.
El experimento utilizó un modelo validado para recrear una situación extrema: las ratas no sólo recibieron altas dosis de etanol, sino que además tenían el estómago vacío. En esas condiciones adversas, el poder antioxidante de las fresas hizo su aparición. Los efectos positivos no sólo se produjeron de forma directa, sino también por la activación de las defensas antioxidantes del organismo. Se sabe que el estómago es un lugar en el que se producen de forma masiva sustancias que causan daño oxidativo.
El equipo de Battino lleva años estudiando las propiedades saludables de distintos compuestos de las fresas, como los antocianos, un tipo de sustancias con poder antioxidante que pertenecen al grupo de los polifenoles. Los extractos utilizados en este caso eran ricos en dichos micronutrientes.
Los hallazgos del estudio podrían servir, en un futuro, para crear fresas con un alto contenido en antocianos, ya que la cantidad que contienen estas frutas de forma 'natural' no sería suficiente para protegernos frente a las úlceras u otras enfermedades estomacales. "La idea es desarrollar variedades con valor añadido para el consumidor. Que sean buenas, que evoquen recuerdos de la niñez, que puedan permanecer mucho tiempo en el mercado porque eso beneficia a los agricultores...", explica Battino. "Pero también es interesante que tengan un valor añadido para la salud, aunque el consumidor no sea completamente consciente", añade.
Asimismo, el trabajo abre la puerta al desarrollo de nuevos fármacos que actúen como protectores gástricos una vez que se averigüe cuáles son los antocianos más implicados en los beneficios observados.
El estudio que recoge la revista 'PLoS ONE' se realizó con un conjunto de ratas a las que los científicos les administraron una gran cantidad de etanol (alcohol etílico). Aquellos roedores que previamente habían recibido un extracto de fresa sufrieron muchas menos lesiones gástricas. "Se podría pensar que nuestro estudio abre la posibilidad de emborracharse más sufriendo menos, pero ese no era nuestro fin", comenta a ELMUNDO.es Maurizio Battino, de la Universidad Politécnica de la Marche (Ancona, Italia) y autor principal del trabajo. El objetivo era confirmar el efecto protector de las fresas, algo que consiguieron con creces. "Los resultados fueron mucho más positivos de lo que esperábamos", asegura el investigador.
El experimento utilizó un modelo validado para recrear una situación extrema: las ratas no sólo recibieron altas dosis de etanol, sino que además tenían el estómago vacío. En esas condiciones adversas, el poder antioxidante de las fresas hizo su aparición. Los efectos positivos no sólo se produjeron de forma directa, sino también por la activación de las defensas antioxidantes del organismo. Se sabe que el estómago es un lugar en el que se producen de forma masiva sustancias que causan daño oxidativo.
El equipo de Battino lleva años estudiando las propiedades saludables de distintos compuestos de las fresas, como los antocianos, un tipo de sustancias con poder antioxidante que pertenecen al grupo de los polifenoles. Los extractos utilizados en este caso eran ricos en dichos micronutrientes.
Los hallazgos del estudio podrían servir, en un futuro, para crear fresas con un alto contenido en antocianos, ya que la cantidad que contienen estas frutas de forma 'natural' no sería suficiente para protegernos frente a las úlceras u otras enfermedades estomacales. "La idea es desarrollar variedades con valor añadido para el consumidor. Que sean buenas, que evoquen recuerdos de la niñez, que puedan permanecer mucho tiempo en el mercado porque eso beneficia a los agricultores...", explica Battino. "Pero también es interesante que tengan un valor añadido para la salud, aunque el consumidor no sea completamente consciente", añade.
Asimismo, el trabajo abre la puerta al desarrollo de nuevos fármacos que actúen como protectores gástricos una vez que se averigüe cuáles son los antocianos más implicados en los beneficios observados.
**Publicado en "EL MUNDO"
Physical fitness could have a positive effect on eye health
Physical activity may be what the doctor orders to help patients reduce their risk of developing glaucoma. According to a recently published scientific paper, higher levels of physical exercise appear to have a long-term beneficial impact on low ocular perfusion pressure (OPP), an important risk factor for glaucoma. Published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, this study examined the relationship between physical activity and current OPP in 5,650 men and women aged 48 to 90 who live in the U.K. and were part of initial cohort from 1993 -- 1997.
Using a detailed self-administered health and lifestyle questionnaire, participants were assessed for combined physical activity at work and leisure. From 2006 to 2010, study participants were examined for eye pressure -- medically termed intraocular pressure (IOP ) -- and systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. The results showed that moderate physical exercise performed approximately 15 years previously is associated with a 25% reduced risk of low OPP.
"It appears that OPP is largely determined by cardiovascular fitness," said author Paul J. Foster, MD PhD, FRCS(Ed), of the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology. "We cannot comment on the cause, but there is certainly an association between a sedentary lifestyle and factors which increase glaucoma risk."
While there have been a large number of studies that have examined the effect of physical activity on intraocular pressure (IOP) and on blood pressure -- the two components of OPP -- this is the first time the relationship between physical activity and OPP has been investigated, according to the authors.
"Before now, the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma was IOP, altered by medication, laser or surgery," said Foster. "We believe our study points toward a new way of reducing glaucoma risk, through maintaining an active lifestyle. This is a way that people can participate in altering their risk of glaucoma and many other serious health problems."
**Source: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Using a detailed self-administered health and lifestyle questionnaire, participants were assessed for combined physical activity at work and leisure. From 2006 to 2010, study participants were examined for eye pressure -- medically termed intraocular pressure (IOP ) -- and systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. The results showed that moderate physical exercise performed approximately 15 years previously is associated with a 25% reduced risk of low OPP.
"It appears that OPP is largely determined by cardiovascular fitness," said author Paul J. Foster, MD PhD, FRCS(Ed), of the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology. "We cannot comment on the cause, but there is certainly an association between a sedentary lifestyle and factors which increase glaucoma risk."
While there have been a large number of studies that have examined the effect of physical activity on intraocular pressure (IOP) and on blood pressure -- the two components of OPP -- this is the first time the relationship between physical activity and OPP has been investigated, according to the authors.
"Before now, the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma was IOP, altered by medication, laser or surgery," said Foster. "We believe our study points toward a new way of reducing glaucoma risk, through maintaining an active lifestyle. This is a way that people can participate in altering their risk of glaucoma and many other serious health problems."
**Source: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Perinatal antidepressant stunts brain development in rats
Rats exposed to an antidepressant just before and after birth showed substantial brain abnormalities and behaviors, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. After receiving citalopram, a serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), during this critical period, long-distance connections between the two hemispheres of the brain showed stunted growth and degeneration. The animals also became excessively fearful when faced with new situations and failed to play normally with peers -- behaviors reminiscent of novelty avoidance and social impairments seen in autism. The abnormalities were more pronounced in male than female rats, just as autism affects 3-4 times more boys than girls.
"Our findings underscore the importance of balanced serotonin levels -- not too high or low -- for proper brain maturation," explained Rick Lin, Ph.D., of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, a Eureka Award grantee of the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health.
Lin and colleagues report on their discovery online during the week of Oct. 24, 2011, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Last July, a study reported an association between mothers taking antidepressants and increased autism risk in their children. It found that children of mothers who took SSRI's during the year prior to giving birth ran twice the normal risk of developing autism -- with treatment during the first trimester of pregnancy showing the strongest effect. A study published last month linked the duration of a pregnant mother's exposure to SSRIs to modest lags in coordination of movement -- but within the normal range -- in their newborns.
"While one must always be cautious extrapolating from medication effects in rats to medication effects in people, these new results suggest an opportunity to study the mechanisms by which antidepressants influence brain and behavioral development," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "These studies will help to balance the mental health needs of pregnant mothers with possible increased risk to their offspring."
Earlier studies had hinted that serotonin plays an important role in shaping the still-forming brain in the days just after a rat is born, which corresponds to the end of the third trimester of fetal development in humans. Experimental manipulations of the chemical messenger during this period interfered with formation of sensory-processing regions of the cortex, or outer mantle, and triggered aggressive and anxiety-related behaviors in rodents.
There is also recent evidence in humans that serotonin from the placenta helps shape development of the fetal brain early in pregnancy. Disrupted serotonin has been linked to mood and anxiety disorders. SSRIs, the mainstay medication treatment for these disorders, boost serotonin activity.
Lin and colleagues gave citalopram to male and female rat pups prenatally and postnatally and examined their brains and behavior as they grew up. Male, but not female, SSRI exposed rat pups abnormally froze when they heard an unfamiliar tone and balked at exploring their environment in the presence of unfamiliar objects or scents. These behaviors persisted into adulthood. The male pups especially also shunned normal juvenile play behavior -- mimicking traits often seen in children with autism.
A key brain serotonin circuit, the raphe system, known to shape the developing brain during the critical period when the animals were exposed to the drug, showed dramatic reductions in density of neuronal fibers. Evidence of stunted development in the circuit coursed through much of the cortex and other regions important for thinking and emotion, such as the hippocampus.
The researchers also discovered miswiring in the structure responsible for communications between the brain's left and right hemispheres, called the corpus collosum. Extensions of neurons, called axons, through which such long-distance communications are conducted, were deformed. A protective sheath, called myelin, that normally wraps and boosts axons' efficiency-- like insulation on an electrical wire -- was reduced by one-third in the treated animals. This damage was three times worse in male than in female pups and would likely result in abnormal communication between the two hemispheres, say the researchers.
Moreover, the perinatally exposed animals showed evidence of neurons firing out of sync and other electrophysiological abnormalities, suggesting faulty organization of neuronal networks in the cortex.
The research also was supported by the NIH's National Center for Research Resources, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
"Our findings underscore the importance of balanced serotonin levels -- not too high or low -- for proper brain maturation," explained Rick Lin, Ph.D., of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, a Eureka Award grantee of the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health.
Lin and colleagues report on their discovery online during the week of Oct. 24, 2011, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Last July, a study reported an association between mothers taking antidepressants and increased autism risk in their children. It found that children of mothers who took SSRI's during the year prior to giving birth ran twice the normal risk of developing autism -- with treatment during the first trimester of pregnancy showing the strongest effect. A study published last month linked the duration of a pregnant mother's exposure to SSRIs to modest lags in coordination of movement -- but within the normal range -- in their newborns.
"While one must always be cautious extrapolating from medication effects in rats to medication effects in people, these new results suggest an opportunity to study the mechanisms by which antidepressants influence brain and behavioral development," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "These studies will help to balance the mental health needs of pregnant mothers with possible increased risk to their offspring."
Earlier studies had hinted that serotonin plays an important role in shaping the still-forming brain in the days just after a rat is born, which corresponds to the end of the third trimester of fetal development in humans. Experimental manipulations of the chemical messenger during this period interfered with formation of sensory-processing regions of the cortex, or outer mantle, and triggered aggressive and anxiety-related behaviors in rodents.
There is also recent evidence in humans that serotonin from the placenta helps shape development of the fetal brain early in pregnancy. Disrupted serotonin has been linked to mood and anxiety disorders. SSRIs, the mainstay medication treatment for these disorders, boost serotonin activity.
Lin and colleagues gave citalopram to male and female rat pups prenatally and postnatally and examined their brains and behavior as they grew up. Male, but not female, SSRI exposed rat pups abnormally froze when they heard an unfamiliar tone and balked at exploring their environment in the presence of unfamiliar objects or scents. These behaviors persisted into adulthood. The male pups especially also shunned normal juvenile play behavior -- mimicking traits often seen in children with autism.
A key brain serotonin circuit, the raphe system, known to shape the developing brain during the critical period when the animals were exposed to the drug, showed dramatic reductions in density of neuronal fibers. Evidence of stunted development in the circuit coursed through much of the cortex and other regions important for thinking and emotion, such as the hippocampus.
The researchers also discovered miswiring in the structure responsible for communications between the brain's left and right hemispheres, called the corpus collosum. Extensions of neurons, called axons, through which such long-distance communications are conducted, were deformed. A protective sheath, called myelin, that normally wraps and boosts axons' efficiency-- like insulation on an electrical wire -- was reduced by one-third in the treated animals. This damage was three times worse in male than in female pups and would likely result in abnormal communication between the two hemispheres, say the researchers.
Moreover, the perinatally exposed animals showed evidence of neurons firing out of sync and other electrophysiological abnormalities, suggesting faulty organization of neuronal networks in the cortex.
The research also was supported by the NIH's National Center for Research Resources, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
**Source: NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
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