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Biomedical subjects

R Tapia

Publications and source records attributed to R Tapia.

135 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Nerve growth factor with insular cortical grafts induces recovery of learning and reestablishes graft choline acetyltransferase activity.

Rats showing disrupted taste aversion due to insular cortex (IC)-lesions received either IC-grafts with NGF, grafts without NGF, or NGF alone. An additional group served as lesioned controls. Only those animals that received IC-grafts with NGF recovered the ability to learn the conditioned taste aversion task, at 15 days post-graft. Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in the IC-grafts with, but not without NGF, was similar to the IC activity of unoperated controls. In contrast, glutamate decarboxylase activity was similar in all the groups. These findings suggest that IC-grafts associated with NGF induce recovery of learning abilities in IC-lesioned rats, which correlates with reestablishment of ChAT activity in the grafts at 15 days post-implantation.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Graft-induced recovery of inhibitory avoidance conditioning in striatal lesioned rats is related to choline acetyltransferase activity.

Four groups of male Wistar rats showing disrupted inhibitory avoidance conditioning due to striatal lesions received either striatal or ventral mesencephalic brain grafts. Two additional non-lesioned groups were used as controls. Half of the groups was retrained in an inhibitory avoidance task at fifteen days postgraft and the other half at sixty days postgraft. Those animals receiving striatal grafts significantly improved their ability to acquire the inhibitory avoidance task at fifteen and sixty days postgraft, as opposed to those receiving mesencephalic grafts, which did not show behavioral recovery. Choline acetyltransferase and glutamate decarboxylase activities, as well as dopamine content, were measured in the grafted tissue. Striatal grafts showed levels of choline acetyltransferase activity similar to the control group. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between the choline acetyltransferase activity and the behavioral recovery. In contrast, both glutamate decarboxylase activity and dopamine levels were significantly lower in striatal and in mesencephalic grafts, as compared to the controls. These results show that striatal but not mesencephalic grafts can promote the restoration of the ability to acquire an inhibitory avoidance task even at early stages (15 days) of the development of the grafts. The results also suggest that acetylcholine plays an important role in behavioral recovery.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Urban-rural variations in medical care of children with diarrhea in Mexico].

OBJECTIVE: To study the urban and rural variations of medical care for acute diarrhea among children under five years old. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from the 1993 Effective Household Treatment National Survey were analyzed. A number of 338 children from urban areas and 300 from rural areas were included in the study. Variables included were: household treatment, health-seeking behavior, mothers' previous training to manage acute diarrhea, use of oral rehydration salts (ORS) and availability of and access to health care. RESULTS: Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) as part of the household treatment and feeding the regular diet were more frequently found in rural areas. Less than 50% of children received medical care in both settings. In urban areas most children were cared for by private physicians. About 30% of children needed medical care but they were not taken to medical facilities. Physicians in rural areas prescribed ORS more frequently, while those from urban areas prescribed medication and restrictive diets in a greater proportion. Physicians working in public facilities prescribed ORT in greater proportions than private ones. Mothers from rural areas had received more training to manage diarrhea but they had restricted access to medical care in comparison to mothers from urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to improve health care education of urban populations, to increase access and coverage of health services in rural areas and to strength activities to improve the quality of medical care provided by private physicians and by those working in urban areas.

Child, Preschool↗