Quality and antioxidant properties of a reduced-sugar pomegranate juice jelly with an aqueous extract of pomegranate peels.

In the present study, the production of a reduced-sugar pomegranate juice jelly supplemented with an aqueous extract of pomegranate peel (PE) is described. Influence of different carbohydrate polymers (guar (G), xanthan (X) and tragacanth (T) gums) on rheological properties was studied. Combination GXT presented the most similar rheological behaviour to commercial jelly.

Medicalization of pharmacology teaching: an urgent need in the medical curriculum.

Information overload, proliferation of new drugs and curricular reforms have been recognized as three of the major factors contributing to the insufficient pharmacological education of medical students. To remedy this situation, it has been recommended that a curriculum more selective in knowledge content coupled with a restricted list of drugs be developed. Based on our own teaching experience, common educational objectives, competencies to be achieved, profiles of morbidity and mortality of the Mexican population, and knowledge of the literature, we have identified what should constitute the core content of pharmacology courses in medical schools.

[The teaching of pharmacology in medical schools: current status and future perspectives].

Pharmacology is a core course in all medical school curricula. In most medical schools, pharmacology is taught during the second year and teaching covers both basic aspects and useful drugs for the treatment of human diseases. It is assumed that relevant pharmacologic knowledge is revisited during the clinical clerkships and that students are adequately trained to prescribe drugs upon graduation.

Effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa on obesity in MSG mice.

The aim of the present investigation was determine whether a standardized Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces aqueous extract has an effect on body weight in an obese animal model induced by the administration of monosodium glutamate. Hibiscus sabdariffa aqueous extract, containing 33.64 mg of total anthocyanins per each 120 mg of extract, was orally administered (120 mg/kg/day) for 60 days to healthy and obese mice, and body weight gain, food and liquid intake, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), cholesterol, and triglycerides levels were measured.

Effect of oxcarbazepine pretreatment on convulsive activity and brain damage induced by kainic acid administration in rats.

Temporal lobe epilepsy is one of the most common types of epilepsy. Progress in the understanding and treatment of this type of epilepsy would be greatly facilitated by the availability of an animal model, which reproduced the behavioral and electrographic features of this condition. In this context, kainic acid (KA, 2-carboxy-3-carboxymethyl-4-isopropenylpyrrolidine) administration causes a syndrome characterized by an acute status epilepticus and subsequent brain damage similar to that in temporal lobe epilepsy of humans.

Evaluating knowledge retention of third-year medical students taught with an innovative pharmacology program.

Purpose: To explore the degree of retention of pharmacologic knowledge of third-year medical students taught in a new pharmacology teaching program.

Method: In 1997, the authors administered a retention test consisting of 100 multiple-choice questions, each with only one correct answer, to 457 third-year medical students at the National University of Mexico. Students were not told in advance about this diagnostic evaluation, which was given eight months after they completed the second-year pharmacology course.