[What can doctors do to moderate healthcare costs?].

Los costos de la atención médica pueden alcanzar niveles tales que marginen a algunos pacientes de los beneficios del avance científico y tecnológico. Las razones de estos elevados costos son diversas y en la mayoría de los casos no está en manos de los médicos moderarlos. En este escrito se proponen algunas acciones que los médicos podemos realizar para disminuir los costos de la atención médica.

G protein-independent stimulation of human myocardial phospholipase C by mastoparan.

1 Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) is involved in the regulation of many cellular functions. In the myocardium, PLC-generated second messengers play a role in the regulation of contractile function and in the pathophysiology of myocardial hypertrophy. 2 In the present study, the effect of mastoparan, a tetradecapeptide which is capable of activating heterotrimeric G proteins by mimicking the action of an activated receptor, on membrane-bound human myocardial PLC, was investigated in a cell-free assay with exogenous phospholipids as a substrate.

Identification and characterization of G protein-regulated phospholipase C in human myocardium.

The generation of the second messengers inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG) by phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases C (PLCs) is a key mechanism by which many cellular functions such as intracellular calcium handling or growth and differentiation are modulated. In the myocardium, PLC plays a role in the mediation of positive inotropic effects and is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of myocardial hypertrophy. Among the variety of PLC isozymes known, the PLC beta family is regulated by heterotrimeric G proteins.