[Involvement of the primitive cardiac segments in the normal cardiogenesis. Its importance in the pediatric cardiology].

The ample development of diagnostic echocardiography in pediatric cardiology has demanded precise knowledge of the abnormal anatomy of hearts that present congenital cardiac diseases. As a result, the information on morphologic and molecular aspects of cardiac embryogenesis has become fundamental to understand the anomalous anatomy of the malformed hearts. Based on these facts, in this paper we reviewed normal cardiogenesis, integrating the new information obtained experimentally in the chick embryo and from classic descriptive knowledge in humans.

Hypoglycemic effect of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol aqueous extracts on type 2 diabetic patients.

Cecropia obtusifolia is widely used in Mexican traditional medicine due to its reputed hypoglycemic effect. During a period of 32 weeks, aqueous extracts of the leaves of this plant were administrated daily to 12 recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients, controlled only with diet and exercise. Serum glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride and insulin levels were determined every 15 days; HbA1c, ALT, AST and ALKP were measured every month.

Biotin supplementation reduces plasma triacylglycerol and VLDL in type 2 diabetic patients and in nondiabetic subjects with hypertriglyceridemia.

Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that acts as a prosthetic group of carboxylases. Besides its role as carboxylase prosthetic group, biotin regulates gene expression and has a wide repertoire of effects on systemic processes. The vitamin regulates genes that are critical in the regulation of intermediary metabolism.

[Effect of maternal diabetes on human and rat fetal development].

Diabetes is a genetically determined metabolic disease with fasting hyperglycemia due to relative or absolute absence of insulin. With the use of exogenous insulin, successful gestations are now possible. Nevertheless, there are still severe problems associated, such as spontaneous abortion, perinatal mortality and congenital malformations.