These results suggest that calcium supplementation during pregnancy in populations with low calcium intake is a safe, effective, and inexpensive preventive measure that significantly reduces the risk of preeclampsia.

Objective To elucidate the role of the L-arginine:nitric oxide pathway in pregnancy and preeclampsia.Participants Pregnant women (nulliparous, age < 25 years). Normotensive pregnancy (n = 22) was defined when blood pressure remained at levels of < 120/80mmHg and there was no proteinuria. Women with pre-eclampsia (n = 22) had blood pressure measurements of > 140/90 mmHg and proteinuria of > 300 mg/l. Nonpregnant normotensive women (n = 22) were studied as controls. Study Design Blood samples were taken for measurements of ionised calcium, atrial natriuretic factor, cyclic guanosine 3'5' monophophate (GMP), arginine and asymmetric dimethylarginine. Urine samples were collected for determination of cyclic GMP excretion. Cyclic GMP concentrations were also determined in 12 women with severe pre-eclampsia before and after treatment with hydralazine.Results L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine and atrial natriuretic factor were not different in any group. Cyclic GMP concentrations in plasma [0.94 (SD 0-23) nM] as well as in urine [ 5 0 1 (SD 15.7) pM] were increased significantly ( P < 0.05) in normal pregnancy compared to nonpregnant controls [plasma mean 0.46 (SD 0.12) nM and urine mean 18.4 (SD 10.3) pM], but not in the pre-eclampsia group [plasma mean 0.48 (SD 0.10) nM and urine mean 24.1 (SD 14.5) pM]. Concentrations of cyclic GMP in plasma and urine increased significantly ( P < 0.05) in women treated with hydralazine. Conclusions The differences in cyclic GMP concentrations may reflect differences in nitric oxide production. Hydralazine increases cyclic GMP concentrations in severely pre-eclamptic women. This action could explain the antihypertensive effect of hydralazine.Recently it was proposed4 that an increased

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La Teoría de la Autopoiesis de Patrik Schumacher, desarrollada para el Diseño Arquitectónico puede ser plasmada a través de la aplicación interdisciplinaria del diseño y de varias disciplinas de Ingeniería: Civil, Estructural, Mecánica y de Manufactura. En este ensayo se hace una extrapolación de esa teoría con el objetivo que sea el fundamento teórico y conceptual que sustente el diseño de productos para ser manufacturados en serie a nivel industrial. De esta manera se pretende difundir en Ecuador una metodología de diseño paramétrico de productos. Como elemento que guía el diseño conceptual del objeto tomado como caso de estudio, se escogió el símbolo tri dimensional del infinito debido a su validez universal para distintas culturas alrededor del mundo. Así se plantea nuevos modelos de superficies para estructuras, a partir de superficies canónicas basadas, por ejemplo, en el círculo o en la elipse. Aquí se presenta una metodología de diseño y de propuesta de forma que puede adaptarse para resolver el diseño de producto de joyas, envases y griferías, por ejemplo, o estructuras como esculturas, puentes, estadios y coliseos.