Título del artículo:

Lancet commission on hypertension group position statement on the global improvement of accuracy standards for devices that measure blood pressure

The Lancet Commission on Hypertension identified that a key action to address the worldwide burden of high blood pressure (BP) was to improve the quality of BP measurements by using BP devices that have been validated for accuracy. Currently, there are over 3 000 commercially available BP devices, but many do not have published data on accuracy testing according to established scientific standards. This problem is enabled through weak or absent regulations that allow clearance of devices for commercial use without formal validation. In addition, new BP technologies have emerged (e.g. cuffless sensors) for which there is no scientific consensus regarding BP measurement accuracy standards. Altogether, these issues contribute to the widespread availability of clinic and home BP devices with limited or uncertain accuracy, leading to inappropriate hypertension diagnosis, management and drug treatment on a global scale. The most significant problems relating to the accuracy of BP devices can be resolved by the regulatory requirement for mandatory independent validation of BP devices according to the universally-accepted International Organization for Standardization Standard. This is a primary recommendation for which there is an urgent international need. Other key recommendations are development of validation standards specifically for new BP technologies and online lists of accurate devices that are accessible to consumers and health professionals. Recommendations are aligned with WHO policies on medical devices and universal healthcare. Adherence to recommendations would increase the global availability of accurate BP devices and result in better diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, thus decreasing the worldwide burden from high BP.

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Revista Panamericana de Salud Publica/Pan American Journal of Public Health

Título del artículo:

Generation of Cry11 Variants of Bacillus thuringiensis by Heuristic Computational Modeling

Directed evolution methods mimic in vitro Darwinian evolution, inducing random mutations and selective pressure in genes to obtain proteins with enhanced characteristics. These techniques are developed using trial-and-error testing at an experimental level with a high degree of uncertainty. Therefore, in silico modeling of directed evolution is required to support experimental assays. Several in silico approaches have reproduced directed evolution, using statistical, thermodynamic, and kinetic models in an attempt to recreate experimental conditions. Likewise, optimization techniques using heuristic models have been used to understand and find the best scenarios of directed evolution. Our study uses an in silico model named HeurIstics DirecteD EvolutioN, which is based on a genetic algorithm designed to generate chimeric libraries from 2 parental genes, cry11Aa and cry11Ba, of Bacillus thuringiensis. These genes encode crystal-shaped δ-endotoxins with 3 conserved domains. Cry11 toxins are of biotechnological interest because they have shown to be effective as biopesticides for disease-spreading vectors. With our heuristic model, we considered experimental parameters such as DNA fragmentation length, number of generations or simulation cycles, and mutation rate, to get characteristics of Cry11 chimeric libraries such as percentage of population identity, truncation of variants obtained from the presence of internal stop codons, percentage of thermodynamic diversity, and stability of variants. Our study allowed us to focus on experimental conditions that may be useful for the design of in vitro and in silico experiments of directed evolution with Cry toxins of 3 conserved domains. Furthermore, we obtained in silico libraries of Cry11 variants, in which structural characteristics of wild Cry families were observed in a review of a sample of in silico sequences. We consider that future studies could use our in silico libraries and heuristic computational models, as the one suggested here, to support in vitro experiments of directed evolution.

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Evolutionary Bioinformatics

Título del artículo:

Safety culture in operating room professionals from a mother and child care institution

Introduction: There is a need for health professionals to lead patient safety as a public policy, which is a quality criterion to evaluate the safety culture in health institutions and in each service they offer. Objective: To assess the dimensions of culture about patient safety. Methods: Analytical and cross-sectional study carried in the operating room area of San Luis Maternal and Child Clinic, from April to July 2018. The responses about safety culture were taken from 45 health professionals through the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety questionnaire, Spanish version. The statistical analysis presents proportions, measures of central tendency, dispersion and interquartile range. To identify the differences between the groups, the following tests were used: exact Fisher\'s test, Anova test, and Kruskal Wallis test. The analyzes were performed in the STATA 12 program (StataCorp College Station, TX, USA). Results: There are statistically significant differences between the groups of professionals regarding sex (p= 0.002), academic training (p= 0.042) and work in another institution (p= 0.022). 50% of the respondents rated patient safety in their service with a score between 8 and 9. Conclusions: In assessing safety culture, some dimensions were identified as strengths, such as organizational learning/continuous improvement, teamwork within the unit/service, and support of the hospital management to patient safety.

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Revista Cubana de Enfermeria

Título del artículo:

Direct and indirect costs of caring for patients with chronic non-communicable diseases

Objective: to determine direct and indirect non-medical costs derived from caring for patients with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in three health institutions located in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga, Colombia. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 77 patients with NCDs and their family caregivers, who were selected through systematic sampling between 2018 and 2019. Results: most people with NCDs are women (55 %) at an average age of 70. Four out of five caregivers are women, at an average age of 40, who deliver care for an average of 14 hours a day. The total monthly cost for patient care was on average 324,207 COP. The most significant costs are related to health, food, housing, transport, and communication. 60.5 % of NCDs patients were responsible for household finances before becoming ill. About half of them stopped working and the other half experienced a reduction of 33 % in their monthly income after becoming ill. Conclusion: due to the need for complementary and comprehensive treatment, care, and interventions, costs related to care of NCDs patients increase despite the income of NCDs patients and their caregivers do not.

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Aquichan

Título del artículo:

The relationship between organisational learning and innovation capabilities in medium-sized enterprises

This paper aims to analyse the relationship between organisational learning and innovation capabilities in medium-sized enterprises. The research applied two surveys in medium-sized enterprises. The results show the existence of a strong positive correlation between organisational learning and innovation capability. The study provides empirical evidence on the development of innovation capabilities in medium-sized enterprises. In the literature, there are relatively few papers, which study the links between organisational learning and innovation capabilities. Therefore, this paper contributes with tangible evidence to identify the dimensions of organisational learning that improve the development of innovation capabilities.

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International Journal of Business Innovation and Research

Título del artículo:

Salivary markers of oxidative stress and periodontal pathogens in patients with periodontitis from Santander, Colombia

Introduction: Periodontitis affects more than 20% of the Latin American population. Oxidative markers are associated with greater progression of periodontitis; therefore, its role in pathogenesis should be studied. Objective: To determine the prevalence of the main oral bacteria and viruses associated with periodontitis and estimate the total antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation in saliva from patients with periodontitis. Materials and methods: We conducted systemically a cross-sectional study in 101 healthy subjects, 87 of whom had been diagnosed with periodontitis (P), according to the criteria of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Periodontology, and 14 without periodontal pockets as controls (C). In subgingival samples, major viruses and dental pathogenic bacteria were identified using PCR techniques. The levels of total antioxidant capacity and malon-di-aldehyde (MDA) were determined by spectrophotometry in samples of unstimulated saliva. Results: The mean of periodontal depth pocket and clinical attachment loss in patients with periodontitis was 5.6 ± 1.7 and 6.1 ± 3.1 mm, respectively. The most prevalent microorganisms were Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (32.5%) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (18.6%). The patients from rural areas showed a higher percentage of A. actinomycetemcomitans (urban: 17.9% vs. rural: 48.9%, p=0.0018). In patients with periodontitis, the frequency of EBV, HSV1 & 2, and HCMV genes was 2.3%. Periodontitis patients had higher levels of MDA (P: 2.1 ± 1.5; C: 0.46 ± 0.3 μmol/g protein; p=0.0001) and total antioxidant capacity (P: 0.32 ± 0.2; C: 0.15 ± 0.1 mM; p< 0.0036). Oxidative markers showed no modifications due to the presence of periodontopathic bacteria. Conclusions: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was the most prevalent bacteria; its presence did not modify the levels of oxidative markers in the saliva of patients with periodontitis.

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Biomedica

Título del artículo:

Economic growth and systems dynamics. Learning through experimentation

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CICIC 2020 - Decima Conferencia Iberoamericana de Complejidad, Informatica y Cibernetica, Memorias

Título del artículo:

Organizational learning in a mining company in Colombia

This article aims to analyze the levels of organizational learning in a coal exploitation company in the Department of La Guajira. The research uses a descriptive, field study, not experimental methodology. A data collection questionnaire of 43 items was applied to a sample of 46 collaborators from three areas of a coal mine in the department of La Guajira. The correlation results indicate that the greatest relationship occurs between the levels of group and organizational learning. Additionally, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicates that there are no significant differences in the levels of organizational learning inside the company analyzed. We concluded that the level of individual, group and organizational learning was presented, while the level of organizational learning was very present in the analyzed company.

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Revista Venezolana de Gerencia

Título del artículo:

Analysis of collaboration networks between Higher Education Institutions in Colombia according to ResearchGate

The aim of this article is to analyze the collaboration networks between Higher Education Institutions in Colombia, according to the parameter \"Top collaborating institutions\" in ResearchGate. This paper makes a comparison between the networks of Higher Education Institutions accredited as high quality and those not accredited, according to the indicators of the National Accreditation System in Colombia. The analysis of the institutional collaboration is carried out by constructing joint work networks, using the UCINET software. The first institution registered in the \"top of collaboration\", published in the ResearchGate profile of each Higher Education Institution, is taken in account. The results shows that accredited institutions have a well-connected and integrated collaboration network. On the other hand, the non-accredited institutions have a weak and poorly integrated collaboration network. In addition, non-accredited universities seek to collaborate mostly with accredited institutions and not between them. In this way, the efforts of non-accredited institutions are not well coordinated and become diluted in the distribution of their relationships.

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Revista Espanola de Documentacion Cientifica

Título del artículo:

Immunological memory to zika virus in a university community in Colombia, South America

Zika virus appeared in South America in 2015, generating alarm worldwide as it causes microcephaly and autoimmunity. This study aims to determine the serological footprint of the incoming epidemic in a student community and to characterize the memory functional cell response during post convalescence. In a cross-sectional study, Zika-specific IgG using LIA immunoassay was found in 328 university students (CI=95%), while in the second phase, the functional cellular memory response for IFN-γ and IL-2 was quantified using post-stimulus ELISpot with inactivated virus, starting with individuals seropositive for Zika and control individuals (seropositive only for Dengue and seronegative for Zika-Dengue). Depending on the antigen used, memory humoral response (IgG) against Zika Virus was observed in >60% of the population; seropositivity for NS1 was 21.1% higher than E antigen with high intensity. The analysis of cell functionality in 22 individuals seropositive for Zika virus revealed either IFN-γ+ or IL-2+ cells in 86.3% of cases (Th1 profile), presenting multifunctionality in 50% (11 individuals), 64% of which presented> 6 SFC/104 PBMCs (>600 SFC/106 PBMC), reflecting memory circulating cells. A good agreement (Kappa= 0.754) was observed between the coexistence of both cellular and humoral responses but not in their intensity.

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Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias

Título del artículo:

Analysis of the running pattern on artificial and natural surface in adolescent football players

Introduction: There is little evidence that details the behavior of each spatio-temporal variable of the running pattern using different surfaces. Objective: To compare the spatio-temporal variables of the running pattern over two surfaces in adolescent soccer players. Method: A cross-sectional study involving 18 male soccer players was conducted (median [Me] age = 12 years; Interquartile range [IQR] 12-13). Speed, acceleration, contact time (Ct), fligihttime (Ft), contact phase, support phase, propulsion, stride, and cadence were evaluated through a 5-meter long optical measurement system. The assessments were initially carried out in an Artificial Surface (AS) and 24 hours later in a Natural Surface (NS). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data and the Spearman correlation coefficient were used. Results: The support phase was greater in AS than NS (NS: Me = 0.05 IQR: 0.03; 0.06; AS: Me = 0.09 IQR 0.08; 0.10; p <0.001). The Ft (NS: Me=0.16 IQR: 0.14; 0.19; AS: Me = 0.04 IQR: 0.04; 0.05; p <0.001), the contact phase (NS: Me = 0.02 IQR: 0.02; 0.03; AS: Me = 0.02 IQR: 0.01; 0.02; p = 0.040) and propulsion (NS: Me = 0.14 IQR: 0.09; 0.17; AS: Me = 0.07 IQR: 0.06; 0.09; p = <0.001) were greater in NS than AS. An indirect relationship between speed and contact phase in NS was found. The Ft and the stride were indirectly associated with acceleration in AS. Conclusion: The running pattern varies according to the surface used. The contact phase can explain the speed in the NS; while the Ft and the stride can explain the acceleration in AS.

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

Retos

Título del artículo:

Ontogeny of sporangia and sporogenesis of the fern phymatosorus scolopendria (Polypodiaceae)

Introduction: Research about the ontogeny of sori, sporangia, receptacular paraphyses and sporogenesis of leptosporangiate ferns are scarce in the scientific literature. Objectives: To describe and ana-lyze the ontogeny of sori, sporangia, receptacular paraphyses and sporogenesis of Phymatosorus scolopendria. Methods: Fertile fronds of P. scolopendria were collected in the campus of the Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia, during the months March and May (annual rain season) of 2017. The fertile fronds of the samples at different developmental stages were fixed and processed according to the standard protocols for embedding and sectioning in paraffin and resin. Sections of 0.5 µm obtained in resin were stained with Toluidine blue, which differentially stains primary and secondary walls, highlights the cell nucleus and spo-ropolenin and secondarily stains polyphenols. For detailed descriptions, additional sections were processed with Safranin-Alcian blue, allowing the distinction of components of primary and secondary walls, nuclei, cuticle and polyphenols; Hematoxylin-Alcian blue to enhance nuclei and primary walls and Phloroglucinol-HCl for lignin. Observations and photographic records were done with a photonic microscope. For the observations and descriptions with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the sori were dehydrated with 2,2-dimethoxypropane, critical point dried and coated with gold. Results: The sori are exindusiate, superficial, vascularized and have mixed development; they are associated with uniseriate and multicellular receptacle paraphyses. During the development of the sori, the epidermal cells of the receptacle that will form the sporangia are the first differenti-ated followed by those forming the receptacle paraphyses. The sporangium is leptosporangiate, with long stalks formed by one or two cell rows. The annulus of the sporangia displays secondary walls with U-shaped thicken-ings rich in lignin. The meiosis is simultaneous and the spore tetrads are arranged in a decussate or tetragonal shape. The cellular tapetum is initially unistratified but becomes bistratified after a periclinal division. The cells of the internal strata of the cellular tapetum loose structural integrity giving rise to a plasmodial tapetum that invades the meiotic sporocytes. During the sporoderm development, the sporopollenin-composed exospore is the first formed followed by the endospore, composed by cellulose, pectin and carboxylated polysaccharides; the process ends with the perispore. Polyphenols were mainly detected on vacuoles in cells of the sporangium, paraphysis and receptacle. When the time comes for the spore maturation, the remnants of cellular and the plasmodial tapeta have fully degenerated. Abundant orbicles are seen near the spores in the sporangial cavity. Conclusions: The ontogeny of the sporangia and sporogenesis of P. scolopendria are similar to the previously described for leptosporangiate ferns. Furthermore, in P. scolopendria, the receptacle paraphyses of the sori have a role protecting the sporangium during the early development stages.

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Revista de Biologia Tropical

Título del artículo:

Relationship among the leptin-to-adiponectin ratio, systemic inflammation, and anisocytosis: A plausible pathophysiological mechanism of a novel cardiovascular risk marker

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Kardiologia Polska

Título del artículo:

Correlational study about physical activity and sedentary behaviour in hikers from bucaramanga, Colombia

Introduction: physical inactivity is a behavioral risk factor that is defined as the realization of less than 150 moderate intensity physical activity per week, oh the other hand, sedentary behavior has to do with the time a person spend sitting or lying down. The objective of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between physical activity levels, in each domain, and the sedentary behavior of hikers from Bucaramanga, and its metropolitan area. Methods: correlational study carried out in 170 hikers from Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area. Variables were analyzed using central tendencies measures or frequencies according to its nature. U - Mann-Whitney test was utilized to establish differences statistically significant between categorical and continuous variables of interest. Pearson coefficient was calculated to establish a possible correlation between variables of interest. Significant level was of p ≤ 0.05 Results: a non-existent prevalence of physical inactivity was registered in hikers. No differences statistically significant were found when analyzing physical activity medians in each domain according to sex. Free time was the domain in which participants reported more physical activity. A negative correlation was established between sedentary behavior and the quantity of physical activity and weekly energy expenditure. Conclusions: All hikers interviewed are physically active and widely fulfill WHO recommendations on physical activity for health, besides, participants reported low levels of sedentary behavior. A negative correlation was stablished between sedentary behavior and the quantity of physical activity and weekly energy expenditure.

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Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Biomedicas

Título del artículo:

What have we researched about HIV infection in Colombia? A bibliometric review 1983-2018

Objective: Our objective was to quantitatively describe the research on HIV infection carried out in Colombia. Materials and methods: A bibliometric review of all studies that included people infected or affected by HIV between January 1, 1983, and August 31, 2018, was performed. Results: 587 studies were identified. Most were descriptive studies. There are a lower number of studies in the fields of prevention, education and public health. Most of the published studies were carried out in 3 departments. 72% were published in Q3, Q4 or unclassified journals. Discussion: The research performed has given priority to the description of figures and is not enough to understand and know how to treat factors like late diagÂnosis, the stigma and the prevention of the disease. Conclusion: There does not seem to be a national strategy to define the research needs. There is a low dissemination of the results and a low cover of the research in the country.

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Infectio

Título del artículo:

Design and simulation of anaerobic bioreactor, for the energetic use of the residual mud of the Wastewater treatment plant of a chicken slaughterhouse

The poultry industry has the most formal employment in the region of Santander, Colombia and presents different challenges, especially in the energy part, because the prices of energy and fuels have high prices; In addition to this, it is a generator of residual sludge, especially in the processes of slaughtering birds for national consumption and export. This study shows the possibilities of the energetic use of residual sludge, by means of the implementation of an anaerobic bioreactor, which can generate biogas with high concentrations of methane, which can be used in boilers and other industrial uses. This study analyses the flow of waste sludge from a slaughterhouse of chickens in the Bucaramanga metropolitan area, which slaughters sixty thousand chickens a day and has a wastewater treatment plant that operates with coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and filtering using ferric chloride; According to the sludge flow, the bioreactor is designed and an operative simulation is made with the LabVIEW software, which allows to determine all the electronic control devices of the bioreactor, which will allow to maintain a constant temperature, a control on the income and expenses of the bioreactor and an operation very similar to reality, taking into account that this residual sludge has already been characterized and tested in a laboratory pilot reactor at the University of Santander. This work deals with the implementation of an exploitation of biogas, derived from the microbiological activity of anaerobic microorganisms, to supply part of the fuel necessary for chicken slaughtering operations, besides this is a technological option for this industrial sector. The entire food industry in Santander, Colombia, has problems with sludge from wastewater treatment plants, but the use of this biologically derived fuel as part of its energy consumption has not been seriously explored. The methodology addressed gives us a clear vision of the true possibilities of the use of biogas in Colombia, because if you have different sources, but have not implemented plants that produce biogas for industrial use.

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Chemical Engineering Transactions

Título del artículo:

Evaluation of the removal of COD and BOD in wastewater from bus washing using coagulation, flocculation and aerobic biological treatment

Wastewater treatment is a complex task, especially when it is understood that it is used for multiple uses; one of the uses in which a large number of pollutants are used is for washing cars, especially buses and trucks use a large amount of solvents, detergents and soaps of different compositions, which are difficult to remove from water, especially because they act as emulsifiers between substances not soluble in water and the water that dissolves and eliminates them together with the internal and external dirt of buses and trucks. In Colombia, the implementation of a standard that has made the amount of contamination, that residual water can carry is more restrictive, before being poured into a sewer collection pipe, this is evaluated in terms of chemical oxygen demand (DQO) and biological oxygen demand (BOD5), these parameters define the quality of the water to be collected. The University of Santander provides scientific and technical consultancy services to the community of companies in the Santander region and the company PARBER is a local consultant, which is in search of solutions for the environmental problems of the wastewater from the laundries of cars, for this study agreements were made between the parties to search for wastewater treatment systems, which can be used by car wash industrialists and to be able to comply with the standards established in the new legislation; For this purpose, a sampling methodology for wastewater, jar tests and a water aeration device were developed that simulate the processes consecutively and also independently, to determine the capacity of removal of COD and BOD5 from wastewater.; the scenario used was a car wash, which is a client of Industrias PARBER, which facilitated the tributary water for all the tests and also provided its facilities for the assembly of a prototype of aeration, to perform the aerobic biological treatment test; composite samples of 4 hours of laundry were taken, which has a 24-hour service, with higher flow rates in the morning hours, in which the analyzed samples were taken; the analyzes were carried out in the water laboratory of the University of Santander, to determine the degree of contamination, also jars tests were performed, to simulate the operations of coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation, as part of the possible treatment to be applied to the waters residuals of the laundry of cars.

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Chemical Engineering Transactions

Título del artículo:

Antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi from the medicinal plants Mammea americana (Calophyllaceae) and Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae)

Introduction: Infectious diseases represent one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Considering the growing global challenge of antimicrobial resistance, research into new sources of potentially effective antimicrobial agents from natural origins is of great importance for world health. Objective: To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi from Mammea americana and Moringa oleifera upon Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), S. aureus (resistant strain USb003), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and E. coli (resistant strain USb007). Materials and methods: We isolated endophytic fungi from the leaves, seeds, and stems of the two plants under study. We evaluated their antimicrobial activity through the formation of sensitivity haloes in dual tests in vitro, as well as in trials using crude ethanolic extracts from the endophytes. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and cytotoxicity o the substances were analyzed. Results: Three ethanolic extracts of Penicillium sp., Cladosporium (001), and Cladosporium (002) exhibited the greatest inhibition halos in sensitive and resistant strains of E. coli and S. aureus. The MIC and CBM found were statistically significant (p≤0.05) compared with the gentamicin control. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity test results of CC50>1,000 demonstrated that the endophytic fungi studied exhibit bactericidal characteristics without causing unintended damage. Conclusion: The endophytic fungi M. oleifera and M. americana represent a source of active secondary metabolites with antimicrobial and non-toxic properties. In light of these findings, further research should proceed with chemical identification of the compounds and the study of their mechanisms of action, especially given the paucity of current scientific knowledge concerning the isolation of endophytes in these plants.

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Biomedica

Título del artículo:

Biodegradation of dairy wastes using crude enzymatic extract of Yarrowia lipolytica ATCC 9773

Effluents generated by the food industry have become a serious environmental concern. Bioremediation is a biological process developed as an alternative for the treatment of contaminated areas. In current research, the biodegradation of fat, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and total solids were evaluated in dairy waste employing enzymatic extract of Yarrowia lipolytica ATCC 9773 as biological agents. All the variables were determined following the specifications of the Standard Methods of the American Water Works Association. Enzymatic extract of Y. lipolytica at different concentrations (8, 12 and 16.0%) was used in a fermentative medium at two pHs (5.0 and 6.5) for 32 h. The highest percentages (%) of fat (82.88), BOD (43.32), COD (44.3) and total solids (13.58) removal were obtained using an inoculum concentration of 16% at pH 5.0 for 32 h of fermentation. These results may have industrial relevance for the reduction of contamination of industrial effluents with high levels of fat and other contaminants.

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Revista Ambiente e Agua

Título del artículo:

Softepigen: Primers Design Web-Based Tool for MS-HRM Technique

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based techniques for DNA methylation techniques includes the MS-HRM technique. Methylation Sensitive High-Resolution Melting (MS-HRM) primer-design requires a set of necessary recommendations for such DNA methylation assessment. However, there were not any available software that allows an automatic design of this kind primers. We present Softepigen, the first complete MS-HRM primer design software. Softepigen allows to search for primers in a genomic region following Wojdacz\'s recommendations and targets primer binding regions with high linguistic complexity sequences that increase the specificity of the converted sequence of the human genome. We performed in-silico PCR analysis through BiSearch ePCR tool to validate the specificity of the of the primers designed using Softepigen. Softepigen for MS-HRM performance in our genomic regions of interest show satisfactory specificity measurements, and we implemented it for freely available use in the web-based interface at www.soft-epigen.com.

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Título del artículo:

Will the new figures from the AHA/ACC guidelines on the definition and treatment of hypertension in Latin America have an impact?

Given the fact that new guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) propose important changes in the definition of hypertension, from equal or greater than 140/90 mmHg to equal or greater than 130/80 mmHg, major debate has been generated about the diagnostic criteria and the treatment of high blood pressure (HBP). In addition, these guidelines recommend that in order to achieve control of hypertension the goal should be a reading lower than 130/80 mmHg. These new figures will significantly increase the amount of individuals considered hypertensive, some of whom will need more medication to achieve the new goal. This paradigm has led to questioning the goal\'s clinical applicability given the enormous financial burden that would result from treating millions of new hypertensive patients. The academic validity of the AHA-ACC guidelines has also been questioned given the fact that the recommendations emerged basically from results obtained from a single study with important methodological differences compared to the majority of studies carried out previously. Furthermore, its outcomes are inconsistent with those of previous studies. This conflict has led to some scientific institutions, such as the Latin American Society of Hypertension (LASH), continuing to adhere to the previous recommendations.

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Hipertension y Riesgo Vascular

Título del artículo:

Prevalence and risk factors associated with liver fluke Fasciola hepatica in cattle and sheep in three municipalities in the Colombian Northeastern Mountains

Fasciola hepatica is a parasitic trematode of worldwide distribution, which affects cattle and a large number of mammals, including man. An investigation was carried out to the Colombian Northeastern Mountain between October 2017 and February 2018 with the aim to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with Fasciola hepatica. Thirty-four farms whose owners agreed to participate in the study were included. Overall, 103 bovines and 97 sheep were examined. A fecal and blood sample was collected from each animal, and all the samples were identified and stored in a refrigerated box to be transported to the Parasitology laboratory for analysis. Fecal samples were processed with a coprological technique, and blood by ELISA test. A written epidemiological survey was applied on all farms. The results indicate 20.5% of coprological prevalence and 41.5% of seroprevalence (SP). Evidence of the parasite was demonstrated in the three municipalities; however, statistical differences were found (P <. 05), with higher seropositivity in Duitama municipality (SP = 83.3%). Regarding risk factor, pure breeds of cattle showed 2.5 (SP = 56.1, OR = 2.5) times higher of infection than crossed breed. Cattle and sheep from 12 to 24 months of age, showed 2.5 (SP = 66.7%, OR = 2.5) and 5.9 times (SP = 44.2%, OR = 5.9), respectively, increased infection risk. The presence of snails on the farms had higher odds for testing F. hepatica-positive, therefore, showed to be an important risk factor. The presence of antibodies against F. hepatica in cattle and sheep from the region under study suggests it is endemic and should be controlled by control and prevention programs in the farms.

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports

Título del artículo:

First report of myiasis in dogs caused by Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel 1858) in Colombia

This paper reports for the first time in Colombia, two myasis cases caused by Cochliomyia hominivorax in stray dogs. Clinical examination of both patients revealed fever and a large wound at the palpebral level on the right side, and multiple perforating wounds in the right posterior limb where larvae were found. The treatment applied was the manual removal of larvae in the dogs, and subsequent eye enucleation in one dog due to the total loss of the upper right eyelid and the severe mechanical damage that the cornea received. Treatment was reinforced with repellents applied around the wounds and antibiotics. This finding of Cochliomyia hominivorax in stray dogs in Colombia raises concerns about the potential of dogs serving as a reservoir for human infection in the region.

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports

Título del artículo:

Lancet Commission on Hypertension group position statement on the global improvement of accuracy standards for devices that measure blood pressure

The Lancet Commission on Hypertension identified that a key action to address the worldwide burden of high blood pressure (BP) was to improve the quality of BP measurements by using BP devices that have been validated for accuracy. Currently, there are over 3000 commercially available BP devices, but many do not have published data on accuracy testing according to established scientific standards. This problem is enabled through weak or absent regulations that allow clearance of devices for commercial use without formal validation. In addition, new BP technologies have emerged (e.g. cuffless sensors) for which there is no scientific consensus regarding BP measurement accuracy standards. Altogether, these issues contribute to the widespread availability of clinic and home BP devices with limited or uncertain accuracy, leading to inappropriate hypertension diagnosis, management and drug treatment on a global scale. The most significant problems relating to the accuracy of BP devices can be resolved by the regulatory requirement for mandatory independent validation of BP devices according to the universally-accepted International Organisation for Standardization Standard. This is a primary recommendation for which there is an urgent international need. Other key recommendations are development of validation standards specifically for new BP technologies and online lists of accurate devices that are accessible to consumers and health professionals. Recommendations are aligned with WHO policies on medical devices and universal healthcare. Adherence to recommendations would increase the global availability of accurate BP devices and result in better diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, thus decreasing the worldwide burden from high BP.

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Journal of Hypertension

Título del artículo:

Measurement, monitoring and knowledge of blood pressure: May Measurement Month, Colombia 2017

Aim: To describe the findings of implementing May Measurement Month 2017 in the adult Colombian population to raise awareness of the importance of blood pressure measuring, monitoring, and awareness. Materials and methods: May Measurement Month is a cross-sectional survey that follows the directives of the International Society of Hypertension and the World Hypertension League, which gathers information on cardiovascular risk factors and blood pressure readings. Its implementation in Colombia was lead by the Santander Ophthalmological Foundation (FOSCAL) and the Latin American Society of Hypertension (LASH) with the support of the Colombian Network for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes (RECARDI). Results: Data was collected from 11 departments on 21,797 people, 58.7% of whom were female, with an average age of 40.5 ± 17.7 years. The overall prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) was 20.8% (self-reported antihypertensive treatment or systolic blood pressure reading [systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg]). Of the total number of hypertensives, 46.5% had systolic blood pressure readings classified as uncontrolled (systolic blood pressure < 140 mmHg), and 26.4% were unaware that they were hypertensive who, in this report, we consider to be new cases of HBP. Conclusion: The prevalence of (elevated) blood pressure is high in this young adult population, whose lack of awareness of HBP is also high, and HBP in those aware of their condition is poorly controlled. These results highlight the need to implement effective detection programmes for hypertensive patients and to establish standardised treatments to improve HBP control as a strategy to reduce cardiovascular events.

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Hipertension y Riesgo Vascular