Título del artículo:

Comparing the identification of sites with high risk of landslides using isohyets of precipitation vs alterations of rainfall by La Niña in Santander Colombia

Extreme meteorological events associated with climate change are a real issue and have important impact over the economy of infrastructure sector, including highways, hydrocarbon transport by pipelines, mines, etc., because saturation of soils by water can produce landslides and it could produce the fracture of pipelines or other kind of tangible assets. For example, an assessment of historical geotechnical failures in Ecopetrol (Colombian Oil Company) vs. extreme meteorological events shows that during La Niña (extreme rainfall period) geotechnical failures are three times greater. This work shows a method to identify places of risk by extreme meteorological events, mainly La Niña phenomenon, with focus in most probably alteration of rainfall. Our results illustrate the hot spots where there is a high probability of slight excess (120-160% of average rainfall) and high excess (>160%) of average rainfall. The results were intersected in a GIS with pipelines and mass movement risk maps to identify the places of high risk along Santander region.

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ASME 2015 International Pipeline Geotechnical Conference, IPG 2015

Título del artículo:

Competence for home health care in colombian people with chronic ilness and their caregivers

Background. The competence for home health care is part of the fundamental features required when taking care of people with chronic disease. It is described as the ability, the skill and the preparation the user or their family caregiver possesses in order to perform the work of caring. Objective. To describe and compare the competence for home health care in Colombian people with chronic illness and their family caregivers in the different regions of Colombia. Materials and Methods. Quantitative, descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional study conducted between 2012 and 2014 in the five geographical regions of Colombia. The sample consists of 2231 participants including people with chronic illness and family caregivers. The measurement instruments used were the Survey for the characterization of the caring Dyad patient - family caregiver GCPC-UN-D, and the Home health care competence instrument “GCPCUN- CPC”, both in its patient and family caregiver versions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the home health care competence. For comparison of the groups nonparametric tests for independent samples were used. Results. People with chronic illness and their family caregivers have heterogeneous levels of home health caring competence in the different regions of Colombia. In both cases the higher levels are found in the Amazon region, while the lowest are found in the Pacific region. These levels of home health care competence are far away from the required ones to ensure quality and safety in the care of these patients. Conclusion. The indicators for the evaluation of home health care competence must address patients and their family caregiver as well as the health human talent, health institutions and the Social Security System in order to understand in a better way and change the current vulnerability in home health care practices in the country.

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Revista Facultad de Medicina

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Corrigendum to \"A new neurometric dissection of the area-under-curve-associated jiggle of the motor evoked potential induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation\" [Physiol. Behav. (141), (2015) 111-119] DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.01.014

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Physiology and Behavior

Título del artículo:

A new multiplex-PCR for urinary tract pathogen detection using primer design based on an evolutionary computation method

This work describes a new strategy for optimal design of Multiplex-PCR primer sequences. The process is based on the Particle Swarm Optimization-Simplex algorithm (Mult-PSOS). Diverging from previous solutions centered on heuristic tools, the Mult-PSOS is selfconfigured because it does not require the definition of the algorithm’s initial search parameters. The successful performance of this method was validated in vitro using Multiplex-PCR assays. For this validation, seven gene sequences of the most prevalent bacteria implicated in urinary tract infections were taken as DNA targets. The in vitro tests confirmed the good performance of the Mult-PSOS, with respect to infectious disease diagnosis, in the rapid and efficient selection of the optimal oligonucleotide sequences for Multiplex-PCRs. The predicted sequences allowed the adequate amplification of all amplicons in a single step (with the correct amount of DNA template and primers), reducing significantly the need for trial and error experiments. In addition, owing to its independence from the initial selection of the heuristic constants, the Mult-PSOS can be employed by non-expert users in computational techniques or in primer design problems.

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Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Título del artículo:

The Link between Fetal Programming, Inflammation, Muscular Strength, and Blood Pressure

Hypertension affects one billion individuals worldwide and is considered the leading cause of cardiovascular death, stroke, and myocardial infarction. This increase in the burden of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is principally driven by lifestyle changes such as increased hypercaloric diets and reduced physical activity producing an increase of obesity, insulin resistance, and low-grade inflammation. Visceral adipocytes are the principal source of proinflammatory cytokines and systemic inflammation participates in several steps in the development of CVD. However, maternal and infant malnutrition also persists as a major public health issue in low- to middle-income regions such as Latin America (LA). We propose that the increased rates of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in these countries could be the result of the discrepancy between a restricted nutritional environment during fetal development and early life, and a nutritionally abundant environment during adulthood. Maternal undernutrition, which may manifest in lower birth weight offspring, appears to accentuate the relative risk of chronic disease at lower levels of adiposity. Therefore, LA populations may be more vulnerable to the pathogenic consequences of obesity than individuals with similar lifestyles in high-income countries, which may be mediated by higher levels of proinflammatory markers and lower levels of muscle mass and strength observed in low birth weight individuals.

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Mediators of Inflammation

Título del artículo:

Identification and characterization molecular of Burkholderia glumae, causal agent of bacterial panicle blight in rice

The aim of this study was to identify and molecularly characterize isolates of Burkholderia glumae from rice plants with evidence of putrescence. Burkholderia glumae is the causal agent of bacterial blight of panicle rice, with a high incidence causing considerable losses in crop production in Colombia. Since its identification is difficult, it is important to implement an evaluation system to quickly and accurately identify this pathogen. Sixty four isolates were obtained, 41 of which were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as Burkholderia glumae. The molecular characterization with MB1 and BOX-PCR markers showed genetic variability in most isolates, but allowed the grouping according to its geographical origin. The high genetic diversity suggests a high degree of variability within individuals of this species.

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Informacion Tecnologica

Título del artículo:

Nonlinear digital signal processing in mental health: Characterization of major depression using instantaneous entropy measures of heartbeat dynamics

Nonlinear digital signal processing methods that address system complexity have provided useful computational tools for helping in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of pathologies. More specifically, nonlinear measures have been successful in characterizing patients with mental disorders such as Major Depression (MD). In this study, we propose the use of instantaneous measures of entropy, namely the inhomogeneous point-process approximate entropy (ipApEn) and the inhomogeneous point-process sample entropy (ipSampEn), to describe a novel characterization of MD patients undergoing affective elicitation. Because these measures are built within a nonlinear point-process model, they allow for the assessment of complexity in cardiovascular dynamics at each moment in time. Heartbeat dynamics were characterized from 48 healthy controls and 48 patients with MD while emotionally elicited through either neutral or arousing audiovisual stimuli. Experimental results coming from the arousing tasks show that ipApEn measures are able to instantaneously track heartbeat complexity as well as discern between healthy subjects and MD patients. Conversely, standard heart rate variability (HRV) analysis performed in both time and frequency domains did not show any statistical significance. We conclude that measures of entropy based on nonlinear point-process models might contribute to devising useful computational tools for care in mental health.

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Frontiers in Physiology

Título del artículo:

Fibromyalgia is characterized by altered frontal and cerebellar structural covariance brain networks

Altered brain morphometry has been widely acknowledged in chronic pain, and recent studies have implicated altered network dynamics, as opposed to properties of individual brain regions, in supporting persistent pain. Structural covariance analysis determines the inter-regional association in morphological metrics, such as gray matter volume, and such structural associations may be altered in chronic pain. In this study, voxel-based morphometry structural covariance networks were compared between fibromyalgia patients (N = 42) and age- and sex-matched pain-free adults (N = 63). We investigated network topology using spectral partitioning, which can delineate local network submodules with consistent structural covariance. We also explored white matter connectivity between regions comprising these submodules and evaluated the association between probabilistic white matter tractography and pain-relevant clinical metrics. Our structural covariance network analysis noted more connections within the cerebellum for fibromyalgia patients, and more connections in the frontal lobe for healthy controls. For fibromyalgia patients, spectral partitioning identified a distinct submodule with cerebellar connections to medial prefrontal and temporal and right inferior parietal lobes, whose gray matter volume was associated with the severity of depression in these patients. Volume for a submodule encompassing lateral orbitofrontal, inferior frontal, postcentral, lateral temporal, and insular cortices was correlated with evoked pain sensitivity. Additionally, the number of white matter fibers between specific submodule regions was also associated with measures of evoked pain sensitivity and clinical pain interference. Hence, altered gray and white matter morphometry in cerebellar and frontal cortical regions may contribute to, or result from, pain-relevant dysfunction in chronic pain patients.

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NeuroImage: Clinical

Título del artículo:

Effects of functional training program in core muscles in women with fibromyalgia

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a program of functional muscles core training targeting women with fibromyalgia. Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental type trial was conducted, before and after an intervention, for 20 days, often three days/week, 60 minutes each session. In a single-group of eight women, changes in muscle strength, pain, quality of life related to health and physical activity were evaluated. Results: An increase in repetitions of the test trunk fexion, time on the left and right bridge testing lateral and prone bridge the test were found. All features of pain decreased, and, according to the S-FIQ, a decrease in morning fatigue, stiffness and anxiety was reported. Also Met’s/minute-weeks increased after intervention. Conclusion: These data suggest that functional program core muscle training is effective in increasing muscle strength, pain modulation, functional performance optimization, and increased levels of physical activity in women with fibromyalgia.

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Revista Ciencias de la Salud

Título del artículo:

Health related quality of life and urinary incontinence in women with overweight and obesity in Bucaramanga, Colombia

Objective: To determine the association between quality of life health-related (HRQL) and urinary incontinence (UI) in a population of overweight women in the urban area of Bucaramanga, Colombia. Materials and methods: An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted in March and May 2012. The sample consisted of 63 randomly selected women; median age was 46 years with a minimum of 18 and maximum of 65 years, 76% were overweight, and 24% obese. We assessed the HRQL with the SF-36 questionnaire and lower urinary tract symptoms quality of life questionnaire (ICIQ-FLUTSqol). Urinary incontinence was assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence questionnaire, short form (ICIQ-IU Short Form). Results: The overall prevalence of UI was 39.7%; 28.6% was Stress UI, mixed UI 11.1%. There were no statistically signifcant differences in the eight dimensions of SF-36 in women with and without UI. The dimension with lowest score in women with IU was Energy-Fatigue (63.4). The HRQL scores assessed with ICIQ-FLUTSqol questionnaire was 27 with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 55. Conclusion: In women with overweight, we do not found statistically signifcant differences in the eight dimensions of HR-QOL when comparing women with and without UI.

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Revista Ciencias de la Salud

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Epidemiology, risk factors and genotypes of HBV in HIV-infected patients in the northeast region of Colombia: High prevalence of occult hepatitis B and F3 subgenotype dominance

Introduction: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. HIV-positive patients are commonly co-infected with HBV due to shared routes of transmission. Objectives: Our aim was to determine the risk factors, prevalence, genotypes, and mutations of the Surface S gene of HBV, and occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) among patients infected with HIV in a northeastern Colombian city. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 275 HIV-positive patients attending an outpatient clinic in Bucaramanga, Colombia during 2009-2010. Blood samples were collected and screened for serological markers of HBV (anti-HBs, anti-HBc and HBsAg) through ELISA assay. Regardless of their serological profile, all samples were tested for the HBV S gene by nested-PCR and HBV genotypes were determined by phylogenetic inference. Clinical records were used to examine demographic, clinical, virological, immunological and antiretroviral therapy (ART) variables of HIV infection. Results: Participants were on average 37±11 years old and 65.1% male. The prevalence of HIV-HBV coinfection was 12% (95%CI 8.4-16.4) of which 3.3% had active HBV infection and 8.7% OBI. The prevalence of HIV-HBV coinfection was associated with AIDS stage and ART treatment. Sequence analysis identified genotype F, subgenotype F3 in 93.8% of patients and genotype A in 6.2% of patients. A C149R mutation, which may have resulted from failure in HBsAg detection, was found in one patient with OBI. Conclusions: The present study found a high prevalence of HIV-HBV coinfection with an incidence of OBI 2.6-fold higher compared to active HBV infection. These findings suggest including HBV DNA testing to detect OBI in addition to screening for HBV serological markers in HIV patients.

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PLoS ONE

Título del artículo:

Anthropometric characteristics and physical performance of Colombian elite male wrestlers

Background: Wrestling was an important part of the ancient Olympic Games and is still one of the most popular events of the modern Olympic Games. Studies indicate that general physiologic profile of successful wrestlers is high anaerobic power and capacity, muscular strength, above average aerobic power, exceptional flexibility, fat free mass, and a mesomorphic somatotype. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to evaluate anthropometric characteristics and physical performance of elite male wrestlers. Patients and Methods: The Colombian Wrestling Team was evaluated while in preparation for the Olympic Games (n = 21; age, 27.9 ± 6.7 years). Athletes were tested on anthropometric and fitness parameters: body composition, somatotype distribution according to Heath-Carter, aerobic capacity, vertical jump, and anaerobic power. Results: The evaluations showed a mean body fat percentage of 13.6% ± 3.0% (95% CI, 12.2%-15%), muscle mass of 46.4% ± 2.2% (95% CI, 45.4%-47.4%), Ponderal index of 41.0 ± 1.8 (95% CI, 40.2-41.8), body adiposity index (BAI) 25.1 ± 3.6 (95% CI, 23.5-26.8), and somatotype distribution mesomorphic-ectomorph (5.3-1.6-3.8). Mean aerobic capacity was 45.9 ± 6.6 mL/kg/min (95% CI, 42.8-48.9), vertical jump was 36.4 ± 6.6 cm (95% CI, 11.8-16.6), and anaerobic power was 92.6 ± 19.5 kg/s (95% CI, 83.7-101.5). Conclusions: These results provided a profile of elite wrestlers that could be used as training targets for developing athletes. The results may also provide information for training and tactical planning.

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Asian Journal of Sports Medicine

Título del artículo:

The impact of the fifa 11+ training program on injury prevention in football players: A systematic review

The FIFA 11+ is a simple, and easy to implement, sports injury prevention program comprising a warm up of 10 conditioning exercises. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of the FIFA 11+ on injury incidence, compliance and cost effectiveness when implemented among football players. MEDLINE, EMBASE and Scopus databases were searched using the search terms “FIFA 11+”, “football”, “soccer”, “injury prevention”, and “The 11”. The titles and abstracts were screened by two independent reviewers and the data were filtered by one reviewer using a standardized extraction form and thereafter checked by another one. The risk of bias and the methodological quality of the studies were evaluated through the PEDro score and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). A total of 911 studies were identified, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria of the review. The FIFA 11+ has demonstrated how a simpleexercise program completed as part of warm-up can decrease the incidence of injuries in amateur footba players. In general, considerable reductions in the number of injured players, ranging between 30% and 70%, have been observed among the teams that implemented the FIFA 11+. In addition, players with high compliance to the FIFA 11+ program had an estimated risk reduction of all injuries by 35% and show significant improvements in components of neuromuscular and motor performance when participating in structured warm-up sessions at least 1.5 times/week. Most studies had high methodological quality and a low risk of bias. Given the large number of people who play football at amateur level and the detrimental impact of sports injuries on a personal and societal level, the FIFA 11+ can be considered as a fundamental tool to minimize the risks of participation in a sport with substantial health benefits.

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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Título del artículo:

A novel method to evaluate the community built environment using photographs - Environmental profile of a community health (Epoch) Photo neighbourhood evaluation tool

Background: Previous research has shown that environments with features that encourage walking are associated with increased physical activity. Existing methods to assess the built environment using geographical information systems (GIS) data, direct audit or large surveys of the residents face constraints, such as data availability and comparability, when used to study communities in countries in diverse parts of the world. The aim of this study was to develop a method to evaluate features of the built environment of communities using a standard set of photos. In this report we describe the method of photo collection, photo analysis instrument development and inter-rater reliability of the instrument. Methods/Principal Findings: A minimum of 5 photos were taken per community in 86 communities in 5 countries according to a standard set of instructions from a designated central point of each community by researchers at each site. A standard pro forma derived from reviewing existing instruments to assess the built environment was developed and used to score the characteristics of each community. Photo sets from each community were assessed independently by three observers in the central research office according to the pro forma and the inter-rater reliability was compared by intra-class correlation (ICC). Overall 87% (53 of 60) items had an ICC of≥0.70, 7% (4 of 60) had an ICC between 0.60 and 0.70 and 5% (3 of 60) items had an ICC ≤0.50. Conclusions/Significance: Analysis of photos using a standardized protocol as described in this study offers a means to obtain reliable and reproducible information on the built environment in communities in very diverse locations around the world. The collection of the photographic data required minimal training and the analysis demonstrated high reliability for the majority of items of interest.

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PLoS ONE

Título del artículo:

Cardiovascular risk and events in 17 low-, middle-, and high-income countries

BACKGROUND: More than 80% of deaths from cardiovascular disease are estimated to occur in low-income and middle-income countries, but the reasons are unknown. METHODS: We enrolled 156,424 persons from 628 urban and rural communities in 17 countries (3 high-income, 10 middle-income, and 4 low-income countries) and assessed their cardiovascular risk using the INTERHEART Risk Score, a validated score for quantifying risk-factor burden without the use of laboratory testing (with higher scores indicating greater risk-factor burden). Participants were followed for incident cardiovascular disease and death for a mean of 4.1 years. RESULTS: The mean INTERHEART Risk Score was highest in high-income countries, intermediate in middle-income countries, and lowest in low-income countries (P<0.001). However, the rates of major cardiovascular events (death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure) were lower in high-income countries than in middle- and low-income countries (3.99 events per 1000 person-years vs. 5.38 and 6.43 events per 1000 person-years, respectively; P<0.001). Case fatality rates were also lowest in high-income countries (6.5%, 15.9%, and 17.3% in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, respectively; P = 0.01). Urban communities had a higher risk-factor burden than rural communities but lower rates of cardiovascular events (4.83 vs. 6.25 events per 1000 person-years, P<0.001) and case fatality rates (13.52% vs. 17.25%, P<0.001). The use of preventive medications and revascularization procedures was significantly more common in high-income countries than in middle- or low-income countries (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although the risk-factor burden was lowest in low-income countries, the rates of major cardiovascular disease and death were substantially higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries. The high burden of risk factors in high-income countries may have been mitigated by better control of risk factors and more frequent use of proven pharmacologic therapies and revascularization. Copyright © 2014 Massachusetts Medical Society.

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New England Journal of Medicine

Título del artículo:

Association of urinary sodium and potassium excretion with blood pressure

BACKGROUND: Higher levels of sodium intake are reported to be associated with higher blood pressure. Whether this relationship varies according to levels of sodium or potassium intake and in different populations is unknown. METHODS: We studied 102,216 adults from 18 countries. Estimates of 24-hour sodium and potassium excretion were made from a single fasting morning urine specimen and were used as surrogates for intake. We assessed the relationship between electrolyte excretion and blood pressure, as measured with an automated device. RESULTS: Regression analyses showed increments of 2.11 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure and 0.78 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure for each 1-g increment in estimated sodium excretion. The slope of this association was steeper with higher sodium intake (an increment of 2.58 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure per gram for sodium excretion >5 g per day, 1.74 mm Hg per gram for 3 to 5 g per day, and 0.74 mm Hg per gram for <3 g per day; P<0.001 for interaction). The slope of association was steeper for persons with hypertension (2.49 mm Hg per gram) than for those without hypertension (1.30 mm Hg per gram, P<0.001 for interaction) and was steeper with increased age (2.97 mm Hg per gram at >55 years of age, 2.43 mm Hg per gram at 45 to 55 years of age, and 1.96 mm Hg per gram at <45 years of age; P<0.001 for interaction). Potassium excretion was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure, with a steeper slope of association for persons with hypertension than for those without it (P<0.001) and a steeper slope with increased age (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the association of estimated intake of sodium and potassium, as determined from measurements of excretion of these cations, with blood pressure was nonlinear and was most pronounced in persons consuming high-sodium diets, persons with hypertension, and older persons. Copyright © 2014 Massachusetts Medical Society.

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New England Journal of Medicine

Título del artículo:

Urinary sodium and potassium excretion, mortality, and cardiovascular events

BACKGROUND: The optimal range of sodium intake for cardiovascular health is controversial. METHODS: We obtained morning fasting urine samples from 101,945 persons in 17 countries and estimated 24-hour sodium and potassium excretion (used as a surrogate for intake). We examined the association between estimated urinary sodium and potassium excretion and the composite outcome of death and major cardiovascular events. RESULTS: The mean estimated sodium and potassium excretion was 4.93 g per day and 2.12 g per day, respectively. With a mean follow-up of 3.7 years, the composite outcome occurred in 3317 participants (3.3%). As compared with an estimated sodium excretion of 4.00 to 5.99 g per day (reference range), a higher estimated sodium excretion (≥7.00 g per day) was associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome (odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.30), as well as increased risks of death and major cardiovascular events considered separately. The association between a high estimated sodium excretion and the composite outcome was strongest among participants with hypertension (P=0.02 for interaction), with an increased risk at an estimated sodium excretion of 6.00 g or more per day. As compared with the reference range, an estimated sodium excretion that was below 3.00 g per day was also associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.44). As compared with an estimated potassium excretion that was less than 1.50 g per day, higher potassium excretion was associated with a reduced risk of the composite outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In this study in which sodium intake was estimated on the basis of measured urinary excretion, an estimated sodium intake between 3 g per day and 6 g per day was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events than was either a higher or lower estimated level of intake. As compared with an estimated potassium excretion that was less than 1.50 g per day, higher potassium excretion was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events. Copyright © 2014 Massachusetts Medical Society.

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New England Journal of Medicine

Título del artículo:

Association of handgrip strength to cardiovascular mortality in pre-diabetic and diabetic patients: A subanalysis of the ORIGIN trial

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International Journal of Cardiology

Título del artículo:

Athletic performance and birth month: Is the relative age effect more than just selection bias?

The aim of this study was to determine if month of birth affects performance in 3 tests of physical function in children and adolescents. We measured cardiorespiratory fitness, handgrip strength and lower-body power expressed them relative to (whole year) age then compared scores between calendar year birth-months. We also expressed test performance as the likelihood of achieving criterion-referenced fitness standards. There were significant main effects of birth-month for cardiorespiratory fitness (F=4.54, p<0.001), strength (F=6.81, p<0.001) and power (F=3.67, p<0.001). Children born in November were fitter and more powerful than those born at other times, particularly the summer months (April, May and June). October-born children were stronger than those born in all months except September and November. This relationship was evident despite controlling for decimal age and despite no significant inter-month differences in anthropometric characteristics. There is a clear physical advantage for those born in the autumn and this may explain some of the bias in sports selection attributed to the relative age effect, particularly when the British school-year (September) cut-off is used.

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International Journal of Sports Medicine

Título del artículo:

The lateralized smell test for detecting Alzheimer\'s disease: Failure to replicate

Objectives A widely publicized study by Stamps, Bartoshuk and Heilman (2013) reported that a simple measure of left:right naris differences in the ability to detect the odor of peanut butter is a sensitive marker of Alzheimer\'s disease (AD). AD patients were said to have abnormal smell function on the left side of the nose and normal function on right side of the nose. In light of its implications for medical practice and the world-wide publicity that it engendered, we sought to replicate and expand this work. Methods Two studies were performed. In the first, 15 AD patients were tested according to the procedures described by Stamps et al. in which the nostril contralateral to the tested side was occluded by the patient using lateral pressure from the index finger. Since this can potentially distort the contralateral naris, we repeated the testing using tape for naris occlusion. In the second, 20 AD patients were administered 20 odors of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) to each side of the nose, with the contralateral naris being closed with tape. In both studies, the order of the side of testing was systematically counterbalanced. Results No evidence of a left:right asymmetry on any test measure was observed. Conclusion Although hyposmia is well-established in AD, no meaningful asymmetry in smell perception is apparent. If olfactory function on the right side of the nose was normal as claimed, then AD patients should exhibit normal function when tested bilaterally, a phenomenon not seen in dozens of AD-related olfactory studies. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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Journal of the Neurological Sciences

Título del artículo:

Low muscle strength is associated with metabolic risk factors in Colombian children: The ACFIES study

Purpose: In youth, poor cardiorespiratory and muscular strength are associated with elevated metabolic risk factors. However, studies examining associations between strength and risk factors have been done exclusively in high income countries, and largely in Caucasian cohorts. The aim of this study was to assess these interactions in schoolchildren in Colombia, a middle income Latin American country. Methods: We measured body mass index, body composition, handgrip strength (HG), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and metabolic risk factors in 669 low-middle socioeconomic status Colombian schoolchildren (mean age 11.52±1.13, 47% female). Associations between HG, CRF and metabolic risk factors were evaluated. Results: HG and CRF were inversely associated with blood pressure, HOMA index and a composite metabolic risk score (p<0.001 for all) and HG was also inversely associated with triglycerides and C-reactive protein (CRP) (both p<0.05). Associations between HG and risk factors were marginally weakened after adjusting for CRF, while associations between CRF and these factors were substantially weakened after adjusting for HG. Linear regression analyses showed inverse associations between HG and systolic BP (β = -0.101; p = 0.047), diastolic BP (β = -0.241; p> = 0.001), HOMA (β = -0.164; p = 0.005), triglycerides (β = -0.583; p = 0.026) and CRP (β = -0.183; p = 0.037) but not glucose (p = 0.698) or HDL cholesterol (p = 0.132). The odds ratios for having clustered risk in the weakest quartile compared with the strongest quartile were 3.0 (95% confidence interval: 1.81-4.95). Conclusions: In Colombian schoolchildren both poorer handgrip strength/kg body mass and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with a worse metabolic risk profile. Associations were stronger and more consistent between handgrip and risk factors than between cardiorespiratory fitness and these risk factors. Our findings indicate the addition of handgrip dynamometry to non-invasive youth health surveillance programs would improve the accuracy of the assessment of cardiometabolic health. © 2014 Cohen et al.

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PLoS ONE

Título del artículo:

The association between ownership of common household devices and obesity and diabetes in high, middle and low income countries

Background: Household devices (e.g., television, car, computer) are common in high income countries, and their use has been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We hypothesized that device ownership is associated with obesity and diabetes and that these effects are explained through reduced physical activity, increased sitting time and increased energy intake. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis using data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study involving 153 996 adults from high, upper-middle, lower-middle and low income countries. We used multilevel regression models to account for clustering at the community and country levels. Results: Ownership of a household device increased from low to high income countries (4% to 83% for all 3 devices) and was associated with decreased physical activity and increased sitting, dietary energy intake, body mass index and waist circumference. There was an increased odds of obesity and diabetes with the ownership of any 1 household device compared to no device ownership (obesity: odds ratio [OR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-1.55; diabetes: OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.28-1.50). Ownership of a second device increased the odds further but ownership of a third device did not. Subsequent adjustment for lifestyle factors modestly attenuated these associations. Of the 3 devices, ownership of a television had the strongest association with obesity (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.29- 1.49) and diabetes (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.23-1.44). When stratified by country income level, the odds of obesity and diabetes when owning all 3 devices was greatest in low income countries (obesity: OR 3.15, 95% CI 2.33-4.25; diabetes: OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.53-2.53) and decreased through country income levels such that we did not detect an association in high income countries. Interpretation: The ownership of household devices increased the likelihood of obesity and diabetes, and this was mediated in part by effects on physical activity, sitting time and dietary energy intake. With increasing ownership of household devices in developing countries, societal interventions are needed to mitigate their effects on poor health. © 2014 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors.

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CMAJ. Canadian Medical Association Journal

Título del artículo:

A new PCR-RFLP for species-specific diagnosis of south American animal trypanosomiasis

The diagnosis of animal trypanosomiasis in field samples is currently based on clinical suspicion and less frequently on traditional parasitological methods characterized by their very low sensitivity, especially in the sub-acute and chronic phase of the infection. Molecular tools such as Polymerase Chain Reaction have been shown to reach the highest sensitivity percentages, but without good resolution for all of the South American circulating species (T. vivax, T. evansi and T. theileri) or with specificity for only one of these species. In this study, a new PCR-RFLP for species-specific diagnosis of Trypanosomiasis is presented. This method displayed good resolution, sensitivity and specificity for differentiation of the three aforementioned species identified from naturally infected Colombian bovines and water buffaloes. In addition, epidemiological and clinical data were also collected and analyzed from the sampled animals and significant associations were identified. © 2014 Science Publication.

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American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Título del artículo:

Higher household income and the availability of electronic devices and transport at home are associated with higher waist circumference in Colombian children: The ACFIES study

Background: The current \"epidemic\" of childhood obesity is described as being driven by modern lifestyles with associated socioeconomic and environmental changes that modify dietary habits, discourage physical activity and encourage sedentary behaviors. Objective: To evaluate the association between household income and the availability of electronic devices and transport at home, and the values of waist circumference (WC), as an indicator of abdominal obesity, in children and adolescents from Bucaramanga, Colombia. Methods: Cross-sectional study of public elementary and high school population, of low-middle socioeconomic status. Results: A total of 668 schoolchildren were recruited. After adjusting for potential confounders, significant positive associations between waist circumference and higher household income (p = 0.011), and waist circumference and the availability of electronic devices and transport at home (p = 0.026) were found. Conclusions: In low-middle socioeconomic status schoolchildren in a developing country, those from relatively more affluent families had greater waist circumference, an association that is opposite to that observed in developed countries. This finding could be related to higher income family\'s ability to purchase electronic devices and motorized transport which discourage physical activity and for their children to buy desirable and more costly western fast food. © 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Título del artículo:

Prediabetes and diabetes prevention initiatives in Latin America (LA)

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

Global Health Perspectives in Prediabetes and Diabetes Prevention