Toxoplasma gondii Infection and Threatened Abortion in Women from Northern Peru

Introduction. Toxoplasma gondii infection can cause important complications during pregnancy. Threatened abortion may be a late indicator for infection in settings with high prevalence of toxoplasmosis. We aimed to determine the association between T. gondii infection and threatened abortion in women from northern Peru. Methods. We conducted a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study in pregnant women from a hospital and a rural community in Lambayeque, Peru. Exposure variable was serological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, defined as the demonstration of either IgM or IgG antibodies against T. gondii. Outcome variable was threatened abortion, defined as the diagnosis of bloody vaginal discharge or bleeding during the first half of pregnancy. Prevalence ratios were estimated in simple and multiple regression analyses. Results. Of 218 pregnant women, 35.8% presented positive serology for T. gondii and 14.7% had threatened abortion in their current pregnancy. Pregnant women with positive T. gondii infection had 2.45-fold higher frequency of threatened abortion (PR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.15-5.21). In addition, the frequency of threatened abortion decreased by 9% for each additional year of age (PR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86-0.97). A previous history of threatened abortion also showed a higher frequency of threatened abortion (PR: 5.22, 95% CI: 2.45-11.12). Conclusions. T. gondii infection is associated with threatened abortion. An early age of pregnancy and a previous history of abortion are also associated with this condition

Mental Health Disturbance after a Major Earthquake in Northern Peru: A Preliminary, Cross-Sectional Study

Little has been studied in Peru on the mental health repercussions after a major earthquake.We aimed to explore the factors associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms in people whoexperienced a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Piura, Peru, on 30 July 2021. A preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted in the general population between August–September 2021. An onlinequestionnaire was provided using PHQ-9, GAD-7, and other relevant measures. Generalized linearmodels were applied. Of the 177 participants, the median age was 22 years, the majority were female(56%), and many experienced depressive (52%) or anxiety symptoms (52%). Presence of depressivesymptoms was associated with a personal history of mental disorder, moderate housing damage,social/material support from politicians, moderate food insecurity, and insomnia. Presence of anxietysymptoms was associated with physical injury caused by the earthquake, mild food insecurity, andinsomnia. The development of depressive and anxiety symptoms following the 2021 earthquakeexperienced in Piura depended on multiple individual and socioeconomic factors. Additional studiesshould reinforce the factors identified here given the methodological limitations, such as the studydesign, sampling method, and sample size. This would lead to effective intervention measures tomitigate the impact of earthquakes on mental health

A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galapagos

Galápagos is one of the most pristine archipelagos in the world and its conservation relies upon research and sensible management. In recent decades both the interest in, and the needs of, the islands have increased, yet the funds and capacity for necessary research have remained limited. It has become, therefore, increasingly important to identify areas of priority research to assist decision-making in Galápagos conservation. This study identified 50 questions considered priorities for future research and management. The exercise involved the collaboration of policy makers, practitioners and researchers from more than 30 different organisations. Initially, 360 people were consulted to generate 781 questions. An established process of preworkshop voting and three rounds to reduce and reword the questions, followed by a two-day workshop, was used to produce the final 50 questions. The most common issues raised by this list of questions were human population growth, climate change and the impact of invasive alien species. These results have already been used by a range of organisations and politicians and are expected to provide the basis for future research on the islands so that its sustainability may be enhanced. </jats:p

Factors favoring the search on PubMed among Latin American medical students

Aim: To determine the factors associated with the frequent use of PubMed in medical students from 40 Latin American medical schools. Methods: We developed a cross-sectional analytical study from medical students from Latin America. The dependent variable was the frequent use of PubMed, defined as the use report at least once a week and daily. Simple and multiple regression models were constructed, estimating prevalence ratios (RP) using multilevel generalized linear models. Results: Of 11587 students, 59.3% reported using PubMed frequently. Students who belonged to clinical cycles (RP = 1.19), who were affiliated with a SOCEM (RP = 1.13), who reported mastery of basic (RP = 1.25), intermediate (RP = 1.47) and advanced (RP = 1.46), Bibliographic search training (RP = 1.22) and database training (RP = 1.42) had a higher frequency of use of this database. Conclusions: The report of frequent use of PubMed in undergraduate is high. Modifiable factors positively associated with frequent use of PubMed were the training report in bibliographic search, the report in use of the database, the report of English proficiency, and belonging to a SOCEM

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after the 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake in Piura, Peru: A Cross-Sectional Study

In Peru, major disasters like the 2007 Pisco earthquake have produced high rates of post-traumatic stress. However, evidence is still needed to strengthen interventions. In 2021, a major earthquake struck Piura, in northern Peru. In this context, we aimed to assess the prevalence of PTSD and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted during August&ndash;September 2021 in people who experienced the 6.1 Piura earthquake on 30 July 2021. The questionnaire included the PCL-C, CD-RISC, ISI, HFIAS, and additional demographic data. Generalized linear models were used. The prevalence of PTSD was 20.3%. Household income was between PEN 2001 and 3000 (PR = 4.26, 95% CI: 1.08&ndash;16.75), smoking (PR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.03&ndash;6.01), experience of a nervous breakdown (PR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.09&ndash;3.09), moderate food insecurity (PR = 2.91, 95% CI: 1.10&ndash;7.73), and severe insomnia (PR = 8.25, 95% CI: 2.22&ndash;30.71) increased the prevalence of PTSD. One out of five individuals experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms after the 2021 earthquake in Piura, which varies depending on socioeconomic, psychosocial, and individual factors. Further research should strengthen these findings to ensure a fair and early mental health intervention against new seismic events in this and other Peruvian regions

Factores asociados al afrontamiento psicológico frente a la COVID-19 durante el periodo de cuarentena

Introducción: Aunque se está generando múltiple evidencia clínica sobre la COVID-19, también es crítico abordar sobre las estrategias y acciones que han adoptado las personas para enfrentar situaciones estresantes durante la cuarentena obligatoria debido a la pandemia. Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados al afrontamiento psicológico frente a la COVID-19 en la población general. Métodos: Estudio transversal analítico. Se reclutaron los participantes a través de una encuesta en línea, durante el periodo de pandemia por la COVID-19. Se evaluó el nivel de afrontamiento pasivo y activo, utilizando la escala de afrontamiento frente a riesgos extremos. Adicionalmente, se utilizó la media de los puntajes de afrontamiento pasivo y activo, se evaluó la asociación con variables sociodemográficas, pertenencia a grupos, cumplimiento de aislamiento social y reporte de conocer alguien diagnosticado con la COVID-19. Se estimaron razones de prevalencia (RP) con el uso de modelos lineales generalizados. Resultados: De 463 participantes, la mayoría era peruano (67,4 %), cumplía totalmente las medidas de aislamiento social (78,4 %). La media de puntuación de afrontamiento activo y pasivo fue de 54,1 y 30,3, respectivamente. El 57,2 % y 54 % de los participantes presentó nivel de afrontamiento activo y pasivo superior a la media, respectivamente. Los factores asociados a alto nivel de afrontamiento activo fueron alto nivel educativo (RP = 1,23) y cumplir completamente las medidas de aislamiento social (RP = 1,35). Conclusión: Tener alto nivel educativo y el cumplimiento del aislamiento social estuvieron asociados positivamente a alto nivel de afrontamiento activo

Image pattern recognition in big data: taxonomy and open challenges: survey

Image pattern recognition in the field of big data has gained increasing importance and attention from researchers and practitioners in many domains of science and technology. This paper focuses on the usage of image pattern recognition for big data applications. In this context, the taxonomy of image pattern recognition and big data is revealed. The applications of image pattern recognition for big data, including multimedia, biometrics, and biology/biomedical, are also highlighted. Moreover, the significance of using pattern-based feature reduction in big data is discussed, and machine-learning techniques in pattern recognition applications are presented. A comparison based on the objectives of the approaches is presented to underline the taxonomy. This paper provides a novel review in exploring image recognition approaches for big data, which can be used in future research

La investigación universitaria y sus contribuciones en Mesoamérica

La Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas a través de su Proyecto Académico 2014-2018, reafirma su compromiso con el desarrollo de nuestra región, al establecer líneas de desarrollo de nuestra región, al establecer líneas de desarrollo institucional, donde la vinculación de la investigación ocupa un lugar preponderante; en este sentido, a partir de 2015, junto con la comunidad académica internacional, se unió a la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo sostenible de la ONU y priorizó los 17 Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) y sus 169 metas, con la finalidad de dar soluciona los grandes desafíos sociales, económicos y medioambientales que enfrenta la sociedad. Este libro es la recopilación de trabajos realizados por académicos de diversas Instituciones de Educación Superior y Centros de Investigación, de manera multidisciplinaria, interinstitucional e internacional, los cuales han permitido compartir intereses en diversas líneas de generación y aplicación del conocimiento

La investigación universitaria y sus contribuciones en Mesoamérica

La Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas a través de su Proyecto Académico 2014-2018, reafirma su compromiso con el desarrollo de nuestra región, al establecer líneas de desarrollo de nuestra región, al establecer líneas de desarrollo institucional, donde la vinculación de la investigación ocupa un lugar preponderante; en este sentido, a partir de 2015, junto con la comunidad académica internacional, se unió a la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo sostenible de la ONU y priorizó los 17 Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) y sus 169 metas, con la finalidad de dar soluciona los grandes desafíos sociales, económicos y medioambientales que enfrenta la sociedad. Este libro es la recopilación de trabajos realizados por académicos de diversas Instituciones de Educación Superior y Centros de Investigación, de manera multidisciplinaria, interinstitucional e internacional, los cuales han permitido compartir intereses en diversas líneas de generación y aplicación del conocimiento