Protection against sexual violence in the Colombian legal framework: obstacles and consequences for women victims

Sexual violence is a type of gender-based violence (GBV), as it is one of the different types of violence that is exerted against women. Sexual violence infringes fundamental human rights, and denies women’s dignity and self-determination, personal development, and well-being. Despite international treaties and a regulatory framework that legally protects Colombian women against sexual violence, it is necessary to know the effectiveness of this regulatory framework in Colombia. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to examine criminal legislation on crimes of sexual violence in Colombia with a dual purpose: first, to analyze procedural guarantees for women victims of sexual violence; second, to determine obstacles for victims of sexual violence in accordance with the legal framework. We used a legal interpretation method to perform an analysis and interpret the law. The results found that, although sexual violence is considered a type of crime, procedural guarantees are not effective as victims encounter serious obstacles with negative consequences, such as the violation of fundamental human rights

Estilo de vida y estado de nutrición en niños escolares

ResumenObjetivoRelacionar el estilo de vida y el estado de nutrición en escolares.MétodoEstudio correlacional, participaron 260 niños adscritos a la Clínica ISSSTE, elegidos aleatoriamente. Se utilizó el cuestionario sobre estilos de vida en la niñez y se valoró el peso y talla. Se obtuvo la aprobación de la Jefatura de Investigación del ISSSTE. En el análisis de datos se aplicó estadística descriptiva e inferencial.ResultadosParticiparon 137 niños y 123 niñas, con edades entre 6-12 años. Respecto al estado de nutrición, 5 de cada 10 de los participantes se encuentran en peso normal, 2 de cada 10 en sobrepeso y uno de cada 10 en obesidad y peso bajo. Sobre el estilo de vida 7 de cada 10 de los participantes se encontraron en riesgo bajo y 2 de cada 10 en riesgo mediano. Por otra parte, no se encontró relación entre el estilo de vida de los niños y su estado de nutrición (rs=0.038, p>0.05). Adicionalmente, se encontró que los niños con peso normal o bajo peso tienen mejores hábitos de sueño que los niños con sobrepeso u obesidad (U=3.79, p<0.001).ConclusionesEste estudio muestra indicios de que los aspectos vinculados con la dimensión psicocorporal y con uso del tiempo libre deberían indagarse a mayor profundidad, ya que fueron los que arrojaron cifras que ubican a los escolares en riesgo medio y alto.AbstractObjectiveTo explore the association between lifestyle and nutritional status among school children.MethodCorrelational study involving 260 children registered at an ISSSTE clinic, who were randomly selected. A questionnaire on childhood lifestyles was used; weight and height were also assessed. A project approval from the ISSSTE research committee was obtained. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used.Results137 boys and 123 girls with ages between 6 and 12 years old participated. In relation to the nutrition status, five out every ten have a normal weight; two out every ten are over weighted, and one out of every ten is obese or under weighted respectively. In relation to lifestyle, seven out of every ten participants have low risk; and two out of every ten have medium risk. On the other hand a relation between the lifestyle and nutritional status of the children was not found (rs=.038, p>0.05). Moreover, it was found that children with normal or low weights have better sleep habits in comparison to the children who are over weighted or obese U=3.79, p <.001).ConclusionsThis study suggests that issues related to the psychological and corporal dimensions, as well as the use of free time, should be further explored because they showed figures which place children within mid and high risks

Use of metalloproteomics to access environmental stress in the free-living mice mus spretus

Comunicaciones a congreso

The MAL protein is crucial for proper membrane condensation at the ciliary base, which is required for primary cilium elongation

The base of the primary cilium contains a zone of condensed membranes whose importance is not known. Here, we have studied the involvement of MAL, a tetraspanning protein that exclusively partitions into condensed membrane fractions, in the condensation of membranes at the ciliary base and investigated the importance of these membranes in primary cilium formation. We show that MAL accumulates at the ciliary base of epithelial MDCK cells. Knockdown of MAL expression resulted in a drastic reduction in the condensation of membranes at the ciliary base, the percentage of ciliated cells and the length of the cilia, but did not affect the docking of the centrosome to the plasma membrane or produce missorting of proteins to the pericentriolar zone or to the membrane of the remaining cilia. Rab8 (for which there are two isoforms, Rab8A and Rab8b), IFT88 and IFT20, which are important components of the machinery of ciliary growth, were recruited normally to the ciliary base of MAL-knockdown cells but were unable to elongate the primary cilium correctly. MAL, therefore, is crucial for the proper condensation of membranes at the ciliary base, which is required for efficient primary cilium extensionThis work was supported by the Ministerio de Economıa y Competitividad, Spain [grant numbers BFU2012-32532 and CONSOLIDER COAT CSD2009-00016 to M. A.A.]. G.A. was supported by the Amarouto Program for senior researchers from the Comunidad Autónoma de Madri

Appraisal of non-destructive in situ techniques to determine moisture- and salt crystallization-induced damage in dolostones

The characterisation of both surface and subsurface pathologies (position, depth, width, …) that affects the porous materials used in building constructions, once in service, is important to establish the most suitable intervention strategy. In this sense, the use of non-destructive techniques allows the analysis of different properties without affecting the material. The present study shows the accuracy of different non-destructive in situ techniques, such as: electrical conductivity and capacitance, infrared thermography, ultrasonic pulse velocity, sound absorption, and electrical resistivity tomography, applied on dolostone ashlar stones outer façade of a sixteenth-century belltower, affected by moisture and salt induced decay. The joint analysis of the results obtained with different techniques substantially improves the interpretation and characterisation of the detected pathologies, as they complement each other perfectly. Electrical resistivity tomography, which delivers resistivity cross-sections, yields very good results in detecting subsurface pathologies, and sound absorption is particularly useful for stone surfaces. In both cases, the frequency of the electric field and that of the acoustic emission to detect the extent of damage must be established in advance. The joint study of electrical conductivity and capacitance determines the degree of moisture/salts, both at the surface and subsurface, in the materials tested, one of the main causes of scaling and flaking in stony materials. However, the petrological characteristics of the materials used and the identification of the saline phases present must be known in advance to make a correct interpretation of the results

Association of STAT4 with rheumatoid arthritis:A replication study in three European populations

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to investigate the previously reported association of the STAT4 polymorphism rs7574865 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 3 different European populations from Spain, Sweden, and The Netherlands, comprising a total of 2,072 patients and 2,474 controls. METHODS: Three different cohorts were included in the study: 923 RA patients and 1,296 healthy controls from Spain, 273 RA patients and 285 healthy controls from Sweden, and 876 RA patients and 893 healthy controls from The Netherlands. DNA from patients and controls was obtained from peripheral blood. Samples were genotyped for the STAT4 single-nucleotide polymorphism rs7574865 using a TaqMan 5'-allele discrimination assay. The chi-square test was performed to compare allele and genotype distributions. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: We observed a significantly increased frequency of the minor T allele in RA patients compared with healthy controls in the Spanish population (24.8% versus 20.8%; P = 0.001, OR 1.26 [95% CI 1.09-1.45]). This association was confirmed in both the Swedish population (P = 0.03, OR 1.35 [95% CI 1.03-1.77]) and the Dutch population (P = 0.03, OR 1.45 [95% CI 1.21-1.73]). The overall P value for all 3 populations was 9.79 x 10(-6) (OR 1.25 [95% CI 1.13-1.37]). No association between rs7574865 and the presence of rheumatoid factor or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide autoantibodies was observed. A meta-analysis of all published STAT4 associations revealed an OR of 1.25 (95% CI 1.19-1.33) (P = 1 x 10(-5)). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate an association between the STAT4 polymorphism rs7574865 and RA in 3 different populations, from Spain, Sweden, and The Netherlands, thereby confirming previous data

Glutathione metabolism contributes to the induction of trained immunity

The innate immune system displays heterologous memory characteristics, which are characterized by stronger responses to a secondary challenge. This phenomenon termed trained immunity relies on epigenetic and metabolic rewiring of innate immune cells. As reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has been associated with the trained immunity phenotype, we hypothesized that the increased ROS levels and the main intracellular redox molecule glutathione play a role in the induction of trained immunity. Here we show that pharmacological inhibition of ROS in an in vitro model of trained immunity did not influence cell responsiveness; the modulation of glutathione levels reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in human monocytes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in glutathione metabolism were found to be associated with changes in pro-inflammatory cytokine production capacity upon trained immunity. Also, plasma glutathione concentrations were positively associated with ex vivo IL-1 beta production, a biomarker of trained immunity, produced by monocytes of BCG-vaccinated individuals. In conclusion, glutathione metabolism is involved in the induction of trained immunity, and future studies are warranted to explore its functional consequences in human diseases.Proteomic

P63 190. La obesidad en cirugía cardíaca

El motivo del presente estudio es valorar la obesidad, índice de masa corporal (IMC) superior a 35 kg/m2, como predictor de morbimortalidad en pacientes sometidos a cirugía cardiovascular.MétodosDe enero de 2006 a enero de 2010, 1.655 pacientes han sido intervenidos en nuestro centro. Setenta y nueve pacientes presentaban un IMC > 35. La edad media fue de 67 años. Cuarenta y cinco pacientes eran mujeres; 57% de pacientes fueron intervenidos de cirugía de revascularización coronaria; 38% de pacientes fueron sometidos a sustitución valvular, 5% de pacientes presentaban cardiopatía congénita. El 32% del total de pacientes se intervinieron con carácter urgente y el resto de forma electiva.ResultadosDiez pacientes presentaban obesidad mórbida con IMC superior a 40 kg/m2, 27 pacientes eran hipertensos; 48 diabéticos; 40 enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) y 10 dislipémicos. El IMC medio de las mujeres fue de 38,08 y el de los varones de 36,44. El EuroSCORE logístico medio del grupo fue de 2,7. La estancia media hospitalaria fue de 18 días (0-90 días). La mortalidad perioperatoria fue del 5%. El seguimiento medio tras el alta hospitalaria fue de 29 meses.Un 29% de pacientes presentaron complicaciones de su herida quirúrgica (6 requirieron resutura quirúrgica); 15% pacientes presentaron complicaciones respiratorias en forma de embolia pulmonar (TEP) y atelectasia.ConclusionesEn nuestra experiencia la obesidad es un factor de morbilidad que se asocia con mayor riesgo de presentar complicaciones respiratorias e infección de herida quirúrgica

Cognitive impairment, fatigue and depression in multiple sclerosis: Is there a difference between benign and non-benign MS?

Available online 21 March 2023Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The severity of disability in people with MS (PwMS) is generally measured with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). A variant of MS known as ‘benign MS’ (BMS) has been defined as an EDSS score of 3 or lower, combined with a disease duration of 10 years or longer; however, there is disagreement in the field about whether BMS really exists. Given that the EDSS does not capture cognitive issues, communication dysfunction, fatigue, depression, or anxiety properly, its ability to accurately represent disability in all PwMS, including BMS, remains questionable. Methods: In this study, 141 persons with BMS (PwBMS) were included, consisting of 115 females (82%) and 26 males (18%) with a mean age of 50.8 (±8.68). A computerized test battery (NeuroTrax®) was used to assess cognition, covering seven cognitive domains (memory, executive function, visual-spatial processing, verbal function, attention, information processing, and motor skills). Fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess symptoms of depression. Cognitive impairment was defined for this study as when someone has a score lower than 85 in at least two subdomains of the cognitive test battery. Rates of impairment were compared to 158 persons with non-benign MS (PwNBMS; with a disease duration of 10 years and longer and an EDSS score higher than 3) and 487 PwMS with a disease duration of fewer than 10 years. Results: Cognitive impairment was found in 38% of PwBMS and in 66% of PwNBMS (p<0.001). In PwBMS, the lowest rate of impairment was found in the verbal function domain (18%) and the highest rate of impairment in the domain of information processing (32%). Fatigue and depression were found in 78% and 55% of all PwBMS, with no difference in these rates between PwBMS and PwNBMS (p = 0.787 and p = 0.316 resp.) Conclusion: Cognitive impairment, fatigue and depression are common among people with an EDSS-based definition of benign MS. These aspects should be incorporated into a new and better definition of truly benign MSHans Bogaardt, Daniel Golan, Marissa A Barrera, Stacie Attrill, Olivia Kaczmarek, Myassar Zarif, Barbara Bumstead, Marijean Buhse, Jeffrey Wilken, Glen M Doniger, Laura M Hancock, Iris-Katharina Penner, June Halper, Sarah A Morrow, Thomas J Covey, Mark Gudesblat