Congestive heart failure in Latin America: the next epidemic.

Coronary artery disease is the main cause of congestive heart failure (CHF) in all populations. Latin American countries (LAC) are undergoing the first phase of an epidemic of coronary artery disease that probably will lead to an increased incidence of CHF. The progressive implementation of successful interventions, such as early reperfusion and rehabilitation programs, should increase the survival of patients with acute myocardial infarction and the population at high risk of CHF. The increasing prevalence of risk factors, such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and the ageing of the population may also contribute to a rising incidence of CHF in LAC. Moreover, infectious diseases such as Chagas disease and rheumatic heart disease, known causes of CHF, are still frequent in this population and additionally contribute to the incidence of CHF. If timely preventive interventions are not implemented, CHF could become one of the main contributors to the burden of morbidity, mortality, and health costs in LAC. Properly conducted clinical and epidemiologic studies are needed to identify, implement, and evaluate preventive strategies that are likely to succeed within the specific context of LAC

Educación, Bioética y toma de decisiones éticas en unidades de cuidado intensivo

En el mundo médico, las decisiones del personal de Unidad de Cuidado Intensivo (UCI), influyen tanto de manera positiva como negativa en el entorno de un paciente y su familia. El personal de salud que está vinculado al cuidado del paciente en UCI, debe ser capaz de resolver y tomar decisiones que son trascendentales para el futuro de una persona que se encuentra entre la vida y la muerte. A pesar de esta obligación moral y profesional, no existe un consenso ampliamente conocido para la toma de decisiones, que facilite al personal afrontar la situación de un paciente en estado crítico. Razón por la cual la educación universitaria en bioética es de vital importancia, para la formación de profesionales competentes, libre pensadores con responsabilidad social, que actúen como defensores y promotores de la vida

Inter-heart un estudio de factores de riesgo para infarto del miocardio en 25 países.

IP 6566-04-693-98Incluye anexos.ARTICULO(S) EN REVISTA: Angiotensin-converting enzyme genepolymorphism and risk of acute myocardial;infarction / Leonelo E. Bautista, Maria E. Ardila, GermanGamarra, Clara I. Vargas, Ivan A. Arenas. -- En:;Newsletter. -- Vol. 5, no. 2 (Jun. 2003); p. 1-2. -- Inter'-heart: a global study of risk factors for acute;myocardial infarction. -- En: American heart journal. -- Vol.141, no. 5 (May 2001); p. 711-721. -- ISSN;00028703. -- Quality of care and cardiovascular events inAMIpatients from a developing country / Casas JP,;Cubillos LA, Villarroel C, Silva F, Parra M, Arenas I, RodriguezL, Bautista L, Morillo CA. -- En: Circulation;: journal of the american hearth association. -- Vol. 106,no.16 (Oct. 2002); p. 47. -- ISSN 00097322

Using waist circumference as a screening tool to identify Colombian subjects at cardiovascular risk.

OBJECTIVE: A cut-off value for waist circumference (WC) of 94 cm associated with cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) has been recommended in Caucasian populations. However, it is unclear if recommendations derived from Western studies should be extrapolated to populations from developing countries. The present study evaluated a group of Colombian subjects to determine and evaluate the level of WC capable of identifying subjects with CVRF. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: (Study 1) A cross-sectional study in 145 healthy men, to determine the level of WC associated with the following lipid profile (triglycerides 2.25 mmol/L and total-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio >5) was performed. (Study 2) Two hundred and thirty-eight unrelated male adults were recruited to test whether the new WC cut-off point would identify subjects with CVRF. RESULTS: (Study 1) A WC cut-off point of 88 cm identified subjects with the pre-established lipid profile with a sensitivity of 80.6% and specificity of 80.1%, while the WC of 94 cm had a low sensitivity (48.3%) and a high specificity (93.3%). Additionally, the values of C-reactive protein, fasting glucose and insulin levels in subjects with a WC 88 cm were significantly higher compared to subjects with WC <88 cm. (Study 2) The diagnostic accuracy of the new WC cut-off point (88 cm) to identify subjects with two or more CVRF remained acceptable in the new sample studied (sensitivity: 83.7% and specificity: 84.8%); while the WC value of 94 cm suggested in Caucasians showed a very low sensitivity (43.2%) and a high specificity (93.9%). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a higher prevalence of CVRF in our population at lower levels of WC than those suggested previously in Caucasians, suggesting that ethnic background should be taken into account when using WC as a screener for CVRF

Memorias VIII Coloquio Perspectivas Metodológicas y Pedagógicas de la Investigación en Lengua Materna

La investigación como campo de actuación profesional requiere que las dimensiones del ser y del hacer del profesor se expliciten mediante actitudes y aptitudes desde las cuales se incida en procesos de innovación y transformación educativa y cultural, coherentes con el contexto histórico-social del momento. "Perspectivas de la Investigación en Pedagogía de la Lengua Materna y la Literatura" presenta el trabajo de discusión académica desarrollado en el VIII Coloquio en Pedagogía de la Lengua Materna, a propósito de los estatutos metódicos, teóricos y pedagógicos involucrados en el devenir de las investigaciones sobre la enseñanza -aprendizaje de la lengua materna y de la literatura, como también sobre el proceso de formación del docente - investigador en este campo.Research as a field of professional action requires that the dimensions of the being and of the teacher be made explicit through attitudes and skills from which the processes of innovation and educational and cultural transformation are based, coherent with the historical-social context of the moment. "Perspectives of Research in Pedagogy of the Mother Tongue and Literature" presents the academic discussion work developed in the VIII Colloquium in Pedagogy of the Mother Tongue, with regard to the methodical, theoretical and pedagogical statutes involved in the evolution of research on teaching - learning the mother tongue and literature, as well as the process of teacher training - researcher in this field.Bogotá-Colombi

Memorias. Encuentro de Experiencias en Inventarios y Monitoreo Biológico

Las discusiones temáticas alrededor de la consolidación del Inventario Nacional de Biodiversidad para Colombia y la Red de Monitoreo de Biodiversidad como una estrategia de largo plazo, sin duda temas complejos que requerirán de grandes esfuerzos, coordinación y generosidad institucional y personal, los podrá apreciar el lector a lo largo del presente documento, esperando que pueda entender también la importancia que tienen los resultados y la agenda propuesta si en el futuro queremos tomar decisiones con bases científicas