Cambios en el uso del preservativo en una cohorte de prostitutas

ResumenObjetivoDescribir los cambios en el uso del preservativo en una cohorte de mujeres que ejercen la prostitución en Alicante y analizar los factores que se relacionan con los cambios en esta práctica preventiva.MétodosSe han usado los datos de un estudio prospectivo que incluyó a las mujeres dedicadas a la prostitución que acudieron al Centro de Información y Prevención de Sida (CIPS) de Alicante desde 1986 a 1996. Se estimó la frecuencia en el uso del preservativo con los clientes en la primera y última visita al centro, se valoró el cambio entre las dos visitas y los factores asociados a ellos. Se realizaron dos análisis de regresión logística para determinar la asociación entre el cambio positivo o negativo y las variables explicativas.ResultadosLa prevalencia de uso del preservativo en la última visita fue mayor que en la primera (83,9% frente al 69,2%; p < 0,001). Entre las prostitutas que trabajan en contactos se incrementa más de cinco veces el uso del preservativo que entre las que lo hacen en los clubs y en la calle. Las que tienen mayor tiempo de seguimiento son las que tienen una mayor prevalencia en el uso del preservativo al final del seguimiento (odds ratio ajustada > 6 años frente a < de un año = 7,61; intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%: 2,2-26,0).ConclusiónEste estudio ha puesto en evidencia un incremento en la frecuencia del uso del preservativo y la baja frecuencia de su abandono en una cohorte de prostitutas a lo largo de 10 años. En un futuro será necesario adaptar esta estrategia preventiva a las nuevas formas de prostitución menos estables y al incremento de inmigrantes, factores que motivan una menor asistencia y adhesión a centros de prevención.SummaryObjetiveTo describe changes in condom use among prostitutes enrolled in a prospective cohort study in Alicante (Spain), and to identify those factors associated with changes in this behaviour.MethodsData from this study come from a prospective cohort study of women working at prostitution enrolled in a center for AIDS preventive at Alicante from 1986 to 1996. The proportion of condom use by prostitutes with their clients was recorded during the first visit and the last one, and changes in condom use were estimated as the difference between them. Two logistic regression analyses were done to identify those factors associated with positive or negative changes in condom use.ResultsA statistically significant increase in the prevalence of condom use was observed between the first, 69,2%, and the last visit, 83,9% (p < 0,001). Prostitutes working private increased the condom use more than five time than those working in clubs or at the street. The higher the follow-up time the higher the prevalence of condom user, OR > 6 years = 7,6 (95% CI: 2,2-26,0). No variable was associated with a negative change in condom use.ConclusionThis study shows an overall increase of condom use in a cohort of prostitutes after 10 years of follow-up. Relapse in risk behavior has been infrequent. In the future, preventive strategies to increase the use of condoms among prostitutes should be adapted to the new forms of sexual commerce

Early arrival is not associated with more extra-pair fertilizations in a long-distance migratory bird

When assessing the benefits of early arrival date of migratory birds, a hidden and often ignored component of males’ fitness is the higher chance of early-arriving birds to obtain extra-pair fertilizations. Here we investigated how extra-pair paternity might affect the relationship between male arrival date and number of fertilizations in a model study system, the European pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca. For this purpose, we sampled and genotyped breeding pairs, unpaired males and offspring (including embryos from unhatched eggs when possible) of a Dutch pied flycatcher population. Detailed information on arrival date of males, egg laying date of their social mates and nest success was also recorded. Earlyarriving males had early-laying females and males with early-laying females had a higher probability of siring extra-pair eggs and obtain more fertilizations. However, male arrival date alone did not correlate with the probability to gain extra-pair paternity and neither to the amount of fertilized eggs. Both early- and late-arriving males had a higher probability of losing paternity in their own nest compared to birds with an intermediate arrival date. Finally, late-arriving males were more likely to remain unpaired but, interestingly, a few of these birds obtained paternity via extra-pair copulations. Because earlier arrival date did not lead to more extra-pair fertilizations and because such relationship seems to be driven mainly by the female’s laying date, we conclude that the contribution of extra-pair paternity to the overall fitness benefits of early male arrival date is relatively small

Benefits and factors influencing the design of intergenerational digital games

The main purpose of this paper is to review the benefits and factors to be taken into consideration for the design of intergenerational digital games. We conducted a systematic in Scopus, Web of Science, PsicInfo, Pubmed and Science Direct, finally including 16 empirical studies written in English. The identified benefits were found to fall into four main categories, i.e., (1) reinforcing family bond, (2) enhancing reciprocal learning (3) increasing understanding of the other generation and (4) reducing social anxiety. According to the literature, two types of factors are important to take into consideration: player-centric and game-centric factors. We identified the nature of the interactions between older (55–81 year-olds) and younger players (4–22 year-olds), their motivations to play digital games and the difference in abilities as the main player-centric factors to take into account when designing intergenerational games. The most relevant game-centric factors were found to be goal-related and space-related forms of interaction. To gain more insight into how specific benefits of playing digital games are related to a type of game, gender or age of the participant, additional empirical studies (comparative analyses), that take these factors into account are needed

Timing manipulations reveal the lack of a causal link across timing of annual-cycle stages in a long-distance migrant

Organisms need to time their annual-cycle stages, like breeding and migration, to occur at the right time of the year. Climate change has shifted the timing of annual-cycle stages at different rates, thereby tightening or lifting time constraints of these annual-cycle stages, a rarely studied consequence of climate change. The degree to which these constraints are affected by climate change depends on whether consecutive stages are causally linked (scenario I) or whether the timing of each stage is independent of other stages (scenario II). Under scenario I, a change in timing in one stage has knock-on timing effects on subsequent stages, whereas under scenario II, a shift in the timing of one stage affects the degree of overlap with previous and subsequent stages. To test this, we combined field manipulations, captivity measurements and geolocation data. We advanced and delayed hatching dates in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and measured how the timing of subsequent stages (male moult and migration) were affected. There was no causal effect of manipulated hatching dates on the onset of moult and departure to Africa. Thus, advancing hatching dates reduced the male moult–breeding overlap with no effect on the moult–migration interval. Interestingly, the wintering location of delayed males was more westwards, suggesting that delaying the termination of breeding carries over to winter location. Because we found no causal linkage of the timing of annual-cycle stages, climate change could shift these stages at different rates, with the risk that the time available for some becomes so short that this will have major fitness consequences

Sleep Duration and Stress Level in the Risk of Gastric Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of Case-Control Studies in the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project

The association between sleep and stress and cancer is underinvestigated. We evaluated these factors in association with gastric cancer (GC). Five case-control studies from the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project were included. We calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sleep duration and stress level in association with GC through multiple logistic regression models adjusted for several lifestyle factors. The analysis included 1293 cases and 4439 controls, 215 cardia and 919 noncardia GC, and 353 diffuse and 619 intestinal types. Sleep duration of =9 h was associated with GC (OR =1.57, 95% CI = 1.23-2.00) compared to 8 h. This was confirmed when stratifying by subsite (noncardia OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.22-2.08, and cardia OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 0.97-2.72) and histological type (diffuse OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.14-2.40 and intestinal OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 0.91-1.67). Stress was associated with GC (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.18-1.50, continuous). This relationship was selectively related to noncardia GC (OR = 1.28, 95% 1.12-1.46, continuous). The risk of diffuse (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.11-1.58) and intestinal type (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.07-1.42) were higher when stress was reported. Results for the association between increasing level of stress and GC were heterogeneous by smoking and socioeconomic status (p for heterogeneity = 0.02 and <0.001, respectively). In conclusion, long sleep duration (=9 h) was associated with GC and its subtype categories. Stress linearly increased the risk of GC and was related to noncardia GC.The authors thank the European Cancer Prevention (ECP) Organization for providing support for the StoP Project meetings.This study was supported by the Fondazione AIRC, Associazione Italianaper la Ricerca sul Cancro, Project no. 21378 (Investigator Grant)

Climate change leads to differential shifts in the timing of annual cycle stages in a migratory bird

Shifts in reproductive phenology due to climate change have been well documented in many species but how, within the same species, other annual cycle stages (e.g. moult, migration) shift relative to the timing of breeding has rarely been studied. When stages shift at different rates, the interval between stages may change resulting in overlaps, and as each stage is energetically demanding, these overlaps may have negative fitness consequences. We used long-term data of a population of European pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) to investigate phenological shifts in three annual cycle stages: spring migration (arrival dates), breeding (egg-laying and hatching dates) and the onset of postbreeding moult. We found different advancements in the timing of breeding compared with moult (moult advances faster) and no advancement in arrival dates. To understand these differential shifts, we explored which temperatures best explain the year-to-year variation in the timing of these stages, and show that they respond differently to temperature increases in the Netherlands, causing the intervals between arrival and breeding and between breeding and moult to decrease. Next, we tested the fitness consequences of these shortened intervals. We found no effect on clutch size, but the probability of a fledged chick to recruit increased with a shorter arrival-breeding interval (earlier breeding). Finally, mark-recapture analyses did not detect an effect of shortened intervals on adult survival. Our results suggest that the advancement of breeding allows more time for fledgling development, increasing their probability to recruit. This may incur costs to other parts of the annual cycle, but, despite the shorter intervals, there was no effect on adult survival. Our results show that to fully understand the consequences of climate change, it is necessary to look carefully at different annual cycle stages, especially for organisms with complex cycles, such as migratory birds

Validez y fiabilidad de la versión española de la guía de valoración oral (OAG) en pacientes con cáncer

Fundamento. El instrumento Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) es una herramienta diseñada y ampliamente utilizada para evaluar problemas de la mucosa oral en pacientes con cáncer, sin embargo no está validada en español. El objetivo de este trabajo es traducir y validar al español la escala de la valoración de la cavidad oral (OAG) diseñada por Eilers. Método. El proceso de traducción se realizó utilizando el método de traducción retrotraducción por bilingües. El estudio se llevó a cabo en pacientes con cáncer ambulatorios y hospitalizados del Departamento Onco-hematológico y con enfermeras que trabajaban con pacientes de cáncer. Se evaluaron las siguientes propiedades psicométricas de la OAG: consistencia interna, validez concurrente con la escala de la mucositis de la OMS, la armonía interjueces entre dos enfermeras diferentes. También se recogió la percepción de los pacientes y enfermeras sobre la utilización de la OAG. Resultados. Se obtuvo una adecuada versión española de la OAG. Todos los participantes (n=40) completaron el estudio. La consistencia interna con el alpha de Cronbach fue de 0,71 y la armonía interjueces obtuvo un índice de Kappa moderado y bueno en la mayoría de los ítems (k=0,4-0,81) excepto en “lengua y encía” (k=0,33-0,37). La validez concurrente con la escala de la mucositis de la OMS fue aceptable (r=0,458). Todas las enfermeras (n=6) consideraron que la escala era fácil de entender y útil en la práctica clínica. Los pacientes dijeron que no les pareció incómoda la valoración de la boca con la escala. Conclusiones. La versión española de la OAG es un instrumento válido y fiable en pacientes con cáncer. Es una escala fácil de usar en la práctica clínica y bien aceptada por los pacientes.Background. The Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) is a widely used tool designed for evaluating problems of oral mucous in cancer patients, but it has not been validated in Spanish. The aim of this work is to translate and validate into Spanish the scale of the OAG designed by Eilers. Method. The translation process was carried out using the method of back-translation by bilingual translators. The study was carried out with cancer patients, both outpatient and inpatients, of the Hematology/Oncology Department and with oncology nurses. The following psychometric properties of the OAG were evaluated: internal consistency, concurrent validity with WHO’s mucositis scale, interjudge agreement between two different nurses. The perception of patients and nurses on the use of the OAG was also assessed. Results. An adequate Spanish version of the OAG was obtained. All the participants (n=40) completed the study. Internal consistency measured by Cronbach’s alpha was 0.71 and interjudge agreement obtained a moderate to good Kappa index in the majority of items (k=0.4-0.81), except in “tongue and gums” (k=0.33-0.37). Concurrent validity with WHO mucositis scale was acceptable (r=0.458). All the nurses (n=6) considered that the scale was easy to understand and useful in clinical practice. The patients said that oral evaluation with the scale did not cause them discomfort. Conclusions. The Spanish version of the OAG is a valid and reliable instrument in cancer patients. It is a scale that is easy to use in clinical practice and is well accepted by patients

Wintering grounds, population size and evolutionary history of a cryptic passerine species from isotopic and genetic data

Cryptic species pose a particular challenge to biologists in the context of life history investigations because of the difficulty in their field discrimination. Additionally, there is normally a lag in their widespread acceptance by the scientific community once they are formally recognised. These two factors might constrain our ability to properly assess the conservation status of the different species conforming a cryptic complex. In this study, we analysed isotopic and genetic data to shed light into the still unclear wintering grounds, population size and evolutionary history of the Iberian chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus, a species included within the common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita until two decades ago due to their phenotypic similarity. We used molecular methods to identify spring-migrating Phylloscopus species captured in northern Iberia, and by comparing the Hydrogen isotopic ratios of their claw tips (δ2Hc; which would reflect the signatures of their wintering grounds), we detected that δ2Hc values of Iberian chiffchaffs were similar to willow warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus; a renowned trans-Saharan migrant), and higher than common chiffchaffs (mostly a pre-Saharan migrant). These results strongly support the idea that Iberian chiffchaffs winter in tropical Africa. We additionally reconstructed the phylogeny and evolutionary history of the Iberian chiffchaff's clade using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Our results revealed relatively high values of nucleotide diversity (and, hence, high Ne) for the species that were greater than the values of the common/Iberian most recent common ancestor. This suggests that the Iberian chiffchaff did not experience strong bottlenecks after diverging from the common chiffchaff approximately one million years ago. Ultimately, our study provides another illustrative example of how isotopic and genetic analysis tools can help to enhance our understanding of avian ecology and evolution.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

Using an Ice-skating Exergame to Foster Intercultural Interaction Between Refugees and Dutch children

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an ice-skating exergame can stimulate intercultural social interaction between refugees and Dutch children in controlled play sessions organized at elementary schools. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study based on observations of exergame play sessions and structured interviews conducted after the play sessions. A total of 58 child