Prevalence of Depression and Fish Consumption among First Year Spanish University Students: UniHcos Project

The World Health Organization estimates that one fifth of university students have experienced major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. Nutrition may be one of the modifiable factors that influence the development of depression. Specifically, low omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin D levels, both nutrients found in high quantities in fish, have been linked to depressive disorders. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of depression among young Spanish university students, in addition to the pattern of fish consumption among students and the possible relationship between fish consumption and the presence of depression. Data were collected retrospectively from a nationally representative sample of 11,485 Spanish university students aged 18 years or older in 11 Spanish universities, from 2012 to 2022. The respondents were analyzed according to frequency of consumption and compliance with weekly recommendations for fish intake and the presence of depression. Regression models were also performed to determine students' odds of depression as a function of compliance with recommendations according to selected sociodemographic variables. The prevalence of depression was 10.5%; it was more prevalent in women, older students and in those with both high and low BMIs. In addition, it was also more prevalent in those that lived outside the family home, with roommates and those who were employed. Sixty-seven percent of the students met the fish intake recommendations. The most common frequency of fish consumption was 1-2 times/week (44.2%), and the least frequent was 2.3% daily fish consumption. Students from northern universities were more likely to consume fish (68.4%) than those from southern universities (66.4%). Non-consumption of fish was found to increase the risk of depression (ORa = 1.45 (1.28-1.64); AF = 31.0% (21.9-39.0)), but it was the student's own conditions that had the greatest influence on the development of the disorder. In summary, a lower consumption of fish seems to be associated with a higher incidence of depression in Spanish university students; however, other social factors of the student may influence the development of the disorder, and all of this should be taken into account for the development of prevention strategies.This research was funded by the National Drug Plan from the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality of Spain (Grant numbers: 2010|145, 2013|034 and 2020|030) and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant number: PI16/01947)

Comparative Study of Lifestyle: Eating Habits, Sedentary Lifestyle and Anthropometric Development in Spanish 5- To 15-yr-Olds

Background: The infant-juvenile period is one of high vulnerability during the lifestyles chosen become determining factors for future health status. This study aimed to evaluate lifestyle, specifically eating habits and physical activity, in 5-15-year-olds in Spain and their health status (anthropometry). Methods: This cross-sectional population study with two time points (2006 and 2013) was conducted by compiling data from the Spanish National Health Survey. We used the minor survey, specifically the data from the Health De-terminants module, which included 5-15-year-olds. Compiled information was obtained from parents or guardians. Results: The overall overweight and obesity prevalence in Spain (2013) in 5- to 15-year-olds is 24.3%. A drop of 8.2% in meat consumption was found, while overall intake was high. Daily intake of plant-based food (fruit, vegetables, pulses) was low, especially vegetables (32.9%). Increased sedentary lifestyle was observed, probably because the use of communication technologies has increased in recent years (P<0.001). Moreover, watching TV rose to 19.3% for 1 hour/day watching TV on weekdays and to 23.5% at weekends. Conclusion: When comparing the two time points (2006 and 2013), we observed that lifestyle, eating habits and phys-ical activity strongly associated with the Spanish infant-juvenile population¿s anthropometry. Mediterranean diet pat-terns seem to be abandoned and physical activity is practiced less, which will have a negative impact on future quality of life

Barriers to the care of febrile patients in a malaria endemic area : El Bagre (Antioquia, Colombia) 2016.

Objetivo: Identificar limitaciones de los pacientes con síndrome febril agudo para acceder a los servicios de atención institucional, con énfasis en la identificación de barreras de comunicación.Método: Estudio descriptivo que involucra técnicas de investigación cualitativa con pacientes de los servicios de atención de la malaria y con personal asistencial y administrativo del municipio de El Bagre Antioquia, Colombia en el 2016. Se aplicaron encuestas semiestructuradas individuales, entrevistas y grupos focales. Los usuarios señalaron dificultades con el transporte, insuficiente número de citas y falta de personal para acceder a la atención. Resultados: Las dificultades de comunicación se relacionaron con la información suministrada sobre trámites y documentación para asistir a los puestos de salud, poca información sobre el diagnóstico, control y adherencia al tratamiento antimalárico y el no uso de algunos pacientes del español para comunicarse en forma verbal o escrita. Conclusiones: Esto exige crear modelos de salud basados en transformaciones estructurales que abarquen las necesidades de los actores del sistema de salud y las comunidades, permitiendo establecer las bases para un proyecto multicultural de sociedad.Objective: identify constraints of patients with acute febrile syndrome to institutional care services access, emphasizing the identification of communication barriers. Method: this is a descriptive study that involves qualitative research techniques including malaria care service patients as well as assistance and administrative personnel of El Bagre town in Antioquia, Colombia in 2016. Semi-structured individual surveys, interviews and focus groups were used. Results: users listed difficulties including transportation, insufficient number of appointments and absence of personnel to access healthcare. Communication difficulties were related to the information provided in the paperwork and documents filled out to attend healthcare facilities, scarce information about diagnostic, control, and adherence to antimalarial treatment; additionally some patients did not use Spanish to communicate in oral or write form. Conclusion: the creation of health models based on structural transformations that encompass the needs of Healthcare System actors and communities is a must, which allows the establishment of foundations for a multicultural society Project

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a Mediterranean region

Low vitamin D levels have been found in patients with autoimmune diseases, including type I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. The main source of vitamin D is exposure to sunlight, but the same solar radiation is known to exacerbate lupus erythematosus. We investigated the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). We designed a cross-sectional study including 55 patients with CLE to measure their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) by chemiluminescence immunoassay and compare it with a control group consisting of 37 healthy sex and age-matched subjects recruited from the patients’ relatives as well as healthcare workers. Correlations with clinical and demographic variables were determined. Approximately 95% of patients with CLE had less than 30 ng/ml of serum 25(OH)D, which is accepted as the lower limit for vitamin D adequacy. Mean serum vitamin D values were significantly lower than controls (p = 0.038) and were associated with higher levels of parathyroid hormone (p = 0.050). A history of CLE was a strong predictor of insufficiency of vitamin D (odds ratio 4.2; 95% confidence interval 1.0–17.4). The results suggest a role of CLE in the metabolism of the vitamin and provide guidance for future studies looking at a potential role for vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of CLE

Assessment of the microbiological quality of groundwater in three regions of the Valencian community (Spain)

Urban groundwater development was traditionally constrained by concerns about its quality. This study was conducted in the regions of La Ribera Alta and Ribera Baja and La Plana de Requena-Utiel of the Valencian Community (Valencia, Spain) where population density, demand for drinking water and agricultural activities are high. Groundwater bodies (GWBs) are regarded as management areas within each territory, and were used to establish protection policies. This study analyzed eleven GWBs. We used two databases with microbiological measurements from 154 wells over a 7-year period (2004-2011), risk factors and groundwater information. Wells were grouped according to frequency of microbiological contamination using E. coli measurements, category <1, or wells with low-frequency microbiological contamination and high-frequency wells or category 1-100, according to World Health Organization (WHO) quality criteria of drinking water. Of all wells, 18.12% showed high-frequency microbiological contamination with a majority distribution in the Ribera Alta region (26.98%, p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the two risk categories for flow, static level, well depth and distance from population centres. This paper reveals that the vulnerability classes established by the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) do not match the microbiological results, and that only eight wells with high-frequency contamination coincide with the high vulnerability areas

Efectos de la alteración endocrina durante la gestación: una revisión sistemática

Los alteradores endocrinos son contaminantes ambientales, naturales y sintéticos, ubicuos, que pueden mimetizar, bloquear o alterar funciones hormonales. La exposición ambiental a estos contaminantes es prácticamente imposible de evitar debido a que están presentes en el aire, en el agua, en los suelos, en los alimentos, y en muchos de los materiales con los que estamos en contacto diariamente, como los plásticos. La gestación supone una etapa de vulnerabilidad para el feto porque su organismo está en proceso de desarrollo y cualquier alteración puede afectar su salud a corto o largo plazo. Hay cierta evidencia de que estas sustancias alteran procesos de crecimiento y diferenciación de tejidos, producen malformaciones y afectan la duración del embarazo. Hasta el momento se conoce algo de sus efectos en la etiología de la criptorquidia, hipospadias y micropene, abortos espontáneos, partos prematuros y el bajo peso al nacimiento, efectos que serán revisados en este documento que quiere aportar una actualización del conocimiento, concentrándose en la epidemiología ambiental y la literatura relacionada. La dificultad para estudiar este tema por la cantidad de factores que intervienen hace que los resultados existentes no sean concluyentes o incluso contradictorios, por lo que es necesario que se siga investigando Abstract.Endocrine disruptors are ubiquitous natural and synthetic environmental pollutants that can mimic, block or disturb normal hormonal function. Environmental exposure to these pollutants is almost impossible to prevent due to their presence in the air,water, soil, food and in many other materials with which we come in contact daily, such as plastics. Foetuses are vulnerable during pregnancy because their organism is in a developmental stage, and any disruption may affect their health in the short and/or long term. There is some evidence that these substances disrupt tissue differentiation and growth processes, cause birth defects and affect the length of pregnancy. In this review we will focus on environmental epidemiology and related literature in order to update current knowledge based on the actual evidence of the effects of these substances on the aetiology of preterm delivery, miscarriages, low birth weight, malformations, cryptorchidism, hypospadias and micropenis. The difficulty in studying this topic is due to the high number of involved factors, which makes the available results inconclusive or even contradictory. Consequently,further research is necessary

Exposición a factores ambientales y riesgo de tumores en el sistema nervioso central en niños: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis

Se analiza el riesgo de tumores en el sistema nervioso central en niños en relación con la exposición a factores ambientales como radiaciones (ionizantes, no ionizantes), sustancias químicas (pesticidas, productos de belleza, contaminantes atmosféricos) y alimentos. Se realizó una revisión sistemática y un metaanálisis con estudios identificados en la búsqueda de PubMed (1987-2013). Los resultados obtenidos a partir de los valores de OR muestran que el riesgo de tumores en el sistema nervioso central en niños se asocia significativamente con la exposición de los padres y que el periodo prenatal es una ventana crítica para varios de los factores ambientales considerados. Aunque la fracción de riesgo atribuible a cada factor aún se desconoce, el análisis estadístico permitió determinar asociaciones significativas para factores químicos como pesticidas (OR: 1,93; IC 95 % 1,51-2,47), contaminantes atmosféricos (OR: 1,45; IC 95 % 1,17-1,80) y alimentos con compuestos N-nitroso (OR: 1,96; IC 95 % 1,40-2,73) especialmente durante la exposición prenatal. Abstract. We analyzed the risk of tumors in the central nervous system of children in relation to exposure to environmental factors such as radiation (ionizing, non-ionizing), chemicals (pesticides, cosmetics, air pollutants) and foods. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies identified through a PubMed search (1987-2013). The results obtained from OR values show that the risk of tumors in the central nervous system of children is significantly associated with parental exposure and that the prenatal period is a critical window for several of the environmental factors considered. Although the risk fraction attributable to each factor is still unknown, a statistical analysis allowed to determine significant relations for chemical factors such as pesticides (OR:1.93; 95% IC 1.51-2.47), air pollutants (OR: 1.45; 95% IC 1.17-1.80) and foods with N-nitrous compounds (OR: 1.96; 95% IC 1.40-2.73) especially for prenatal exposur

Approach to Development Cooperation 3.0: From the Statutes to the Praxis in a NGDO

The progress of development cooperation has been carried out in the world originally focusing to reduce poverty and to increase the economic growth. Subsequently, the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) resulted in the appearance of the term development cooperation 2.0. However, the use of scientific focus applied in this area is giving rise a new concept called development cooperation 3.0. In this article, we have explained in a practical contribution in a non-governmental development organization (NGDO) starting by its statutes to examples conducted in three countries

Estudio de la obesidad y del sobrepeso como factores de riesgo de la prevalencia y severidad del asma en niños de Valencia

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]: La obesidad y el sobrepeso se han descrito como factores de riesgo asociados a la prevalencia y severidad del asma en niños y adolescentes. El objetivo del estudio ha sido el valorar el papel de la obesidad en el asma infantil. Ámbito de estudio y sujetos:Estudio realizado en niños y adolescentes entre 8 y 15 años, elegidos por un muestreo aleatorio tipo cluster entre los niños que estudiaban en 80 colegios, el cual representa el 30% de los colegios de la ciudad de Valencia. Material y métodos:El análisis de los datos se organizó en dos grupos, obesos (aquellos niños en un percentil superior al 85 del Índice de Masa Corporal (kg/m2), tomando como referencia la población española) y no obesos, cuando no cumplian esta condición. Se calcularon la prevalencia de los diferentes parámetros con un intervalo de confianza al 95%, y el riesgo relativo (RR) de los síntomas compatibles con asma entre niños obesos comparándolos con los no obesos. Resultados: No se obtuvo un riesgo relativo significativo para la obesidad con respecto al asma en aquellos niños por encima del percentil 85. Por otra parte, un incremento en el riesgo en relación con la severidad del asma se observó con la obesidad, principalmente en el percentil 85 (RR = 1,51 de sufrir entre 4-12 ataques de pitos y RR = 1,86 de sufrir más de 12 ataques en niños obesos frente a los no obesos) Conclusiónes: En este estudio, no identificamos un riesgo más alto de asma entre niños obesos frente a los no obesos, aunque encontramos que hubiera un riesgo más alto de severidad de síntomas asmáticos. En relación con la severidad del asma, observamos un riesgo más alto de ataques de pitos y sibilancias entre los niños obesos en los percentiles 85 y 95 del Indice de Masa Corporal.Background: Obesity and overweight have been described as factors associated with asthma. Our aim was to evaluate the role obesity plays on asthma in children. Scope and subjects: A study carried out on children and teenagers between 8 and 15 years of age, chosen for a cluster-type random sampling from children who studied in 80 schools, which represents 30% of the schools in the city of Valencia. Material and Methods: The analysed data was organized into two groups, obese (from the Body Mass Index (Kg/m2)), showing children with a percentile over 85% of the measuring reference for the Spanish population) and non obese, when they did not fulfil this condition. The prevalence of the different parameters studied was calculated by an Interval of Confidence of 95%. The risk was calculated (Relative Risk) from those symptoms compatible with asthma among obese children compared to non obese children. Results: No significant relative risk (RR) was seen for obesity with regards to asthma in those percentiles of obesity over 85. Otherwise, an increase in the relative risk (RR) regarding the severity of asthma was seen in relation to obesity, mainly in the 85th percentile (RR = 1.51 of suffering between 4-12 wheezing attacks and RR = 1.86 of suffering more than 12 attacks in obese children as opposed to non obese children). Conclusions: In this study, we did not identify a higher risk of asthma among obese children than among non obese children, although we did find there was a higher risk of severity of asthmatic symptoms. As far as the severity of the asthma is concerned, we saw a higher risk of wheezing and whistling attacks among obese children with the 85th and the 95th percentiles according to the Body Mass [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Polimedicación y prescripción de fármacos inadecuados en pacientes ancianos inmovilizados que viven en la comunidad

ObjetivosConocer y analizar el consumo de medicamentos de la población anciana inmovilizada, así como el número de fármacos potencialmente inapropiados (FPI).DiseñoEstudio transversal.EmplazamientoCatorce centros rurales de atención primaria.ParticipantesSe escogió mediante muestreo sistemático a pacientes inmovilizados, mayores de 64 años, no institucionalizados.Mediciones principalesRevisión de los botiquines y anotación de la dosis diaria y el número de fármacos actuales del paciente, así como el origen de la prescripción. Identificación de los FPI (criterios de Beers). Estadística descriptiva e inferencial.ResultadosSe visitaron 143 domicilios. La media de edad fue de 81,3 ± 7,9 años, con un 74,8% de mujeres. Los medicamentos más comunes fueron: analgésicos (9,2%), antiácidos (7,1%), nitritos-antagonistas del calcio (6,5%), antiinflamatorios no esteroideos (5,0%) e inhibidores de la enzima de conversión de la angiotensina (4,7%). El porcentaje de pacientes con consumo de más de 4 fármacos fue del 76,1%. El 35% de los ancianos tomaba algún FPI. Los más frecuentes fueron: ansiolíticos de acción prolongada (41,5%), hipnóticos (13,8%), digoxina (13,8%), indometacina (7,7%) y espasmolíticos (6,1%). En la mayor parte de los casos, la prescripción de los FPI partió del médico de familia (77,7%). Las mujeres tomaban significativamente más fármacos inapropiados que los varones (0,50 ± 0,72 frente a 0,25 ± 0,50; p = 0,001) y los polimedicados, más que los no polimedicados (0,50 ± 0,73 frente a 0,31 ± 0,52; p = 0,008).ConclusionesLa prevalencia de inadecuación terapéutica en los ancianos inmovilizados es alta, por lo que es necesario hacer un esfuerzo para reducirla. Actuaciones dirigidas a aumentar la calidad de las prescripciones podrían mejorar el estado de salud y la calidad de vida de estos pacientes.ObjectivesTo ascertain and analyse the drug consumption of the immobile elderly, as well as the number of potentially inappropriate medcations (PIM).DesignCross-sectional study.SettingFourteen rural primary care centres.ParticipantsNon-institutionalised immobile patients, older than 64 years were selected by systematic sampling.Principal measurementsReview of patients’ medicine cabinets and noting the daily doses and current number of drugs, as well as the origin of the prescription. Identification of PIM (Beers criteria).ResultsOne-hundred forty-three homes visits were made. The mean age was 81.3±7.9 years, of whom 74.8% were women. The most common drugs were: analgesics (9.2%), antacids (7.1%), nitrites-calcium antagonists (6.5%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (5.0%), and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (4.7%). The percentage of patients who took more than 4 drugs was 76.1%. A PIM was taken by 35% of the elderly. The most common were: long-acting tranquilisers (41.5%), hypnotics (13.8%), digoxin (13.8%), indomethacin (7.7%), and antispasmodics (6.1%). In the majority of cases, the prescribing of the PIM was made by the family doctor (77.7%).Women took significantly more inappropriate drugs than men (0.50±0.72 vs to 0.25±0.50; P=.001) and those on multiple medication more than those not on multiple medication (0.50±0.73 vs 0.31±0.52; P=.008).ConclusionsThe prevalence of inappropriate therapy in the immobile elderly is high, therefore an effort must be made to reduce it. Procedures directed towards increasing the quality of prescribing could improve the state of health and quality of life of these patients