Association between the perceived environment and physical activity among adults in Latin America: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Activity friendly environments have been identified as promising strategies to increase physical activity levels in the population. Associations between perceived environmental attributes and physical activity in Latin America may vary from those observed in high income countries. The objective of this systematic review is to identify which perceived environmental attributes are associated with physical activity in Latin America. METHODS: Systematic literature search of articles published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish in four databases was conducted (PubMed, Virtual Health Library, EBSCO, and Web of Science). Associations with environmental attributes were analyzed separately for physical activity domains. Fifteen articles were included in the analysis. RESULTS: All studies had cross-sectional designs. The majority of associations were statistically non-significant, and only four associations were found in the unexpected direction. Leisure-time and transport-related physical activity were the domains most frequently included in the studies and had higher number of associations in the expected direction. Leisure-time physical activity showed a convincing association in the expected direction with safety during the day. Transport-related physical activity had a convincing association with presence of street lighting. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that perceived environmental attributes and their relationship with physical activity appears to be domain, and context specific. In addition, findings from this study show inconsistencies with the information gathered from high-income countries

Paediatricians provide higher quality care to children and adolescents in primary care: A systematic review

Aim: The number of primary care paediatricians is decreasing in Europe without a justifiable reason. We aimed to compare the clinical practice of paediatricians and family doctors attending children and adolescents in primary care. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, TRIP and Google Scholar were searched from December 2008 to February 2018. No language or study design restrictions were applied. Three reviewers assessed eligibility of the studies. Seven pairs of reviewers performed the data extraction and assessed the methodological quality independently. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Results: Fifty-four, out of 1150 studies preselected, were included. We found that paediatricians show more appropriate pharmacology prescription patterns for the illness being treated; they achieve higher vaccination rates and have better knowledge of vaccines and fewer doubts about vaccine safety; their knowledge and implementation of different screening tests are better; they prescribe psychoactive drugs more cautiously and more in line with current practice guidelines; their evaluation and treatment of obesity and lipid disorders follow criteria more consistently with current clinical practice guidelines; and they perform fewer diagnostic test, show a more suitable use of the test and request fewer referrals to specialists. Conclusion: According to published data, in developed countries, paediatricians provide higher quality care to children than family doctors

Estudio exploratorio acerca de las creencias del profesorado de ciencias naturales y ciencias sociales sobre la consulta en línea en diferentes dimensiones

Este trabajo se hace parte de una investigación más compleja derivada del Proyecto AKA EDU 03 que involucra a tres universidades finlandesas y dos universidades chilenas. Se trata de un proyecto de investigación ambicioso tanto para aumentar nuestra comprensión de cómo los estudiantes preguntan cuándo consultan en línea en el contexto de la información dominada por la Web y el ambiente de los medios de comunicación, y para desarrollar un nuevo modelo pedagógico de la práctica de consultas en línea en diferentes dominios de las ciencias sociales y naturales. Los desafíos a los que nos enfrentamos como profesores de promover sujetos competentes en ciencias (SCC) requieren un enfoque multidisciplinario que se base en la experiencia académica en lectura y comprensión en línea, educación de maestros y estudios de información. El proyecto conjunto entre socios finlandeses y chilenos ofrece una excelente oportunidad para estudiar este fenómeno y desarrollar modelos pedagógicos para consultas en línea en diferentes contextos y culturas educativas. Aquí compartimos la primera etapa de este proyecto de la contraparte chilena

Angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D polymorphism and preeclampsia risk: evidence of small-study bias

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate activation of the renin-angiotensin system may play a part in the development of preeclampsia. An insertion/deletion polymorphism within the angiotensin-I converting enzyme gene (ACE-I/D) has shown to be reliably associated with differences in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity. However, previous studies of the ACE-I/D variant and preeclampsia have been individually underpowered to detect plausible genotypic risks. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A prospective case-control study was conducted in 1,711 unrelated young pregnant women (665 preeclamptic and 1,046 healthy pregnant controls) recruited from five Colombian cities. Maternal blood was obtained to genotype for the ACE-I/D polymorphism. Crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using logistic regression models were obtained to evaluate the strength of the association between ACE-I/D variant and preeclampsia risk. A meta-analysis was then undertaken of all published studies to February 2006 evaluating the ACE-I/D variant in preeclampsia. An additive model (per-D-allele) revealed a null association between the ACE-I/D variant and preeclampsia risk (crude OR = 0.95 [95% CI, 0.81-1.10]) in the new case-control study. Similar results were obtained after adjusting for confounders (adjusted per-allele OR = 0.90 [95% CI, 0.77-1.06]) and using other genetic models of inheritance. A meta-analysis (2,596 cases and 3,828 controls from 22 studies) showed a per-allele OR of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.07-1.49). An analysis stratified by study size showed an attenuated OR toward the null as study size increased. CONCLUSIONS: It is highly likely that the observed small nominal increase in risk of preeclampsia associated with the ACE D-allele is due to small-study bias, similar to that observed in cardiovascular disease. Reliable assessment of the origins of preeclampsia using a genetic approach may require the establishment of a collaborating consortium to generate a dataset of adequate size

Demographic History of Indigenous Populations in Mesoamerica Based on mtDNA Sequence Data

The genetic characterization of Native American groups provides insights into their history and demographic events. We sequenced the mitochondrial D-loop region (control region) of 520 samples from eight Mexican indigenous groups. In addition to an analysis of the genetic diversity, structure and genetic relationship between 28 Native American populations, we applied Bayesian skyline methodology for a deeper insight into the history of Mesoamerica. AMOVA tests applying cultural, linguistic and geographic criteria were performed. MDS plots showed a central cluster of Oaxaca and Maya populations, whereas those from the North and West were located on the periphery. Demographic reconstruction indicates higher values of the effective number of breeding females (Nef) in Central Mesoamerica during the Preclassic period, whereas this pattern moves toward the Classic period for groups in the North and West. Conversely, Nef minimum values are distributed either in the Lithic period (i.e. founder effects) or in recent periods (i.e. population declines). The Mesomerican regions showed differences in population fluctuation as indicated by the maximum Inter-Generational Rate (IGRmax): i) Center-South from the lithic period until the Preclassic; ii) West from the beginning of the Preclassic period until early Classic; iii) North characterized by a wide range of temporal variation from the Lithic to the Preclassic. Our findings are consistent with the genetic variations observed between central, South and Southeast Mesoamerica and the North-West region that are related to differences in genetic drift, structure, and temporal survival strategies (agriculture versus hunter-gathering, respectively). Interestingly, although the European contact had a major negative demographic impact, we detect a previous decline in Mesoamerica that had begun a few hundred years before

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Erratum to ‘Concurrent Guillain-Barré syndrome, transverse myelitis and encephalitis post-Zika: A case report and review of the pathogenic role of multiple arboviral immunity’ (Journal of the Neurological Sciences (2018) 395 (47–53), (S0022510X18303903) (10.1016/j.jns.2018.09.028))

The publisher regrets as the tables were not included in the article. (See Tables 1A, 1B, and Table 2.) The publisher would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. © 2018 The Author(s

Concurrent Guillain-Barré syndrome, transverse myelitis and encephalitis post-Zika: A case report and review of the pathogenic role of multiple arboviral immunity

We review post-infectious and post-vaccination neurological syndromes involving peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) and report an illustrative case of simultaneous occurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), confirmed by nerve conduction velocities, plus MRI-demonstrated transverse myelitis (TM) and acute encephalitis [acute disseminated encephalomyelitis] (ADEM+GBS) affecting a 24-year-old woman from Cúcuta, Colombia, who developed acute Zika virus (ZIKV) infection confirmed by serum reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and convalescent ZIKV IgG antibodies. With intensive care treatment, respiratory support, steroids, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), patient survived with residual flaccid paraparesis. She had preexisting immunity against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Dengue virus (DENV) acquired before the arrival of ZIKV in Colombia. From reports in the Caribbean, Central and South America we review 19 cases of ZIKV-associated TM, encephalitis and ADEM occurring after a mean latent period of 10.5 days (range 1–96) post-infection. Although GBS and ADEM are usually considered post-infectious and associated with development of antibodies against peripheral nerve and CNS epitopes, we postulate that our case of ADEM+GBS is para-infectious, induced by acute ZIKV neurotropism boosted by active immunity against other arboviruses. Animal models of ZIKV demonstrated strong viral neurotropism enhanced by passive immunity with antibodies against arboviruses such as West Nile virus, CHIKV, or DENV. These considerations are relevant to prevent potential ZIKV vaccine-induced reactions involving central and peripheral nervous system. © 2018 The Author

Concurrent Guillain-Barré syndrome, transverse myelitis and encephalitis post-Zika: A case report and review of the pathogenic role of multiple arboviral immunity

We review post-infectious and post-vaccination neurological syndromes involving peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) and report an illustrative case of simultaneous occurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), confirmed by nerve conduction velocities, plus MRI-demonstrated transverse myelitis (TM) and acute encephalitis [acute disseminated encephalomyelitis] (ADEM+GBS) affecting a 24-year-old woman from Cúcuta, Colombia, who developed acute Zika virus (ZIKV) infection confirmed by serum reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and convalescent ZIKV IgG antibodies. With intensive care treatment, respiratory support, steroids, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), patient survived with residual flaccid paraparesis. She had preexisting immunity against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Dengue virus (DENV) acquired before the arrival of ZIKV in Colombia. From reports in the Caribbean, Central and South America we review 19 cases of ZIKV-associated TM, encephalitis and ADEM occurring after a mean latent period of 10.5 days (range 1–96) post-infection. Although GBS and ADEM are usually considered post-infectious and associated with development of antibodies against peripheral nerve and CNS epitopes, we postulate that our case of ADEM+GBS is para-infectious, induced by acute ZIKV neurotropism boosted by active immunity against other arboviruses. Animal models of ZIKV demonstrated strong viral neurotropism enhanced by passive immunity with antibodies against arboviruses such as West Nile virus, CHIKV, or DENV. These considerations are relevant to prevent potential ZIKV vaccine-induced reactions involving central and peripheral nervous system. © 2018 The Author

Estudio exploratorio acerca de las creencias del profesorado de ciencias naturales y ciencias sociales sobre la consulta en línea en diferentes dimensiones

Este trabajo se hace parte de una investigación más compleja derivada del Proyecto AKA EDU 03 que involucra a tres universidades finlandesas y dos universidades chilenas. Se trata de un proyecto de investigación ambicioso tanto para aumentar nuestra comprensión de cómo los estudiantes preguntan cuándo consultan en línea en el contexto de la información dominada por la Web y el ambiente de los medios de comunicación, y para desarrollar un nuevo modelo pedagógico de la práctica de consultas en línea en diferentes dominios de las ciencias sociales y naturales. Los desafíos a los que nos enfrentamos como profesores de promover sujetos competentes en ciencias (SCC) requieren un enfoque multidisciplinario que se base en la experiencia académica en lectura y comprensión en línea, educación de maestros y estudios de información. El proyecto conjunto entre socios finlandeses y chilenos ofrece una excelente oportunidad para estudiar este fenómeno y desarrollar modelos pedagógicos para consultas en línea en diferentes contextos y culturas educativas. Aquí compartimos la primera etapa de este proyecto de la contraparte chilena