Predominant factors of institutionalization in the elderly: a comparative study between home nursing and community dwelling

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to detect the most significant factors associated with each living alternative to improve socialization and mental health of the elderly. The measurements included affective evaluation, cognitive assessment, anxiety level, physical functionality, quality of life and social relationships. Individuals in home nursing residences were older and had worse affective status, functionality, cognitive state and quality of life. Social relationships in community people were better than in the institutionalized condition, particularly for less aged people. Design/methodology/approach: Comparative descriptive study realized in 200 people older than 70 years in home nursing placement versus community dwelling conditions. Findings: Multivariate analysis and logistic regression indicated that greater disability and poorer quality of social relationships were the main factors influencing the institutionalization process. Specifically, the Sociotype Questionnaire appeared as an efficient tool concerning the detection of social isolation effects as well as an acceptable integrator of prosocial information about home nursing placement. Originality/value: The Geriatric Sociotype survey has shown usefulness in the evaluation of the social network of elderly people, both from the point of view of assessment and prognosis. In this sense it is considered that one of the main contributions of this study is to have included the qualitative evaluation of social relations, and to observe the differences according to the place of residence

Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1-Alpha (HIF-1 Alpha) Is Induced during Reperfusion after Renal Ischemia and Is Critical for Proximal Tubule Cell Survival

Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) during renal transplantation delays allograft function. Identification of factors that mediate protection and/or epithelium recovery could help to improve graft outcome. We studied the expression, regulation and role of hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1 α), using in vitro and in vivo experimental models of I/R as well as human post-transplant renal biopsies. We found that HIF-1 α is stabilized in proximal tubule cells during ischemia and unexpectedly in late reperfusion, when oxygen tension is normal. Both inductions lead to gene expression in vitro and in vivo. In vitro interference of HIF-1 α promoted cell death and in vivo interference exacerbated tissue damage and renal dysfunction. In pos-transplant human biopsies, HIF-1 α was expressed only in proximal tubules which exhibited normal renal structure with a significant negative correlation with ATN grade. In summary, using experimental models and human biopsies, we identified a novel HIF-1 α induction during reperfusion with a potential critical role in renal transplant

Memorias del Primer Congreso Ecuatoriano de Antropología. Volumen II

Este encuentro permitió visualizar los campos fundamentales en los que la antropología ecuatoriana ha incursionado y ha aportado como ciencia social. Se organizaron diez simposios que, de alguna manera, fueron un reflejo de las principales áreas de interés. Esa diversidad temática mostró que la antropología, a la vez que seguía preocupada por temáticas con larga trayectoria en el país como la arqueología, los estudios urbanos y rurales o la etnohistoria, también había incursionado en temáticas nuevas como son género, medio ambiente, identidad, entre otras

Relationship between lipoprotein lipase hindiii polymorphism and lipids in a group of colombian patients with obstructive coronary disease

HindIII polymorphism is the most common variant in the lipoprotein lipase gene, however, its association with cardiovascular disease is controversial. Objective: To establish the frequency of the HindIII polymorphism and its relationship with lipid profile and coronary arterial disease (CAD) in Colombian patients. Materials and Methods: The sample comprised patients attending a central hemodynamics of Quindío, by necessity of coronary angiography. HindIII polymorphism was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction and enzyme restriction. Results: 389 patients were divided into individuals with CAD = 50% (60.4%) and individuals with EOC <50% (39.6%). Low density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C) was normal, but significantly higher in CAD = 50%. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was low in both groups. Hind+/+ genotype and Hind+ allele frequency were 55% and 76%, respectively; for Hind+/- genotype was 41.1%, and for Hind-/- genotype and Hind- allele was 3.85% and 24%, respectively, without significant differences between groups. In CAD = 50%, total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C were higher in allele Hind-, while HDL-C was lower in the Hind+ allele, with significant differences regarding CAD <50% and the same alleles. There were significant differences in triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol) (VLDL-C) between genotypes in CAD <50% group. Conclusion: This work shows that even with a normal lipid profile, this population presents coronary obstructive disease, which does not seem to be associated with low levels of HDL-C or the LPL HindIII polymorphism alone, but may be related to the influence of these on lipids

A Review on the importance of metals and metalloids in atmospheric dust and aerosol from mining operations

Contaminants can be transported rapidly and over relatively long distances by atmospheric dust and aerosol relative to other media such as water, soil and biota; yet few studies have explicitly evaluated the environmental implications of this pathway, making it a fundamental but understudied transport mechanism. Although there are numerous natural and anthropogenic activities that can increase dust and aerosol emissions and contaminant levels in the environment, mining operations are notable with respect to the quantity of particulates generated, the global extent of area impacted, and the toxicity of contaminants associated with the emissions. Here we review (i) the environmental fate and transport of metals and metalloids in dust and aerosol from mining operations, (ii) current methodologies used to assess contaminant concentrations and particulate emissions, and (iii) the potential health and environmental risks associated with airborne contaminants from mining operations. The review evaluates future research priorities based on the available literature and suggest that there is a particular need to measure and understand the generation, fate and transport of airborne particulates from mining operations, specifically the finer particle fraction. More generally, our findings suggest that mining operations play an important but underappreciated role in the generation of contaminated atmospheric dust and aerosol and the transport of metal and metalloid contaminants, and highlight the need for further research in this area. The role of mining activities in the fate and transport of environmental contaminants may become increasingly important in the coming decades, as climate change and land use are projected to intensify, both of which can substantially increase the potential for dust emissions and transport.16 page(s

Laboratory scale production of the human recombinant iduronate 2-sulfate sulfatase-Like from Pichia pastoris

Clone IDS28 of the yeast Pichia pastoris expressing the human iduronate 2-sulfate sulfatase-Like (hIDSLike) was employed for low-scale production of the recombinant enzyme in a saline culture media without phosphate. The biological activity found was between 7.3 and 29.5 nmol h-1 mg-1 of total protein. It is about 1.73 to 7 times higher than the result obtained with the same clone in shake flask culture