Investigating the Relationship between Ethnicity and Degree Attainment

In January 2008, the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) presented their ‘Ethnicity, Gender and Degree Attainment Project’ report (HEA, 2008). Whilst the report does not locate clear causes for difference in degree attainment that can be directly linked to ethnicity and gender, it describes concerns from higher education institutions’ (HEIs) staff and students that black and minority ethnic (BME) groups are marginalised. While the HEA/ECU suggest that ‘[t]he causes of degree attainment variation with respect to gender and ethnicity were found to be unlikely to be reducible to single, knowable factors’ (2008, p.2), they do note that ‘even after controlling for the majority of contributory factors, being from a minority ethnic group…was still found to have a statistically significant and negative effect on degree attainment’ (ibid., p.2). The relationship between ethnicity, gender and degree attainment remains both troubling and uncertain

Ciencia Odontológica 2.0

Libro que muestra avances de la Investigación Odontológica en MéxicoEs para los integrantes de la Red de Investigación en Estomatología (RIE) una enorme alegría presentar el segundo de una serie de 6 libros sobre casos clínicos, revisiones de la literatura e investigaciones. La RIE está integrada por cuerpos académicos de la UAEH, UAEM, UAC y UdeG

IMPACTO DO MARKETING SOCIAL EM SAÚDE PARA A PREVENÇÃO DO COVID 19 EM UMA INSTITUIÇÃO DE SEGURANÇA SOCIAL

This work seeks to describe the impact of social health marketing for the prevention of COVID 19 in nursing staff of a social security institution. Methodologically, it is a quantitative, descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional study, carried out on 250 nurses; The modified instrument "Survey of perception and health behaviors" was used, based on the Becker & Maiman Health Belief Model, in addition Pearson correlations were made between items of perception of affectivity of campaigns and preventive behaviors. Among the main findings, a positive impact was identified on the perception of susceptibility to illness 64.8%, perception of the severity of the disease 83.2%, perception of barriers to achieve desirable behavior 79.2% and image of materials and campaigns 77.2%, in addition found positive correlations suggesting that the perception of the effectiveness of social marketing campaigns in reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection was positively associated with greater knowledge of preventive measures, being well informed, practicing good respiratory hygiene, and maintaining often social distancing. The findings highlight the importance of specific social marketing campaigns to promote positive behavior change and adherence to preventive measures among health professionals such as nurses in Mexico.Este trabajo busca describir el impacto de la mercadotecnia social en salud para la prevención de COVID 19 en personal de enfermería de una institución de seguridad social. Metodológicamente es un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo-correlacional y transversal, realizado en 250 enfermeros; se utilizó el instrumento modificado “Encuesta de percepción y comportamientos de salud”, sustentado en el Modelo de creencias en salud de Becker & Maiman, además se realizaron correlaciones Pearson entre ítems de percepción de afectividad de campañas y conductas preventivas. Entre los principales hallazgos se identifica un impacto positivo en la percepción de susceptibilidad a enfermar 64.8%, percepción de la gravedad de la enfermedad 83.2%, percepción de barreras para lograr el comportamiento deseable 79.2% e imagen de materiales y campañas 77.2%, además se encontraron correlaciones positivas que sugieren que la percepción de la efectividad de las campañas de mercadotecnia social para reducir el riesgo de infección por COVID- 19 se asoció positivamente con un mayor conocimiento de las medidas preventivas, estar bien informado, practicar una buena higiene respiratoria y mantener con frecuencia el distanciamiento social. Se resalta los hallazgos resaltan Este trabajo busca describir el impacto de la mercadotecnia social en salud para la prevención de COVID 19 en personal de enfermería de una institución de seguridad social. Metodológicamente es un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo-correlacional y transversal, realizado en 250 enfermeros; se utilizó el instrumento modificado “Encuesta de percepción y comportamientos de salud”, sustentado en el Modelo de creencias en salud de Becker & Maiman, además se realizaron correlaciones Pearson entre ítems de percepción de afectividad de campañas y conductas preventivas. Entre los principales hallazgos se identifica un impacto positivo en la percepción de susceptibilidad a enfermar 64.8%, percepción de la gravedad de la enfermedad 83.2%, percepción de barreras para lograr el comportamiento deseable 79.2% e imagen de materiales y campañas 77.2%, además se encontraron correlaciones positivas que sugieren que la percepción de la efectividad de las campañas de mercadotecnia social para reducir el riesgo de infección por COVID- 19 se asoció positivamente con un mayor conocimiento de las medidas preventivas, estar bien informado, practicar una buena higiene respiratoria y mantener con frecuencia el distanciamiento social. Se resalta los hallazgos resaltanEste trabalho procura descrever o impacto do marketing social em saúde para a prevenção da COVID 19 nos trabalhadores de enfermagem de uma instituição de segurança social. Metodologicamente, trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, descritivo-correlacional e transversal, realizado com 250 enfermeiros; Foi utilizado o instrumento modificado "Pesquisa de percepção e comportamentos de saúde", baseado no Modelo de Crenças em Saúde de Becker & Maiman, além disso foram feitas correlações de Pearson entre itens de percepção de afetividade de campanha e comportamentos preventivos. Entre os principais achados, identificou-se impacto positivo na percepção de suscetibilidade à doença 64,8%, percepção da gravidade da doença 83,2%, percepção de barreiras para alcançar comportamentos desejáveis 79,2% e imagem de materiais e campanhas 77,2%, além de encontraram correlações positivas sugerindo que a percepção da eficácia das campanhas de marketing social na redução do risco de infecção por COVID-19 estava positivamente associada a um maior conhecimento das medidas preventivas, estar bem informado, praticar boa higiene respiratória e manter frequentemente o distanciamento social. Os resultados destacam a importância de campanhas específicas de marketing social para promover mudanças positivas de comportamento e adesão a medidas preventivas entre profissionais de saúde, como enfermeiras no México

Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and risk of hyperuricemia: a longitudinal analysis of the Health Workers Cohort Study participants in Mexico

BackgroundThe elevated consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in Mexico is an important public health concern. However, the association between SSB consumption and hyperuricemia has been scarcely studied and not well documented.ObjectivesTo prospectively evaluate the association between SSB consumption and risk of hyperuricemia in Mexican adults.MethodsA longitudinal analysis was conducted using data from the Health Workers Cohort Study. Participants were followed from 2004 to 2018, with measurements every 6 y. The analysis sample consisted of 1300 adults, aged 18 to 85 y. SSB consumption during the previous year was evaluated through a semiquantitative FFQ. Hyperuricemia was defined as a concentration of uric acid ≥7.0 mg/dL in men and ≥5.7 mg/dL in women. We evaluated the association of interest using 2 methodologies: fixed-effects logistic regression and generalized estimating equations (GEEs). Potential confounders were included in both approaches.ResultsAt baseline, median intake of SSBs was 472.1 mL/wk (IQR: 198.8-1416.4 mL/wk), and 233 participants had hyperuricemia. Uric acid was higher in participants with an SSB intake ≥7 servings/wk, compared with those with an intake <1 serving/wk (P < 0.001). Participants who changed from the lowest to the highest category of servings consumption experienced 2.6 increased odds of hyperuricemia (95% CI: 1.27, 5.26). Results from the GEE model indicated the odds of hyperuricemia increased by 44% (OR=1.44; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.84) in the 2-6 servings/wk group, and by 89% (OR=1.89; 95% CI: 1.39, 2.57) in the ≥7 servings/wk categories, compared with the <1 serving/wk category. Diet soft drinks were not associated with hyperuricemia.ConclusionsOur results suggest that the consumption of SSBs is associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia in Mexican adults, but diet soft drink consumption is not, which supports the need to strengthen existing recommendations to reduce the intake of SSBs.The Health Workers Cohort Study (HWCS) has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Mexican Social Security Institute (12CEI 09 006 14), and the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (13CEI 17 007 36)

Optimization of the Obtaining of Cellulose Nanocrystals from <i>Agave tequilana</i> Weber Var. Azul Bagasse by Acid Hydrolysis

A multilevel factorial design of 23 with 12 experiments was developed for the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul bagasse, an agro-industrial waste from tequila production. The studied parameters were acid type (H2SO4 and HCl), acid concentration (60 and 65 wt% for H2SO4, 2 and 8N for HCl) temperature (40 and 60 °C for H2SO4, 50 and 90 °C for HCl), and hydrolysis time (40, 55 and 70 min for H2SO4; and 30, 115 and 200 min for HCl). The obtained CNC were physical and chemically characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XDR) techniques. The maximum CNC yield was 90 and 96% for HCL and H2SO4, respectively, and the crystallinity values ranged from 88–91%. The size and morphology of A. tequilana CNC strongly depends on the acid type and hydrolysis time. The shortest CNC obtained with H2SO4 (65 wt%, 40 °C, and 70 min) had a length of 137 ± 68 nm, width 33 ± 7 nm, and height 9.1 nm, whereas the shortest CNC obtained with HCl (2 N, 50 °C and 30 min) had a length of 216 ± 73 nm, width 69 ± 17 nm, and height 8.9 nm. In general, the obtained CNC had an ellipsoidal shape, whereas CNC prepared from H2SO4 were shorter and thinner than those obtained with HCl. The total sulfate group content of CNC obtained with H2SO4 increased with time, temperature, and acid concentration, exhibiting an exponential behavior of CSG=aebt

Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Vitamin D Receptor and GC Genes and Analysis of Their Distribution in Mexican Postmenopausal Women

Genome-wide association studies in people with European ancestry suggest that polymorphisms in genes involved in vitamin D (VD) metabolism have an effect on serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. However, nothing is known about these polymorphisms in populations with Amerindian ancestry. Our aim was to evaluate the association between genetic variants on the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the vitamin D binding protein (GC) genes, involved in the VD pathway, and VD deficiency in 689 unrelated Mexican postmenopausal women. We also described the frequencies of these variants in 355 postmenopausal women from different ethnic groups. Based on our preliminary results of 400 unrelated Mexican postmenopausal women, three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected for genotyping. The SNPs rs4516035 in VDR and rs2282679 in GC were associated with VD deficiency. Additionally, women who carried three risk alleles had a 3.67 times higher risk of suffering VD deficiency, compared to women with no risk alleles (p = 0.002). The rs4516035-C allele frequency in the Amerindian population was enriched in the South East region of Mexico. In contrast, the highest frequency of the rs2298850-C allele, a proxy for the tag SNP rs2282679, was observed in the South region. Our results indicate that genetic variants in VDR and GC genes are associated with VD deficiency in Mexican postmenopausal women. Moreover, an association was observed for the variants rs3794060 and rs4944957 of the DHCR7/NADSYN1 gene with osteopenia/osteoporosis

Genetic variants in COL13A1, ADIPOQ and SAMM50, in addition to the PNPLA3 gene, confer susceptibility to elevated transaminase levels in an admixed Mexican population

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the accumulation of extra fat in liver cells not caused by alcohol. Elevated transaminase levels are common indicators of liver disease, including NAFLD. Previously, we demonstrated that PNPLA3 (rs738409), LYPLAL1 (rs12137855), PPP1R3B (rs4240624), and GCKR (rs780094) are associated with elevated transaminase levels in overweight/obese Mexican adults. We investigated the association between 288 SNPs identified in genome-wide association studies and risk of elevated transaminase levels in an admixed Mexican-Mestizo sample of 178 cases of NAFLD and 454 healthy controls. The rs2896019, rs12483959, and rs3810622 SNPs in PNPLA3 and rs1227756 in COL13A1 were associated with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT, ≥40IU/L). A polygenic risk score (PRS) based on six SNPs in the ADIPOQ, COL13A1, PNPLA3, and SAMM50 genes was also associated with elevated ALT. Individuals carrying 9-12 risk alleles had 65.8% and 48.5% higher ALT and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, respectively, than those with 1-4 risk alleles. The PRS showed the greatest risk of elevated ALT levels, with a higher level of significance than the individual variants. Our findings suggest a significant association between variants in COL13A1, ADIPOQ, SAMM50, and PNPLA3, and risk of NAFLD/elevated transaminase levels in Mexican adults with an admixed ancestry. This is the first study to examine high-density single nucleotide screening for genetic variations in a Mexican-Mestizo population. The extent of the effect of these variations on the development and progression of NAFLD in Latino populations requires further analysis

Influence of Genetic and Non-Genetic Risk Factors for Serum Uric Acid Levels and Hyperuricemia in Mexicans.

Risk of hyperuricemia is modified by genetic and environmental factors. Our aim was to identify factors associated with serum uric acid levels and hyperuricemia in Mexicans. A pilot Genome-wide association study GWAS was performed in a subgroup of participants (n = 411) from the Health Workers Cohort Study (HWCS). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with serum uric acid levels were validated in all the HWCS participants (n = 1939) and replicated in independent children (n = 1080) and adult (n = 1073) case-control studies. The meta-analysis of the whole HWCS and replication samples identified three SLC2A9 SNPs: rs1014290 (p = 2.3 × 10-64), rs3775948 (p = 8.2 × 10-64) and rs11722228 (p = 1.1 × 10-17); and an ABCG2 missense SNP, rs2231142 (p = 1.0 × 10-18). Among the non-genetic factors identified, the visceral adiposity index, smoking, the metabolic syndrome and its components (waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose and hyperlipidemia) were associated with increased serum uric acid levels and hyperuricemia (p &lt; 0.05). Among the female HWCS participants, the odds ratio for hyperuricemia was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.01-1.53) per unit increase in soft drink consumption. As reported in other studies, our findings indicate that diet, adiposity and genetic variation contribute to the elevated prevalence of hyperuricemia in Mexico

Health workers cohort study: methods and study design.

Objective:To examine different health outcomes that are associated with specific lifestyle and genetic factors.Materials and methods:From March 2004 to April 2006, a sample of employees from three different health and academic institutions, as well as their family members, were enrolled in the study after providing informed consent. At baseline and follow-up (2010-2013), participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, a physical examination, and provided blood samples.Results:A total of 10 729 participants aged 6 to 94 years were recruited at baseline. Of these, 70% were females, and 50% were from the Mexican Social Security Institute. Nearly 42% of the adults in the sample were overweight, while 20% were obese.Conclusion:Our study can offer new insights into disease mechanisms and prevention through the analysis of risk factor information in a large sample of Mexicans