Comparative evaluation of 11 commercialized rapid diagnostic tests for detecting Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in serum banks in areas of endemicity and nonendemicity

Chagas disease is one of the main public health issues in Latin America. Increasingly during the past few decades, Trypanosoma cruzi infection has been detected in North America, Europe, and the Western Pacific, mainly as a result of population movement. The limited availability of rapid serological diagnostic tests hinders rapid diagnosis and early treatment in areas of endemicity and nonendemicity. In collaboration with 11 national reference laboratories (NRLs) from different geographical areas, we evaluated the performances of commercialized serological rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for T. cruzi infection. Eleven commercialized T. cruzi infection RDTs were evaluated on a total of 474 samples extensively tested with at least three different techniques for Chagas disease, maintained at controlled low temperatures, and stored in the serum banks of the 11 NRLs. We measured the sensitivity, specificity, and concordance of each RDT and provided an additional questionnaire to evaluate its ease of use. The selected RDTs in this study were performed under controlled laboratory conditions. Out of the 11 RDTs, we found 8 of them to be useful, with the cassette format favored over the strip. We did not observe significant differences in RDT performances in the different regions. Overall, the performance results were lower than those disclosed by the manufacturers. The results of this evaluation validate the possibility of using RDTs to diagnose Chagas disease, thereby decreasing the time to treatment at a primary health care facility for patients who are willing to be treated. Further studies should be conducted in the laboratory and in the field to confirm these data, expressly to evaluate reproducibility in resource-limited settings, or using whole blood in clinical settings in areas of endemicity and nonendemicity

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

A Proof-Of-Principle Study of Epigenetic Therapy Added to Neoadjuvant Doxorubicin Cyclophosphamide for Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: Aberrant DNA methylation and histone deacetylation participate in cancer development and progression; hence, their reversal by inhibitors of DNA methylation and histone deacetylases (HDACs) is at present undergoing clinical testing in cancer therapy. As epigenetic alterations are common to breast cancer, in this proof-of-concept study demethylating hydralazine, plus the HDAC inhibitor magnesium valproate, were added to neoadjuvant doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in locally advanced breast cancer to assess their safety and biological efficacy. METHODOLOGY: This was a single-arm interventional trial on breast cancer patients (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00395655). After signing informed consent, patients were typed for acetylator phenotype and then treated with hydralazine at 182 mg for rapid-, or 83 mg for slow-acetylators, and magnesium valproate at 30 mg/kg, starting from day –7 until chemotherapy ended, the latter consisting of four cycles of doxorubicin 60 mg/m(2) and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2) every 21 days. Core-needle biopsies were taken from primary breast tumors at diagnosis and at day 8 of treatment with hydralazine and valproate. MAIN FINDINGS: 16 patients were included and received treatment as planned. All were evaluated for clinical response and toxicity and 15 for pathological response. Treatment was well-tolerated. The most common toxicity was drowsiness grades 1–2. Five (31%) patients had clinical CR and eight (50%) PR for an ORR of 81%. No patient progressed. One of 15 operated patients (6.6%) had pathological CR and 70% had residual disease <3 cm. There was a statistically significant decrease in global 5(m)C content and HDAC activity. Hydralazine and magnesium valproate up- and down-regulated at least 3-fold, 1,091 and 89 genes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hydralazine and magnesium valproate produce DNA demethylation, HDAC inhibition, and gene reactivation in primary tumors. Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide treatment is safe, well-tolerated, and appears to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy. A randomized phase III study is ongoing to support the efficacy of so-called epigenetic or transcriptional cancer therapy

State of the climate in 2018

In 2018, the dominant greenhouse gases released into Earth’s atmosphere—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—continued their increase. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration at Earth’s surface was 407.4 ± 0.1 ppm, the highest in the modern instrumental record and in ice core records dating back 800 000 years. Combined, greenhouse gases and several halogenated gases contribute just over 3 W m−2 to radiative forcing and represent a nearly 43% increase since 1990. Carbon dioxide is responsible for about 65% of this radiative forcing. With a weak La Niña in early 2018 transitioning to a weak El Niño by the year’s end, the global surface (land and ocean) temperature was the fourth highest on record, with only 2015 through 2017 being warmer. Several European countries reported record high annual temperatures. There were also more high, and fewer low, temperature extremes than in nearly all of the 68-year extremes record. Madagascar recorded a record daily temperature of 40.5°C in Morondava in March, while South Korea set its record high of 41.0°C in August in Hongcheon. Nawabshah, Pakistan, recorded its highest temperature of 50.2°C, which may be a new daily world record for April. Globally, the annual lower troposphere temperature was third to seventh highest, depending on the dataset analyzed. The lower stratospheric temperature was approximately fifth lowest. The 2018 Arctic land surface temperature was 1.2°C above the 1981–2010 average, tying for third highest in the 118-year record, following 2016 and 2017. June’s Arctic snow cover extent was almost half of what it was 35 years ago. Across Greenland, however, regional summer temperatures were generally below or near average. Additionally, a satellite survey of 47 glaciers in Greenland indicated a net increase in area for the first time since records began in 1999. Increasing permafrost temperatures were reported at most observation sites in the Arctic, with the overall increase of 0.1°–0.2°C between 2017 and 2018 being comparable to the highest rate of warming ever observed in the region. On 17 March, Arctic sea ice extent marked the second smallest annual maximum in the 38-year record, larger than only 2017. The minimum extent in 2018 was reached on 19 September and again on 23 September, tying 2008 and 2010 for the sixth lowest extent on record. The 23 September date tied 1997 as the latest sea ice minimum date on record. First-year ice now dominates the ice cover, comprising 77% of the March 2018 ice pack compared to 55% during the 1980s. Because thinner, younger ice is more vulnerable to melting out in summer, this shift in sea ice age has contributed to the decreasing trend in minimum ice extent. Regionally, Bering Sea ice extent was at record lows for almost the entire 2017/18 ice season. For the Antarctic continent as a whole, 2018 was warmer than average. On the highest points of the Antarctic Plateau, the automatic weather station Relay (74°S) broke or tied six monthly temperature records throughout the year, with August breaking its record by nearly 8°C. However, cool conditions in the western Bellingshausen Sea and Amundsen Sea sector contributed to a low melt season overall for 2017/18. High SSTs contributed to low summer sea ice extent in the Ross and Weddell Seas in 2018, underpinning the second lowest Antarctic summer minimum sea ice extent on record. Despite conducive conditions for its formation, the ozone hole at its maximum extent in September was near the 2000–18 mean, likely due to an ongoing slow decline in stratospheric chlorine monoxide concentration. Across the oceans, globally averaged SST decreased slightly since the record El Niño year of 2016 but was still far above the climatological mean. On average, SST is increasing at a rate of 0.10° ± 0.01°C decade−1 since 1950. The warming appeared largest in the tropical Indian Ocean and smallest in the North Pacific. The deeper ocean continues to warm year after year. For the seventh consecutive year, global annual mean sea level became the highest in the 26-year record, rising to 81 mm above the 1993 average. As anticipated in a warming climate, the hydrological cycle over the ocean is accelerating: dry regions are becoming drier and wet regions rainier. Closer to the equator, 95 named tropical storms were observed during 2018, well above the 1981–2010 average of 82. Eleven tropical cyclones reached Saffir–Simpson scale Category 5 intensity. North Atlantic Major Hurricane Michael’s landfall intensity of 140 kt was the fourth strongest for any continental U.S. hurricane landfall in the 168-year record. Michael caused more than 30 fatalities and $25 billion (U.S. dollars) in damages. In the western North Pacific, Super Typhoon Mangkhut led to 160 fatalities and$6 billion (U.S. dollars) in damages across the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Tropical Storm Son-Tinh was responsible for 170 fatalities in Vietnam and Laos. Nearly all the islands of Micronesia experienced at least moderate impacts from various tropical cyclones. Across land, many areas around the globe received copious precipitation, notable at different time scales. Rodrigues and Réunion Island near southern Africa each reported their third wettest year on record. In Hawaii, 1262 mm precipitation at Waipā Gardens (Kauai) on 14–15 April set a new U.S. record for 24-h precipitation. In Brazil, the city of Belo Horizonte received nearly 75 mm of rain in just 20 minutes, nearly half its monthly average. Globally, fire activity during 2018 was the lowest since the start of the record in 1997, with a combined burned area of about 500 million hectares. This reinforced the long-term downward trend in fire emissions driven by changes in land use in frequently burning savannas. However, wildfires burned 3.5 million hectares across the United States, well above the 2000–10 average of 2.7 million hectares. Combined, U.S. wildfire damages for the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons exceeded $40 billion (U.S. dollars)

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Theory of inpatient circadian care (TICC): A proposal for a middle-range theory

The circadian system controls the daily rhythms of a variety of physiological processes. Most organisms show physiological, metabolic and behavioral rhythms that are coupled to environmental signals. In humans, the main synchronizer is the light/dark cycle, although non-photic cues such as food availability, noise, and work schedules are also involved. In a continuously operating hospital, the lack of rhythmicity in these elements can alter the patient’s biological rhythms and resilience. This paper presents a Theory of Inpatient Circadian Care (TICC) grounded in circadian principles. We conducted a literature search on biological rhythms, chronobiology, nursing care, and middle-range theories in the databases PubMed, SciELO Public Health, and Google Scholar. The search was performed considering a period of 6 decades from 1950 to 2013. Information was analyzed to look for links between chronobiology concepts and characteristics of inpatient care. TICC aims to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge of biomedical sciences and apply it to clinical practice in a formal way. The conceptual points of this theory are supported by abundant literature related to disease and altered biological rhythms. Our theory will be able to enrich current and future professional practice.Fil: Camargo Sanchez, Andrés. Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales; ColombiaFil: Niño, Carmen L.. Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales; ColombiaFil: Sánchez, Leonardo. Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales; ColombiaFil: Echeverri, Sonia. Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota; ColombiaFil: Gutiérrez, Diana P.. Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota; ColombiaFil: Duque, Andrés F.. Marly Clinic; ColombiaFil: Pianeta, Oscar. Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales; ColombiaFil: Jaramillo Gómez, Jenny A.. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Pilonieta, Martin A.. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Cataño, Nhora. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Arboleda, Humberto. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Agostino, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Cronobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez Baron, Claudia P.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Vargas, Rafael. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Colombi

Memorias: primer encuentro de la RED internacional de investigación en el marco de la X Jornada de Investigación 2019

ERII 2019 es el Primer Encuentro de la Red Internacional Universitaria para el Desarrollo de la Investigación y las Publicaciones Científicas, conformada por la Universidad Católica de Colombia, la Universidad Católica de Salta (Argentina), la Universidad de Monterrey (México) y la Universidad Gabriela Mistral (Chile). Esta red tiene como principal objetivo potenciar el desarrollo de la actividad investigativa, mediante la formalización de redes de investigadores, la promoción de actividades conjuntas, el diseño de planes y movilidad y el trabajo en una red editorial. La actividad académica fue un espacio abierto para compartir experiencias y resultados de investigación no solo de las universidades adscritas a la red, sino de otras instituciones que participaron en el evento. (Tomado de la fuente).1ra ediciónIntroducción ponencias I. Derecho y Ciencias Sociales Análisis del marco institucional vinculado a la implementación de las salvaguardas REDD+ en la Provincia de Salta, Argentina Guadalupe Zapata: intersticios en la construcción histórica fundacional de Pereira, Colombia La notificación por aviso como garantía al debido proceso y tutela judicial efectiva en el proceso monitorio colombiano: análisis en el marco de la Sentencia C-031/2019 Migración y prácticas territoriales de la comunidad boliviana en la ciudad de Salta, Argentina El derecho de infancia y adolescencia en Colombia: reflexiones sobre su estatuto jurídico-doctrinal La soberanía funcional en Colombia para los derechos humanos Agnición de los militares víctimas del conflicto armado en Colombia Elementos politológicos y jurídicos del voto en blanco, el voto nulo y el abstencionismo en las elecciones presidenciales de Ecuador 2017, Costa Rica 2018 y Colombia 2018 La democracia: ¿un fruto envenenado? Una propuesta de jerarquización de las democracias liberales Estudio sobre las relaciones de similitud, causalidad y simbólicas en niños de 3 a 13 años Garantías para el ejercicio de los derechos de los usuarios y estudiantes con discapacidad, enfocado en la inclusión desde el consultorio jurídico de CECAR II. Arte, Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño La industrialización como motor de suburbanización y metropolización de Monterrey, México, en el siglo XX Reivindicación del campesinado desde sus prácticas y saberes: tradiciones en tiempos del posacuerdo en el Sumapaz (Colombia) Diseño geométrico de “calado” para potencializar la ventilación natural en edificaciones El Anfiteatro de la quebrada de Las Conchas: caracterización acústica direccional Estrategia de intervención urbana para la reconfiguración de las redes caminables del borde urbano. Caso de estudio: Sierra Morena, USME Instrumentos musicales del Caribe colombiano en vías de extinción: guandú, arco de boca y marimba de pierna Dispositivos de cambio: intervenciones colectivas en el borde urbano suroriental de Bogotá Creación de nuevos procesos y diseños para la arquitectura de América Latina con la ayuda de indicadores III. Ingeniería y Tecnología Diseño de inclusión tecnológica educativa a través del B-Learning y las TIC Diseño de soluciones tecnológicas a problemas del contexto local en región a través del semillero de investigación TECSIS de la Universidad de Caldas Aplicación de las tecnologías semánticas a la forensia digital: ontología del correo electrónico y su trazabilidad para el análisis forense M-Learning aplicado para estudio de mercados en la formulación de proyectos Análisis en la generación de caudales pico a partir del cambio de la cobertura vegetal en la cuenca Sardinata, departamento del Norte de Santander, Colombia Análisis de impactos ambientales provocados por el aprovechamiento de recursos naturales renovables: metodologías que desarrollan nuevas fuentes generadoras de energía en Panamá y Colombia Aplicación de un modelo unificado para arcillas y arenas a suelos típicos de la ciudad de Salta Estudio técnico para la planeación de la emisora radial de la Universidad Católica de Colombia con migración hacia radio digital La transferencia de las tecnologías limpias en la vivienda social en Brasil y Colombia Desarrollo de un contador Geiger-Müller para verificar la exposición a la radiación en salas de radiología convencional Diseño de un controlador tolerante a fallas en un vehículo de suspensión semiactiva IV. Ciencias de la Salud Biorremediación de residuos peligrosos generados por laboratorios de docencia de la Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca Morbilidad en Ecuador, 2007-2016 El desplazamiento del metabolismo de atorvastatina es afectado por los polimorfismos SLCO1B1 y ABCB1 en la población mexicana Terapia ocupacional basada en la evidencia y razonamiento profesional en equipos interdisciplinares de tecnología de apoyo: prótesis impresas en 3D de la Corporación Fabrilab Vicisitudes actuales de la autoridad en las familias de Salta, Argentina Efecto de la lesión por leishmaniasis cutánea (Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania amazonensis) en el nervio periférico y dermis en ratones Balb/C. Estudio in vivo Diseño y validación del cuestionario de gravedad social percibida del consumo de alcohol en adolescentes Diseño y construcción de una aplicación virtual para rehabilitación auditiva en adultos Revisión sistemática: propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos utilizados para evaluar las actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria en joven, adulto y persona mayor V. Negocios, Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas Estudio de factibilidad para la conformación de una empresa prestadora de servicios para motocicletas en Manizales Oferta productiva del cacao colombiano en el posconflicto: estrategias para el aprovechamiento de oportunidades comerciales en el marco del acuerdo comercial entre Colombia y la Unión Europea VI. Educación y Humanidades La infantilización del estudiante universitario: origen, situación actual e implicaciones Promoción de competencias socioafectivas en el aula Análisis de la estructura curricular de la Licenciatura en Higiene y Seguridad en el Trabajo: el sistema modular La familia cristiana, una nueva buena para el tercer milenio: los Encuentros Mundiales de las Familias, de Juan Pablo II a Francisco (1994-2018) Perspectivas de la innovación educativa que caracterizan los trabajos de investigación de la Maestría en E-Learning de la Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (Colombia) Análisis de las nuevas tendencias laborales y formativas del trabajador social de Uniminuto (Girardot) Articulación entre la educación religiosa escolar y el derecho a la libertad religiosa Análisis correlacional del aporte de la educación pregradual a la educación secundaria de los egresados del programa de Trabajo Social del 2018 del CRG Uniminuto El aprendizaje en la resignificación de la vida de las infancias Modelo teórico predictor de la retención estudiantil a partir del engagement en la Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores La letra con sangre entra: castigo permitido en la educación escolar en Bogotá La diferencia en la educación pósteres I. Arte, Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño Restructuración de los paisajes naturales presentes en los bordes urbanos de Bogotá ¿Paisaje, medioambiente y tecnología como bioarquitectura del paisaje? El equipamiento de culto en la construcción del borde urbano de la ciudad II. Ingeniería y Tecnología Nueva matriz para registrar la experiencia consolidada de los oferentes que contratan con el Estado en el sector de la infraestructura vial, en la empresa JOYCO S. A. S Seguridad a un ojo de distancia Sistema de radio sobre fibra para la transmisión de imágenes Estructuras en guadua (quiosco) y bambú (yurta)* Análisis de la utilización de fibras de guadua como refuerzo del concreto Laboratorios con simulación y con equipo real en la enseñanza de redes de computadoras en el nivel universitario Análisis bibliométrico de la correlación existente entre los tópicos de “identificadores de radiofrecuencia” y “gestión de cadena de suministros” como caso de estudio II. Ciencias de la Salud Presencia en manos y conocimiento de Staphylococcus aureus coagulasa positivo en estudiantes de áreas de la salud IV. Educación y Humanidades Del refugio de la virtualidad a la exposición del contacto real Conclusione

Reasons to be cheerful? Reflections on GPs' responses to depression

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes