The role of gender in the association between self-rated health and mortality among older adults in Santiago, Chile: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the role of gender in the association between self-rated health and mortality have shown contrasting results. This study was aimed to determine the importance of gender in the association between self-rated health and mortality among older people in Santiago, Chile. METHODS: A 10 year follow-up of 1066 people aged 60 or more, from the Chilean cohort of the Study of Health, Ageing and Well-Being. Self-rated health was assessed in face to face interviews through a single general question, along with socio-demographic and health status information. Cox proportional hazards and flexible parametric models for survival analyses were employed. RESULTS: By the end of follow-up, 30.7% of women and 39.4% of men died. Adjusted hazard ratio of poor self-rated health, compared to good self-rated health, was 1.92(95% CI 1.29-2.86). In models stratified by gender, an increased risk of mortality was observed among women who rated their health as poor (HR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.43-3.40), but not among men (HR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.58-1.86). Age was associated with mortality in both groups; for men, functional limitation and underweight were also risk factors and obesity was a protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to older women who rated their health as good, older women who rated their health as poor had a 2 fold increased risk of mortality over the subsequent 10 years. These findings stress the importance of considering a gender perspective into health programmes, including those focused on older people, in order to address the different elements that increase, on the long run, the risk of dying among older women and men

Propuesta para la Enseñanza de la Caída de los Graves

La enseñanza de la Física ha recibido la atención de muchos investigadores en los últimos años. Dado el carácter abstracto de los conceptos físicos y lo anti intuitivo de ellos, la verificación experimental no resulta sencilla, y como consecuencia resulta difícil encontrar propuestas didácticas eficaces que permitan mejorar su aprendizaje. Entre los temas de física obligatorios que se enseñan en las instituciones de educación media superior y superior en México se encuentra la cinemática donde se estudia la caída de los graves, también conocida como caída libre. El estudio de la caída libre, aunque de aparente sencillez, representa uno de los retos principales de la didáctica de la Física. En este trabajo presentaremos una propuesta de secuencia didáctica, que considera a la historia, el aprendizaje basado en problemas y la experimentación, para la enseñanza de la caída libre. También se presenta un diagnóstico de la situación en la que se encuentran los estudiantes del Instituto Tecnológico de San Juan del Río con respecto a este tema

"Llevar la feria a las protestas”. Análisis de actos performáticos y de fotografías en torno a las movilizaciones de los feriantes de Guaymallén, Mendoza

Durante el año 2014 se multiplicaron las movilizaciones impulsadas por un grupo de trabajadoras/es, la mayoría mujeres migrantes provenientes de Bolivia, de la Feria Popular de Guaymallén, Mendoza, a raíz del desalojo del predio donde venían trabajando todos los domingos desde hacía más de una década. En el presente trabajo, nos proponemos realizar un análisis retrospectivo de sus modalidades de resistencia, privilegiando como ejes de indagación algunos de los actos performáticos y fotografías tomadas durante los procesos de organización entre 2014 y 2015. Algunas de las interrogantes que guiaron la investigación fueron las siguientes: ¿Cuál fue la estrategia de auto-presentación que los feriantes quisieron darse a sí mismos y a la sociedad mendocina a partir de las movilizaciones en las calles del micro-centro? ¿Qué rol jugó en estos espacios la dimensión estética? ¿De qué maneras una mirada atenta a la dimensión estética puede echar luz acerca de los procesos de protesta social? Así, a partir de desarrollos conceptuales provenientes de la sociología, la antropología y la historia del arte, analizamos este repertorio y su potencial en tanto herramienta política de visibilización y legitimación de la feria como un espacio de socialización y de trabaj

Intervención para promover hábitos saludables y reducir obesidad en adolescentes de preparatoria

Enero-Junio 2014 219 Resumen / Abstract El objetivo del trabajo fue determinar cambios en la prevalencia de sobrepeso/ obesidad, hábitos alimenticios y ejercicio físico al inicio y fi nal del primer año de preparatoria posterior a una intervención para promover hábitos saludables. Se rea- lizó antropometría y cuestionario sobre alimentación y ejercicio físico al inicio y fi nal del año escolar a 304 alumnos de ca- torce a diecisiete años. Se implementó un programa anual de conferencias, supercla- ses deportivas y redes sociales como Face- book y Twitter. Se logró incrementar el consumo de raciones/día de frutas y ver- duras y reducir la ingestión en días/sema- na de refrescos y papas fritas. No hubo cambios signifi cativos en la prevalencia de sobrepeso/obesidad. La intervención co- lectiva a través de clases y redes sociales mejoró los hábitos alimenticios pero no lo- gró disminuir el sobrepeso/obesidad. Se requiere probar otro tipo de estrategia en adolescentes

Toward an Automatic Assessment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients Using Eye Movement Analysis

Multiple sclerosis; Ocular markers; Prediction methodsEsclerosis múltiple; Marcadores oculares; Métodos de predicciónEsclerosi múltiple; Marcadors oculars; Mètodes de prediccióDespite the importance of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis, it is poorly represented in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the commonly used clinical measure to assess disability, suggesting that an analysis of eye movement, which is generated by an extensive and well-coordinated functional network that is engaged in cognitive function, could have the potential to extend and complement this more conventional measure. We aimed to measure the eye movement of a case series of MS patients with relapsing–remitting MS to assess their cognitive status using a conventional gaze tracker. A total of 41 relapsing–remitting MS patients and 43 age-matched healthy controls were recruited for this study. Overall, we could not find a clear common pattern in the eye motor abnormalities. Vertical eye movement was more impaired in MS patients than horizontal movement. Increased latencies were found in the prosaccades and reflexive saccades of antisaccade tests. The smooth pursuit was impaired with more corrections (backup and catchup movements, p<0.01). No correlation was found between eye movement variables and EDSS or disease duration. Despite significant alterations in the behavior of the eye movements in MS patients, which are compatible with altered cognitive status, there is no common pattern of these alterations. We interpret this as a consequence of the patchy, heterogeneous distribution of white matter involvement in MS that provokes multiple combinations of impairment at different points in the different networks involved in eye motor control. Further studies are therefore required.This research was partially funding by RoboCity2030-DIH-CM Madrid Robotics Digital 366 Innovation Hub (Robotica aplicada a la mejora de la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos, Fase IV; 367 S2018/NMT-4331), funded by Comunidad de Madrid and cofunded by Structural Funds of the EU and partially funding by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Cooperation area. J. Benito-León is supported by the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA (NINDS R01 NS39422), the European Commission (grant ICT-2011-287739, NeuroTREMOR), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grant RTC-2015-3967-1, NetMD—platform for the tracking of movement disorder), and the Spanish Health Research Agency (grant FIS PI12/01602 and grant FIS PI16/00451)

Persistence, clearance and reinfection regarding six high risk human papillomavirus types in Colombian women : A follow-up study

Background: The design of new healthcare schemes which involve using molecular HPV screening means that both persistence and clearance data regarding the most prevalent types of HR-HPV occurring in cities in Colombia must be ascertained.Methods: This study involved 219 HPV positive women in all of whom 6 types of HR-HPV had been molecularly identified and quantified; they were followed-up for 2 years. The Kaplan-Meier survival function was used for calculating the time taken for the clearance of each type of HPV. The role of a group of independent variables concerning the time taken until clearance was evaluated using a Cox proportional-hazards regression model or parametric (log-logistic) methods when necessary. Regarding viral load, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for measuring the difference of medians for viral load for each type, according to the state of infection (cleared or persistent). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for evaluating the change in the women's colposcopy findings at the start of follow-up and at the end of it (whether due to clearance or the end of the follow-up period).Results: It was found that HPV-18 and HPV-31 types had the lowest probability of becoming cleared (1.76 and 2.75 per 100 patients/month rate, respectively). Women from Colombian cities other than Bogotá had a greater probability of being cleared if they had HPV-16 (HR 2.58: 1.51-4.4 95% CI) or HPV-58 (1.79 time ratio: 1.33-2.39 95% CI) infection. Regarding viral load, HPV-45-infected women having 1 × 106 to 9.99 × 109 viral copies had better clearance compared to those having greater viral loads (1.61 time ratio: 1.01-2.57 95% CI). Lower HPV-31 viral load values were associated with this type's persistence and changes in colposcopy findings for HPV-16 gave the worst prognosis in women having low absolute load values.Conclusions: HPV infection clearance in this study was related to factors such as infection type, viral load and the characteristics of the cities from which the women came. Low viral load values would indicate viral persistence and a worse prognosis regarding a change in colposcopy findings. © 2014 Soto-De León et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Quality of nutritional care during pregnancy: folic acid and vitamin D supplementation

Backgrounds: Folic acid (FA) and vitamin D supplementation is recommended during pregnancy. Quality nutritional care during pregnancy should include the supplementation of these vitamins. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the quality of nutritional care regarding supplementation during pregnancy in primary health care units in six states of Mexico (Estado de México, Oaxaca, Yucatán, Chihuahua, Veracruz and Chiapas). Methods: A mixed study was conducted. An indicator (formed by two sub-indicators) to assess the quality of nutritional care focused on FA and vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy was developed and validated. To assess the quality of care, a sample of 97 health units (HUs) was estimated considering the total number of HUs in the selected states. To ensure the representativeness of the following strata: rurality, care for the indigenous population, and size of the HU; at least one unit was assigned to each stratum by simple random sampling. A trained team performed a random sample of 30 pregnancy clinical records in each HU; the records and the nutritional control cards were reviewed to assess whether the recommendations of the indicator were met. The percentage of compliance with the indicator was estimated. It was considered that an evaluated record complied with the indicator if it complied with its two sub-indicators. A traffic light system was used to present the results: good quality was considered as green (compliance ≥90%); poor quality as yellow (compliance 71% - 89%) and bad quality as red (compliance ≤70%). In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals and an observation guide was applied in health units. Results: A total of 95 HU were assessed. Of the 794 cases evaluated, only one met the two sub-indicators. A bad quality of nutritional care focused on supplementation during pregnancy was observed in the six states and in all HUs. It was identified that most HUs did not have a nutritionist and doctors and nurses recognized that they did not have the knowledge to give nutritional recommendations. Conclusions: It is necessary to implement actions aimed at improving the capacities of health professionals regarding the quality of nutritional care

Endocannabinoid regulation of amyloid-induced neuroinflammation

The modulation of endocannabinoid (EC) levels and the activation of cannabinoid receptors are seen as promising therapeutic strategies in a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We aimed to evaluate the effect of the pharmacological and genetic inhibiton of anandamide (AEA)-degrading enzyme in a mouse model of AD (5xFAD). Pharmacological inhibition of the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) had little impact on the expression of key enzymes and cytokines as well as on the cognitive impairment and plaque deposition and gliosis in 5xFAD mice. CB1 blockade exacerbated inflammation in this transgenic mouse model of AD. The genetic inactivation of FAAH led to increases in the expression of inflammatory cytokines. At the same time, FAAH-null 5xFAD mice exhibited a behavioral improvement in spatial memory that was independent of the level of anxiety and was not CB1-mediated. Finally, mice lacking FAAH showed diminished soluble amyloid levels, neuritic plaques and gliosis. These data reinforce the notion of a role for the endocannabinoid system in neuroinflammation and open new perspectives on the relevance of modulating endocannabinoid levels in the inflammed brain.pre-print687 K

GCAT|Panel, a comprehensive structural variant haplotype map of the Iberian population from high-coverage whole-genome sequencing

The combined analysis of haplotype panels with phenotype clinical cohorts is a common approach to explore the genetic architecture of human diseases. However, genetic studies are mainly based on single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions and deletions (indels). Here, we contribute to fill this gap by generating a dense haplotype map focused on the identification, characterization, and phasing of structural variants (SVs). By integrating multiple variant identification methods and Logistic Regression Models (LRMs), we present a catalogue of 35 431 441 variants, including 89 178 SVs (≥50 bp), 30 325 064 SNVs and 5 017 199 indels, across 785 Illumina high coverage (30x) whole-genomes from the Iberian GCAT Cohort, containing a median of 3.52M SNVs, 606 336 indels and 6393 SVs per individual. The haplotype panel is able to impute up to 14 360 728 SNVs/indels and 23 179 SVs, showing a 2.7-fold increase for SVs compared with available genetic variation panels. The value of this panel for SVs analysis is shown through an imputed rare Alu element located in a new locus associated with Mononeuritis of lower limb, a rare neuromuscular disease. This study represents the first deep characterization of genetic variation within the Iberian population and the first operational haplotype panel to systematically include the SVs into genome-wide genetic studies