Adolescent consumption of sweetened beverages and their motivational effects in adulthood: an animal model

Estudios previos en roedores sugieren que el consumo de azúcares en la adolescencia disminuye el valor de los estímulos palatables en la adultez, llevando a un déficit motivacional. Se presentan dos experimentos en ratas macho en el que se exploran los efectos motivacionales de largo término del consumo adolescente de una solución azucarada al 5%. En comparación con un grupo control, las ratas experimentales pesaron más en la adultez y mostraron un impacto emocional atenuado ante la devaluación y la omisión de un estímulo palatable. El segundo experimento mostró una preferencia menor por una solución de sacarosa al 4% en una prueba de preferencia de 2 horas. El menor impacto emocional ante eventos de frustración y la menor preferencia por la sacarosa son resultados consistentes con la hipótesis de déficit motivacional en la adultez. Esta condición podría ser uno de los mecanismos asociados a la propensión al sobrepeso en adultos.Fil: Ilarraz, Constanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Serafini, Matías. Instituto de Investigaciones Microbilogicas y Clinicas.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Laurito, Micaela. Instituto de Investigaciones Microbilogicas y Clinicas.; ArgentinaFil: Cuenya, Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto de Investigaciones Microbilogicas y Clinicas.; Argentin

Use of Vibrio cholerae Vaccine in an Outbreak in Guinea

Producción CientíficaThe use of vaccines to prevent and control cholera is currently under debate. Shanchol is one of the two oral cholera vaccines prequalified by the World Health Organization; however, its effectiveness under field conditions and the protection it confers in the first months after administration remain unknown. The main objective of this study was to estimate the short-term effectiveness of two doses of Shanchol used as a part of the integrated response to a cholera outbreak in Africa. METHODS We conducted a matched case-control study in Guinea between May 20 and October 19, 2012. Suspected cholera cases were confirmed by means of a rapid test, and controls were selected among neighbors of the same age and sex as the case patients. The odds of vaccination were compared between case patients and controls in bivariate and adjusted conditional logistic-regression models. Vaccine effectiveness was calculated as (1-odds ratio) × 100. RESULTS Between June 8 and October 19, 2012, we enrolled 40 case patients and 160 controls in the study for the primary analysis. After adjustment for potentially confounding variables, vaccination with two complete doses was associated with significant protection against cholera (effectiveness, 86.6%; 95% confidence interval, 56.7 to 95.8; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS In this study, Shanchol was effective when used in response to a cholera outbreak in Guinea. This study provides evidence supporting the addition of vaccination as part of the response to an outbreak. It also supports the ongoing efforts to establish a cholera vaccine stockpile for emergency use, which would enhance outbreak prevention and control strategies

Single-dose cholera vaccine in response to an outbreak in Zambia

Producción CientíficaKilled oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) are part of the standard response package to a cholera outbreak, although the two-dose regimen of vaccines that has been prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) poses challenges to timely and efficient reactive vaccination campaigns.1 Recent data suggest that the first dose alone provides short-term protection, similar to that of two doses, which may largely dictate the effect of OCVs during epidemic

A real world analysis of COVID-19 impact on hospitalizations in older adults with chronic conditions from an Italian region

Healthcare delivery reorganization during the COVID-19 emergency may have had a significant impact on access to care for older adults with chronic conditions. We investigated such impact among all adults with chronic conditions aged >= 65 years, identified through the electronic health databases of two local health agencies-ATS Brianza and ATS Bergamo-from the Lombardy region, Italy. We considered hospitalizations for 2020 compared to the average 2017-2019 and quantified differences using rate ratios (RRs). Overall, in 2017-2019 there were a mean of 374,855 older adults with >= 1 chronic condition per year in the two ATS and 405,371 in 2020. Hospitalizations significantly decreased from 84,624 (225.8/1000) in 2017-2019 to 78,345 (193.3/1000) in 2020 (RR 0.86). Declines were reported in individuals with many chronic conditions and for most Major Diagnostic Categories, except for diseases of the respiratory system. The strongest reductions were observed in hospitalizations for individuals with active tumours, particularly for surgical ones. Hospitalization rates increased in individuals with diabetes, likely due to COVID-19-related diseases. Although determinants of the decrease in demand and supply for care among chronic older adults are to be further explored, this raises awareness on their impacts on chronic patients' health in the medium and long run

Covid-19 and the role of smoking: the protocol of the multicentric prospective study COSMO-IT (COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly).

The emergency caused by Covid-19 pandemic raised interest in studying lifestyles and comorbidities as important determinants of poor Covid-19 prognosis. Data on tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity are still limited, while no data are available on the role of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTP). To clarify the role of tobacco smoking and other lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity and progression, we designed a longitudinal observational study titled COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly (COSMO-IT). About 30 Italian hospitals in North, Centre and South of Italy joined the study. Its main aims are: 1) to quantify the role of tobacco smoking and smoking cessation on the severity and progression of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients; 2) to compare smoking prevalence and severity of the disease in relation to smoking in hospitalized COVID-19 patients versus patients treated at home; 3) to quantify the association between other lifestyle factors, such as e-cigarette and HTP use, alcohol and obesity and the risk of unfavourable COVID-19 outcomes. Socio-demographic, lifestyle and medical history information will be gathered for around 3000 hospitalized and 700-1000 home-isolated, laboratory-confirmed, COVID-19 patients. Given the current absence of a vaccine against SARS-COV-2 and the lack of a specific treatment for -COVID-19, prevention strategies are of extreme importance. This project, designed to highly contribute to the international scientific debate on the role of avoidable lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity, will provide valuable epidemiological data in order to support important recommendations to prevent COVID-19 incidence, progression and mortality

Los retos humanitarios y médicos de asistir a los nuevos refugiados en el Líbano e Irak

Los masivos y continuos flujos de refugiados sirios y palestinos hacia los países vecinos de Siria demuestran las limitaciones de las prácticas humanitarias y presentan nuevos retos para las intervenciones médicas y humanitarias

Humanitarian and medical challenges of assisting new refugees in Lebanon and Iraq

The massive and continuing flows of Syrian and Palestinian refugees to Syria’s neighbours have shown the limitations of humanitarian practice and present new challenges for medical and humanitarian intervention

Increment in the consummatory response induced by reward delay: An animal model of binge-like eating episodes

The omission of an expected palatable reinforcer produces an aversive emotional state, called frustration, that could function as an important factor in the etiology and maintenance of the binge-eating disorder. A series of experiments carried out in adult male Wistar rats are presented, in which the consummatory response of sugary drinks was evaluated after events of frustration due to reward delay. The animals were trained in a consummatory behavior acquisition phase, in which they had access to different concentrations of sucrose solutions. In the test phase, a control group received the reinforcer normally, while an experimental group received it after a delay. A significant increase in the consummatory behavior of a 32 % sucrose was found in the group that was exposed to a 2-min delay before re-introducing the reinforcer (Experiment 1). The increment found in the consummatory response was dependent on the aversive state of frustration. This could be concluded because, in a less frustrating condition, the animals did not exhibit the phenomenon (Experiment 2), and a more frustrating one produced an increment of the effect (Experiment 3). This result was also observed using a direct measure of consumption -kilocalorie intake- during several events of reinforcement delay (Experiment 4).Fil: Serafini, Matías. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Ilarraz, Constanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Laurito, Micaela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Cuenya, Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentin