Global trends in child obesity: Are figures converging?

Childhood obesity has become one of the most serious global health challenges of our time. The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity has rapidly increased worldwide during the last two decades, especially in some developing countries where obesity is reaching levels on a par with some industrialized countries, or even higher. This fast growth has occurred especially in countries in the midst of rapid social-economic transitions. Most international comparisons focus on the adult population while analyses focusing on the child population are more limited. Using the methodology developed by Phillips and Sul, this paper studies the worldwide evolution of children’s body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity prevalence for a large sample of countries during the period 1975–2016. Our results indicate that the figures for BMI or the prevalence of obesity in different countries do not converge, while the opposite is the case for overweight prevalence in children. Furthermore, there is a non-linear relationship between obesity and income or human capital, indicating that low and middle-income countries require a strong initiative for health policies targeting obesity prevention

Música de la tierra, música de las esferas: de la cicloestratigrafía a las emociones

La aproximación científica y racional al conocimiento de la Tierra puede complementarse, y reforzarse, mediante una aproximación emocional a través del arte. La cicloestratigrafía muestra cómo ciertos patrones repetitivos en los sedimentos pueden reflejar oscilaciones climáticas vinculadas a ciclos orbitales terrestres. Los ciclos sedimentarios pueden traducirse a música, convirtiendo las distintas rocas o facies en notas de una escala y los espesores de las capas en duración de las mismas. Esta Música de la Tierra estaría así conectada con la Música de las Esferas que postuló la escuela pitagórica griega y, de una forma poética, sería como aquella una expresión de la armonía del Universo. Su mensaje profundo es la búsqueda artística de una relación cordial con el planeta que nos cobija, de una Nueva Cultura de la Tierra que reivindica el equilibrio entre sus ‘esferas’: geosfera, hidrosfera, atmósfera, biosfera y antroposfera. Su desarrollo práctico puede abarcar la banda sonora de audiovisuales divulgativos, la música ambiental en museos y geoparques, o como elemento motivador en el aprendizaje de las Ciencias de la Tierra. The scientific, rational approach to the knowledge of the Earth may be complemented and enhanced with an emotional approach by means of arts. Cyclostratigraphy shows how some repeated sedimentary patterns can reveal climatic oscillations related to the Earth orbital cycles. Sedimentary cycles can be translated into music, turning rocks or facies into musical notes, and bed thickness into duration of sounds. Such Music of the Earth would therefore be connected with the Music of the Spheres postulated by Pythagoras in ancient Greece and, from a poetical perspective, could be itself considered as an expression of harmony of the Universe. Its deep message is the search for a friendly relationship with our planet, for a New Culture of the Earth that calls for an equilibrium between its multiple spheres: geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and anthroposphere. Its practical development could extend to music accompanying scientific movies, background music in museums and geoparks, or as a motivating factor in Earth Sciences learning

Nuevas cartografías temáticas del sector norte de la Fosa de Teruel

La Cuenca de Teruel tiene una dirección N-S y es la mayor estructura extensional intracontinental del Mioceno tardío-Cua- ternario ubicada dentro de la Cadena Ibérica centro-oriental. A pesar de esto, su estudio ha sido algo desigual a lo largo de los años, lo que también se refleja en las cartografías existentes de la cuenca. Los mapas geológicos anteriores a escala de cuenca muestran una carencia en el reconocimiento de las principales estructuras de borde e intracuencales (e.g. Godoy et al., 1983a,b). En este trabajo presentamos un nuevo conjunto de mapas temáticos (geológico, estructural, sedimentario y morfotectónico) del sector norte de la cuenca y su implementación en un espacio de trabajo vectorial, lo que permite un aná- lisis “rápido y fácil” de la fracturación, segmentación estructural, salto vs. distancia y evolución del rifting. La fracturación a escala cartográfica muestra una red de fracturas NE-SW, E-W a ESE-WNW, N-S y NNW-SSE en las rocas mesozoicas del pre-rift, mientras que en los materiales neógenos synrift presentan una dirección N-S dominante en el borde de cuenca pero las principales fallas intracuencales tienen una orientación más diversa (NNE-SSW a NE-SW, E-W o NW-SE). La correlación y los desplazamientos verticales de las sucesivas unidades sedimentarias y de varias superficies de aplanamiento erosivo revelan que la deformación se inició en las fallas del margen, mientras que las fallas intracuencales se desarrollaron principalmente en una etapa posterior. The N-S trending Teruel Basin rift is the largest Late Miocene-Quaternary extensional intracontinental structure located within the central-eastern Iberian Chain. Despite this, its study has been somewhat uneven over the years, which is also reflected in the existing maps of the basin. The previous geological maps at a basin-scale do not recognize the main boundary and intrabasinal structures (e.g. Godoy et al., 1983a,b). In this work, we present a new themed map group of the northern sector (geological, structural, sedimentary and morphotectonic) and their implementation in a vectorial workspace, which allows a “quick&easy” analysis of fractures, segmentation structures, throws vs. distance and rifting evolution. Fractures on a map scale show a network of NE-SW, E-W to ESE-WNW, N-S and NNW-SSE fractures in the pre-rift Mesozoic rocks, while Neogene synrift sediments present a dominant N-S strike in the boundary but intrabasinal major faults with diverse orientation (NNE-SSW to NE-SW, E-W, or NW-SE). The correlation and offsets of the successive sedimentary units and seve- ral planation surfaces reveal that tectonic slip initiated at the border faults under an E-W extension, while intrabasinal ones mainly developed in a later stage

La disfunción familiar como predisponente de la enfermedad mental. ¿Existe tal asociación?

ObjetivosEl objetivo principal es conocer la relación entre la disfunción familiar y la presencia de trastorno mental. El objetivo secundario es conocer la prevalencia y la distribución de los principales tipos de patología mental en la población atendida en atención primaria.Diseño y emplazamientoEstudio descriptivo y transversal realizado en 6 consultas de medicina de familia de un área básica de salud semiurbana.MétodoSe seleccionaron 280 sujetos mediante muestreo aleatorio sistemático de los que acudieron espontáneamente a la consulta. Mediante entrevista se recogieron las variables de estudio: dinámica familiar (medida mediante el test de APGAR familiar), estructura familiar, variables sociodemográficas y presencia de trastorno mental detectado mediante la Mini International Neuropsyquiatric Interview (MINI-DSM IV).ResultadosAceptaron participar 264 sujetos. Un 64,4% era mujer y la media de edad fue de 45,6 años (DE, 16,7). Se detectó patología mental en 87 participantes (33%), siendo la patología más frecuente trastorno de ansiedad generalizada, distimia y depresión mayor. Se encontró alteración de la dinámica familiar en 32 personas (12,3%). No se observaron diferencias significativas en la frecuencia de presentación de patología mental entre el grupo con disfunción familiar y el resto.ConclusionesLos trastornos de salud mental son frecuentes entre los pacientes que acuden a las consultas de atención primaria. No encontramos asociación entre las alteraciones de la dinámica familiar y los trastornos de salud mental, lo que podría deberse a la dificultad para detectar disfunción familiar con el test de APGAR.ObjectivesThe main purpose is to describe the relationship between family disfunction and mental disorder. The secondary objective is to know the prevalence and distribution of mental disorders in primary care attended population.DesignA cross-sectional study was conducted in a primary care setting.Patients and methodsRandom sample was selected over 280 subjects from consultant population. The variables (family function, family structure, social and economic conditions and mental disorders) were collected through interview. APGAR test and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview test were performed.Results264 patients were finally included (64% women). Mean age was 45,6 years (SD 16,7). Mental disorders were detected in 87 patients (33%). The most prevalent disorders were generalized anxiety disorder, dysthymia and major depression. family disfunction was found in 32 patients (12,3%). Prevalence of mental disorders wasn't statistically different in the group with family disfunction.ConclusionMental disorders are a common problem between primary care attended population. There wasn't any association between family disfunction and mental disorders, because of the limitations in the APGAR test in detecting family disfunction

Are Comorbidities Associated With Overall Survival in Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

Purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly prevalent type of immunogenic cancer with a low survival rate in patients with comorbidities owing to toxic habits. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients with resectable OSCC at a tertiary Spanish hospital from 2011 to 2014. The primary predictor variables were comorbidity and immune biomarkers. Comorbidity was assessed using the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation–27 (ACE-27) and scored from 1 to 3 (mild to severe decompensation, respectively). The immune biomarkers were neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR (dNLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR). The primary outcome variable was 5-year overall survival (OS). Other study variables were stage, margin, and neck management. Receiver operating characteristic curves were built for each ratio. For the survey of immune biomarkers, area under the curve was computed to determine cutoff points and investigate their association with OS. Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival and Cox proportional hazards models were used for longitudinal analysis. Results: Overall 215 patients were identified (median age, 67 yr; range, 32 to 96 yr; median follow-up, 31 months; range, 7 to 78 months); 159 patients had at least 1 comorbid condition. Results showed that a severe comorbidity (according to the ACE-27) increased the risk of death by 4 times in patients with OSCC regardless of stage. NLR, dNLR, LMR, and PLR were associated with OS in the univariate study. Cutoff points to predict increased mortality were 3, 1.9, 2.6, and 66 for NLR, dNLR, LMR, and PLR, respectively. Age, comorbidity, stage, margins, and management of the neck were important independent predictors of decreased OS in OSCC. PLR was marginally associated with OS in the multivariate model. Conclusion: These results suggest that comorbidity and NLR, dNLR, LMR, and PLR are associated with 5-year OS in patients with resectable OSCC

La opinión de Feaps sobre el proceso de inclusión educativa

En este texto se presenta de forma resumida el diseño y algunos resultados de una investigación que tuvo como objetivo conocer la opinión de las organizaciones de personas con discapacidad en España, representadas en el CERMI, sobre el desarrollo del proceso de inclusión en nuestro país. El análisis se ha realizado desde la perspectiva de los técnicos o colaboradores de dichas organizaciones, quienes aportan su conocimiento experto en los temas educativos abordados. Se presentan los principales resultados que emanan de la consulta a la Confederación Española de Organizaciones a favor de las Personas con Discapacidad Intelectual (FEAPS) junto con las conclusiones generales del proyecto. Los resultados generales muestran progresos significativos en las dimensiones evaluadas, pero también la persistencia de importantes barreras que limitan la igualdad de oportunidades de los estudiantes con discapacidad. La situación de los niños y jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual es peor valorada, en general, que la de otros grupos analizados

Quotients of AdS_{p+1} x S^q: causally well-behaved spaces and black holes

Starting from the recent classification of quotients of Freund--Rubin backgrounds in string theory of the type AdS_{p+1} x S^q by one-parameter subgroups of isometries, we investigate the physical interpretation of the associated quotients by discrete cyclic subgroups. We establish which quotients have well-behaved causal structures, and of those containing closed timelike curves, which have interpretations as black holes. We explain the relation to previous investigations of quotients of asymptotically flat spacetimes and plane waves, of black holes in AdS and of Godel-type universes.Comment: 48 pages; v2: minor typos correcte

Compilation of parameterized seismogenic sources in Iberia for the SHARE European-scale seismic source model.

Abstract: SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe) is an EC-funded project (FP7) that aims to evaluate European seismic hazards using an integrated, standardized approach. In the context of SHARE, we are compiling a fully-parameterized active fault database for Iberia and the nearby offshore region. The principal goal of this initiative is for fault sources in the Iberian region to be represented in SHARE and incorporated into the source model that will be used to produce seismic hazard maps at the European scale. The SHARE project relies heavily on input from many regional experts throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region. At the SHARE regional meeting for Iberia, the 2010 Working Group on Iberian Seismogenic Sources (WGISS) was established; these researchers are contributing to this large effort by providing their data to the Iberian regional integrators in a standardized format. The development of the SHARE Iberian active fault database is occurring in parallel with IBERFAULT, another ongoing effort to compile a database of active faults in the Iberian region. The SHARE Iberian active fault database synthesizes a wide range of geological and geophysical observations on active seismogenic sources, and incorporates existing compilations (e.g., Cabral, 1995; Silva et al., 2008), original data contributed directly from researchers, data compiled from the literature, parameters estimated using empirical and analytical relationships, and, where necessary, parameters derived using expert judgment. The Iberian seismogenic source model derived for SHARE will be the first regional-scale source model for Iberia that includes fault data and follows an internationally standardized approach (Basili et al., 2008; 2009). This model can be used in both seismic hazard and risk analyses and will be appropriate for use in Iberian- and European-scale assessments

Effectiveness and safety of first-generation protease inhibitors in clinical practice: Hepatitis C virus patients with advanced fibrosis

AIM: To evaluates the effectiveness and safety of the first generation, NS3/4A protease inhibitors (PIs) in clinical practice against chronic C virus, especially in patients with advanced fibrosis. METHODS: Prospective study and non-experimental analysis of a multicentre cohort of 38 Spanish hospitals that includes patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1, treatment-nai¨ve (TN) or treatment-experienced (TE), who underwent triple therapy with the first generation NS3/4A protease inhibitors, boceprevir (BOC) and telaprevir (TVR), in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The patients were treatment in routine practice settings. Data on the study population and on adverse clinical and virologic effects were compiled during the treatment period and during follow up. RESULTS: One thousand and fifty seven patients were included, 405 (38%) were treated with BOC and 652 (62%) with TVR. Of this total, 30% (n = 319) were TN and the remaining were TE: 28% (n = 298) relapsers, 12% (n = 123) partial responders (PR), 25% (n = 260) null-responders (NR) and for 5% (n = 57) with prior response unknown. The rate of sustained virologic response (SVR) by intention-to-treatment (ITT) was greater in those treated with TVR (65%) than in those treated with BOC (52%) (P < 0.0001), whereas by modified intention-to-treatment (mITT) no were found significant differences. By degree of fibrosis, 56% of patients were F4 and the highest SVR rates were recorded in the non-F4 patients, both TN and TE. In the analysis by groups, the TN patients treated with TVR by ITT showed a higher SVR (P = 0.005). However, by mITT there were no significant differences between BOC and TVR. In the multivariate analysis by mITT, the significant SVR factors were relapsers, IL28B CC and non-F4; the type of treatment (BOC or TVR) was not significant. The lowest SVR values were presented by the F4-NR patients, treated with BOC (46%) or with TVR (45%). 28% of the patients interrupted the treatment, mainly by non-viral response (51%): this outcome was more frequent in the TE than in the TN patients (57% vs 40%, P = 0.01). With respect to severe haematological disorders, neutropaenia was more likely to affect the patients treated with BOC (33% vs 20%, P = 0.0001), and thrombocytopaenia and anaemia, the F4 patients (P = 0.000, P = 0.025, respectively). CONCLUSION: In a real clinical practice setting with a high proportion of patients with advanced fibrosis, effectiveness of first-generation PIs was high except for NR patients, with similar SVR rates being achieved by BOC and TVR