Maldades de las brujas puertorriqueñas

Este artículo describe algunas de las creencias que existen en la tradición folclórica de Puerto Rico acerca de las brujas. Sobre todo, acerca de sus actividades destructoras y maléficas en relación con los seres humanos, y sobre sus potencias mágicas.This paper describes some of the beliefs about witches that exsist in the folk tradition of Puerto Rico, focusing specially in their destructive and harmful actions against humans, and in their magical powers

Maldades de las brujas puertorriqueñas

Este artículo describe algunas de las creencias que existen en la tradición folclórica de Puerto Rico acerca de las brujas. Sobre todo, acerca de sus actividades destructoras y maléficas en relación con los seres humanos, y sobre sus potencias mágicas.This paper describes some of the beliefs about witches that exsist in the folk tradition of Puerto Rico, focusing specially in their destructive and harmful actions against humans, and in their magical powers

Aplicación del enfoque interactivo para mejorar la comprensión lectora en los estudiantes de 4to grado de Educación Primaria en la I.E.P. N° 16388 del Centro Poblado "Francisco Bolognesi" San Ignacio 2014

El presente trabajo de investigación denominado: “Aplicación del Enfoque Interactivo para Mejorar la Comprensión Lectora en los Estudiantes de 4° Grado de Educación Primaria en la I.E.P. N° 16388 del Centro Poblado Francisco Bolognesi, San Ignacio – 2014”; tuvo como objetivo general: Demostrar que la aplicación de estrategias didácticas en base al enfoque interactivo conlleva a mejorar la comprensión lectora en los estudiantes del 4° Grado de Educación Primaria en la I.E.P. N° 16388 del Centro Poblado “Francisco Bolognesi”, San Ignacio - 2014. La investigación fue ejecutada en la Institución Educativa N° 16388 del Centro Poblado Francisco Bolognesi - San Ignacio. Su diseño fue pre experimental de tipo aplicativo – explicativo, en el que se utilizó un pre test y un post test con un grupo experimental. Se trabajó con una población y muestra de 21 estudiantes del 4° grado de educación primaria, y para el recojo de datos fue aplicada una encuesta que sirvió de pre test y post test, para evaluarlo antes y después de aplicado el programa. Se consideró a la Institución Educativa San Luis Gonzaga Fe y Alegría Nº 22 como centro piloto referente para la validación del constructo del Instrumento. Del análisis de las tablas y gráficos estadísticos de la investigación realizada arrojó los siguientes resultados: se observa que los estudiantes en su mayoría se sitúan en logro previsto con el 61.91% en el nivel literal, 42.86% en el nivel inferencial y 47.63 en el nivel crítico y también ya se observa porcentajes en el logro destacado. Esto indica que la utilización del enfoque interactivo repercutió favorablemente en mejorar la comprensión de los 21 estudiantes

Hepatotoxicity induced by isoniazid in patients with latent tuberculosis infection: a meta-analysis

Adverse drug reaction; Latent tuberculosis; Liver injuryReacción adversa a medicamentos; Tuberculosis latente; Lesión hepáticaReacció adversa a medicaments; Tuberculosi latent; Lesió hepàticaAim: The aim of the present study was to conduct a meta-analysis of the frequency of isoniazid-induced liver injury (INH-ILI) in patients receiving isoniazid (INH) preventative therapy (IPT). Background: The frequency of hepatotoxicity (drug-induced liver injury: DILI) of antituberculosis drugs has been studied, especially when INH, rifampin, and pyrazinamide are co-administered. However, little is known about the frequency of DILI in patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), where IPT is indicated. Methods: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for studies reporting the frequency of INH-ILI in patients with IPT using one or more diagnostic indicators included in the criteria of the DILI Expert Working Group. Results: Thirty-five studies comprising a total of 22,193 participants were included. The overall average frequency of INH-ILI was 2.6% (95% CI, 1.7-3.7%). The mortality associated with INH-DILI was 0.02% (4/22193). Subgroup analysis revealed no significant differences in the frequency of INH-ILI in patients older or younger than 50 years, children, patients with HIV, candidates for liver, kidney, or lung transplant, or according to the type of study design. Conclusion: The frequency of INH-ILI in patients receiving IPT is low. Studies on INH-ILI are needed where the current DILI criteria are used

Thermomechanical surface instability at the origin of surface fissure patterns on heated circular MDF samples

When a flat sample of medium density fibreboard (MDF) is exposed to radiant heat in an inert atmosphere, primary crack patterns suddenly start to appear over the entire surface before pyrolysis and any charring occurs. Contrary to common belief that crack formation is due to drying and shrinkage, it was demonstrated for square samples that this results from thermomechanical instability. In the present paper, new experimental data are presented for circular samples of the same MDF material. The sample was exposed to radiant heating at 20 or 50 kW/m2, and completely different crack patterns with independent Eigenmodes were observed at the two heat fluxes. We show that the two patterns can be reproduced with a full 3-D thermomechanical surface instability model of a hot layer adhered to an elastic colder foundation in an axisymmetric domain. Analytical and numerical solutions of a simplified 2-D formulation of the same problem provide excellent qualitative agreement between observed and calculated patterns. Previous data for square samples together with the results reported in the present paper for circular samples confirm the validity of the model for qualitative predictions, and indicate that further refinements can be made to improve its quantitative predictive capability.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures. New title and abstract, added experimental and simulation details and figures, conclusions unchanged. Matches the version published in Fire And Material

Evaluation of the Timed Up and Go test for screening vulnerability and frailty in older cancer patients

Introduction. The need for comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in older adults with cancer is increasing, which makes it necessary to have a screening instrument to identify those who would benefit from this evaluation. This study aimed to investigate diagnostic performance of the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) for identifying vulnerable or frail older adults with cancer who might benefit from CGA.  Material and methods. This observational and retrospective study took place at the geriatric center of Almenara Hospital in Lima, Peru. We extracted CGA reports from electronic medical records of outpatients and inpatients aged 60 years and older with cancer, who were evaluated between November 2022 and July 2023. Patients were classified based on SIOG-2 (International Society of Geriatric Oncology) criteria as fit, vulnerable, or frail, based on scales including Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL, Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale, and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatrics (CIRS-G). For the study, two groups were formed: fit patients and non-fit patients (vulnerable plus frail). We estimated sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of the TUG test. The accuracy of the TUG test was analyzed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).  Results. Among the 283 included patients, 154 were men (54.4%) and 129 women (45.6%), and the mean age was 76.8 ± 15.8 years. The most common neoplasms were colorectal (19.4%), stomach (15.2%), prostate (9.9%), and bile duct cancers (8.1%). The percentage of fit and non-fit patients was 21.9% and 78.1%, respectively. When the TUG test was equal to or greater than 15.5 seconds, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and AUC were 68.5% (95% CI 61.9–74.5), 88.5% (77.8–95.3), 95.6% (91.1–98.2), and 84.8% (0.80–0.90), respectively.  Conclusions. A TUG test result equal to or greater than 15.5 seconds demonstrated good screening properties for identifying older cancer patients who were vulnerable or frail and could benefit from CGA

Comprehensive geriatric assessment and clinical outcomes of frail older adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a metanalysis

Introduction. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is used to personalize cancer treatments in frail older adults. However, its utility to guide treatments in frail older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is not well known. We performed a meta-analysis of evidence published in this area.  Material and methods. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for studies published between January 2000 and January 2023 that included patients aged ≥ 65 years with a diagnosis of DLBCL who underwent CGA before treatment (CGA-modulated studies) and who did not (non-CGA-modulated studies). We evaluated clinical outcomes in frail/unfit patients in terms of complete response (CR), incidence of grade ≥ 3 toxicity, and 2-year overall survival (OS) in both types of studies.  Results. Fifteen studies [8 CGA-modulated (n = 733, median age 76, 54% male, 52% frail/unfit) and 7 non-CGA-modulated (n = 2447, median age 76, 52% male, 32% frail/unfit)] were included. In the CGA-modulated studies, the CR proportion of frail/unfit patients was 34% (95% CI 23–46%) vs. 28% (95% CI 19–38%) in the non-CGA-modulated studies (p = 0.436). Grade 3–4 hematological toxicity in frail/unfit patients was 26% (95% CI 5–55%) vs. 36% (95% CI 13–63%) (p = 0.583), respectively. Two-year OS of frail/unfit patients was 52% (95% CI 38–66%) vs. 27% (95% CI 19–36%) (p = 0.003), respectively.  Conclusions. Although the proportion of frail/unfit patients was lower in non-CGA-modulated studies, CGA-modulated studies reported higher OS. CGA could be useful to guide the treatment plan in older patients with DLBCL. Randomized clinical trials with standardized CGA instruments are necessary to confirm these findings

Severity of SARS-COV-2 infection and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers: a meta-analysis

Background: The mechanism of entry of SARS-COV-2 into the human host cell is through the ACE2 receptor. During the pandemic, a hypothesis has been proposed that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) could be risk factors for the development of severe SARS-COV-2 infection. The objective of the study was to conduct a meta-analysis of the association between ACEI or ARB use and SARS-COV-2 infection severity or mortality. Material and methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Google scholar and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for observational studies published between December 2019 and August 4, 2020 Studies were included if they contained data on ACEI or ARB use and SARS-COV-2 infection severity or mortality. Effect statistics were pooled using random-effects models. The quality of included studies was assessed with the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). Data on study design, study location, year of publication, number of participants, sex, age at baseline, outcome definition, exposure definition, effect estimates and 95% CIs were extracted. Results: Twenty-six studies (21 cohort studies and 5 case-control studies) were identified for inclusion, combining to a total sample of 361467 participants. Mean age was 61.48 (SD 8.26) years and 51.63 % were men. The mean NOS score of included studies was 7.85 (range: 7–9). Results suggested that ACEI or ARB use did not increase the risk of severe disease or mortality from SARS-COV-2 infection (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.75–1.02, p > 0.05). Conclusions: At present, the evidence available does not support the hypothesis of increased SARS-COV-2 risk withACEI or ARB drugs