Can Ecological Interactions be Inferred from Spatial Data?

The characterisation and quantication of ecological interactions, and the construction of species distributions and their associated ecological niches, is of fundamental theoretical and practical importance. In this paper we give an overview of a Bayesian inference framework, developed over the last 10 years, which, using spatial data, offers a general formalism within which ecological interactions may be characterised and quantied. Interactions are identied through deviations of the spatial distribution of co-occurrences of spatial variables relative to a benchmark for the non-interacting system, and based on a statistical ensemble of spatial cells. The formalism allows for the integration of both biotic and abiotic factors of arbitrary resolution. We concentrate on the conceptual and mathematical underpinnings of the formalism, showing how, using the Naive Bayes approximation, it can be used to not only compare and contrast the relative contribution from each variable, but also to construct species distributions and niches based on arbitrary variable type. We show how the formalism can be used to quantify confounding and therefore help disentangle the complex causal chains that are present in ecosystems. We also show species distributions and their associated niches can be used to infer standard "micro" ecological interactions, such as predation and parasitism. We present several representative use cases that validate our framework, both in terms of being consistent with present knowledge of a set of known interactions, as well as making and validating predictions about new, previously unknown interactions in the case of zoonoses

High-sensitivity c-reactive protein epidemiological behavior in adult individuals from Maracaibo, Venezuela

Objectives: High-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) is one of the most applied inflammation markers; therefore, the main objective of this research is to evaluate its epidemiological behavior in adult subjects of the Maracaibo City, Venezuela. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,422 subjects, 704 women (49.5%) and 718 men (50.5%), were enrolled in the Maracaibo City Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence Study. The results were expressed as medians and inter-quartile ranges (p25-p75). Differences were determined through the Mann-Whitney U test and one-way ANOVA test with the Bonferroni adjustment. A multiple logistic regression model was designed for the analysis of the main factors associated with high serum hs-CRP levels. Results: Overall hs-CRP median was 0,.372 mg/L (0.126- 0.765 mg/L), 0,382 mg/L (0.122-0.829 mg/L) for women and 0.365 mg/L (0.133-0.712 mg/L) for men; p=0.616. An increasing pattern was observed in hs-CRP concentrations through age, BMI, waist circumference and HOMA2-IR categories. After adjusting for independent variables, a greater risk for elevated hs-CRP levels was observed with female gender, hypertriacylglyceridemia, obesity, diagnosis of metabolic syndrome and very large waist circumference values. Conclusions: Elevated hs-CRP levels are related to the metabolic syndrome but not with each of their separate components, being a greater waist circumference one of the more important risk factors, but only at values much higher than those proposed for our population.&nbsp

La percepción como herramienta para la gestión del riesgo : aportes para la cogestión comunitaria, caso de la comunidad de Sixaola, Limón, Costa Rica

El presente artículo intenta posicionar a la percepción del riesgo como una de las principales herramientas por medio de las cuales se puede trabajar la gestión del riesgo en una comunidad. Esto porque para que exista un verdadero involucramiento de las y los actores comunitarios, se debe partir de lo que las personas conocen y entienden por riesgo, además de la forma en que se visualizan dentro del proceso de construcción de su propio riesgo This article tries to present risk perception as one of the main tools by means of which risk management in a community can be worked. Because for real involvement of communitarian actors to exist, is necessary to start from what people know and understand by risk, besides the way in which they visualize themselves within their own risk construction proces

Comportamiento Epidemiológico del síndrome metabólico en el municipio Maracaibo-Venezuela

Introducción: El Síndrome Metabólico es un conjunto de alteraciones metabólicas que representa un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. Su evaluación en nuestra población es escasa por lo nuestro objetivo fue caracterizar su comportamiento epidemiológico y la agrupación de factores de riesgo. Materiales y Métodos: Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, transversal, aleatorio y multietápico en 2.230 individuos de ambos sexos, a quienes se les realizó historia  clínica completa y se les determino los componentes del espectro del síndrome metabólico, de acuerdo al consensoIDF/NHLBI/AHA-2009. Riesgo coronario a 10 años fue evaluado usando la fórmula Framingham-Wilson calibrada según las combinaciones diagnósticas y se realizó un modelo de regresión logística múltiple para analizar los principales factores asociados al síndrome. Resultados: La prevalencia en nuestra población fue de 42,7% (n=952) con predominio en el sexo masculino. La combinatoria con mayor riesgo coronario fue HDL-C bajas –hipertriacilgliceridmia-Hipertensión. En el modelo de regresión, los factores de riesgo fueron: el sexo, edad, hábito tabáquico, insulinorresistencia e hipertensión arterial; la actividad física fue un factor protector. Conclusiones: El síndrome metabólico es muy prevalente en nuestra población. La circunferencia abdominal elevada es la alteración presente más frecuente por lo cual es necesario el planteamiento de puntos de corte adaptados a nuestras características socio-culturales, lo cual permite detección temprana e intervención.  Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome  is considered a clustering of metabolic risk factors which represent a worldwide public health problem. Its evaluation in our population is scarce; hence the purpose of this investigation was to characterize its epidemiological behavior and the patterns of risk factor clustering.  Materials and Methods: This is a randomized, crosssectional, descriptive and multietapic study which enrolled 2.230 individuals of both sexes, which were interrogated in order or obtain a complete medical history and evaluation, determining the components of the metabolic syndrome according to the IDF/AHA/NHLBI-2009. Coronary  risk at 10 years was evaluated using a calibrated Framingham Formula according to metabolic phenotypes, and a logistic model was applied to analyze the metabolic risk factors to the syndrome. Results: Metabolic syndrome prevalence was 42.7% (n=952), higher in the men`s group. The combination with the highest coronary risk was Low HDL-Hypertriacilglyceridemia-  Hypertension. In the regression model, the most important risk factors were: gender, age, smoking, insulin resistance and hypertension; physical activity was considered a protective factor. Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in our locality. Abdominal circumference was the most frequent observed component suggesting the need for several actions, such as the identification of a proper cut-off point according to this population allowing proper detection and intervention.&nbsp

Lipid profile reference intervals in individuals from Maracaibo, Venezuela: an insight from the Maracaibo City Metabolic Syndrome prevalence study

Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in adults worldwide. Dyslipidemias are an important risk factor, which is why committees like the ATP III have established cut-off points for lipid profiles dichotomizing the diagnosis instead of setting normal intervals. Currently, there is no general consensus about the reference intervals in our population, so the purpose of this paper is to establish lipid profile reference ranges in Maracaibo City, Venezuela. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was made, enrolling 2,043 randomly selected individuals from both genders over 18 years old, for the Maracaibo City Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence Study (MMSPS). To determine the reference population, the patients with pathologic history and medication intake that could modify the lipid profile were taken out. Extreme values were calculated mathematically for each lipid variable and then excluded. The results were expressed in absolute and relative frequencies, medians and 25th-75th percentiles for the general and gender classified population. Results: The medians and percentiles for the reference population (n=434) were indicated respectively for women (n=221; 50.9%) and men (n=213; 49.1%). For HDL-C (mg/dL): 48.00 (42.00-56.00) and 43.00 (37.00-50.00); Triglycerides (mg/dL): 70.98 (50.35-102.53) and 78.50 (57.00-126.63); VLDL-C (mg/dL): 14.20 (10.07-20.48) and 15.70 (11.40-25.33). Were raised general reference values for Total Cholesterol (mg/dL): 176.00 (149.50-201.50); LDL-C (mg/dL): 110.23 (86.25-132.80) and Lp(a) (mg/dL): 25.20 (18.40-33.85)

Prevalence, awareness, management of hypertension and association with metabolic abnormalities: the Maracaibo city metabolic syndrome prevalence study

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and epidemiologic behavior of Hypertension (HT) in the Maracaibo Municipality, Zulia state, Venezuela. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, where 2,230 subjects from both genders were randomly selected as part of the Maracaibo city Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence Study (MMSPS). Complete medical examination, laboratory workup and anthropometry measurements were taken. The quantitative variables were expressed as mean±SD, and comparisons were calculated using t Student test. The qualitative variables were represented as absolute and relative frequencies, and comparisons were obtained using Z test for proportions and associations with c2 test. Results: The prevalence of HT was 19.42% (20.92% in women and 17.75% in men). The prevalence of newly diagnosed individuals was 12.0%, with 8.71% in women and 16.90% in men. The overall percentage of HT was 32.02%, being 29.63% in women and 34.65% in men. Several variables were associated with HT, such as glycemic status (χ2=64.97, p<0.001), insulin resistance (c2=25.58, p<0.001) and body mass index (c2=209.952, p<0.0001). Clinical control of blood pressure was observed in 44.7% of treated and 56.6% of untreated subjects. The most frequent anti-hypertensive drugs were: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors with (n=105), Beta-Blockers (n=97) and Angiotensin Receptor II Blockers (n=32). Conclusion: Even though elevated numbers of AHT are observed in our population combined with low clinical control of blood pressure, there is a lower prevalence of AHT compared to other studies at regional, national or international levels.&nbsp

Juventudes, género y salud sexual reproductiva. Realidades, expectativas y retos

El resultado de la reflexión de este trabajo pone énfasis en la construcción de estas identidades juveniles, donde la perspectiva de género, las coyunturas laborales y educativas y el acceso y conocimiento de la salud sexual y reproductiva juegan un papel fundamental. Estas tres dimensiones analíticas unen los trece capítulos que integran el documento, donde se visibilizan las distintas formas de ser y vivir la juventud.Juventudes, género y salud sexual reproductiva. Realidades, expectativas y retos es una obra que reconoce a la población joven también en su diversidad y complejidad. Desde distintos abordajes teóricos, con diversos instrumentales metodológicos, las y los autores convergen en reconocer la precariedad, la inestabilidad y la incertidumbre como tristes realidades que signan las características de nuestras poblaciones jóvenes contemporáneas.Proyecto de investigación institucional financiado por el Programa de Fortalecimiento de la Calidad Educativa de la Secretaría de Educación Pública. P/PFCE-2016-15MSU001