Título del artículo:

May Measurement Month 2019: An analysis of blood pressure screening results from Colombia

Hypertension awareness and control is poor in low- and middle-income countries. Thus, implementing strategies to increase hypertension detection is needed. Colombia participated as one of the 92 countries involved in the third campaign of the May Measurement Month in 2019. Blood pressure (BP) was measured in 48 324 volunteers from 13 departments in Colombia. In total, 27.9% individuals were identified with hypertension. Of those with hypertension, 63.7% were aware of their condition, 60.0% were on antihypertensive medication, and 38.4% had controlled BP. These results showed low levels of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in this sample of subjects volunteered to participate, suggest the urgent necessity of implementing programmes to improve the diagnosis and management of hypertension in Colombia.

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European Heart Journal, Supplement

Título del artículo:

Failure of pygmalion effect in preventing bronchoaspiration in intubated and mechanically ventilated patients

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) broncho-aspiration is one of the main risk factors for nosocomial pneumonia (NP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). In the real-life clinical setting, identification of the causes of GER involves indisputable diagnostic complexity, which varies as the patient is under critical care. GER is modifiable in these patients, but therapeutic interventions require the consideration of a comprehensive diagnosis of its causes. Our impression is that there is a conformism that interprets that «we already do everything necessary» to prevent aspiration and GER in these patients. If this is true, we can only have the expectation that the Pygmalion effect will turn our current actions into an «ideal of prevention» in the face of the risk of NP. The Pygmalion effect arises from a myth of Greek origin. Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with Galatea, one of his works. His love was so intense that he believed her to be a real woman. The sculpture came to life after a dream by the sculptor. This event was called the «Pygmalion effect» in which expectations were exceeded, and believing that the statue was alive actually brought it to life. Nevertheless, this Pygmalion myth will not actually solve the serious problem that NP represents in all hospitals on the planet. The «oil well» analogy allows a comprehensive interpretation of the causes of GER, and can be useful to improve and speed up the diagnostic and therapeutic process in critically ill patients, and highlights the dynamic nature of these causes of GER. The usual treatment of a simple prokinetic or the semi-recumbent position is insufficient to avoid NP, for which other multiple additional prevention strategies have been proposed and identified. Translational research (not the Pygmalion effect) should identify additional innovative strategies, such as continuous or intermittent suction devices, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, or the application of information and communication technologies (ICTs), among others, in order to design new forms of preventive and therapeutic intervention before the risk of NP in patients hospitalised in the ICU due to various causes, as well as its serious consequences.

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Acta Colombiana de Cuidado Intensivo

Título del artículo:

Workload of intensive care unit nurses. Descriptive study: “CARETIME”

Introduction: Nursing workload in intensive care units is directly related to the efficiency and quality of care. However, there is limited data on this subject in Colombia, despite the importance of the administration and management of these units. Objective: To describe the workload of nurses in a high complexity ICU in Santander, Colombia. Methodology: A descriptive study was carried out with the professional nursing staff of an ICU of a high complexity hospital between July and November 2018. Nursing Activities Score (NAS) was used to measure the workload. The information was entered into the software EpiData 3.1, and then exported to the statistical package Stata 14.0 where it was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The most prevalent type of diagnosis was in the infectious category, with 24.0% (n=12). The mean stay in ICU stay was 11 days (Q1:7- Q3:17) and the degree of criticality was calculated with the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score for each patient, obtaining a mean of 8.1±3.44 points. The mean overall NAS score was 60.51±12.13 (min: 36.6 and max: 92.7). The activity in which nurses spent the most time in the ICU is monitoring and control, with 16.18±4.34 according NAS categories, including mobilisation and positional changes with 9.69±3.97, followed by renal support with 8.71±3.30. Conclusion: The ICU nursing staff use more than half of their shift time to a single patient in the intensive care unit (61). Similarly, direct care activities occupy the largest percentage of their time during this period.

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Acta Colombiana de Cuidado Intensivo

Título del artículo:

Characterisation of hematology-oncology patients admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit. Cartagena, Colombia 2014-2016

Objective: To present a profile of patients with diagnosed with haematology-oncology diseases admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Infantil Napoleón Franco Pareja, Cartagena, during the period between January 2014 and December 2016. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted that included all patients aged between 0-18 years diagnosed with a haematology-oncology disease. A qualitative, descriptive analysis was performed using absolute frequencies and related variables, whereas the quantitative variables were calculated using central tendency and dispersion measurements. Results: The analysis included 117 patients out of a total 166 admissions. The median age was 8 years and median number of admissions per patient was 1. The oncological diseases that required admission were acute lymphoid leukaemia (29.1%), tumours of the central nervous system (27.4%), and acute myeloid leukaemia (10.26%). The median hospital stay was 9 days, and mortality in the three years of study was 14.5%, with the most frequent cause being sepsis in 62.5%. Conclusions: The main cause of mortality in paediatric oncology patients in the PICU was sepsis. Therefore, management measures should be directed towards prevention and early recognition of signs of severity in infections to avoid fatal outcomes.

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Acta Colombiana de Cuidado Intensivo

Título del artículo:

Gastroesophageal reflux in patients receiving mechanical ventilation: a comprehensive management based on the “oil well analogy”

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is one of the major risk factors for nosocomial pneumonia, mainly in patients on mechanical ventilation. In a “real life” setting, identifying the causes of GER involves an indisputable diagnostic complexity, which varies as the patient is under critical care. The “oil well” analogy is a comprehensive conceptualisation of the causes of GER, which is potentially modifiable in these patients, although therapeutic interventions require a comprehensive assessment of its causes. The analogy appears to be useful to improve and expedite the diagnostic and therapeutic process in critically ill patients. The simple usual prokinetic and/or antacid treatment appears to be insufficient. Patients may require and benefit from specific, differential, and additional strategies that change with the time according to each case and its progression. The oil well analogy is an aid to the multifactorial diagnosis, and highlights the dynamic nature of these causes of GER, thus allowing the clinicians to offer therapeutic target both individually and dynamically in each patient.

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Acta Colombiana de Cuidado Intensivo

Título del artículo:

Critical perspectives on rehabilitation education, practice and process: northern Honduras case study

Background: Rehabilitation services are an integral part of patient care, but in many developing countries, they are not prioritized and either unavailable or easily accessible to those who need them. Although the need for rehabilitation services is increasing in Honduras, rehabilitation workers are not included in the health care model that guides the care provided to communities, particularly in rural and remote areas. To understand the need for providing impactful rehabilitation services in disadvantaged communities, we explored the education and perception of the community relating to rehabilitation, investigated training available for rehabilitation workers, and examined the rehabilitation processes and practices in Northern Honduras from stakeholders’ experiences. Methods: We utilized a qualitative descriptive and interpretive approach grounded in case study methodology to understand rehabilitation education, process, and practice in Northern Honduras. Three rehabilitation centres were purposefully selected as the cases, and participants consisted of rehabilitation workers and managers from these centres. We collected data via interviews and focus group sessions. We analyzed the data via thematic analysis using NVivo version 12. Results: In Northern Honduras, rehabilitation workers\' limited training and continuing education, along with awareness about rehabilitation by community members and other health providers influence rehabilitation care. Although policies and initiatives to support people with disabilities and the broader community in need of rehabilitation exist, most policies are not applied in practice. The sustainability of rehabilitation services, which is rooted in charity, is challenged by the small range of funding opportunities strongly affecting rehabilitation care processes and clinical practices. The lack of trust and awareness from the medical profession towards rehabilitation workers sets a major barrier to referrals, interdisciplinary work, and quality of life for individuals in need of rehabilitation. Conclusion: This study advances knowledge of the need to increase understanding of rehabilitation care among community members and health providers, improve care processes and resources, and foster interprofessional practice, to enhance the quality of care and promote equitable care delivery, especially in rural and remote communities.

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BMC Health Services Research

Título del artículo:

Optimization of respiratory-gated auricular vagus afferent nerve stimulation for the modulation of blood pressure in hypertension

Background: The objective of this pilot study was to identify frequency-dependent effects of respiratory-gated auricular vagus afferent nerve stimulation (RAVANS) on the regulation of blood pressure and heart rate variability in hypertensive subjects and examine potential differential effects by sex/gender or race. Methods: Twenty hypertensive subjects (54.55 ± 6.23 years of age; 12 females and 8 males) were included in a within-person experimental design and underwent five stimulation sessions where they received RAVANS at different frequencies (i.e., 2 Hz, 10 Hz, 25 Hz, 100 Hz, or sham stimulation) in a randomized order. EKG and continuous blood pressure signals were collected during a 10-min baseline, 30-min stimulation, and 10-min post-stimulation periods. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) adjusted for baseline measures were used to evaluate frequency-dependent effects of RAVANS on heart rate, high frequency power, and blood pressure measures, including analyses stratified by sex and race. Results: Administration of RAVANS at 100 Hz had significant overall effects on the reduction of heart rate (β = −2.03, p = 0.002). It was also associated with a significant reduction of diastolic (β = −1.90, p = 0.01) and mean arterial blood pressure (β = −2.23, p = 0.002) in Black hypertensive participants and heart rate in female subjects (β = −2.83, p = 0.01) during the post-stimulation period when compared to sham. Conclusion: Respiratory-gated auricular vagus afferent nerve stimulation exhibits frequency-dependent rapid effects on the modulation of heart rate and blood pressure in hypertensive patients that may further differ by race and sex. Our findings highlight the need for the development of optimized stimulation protocols that achieve the greatest effects on the modulation of physiological and clinical outcomes in this population.

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Frontiers in Neuroscience

Título del artículo:

A System for Converting and Recovering Texts Managed as Structured Information

This paper introduces a system that incorporates several strategies based on scientific models of how the brain records and recovers memories. Methodologically, an incremental prototyping approach has been applied to develop a satisfactory architecture that can be adapted to any language. A special case is studied and tested regarding the Spanish language. The applications of this proposal are vast because, in general, information such as text way, reports, emails, and web content, among others, is considered unstructured and, hence, the repositories based on SQL databases usually do not handle this kind of data correctly and efficiently. The conversion of unstructured textual information to structured one can be useful in contexts such as Natural Language Generation, Data Mining, and dynamic generation of theories, among others.

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Scientific Reports

Título del artículo:

Educational innovation: Methodological guide for the production engineering course case study Industrial Engineering program

The educational processes must be in constant continuous improvement, supported by innovation actions that allow understanding the environment, in order to generate actions that impact society, in this research whose objective was to propose a methodology for the development of the formative practice of the production engineering course as educational innovation strategies, it was supported in a descriptive and field methodology structure, the data collection was done through different instruments and the result of the guide was based on analysis of bibliographic information regarding the course; The results obtained showed how the course is structured and what aspects are handled from the theoretical point of view, both at a national and international level; a diagnosis of the manufacturing sector was made, showing problems in terms of its productive structure; according to the micro curriculum of the course, a new thematic scheme was established on which the guide to be developed was based, and upon validating its application, it was shown that the guide developed was in accordance with the needs of the sector, since both students and businessmen approved its functionality.

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Aibi, Revista de Investigacion Administracion e Ingenierias

Título del artículo:

Industrial Engineering: science or art? A reflection from the philosophy of engineering

The objective of this article is to enrich an empirical vision of Industrial Engineering, enriched with proven arguments from an epistemological perspective in order to reflect on its nature of science or art. It was a reflection article, under the interpretive approach. It is concluded that strategy and expertise as the managerial basis of Industrial Engineering are the mechanism of knowledge, thought and action that leads the industrial engineer to generate productivity in work systems, and to achieve and maintain the desired competitiveness.

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Aibi, Revista de Investigacion Administracion e Ingenierias

Título del artículo:

Increasing muscular strength to improve cardiometabolic risk factors

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of worldwide death, accounting for significant morbidity, mortality, disability, and reduced quality of life. The global prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity, has grown exponentially in the last decades, particularly in low-medium income countries, and it\'s projected to increase rapidly in the coming years as the population progressively ages, leading to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated mortality. In fact, data from the global burden of disease study shows that CV mortality, associated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and years of life lost (YLL) have increased steadily, nearly doubling from 1990 to 2019. Recent evidence proves the existence of an inverse association between hand grip strength (HGS), as a proxy for global muscle strength, with all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and the development of several chronic diseases. These associations have been demonstrated recurringly across the entire lifespan, beginning in childhood, and carrying on throughout adult life. Mounting evidence strongly indicates that HGS is an early predictor of chronic disease in premorbid populations and a therapeutic target for CVD prevention. Recent clinical trials have consistently shown that resistance exercise, which increases strength and potentially muscle mass, significantly improves the control of known CVD risk factors, reduces the risk of all-cause death and cardiovascular mortality. In this review, we explore the latest evidence regarding the association between low muscle strength and diverse metabolic alterations, along with the interventions that could improve cardiometabolic risk factors, while simultaneously increasing muscle fitness.

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Clinica e Investigacion en Arteriosclerosis

Título del artículo:

Procedure for research design under the systematic review approach. An application case

The objective of this article is to show a procedure for the design of research under the systematic review approach, explained through an investigation carried out in the object of study of Extreme Maternal Morbidity (EMM), in the field of Nursing. It was a qualitative study, documentary design, under the heuristic method for the creative process, and descriptive level. As a result, a structure of 4 phases is shown: approach to the situation to be investigated; design of research objectives; construction of the systematic review procedure; Generation of the results of the research objectives. Graphic tools and analysis approaches are shown, which constitute the main contribution for the understanding and effective development of a systematic review in any field of knowledge.

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Aibi, Revista de Investigacion Administracion e Ingenierias

Título del artículo:

Classroom experiments to demonstrate the phenomena of fluorescence, phosphorescence and chemiluminescence

In the present work, an explanation of the various experiments for the didactic demonstration of the phenomena of fluorescence, phosphorescence and chemiluminescence is carried out, using low-cost and accessible materials. In the case of fluorescence, 3 experiments were available, which were based on the fluorescence of turmeric, chlorophyll and fluorescein. Finally, for the chemiluminescence phenomenon, fishing light bars were available, which contain two solutions that, when mixed, produce the chemiluminescence phenomenon.

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Educacion Quimica

Título del artículo:

Urbanization and physical activity in the global Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study

Urbanization may influence physical activity (PA) levels, although little evidence is available for low- and middle- income countries where urbanization is occurring fastest. We evaluated associations between urbanization and total PA, as well as work-, leisure-, home-, and transport-specific PA, for 138,206 adults living in 698 communities across 22 countries within the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The 1-week long-form International PA Questionnaire was administered at baseline (2003–2015). We used satellite-derived population density and impervious surface area estimates to quantify baseline urbanization levels for study communities, as well as change measures for 5- and 10-years prior to PA surveys. We used generalized linear mixed effects models to examine associations between urbanization measures and PA levels, controlling for individual, household and community factors. Higher community baseline levels of population density (− 12.4% per IQR, 95% CI − 16.0, − 8.7) and impervious surface area (− 29.2% per IQR, 95% CI − 37.5, − 19.7), as well as the rate of change in 5-year population density (− 17.2% per IQR, 95% CI − 25.7, − 7.7), were associated with lower total PA levels. Important differences in the associations between urbanization and PA were observed between PA domains, country-income levels, urban/rural status, and sex. These findings provide new information on the complex associations between urbanization and PA.

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Scientific Reports

Título del artículo:

Vitamin D supplementation and adverse skeletal and non-skeletal outcomes in individuals at increased cardiovascular risk: Results from the International Polycap Study (TIPS)-3 randomized controlled trial

Background and aims: Vitamin D has mostly been tested in Western populations. We examined the effect of high dose vitamin D in a population drawn predominantly from outside of Western countries. Methods and results: This randomized trial tested vitamin D 60,000 IU monthly in 5670 participants without vascular disease but at increased CV risk. The primary outcome was fracture. The secondary outcome was the composite of CV death, myocardial infarction stroke, cancer, fracture or fall. Death was a pre-specified outcome. Mean age was 63.9 years, and 3005 (53.0%) were female. 3034 (53.5%) participants resided in South Asia, 1904 (33.6%) in South East Asia, 480 (8.5%) in South America, and 252 (4.4%) in other regions. Mean follow-up was 4.6 years. A fracture occurred in 20 participants (0.2 per 100 person years) assigned to vitamin D, and 19 (0.1 per 100 person years) assigned to placebo (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.57–1.99, p-value = 0.86). The secondary outcome occurred in 222 participants (1.8 per 100 person years) assigned to vitamin D, and 198 (1.6 per 100 person years) assigned to placebo (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.93–1.37, p = 0.22). 172 (1.3 per 100 person years) participants assigned to vitamin D died, compared with 135 (1.0 per 100 person years) assigned to placebo (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.03–1.61, p = 0.03). Conclusion: In a population predominantly from South Asia, South East Asia and South America, high-dose vitamin D did not reduce adverse skeletal or non-skeletal outcomes. Higher mortality was observed in the vitamin D group. Registration number: NCT01646437.

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Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases

Título del artículo:

Effects of phase I of cardiac rehabilitation. Systematic review

Introduction: The phase I of cardiac rehabilitation have the proposed decrease the effects on the bed rest and better adherence at the phase II. Objective: To analyze the effects of phase I CR in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization and valve changes, through a systematic review of the literature. Method: The review includes randomized clinical trials looking at the effects of phase I. The base date Scopus, Science Direct, Embase & Embase classic OVID. The search was limited between 2000 and 2017, in English Portuguese and Spanish. Results: 298 articles were were eligible, and only four were selected and analyzed. The articles included a population with bypass coronary and two articles with surgery to valve replacement or repair. Regarding quality methodology, Two were rated to be good quality with an evidence level of 1+ and 1++ and a degree of recommendation A y B. The protocols used for treatment include breathing techniques, upper and lower limps exercise and ambulation. Conclusions: The phase I cardiac rehabilitation, could improve lung function and reduce anxiety, this is associated directly with stay hospital post-surgical cardiac patients.

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Revista Colombiana de Cardiologia

Título del artículo:

Addition of orange, pineapple and beet juices as extenders for cryopreservation of ram semen

Searching for improvements in semen cryopreservation, natural substances are commonly studied focusing to improve the sperm quality. The aim of this study were evaluated the effect of adding orange, pineapple, and beet juices in different concentrations and combinations to the ram semen cryopreservation extender. Five ejaculates from five adult rams were used. The semen pool was diluted in egg yolk-based extender and mixed with the following 15 treatments (at a final concentration of 400.106 sptz/mL): orange 10% (O10) and 15% (O15); pineapple 10% (P10) and 15% (P15); beet 10% (B10) and 15% (B15); pineapple + orange 10% (PO10) and 15% (PO15); pineapple + beet 10% (PB10) and 15% (PB15); beet + orange 10% (BO10) and 15% (BO15); pineapple + beet + orange 10% (PBO10) and 15% (PBO15); and the control group (CON). Post-thaw in 0.25 mL straws semen quality analysis of cryopreserved semen was performed by CASA and flow cytometry. Analysis of variance (PROC GLM) was carried out and the averages were compared using the SNK test. Pearson\'s correlation test was also performed. No effect was noted in the addition of juices to the semen extender prior to cryopreservation. Post-thawed, although, statistically similar to the control group, the total motility of the B10 group reached acceptable standards of total motility. In addition, B10 group showed the highest values (p<0.05) of progressive motility than control group or other treatments. The addition of 10% beet juice to the ram semen extender can improve the cryopreservation of sperm motility.

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Ciencia Animal Brasileira

Título del artículo:

Association of the triglyceride glucose index as a measure of insulin resistance with mortality and cardiovascular disease in populations from five continents (PURE study): a prospective cohort study

Background: The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is an easily accessible surrogate marker of insulin resistance, an important pathway in the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, the association of the TyG index with cardiovascular diseases and mortality has mainly been investigated in Asia, with few data available from other regions of the world. We assessed the association of insulin resistance (as determined by the TyG index) with mortality and cardiovascular diseases in individuals from five continents at different levels of economic development, living in urban or rural areas. We also examined whether the associations differed according to the country\'s economical development. Methods: We used the TyG index as a surrogate measure for insulin resistance. Fasting triglycerides and fasting plasma glucose were measured at the baseline visit in 141 243 individuals aged 35–70 years from 22 countries in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The TyG index was calculated as Ln (fasting triglycerides [mg/dL] x fasting plasma glucose [mg/dL]/2). We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) using a multivariable Cox frailty model with random effects to test the associations between the TyG index and risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality. The primary outcome of this analysis was the composite of mortality or major cardiovascular events (defined as death from cardiovascular causes, and non-fatal myocardial infarction, or stroke). Secondary outcomes were non-cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular mortality, all myocardial infarctions, stroke, and incident diabetes. We also did subgroup analyses to examine the magnitude of associations between insulin resistance (ie, the TyG index) and outcome events according to the income level of the countries. Findings: During a median follow-up of 13·2 years (IQR 11·9–14·6), we recorded 6345 composite cardiovascular diseases events, 2030 cardiovascular deaths, 3038 cases of myocardial infarction, 3291 cases of stroke, and 5191 incident cases of type 2 diabetes. After adjusting for all other variables, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increased across tertiles of the baseline TyG index. Compared with the lowest tertile of the TyG index, the highest tertile (tertile 3) was associated with a greater incidence of the composite outcome (HR 1·21; 95% CI 1·13–1·30), myocardial infarction (1·24; 1·12–1·38), stroke (1·16; 1·05–1·28), and incident type 2 diabetes (1·99; 1·82–2·16). No significant association of the TyG index was seen with non-cardiovascular mortality. In low-income countries (LICs) and middle-income countries (MICs), the highest tertile of the TyG index was associated with increased hazards for the composite outcome (LICs: HR 1·31; 95% CI 1·12–1·54; MICs: 1·20; 1·11–1·31; pinteraction=0·01), cardiovascular mortality (LICs: 1·44; 1·15–1·80; pinteraction=0·01), myocardial infarction (LICs: 1·29; 1·06–1·56; MICs: 1·26; 1·10–1·45; pinteraction=0·08), stroke (LICs: 1·35; 1·02–1·78; MICs: 1·17; 1·05–1·30; pinteraction=0·19), and incident diabetes (LICs: 1·64; 1·38–1·94; MICs: 2·68; 2·40–2·99; pinteraction <0·0001). In contrast, in high-income countries, higher TyG index tertiles were only associated with an increased hazard of incident diabetes (2·95; 2·25–3·87; pinteraction <0·0001), but not of cardiovascular diseases or mortality. Interpretation: The TyG index is significantly associated with future cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, suggesting that insulin resistance plays a promoting role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Potentially, the association between the TyG index and the higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in LICs and MICs might be explained by an increased vulnerability of these populations to the presence of insulin resistance. Funding: Full funding sources are listed at the end of the paper (see Acknowledgments).

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The Lancet Healthy Longevity

Título del artículo:

Colombian Consensus of Treatment with Pure Cannabidiol (CBD) in Psychiatry

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, insomnia, and disorders related to psychotropic substances are common diseases worldwide and in Colombia. The pharmacological treatments available for the management of mental disorders are effective, although adverse reactions sometimes limit their use, additionally, some patients do not have an adequate response to them, which generates the need to develop new effective and safe drugs. Methodology: A Delphi consensus was developed in real time, with a panel of seven psychiatric specialists and a group of developer epidemiologists, a systematic search was carried out in three specialized databases and in contributed articles. By the panel of experts participating in the consensus, two questionnaires were applied for consideration by the group of experts, anonymously and on an online platform with the Likert scale. Results: Recommendations were established based on the available evidence and the experience provided by the experts. Conclusions: There is biological plausibility in clinical and preclinical studies that suggest the effectiveness of the use of pure pharmaceutical-grade CBD, as adjunctive therapy, for the control of symptoms associated with mental disorders such as schizophrenia and disorders related to the abuse of psychotropic substances. However, more rigorous clinical trials are required to make more precise recommendations on CBD in the treatment of other mental disorders. Additionally, pure pharmaceutical-grade CBD is considered a safe treatment.

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Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria

Título del artículo:

Seroprevalence and risk factors for congenital toxoplasmosis in the northeastern region of Colombia

Introduction: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis prevalent in one-third of the world’s population, adversely affecting maternal-fetal health by causing varying degrees of damage to the fetus. Objective: To assess the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibodies and associated risk factors in first-trimester pregnant women in Cúcuta, Colombia, in 2018. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional and correlational study in 111 women who voluntarily participated. Specific IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by luminescence immunoassay (LIA). Results: Total seropositivity for IgM and IgG was 19.8% and 35.1%, respectively, 11.7% was for IgM only, and 53.2% corresponded to the overall seronegativity rate for T. gondii. Risk factors (CI = 95%) such as undercooked meat consumption (54.1% of cases, OR = 1.8, p = 0.120), tap water consumption (48.6%, OR = 1.4, p = 0.421), and goat or cow raw milk consumption (39.6%, OR = 0.78, p = 0.553) were identified; in addition, living with cats (23.4%) was identified as a risk factor significantly associated with parasite seropositivity (OR = 2.8, p = 0.025). Discussion and conclusions: Our findings showed a possible risk of primary infection in more than half of the pregnant population, given the seronegativity against the parasite. A considerable frequency of suspected cases of very recent infection was also found. In addition to being associated with a previously recognized risk factor, this fact suggests the presence of other dietary risks that should be addressed through prevention strategies during prenatal care and the need to strengthen event surveillance.

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Revista Cuidarte

Título del artículo:

Laboratory tests for antiphospholipid syndrome diagnosis in pregnant women

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies against proteins bound to negatively charged phospholipids. Obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized as an acquired autoimmune disorder associated with different obstetric complications, defined as a state of hyper-coagulability, which causes a wide range of complications associated with placental insufficiency including recurrent gestational loss, fetal death, preeclampsia, preterm deliv-ery, among others. Its diagnosis is based on the Sidney criteria which include adverse obstetric history such as: (i) three consecutive miscarriages and spontaneous abor-tions prior to 10 weeks gestation (ii) fetal loss on one or more occasions at 10 weeks gestation and (iii) fetal death or preterm delivery due to eclampsia or severe preeclamp-sia or placental insufficiency prior to 34 weeks gestation, and laboratory findings such as (i) two positive tests for lupus anticoagulant (LA) at least 12 weeks apart (ii) two positive results for acL IgG or IgM at least 12 weeks apart and (iii) two positive results for 2GPI IgG or IgM at least 12 weeks apart. The laboratory tests give rise to an antibody profile related to the risk of complications; thus establish-ing as a high-risk profile, the presence of AL accompanied or not by high titers for acL or aβ2GPI. On the other hand, it is important to perform a differential diagnosis with other thrombotic microangiopathies with implications in pregnancy and to rule out the presence of different enti-ties that may course with production of antiphospholipid antibodies. Based on these aspects and the severity of the syndrome under study, articles are required to determine the importance of the laboratory tests used for the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome in pregnant women.

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Revista Latinoamericana de Hipertension

Título del artículo:

Gestational diabetes and thyroid disorders in pregnant women in a specialized maternal-child diagnostic center

Introduction: gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) com-monly appears between the second and third trimesters of pregnancy as a result of hormonal changes that induce a transitory state of insulin resistance (IR) in the mother, allowing a greater supply of glucose to the fetus. After GDM, thyroid disease is the most common endocrine dis-order in obstetrics, with an incidence of 5-10%. Some studies speak of the existence of a relationship between diabetes and thyroid disorders (TA) but the results remain controversial, limiting the analysis of the effects that both diseases could have on the development of pregnancy. Therefore, the identification of patients at risk, prevention and timely treatment, constitute one of the priority issues in public health. Objective: in this study, the prevalence of GDM and AT in pregnant women attended in a specialized center for maternal and child diagnosis was analyzed. Materials and methods: retrospective research, based on the exploration of medical records in the period from 2016 to 2020, with a probabilistic sample of 388 pregnant women (n=388). For the diagnosis of GDM, the results of the O’sullivan test, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and fasting blood glucose were taken into account. Thyroid alteration was identified from TSH values, but only 120 pregnant women reported results for this test (n=120). Descriptive measures and simple frequency distributions were calculated. To establish the relationship between GDM and AT, the chi-square test was applied with a statistical significance of p=0.05. Results:the prevalence of GDM was 10.6% (n=41) and of AT 17.5% (n=21). 19% of the pregnant women simultaneously presented GDM and AT with a predominance of a tendency to hyperthyroidism. No significant association was found between GDM and AT (p=0.537). Conclusion: This pilot study confirms that GDM and AT are conditions frequently present in pregnant women. Although there could be a risk of develop-ing GDM in patients with AT, studies with a larger sample number are suggested to clarify this relationship.

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Revista Latinoamericana de Hipertension

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Cardiovascular risk factors and death in South America

We present cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality rates reported for South America stratified by country, sex, and urban/rural location in a multinational cohort included in the Population Urban Rural Epidemiological Study (PURE). This study included 24,718 participants from 51 urban and 49 rural communities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia and the mean follow-up was 10.3 years. CVD incidence and mortality rates were calculated for the total cohort and in subpopulations. Hazard ratios and population attributable fractions (PAFs) for CVD and death were examined for 12 modifiable risk factors, grouped as metabolic (hypertension, diabetes, abdominal obesity, and high non-HDL cholesterol), behavioural (smoking, alcohol, diet quality, and physical activity) and other (education, household air pollution, strength, and depression). The leading causes of death were CVD (31.1%), cancer (30.6%), and respiratory diseases (8.6%). Approximately 72% of the PAFs for CVD and 69% of the PAFs for deaths were attributed to 12 modifiable risk factors. For CVD, the main PAFs were due to hypertension (18.7%), abdominal obesity (15.4%), smoking (13.5%), low muscle strength (5.6%), and diabetes (5.3%). For death, the main PAFs were smoking (14.4%), hypertension (12.0%), low educational level (10.5%), abdominal obesity (9.7%), and diabetes (5.5%). Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases account for more than two-thirds of deaths in South America. Men have consistently higher CVD rates and mortality than women. A large proportion of CVD and premature deaths could be avoided by controlling metabolic risk factors and smoking, which are the main risk factors in the region for both CVD and all-cause mortality.

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Clinica e Investigacion en Arteriosclerosis

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STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF Zr3Fe ADDITION ON HYDROGEN STORAGE BEHAVIOR OF Ti2CrV ALLOYS

The aim of this study was to improve the first hydrogenation behavior of Ti2CrV alloy, with the Zr3Fe addition. The Ti2CrV + X% Zr3Fe (X= 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) system were studied. The compositions were synthesized by arc-melting. The powder was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. In the as-cast samples, microstructure reveals a single bcc structure for Ti2CrV, and the presence of a Zr-rich area for the samples with Zr3Fe addition. The hydride fcc phase for 6%, 8% and 10% addition of Zr3Fe was confirmed by x-ray diffraction. We found that when at least 6% of Zr3Fe is added to the alloy, the first hydrogenation is improved not only in terms of hydrogen storage capacity but also kinetics. The sample with 6% of Zr3Fe absorbs its maximum capacity of 4.2 wt.% in approximately 8 minutes at room temperature without any heat treatment.

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Proceedings of WHEC 2022 - 23rd World Hydrogen Energy Conference: Bridging Continents by H2

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FROM FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY TO HYDROGEN ENERGY: TRANSFORMATION OF FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY ECONOMIES INTO HYDROGEN ECONOMIES THROUGH SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Social entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in global sustainable development, enhancing the quality of life and preserving environmental, human, and social capital. However, when it relates to the energy transition, it faces numerous challenges and experiences conflicts in terms of costs, technological innovation, public policies. This study seeks to illustrate one of the new alternative energy schemes which could replace fossil fuels in the future: hydrogen. This transformation would result in significant social impacts, leading to the question, “how should it be done?” Social entrepreneurship can integrate socio-economic actors and agents and help them to devise and implement new forms of energy innovation. Therefore, a descriptive qualitative methodology was designed, that allows us to analyze the process of building entrepreneurship with a social vision and to propose a model that enables the transition from fossil economies to the hydrogen economies. Among the most significant results, stands out the importance of the support of the three primary axes of each country and the role of social entrepreneurship as a key element for the transition. The discussion contributes to the debate on the path that academia should lead, and the fundamental role of entrepreneurship based on social conscience as a driver of change.

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Proceedings of WHEC 2022 - 23rd World Hydrogen Energy Conference: Bridging Continents by H2