Estudio cuantitativo del consumo de drogas y factores sociodemográficos asociados en estudiantes de una universidad tradicional chilena / Prevalence of the drug consumption among Chilean university students

Background: Drug abuse is one of the main public health problems and mostly involves young people. Aim: To determine the prevalence of drug consumption among university students and its associated social factors. Material ana Methods: A questionnaire exploring consumption of drugs and social-demographic, economic and religious variables, was applied to 1577 third year students aged 22 ±2 years (54 percent females) of a public university. Results: Sixty eight percent of the students were of middle socioeconomic class, 71 percent belonged to some religion and 29 percent declared themselves as agnostic. Ninety six percent drank alcohol at least once and 29 percent never smoked. Among illicit drugs, marijuana was consumed by 22 percent followed by cocaine in 5.3 percento, hallucinogenic drugs in 2.6 percent>, inhalants in 2.3 percent> and cocaine free base in 1.4 percent). Six percent consumed stimulants and 13.8 percent>, sedatives. A higher economic income facilitated drug consumption and the adscription to a religion was protective against it. Conclusions: Alcohol is the most commonly consumed drug, and is the substance that generates more problems to students.

Helicobacter pylori: análisis de cagA y genotipificación de vacA en Chile: detección de una cepa s2/m1 / Helicobacter pylori: cagA status and vacA genotyping in Chile, detection of a s2/m1 strain

Background: The genes cagA and vacA encode H pylori virulence factors. Aim: To genotype these genes in H pylori strains isolated from patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Material and methods: We studied 50 patients who underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, with positive culture for H pylori. Detection of cagA and vacA gerotyping was done using polymerase chain reactions. Results: The gene cagA was detected in 19 samples (38 per cent). Signal sequences s1 and s2 of vacA gene were detected in 16 samples each (32 per cent). There was simultaneous amplification of s1 and s2 in 6 samples and they were not detected in 9 samples. The middle region of vacA was m1 in 9 samples, m2 in 29 samples and there was simultaneous amplification of m1 and m2 in 12 samples. In 16 samples (32 per cent), more than one type of signal sequence or medial region was detected. Of those patients in whom vacA was the only genotype detected, 15 were s2/m2, 7 were s1/m1, 4 were s1/m2 and 1 was s2/m1. Conclusions: In these patients, the infection with cagA- H pylori strains, predominates, the prevalence of infection with s1 or s2 strains is similar and the predominant medial region is m2