Cursos en línea masivos y abiertos para educación continua: una herramienta que debe ser aprovechada por el estudiante y el profesional de la salud / Massive open online courses for continuing education: a tool for health students and professionals

Los cursos en línea masivos y abiertos han surgido como una estrategia pedagógica con un crecimiento exponencial en la última década. Han sido catalogados como la próxima evolución del aprendizaje a través de las redes, con la capacidad de romper las barreras hacia la formación académica y de promover habilidades, tanto teóricas como prácticas, en todas las áreas del conocimiento. El objetivo de este estudio consiste en exponer evidencia respecto a la utilidad de los cursos en línea en el desarrollo integral del estudiante y profesional de la salud. Se realizó una búsqueda no sistemática de la literatura, sin límite de fecha y hasta octubre del año 2020; se utilizaron términos como health personnel, health occupations students, distance education y massive open online courses, además de sinónimos combinados con los operadores AND y OR, en las bases PubMed, Science Direct y EBSCO. Los cursos en línea masivos y abiertos enfocados en el área de la salud, pueden ser una estrategia fuerte y efectiva para estimular un cambio educativo a nivel global, con el fin de mitigar las necesidades que actualmente azotan al mundo; además, la educación es la herramienta primordial para garantizar el crecimiento social, por lo tanto, si se refuerza el acceso al conocimiento para las poblaciones más vulnerables y grupos de cualquier edad, se puede esperar que el autocuidado y los estilos de vida saludable se conviertan en la prioridad de cada ser humano, y contribuyan a disminuir tasas de morbilidad, mortalidad y costos en salud(AU)

Massive open online courses have become an exponentially growing pedagogical strategy in the last decade. They have been categorized as the next evolution of network learning, with the capacity of breaking the barriers toward academic training, fostering theoretical and practical skills in all areas of knowledge. The purpose of this study is to present evidence of the usefulness of online courses for the comprehensive development of medical students and health professionals. A non-systematic search was conducted of the literature on the topic published in the databases PubMed, Science Direct and EBSCO on any date until October 2020, using search terms such as health personnel, health occupations students, distance education and massive open online courses, as well as their synonyms, combined with the operators AND and OR. Massive open online courses on health topics may be a strong, effective strategy to encourage a massive worldwide educational change aimed at mitigating the needs currently posed to the world. Education being the main tool to achieve social growth, if access to knowledge is reinforced among the most vulnerable populations of all age groups, it may be expected that self-care and healthy lifestyles will become a priority for all human beings, thus contributing to improve morbidity and mortality rates and reduce health care costs(AU)

Virus Mayaro, un alphavirus olvidado en Colombia: posible efecto sobre la salud pública / Mayaro virus, an alphavirus forgotten in Colombia: possible effect on public health

Sobre el Mayaro virus poco se conoce sobre su transmisión y patogénesis. Se sabe que habita en diferentes zonas del hemisferio occidental y que es transmitido por los Aedes aegypti y albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae). Ya se han investigado escenarios donde su circulación puede superponerse y generar infecciones mixtas, y por ello ha ganado importancia en la salud pública, puesto que puede ocasionar alto riesgo de brotes con manifestaciones clínicas graves similares a la de los virus Zika, Chikungunya y el Dengue países como Trinidad, Brasil, México, Venezuela, Honduras, Salvador, Costa Rica, Panamá, Perú, Argentina, Surinam, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador y Bolivia. Colombia está expectante de una aparición concomitante junto con ZIKV y CHIKV. Se realizó una búsqueda exhaustiva en PubMed, Science Direct, Clinical Key y Ebsco sobre el Mayaro virus, epidemiología, su estructura molecular, ciclo de transmisión, sintomatología clínica, métodos diagnósticos, factores de riesgo, control y prevención, así como tratamiento actual, para conocer un panorama más amplio sobre su problemática..(Au)

About Mayaro virus, there is currently little knowledge of its transmission and pathogenesis. It is known to inhabit different areas of the Western Hemisphere and is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae). Numerous authors have focused their research given coexistence in scenarios where the circulations of all these viruses can somehow overlap and generate mixed infections. This agent has been gaining prominence at the public health level, due to the possibility of causing high risk of outbreaks with serious clinical manifestations similar to that of Zika viruses, Chikungunya virus and Dengue, in several countries, such as Trinidad, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Honduras, Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Argentina, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. Colombia is looking forward to a concomitant onset in the near future along with ZIKV and CHIKV. Taking into account the above, a thorough search was carried out of the existing literature, on Mayaro virus, its molecular structure, transmission cycle, clinical symptomatology, diagnostic methods, risk factors, control and prevention, as well as treatment, to learn a broader picture of the problem that lurks. All this, through search engines like PubMed, Science Direct, Clinical Key and Ebsco..(Au)

Volatile chemical composition of Piper sancti-felicis Trel essential oil and its biocidal action against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

This research assessed the fumigant activity of the essential oil from Piper sancti-felicis Trel and five of its components on the Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) biological model. Hydrodistillation was used for extraction of the essential oil, with separation and identification of the compounds through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The fumigant was evaluated through gas dispersion on the T. castaneum. The majority compounds found in the EO were b-nerolidol (15.4%), 3-carene (14.9%), p-cymene (9.1%), spathulenol (8.2%), a-cubebene (6.2%) and calamenene (5.2%). Piper sancti-felicis displayed fumigant activity with a LC50 = 108.5 & 956;g L-1 air, and other individual monoterpenes tested such as & 945;-terpinolene (LC50 = 110.1 & 956;g L-1 air), p-cymene (LC50 = 120.3 & 956;g L-1 air), 3-carene (LC50 = 130.6 & 956;g L-1 air), (R) -limonene (CL50 = 189.6 & 956;g L-1 air), and a-pinene (LC50 = 213.1 & 956;g L-1 air), were significantly less toxic than methyl pyrimiphos used as a positive control, CL50 = 87.4 & 956;g L-1 air. The essential oil of P. sancti-felicis can be considered as a natural source of biocides.

Efecto de disrupción endocrina de la genisteína sobre caenorhabditis elegans

La genisteína es una isoflavona presente en la soya, de alto consumo en la población infantil por su uso como sucedáneo de la leche materna, sin embargo, poco se conoce acerca de los efectos a nivel endocrino. En este trabajo, Caenorhabditis elegans se utilizó como modelo para evaluar el efecto de disrupción endocrina de la genisteína a través de letalidad, crecimiento, reproducción, almacenamiento de lípidos y cambios en la expresión de genes de respuesta al estrés (hsp-3, sod-4 y gpx-4). Los resultados indicaron que, aunque la genisteína no indujo letalidad, sí promovió la reproducción, el aumento de la longitud del cuerpo, el incremento en la expresión de genes relacionados con estrés celular y estrés oxidativo y la acumulación lipídica. En conclusión, la genisteína generó efectos relacionados con el efecto de disrupción endocrina en C. elegans, muy probablemente a través de mecanismos de estrés oxidativo.

Genistein is an isoflavone present in soy, which children highly consume as a substitute for breast milk; however, little is known about its effects at the endocrine level. This paper used Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to evaluate the endocrine disrupting effect of genistein through lethality, growth, reproduction, lipid storage, and changes in the expression of stress response genes (hsp-3, sod- 4, and gpx-4). The results indicated that, although genistein did not induce lethality, it did promote reproduction and increased body length, expression of genes related to cellular stress and oxidative stress, and lipid accumulation. In conclusion, genistein produced effects related to endocrine disruption on C. elegans, most likely through oxidative stress mechanisms.

Effects of bisphenol A on streptozotocin treated female mice

Bisphenol A (BPA) alters blood glucose homeostasis and is a likely risk factor for diabetes. In this study, we examined the effects of a single BPA dose in adult female mice treated with streptozotocin (STZ) for 13 days under ad libitum conditions. Four groups were used. On day one, groups I and III received sesame oil, and groups II and IV BPA. On the fifth day, and for seven consecutive days, groups I and II received citrate buffer and groups III and IV, STZ. Body weight and biochemical analyses were performed, using histology and hepatic enzymes to evaluate liver injury. Liver mRNA expression for several signaling pathways was studied using real-time PCR. BPA had no adverse effects on weight and biochemical parameters. It did produce a small increase in tail blood glucose levels in STZ mice, as well as liver cytotoxicity and histological changes in other organs. BPA moderately increases the severity of lesions induced by STZ. Both chemicals induced the expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), although there was no clear effect when the two were combined. The results showed moderate changes in the liver of adult mice treated with STZ and BPA.

Direct effect of p, p'-DDT on mice liver

ABSTRACT Contact with the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p′-DDT) can be the cause of various harmful effects in humans, wildlife, and the environment. This pesticide is known to be persistent, lipophilic, resistant to degradation, and bioaccumulive in the environment and to be slowly released into bloodstream. Growing evidence shows that exposure to DDT is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Individuals exposed to elevated levels of DDT and its metabolite have an increased prevalence of diabetes and insulin resistance. To evaluate these possible relationships, experiments were performed on eight-week-old female mice, divided into three groups (n = 10 per group): Group 1 received a vehicle-control intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of sesame oil; Groups 2 and 3 received an i.p. dose of 50 and 100 µg/g p,p′-DDT respectively, dissolved in sesame oil. All groups were treated once daily for four days. Real-time PCR analysis of several genes was undertaken. Additionally, biochemical parameters and histopathological changes were measured. NQO1, HMOX1, NR1I3 and NR3C1 were up-regulated in DDT-exposed animals compared to the vehicle control group, while only SREBP1 was down-regulated in the 100 µg/g group. MTTP and FABP5, not previously reported for DDT exposure, but involved in regulation of fatty acid fluxes, could also function as biomarkers cross-talking between these signaling pathways. These results suggest that beyond epidemiological data, there is increasing molecular evidence that DDT may mimic different processes involved in diabetes and insulin resistance pathways.

RESUMO O contato com o praguicida diclorodifeniltricloroetano (p, p'-DDT) pode ser a causa de vários efeitos nocivos sobre os seres humanos, animais silvestres e o meio ambiente. Sabe-se de sua característica de bioacumulação, ser altamente persistente no meio ambiente, lipofílico, resistente à degradação e lentamente liberado na corrente sanguínea. Existe uma evidência crescente de que a exposição ao DDT pode ser ligada a Diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Os indivíduos expostos a níveis elevados de DDT e seu metabólito apresentam maior prevalência de diabetes e resistência à insulina. A fim de obter informações sobre essas possíveis relações, camundongos fêmeas de oito semanas de idade foram divididos em três grupos (n = 10 por grupo): Grupo 1 recebeu um veículo de óleo de gergelim via i.p.; os Grupos 2 e 3 receberam, via i.p., 50 e 100 µg/g de p, p'-DDT, respectivamente, dissolvidos em óleo de gergelim. Todos os grupos foram tratados uma vez ao dia durante quatro dias. Além da análise de PCR em Tempo Real de vários genes, os parâmetros bioquímicos e alterações histopatológicas também foram medidos. A expressão gênica do mRNA dos genes NQO1, HMOX1, NR1I3 e NR3C1 foi maior nos animais expostos ao DDT, em comparação ao grupo controle, enquanto a expressão gênica do SREBP1 diminuiu na concentração de 100 µg/g. Os genes MTTP e FABP5 envolvidos na regulação do fluxo de ácidos graxos, embora não estudados quanto à exposição ao DDT, também podem funcionar como biomarcadores de resposta cruzada entre essas vias de sinalização. Esses resultados sugerem que, além de dados epidemiológicos, há cada vez mais evidências moleculares de que o DDT poderia, de fato, imitar diferentes processos que envolvem as rotas de diabetes e de resistência à insulina.

Aspectos epidemiológicos de la diabetes mellitus y su relación con los contaminantes ambientales / Epidemiological aspects of diabetes mellitus and its relationship with enviromental pollutants

Biochemical processes involving insulin and its receptor are responsible for regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Disruption of these signaling pathways could lead to obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, among other health problems. Diabetes has a global impact and its high prevalence has been associated with genetic and environmental factors. Recently, there has been a strong interest in establishing the relationship between type II diabetes and exposure to environmental contaminants, particularly persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This association has is based on epidemiological evidence and results from in vitro and in vivo experiments. In this review, the authors present some of the epidemiological aspects of diabetes, the biochemical pathways involved in insulin action, and how these environmental toxicants have impacted on population, through diverse mechanisms, to produce this disease. While several authors consider that the etiology of diabetes has a very important component derived from exposure to environmental pollutants, it is clear that there is still a substantial amount of work to develop in order to identify cause-effect relationships and the mechanisms involved.

Los procesos bioquímicos que involucran la insulina y su receptor son los responsables de regular el metabolismo de carbohidratos y grasas. La alteración de estas vías de señalización puede conllevar a obesidad, resistencia a la insulina y diabetes, entre otros problemas de salud. La diabetes impacta a nivel global y su alta prevalencia ha sido asociada con factores genéticos y ambientales. Recientemente ha surgido un amplio interés por establecer la relación existente entre la diabetes tipo 2 y la exposición a contaminantes ambientales, en especial los compuestos orgánicos persistentes (COPs). Esta asociación está basada en evidencia epidemiológica y resultados de experimentos in vitro e in vivo. En esta revisión los autores presentan algunos de los aspectos epidemiológicos de la diabetes, las rutas bioquímicas que participan en la acción de la insulina, y como estos tóxicos ambientales han impactado sobre la población, a través de diversos mecanismos, para producir esta enfermedad. Si bien algunos autores consideran que la etiología de la diabetes tiene un componente importante derivado de la exposición a contaminantes ambientales, es claro que aún falta mucho por desarrollar para identificar verdaderas relaciones causa-efecto y los mecanismos involucrados.

Perfil de la expresión génica en células sanguíneas aisladas de carpinteros expuestos a solventes orgánicos en Sucre (Colombia) / Gene expression profile in blood cells isolated from carpenters exposed to organic solvents in Sucre (Colombia)

Resumen Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la expresión de genes asociados con estrés oxidativo, inflamación y daño al ácido desoxirribonucleico (ADN) en trabajadores de carpinterías en Sucre (Colombia). Materiales y métodos: Aleatoriamente fueron seleccionados 41 individuos de sexo masculino: 28 expuestos y 13 controles, con edades entre 32.3±7.9 y 33.2±8.4 años, respectivamente. Se colectaron muestras de sangre periférica y se realizaron análisis hematológicos y de marcadores de daño hepático. En 24 individuos expuestos y 10 controles se realizó análisis de expresión génica para marcadores de estrés oxidativo, inflamación y daño al ADN usando reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en tiempo real. Resultados: Los parámetros hematológicos y de daño hepático estuvieron dentro de los valores de referencia. La expresión génica de la P53 y BCL-2, genes asociados con el daño al ADN, fue significativamente mayor para el grupo expuesto en comparación con el grupo control. Conclusión: En ausencia de cambios en marcadores hematológicos o de daño hepático, personas expuestas a solventes en Sucre tienen niveles de expresión elevados para los genes P53 y BCL-2. Estos genes podrían ser candidatos útiles como biomarcadores moleculares relacionados con la exposición a solventes.

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of genes related to oxidative stress, inflammation and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in carpentry workers from Sucre, Colombia. Materials and methods: 41 male individuals were randomly selected, 28 exposed and 13 controls, with ages 32.3 ± 7.9 and 33.2 ± 8.4 years old, respectively. Peripheral blood samples were collected and used for hematological and liver damage markers analysis. Gene expression analysis for oxidative stress, inflammation and DNA markers was performed using Real-Time Polymerase Reaction on 24 exposed and 10 controls. Results: Hematological parameters and liver damage markers were found within the reference values. Gene expression of P53 and BCL-2, genes related to DNA damage, was significantly greater for the exposed group when compared with the control group. Conclusion: In the absence of hematological or hepatic damage markers, individuals exposed to solvents in Sucre have increased gene expression for P53 and BCL2. These genes may be useful candidates as molecular biomarkers related to solvent exposure.