Psychological Aggression, Attitudes About Violence, Violent Socialization, and Dominance in Dating Relationships.

Psychological aggression is a widespread form of abuse in dating relationships, especially in collectivist societies with ties to patriarchal beliefs. Despite the prevalence of psychological aggression, it has seldom been studied in connection with known antecedents of interpersonal violence, including dominance, attitudes supportive of violence, and violence socialization processes during childhood. The present study sought to test relationships among these variables in young men and women. A total of 500 Mexican undergraduate students in northern Mexico reported on their experiences with psychological aggression, the dominance of a dating partner, and violent socialization during childhood, as well as on their approval of violence within and outside the family. The results indicate that the dominance of a dating partner is directly linked to male and female intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Violent socialization and proviolent attitudes appear to be related to female dominance. Female and male psychological aggression victimization was predicted by the participant's own perpetration. In general, a dyadic approach appears to be useful for explaining psychological aggression perpetration and victimization in a collectivist society, in light of recent changes in normative beliefs held by young educated Mexicans. Implications for future research and public policy are discussed.

[Prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence among elderly Mexican women]. / Prevalencia y factores asociados con la violencia de pareja en las adultas mayores mexicanas.

Using information from the National Survey on Household Relationship Dynamics (Encuesta Nacional de la Dinámica de las Relaciones en los Hogares 2016), this study examines the prevalence and factors associated with emotional, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among a representative sample of elderly Mexican women (n=7,410), using an ecological approach. Prevalence rates and related risk factors for IPV among younger women served as a basis for comparison and were contrasted with data from elderly female participants. Results show that 16.3% of women aged 64 and over had experienced some form of intimate partner violence during the previous year, with emotional violence as the most commonly occurring form. Furthermore, there was a significantly lower prevalence of emotional and sexual IPV among elderly women than among younger women. Some risk factors for IPV victimization were similar across both groups of women, mainly individuals' personal histories and immediate social context. On the other hand, differences were found regarding factors related to the broader social context. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed, specifically with regards to their usefulness in violence prevention and response programs.

Con base en la información de la Encuesta Nacional sobre la Dinámica de las Relaciones en los Hogares 2016 (ENDIREH) y desde un marco ecológico, el presente estudio busca conocer la prevalencia y los factores asociados de la violencia emocional, física y sexual de pareja durante el último año en las mujeres mexicanas mayores de 64 años (n=7.410). Para tener un marco de comparación, se contrastaron los resultados de mujeres de la tercera edad con los de grupos de mujeres más jóvenes. Los resultados muestran que el 16,3% de las mujeres mayores de 64 años han experimentado algún tipo de violencia de pareja durante el último año, siendo el maltrato emocional el más frecuente. Además, dicho grupo de mujeres experimentó la prevalencia más baja de violencia emocional y sexual, comparados con las mujeres más jóvenes. Por otra parte, algunos de los factores asociados con la violencia fueron similares en las adultas mayores y los grupos de mujeres más jóvenes, principalmente, los relacionados con la historia personal y el entorno inmediato. Por el contrario, los factores del entorno social más amplio fueron distintos. Los hallazgos se discuten teóricamente y en virtud de su utilidad para los programas de atención a la violencia.

Physical Intimate Partner Violence and Controlling Behavior in Mexican University Students and Their Attitudes Toward Social Limits.

This study explored patterns of controlling behavior, physical violence, and attitudes toward social limits in young Mexican university students in light of the effect that socialization processes have in attitudes toward social norms and violent behavior as indicated in some of the literature. A total of 437 male and female heterosexual participants residing in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, provided information on their perpetration/victimization experiences of controlling behavior (by means of the Controlling Behaviors Scale) and physical violence (using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales [CTS2]) and their attitudes toward social limits (using the Attitudes Toward Social Limits scale). Results indicate similar chronicity levels of experienced controlling behavior and physical violence perpetration/victimization between the sexes. Participants expressed major tendency to adjust to a social norm rather than overstepping it. Males tend to overstep social limits more often than females, although no significant linear relationship was found between abusive behavior and attitudes promoting the infringement of social norms. Higher chronicity levels were rather found by dyadic type, relationships with mutual physical intimate partner violence (IPV), and controlling behavior in comparison with relationships where unidirectional violence prevails. Implications of findings involve the acknowledgment of change in dynamics used by more educated young Mexicans, and the recognition of IPV in these populations as a heterogeneous phenomenon for primary and secondary interventions.

Prevalencia y factores asociados con la violencia de pareja en las adultas mayores mexicanas / Prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence among elderly Mexican women

RESUMEN Con base en la información de la Encuesta Nacional sobre la Dinámica de las Relaciones en los Hogares 2016 (ENDIREH) y desde un marco ecológico, el presente estudio busca conocer la prevalencia y los factores asociados de la violencia emocional, física y sexual de pareja durante el último año en las mujeres mexicanas mayores de 64 años (n=7.410). Para tener un marco de comparación, se contrastaron los resultados de mujeres de la tercera edad con los de grupos de mujeres más jóvenes. Los resultados muestran que el 16,3% de las mujeres mayores de 64 años han experimentado algún tipo de violencia de pareja durante el último año, siendo el maltrato emocional el más frecuente. Además, dicho grupo de mujeres experimentó la prevalencia más baja de violencia emocional y sexual, comparados con las mujeres más jóvenes. Por otra parte, algunos de los factores asociados con la violencia fueron similares en las adultas mayores y los grupos de mujeres más jóvenes, principalmente, los relacionados con la historia personal y el entorno inmediato. Por el contrario, los factores del entorno social más amplio fueron distintos. Los hallazgos se discuten teóricamente y en virtud de su utilidad para los programas de atención a la violencia.

ABSTRACT Using information from the National Survey on Household Relationship Dynamics (Encuesta Nacional de la Dinámica de las Relaciones en los Hogares 2016), this study examines the prevalence and factors associated with emotional, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among a representative sample of elderly Mexican women (n=7,410), using an ecological approach. Prevalence rates and related risk factors for IPV among younger women served as a basis for comparison and were contrasted with data from elderly female participants. Results show that 16.3% of women aged 64 and over had experienced some form of intimate partner violence during the previous year, with emotional violence as the most commonly occurring form. Furthermore, there was a significantly lower prevalence of emotional and sexual IPV among elderly women than among younger women. Some risk factors for IPV victimization were similar across both groups of women, mainly individuals' personal histories and immediate social context. On the other hand, differences were found regarding factors related to the broader social context. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed, specifically with regards to their usefulness in violence prevention and response programs.

Testing the Testers: Are Young Men Who Have Sex With Men Receiving Adequate HIV Testing and Counseling Services?

BACKGROUND: The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promote HIV testing every 6 months among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) to facilitate entry into the HIV prevention and care continuum. Willingness to be tested may be influenced by testing services' quality. Using a novel mystery shopper methodology, we assessed YMSM's testing experiences in 3 cities and recommend service delivery improvements. METHODS: We assessed YMSM's experiences at HIV testing sites in Philadelphia (n = 30), Atlanta (n = 17), and Houston (n = 19). YMSM (18-24) were trained as mystery shoppers and each site was visited twice. After each visit, shoppers completed a quality assurance survey to evaluate their experience. Data were pooled across sites, normed as percentages, and compared across cities. RESULTS: Across cites, visits averaged 30 minutes (SD = 25.5) and were perceived as welcoming and friendly (70.9%). YMSM perceived most sites respected their privacy and confidentiality (84.3%). YMSM noted deficiencies in providers' competencies with sexual minorities (63.4%) and comfort during the visit (65.7%). Sites underperformed on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender visibility (49.6%) and medical forms inclusivity (57.95%). Sites on average did not discuss YMSM's relationship context (49.8%) nor provide risk reduction counseling (56.8%) or safer sex education (24.3%). Sites delivered pre-exposure prophylaxis information and counseling inconsistently (58.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Testing sites' variable performance underscores the importance of improving HIV testing services for YMSM. Strategies are recommended for testing sites to promote cultural sensitivity: funding staff trainings, creating systems to assess adherence to testing guidelines and best practices, and implementing new service delivery models.

Differential expression of synaptic vesicle protein 2A after status epilepticus and during epilepsy in a lithium-pilocarpine model.

Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) has become an attractive target of investigation because of its role in the pathophysiology of epilepsy; SV2A is expressed ubiquitously throughout the brain in all nerve terminals independently of their neurotransmitter content and plays an important but poorly defined role in neurotransmission. Previous studies have shown that modifications in the SV2A protein expression could be a direct consequence of disease severity. Furthermore, these SV2A modifications may depend on specific changes in the nerve tissue following the induction of epilepsy and might be present in both excitatory and inhibitory terminals. Thus, we evaluated SV2A protein expression throughout the hippocampi of lithium-pilocarpine rats after status epilepticus (SE) and during early and late epilepsy. In addition, we determined the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic or glutamatergic nature associated with SV2A modifications. Wistar rats were treated with lithium-pilocarpine to induce SE and subsequently were shown to present spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS). Later, we conducted an exhaustive semi-quantitative analysis of SV2A optical density (OD) throughout the hippocampus by immunohistochemistry. Levels of the SV2A protein were substantially increased in layers formed by principal neurons after SE, mainly because of GABAergic activity. No changes were observed in the early stage of epilepsy. In the late stage of epilepsy, there were minor changes in SV2A OD compared with the robust modifications of SE; however, SV2A protein expression generally showed an increment reaching significant differences in two dendritic layers and hilus, without clear modifications of GABAergic or glutamatergic systems. Our results suggest that the SV2A variations may depend on several factors, such as neuronal activity, and might appear in both excitatory and inhibitory systems depending on the epilepsy stage.

The age-dependent change in olfactory periglomerular neuronal populations is not affected by interrupting subventricular neuroblast migration in adult rats.

The olfactory bulb (OB) is rich in the number and variety of neurotransmitter and neuropeptide containing cells, in particular in the glomerular layer. Several reports suggest that numbers of some periglomerular phenotypes could change depending on age. However, it is unclear whether the different classes of periglomerular interneurons are modified or are maintained stable throughout life. Thus, our first objective was to obtain the absolute number of cells belonging to the different periglomerular phenotypes at adulthood. On the other hand, the olfactory bulb is continously supplied with newly generated periglomerular neurons produced by stem cells located in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and rostral migratory stream. Previously, we demonstrated that the implantation of a physical barrier completely prevents SVZ neuroblast migration towards the OB. Then, another objective of this study was to evaluate whether stopping the continuous supply of SVZ neuroblasts modified the different periglomerular populations throughout time. In summary, we estimated the total number of TH-IR, CalB-IR, CalR-IR and GAD-IR cells in the OB glomerular layer at several time points in control and barrier implanted adult rats. In addition, we estimated the volume of glomerular, granular and complete OB. Our main finding was that the number of the four main periglomerular populations is age-dependent, even after impairment of subventricular neuroblast migration. Furthermore, we established that these changes do not correlate with changes in the volume of glomerular layer.

Pharmacogenetic screening of N-acetyltransferase 2, thiopurine s-methyltransferase, and 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms in Northwestern Mexicans.

Specific information about the population pharmacogenetics can be the starting point to study the inheritance of these traits, to design individual drug therapy, and to develop new drugs rationally. Pharmacogenetic studies have been performed in some regions of Mexico, such as Central and Northeast, but this kind of study has not been conducted in the Northwest region so far. Here, we report the distribution of NAT2, TPMT, and MTHFR gene polymorphisms in Baja California, Mexico. We found that our population sample exhibits allele and genotype frequencies that are highly similar to those observed in Caucasian populations, although it should be noted that there are slight similarities with those determined in other populations. As allelic variants of drug-metabolizing enzymes are prevalent in our population, it is important to consider pharmacogenetic testing as part of the standard diagnostic protocols before medication.

The rostral migratory stream is a neurogenic niche that predominantly engenders periglomerular cells: in vivo evidence in the adult rat brain.

In vitro studies support the existence of adult neural stem cells in the rostral migratory stream (RMS). The evidence supporting this possibility in vivo is scarce. We then explore this issue by taking advantage of a rat model in which a physical barrier implanted in the brain interrupted the migration of neuroblasts derived from the SVZ along the RMS at the level of its vertical limb. The presence of local stem cells and neurogenesis were then established by estimating the number of nuclei labeled with bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU), the number of doublecortin-positive neuroblasts and the existence of cells displaying co-localization of BrdU and Sox-2 immunoreactivity along the RMS, at different time points following barrier implantation. Estimations of the number of the granular and periglomerular neurons integrated into the corresponding layers of the olfactory bulb of implanted rats established that stem cells in the RMS give rise predominantly to periglomerular neurons. Our results then support the notion that the RMS is indeed a region in which neurogenesis is taking place in the adult brain. They also support that the relative location of the neurogenic niche might imprint, at least in some degree, the identity and lineage of the neuroblasts arising from them.

Mutation in mce operons attenuates Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence.

On the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome there are four mce operons, all of which are similar in sequence and organization, and code for putatively exported proteins. To investigate whether Mce proteins are essential for virulence, we generated knock-out mutants in mce1, mce2 and mce3 operons of M. tuberculosis and evaluated their ability to multiply in a mammalian host. The allelic replacement was confirmed in each mutant strain by Southern blotting. RT-PCR experiments demonstrated the lack of in vitro expression of mutated genes in Deltamce1 and Deltamce2 mutants. On the other hand, no expression of mce3 was detected in either the wild-type or mutant strains. Similar doubling time and growth characteristics in in vitro culture were observed for mutants and parental strains. The intratracheal route was used to infect BALB/c mice with the Deltamce3, Deltamce2 and Deltamce1 mutants. Ten weeks after infection, all mice infected with the Deltamce mutants survived, while those infected with the wild-type strain died. This long survival correlated with very low counts of colony-forming units (CFU) in the lungs. Deltamce1-infected mice developed very few and small granulomas, while animals infected with Deltamce3 or Deltamce2 mutants showed delayed granuloma formation. Mice infected with Deltamce1 did not develop pneumonia, while animals infected with Deltamce3 and Deltamce2 mutants showed small pneumonic patches. In spleens, bacterial counts of mutant strains were less reduced than in lungs, compared with those of wild-type. In contrast, no such attenuation was observed when the intraperitoneal route was used for infection. Moreover, Deltamce1 mutants appear to be more virulent in lungs after intraperitoneal inoculation. In conclusion, mce operons seem to affect the virulence of M. tuberculosis in mice, depending on the route of infection. Hypotheses are discussed to explain this last issue. Thus, mutants in these genes seem to be good candidates for vaccine testing.

Clinical, histologic and genetic characterization of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in mexicans

En este artículo describimos la distribución anatómica, las características histológicas y moleculares de 32 casos de LNH. La estadificación clínica y clasificación histológica por grados se hizo de acuerdo a esquemas aceptados convencionalmente. Los arreglos detectados en genes que codifican para Ig o el RcT sirvieron para identificar la estirpe celular y el estadio de diferenciación de las células neoplásicas. El análisis de 26 muestras de suero reveló la existencia de anticuerpos contra epítopes de EBV; ocho de estos pacientes contenían secuencias virales integradas en el genoma del tumor. Nuestros estudios indican que el uso de diferentes métodos es fundamental para profundizar en el conocimiento de la historia natural de los LNH.

Cuidado intensivo en el politraumatizado / Intensive care of the multitraumatized

El paciente politraumatizado es un enfermo crítico que puede desarrollar Falla Orgánica Múltiple por lo que debe ser tratado en forma intensiva desde el lugar de la agresión hasta su ubicación en el hospital. Se establecen las prioridades para clasificarlo y aumentar sus posibilidades de sobrevida. Se dan los parámetros mínimos de tratamiento intensivo para los diferentes medios de atención.