ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This article validates the statistical consistency of two food security scales: the Mexican Food Security Scale (EMSA) and the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Validity tests were conducted in order to verify that both scales were consistent instruments, conformed by independent, properly calibrated and adequately sorted items, arranged in a continuum of severity. The following tests were developed: sorting of items; Cronbach's alpha analysis; parallelism of prevalence curves; Rasch models; sensitivity analysis through mean differences' hypothesis test. RESULTS: The tests showed that both scales meet the required attributes and are robust statistical instruments for food security measurement. CONCLUSION: This is relevant given that the lack of access to food indicator, included in multidimensional poverty measurement in Mexico, is calculated with EMSA.
Subject(s)
Food Supply/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires , Caribbean Region , Human Rights , Humans , Latin America , Mexico , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Socioeconomic Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires/standardsABSTRACT
Objetivo. El artículo busca validar la consistencia estadística de dos escalas de seguridad alimentaria: la Escala Mexicana de Seguridad Alimentaria (EMSA) y la Escala Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Seguridad Alimentaria (ELCSA), incorporadas al Módulo de Condiciones Socioeconómicas de la Encuesta Nacional de Ingresos y Gastos de los Hogares (MCS-ENIGH) 2008 y 2010, respectivamente. Material y métodos. Se realizaron pruebas de validación para verificar que las escalas fuesen instrumentos consistentes, conformados por reactivos independientes, correctamente graduados y ordenados en un continuo de severidad. Se desarrollaron las siguientes pruebas: ordenamiento de reactivos; análisis del coeficiente de Cronbach; paralelismo de curvas de prevalencia; modelos de Rasch; y análisis de sensibilidad mediante pruebas de hipótesis de diferencia de medias. Resultados. Las pruebas muestran que ambas escalas cumplen con los atributos requeridos y son instrumentos estadísticamente robustos para medir la seguridad alimentaria. Conclusión. Lo anterior es relevante, toda vez que a partir de la EMSA se estima el indicador de carencia por acceso a la alimentación, incorporado a la medición oficial de la pobreza en México.
Objective. This article validates the statistical consistency of two food security scales: the Mexican Food Security Scale (EMSA) and the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). Materials and methods. Validity tests were conducted in order to verify that both scales were consistent instruments, conformed by independent, properly calibrated and adequately sorted items, arranged in a continuum of severity. The following tests were developed: sorting of items; Cronbach's alpha analysis; parallelism of prevalence curves; Rasch models; sensitivity analysis through mean differences' hypothesis test. Results. The tests showed that both scales meet the required attributes and are robust statistical instruments for food security measurement. Conclusion. This is relevant given that the lack of access to food indicator, included in multidimensional poverty measurement in Mexico, is calculated with EMSA.
Subject(s)
Humans , Food Supply/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires , Caribbean Region , Human Rights , Latin America , Mexico , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Socioeconomic Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires/standardsABSTRACT
Novel therapeutic strategies such as the modulation of dendritic cell and T-cell function have exhibited great potential in clinical transplantation. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is a molecule that plays a significant role in establishing complex mechanisms to protect semiallogeneic fetuses from rejection by the maternal immune system. The unique characteristics of both cell-surface and soluble isoforms of HLA-G, the formation of disulfide-bonded dimers with the potential to augment inhibitory receptor signaling, and the function of HLA-G as a preferential ligand for the immunoglobulin-like transcript receptors make HLA-G very important in fundamental approaches for the modulation of immune responses to improve allogeneic graft survival in clinical transplantation. Experimental data from several groups as well as our data from experiments involving HLA-G-mediated human tolerogenic dendritic cells in vitro and receptor transgenic mice in vivo indicate that different isoforms of HLA-G have various immunomodulatory effects through the inhibitory receptors. This knowledge is crucial in understanding mechanisms of prolongation of allograft survival. The analyses of HLA-G isoforms and inhibitory receptors in patients with kidney allograft and the relationship among different isoforms of HLA-G, inhibitory receptors, their mediated immunoregulation, and graft acceptance or failure will be discussed here.
