Immigrants resettlement in developing countries: A data-driven decision tool applied to the case of Venezuelan immigrants in Colombia.

Immigrants' choice of settlement in a new country can play a fundamental role in their socio-economic integration. This is especially relevant if there are important gaps among these locations in terms of significant factors such as job opportunities, quality of health service, among others. This research presents a methodology to perform a recommended geographic redistribution of immigrants to improve their chances of socio-economic integration. The proposed methodology adapts a data-driven algorithm developed by the Immigration Policy Lab at Stanford University to allocate immigrants based on a socio-economic integration outcome across available locations. We extend their approach to study the immigration process between two developing countries. Specifically, we focus on the case of the arrival of immigrants from Venezuela to Colombia. We consider the absorptive capacity of locations in Colombia and include the health and education needs of immigrants in our analysis. From the application in the Venezuelan-Colombian context, we find that the proposed redistribution increases the probability that immigrants access formal employment by more than 50%. Furthermore, we identify variables associated with immigrants' formal employment and discuss specific strategies to improve the probability of success of vulnerable immigrants.

Polimorfismos genéticos del proto-oncogén RET asociados con la enfermedad de Hirschsprung en niños ecuatorianos / Genetic polymorphisms in the RET proto-oncogene associated with Hirschsprung's disease in Ecuadorian children

Contexto La enfermedad de Hirschsprung es un desorden congénito caracterizado por la ausencia de células ganglionares en una porción variable del tracto gastrointestinal. Está causada por defectos en la migración de las células del sistema nervioso entérico durante el desarrollo embrionario. Actualmente se sabe el proto-oncogén RET es el principal gen involucrado en la patogénesis de Hirschsprung. Objetivo Determinar la asociación entre los polimorfismos de nucleótido simple (SNP) presentes en los exones 2, 7 y 15 e intrón 1 del gen RET y la enfermedad de Hirschsprung en niños ecuatorianos. Diseño Estudio caso-control. Lugar y sujetos 41 casos con enfermedad de Hirschsprung y 41 controles procedentes del Hospital Pediátrico Baca Ortiz de la ciudad de Quito y del Hospital de Machachi (Área de Salud N° 16). Mediciones principales Análisis de los polimorfismos de nucleótido simple en los exones 2, 7, 15 e intrón 1 del gen RET, mediante las técnicas PCR-RFLP y secuenciación directa. Resultados El polimorfismo A45A (c135 G>A, exón 2) se asoció significativamente con la enfermedad de Hirschsprung (OR=11.2; IC95%=1.61­78.5; p=0.02). Los polimorfismos A432A (c1296G>A, exón 7) y S904S (c2712C>G, exón 15) mostraron tendencias sugestivas de un papel protector en la patogénesis de la enfermedad (OR=0.05; IC95%=0.01­0.25 y OR=0.13; IC95%=0.01­1.28, respectivamente). No se observó una asociación con el polimorfismo IVS1+1813 C>T (OR=4.16; IC95%=0.88­19.5). Conclusión Los polimorfismos estudiados del proto-oncogén RET desempeñan un papel importante en la etiología de la enfermedad de Hirschsprung en la población ecuatoriana.

Context Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital disorder characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in a variable portion of the gastrointestinal tract. It´s caused by defects in the migration of cells of the enteric nervous system during embryonic development. Nowadays the RET proto-oncogene is recognized as a major gene involved in the pathogenesis of Hirschsprung. Objective To determine the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms of the RET gene and Hirschsprung's disease in Ecuadorian children. Design Case control study. Subjects and setting 41 cases with Hirschsprung's disease and 41 controls from Children's Hospital "Baca Ortiz" and Hospital Machachi. Main measurements Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in exons 2, 7, 15 and intron 1 of the RET gene by PCR-RFLP techniques and direct sequencing. Results A45A polymorphism (C135 G> A, exon 2) was significantly associated with Hirschsprung´s disease (OR=11.2; 95%CI=1.61­78.5; p=0.02). Polymorphism A432A (c1296G>A, exon 7) and S904S (c2712C>G, exon 15) showed trends of a protective role in the pathogenesis of the disease (OR= 0.05; 95%CI=0.01­0.25 and OR=0.13; 95%CI=0.01­1.28, respectively). There was no association with polymorphism IVS1 +1813 C>T (OR=4.16; 95%CI=0.88­19.5). Conclusion The studied polymorphisms confirm that the RET proto-oncogene plays an important role in the etiology of Hirschsprung in the Ecuadorian population.