Nutritional status at diagnosis of cancer in children and adolescents in Guatemala and its relationship to socioeconomic disadvantage: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: At least 80% of children with cancer live in low- and middle-income countries where the prevalence of malnutrition and socioeconomic disadvantage is high. We examined the relationship between nutritional status (NS), assessed by arm anthropometry, and socioeconomic status (SES) in children diagnosed with cancer at Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica (UNOP) in Guatemala over a three-year period. METHOD: Patients aged 0 to 18 years of age diagnosed between January 2015 and December 2017 were included. NS was evaluated by mid-upper arm circumference, triceps skin fold thickness, and serum albumin level, and subjects were classified as adequately nourished, moderately depleted, and severely depleted nutritionally. SES was measured by a 15-item instrument developed at UNOP. RESULTS: Of 1365 patients diagnosed in the study period, 1060 (78%) fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Only 6% of patients were classified as medium to high, the remainder as medium-low to extremely low SES. Almost 47% were severely depleted at diagnosis, 19% moderately depleted, and 34% adequately nourished. SES was shown to be a determinant of NS; with progressively lower SES, the probability of a decline in NS increased by a factor of 1.04 points (P < 0.0001). Leukemia and lymphoma were also important predictors of nutritional depletion with odds ratios of 6.08 (95% CI, 1.74-28.28; P = 0.008) for leukemias and 4.83 (95% CI, 1.33-23.03; P = 0.03) for lymphomas. CONCLUSION: Both low SES and a diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma are strong predictors of poor NS at diagnosis in children with cancer in Guatemala.

Estrategia para el reconocimiento de la identidad cultural y el sentido de pertenencia de inmigrantes latinoamericanos / A Strategy for the recognition of the cultural identity and the sense of belonging of Latin American immigrants

Se hace necesario formar directivos escolares y docentes voluntarios que implementen estrategias pedagógicas que mejoren el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, en el cual, su principal factor sea el rescate de la identidad cultural y el sentido de pertenencia Latinoamericano. Se presenta así, un estudio que genera insumos para la formación de docentes en habilidades cognitivas y pedagógicas para la enseñanza cultural, asesoría enel diseño de actividades didácticas para el desarrollo de dicha enseñanza, para la población inmigrante del Estado de Massachusetts- Estados Unidos.

It is necessary to train school managers and teachers volunteers, who can implement pedagogical strategies, which improve the teaching-learning process, in which its main factor is the rescue of the cultural identity and the sense of belonging in Latin America.Thus, a study, which generates inputs for teacher training in cognitive and pedagogical skills for the cultural education, the consultancy on the design of teaching activities for the development of such a teaching, for the immigrant population of the State of Massachusetts - United States, is introduced.

Una mirada desde la resiliencia en adolescentes en contextos de conflicto armado

En el presente artículo se reconoce que para el contexto Colombiano la Resiliencia toma interés para comprender y abordar a las víctimas del conflicto armado y en especial su capacidad para reconstruir su vida y sus relaciones en comunidad. Esta investigación se orientó en identificar el nivel de resiliencia de un grupo de 116 estudiantes de colegios públicos de Yopal, con edades comprendidas entre los 12 y los 16 años, seleccionados de manera aleatoria, con el objeto de reconocer los factores protectores internos y externos, así como el factor de empatia. Esta es una investigación descriptiva realizada con la aplicación del instrumento de medición de resiliencia (González Arratia, 2010) adaptado para Colombia bajo la directriz de la autora. Los resultados obtenidos en la prueba reflejan que toda la población muestreada es altamente resiliente en cuanto a los factores protectores internos, factores protectores externos y empatia, alcanzando un nivel de confianza del 0.95, el cual aporta de manera significativa en la comprensión y diseño de estrategias de acompañamiento que se requieren implementar en adolescentes y el tipo de habilidades que son indispensables promover dentro de los ámbitos familiar y educativo.

In this article, it is recognized that for the Colombian Context Resilience takes interest to understand and address the victims of armed conflict and especially their capacity to rebuild their lives and their relationships in community. This research was aimed at identifying the level of resilience of a group of 116 students of Yopal public schools, aged between 12 and 16 years, selected in a random manner, in order to recognize the internal and external protective factors, as well as the empathy factor. This is a descriptive research carried out with the application of the resilience measurement instrument (González Arratia, 2010) adapted for Colombia under the guideline of the author. The results obtained in the test reflect that all the sampled population is highly resilient in terms of internal protective factors, external protective factors and empathy, reaching a confidence level of 0.95, which contributes significantly in the understanding and design of strategies of accompaniment that are required to be implemented in adolescents and the type of skills that are indispensable to promote within the family and educational environments.

Neste artigo, reconhece-se que, para o contexto colombiano, a resiliência interessa-se por compreender e abordar as vítimas de conflitos armados e, especialmente, por sua capacidade de reconstruir suas vidas e seus relacionamentos na comunidade. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar o nivel de resiliência de um grupo de 116 estudantes de escolas públicas de Yopal, com idades entre 12 e 16 anos, selecionados de forma aleatória, a fim de reconhecer os fatores de proteção internos e externos, bem como o fator de empatia. Tratase de urna investigação descritiva realizada com a aplicação do instrumento de medida de resiliência (González Arratia, 2010) adaptado para a Colômbia sob a orientação do autor. Os resultados obtidos no teste refletem que toda a população amostrada é altamente resiliente em termos de fatores de proteção interna, fatores externos de proteção e empatia, atingindo um nivel de confiança de 0,95, o que contribuí significativamente na compreensão e no desenho das estrategias, de acompanhamento que são necessários para ser implementado em adolescentes e do tipo de habilidades que são indispensáveis para promover dentro da familia e ambientes educacionais.

Unique haplotypes of cacao trees as revealed by trnH-psbA chloroplast DNA.

Cacao trees have been cultivated in Mesoamerica for at least 4,000 years. In this study, we analyzed sequence variation in the chloroplast DNA trnH-psbA intergenic spacer from 28 cacao trees from different farms in the Soconusco region in southern Mexico. Genetic relationships were established by two analysis approaches based on geographic origin (five populations) and genetic origin (based on a previous study). We identified six polymorphic sites, including five insertion/deletion (indels) types and one transversion. The overall nucleotide diversity was low for both approaches (geographic = 0.0032 and genetic = 0.0038). Conversely, we obtained moderate to high haplotype diversity (0.66 and 0.80) with 10 and 12 haplotypes, respectively. The common haplotype (H1) for both networks included cacao trees from all geographic locations (geographic approach) and four genetic groups (genetic approach). This common haplotype (ancient) derived a set of intermediate haplotypes and singletons interconnected by one or two mutational steps, which suggested directional selection and event purification from the expansion of narrow populations. Cacao trees from Soconusco region were grouped into one cluster without any evidence of subclustering based on AMOVA (F ST = 0) and SAMOVA (F ST = 0.04393) results. One population (Mazatán) showed a high haplotype frequency; thus, this population could be considered an important reservoir of genetic material. The indels located in the trnH-psbA intergenic spacer of cacao trees could be useful as markers for the development of DNA barcoding.

In vitro and in vivo modifications of recombinant and human IgG antibodies.

Tremendous knowledge has been gained in the understanding of various modifications of IgG antibodies, driven mainly by the fact that antibodies are one of the most important groups of therapeutic molecules and because of the development of advanced analytical techniques. Recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics expressed in mammalian cell lines and endogenous IgG molecules secreted by B cells in the human body share some modifications, but each have some unique modifications. Modifications that are common to recombinant mAb and endogenous IgG molecules are considered to pose a lower risk of immunogenicity. On the other hand, modifications that are unique to recombinant mAbs could potentially pose higher risk. The focus of this review is the comparison of frequently observed modifications of recombinant monoclonal antibodies to those of endogenous IgG molecules.

Propuesta de una guía de prevención de procesos peligrosos por uso de instrumentos punzocortantes / A proposal of a guide for preventing needlestick injuries among healthcare workers

La presente investigación de campo, con un nivel de naturaleza descriptivo, surgió con la finalidad de proponer una guía de prevención de los procesos peligrosos por el uso de instrumentos punzo-cortantes, a los cuales está expuesto el personal del sector de la salud del área de emergencia del hospital general de Táriba. Este estudio se realizó durante el lapso comprendido entre marzo de 2011 y marzo de 2012. El modelo empleado estuvo centrado en la propuesta teórico-metodológica y dialéctica de Procesos Peligrosos de la Salud y Seguridad en el Trabajo, adaptado por el especialista en salud ocupacional, Dr. Óscar Betancourt, a la realidad latinoamericana. La población estuvo conformada por 20 personas (médicos residentes, médicos especialistas, médicos internos, enfermeros, camilleros, camareras y asistentes de laboratorio), a quienes se les aplicó un cuestionario para evaluar los procesos peligrosos presentes en el personal de salud que labora en un centro asistencial. El análisis de los resultados indican deficiente identificación, evaluación, seguimiento y control de los diferentes procesos peligrosos a los que están expuestos los trabajadores y trabajadoras del sector de la salud; ausencia de formación y capacitación periódica; escasos implementos de equipos de protección personal y escasos dispositivos de seguridad para el descarte seguro al momento de la utilización y manipulación de los instrumentos punzo-cortantes; escasos reportes de accidentes de trabajo y/o enfermedades ocupacionales. En vista de esto, se elaboró y validó una propuesta de guía de prevención de procesos peligrosos por uso de instrumentos punzo-cortantes(AU)