Brain structural parameters correlate with University Selection Test outcomes in Chilean high school graduates.

How well students learn and perform in academic contexts is a focus of interest for the students, their families, and the entire educational system. Although evidence has shown that several neurobiological factors are involved in scholastic achievement (SA), specific brain measures associated with academic outcomes and whether such associations are independent of other factors remain unclear. This study attempts to identify the relationship between brain structural parameters, and the Chilean national University Selection Test (PSU) results in high school graduates within a multidimensional approach that considers socio-economic, intellectual, nutritional, and demographic variables. To this end, the brain morphology of a sample of 102 students who took the PSU test was estimated using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Anthropometric parameters, intellectual ability (IA), and socioeconomic status (SES) were also measured. The results revealed that, independently of sex, IA, gray matter volume, right inferior frontal gyrus thickness, and SES were significantly associated with SA. These findings highlight the role of nutrition, health, and socioeconomic variables in academic success.

Análisis de la tendencia de la obesidad general en Ecuador en los años 2014 a 2016 / Analysis the general obesity trends in Ecuador in the period 2014 - 2016

RESUMEN: La obesidad es un problema de salud pública, mundial. Considerada una enfermedad sistémica, multiorgánica, metabólica e inflamatoria crónica, ocasionada por el exceso de tejido celular subcutáneo, con un mayor riesgo de morbilidad y mortalidad por ciclos vitales, en todas las edades. Determinar las tendencias de obesidad general según variables demográficas en Ecuador en el período 2014 - 2016. Estudio poblacional, con 318.594 sujetos diagnosticados de obesidad general. Representada en un 77,2 % por mujeres. Los datos fueron otorgados por el Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador según provincia (n=24), regiones (Costa, Sierra, Amazonía e Insular), grupos de edad (menores de 15 años, de 15 a 19 años, de 20 a 39 años, de 40 a 64 años y mayores de 64 años) y sexo. Se realizaron análisis estadísticos de frecuencias, porcentaje, tasa de incidencia por 1.000 habitantes, razón de tasas de incidencia por año, en la población total, por sexo y grupo de edad. Se utilizó el software Microsoft Excel 16.44 considerando intervalos de confianza del 95 %. En el período estudiado, la tasa de obesidad general por 1.000 habitantes fue de 6,52, siendo 3,16 veces más alta en mujeres que en hombres (IC 95 %; 3,14-3,19). En el año 2016, se reportaron las mayores tasas de incidencia de obesidad (6,8 por 1.000 habitantes). Además, existe una tasa de obesidad 2,38 veces mayor en la región Insular que en la Costa (IC 95 %; 2,14-2,65). Es fundamental realizar análisis de estos datos, siendo este el primer estudio con este propósito. Sentando un precedente relevante a considerar al momento de realizar prevención de enfermedad y promoción de salud.

SUMMARY: Obesity is a global, public health problem. Considered a systemic, multiorgan, metabolic and chronic inflammatory disease, with an excess of subcutaneous adipose tissue, which carries a greater risk of morbidity and mortality due to life cycles. To determine the general obesity trends according to demographic variables in Ecuador in the period 2014 - 2016. Population study, with 318,594 subjects diagnosed with general obesity. 77.2 % represented by women. The data were provided by the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador according to province (n = 24), regions (Coast, Sierra, Amazon, and Insular), age groups (under 15, 15 to 19, 20 to 64, and over 65) and sex. Statistical analyzes of frequencies, percentage, incidence rate per 1.000 inhabitants, incidence rate ratio per year, in the total population, by sex and age group were performed. Microsoft Excel 16.44 soft- ware was used. Considering 95 % confidence intervals. In the period studied, the general obesity rate per 1.000 inhabitants was 6,5, being 3 times higher in women than in men. In 2016, the highest obesity incidence rates were reported, (6,38 per 1000 inhabitants). In addition, there is an obesity rate 2,38 times higher in the Insular region than in the Coast (95 % CI; 2.14-2.65). The data found are important, since it is the first study where these figures were analyzed, so it is relevant to consider them when carrying out disease prevention and health promotion.

Depresión, ansiedad y estrés en estudiantes de enfermería / Depression, anxiety and stress in nursing students

Los estudiantes universitarios, pueden presentar cambios de salud mental compatibles con estrés, ansiedad o depresión, causadas por la evolución propia de la edad y las exigencias académicas, especialmente en carreras de salud, como enfermería. La última Encuesta Nacional de Salud, indicó que el 78 % de los universitarios sufren algún síntoma de depresión. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar características psicométricas de depresión, ansiedad y estrés, en estudiantes de enfermería de la Universidad Mayor, sede Temuco, Chile. El enfoque fue cuantitativo, diseño no experimental, corte transversal, en una muestra de 244 estudiantes de primer a quinto año. Se aplicó la escala de Depresión, Ansiedad y Estrés (DASS-21), validado en Chile por Vinet, Rehbein, Román y Saiz (Antúnez, 2012; Román, 2016). Los aspectos éticos fueron aprobados por el Comité Ético Científico de Universidad Mayor. El análisis y presentación de resultados fueron por estadística descriptiva e inferencial con Software STATA®15. Los resultados indicaron que el 42,6 % de la muestra obtuvo características compatibles con depresión, 48,0 % con ansiedad y 61,1 % con estrés. El rango de edad más afectado fue entre 19 y 21 años, correspondientes a los niveles académicos de primero a tercero. Las tres variables estudiadas, se asociaron significativamente en segundo año académico de la carrera, destacando las características de estrés, y la menor predominancia de las tres variables fue en quinto año. Se concluyó que los estudiantes de enfermería de la Universidad Mayor sede Temuco, mostraron altos porcentajes de estas variables compatibles con alteraciones de la salud mental en los primeros años de estudio, específicamente en estrés y ansiedad por sobre la depresión, con diferencias significativas entre los niveles académicos de ingreso y egreso, lo que abre la oportunidad de apoyo estudiantil por parte de las entidades universitarias involucradas en estos aspectos.

University students can present mental health changes compatible with stress, anxiety or depression, due to the evolution of age and academic demands, especially in health careers, such as nursing. The latest National Health Survey indicated that 78% of university students suffer from some symptoms of depression. The objective of the study was to determine psychometric characteristics of depression, anxiety and stress, in nursing students of the Universidad Mayor, Temuco, Chile. The approach was quantitative, nonexperimental design, cross-sectional, in a sample of 244 students from first to fifth year. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS-21), validated in Chile by Vinet, Rehbein, Román and Saiz (Antúnez, 2012; Román, 2016), and was applied. The ethical aspects were approved by the Scientific Ethics Committee of Universidad Mayor campus Temuco. The analysis and presentation of results were by descriptive and inferential statistics with STATA®15 Software. The results indicated that 42.6% of the sample obtained characteristics compatible with depression, 48.0% with anxiety and 61.1% with stress. The most affected age range was between 19 and 21 years, corresponding to the academic levels from first to third. The three variables studied were significantly associated in the second year of the degree, highlighting the stress characteristics, and the lowest predominance of the three variables was in the fifth year. It was concluded that nursing students from the Universidad Mayor showed high percentages of these variables compatible with alterations in mental health in the first years of study, specifically in stress and anxiety over depression, with significant differences between the academic levels of entry and exit, which opens the opportunity for student support from the university entities involved in these aspects.

Intermittent fasting, nutritional supplementation, and resistance training as strategy for body weight loss: an update / Ayuno intermitente, suplementación nutricional y entrenamiento de resistencia como estrategia para la pérdida de peso corporal: una actualización

SUMMARY: Obesity is a multifactorial disease, affecting, along with overweight, over a third of the adult population worldwide. Although weight control is beneficial, the problem of poor compliance in weight loss programs is well known. Therefore, different strategies have been described against overweight. Among them, strategies such as intermittent fasting, time-restricted feeding and Ramadan fasting have been identified. In recent years, other strategies such as nutritional supplementation have gained significance on weight loss, mainly due to focusing on body composition is even more important than overall weight. In this sense, consumption of nutritional supplements in athletes and sedentary people have shown beneficial effects. Also, supplement intake such, protein, creatine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate; combined with resistance training resulted in an increased body weight and fat-free mass. So, although resistance training increases muscle mass and resting metabolic rate, it does not result in weight loss without caloric restriction. Despite this, it seems even without caloric restriction, has favorable effect on body composition because it decreases fat mass, including abdominal fat. According to the evidence, our review suggests that a strategy for improving body composition might be to use a mixed protocol that includes intermittent fasting, nutritional supplementation intake, and resistance training.

RESUMEN: La obesidad es una enfermedad multifactorial, afectando junto al sobrepeso, un tercio de la población mundial adulta. Aunque el control del peso es beneficioso, el problema del mal cumplimiento en los programas de pérdida de peso es bien conocido. Por lo que, distintas estrategias han sido descritas para combatirlo. Entre ellas, se han identificado estrategias como el ayuno intermitente, la alimentación con restricción de tiempo y el ayuno de Ramadán. En los últimos años, otras estrategias como la suplementación nutricional han ganado importancia en la pérdida de peso, principalmente debido a que centrarse en la composición corporal es incluso más importante que la pérdida de peso general. En este sentido, el consumo de suplementos nutricionales, como proteínas, creatina y beta-hidroxi-beta-metilbutirato; en atletas y personas sedentarias ha mostrado efectos beneficiosos.Asimismo, la ingesta de suplementos combinada con el ejercicio de resistencia resulta en un aumento del peso corporal y masa libre de grasa. Por lo que, aunque el ejercicio de resistencia produce un aumento en la masa muscular y la tasa metabólica en reposo, este no provoca pérdida de peso sin restricción calórica. Pese a ello, tiene un efecto favorable sobre la composición corporal porque disminuye la masa grasa, incluida la grasa abdominal. Nuestra revisión sugiere que una estrategia para mejorar la composición corporal podría ser la utilización de un protocolo mixto que incluya el ayuno intermitente, el consumo de suplementos nutricionales y el entrenamiento de resistencia.

Effectiveness of intermittent fasting to potentiate weight loss or muscle gains in humans younger than 60 years old: a systematic review.

The aim was to determinate if the intermittent fasting enhances weight loss or muscle gains in humans younger than 60 years old. Multiple databases were searched up to May 2020 for studies in English, using MeSH terms and text words relating intermittent fasting, weight loss and muscle gains. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO. Study quality was assessed using NICE methodology. A total of 10 original articles were evaluated. Eight papers collected data through randomised controlled trials and two from cross-sectional study. Intermittent fasting could be beneficial in resistance trained subjects or in overweight individuals to improve body composition by decreasing fat mass and at least maintain muscle mass; decrease in GLP-1 levels and; improving health-related biomarkers such glucose and insulin levels. However, future studies are needed in order to better elucidate the effect of intermittent fasting on body composition.

A multifactorial approach of nutritional, intellectual, brain development, cardiovascular risk, socio-economic, demographic and educational variables affecting the scholastic achievement in Chilean students: An eight- year follow-up study.

The aim of this study was to quantitate the relative impact of nutritional, intellectual, brain development, cardiovascular risk, socio-economic, demographic and educational variables on the results of the 2009 Quality Education Measurement System (SIMCE) tests of language and mathematics for scholastic achievement (SA) applying a multifactorial approach, in school-age children of the 2010 5th elementary school grade (5ESG) and of the 1st grade of high school (1HSG). The purposes were: i) to test the hypothesis that intellectual ability, the level of SA of the educational establishments in the 2009 SIMCE tests, sex, parental schooling levels, and head circumference-for-age Z-score are the most relevant parameters associated with 2009 SIMCE outcomes; ii) to determine the predictive ability of the 2009 SIMCE results in determining the 2013 SIMCE outcomes for the 2010 5ESG cohort (when they graduated from elementary school, 8th grade) and for determining the 2013 University Selection Test (PSU) outcomes for the 2010 1HSG group (for university admission, when they graduated from high school, 4th grade); iii) to determine the association between the 2009 SIMCE results with the 2017 PSU outcomes for the 2010 5ESG group (for university admission, when they graduated from high school, 4th grade). A representative, proportional and stratified sample of 33 schools of the Metropolitan Region of Chile was randomly chosen. In these schools, 1,353 school-age children of both sexes, of the 2010 5ESG (n = 682; mean age = 10.8 years, SD = 0.6) and of the 2010 1HSG (n = 671; mean age = 14.8 years, SD = 0.6) participated. In both grades and tests, the findings confirm the hypotheses formulated. 2009 SIMCE outcomes were positively and significantly associated with 2013 SIMCE and with 2017 PSU and, with 2013 PSU outcomes in school-age children from 2010 5ESG and 1HSG, respectively. These findings may be useful for educational and health planning in Chile and countries in a comparable stage of development.

Impact of anthropometric nutritional parameters on the university selection test in Chile: A multifactorial approach.

OBJECTIVES: Scholastic achievement (SA) is a multifactorial problem that depends on factors related to the child, the child's family, and the educational system. The aim of this study was to quantify the relative impact of significant variables at the beginning of high school during 2010 (first grade of high school [1 HSG]) on 2013 university selection test (Prueba de Seleccion Universitaria [PSU]) outcomes, both in language scholastic achievement (LSA) and mathematics scholastic achievement (MSA), when students graduated from high school (4 HSG). This was done at the time of university admission with a multicausal approach. The purpose was to confirm the hypothesis that the level of educational establishment SA, intellectual ability, sex, parental schooling levels, and head circumference for age Z-score at the onset of high school are the most relevant parameters associated with 2013 PSU outcomes, both in LSA and MSA. METHODS: A representative, proportional, and stratified sample of 671 children of both sexes who enrolled in 1 HSG in 2010 (mean age: 14.8 ± 0.6 y) participated in the study. Nutritional, intellectual, brain developmental, cardiovascular risk, socio-to-economic, demographic, and educational variables were quantitated. SA was assessed at 4 HSG with the 2013 PSU tests. Data were analyzed with SAS software. RESULTS: Educational establishment SA, intellectual ability, maternal schooling, and age Z-score were the most relevant parameters to explain LSA (R2 = 0.493; P < 0.0001) and MSA variance in addition to sex (male), but only in MSA (R2 = 0.600; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the hypothesis and can be useful to support nutritional, health, and educational planning.

Somatotype and intellectual ability (Raven Progressive Matrices Test) in Chilean school-age children.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between somatotype and intellectual ability (IA) in 11-12 and 15-16 year-old students (n = 1,015) in the Chile's Metropolitan Region from a representative sample of 33 educational establishments chosen at random. METHODS: The Heath-Carter somatotype and the IA assessed through the Raven Progressive Matrices Test were measured. RESULTS: The endomorph was observed in 59% of the students; 28% had a mesomorph and 13% ectomorph. The IA was distributed in: 11.2% Grade I, 26.8% Grade II, 41% Grade III, 17.6% Grade IV and 3.2% Grade V. A positive and significant correlation of IA with the endomorphic component (r = 0.074, p = 0.02) was found in the total sample and only in females (r = 0.109, p = 0.02); at the same time, a positive and significant correlation with the ectomorph component was also observed (r = 0.067, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This suggests that other variables would influence more strongly the IA for which further research is needed to quantitate this multifactorial problem.

Objetivos: El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la relación entre el somatotipo y la habilidad intelectual (HA) en estudiantes de 11-12 y 15-16 años de edad de la Región Metropolitana, Chile. Métodos: Se registró una muestra representativa de 1.015 escolares de acuerdo a los resultados del sistema de medición de la calidad de la educación (SIMCE) 2009. Se evaluó el somatotipo de Heath-Carter y la HA de acuerdo al Test de Matrices Progresivas de Raven. Resultados: Un 59% presentó un somatotipo endomórfico, 28% mesomórfico y 13% ectomorfo. La HA se distribuyó en: 11,2% Grado I, 26,8% Grado II, 41% Grado III, 17,6% Grado IV y 3,2% Grado V. Se presenta una correlación significativa positiva con el componente endomórfico (r = 0,074 p = 0,02), y sólo en mujeres (r = 0,109 p = 0,02), a la vez se observa una relación significativa positiva con el componente ectomorfo (r = 0,067 p < 0,05). Conclusiones: Esto sugiere que otras variables estarían influyendo más fuertemente en la HA, además de apoyar la no discriminación por biotipo en los establecimientos educacionales.