The Effect of Cultural Differences in Psychophysiological Stress Response in High Education Context: A Pilot Study.

The simulation scenarios are increasingly being used to assess professional competences in health sciences at university level. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of differences in the stress psychophysiological response of Psychology degree students from Spain and Colombia undergoing to clinical practice. Multiple psychophysiological measures were obtained in a sample of 25 Colombian and Spanish Psychology students undergoing to simulation scenario. Differences in the initial level of stress and habituation process as reported by self-reported and psychophysiological measurements as discussed. Differences in stress-related psychological traits are also analyzed and further discussed.

Effectiveness of Psycho-Physiological Portable Devices to Analyse Effect of Ergogenic Aids in Military Population.

Caffeine is one of the ergogenic substances most used by warfighters in current operation areas, but the effect on the organic response and operational performed is already poor knowledge. This research aimed to study the acute effect of 400 mg of caffeine monohydrate on the psycho-physiological response and rifle marksmanship of warfighters during a close quarter combat simulation. We analysed parameter of heart rate, blood lactate, cortical arousal, state anxiety and marksmanship of 20 Spanish Army veteran warfighters before and after a close quarter combat simulation in a double-blind procedure, also a correlation analysis was conducted between all the study variables. Marksmanship of warfighters did not improve with the caffeine ingestion, but it produced an increase in blood lactate concentration (caffeine: 1.9 ± 0.5 vs. 9.2 ± 1.1 mmol.l-1; placebo: 1.8 ± 0.7 vs. 6.9 ± 2.2 mmol.l-1), cortical arousal (% of change: caffeine: 2.51; placebo: -1.96) and heart rate (caffeine: 80.0 ± 7.2 vs. 172.9 ± 28.2 bpm; placebo: 79.3 ± 6.4 vs. 154.0 ± 26.8 bpm). In addition, higher heart rate values correlated negatively with marksmanship in close quarter combat. We concluded that caffeine intake did not improve the warfighters rifle marksmanship in close quarter combat possibly due to the increase in the physiological response.

Particular characteristics of allergic symptoms in tropical environments: follow up to 24 months in the FRAAT birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Early wheezing and asthma are relevant health problems in the tropics. Mite sensitization is an important risk factor, but the roles of others, inherent in poverty, are unknown. We designed a birth-cohort study in Cartagena (Colombia) to investigate genetic and environmental risk factors for asthma and atopy, considering as particular features perennial exposure to mites, parasite infections and poor living conditions. METHODS: Pregnant women representative of the low-income suburbs of the city were randomly screened for eligibility at delivery; 326 mother-infant pairs were included at baseline and biological samples were collected from birth to 24 months for immunological testing, molecular genetics and gene expression analysis. Pre and post-natal information was collected using questionnaires. RESULTS: 94% of families were from the poorest communes of the city, 40% lacked sewage and 11% tap-water. Intestinal parasites were found as early as 3 months; by the second year, 37.9% of children have had parasites and 5.22% detectable eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides in stools (Median 3458 epg, IQR 975-9256). The prevalence of "wheezing ever" was 17.5% at 6 months, 31.1% at 12 months and 38.3% at 24 months; and recurrent wheezing (3 or more episodes) 7.1% at 12 months and 14.2% at 24 months. Maternal rhinitis [aOR 3.03 (95%CI 1.60-5.74), p = 0.001] and male gender [aOR 2.09 (95%CI 1.09 - 4.01), p = 0.026], increased risk for wheezing at 6 months. At 24 months, maternal asthma was the main predisposing factor for wheezing [aOR 3.65 (95%CI 1.23-10.8), p = 0.01]. Clinical symptoms of milk/egg allergy or other food-induced allergies were scarce (1.8%) and no case of atopic eczema was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Wheezing is the most frequent phenotype during the first 24 months of life and is strongly associated with maternal asthma. At 24 months, the natural history of allergic symptoms is different to the "atopic march" described in some industrialized countries. This cohort is representative of socially deprived urban areas of underdeveloped tropical countries. The collection of biological samples, data on exposure and defined phenotypes, will contribute to understand the gene/environment interactions leading to allergy inception and evolution.

Detection of Escherichia coli enteropathogens by multiplex polymerase chain reaction from children's diarrheal stools in two Caribbean-Colombian cities.

Acute diarrheal disease is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in the developing world and Escherichia coli intestinal pathogens are important causative agents. Information on the epidemiology of E. coli intestinal pathogens and their association with diarrheal disease is limited because no diagnostic testing is available in countries with limited resources. To evaluate the prevalence of E. coli intestinal pathogens in a Caribbean-Colombian region, E. coli clinical isolates from children with diarrhea were analyzed by a recently reported two-reaction multiplex polymerase chain reaction (Gomez-Duarte et al., Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2009;63:1-9). The phylogenetic group from all E. coli isolates was also typed by a single-reaction multiplex polymerase chain reaction. We found that among 139 E. coli strains analyzed, 20 (14.4%) corresponded to E. coli diarrheagenic pathotypes. Enterotoxigenic, shiga-toxin-producing, enteroaggregative, diffuse adherent, and enteropathogenic E. coli pathotypes were detected, and most of them belonged to the phylogenetic groups A and B1, known to be associated with intestinal pathogens. This is the first report on the molecular characterization of E. coli diarrheogenic isolates in Colombia and the first report on the potential role of E. coli in childhood diarrhea in this geographic area.

Emotion recognition in young male offenders and non-offenders.

The study of facial emotional expressions not only gives information about communicative and adaptive processes, but also provides valuable knowledge about some aspects of human behaviour, such as emotions and intentions. Taking into account the proved evidence that deficits in processing emotional information shows difficulties in executive functions and social behavior, the present work aims to compare the perceptual and dimensional similarities between the emotions transmitted by the faces (facial emotions) and those typically associated with two particular emotional contexts (offenders and non-offenders). To evaluate the contextual influence on emotional face categorization, the emotional recognition in 69 male young (35 offenders (17.22 ±â€¯1.5 years) and 34 non-offenders (16.90 ±â€¯1.56 years) from Barranquilla (Colombia) was analyzed. Experimental results displayed significant differences among the two groups, mainly focused in the recognition of anger and disgust faces. In this sense, the analysis of abovementioned data may lead to the development of more specific and cost-effective therapeutic treatments for offender population.

Psychophysiological Response and Fine Motor Skills in High-Altitude Parachute Jumps.

Clemente-Suárez, Vicente Javier, José Juan Robles-Pérez, Ketty Herrera-Mendoza, Beliña Herrera-Tapias, and Jesús Fernández-Lucas. Psychophysiological response and fine motor skills in high-altitude parachute jumps. High Alt Med Biol 18:392-399, 2017.-We analyzed the psychophysiological response and specific fine motor skill of an experienced jumper in HALO (high altitude low opening) and HAHO (high altitude high opening) parachute jumps. Eight HALO and eight HAHO jumpers were analyzed. They jumped at 5500 m, HALO jumpers opened the parachute at 500 m and HAHO jumpers at 4300 m of altitude. Before and after the jumps, parameters of muscle strength, cortical arousal, blood creatine kinase (CK) and glucose, blood oxygen saturation, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and specific fine motor skills of an experienced jumper were assessed; during the jump, heart rate (HR), HR variability, and speed were evaluated. HALO and HAHO jumps produced a significant increase in CK, lactate, and RPE, and a decrease in glucose. HAHO decreased cortical arousal, presented a higher sympathetic modulation, and a higher HR during the jump than HALO. HALO and HAHO produced an increase in the physiological, sympathetic modulation and muscle destruction, and a decrease in cortical arousal and a higher blood lactate concentration only in the HAHO jump. Also, somatic and cognitive anxiety correlated with higher strength manifestation and muscle destruction. This novel research could be used to improve actual training systems in both civil and military parachute jumpers.

Paradojas del comportamiento proambiental de los estudiantes universitarios en diferentes disciplinas académicas / Paradoxes of the environmental behavior of university students in different academic disciplines

Resumen El objetivo del presente estudio fue establecer las características del comportamiento proambiental de los estudiantes universitarios colombianos, esto es, identificar las actitudes, creencias, valoraciones, prácticas y conocimientos ambientales de estudiantes colombianos de diferentes carreras universitarias. Para ello se realizó un estudio descriptivo-correlacional de corte transversal con una muestra de 1503 estudiantes de diferentes carreras universitarias en cinco ciudades colombianas, con una probabilidad de incidencia de .5, 95 % de confianza y un error del 2.5 %. Los participantes fueron seleccionados aleatoriamente al interior de cada universidad y seles aplicaron el Inventario de Comportamiento Proambiental (ICP) y el Test de Conocimiento Ambiental (TCA), este último desarrollado específicamente para propósitos de la presente investigación. Se encontró que los estudiantes encuestados poseen actitudes y creencias ambientales positivas en la mayoría de las dimensiones. El nivel de conocimiento ambiental de los estudiantes en las cinco ciudades seleccionadas es bajo. Si bien no se observaron diferencias significativas entre las carreras respecto a las creencias, valoraciones, acciones y conocimientos ambientales, paradójicamente los estudiantes de ciencias ambientales ocuparon lugares inferiores a los que estudian ciencias económicas y administrativas. Se puede concluir que existen diferencias según la ciudad en las creencias, valoración, conocimiento y acciones ambientales de los estudiantes encuestados. El reporte de acciones ambientales presenta un perfil controversial pues al mismo tiempo las personas realizan comportamientos proambientales y antiambientales. Las instituciones universitarias y el gobierno tienen el desafío de lograr que la educación ambiental muestre los resultados esperados para el cumplimiento de las metas ambientales del país y del mundo.

Abstract The objective of the present study was to establish the characteristics of the pro environmental behavior of Colombian university students; that is, to identify the attitudes, beliefs, valuations, practices and environmental knowledge of Colombian students from different university careers. For this purpose, a cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study was carried out with a sample of 1503 students from different university careers in five Colombian cities, with an incidence probability of .5, 95 % confidence and an error of 2.5 %. The participants were randomly selected within each university and the questionnaires applied were the Pro environmental Behaviour Inventory (ICP) and the Environmental Knowledge Test (TCA); the latter was developed specifically for the purposes of this research. The students surveyed were found to have positive environmental attitudes and beliefs in most dimensions. The level of environmental awareness of students in the five selected cities is low. Although no significant differences were observed between the careers with respect to beliefs, valuations, actions and environmental knowledge, paradoxically the students of environmental sciences occupied inferior places to those who study economic and administrative sciences. Thus, in the analysis of specific items it was evidenced that the students of environmental sciences develop diverse anti environmental actions, in a similar way to the behavior patterns of the students of the other researched careers. With respect to the region, the results show that it is possible to conclude that there are differences according to the city with respect to the beliefs, valuation, knowledge and environmental actions of the students surveyed. Among the findings it is worth highlighting the results of Bucaramanga in terms of the report of environmental actions and the highest average in the TCA observed in that city. Similarly, Cali stands out along with Bucaramanga in its results, while Medellín obtained the lowest scores in environmental knowledge. Finally, in the report on environmental actions in university students, contradictory results are observed, given that it presents a controversial profile because people perform pro-environmental and anti-environmental behaviors at the same time, with positive environmental attitudes and beliefs in accordance with these attitudes. Regarding the knowledge about the environment, in the descriptive results the average of the test was 12 points, which means that the students failed the test. The multivariate analysis showed that the theoretical model on which the construction of the ICP was based and the instruments from which items were selected for its conformation, apparently has great predictive power with respect to the verbal report of environmental actions; however, the TCA, a test constructed specifically for this research, would covariate with almost all the factors of the ICP but does not predict causally the actions reported by the students. In general, this study shows that university institutions and the Colombian government have the challenge of ensuring that environmental education achieves the expected results for the fulfillment of both the country and the world's environmental goals. The results also demonstrates the need to articulate policies, actions and regulations to improve the quality of environmental education in universities, as well as to implement citizen behavior programs that promote responsible consumption, given that knowledge does not correlate with effective actions in terms of public services, green brands and solid urban waste management, among other areas.

Cólera en Bolivar de 1991-1997 / Cholera in Bolivar from 1991 until 1997

El cólera, que se ha presentado a través de los siglos en forma endémica y epidémica, continúa siendo un problema de salud pública. Desde 1991, cuando el cólera apareció por primera vez en nuestro país en este siglo, el departamento de Bolívar ha sido uno de los más afectados en la costa atlántica. A partir de entonces, las autoridades de salud del departamento (Dasalud) solicitaron apoyo tecnológico para el diagnóstico microbiológico y capacitación del recurso humano al Laboratorio de Posgrado de Microbiología de la Universidad de Cartagena. Se adelantó este trabajo descriptivo de cooperación interinstitucional con el propósito de analizar el comportamiento del cólera en los municipios de Bolívar. A partir del caso índice, se inició la recolección de muestras en pacientes sospechosos provenientes de las cinco regionales de Dasalud. El diagnóstico de la enfermedad se hizo con base en los criterios clínicos, microbiológicos y epidemiológicos establecidos. Las heces recolectadas en el medio de transporte fueron procesadas para su aislamiento e identificación en medios de cultivo bacteriológicos, bioquímicos y serotipificación con antisueros específicos. De septiembre de 1991 al octavo período de 1997, se informaron 3.470 casos en 38 de 42 municipios y 94,6 por ciento ocurrió en las regionales 1 y 3; 60,2 por ciento correspondió a varones, 39,8 por ciento a mujeres y 79,2 por ciento fueron mayores de 14 años; hubo 33 defunciones; 39,8 por ciento de los casos fue diagnosticado microbiológicamente, con el hallazgo de Vibrio cholerae O1, biotipo El Tor, serotipos Inaba y Ogawa. V. Cholerae O1, serotipo Ogawa, presente en el brote de 1995 desplazó al serotipo Inaba predominante en 1991. En 1991,, el número de casos fue nueve veces mayor que en el brote de 1995 y, en 1997, aumentó 45,2 por ciento con relación a los dos últimos años; la letalidad, a su vez, mostró índices preocupantes a partir de 1992. Los municipios más afectados fueron: Cartagena, Mahates, Montecristo, María la Baja, Pinillos, Achí, Magangue, Arjona, Turbana, Calamar, Mompox, Santa Catalina, Hatillo de Loba, Turbaco, San Martín de Loba, Carmen de Bolívar, Villanueva, Zambrano, Morales, Talaigua Nuevo y Río Viejo, entre otros

Epidemiología de la infección por VIH en población de alto riesgo de Cartagena, Colombia / HIV infection epidemiology in high risk population in Cartagena, Colombia

Este estudio describe los factores de riesgo y la prevalencia de infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) en una población de 744 prisiones, trabajadores sexuales, hombres homo-bisexuales y marineros en Cartagena, uno de los puertos marítimos y turísticos más importantes sobre el mar Caribe. Entre noviembre de 1993 y abril de 1995, se realizó un estudio transversal de prevalencia de infección por el VIH y sus factores de riesgo en un grupo de 434 hombres y 310 mujeres que participaron voluntariamente. Las poblaciones fueron captadas en: i) dos cárceles, ii) en la clínica pública de enfermedades de transmisión sexual (ETS), iii) en un bar frecuentado por hombres homosexuales y iv) en la capitanía del puerto de Cartagena. La prevalencia de infección por el VIH fue de 2,14 por ciento en la población total. Por grupos, los hombres homo-bisexuales presentaron la más alta prevalencia, 12,3 por ciento, los prisioneros, 2,5 por ciento; las trabajadoras sexuales, 0.7 por ciento, y los marineros, 0.5 por ciento. Los factores de riesgo que se asociaron significativamente con la infección por VIH fueron la conducta homo-bisexual vs. la conducta heterosexual (razón de prevalencia (RP = 13, IC95 por ciento: 4,3-34,8) y prácticas de sexo anal (RP=7, IC95 por ciento: 2,4-19). El antecedente de relaciones sexuales con extranjeros se correlacionó en el análisis bivariado, pero, su significancia desapareció en el multivariado. Los datos confirman que el grupo de hombres homo-bisexuales es aún la población en la cual se concentra el mayor peso de la transmisión del VIH en nuestro país. La prevalencia en trabajadoras sexuales es baja comparada con la encontrada en un estudio reciente realizado en Cali. Se evidencia la necesidad de llegar con mejores mensajes a poblaciones que, por su marginalidad, pueden no estar alertas del riesgo que representa la infección por el VIH