Workplace Smoking Cessation in Costa Rica: Pilot Study Findings.

Background: In Costa Rica, the leading cause of preventable death is smoking. Adults spend one third of their lives at work making the workplace an optimal site for smoking cessation interventions. Therefore, we developed a workplace smoking cessation pilot program among Costa Rican Justice Department government employees based on key Costa Rican values and best practices. Methods: First, focus groups were conducted among exsmokers and smokers. Participants in the focus groups and in the subsequent smoking cessation pilot study were invited to take part in the study through flyers, information sheets, and announcements from the Justice Department. The focus groups revealed that social factors were fundamental to quitting. Therefore, based on these results two programs (14 participants) were conducted consisting of seven sessions encouraging employees to utilize their family and exsmokers. Data were collected before and after the seven sessions on smoking behavior, social influence, and other factors. Findings: Five of 14 (36%) quit smoking. None of the quitters lived with a smoker, as compared with 56% of nonquitters who lived with a smoker. Also, quitters were less likely to have friends (40% vs. 67%) and coworkers (20% vs. 33%) who smoked compared with nonquitters. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Workplace smoking cessation programs should help smokers to increase their social contacts with nonsmokers/exsmokers. Smoking cessation programs should assess not only smoking patterns, but also social contacts, such as family, friends, and coworkers. Based on these assessments, smokers should be encouraged to seek-out nonsmokers/exsmokers to assist them in quitting.

Promoting Smoking Cessation in Costa Rica: A Focus Group Study of Smokers and Ex-Smokers.

In developing worksite smoking cessation programs in Costa Rica, it is necessary to gain an understanding of smokers and ex-smokers. For smokers, it was necessary to know the barriers to quitting and what they thought may help them. For ex-smokers, we wanted to identify the main factors that helped them to successfully quit. Two separate focus groups were conducted of smokers (n = 6) and ex-smokers (n = 9) who worked at the Department of Justice. Results indicated that the key factors for both ex-smokers and smokers were social factors-family and coworkers. Participants viewed family support as fundamental to successful quitting. Smokers mentioned that the Justice Department could help them stop smoking by eliciting the support of ex-smoking coworkers. Major barriers to quitting were workplace stress and the presence of other smokers. In conclusion, family members and ex-smoking coworkers can play an important role in worksite smoking cessation programs in Costa Rica.

Suppression subtractive hybridization PCR isolation of cDNAs from a Caribbean soft coral

Transcriptomic studies of marine organisms are still in their infancy. A partial, subtracted expressed sequence tag (EST) library of the Caribbean octocoral Erythropodium caribaeorum and the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina has been analyzed in order to find novel genes or differences in gene expression related to potential secondary metabolite production or symbioses. This approach entails enrichment for potential non-“housekeeping” genes using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. More than 500 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated after cloning SSH products, which yielded at least 53 orthologous groups of proteins (COGs) and Pfam clusters, including transcription factors (Drosophila Big Brother), catalases, reverse transcriptases, ferritins and various “hypothetical” protein sequences. A total of 591 EST sequences were deposited into GenBank [dbEST: FL512138 - FL512331, GH611838, and HO061755-HO062154]. The results represent proof of concept for enrichment of unique transcripts over housekeeping genes, such as actin or ribosomal genes, which comprised approximately 17 percent of the total dataset. Due to the gene and sequence diversity of some ESTs, such sequences can find utility as molecular markers in current and future studies of this species and other soft coral biogeography, chemical ecology, phylogenetics, and evolution.

Actualización sobre la combinación de latanoprost y timolol, en proporción fija, para el tratamiento de glaucoma de ángulo abierto y la hipertensión ocular / Fixed-combination latanoprost and timolol in the treatment of open-angle galucoma and ocular hypertension: an update

El glaucoma, la segunda causa más frecuente de amaurosis en todo el mundo, es una enfermedad crónica, incurable. El objetivo principal del tratamiento médico es preservar la visión mediante la reducción de los valores de la presión intraocular (PIO). Actualmente se utiliza una variedad de agentes que producen hipotensión ocular, pero numerosos pacientes requieren más de un fármaco para lograr la disminución suficiente de la PIO. Esas combinaciones a menudo implican esquemas complejos de administración, con la consiguiente dificultad para su cumplimiento por parte de los pacientes; tales inconvenientes pueden obviarse con el uso de formulaciones combinadas en proporción preestablecida. La solución oftálmica que contiene la combinación en proporción fija (CPF) de latanoprost (una prostaglandina) al 0.005 y timolol (un betabloqueante) al 0.5(AU)

Actualización sobre la combinación de latanoprost y timolol, en proporción fija, para el tratamiento de glaucoma de ángulo abierto y la hipertensión ocular / Fixed-combination latanoprost and timolol in the treatment of open-angle galucoma and ocular hypertension: an update

El glaucoma, la segunda causa más frecuente de amaurosis en todo el mundo, es una enfermedad crónica, incurable. El objetivo principal del tratamiento médico es preservar la visión mediante la reducción de los valores de la presión intraocular (PIO). Actualmente se utiliza una variedad de agentes que producen hipotensión ocular, pero numerosos pacientes requieren más de un fármaco para lograr la disminución suficiente de la PIO. Esas combinaciones a menudo implican esquemas complejos de administración, con la consiguiente dificultad para su cumplimiento por parte de los pacientes; tales inconvenientes pueden obviarse con el uso de formulaciones combinadas en proporción preestablecida. La solución oftálmica que contiene la combinación en proporción fija (CPF) de latanoprost (una prostaglandina) al 0.005 y timolol (un betabloqueante) al 0.5

Gene expression patterns in Euglena gracilis: insights into the cellular response to environmental stress.

To better understand Euglena gracilis gene expression under different stress conditions (Chromium, Streptomycin or darkness), we undertook a survey of the E. gracilis transcriptome by cDNA sequencing and microarray analysis. First, we constructed a non-normalized cDNA library from the E. gracilis UTEX strain and sequenced a total of 1000 cDNAs. Six hundred and ten of these ESTs were similar to either Plantae or Protistae genes (e-value

Factors affecting nutrition behavior among middle-class adolescents in urban area of Northern region of Brazil

O Brasil tem sido considerado um país em transiçäo nutricional em razäo dos recentes aumentos na prevalência de obesidade e doenças crônicas na classe média, sendo importante identificar os fatores que influenciam as preferências nutricionais desse grupo. Foi realizado estudo com estudantes de classe média de um colégio secundário, particular, em Manaus, AM, Brasil. Com o objetivo de determinar a disponibilidade e a acessibilidade das merendas e analisar as atitudes e preferências dos estudantes e a influência de vários fatores na escolha de merendas nutritivas. O estudo incluiu quatro fases: (a) discussäo em um grupo de especialistas em nutriçäo sobre a disponibilidade e acessibilidade das merendas em Manaus; (b) inquérito junto a um grupo dos adolescentes (n=63) sobre suas preferências e hábitos nutricionais; (c) inquérito junto a supermercado selecionado para identificar a disponibilidade e acessibilidade das merendas preferidas; (d) um grupo acompanhado de um subamostra dos adolescentes (n=55) para identificar as preferências e atitudes sobre o custo e disponibilidade das merendas. Foi constatado que os estudantes possuíam condiçöes financeiras para comprar merendas e que as merendas nutritivas näo custam mais do que as näo nutritivas. A preferência dos adolescentes foi por merendas näo nutritivas. Os fatores que, principalmente, influenciam na escolha originam-se da família e da televisäo. As implicaçöes para futuras pesquisas e programas nutricionais säo discutidos, recomendando-se campanha de educaçäo nutricional para famílias, visto a importância desta na escolha de merendas entre esses adolescentes.