Environmental risk management: A participatory diagnosis from a rural school in Colombia

The rural population is potentially exposed to several environmental risks. Environmental risk management is a recurring challenge in rural educational communities that are far from large urban areas. Assessing and identifying the knowledge on prevention and response to environmental risks and natural disasters is fundamental for planning and designing educational programs for communities to face disasters. This article presented the practical application of a participatory methodology to obtain information about the knowledge and experience in the prevention and attention of environmental threats and natural disasters in the rural school Las Huacas, village of Quintana, municipality of Popayán, in the region of Cauca, Colombia. The diagnosis methodology consisted of three phases: preparatory, fieldwork and analytical. The participatory diagnosis allowed the construction of instruments and tools for social interaction, the conduction of dynamic workshops and the systematisation of the collected information. The results evidenced the lack of knowledge on environmental disasters and how parents and children must face them. The absence of communication facilities implied a high degree of vulnerability, which was compensated with the awareness, commitment and participation in the processes led by the educational community. The next challenge is the participatory construction of a scholar environmental risk-management plan supported on appropriated information and communication technologies.

Contribution

This article presents the practical application of a participatory methodology to obtain information about the rural context and the knowledge and experience in the prevention and attention of environmental threats and natural disasters in a rural school in Cauca, Colombia.

Neural signals predict information sharing across cultures

Information sharing influences which messages spread and shape beliefs, behavior, and culture. In a preregistered neuroimaging study conducted in the United States and the Netherlands, we demonstrate replicability, predictive validity, and generalizability of a brain-based prediction model of information sharing. Replicating findings in Scholz et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 114, 2881-2886 (2017), self-, social-, and value-related neural signals in a group of individuals tracked the population sharing of US news articles. Preregistered brain-based prediction models trained on Scholz et al. (2017) data proved generalizable to the new data, explaining more variance in population sharing than self-report ratings alone. Neural signals (versus self-reports) more reliably predicted sharing cross-culturally, suggesting that they capture more universal psychological mechanisms underlying sharing behavior. These findings highlight key neurocognitive foundations of sharing, suggest potential target mechanisms for interventions to increase message effectiveness, and advance brain-as-predictor research.

Sublingual tacrolimus administration provides similar drug exposure to per-oral route employing lower doses in liver transplantation: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Per-oral tacrolimus administration is not always practicable. Sublingual administration is a potential alternative, but its feasibility and effectiveness compared with oral route has not been established.

AIM

To compare tacrolimus drug exposure after sublingual and oral administration in liver transplant recipients.

METHODS

Experimental, open-label, non-randomised, cross-over study. Tacrolimus exposure was evaluated in 32 liver transplant recipients receiving oral administration. 12 h tacrolimus area-under-the-curve (AUC_{0-12 h} ) was calculated using tacrolimus blood concentrations at 0-0.5-1-2-4-6-8-12 hrs post-dose. Recipients were switched to sublingual administration, and dose was adjusted to reach similar trough levels, new AUC_{0-12 h} was calculated. Correlation between AUC_{0-12 h} and trough levels was determined for both oral and sublingual phases.

RESULTS

Similar trough levels were accomplished with oral and sublingual administration (6.68 ± 2 ng/mL vs. 6.62 ± 1.9 ng/mL (P = 0.8)). Although concentration 2 h post dose was higher in oral phase (15.36 ± 7.14 vs. 13.18 ± 5.64, P = 0.015), AUC_{0-12 h} was similar in both phases (116.6 ± 34.6 vs. 111.5 ± 36.93 ng/mL_* h, P = 0.19). Daily dose of tacrolimus required in sublingual phase was 37% lower than that used in oral phase (P < 0.0001), suggesting significantly increased bioavailability of tacrolimus when employing sublingual route. Good correlation between AUC_{0-12 h} and trough levels was observed in sublingual phase (r² = 0.74). Twenty-two recipients were maintained on sublingual administration after the end of study (mean follow-up: 18.7 ± 5.8 months). No difference in liver function tests or rejection rates was found during follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

Sublingual administration of tacrolimus is feasible and provides similar drug exposure compared with oral administration. In our study, at long-term follow-up, sublingual administration was not associated with liver transplant rejection.

[Mental health and psychiatry: role and issues of the Geneva mental health associations' network]

The psychosocial Geneva-based associations provide ongoing support to people suffering from mental disorders and their families. This network gives psychological care and works towards social inclusion. This approach is an alternative as well as a complement to medical care. The services offered by the associations are varied: mutual self-help, providing a place to live and a space dedicated to specific activities, family support, counselling, therapy, etc. They have two central issues: improving quality of life and promoting the rights of patients. Collaboratively, they are in constant dialogue with the psychiatric institutions in the canton, leading to joint activities and furthering the thinking on patient health and rehabilitation.

Study of composting of cotton residues

A study on the composting of residues of cotton gin previously crushed or uncrushed is presented in this work. A multifactor analysis of correlation for each one of the treatments revealed that the final results obtained during the composting process of cotton residuals were very different according to whether the residues were crushed or uncrushed. Generally, the highest final values of macronutrients and micronutrients obtained were found when the composting process was carried out with the crushed residuals.

Obtaining a protein concentrate from integral defatted sunflower flour

Proteins which are found in integral defatted sunflower flour (27% of protein in dry weight) allow us to produce a protein concentrate by means of extraction of proteins with a basic pH solution, followed by their precipitation with an acid pH solution. Once the suitable conditions for pH and temperature were fixed in order to carry out these processes, a solid proteic concentrate (71% of protein in dry weight) was obtained which was rich in glutamic and aspartic acids, with a liquid supernatant very rich in phosphorus and potassium, which might be used as an agricultural fertilizer.

Effect of a preventive approach for the treatment of nursing bottle caries

Seventeen children with nursing bottle caries and their caretakers were studied to assess whether a preventive program would arrest the progression of the caries. Prior to the study the caretakers were asked questions regarding their child's oral hygiene practices and nursing habits, as well as the caretaker's demographic characteristics. All caretakers were given instructions on how to control the use of their child's nursing bottle and how to brush their child's teeth twice daily with 0.4 percent stannous fluoride gel. After the instruction the children and caretakers were placed on 3-month recalls. Compliance was determined through a self-evaluation questionnaire assessing preventive behaviors. In general, the caretakers were unmarried 20- to 30-year-old women subsisting on welfare with one child. The majority of the caretakers were aware of the potential dangers of the child sleeping with milk or sweet liquids in the bottle. The study was discontinued after three month because caries noticeably progressed in all but two of the children, and only two caretakers complied fully with the prevention program.

[Transcervical adenomectomy with prior hemostasis (author's transl)]

After giving a brief description of the anatomy of the prostate, with special emphasis on the irrigation of same, the authors discuss 226 cases of adenoma of the prostate operated on transcervically with prior hemostasis, the transfusion consisting of a total of 111 of blood. In 68% of the cases, the urine became clear within 24 h after the operation. The probe was removed within the first 5 days in 70% of the cases. The complications found included: 9 cases of epididymitis (keeping in mind that deferent ducts are never linked), 4 cases of postoperative incontinence (in 3 cases the incontinence was temporary and disappeared within 3 months), and 3 deaths 2 weeks after the operation (1.3%) due to ictus, bronchopneumonia, and pneumonia, respectively. The hospital stay lasted 9 days, on the average. There were no cases of late hemorrhaging, fistula, or vesicle atony.