Universidad del Norte, Colombia

About: Universidad del Norte, Colombia is a education organization based out in Barranquilla, Colombia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 3562 authors who have published 4355 publications receiving 37861 citations. The organization is also known as: University of the North, Colombia & Uninorte.

Epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic and economic features of an immigrant population of chronic schistosomiasis sufferers with long-term residence in a non-endemic country (North Metropolitan area of Barcelona, 2002-2016).

Abstract: Background Schistosomiasis, one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) listed by the WHO, is an acute and chronic parasitic disease caused by blood flukes (trematode worms) of the genus Schistosoma. Complications of long-term infestation include liver cirrhosis, bladder tumors and kidney failure. The objective of this study was to carry out a clinical and epidemiological characterization of a schistosomiasis-diagnosed immigrant population with long-term residencein the EU as well as to evaluate the diagnostic methods available to date. Methods and results A total of 61 individuals with Schistosoma infection who received medical attention between June 2002 and June 2016 at the North Metropolitan International Health Unit in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), were included in the study. All patients were sub-Saharan African immigrants. The majority were male (91.8%) with a median age of 34 years. Symptoms attributable to infection such as haematuria, abdominal pain and dysuria were recorded in up to 90% of patients. The percentage of eosinophils decreased amongst older patients (p = 0.002) and those with symptoms associated with urinary tract infections (p = 0.017). Serology was used for diagnosis in 80.3% of the cases, with microscopic examination showing the remaining 9.8% positive for parasite eggs. Direct microbiological diagnosis was more useful in patients with less than 5 years of residence in the EU (p = 0.05). Chronic complications were present in 22 (36%) of the patients, with renal failure affecting 20 (33%). Of these 20, 6(10%) developed terminal renal failure and required hemodialysis, while 3 (5%) received a renal transplantation. Conclusion Morbidity associated with chronic long-term schistosomiasis is frequent among African immigrants in non-endemic countries. Better diagnostic tools and appropriate early treatment would prevent the development of visceral damage. Thorough screening in selected patients would also be useful to avoid chronic complications.

Factors associated with depression and burden in Spanish speaking caregivers of individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Abstract: Objective: To determine which factors are highly associated with burden and depression in a group of caregivers of persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Colombia, South America. Design: Prospective. Participants: Fifty-one pairs of individuals with TBI and their caregivers from two major cities in Colombia completed a comprehensive psychosocial evaluation that included information related to patient and caregiver sociodemographic factors, patient factors, and caregiver estimation of patient neurobehavioral functioning. Outcome measures: Caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview) and caregiver depression (PHQ-9). Results: Generalized linear models revealed that patient language problems and caregiver perception of patient functioning on six neurobehavioral domains were related to caregiver burden. Caregiver socioeconomic status and caregiver perception of patient functioning on six neurobehavioral domains were related to caregiver depression. These variables were then selected as candidates for the multiple regression models, which were fit separately for caregiver depression and burden, and revealed that caregivers' perception of patient depression was the only factor associated with both caregiver burden and depression. Conclusion: Caregivers' perception of patient depression was the single best predictor of both caregiver burden and depression. Implications for treatment based on these preliminary findings are discussed.

Unravelling the widening of the earliest Andean northern orogen: Maastrichtian to early Eocene intra‐basinal deformation in the northern Eastern Cordillera of Colombia

Abstract: [The Maastrichtian ‐ Paleocene sequence studied in the Cocuy area and adjacent basins documents crustal intra‐basinal deformation since Maastrichtian. Slab flattening of the subducting Caribbean plate produced a wider orogen (>400 km) with a continental magmatic arc and intra‐basinal deformation and magmatism. , Abstract The onset of deformation in the northern Andes is overprinted by subsequent stages of basin deformation, complicating the examination of competing models illustrating potential location of earliest synorogenic basins and uplifts. To establish the width of the earliest northern Andean orogen, we carried out field mapping, palynological dating, sedimentary, stratigraphic and provenance analyses in Campanian to lower Eocene units exposed in the northern Eastern Cordillera of Colombia (Cocuy region) and compare the results with coeval succession in adjacent basins. The onset of deformation is recorded in earliest Maastrichtian time, as terrigenous detritus arrived into the basin marking the end of chemical precipitation and the onset of clastic deposition produced by the uplift of a western source area dominated by shaly Cretaceous rocks. Disconformable contacts within the upper Maastrichtian to middle Palaeocene succession document increasing supply of quartzose sandy detritus from Cretaceous quartzose rocks exposed in eastern source areas. The continued unroofing of both source areas produced a rapid shift in depositional environments from shallow marine in Maastrichtian to fluvial‐lacustrine systems during the Palaeocene‐early Eocene. Supply of immature Jurassic sandstones from nearby western uplifts, together with localized plutonic and volcanic Cretaceous rocks, caused a shift in Palaeocene sandstones composition from quartzarenites to litharenites. Supply of detrital sandy fragments, unstable heavy minerals and Cretaceous to Ordovician detrital zircons, were derived from nearby uplifted blocks and from SW fluvial systems within the synorogenic basin, instead of distal basement rocks. The presence of volcanic rock fragments and 51–59 Ma volcanic zircons constrain magmatism within the basin. The Maastrichtian–Palaeocene sequence studied here documents crustal deformation that correlates with coeval deformation farther south in Ecuador and Peru. Slab flattening of the subducting Caribbean plate produced a wider orogen (>400 km) with a continental magmatic arc and intra‐basinal deformation and magmatism.]

Perceptions of economic inequality in Colombian daily life: More than unequal distribution of economic resources

Abstract: Research on perceptions of economic inequality focuses on estimations of the distribution of financial resources, such as perceived income gaps or wealth distribution. However, we argue that perceiving inequality is not limited to an economic idea but also includes other dimensions related to people's daily life. We explored this idea by conducting an online survey (N = 601) in Colombia, where participants responded to an open-ended question regarding how they perceived economic inequality. We performed a content analysis of 1,624 responses to identify relevant topics and used network analysis tools to explore how such topics were interrelated. We found that perceived economic inequality is mainly represented by identifying social classes (e.g., the elites vs. the poor), intergroup relations based on discrimination and social exclusion, public spaces (e.g., beggars on streets, spatial segregation), and some dynamics about the distribution of economic resources and the quality of work (e.g., income inequality, precarious jobs). We discuss how different perceptions of economic inequality may frame how people understand and respond to inequality.

La e-investigación de la comunicación : actitudes, herramientas y prácticas en investigadores iberoamericanos

Abstract: La e-investigacion esta cambiando las practicas y dinamicas de la investigacion social, gracias a la incorporacion de herramientas digitales avanzadas para el procesamiento de datos y el incremento de la colaboracion cientifica. Estudios anteriores muestran una actitud positiva de los cientificos hacia la e-investigacion y la rapida incorporacion de herramientas digitales para el trabajo academico, a pesar de las resistencias culturales al cambio. Este articulo examina el estado actual (actitudes, herramientas y practicas) de la e-investigacion en el campo de los estudios en comunicacion en Iberoamerica. Un total de 316 investigadores de la region respondieron una encuesta en linea durante los ultimos dos meses de 2011. Los resultados confirman una actitud positiva hacia la e-investigacion y un uso frecuente de las e-herramientas. Sin embargo, la mayor parte de ellos aseguran usar e-herramientas basicas (como correo-e, videoconferencia comercial, software de oficina o redes sociales), en vez de usar tecnologias avanzadas para procesar gran cantidad de datos (como Grids, programas de simulacion o Internet2) o de incorporarse a comunidades virtuales de investigacion. Algunos investigadores afirmaron tener un uso «intensivo» (31%) o «frecuente» (53%) de las e-herramientas, pero solo el 22% aseguraron que la capacidad de su computador personal era insuficiente para manejar y procesar los datos. El articulo concluye evidenciando una brecha importante entre la e-investigacion en comunicacion y en otras disciplinas, y establece recomendaciones para su implementacion en la region.