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Cysticercosis is an infestation of Cysticercus cellulosae. When it occurs in the brain, chronic neurological complications can ensue, most commonly seizures. Neurocysticercosis is usually diagnosed by neuroimaging, a technique not available in most endemic countries. Hence immunological tests are valuable for diagnosis and epidemiological surveys. We evaluated the suitability of paper for storing blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) until subsequent testing by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), by testing whole blood samples on filter paper from 305 patients and CSF samples from 117 patients stored on ordinary white typing paper and on filter paper. Optimal preservation of biological samples is achieved when whole blood is stored on filter paper, CSF on white paper, and when samples are frozen within 1 week after collection. Our results could improve diagnostic capabilities and facilitate epidemiological surveys in endemic countries where immunodiagnostic tests cannot be rapidly performed because of inadequate laboratory infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically investigates the leadership implications of adopting the European Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) in a non-European context. A multiple case study compares the Latin American regions of Medellín, Colombia, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. A variety of data collection procedures are used, including in-depth interviews with 33 relevant actors from the triple helix that participated in the S3 design. The paper contributes to the literature by identifying the leadership capabilities that lead to effective S3 in intermediate metropolitan regions, as well as the factors that foster and hinder those leadership capabilities. This paper argues that the leadership roles for S3 include a systemic perspective among a wide range of stakeholders, but also an evolutionary perspective to manage novelty and break path dependencies. Second, it argues that the degree of centralization and institutional context affect regional leadership. Finally, four leadership capabilities are suggested based on both systemic and evolutionary perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to research different strategies for developing the green economy in shrinking cities. Considering urban shrinkage and the green economy as two extended concepts, a French town in post-Fordist transition and a Mexican post-mining town are selected as the most diverse/similar systems to indicate different strategies for sustainable development in shrinking cities. Embedded into different national backgrounds, including urban dynamics and support schemes for the green economy, the selected cases share the objectives of greening and regrowing strategies relying on other sectors of the green economy. The methodology applied is qualitative, including fieldwork, semi-structured interview techniques, carried out in person or remotely, and questionnaires. Findings show some positive results regarding sustainability and ecological transition in the French case, while regrowth trends were reached in the Mexican case. However, the analysis leads to uncertain scenarios for positive long-term impacts, especially due to uncertainty around future supporting policies for territorial cohesion and sustainability at national and regional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the necessary and sufficient conditions for successful innovation in design and engineering companies (DECs) of the aerospace industry in Mexico. It is argued that successful innovation activity is a condition for achieving a high-performance level (HPL) among DECs. Seven innovation capabilities are analyzed to determine whether an HPL exists. Based on the dynamic capabilities approach, this research suggests that learning capability (LRC), research and development capability (RDC), creative capability (CRC), collaborative innovation capability (CIC), knowledge sharing capability (KSC), and exploitation capability (EXTC) are necessary conditions to achieve an HPL in DECs of the aerospace industry in Mexico. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methods are applied in this research to get insight into the configuration complexity that determines configurational causal relationships between HPL and innovation capabilities among firms of this industry in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers and practitioners recognise the importance of context when implementing healthcare interventions, but the influence of wider environment is rarely mapped. This paper identifies the country and policy-related factors potentially explaining the country differences in outcomes of an intervention focused on improving detection and management of heavy alcohol use in primary care in Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Qualitative data obtained through interviews, logbooks and document analysis are used to explain quantitative data on number of alcohol screenings and screening providers in each of the countries. Existing alcohol screening standards in Mexico, and policy prioritisation of primary care and consideration of alcohol as a public health issue in Colombia and Mexico positively contributed to the outcome, while the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact. In Peru, the context was unsupportive due to a combination of: political instability amongst regional health authorities; lack of focus on strengthening primary care due to the expansion of community mental health centres; alcohol considered as an addiction rather than a public health issue; and the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare. We found that wider environment-related factors interacted with the intervention implemented and can help explain country differences in outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population-level disparities in later-life cognitive health point to the importance of family resources. Although the bulk of prior work establishes the directional flow of resources from parents to offspring, the "linked lives" perspective raises the question of how offspring resources could affect parental health as well. This paper examines whether adult children's education influences older parents' (aged 50+) cognitive health in Mexico, where schooling reforms have contributed to significant gains in the educational achievements of recent birth cohorts. Harnessing a change in compulsory school laws and applying an instrumental variables approach, we found that each year of offspring schooling was associated with higher overall cognition among parents, but was less predictive across different cognitive functioning domains. More offspring schooling improved parents' cognitive abilities in verbal learning, verbal fluency, and orientation, but not in visual scanning, visuo-spatial ability, or visual memory. The beneficial effects of offspring schooling on those cognitive domains are more salient for mothers compared to fathers, suggesting potential gendered effects in the influence of offspring schooling. The results remained robust to controls for parent-child contact and geographic proximity, suggesting other avenues through which offspring education could affect parental health and a pathway for future research. Our findings contribute to growing research which stresses the causal influence of familial educational attainment on population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to incorporate and develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within university programs is necessary for future leaders, managers and entrepreneurs. Within the framework of CSR and stakeholder theory the paper contributes a comparative case study that utilizes curriculum and in-depth interview analysis to illustrate not only the similarities and differences in the CSR programs, but how social responsibility is taught in a Mexican and Canadian University context. The main findings are: the CSR program in Mexico is perceived as a strategic management tool that adds value to the organization and does not pay any special attention to the globalization phenomena. Whereas in Canada, social responsibility is founded on ethics, attention to the different stakeholders in a globalized environment is emphasized and the strategic importance of CSR is widely accepted. The paper provides academics and researcher insight into exploring how universities can further facilitate students as stakeholders in considering social responsibility as important and necessary to ensure CSR sustainability in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of Mexican and US employees about effective and ineffective managerial behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative multiple cross-case comparative analysis of findings obtained from two past emic replication studies of observed effective and ineffective managerial behaviour carried out in Mexico and the USA respectively was conducted. Findings: Notwithstanding the significant cultural variances between Mexico and the USA underlined by various cross-cultural studies, the findings suggest that Mexican and US employees perceive effective and ineffective managerial behaviour in a very similar manner. Research limitations/implications: While the results of the study suggest that culture may not play a significant role in the way people perceive managerial and leadership effectiveness, the authors suggest that more replication studies with larger and more balanced gender samples using different methods need to be performed in both countries. Practical implications: The findings of the study may be relevant for human resource development professionals in both countries when providing training to expatriates for international assignments. Reinforcing the set of managerial practices that are perceived as effective in these two countries and emphasizing those practices that may be particular to Mexico and the USA respectively, could lead to an improvement in the performance of Mexican executives managing in the USA and US executives managing in Mexico. Originality/value: This paper compares managerial behavioural effectiveness between Mexico and the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In two of the busiest migration corridors of the twentieth century, namely Mexico-US and Turkey-Germany, migrants can today be dual citizens. However, the acceptance of dual citizenship did not occur automatically; instead, it followed a period of legal statuses short of full citizenship. This paper conceptualises such statuses as quasi-citizenship, a transitional equilibrium between the absence of plural citizenship and the existence of transnational migration. Focusing on sending states, the emergence of emigrant quasi-citizenship is thus explained, first, in terms of whether the reciprocal regimes of emigration and immigration states diverge on the acceptance of plural citizenship. Second, the stance towards plural citizenship is explained in terms of the experience with emigration. It is then shown that, in the case of Mexico, the legacy of undesired emigration weakened the incentives to adapt the territorial conception of citizenship to expatriates, hence creating quasi-citizens, and in the case of Turkey, the higher political relevance of expatriates, who could have the host country citizenship, reinforced the external dimension of the ethno-cultural conception of citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Salud Pública de México is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims at exploring trade opportunities between Mexico, Indonesia, and Turkey, presently members of MIKTA, by comparing their respective Macroeconomic and socioeconomic variables. We use the GDP per capita as a key indicator of productivity and market size to see which MIKTA members are similar and therefore have a potential to set trade and business projects among them. To do that we conducted an ANOVA test and skiped Australia and South Korea of the analysis due to their high income per capita. We then focused on Mexico, Indonesia, and Turkey, whose economies proved to be equivalent and compared their key macroeconomic and social indicators, outstanding their most competitive sectors, commodities, foreign trade, and trade partners. A total of 87 observations were rated from one to three to identify which country was better. Mexico scored 205 points followed by Indonesia with 164 and Turkey, 153 points. Finally, we ran a second ANOVA test, taking the value of all observations in a logarithmic scale to prove that in spite of the different scores, the mean of the three countries was equal. The results are relevant as the three of them present a wide business scope to be exploited, which could allow them to lead the MIKTA in the coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pasos: Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural is the property of Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to compare the perceptions of employed people in Mexico and Colombia about managerial and leadership behavioural effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative multiple cross-case and cross-nation comparative analysis of findings obtained from the two past emic replication (Mexico and Colombia) studies was conducted. Findings: The study suggests that people within Mexican and Colombian organizations perceive "managerial and leadership behavioural effectiveness" in very similar ways. The findings support those researchers whose studies indicate that culture may not, as previously thought, play a significant role in the way managers should manage and lead their subordinates. Research limitations/implications: The authors acknowledge two main limitations related to the sample size and scope of the two compared sets of empirical source data. The number of critical incidents about perceived managerial behavioural effectiveness obtained from the two compared studies was unbalanced (318 from the Mexican study and 267 from the Colombian study). Thus, the authors suggest more indigenous replication managerial behaviour studies be carried out in both Mexico and Colombia with the objective of identifying (if possible) the existence of critical incidents that could lead to different findings. Furthermore, the authors suggest conducting replica studies focused on specific industries rather than a diverse range of organizations to test the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications: The findings of the comparative study are relevant to those human resource development professionals in international companies with operations in Mexico and/or Colombia when preparing their executives for international assignments in these Latin American countries. Originality/value: The comparative study attempts to generate new insights and better understanding within the context of "managerial and leadership behavioural effectiveness" research, which the authors hope will make a useful contribution to the existing small body of knowledge regarding similarities and differences in managerial practices across culturally diverse Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to compare the prevalence of edentulism in Mexican adults with and without a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) when they are seeking dental care. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1921 medical records of Mexican adults 40 years of age and older who sought dental care at clinics of a public university in Mexico. The dependent variable was edentulism, clinically determined through an oral examination. The main independent variable was the self-report of previous T2DM diagnosis made by a physician. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic and behavioral covariates were included in a multivariate binary logistic regression model. Overall edentulism prevalence was 8.4% (95% CI = 7.1–9.6). The prevalence of T2DM was 14.3% (n = 274). The prevalence of edentulism among individuals with T2DM was 13.1%, but only 7.6% among individuals without T2DM. In the multivariate binary logistic regression model, a previous T2DM diagnosis increased the probability of being edentulous 1.61 times (95% CI = 1.03–2.50). For each year a person's age increased, the likelihood of being edentulous increased by 12% (95% CI = 10–14%). In summary, a higher prevalence of edentulism was present in Mexican adults with T2DM and in those of older age. This information may be used by dental care providers and health policymakers to improve approaches to preventive care, as well as to characterize and anticipate care needs more accurately for the adult and older adult populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Mexico, despite that the fact that several social programs have been implemented, chronic undernutrition is still a public health problem affecting 1.5 million children of <5 years. Chiapas ranks first in underweight and stunting at national level with a stunting prevalence of 31.4 % whereas for its rural population is 44.2 %. The purpose of this paper is to determine if the nutritional status of a cohort of children living in poor rural communities under Oportunidades has changed. We were interested in assessing the nutrition evolution of the children who were initially diagnosed as stunted and of those who were diagnosed as normal. Oportunidades is an anti-poverty program of the Mexican government consisting mainly in monetary transfers to the families living in alimentary poverty.Methods: A 9-year cohort prospective study was conducted with nutritional evaluations of 222 children. Anthropometric indices were constructed from measurements of weight, height, and age of the children whose nutritional status was classified following WHO standards.Results: The results showed that although these children were Oportunidades beneficiaries for 9 years and their families improved their living conditions, children still had a high prevalence of stunting (40.1 %) and 69.6 % had not recovered yet. Children who were initially diagnosed with normal nutritional status and became stunted 2 years later had a higher risk (relative risk (RR) 5.69, 2.95-10.96) of continuing stunted at school age and adolescence.Conclusions: Oportunidades has not impacted, as expected, the nutritional status of the study population. These findings pose the question: Why has not the nutritional status of children improved, although the living conditions of their families have significantly improved? This might be the result of an adaptation process achieved through a decrease of growth velocity. It is important to make efforts to watch the growth of the children during their first 3 years of age, to focus on improving the diet of women at fertile age and pay special attention to environmental conditions to break the vicious cycle of malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aim is to make a comparison between two nomadic markets of the metropolitan area of Toluca, México. It shows the origin of each one of the products that are exchanged in these markets and the forms of articulation of urban and country or indigenous economies, contrasting them with global markets. This work recognizes the importance of street markets in the supply and demand economical cycle, which tendency, is to consider only supermarkets and elite markets into the economical competition rates of a city. Street markets are commonly left behind, but for societies like Toluca, they represent a common place of recognition and gathering processes. Tianguis (as in the pre-Hispanic word) from Toluca and Ixtlahuaca are been analyzed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper, which is part of a parallel study between Mexico and Spain, analyzes the environmental information requests that are made by users in the Spanish public sector bodies. Furthermore, a webcrawler, which was designed for this purpose, analyzes many parameters of the information displayed on the website of 30 environmental public bodies such as the number of documents, providers, types of environmental information, document formats ... Results highlight the use of metatags instead of metadata and descriptor analysis shows a lack of relationship between the requests and the descriptors which are used to identify such information on the Web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine differences in the availability, variety and distribution of foods and beverages sold at street food stands (SFS) across neighbourhood income levels in Mexico City.Design: Cross-sectional.Setting: Twenty neighbourhoods representing low-, middle- and high-income levels in Mexico City.Participants: Direct observations of SFS (n 391).Results: The availability of healthy foods such as fruits/vegetables was high in middle- and high-income neighbourhoods, whereas the availability of unhealthy foods such as processed snacks was higher in low-income neighbourhoods. However, statistically significant differences in food availability across neighbourhoods were only observed for dairy and processed snack items (P < 0·05). Similarly, differences in variety were only observed for cereal and processed snacks (P < 0·05). No statistically significant differences were seen for variety of fruits/vegetable across neighbourhood income levels (P > 0·05). No statistically significant differences across neighbourhood income levels were observed for beverage availability and variety (P > 0·05). Although street foods and beverages were often distributed near homes, public transportation centres and worksites, no differences were observed across neighbourhood income levels (P > 0·05).Conclusions: Findings suggest that SFS can be a source of both unhealthy foods and healthy foods for communities across neighbourhoods in Mexico City. Additional studies are needed to assess the relationship between street food and beverage availability, and consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the barriers and enablers of breast-feeding protection and support after the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico.Design: A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach to analyse data collected from in-depth interviews, virtual ethnography and documentary analysis of newspapers.Setting: Data were collected after the September 2017 earthquakes in Mexico (from 8 September 2017 to 15 May 2018).Participants: The participants included key informants (n 13) from different sectors. Postings retrieved from forty-two Facebook and forty-seven Twitter accounts and a WhatsApp group informed the virtual ethnography analysis. Newspaper material covering the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico (seven newspapers) was retrieved for the documentary analysis.Results: Interviews with key informants revealed a lack of knowledge, unclear institutional protocols during emergencies and lack of enforcement of existing international frameworks. The virtual ethnography uncovered a strong call for donations in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, and generalized donations of formula revealed a tense relationship between actions taken by breast-feeding experts and the negative reactions from the government and citizens. This analysis highlights the relevance of pre-existing networks of experts in protecting and supporting breast-feeding. From the newspaper documentary analysis, similar themes emerged.Conclusions: This study identified key barriers and enablers in the protection and support of breast-feeding during the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico. Relevant actors should embrace the lessons highlighted in this study because countries such as Mexico are likely to experience other emergencies in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine patterns of taxed and untaxed food and beverage shopping across store types after Mexico's sugary drink and non-essential food taxes, the nutritional quality of these patterns and the socio-economic characteristics associated with them.Design: We performed k-means cluster analyses using households' percentage of food and beverage purchases from each store type (i.e. convenience stores, traditional shops (e.g. bodegas, tiendas, mom-and-pop shops), supermarkets, wholesalers and others). We calculated adjusted mean proportions of taxed and untaxed products (ml or g/capita per d) purchased in each pattern. We studied the associations between households' SES and shopping patterns using multinomial logistic regressions. Within shopping patterns, we obtained mean volumes and proportions of taxed and untaxed food and beverage subgroups and calculated the proportion of products purchased at each store type.Setting: Mexico.Participants: Urban Mexican households (n 5493) from the Nielsen Mexico Consumer Panel Survey 2015.Results: We found four beverage shopping patterns and three food shopping patterns, driven by the store type where most purchases were made. For beverages, 48 % of households were clustered in the Traditional pattern and purchased the highest proportion of taxed beverages. Low-SES households had the highest probability of clustering in the Traditional beverage shopping pattern. For foods, 35 % of households were clustered into the Supermarket pattern. High-SES households had the highest probability of clustering in the Supermarket food shopping pattern.Conclusions: The combination of store types where Mexican households purchase packaged foods and beverages varies. However, households in all shopping patterns and SES purchase taxed beverages mainly at traditional stores. Store-level strategies should be developed to intervene on traditional stores to improve the healthfulness of purchases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research is needed to determine the relevance of low-intensity daily smoking to mortality in countries such as Mexico, where such smoking habits are common.Methods: Prospective study of 159 755 Mexican adults recruited from 1998-2004 and followed for cause-specific mortality to 1 January 2018. Participants were categorized according to baseline self-reported smoking status. Confounder-adjusted mortality rate ratios (RRs) at ages 35-89 were estimated using Cox regression, after excluding those with previous chronic disease (to avoid reverse causality).Results: Among 42 416 men and 86 735 women aged 35-89 and without previous disease, 18 985 men (45%) and 18 072 women (21%) reported current smoking and 8866 men (21%) and 53 912 women (62%) reported never smoking. Smoking less than daily was common: 33% of male current smokers and 39% of female current smokers. During follow-up, the all-cause mortality RRs associated with the baseline smoking categories of <10 cigarettes per day (average during follow-up 4 per day) or ≥10 cigarettes per day (average during follow-up 10 per day), compared with never smoking, were 1.17 (95% confidence interval 1.10-1.25) and 1.54 (1.42-1.67), respectively. RRs were similar irrespective of age or sex. The diseases most strongly associated with daily smoking were respiratory cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and gastrointestinal and vascular diseases. Ex-daily smokers had substantially lower mortality rates than those who were current daily smokers at recruitment.Conclusions: In this Mexican population, low-intensity daily smoking was associated with increased mortality. Of those smoking 10 cigarettes per day on average, about one-third were killed by their habit. Quitting substantially reduced these risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although there is growing recognition of the importance of person-centered maternity care, the needs and perspectives of pregnant adolescents are rarely considered. The purpose of this study was to compare the maternity care experiences of Mexican-origin adolescents in Guanajuato, Mexico and Fresno, California from both youth and healthcare provider perspectives.Methods: Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with a total of 89 respondents, including 74 pregnant and parenting adolescents as well as 15 providers between December 2016 and July 2017. Adolescents also completed a short demographic survey prior to participation. Transcripts in English and Spanish were coded and thematically analyzed using Dedoose software. Results were compared by location and between youth and providers.Results: Four themes emerged regarding patient-provider interactions: the need for communication and clear explanations, respectful versus judgmental providers, engaging youth in decision-making, and a focus on the age of the youth and their partners. While youth had similar perspectives and priorities in both locations, youth in Mexico reported more negative healthcare experiences than youth in California. Perspectives varied between the youth and providers, with providers in both California and Mexico identifying several structural challenges in providing quality care to adolescents. In California, challenges to supporting immigrant Latina adolescents and their families included language and translation issues as well as barriers to care due to immigration status and documentation. In both locations, providers also mentioned high patient caseloads and their own concerns about the youth's life choices.Conclusion: Youth-centered care requires more effective and respectful patient-provider communication, where adolescents are engaged in their healthcare decision-making and delivery options. Changes in patient-provider interactions can help improve the maternity care experiences and outcomes of Latina adolescents. Healthcare systems and providers need to reconfigure their approaches to focus on the needs and priorities of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The emergency situation caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected different facets of society. Although much of the attention is focused on the health sector, other sectors such as education have also experienced profound transformations and impacts. This sector is usually highly affected by psychosocial risks, and this could be aggravated during the current health emergency. Psychosocial risks may cause health problems, lack of motivation, and a decrease of effectiveness at work, which in turn affect the quality of teaching. Despite their importance, there are hardly any studies that analyze psychosocial risks of non-university teachers during a health emergency such as that caused by COVID-19. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the perception of COVID-19 and the psychosocial risks of non-university teachers comparing Spain and Mexico during the state of alarm caused by COVID-19. Methods: Data were collected from 421 non-university teachers (80.2% women; 56.3% from Mexico, 43.7% from Spain) aged 24–60 (M = 39.32, SD = 10.21) via a self-completed questionnaire during the pandemic from March to April 2020. Results: Data analysis suggests that inequity is the most important risk, followed by work overload. Teachers appear to be moderately satisfied with the information on COVID-19 and the measures taken, while their satisfaction with the available resources is lower. When comparing the two countries, significant differences can be observed in every risk considered except for social support, with lower levels in Mexican teachers compared to Spanish ones. In the case of the perception of COVID-19 and its impact, the perception in general of levels of information, measures, and resources is better among Mexican teachers than among Spanish ones, who present higher scores of the impact of the health emergency. Conclusion: The results underline the importance of the professional's perception of resources during a health emergency, which could prevent to some extent burnout and possible alterations associated with it. The measures taken by the responsible entities and the provision of information do affect teachers not only directly but also indirectly by making them more vulnerable to psychosocial risks that could affect their health and professional performance, thus affecting students as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aflatoxins are a group of naturally occurring mycotoxins, which can lead to death and are a known cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. AF exposure has been hypothesised to lead to stunted growth in children, but separating the AF effect from other determinants of linear growth retardation is difficult. The study used secondary data from an efficacy trial conducted in young children in southern Mexico to test the comparative efficacy of a milk‐based multiple micronutrient‐fortified food, a multiple micronutrient syrup, or a multiple micronutrient powder. The effect of serum AFB1‐lysine adduct level on incremental growth was tested using a longitudinal mixed model, controlling for key individual, maternal, and household‐level covariates. AFB1‐lysine adduct was detectable in all but 2 of the 347 children in the study (median exposure: 0.82 pg/mg albumin). AF exposure was associated (p < .05) with greater linear growth: an increase equivalent to the sample interquartile range (~0.5 pg AFB1‐lysine/mg albumin) was associated (p < .05) with an increase in the child's height‐for‐age deficit of 1.5 to 2.0 mm in the 4 months from baseline (average age 8 months) to follow‐up (average age 12 months); the magnitude of the difference in the 10‐month follow‐up was smaller and not statistically significant. This study documents that low‐dose AF exposure was associated with greater child linear growth. Given its toxicity and carcinogenicity, our results do not change the urgent need to drastically reduce human AF exposure. Our findings show that the association between AF exposure and linear growth is more complex than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparability of population surveys across countries is key to appraising trends in population health. Achieving this requires deep understanding of the methods used in these surveys to examine the extent to which the measurements are comparable. In this study, we obtained detailed protocols of 8 nationally representative surveys from 2007-2013 from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the United Kingdom(England and Scotland), and the United States--countries that that differ in economic and inequity indicators. Data were collected on sampling frame, sample selection procedures, recruitment, data collection methods, content of interview and examination modules, and measurement protocols. We also assessed their adherence to the World Health Organization's "STEPwise Approach to Surveillance" framework for population health surveys. The surveys, which included half a million participants, were highly comparable on sampling methodology, survey questions, and anthropometric measurements. Heterogeneity was found for physical activity questionnaires and biological samples collection. The common age range included by the surveys was adults aged 18--64 years. The methods used in these surveys were similar enough to enable comparative analyses of the data across the 7 countries. This comparability is crucial in assessing and comparing national and subgroup population health, and to assisting the transfer of research and policy knowledge across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An array of risk factors has been associated with cardiovascular diseases, and developing nations are becoming disproportionately affected by such diseases. Cardiovascular diseases have been reported to be highly prevalent in the Mexican population, but local mortality data is poor. The Mexican side of the US-Mexico border has a culture that is closely related to a developed nation and therefore may share the same risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. We wanted to explore if there was higher cardiovascular mortality in the border region of Mexico compared to the rest of the nation.Methods: We conducted a population based cross-sectional time series analysis to estimate the effects of education, insurance and municipal size in Mexican border (n = 38) and non-border municipalities (n = 2360) and its association with cardiovascular age-adjusted mortality rates between the years 1998-2012. We used a mixed effect linear model with random effect estimation and repeated measurements to compare the main outcome variable (mortality rate), the covariates (education, insurance and population size) and the geographic delimiter (border/non-border).Results: Mortality due to cardiovascular disease was consistently higher in the municipalities along the US-Mexico border, showing a difference of 78 · 5 (95% CI 58 · 7-98 · 3, p < 0 · 001) more cardiovascular deaths after adjusting for covariates. Larger municipal size and higher education levels showed a reduction in cardiovascular mortality of 12 · 6 (95% CI 11 · 4-13 · 8, p < 0 · 001) deaths and 8 · 6 (95% CI 5 · 5-11 · 8, p < 0 · 001) deaths respectively. Insurance coverage showed an increase in cardiovascular mortality of 3 · 6 (95% CI 3 · 1-4 · 0, p < 0 · 001) deaths per decile point increase. There was an increase in cardiovascular mortality of 0 · 3 (95% CI -0 · 001-0 · 6, p = 0 · 050) deaths per year increase in the non-border but a yearly reduction of 2 · 9 (95% CI 0 · 75-5.0, p = 0 · 008) deaths in the border over the time period of 1998-2012.Conclusion: We observed that the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border region is disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease mortality as compared to the non-border region of Mexico. This was not explained by education, population density, or insurance coverage. Proximity to the US culture and related diet and habits can be explanations of the increasing mortality trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2003, Mexico's Seguro Popular de Salud (SPS), was launched as an innovative financial mechanism implemented to channel new funds to provide health insurance to 50 million Mexicans and to reduce systemic financial inequities. The objective of this article is to understand the complexity and dynamics that contributed to the adaptation of the policy in the implementation stage, how these changes occurred, and why, from a complex and adaptive systems perspective.Methods: A complex adaptive systems (CAS) framework was used to carry out a secondary analysis of data obtained from four SPS's implementation evaluations. We first identified key actors, their roles, incentives and power, and their responses to the policy and guidelines. We then developed a causal loop diagram to disentangle the feedback dynamics associated with the modifications of the policy implementation which we then analyzed using a CAS perspective.Results: Implementation variations were identified in seven core design features during the first 10 years of implementation period, and in each case, the SPS's central coordination introduced modifications in response to the reactions of the different actors. We identified several CAS phenomena associated with these changes including phase transitions, network emergence, resistance to change, history dependence, and feedback loops.Conclusions: Our findings generate valuable lessons to policy implementation processes, especially those involving a monetary component, where the emergence of coping mechanisms and other CAS phenomena inevitably lead to modifications of policies and their interpretation by those who implement them. These include the difficulty of implementing strategies that aim to pool funds through solidarity among beneficiaries where the rich support the poor when there are no incentives for the rich to do so. Also, how resistance to change and history dependence can pose significant challenges to implementing changes, where the local actors use their significant power to oppose or modify these changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most research concerning clients of commercial sex workers (CSWs) relies upon CSW reports of client characteristics and behavior. We describe correlates of ever purchasing sex among 3,829 men from three cities: São Paulo, Brazil; Cuernavaca, Mexico; and Tampa, USA. A computer-assisted self-interview collected data on demographics and sexual behavior. There were significant site differences—26.5 % paid for sex in São Paulo, 10.4 % in Cuernavaca, and 4.9 % in Tampa. In all cities, men who had sex with men and women (versus sex with women only) were more likely to have ever paid for sex. In São Paulo and Cuernavaca, CSW clients were older, had higher educational attainment, and were less likely to be married. In Tampa, older age was associated with being a CSW client but not education and marital status. In São Paulo and Cuernavaca, CSW clients had more partners than men who had never paid for sex. In São Paulo, CSW clients initiated vaginal sex at an earlier age, while in Cuernavaca they were more likely to self-report a sexually transmitted infection. CSW clients varied with respect to demographics across the three cities while the association between paying for sex and risky sexual behavior seems to be somewhat conserved. These findings suggest that interventions among CSW clients should focus on condom use with commercial and non-commercial partners as these men may be at increased risk for transmitting and acquiring sexually transmitted infections to and from their sex partners. Better understanding of client characteristics is needed for targeting interventions and creating culturally appropriate content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Depression is a major cause of disability, particularly among women; poverty heightens the risk for depression. Beyond its direct effects, maternal depression can harm children's health and development. This study aimed to assess the effects of a large-scale anti-poverty programme in Mexico (Oportunidades) on maternal depressive symptoms.Methods: In 2003, 5050 women living in rural communities who had participated in Oportunidades since its inception were assessed and compared with a group of 1293 women from matched communities, whose families had received no exposure to Oportunidades at the time of assessment but were later enrolled. Self-reported depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Ordinary least squares regressions were used to evaluate the treatment effect of programme participation on depression while adjusting for covariates and clustering at the community level.Results: Women in the treatment group had lower depressive symptoms than those in the comparison group (unadjusted mean CES-D scores: 16.9 ± 9.8 vs 18.6 ± 10.2). In multivariable analyses, programme participation was associated with lower depression whilst controlling for maternal age, education and household demographic, ethnicity and socio-economic variables [β= -1.7 points, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) -2.46 to -0.96, P < 0.001]. Reductions in perceived stress and increases in perceived control were mediators of programme effects on women.Conclusions: Although Oportunidades did not target maternal mental health directly, we found modest but clinically meaningful effects on depressive symptoms. Our design permits stronger causal inference than observational studies that have linked poverty and depressive symptoms. Our results emphasize that the well-being of individuals is responsive to macro-level economic policies and programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]