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The article discusses research on the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions in 2014, focusing on their impact on the Eastern Pacific. Topics covered include the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) activity linked to the ENSO cycle, the Kelvin waves triggered by three westerly wind bursts, and the atmospheric response to positive sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies.

In the absence of medical contraindications, physical activity (PA) can offer health maternal and fetal health outcomes during pregnancy. However, most pregnant women may not consider PA to be feasible, suitable and safe. Hence, it is essential to determine the prevalence of pregnant women who meet the PA recommendations and the possible factors associated with that meeting, since it might be important from the perspective of pregnant women's health. The aim of the present study was to establish the prevalence of meeting the World Health Organization PA recommendations for Colombian pregnant women, as well as possible factors that may be associated with meeting that recommendations. A cross-sectional study including representative data from the National Nutritional Situation Survey (2015) in Colombia was performed. Data were collected in 2015-2016. From an initial sample of 1140 Colombian pregnant women, 702 participants with complete data were included in the final analysis. PA was assessed by self-reported information through the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Several potential factors were analysed according to four levels of the socioecological model: the individual, interpersonal, organizational and community levels. The prevalence of Colombian pregnant women who met with the PA recommendations was 7.5%. Indigenous and Mestizo pregnant women showed lower probabilities of meeting the PA recommendations [Indigenous: OR 0.05, 95% CI (0.01-0.18); Mestizo: OR 0.12, 95% CI (0.06-0.22)] than Afro-Colombian participants. Additionally, participants who lived near green and safe spaces for PA were more likely to meet the PA recommendations [OR 2.30, 95% CI (1.06-4.79)] than those who did not live near green areas. In conclusion, a low percentage of Colombian pregnant women met the new PA recommendations. The associations found according to race/ethnicity and living near green and safe areas underline the presence of fundamental disparities associated with meeting PA recommendations., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The adverse effects of fat mass on functional dependence might be attenuated or worsened, depending on the level of muscular strength. The aim of this study was to determine (i) the detrimental effect of excess adiposity on dependence in activities of daily living (ADL), and (ii) whether relative handgrip strength (HGS) moderates the adverse effect of excess adiposity on dependence, and to provide the threshold of relative HGS from which the adverse effect could be improved or worsened. A total of 4169 participants (69.3 ± 7.0 years old) from 244 municipalities were selected following a multistage area probability sampling design. Measurements included anthropometric/adiposity markers (weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)), HGS, sarcopenia "proxy" (calf circumference), and ADL (Barthel Index scale). Moderation analyses were performed to identify associations between the independent variable (relative HGS) and outcomes (dependence), as well as to determine whether relative HGS moderates the relationship between excess adiposity and dependence. The present study demonstrated that (i) the adverse effect of having a higher WHtR level on dependence in ADL was moderated by relative HGS, and (ii) two moderation thresholds of relative HGS were estimated: 0.35, below which the adverse effect of WHtR levels on dependency is aggravated, and 0.62, above which the adverse effect of fat on dependency could be improved. Because muscular strength represents a critically important and modifiable predictor of ADL, and the increase in adiposity is inherent in aging, our results underscore the importance of an optimal level of relative HGS in the older adult population., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Normal-weight obesity (NWO) has been shown to be associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction. However, little is known regarding this potential relationship in early adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between NWO and cardiometabolic risk factors in a large population of Colombian young adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1354 subjects (61% women), aged from 18 to 30. Anthropometric data, including body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), were estimated, and the percentage of fat mass was measured through bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Muscular fitness was determined by using a handgrip strength test and normalized grip strength (NGS = handgrip (kg)/body mass (kg)). A cardiometabolic risk Z-score was derived by assessing WC, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) cholesterol, fasting glucose, and systolic blood pressure. NWO was defined by the combination of excess %BF (over 25.5% for men and 38.9% for women) and a BMI < 25 kg/m 2 . The overall prevalence of NWO was 29.1%. Subjects with NWO have an increased risk of cardiometabolic risk compared to the normal-weight lean group (OR = 3.10). Moreover, NWO was associated with an increased risk of presenting low HDL-C (OR = 2.34), high abdominal obesity (OR = 7.27), and low NGS (OR = 3.30), p < 0.001. There is a high prevalence of NWO in American Latin young adults and this condition is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, high blood pressure, low HDL-C, high abdominal obesity, and low muscular strength early in life. Screening for adiposity in subjects with a normal BMI could help to identify young adults at a high risk of cardiometabolic abnormalities.

Background: The short physical performance battery (SPPB) is a physical performance test of lower extremity function designed for non-disabled older adults. We aimed to establish reference values for community-dwelling Colombian adults aged 60 years or older in terms of (1) the total score; (2) the three subtest scores (walking speed, standing balance performance, and five times sit-to-stand test); and (3) the time to complete the five times sit-to-stand test, s and the walking speed test. Additionally, we sought to explore how much of the variance in the SPPB subtest scores could be explained by anthropometric variables (age, body mass, height, body mass index, and calf circumference). Methods: Participants were men and women aged 60 years or older who participated in the Health and Well-being and Aging Survey in Colombia, 2015. A sample of 4,211 participants (57.3% women) completed the SPPB test, and their anthropometric variables were evaluated. Age-specific percentiles were calculated using the LMS method (3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentiles). Results: The mean SPPB total score for the entire sample was 8.73 (2.0) points. On average, the total SPPB score was 0.85 points greater in men than in women ( p < 0.001). Significant sex differences were observed in all three age groups tested (60-69, 70-79, and 80+ years). In the full sample, our findings suggested that age, body mass, height, body mass index, and calf circumference are significant contributors to walking speed ( p < 0.001) after controlling for confounding factors, including ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and urbanicity. Conclusions: Percentile values are of interest to identify target populations for primary prevention and to estimate the proportion of high or low values for SPPB measures in community-dwelling Colombians aged at least 60 years., (Copyright © 2020 Ramírez-Vélez, Pérez-Sousa, Venegas-Sanabria, Cano-Gutierrez, Hernández-Quiñonez, Rincón-Pabón, García-Hermoso, Zambom-Ferraresi, Sáez de Asteasu and Izquierdo.)

Objective: To determine the association between the time spent watching television and the sociodemographic characteristics with the presence of overweight and obesity in Colombian adolescents., Materials and Methods: Secondary analysis of the information obtained in the National Survey of the Nutritional Situation 2010 of Colombia, in a probabilistic sample of 18177 adolescents with an age range between 13 and 17 years. The time spent watching television and / or videogames and sociodemographic factors was determined. Anthropometric markers and body composition were recorded. Associations were established through logistic regression models., Results: The prevalence of overweight was 13.0% (95% CI 12.4-13.8) and obesity was 3.0% (95% CI 2.8-3.3). The prevalences of overweight and obesity were higher in adolescent women [16.6% (95% CI 15.8-17.5) and 3.4% (95% CI 3.1-3.7), respectively]. Overweight and obesity were associated with being female [OR 1.94 (95%CI 1.77-2.12) and OR 1.29 (95%CI 1.09-1.53), respectively], high socioeconomic level [OR 1.22 (95%CI 1.10-1.36) and OR 1.47 (95%CI 1.19-1.81), respectively], reside in urban area [OR 1.13 (95%CI 1.03-1.24) and OR 1.47 (95%CI 1.21-1.79), respectively]. Being indigenous was associated with being overweight [OR 1.25 (95%CI 1.10-1.42)], while being Afro-Colombian was associated with obesity [OR 1.33 (95%CI 1.05-1.69)]. Watching television and / or video games for two or more hours a day [OR1.17 (95%CI 1.06-1.30)] was associated with being overweight; whereas watching television every day of the week was associated with obesity [OR 1.66 (95%CI 1.13-2.43)]., Conclusions: The population studied has a significant prevalence of overweight and obesity, being overweight is associated with being a woman, a high socioeconomic status, residing in an urban area, having an indigenous ethnicity, watching television for three days during the week and looking at more than two hours of television in a day; Obesity is associated with being a woman, a medium-high and high socioeconomic status, residing in an urban area, Afro-Colombian ethnicity, watching television at least once in the last week and watching television every day during the last week., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction: Objective: iron deficiency anemia is associated with adverse results for health and it is highly prevalent worldwide. The current study evaluated the prevalence and the sociodemographic factors associated with iron deficiency anemia in a sample of Colombian pregnant women. Materials and methods: the secondary analysis for the obtained information at the National Nutrition Survey (ENSIN) 2010 of Colombia in a probabilistic sample of 1,385 pregnant women between 13 and 49 years old. Hemoglobin concentration, ferritin plasmatic levels, sociodemographic levels and factors (age, escolarity, socioeconomic level, geographic area, region, ethnic group, tobacco habits), and body mass index according on the weeks of gestation were determined. There were made normality tests, measure comparisons, and association between logistic regression models. Results: the prevalence of Iron deficiency anemia (hemoglobin < 11 g/dL and ferritin < 12 μg/L) was 11.0% (CI95% = 9.7-12.6). The highest prevalence was found in pregnant women without any escolarity (19.4%; CI95% = 8.0-33.3), women in a socioeconomic level I (12.7%; CI95% = 10.3-14.9), that live in the Atlantic or Pacific regions (16.0%; CI95% = 12.0-20.4 and 12.7%; CI95% = 8,3-17,1 respectively), and Afro-Colombian women (18.6%; IC95% = 12.1-23.9). Iron deficiency anemia was associated with living in the Atlantic region OR 7.21 (CI95% 1.71-30.33), Oriental OR 4.50 (CI95% 1.01-20.04), Pacific OR 5.51 (CI95% 1.27-23.88), national territory OR 4.37 (CI95% 1.03-18.57) and belonging to an Afro-Colombian ethnic group OR 2.19 (CI95% 1.40-3.42). Conclusions: the studied population presents a high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and it is associated with the residency region and ethnic group.

Background and Objectives: Glanzmann thrombasthenia is an autosomal recessive bleeding disorder characterized by a life-long hemorrhagic tendency and absent or severely reduced platelet aggregation in response to agonists, caused by quantitative or qualitative abnormalities in the platelet fibrinogen receptor, integrin alphaIIb beta3. The aim of this study was to identify the molecular genetic defect and determine its functional consequences in a patient with type II Glanzmann thrombasthenia., Design and Methods: The expression of platelet alphaIIb beta3 was determined by flow cytometry and western blotting. Mutations were identified by sequencing both cDNA and genomic DNA. Functional characterization was assessed by exontrap and transient transfection analysis., Results: Flow cytometry and western blot analysis revealed markedly reduced levels of platelet alphaIIb beta3, which may account for the residual fibrinogen binding detected upon platelet activation. Sequencing of genomic DNA revealed the presence of two mutations in the alphaIIb gene: a C1750T transition in the last codon of exon 17 changing Arg553 to STOP, and a C2829T transition in exon 27 that changes Pro912 to Leu. Sequence analysis of reversely transcribed alphaIIb mRNA did not detect cDNA from the C1750T mutant allele, and revealed a significant increase of the physiological splicing out of exon 28 in the cDNA carrying the C2829T mutation. Transient expression of [912Leu]alphaIIb in CHO-b3 cells showed a marked reduction in the rate of surface expression of alphaIIb beta3., Interpretation and Conclusions: The results suggest that the thrombasthenic phenotype is the result of reduced availability of alphaIIb-mRNA, enhanced expression of exon 28-deleted transcripts, and defective processing of [912Leu]alphaIIb.