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El panorama educativo en el país no es realmente el mejor y esto no es algo nuevo para nadie. Por tanto, hablar de educación financiera en los colegios resulta extraño, pues es prácticamente inexistente, por no decir que nula, y si la hay, se encuentra principalmente enfocada en estrategias tradicionales pensadas en el desarrollo de conocimiento puramente teórico y que desconocen aspectos relacionados con la conducta. Teniendo en cuenta que estos últimos ejercen un considerable peso en la toma de decisiones de las personas y por ende poseen un gran impacto en el manejo de sus finanzas, esto se convierte en algo bastante contraproducente. Se decide entonces abordar el tema desde la necesidad de fomentar y fortalecer dos hábitos específicos (ahorro y planificación financiera) en estudiantes de quinto de primaria de dos colegios de Nariño, ubicados en Túquerres y Pasto. Por consiguiente, se propone un programa de economía de fichas integrado a partir de un videojuego, en donde de manera indirecta se practican estos hábitos por medio de dinámicas como el «second life» y otras que presentan bastantes similitudes con las acciones que se requieren tanto en el ahorro como en la planificación financiera, con el objetivo de sobrevivir a través de la obtención de un balance entre el cumplimiento de necesidades y deseos, algo así como en la vida real. Al conseguir una propuesta interdisciplinar como ésta, fue posible contribuir efectivamente desde el Diseño como eje global, entregando un producto diferente y complementario a las prácticas educativas actuales.

IntroductionAlthough previous studies suggest that fluticasone furoate nasal spray (FFNS) is superior to placebo in reducing symptoms in adolescents and adults with allergic rhinitis (AR), there is still uncertainty about its clinical effectiveness in the pediatric population. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical effectiveness of FFNS, compared with placebo, in reducing nasal symptoms in children with perennial AR.MethodsA systematic review was conducted of studies identified from the MEDLINE and Embase databases that were published up to January 2021. The population of interest was patients aged 2 to 12 years with perennial AR. Included studies were limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing FFNS (110 μg once daily) with placebo. The outcomes of interest included the reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS) and safety. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan 5.4. The Cohen’s guideline was used to assess the minimum clinically important difference for rTNSS; that is, if the pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and the lower limit of the 95 percent confidence interval (CI) exceed -0.5, the treatment effect was considered clinically significant.ResultsThree RCTs (959 pediatric patients) were included. One study evaluated the short-term use of FFNS, one evaluated the long-term use of FFNS, and the third evaluated both the short- and long-term use of FFNS. FFNS produced a statistically significant reduction in rTNSS (SMD -0.35, 95% CI -0.63, -0.08; pConclusionsThe currently available evidence suggests that FFNS does not produce a meaningful clinical effect on nasal symptoms in children with perennial AR, compared with placebo. In the past decade, however, some guidelines have unequivocally endorsed this treatment.

RESUMEN: A través de este estudio se busca identificar el efecto de las prácticas de responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC) en el costo de patrimonio de las empresas colombianas que cotizan en la Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (BVC), y que han reportado informes de sostenibilidad bajo la metodología de la Iniciativa de Reporte Global (GRI, Global Reporting Initiative) durante el periodo 2012-2016. Por medio del uso del modelo de datos de panel, en el que se consideraron treinta y una empresas, se obtuvo evidencia empírica de que en el contexto colombiano las empresas que implementan prácticas de RSC y las divulgan a través de sus reportes corporativos cuentan con un menor costo de capital. Adicionalmente, se muestra que la extensión del reporte y su independencia aportan a la reducción del costo del patrimonio. ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to identify the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on the cost of equity of Colombian companies that are listed on the Colombian Stock Exchange (BVC, Bolsa de Valores de Colombia), and that have reported sustainability reports in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) during the 2012-2016 period. Through the use of the panel data model that has thirty-one companies and one hundred and twenty-three observations, the results show that there is a negative relationship between the CSR variables and the cost of equity. Furthermore, it is shown that the length of the report and its independency reduce the cost of equity.

Objective The objective of this study was to investigate whether glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a valid surrogate for evaluating the effectiveness of antihyperglycemic drugs in diabetes mellitus (DM) trials. Methods We conducted a systematic review of placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of a treatment on HbA1c (mean difference between groups) and clinical outcomes (relative risk of mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and/or kidney injury) in patients with DM. Then, we investigated the association between treatment effects on HbA1c and clinical outcomes using regression analysis at the trial level. Lastly, we interpreted the correlation coefficients (R) using the cut-off points suggested by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare (IQWiG). HbA1c was considered a valid surrogate if it demonstrated a strong association: lower limit of the 95 percent confidence interval (95 percent CI) of R greater than or equal to .85. Results Nineteen RCTs were identified. All studies included adults with type 2 DM. None of the associations evaluated was strong enough to validate HbA1c as a surrogate for any clinical outcome: mortality (R = .34; 95 percent CI −.14 to .69), myocardial infarction (R = .20; −.30 to .61), heart failure (R = .08; −.40 to .53), kidney injury (R = −.04; −.52 to .47), and stroke (R = .81; .54 to .93). Conclusions The evidence from multiple placebo-controlled RCTs does not support the use of HbA1c as a surrogate to measure the effectiveness of antihyperglycemic drugs in DM studies.

IntroductionIn the field of drug development and effectiveness evaluation, the use of surrogate endpoints is acceptable if they reliably predict a positive effect on clinical outcomes such as mortality or morbidity. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a widely used surrogate endpoint in phase 3 and 4 clinical trials evaluating drugs in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). The objective of this study was to investigate whether HbA1c is a valid surrogate endpoint for evaluating the effectiveness of antihyperglycemic drugs in DM trials.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials evaluating the effect of a treatment on levels of HbA1c and clinical outcomes in patients with DM. The association between the effects of treatment on HbA1c levels and clinical outcomes was then investigated using regression analysis at the trial level. The correlation coefficients (R) were interpreted using the cut-off points suggested by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). HbA1c was considered a valid surrogate endpoint if it demonstrated a strong association with clinical outcomes (i.e., the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval [CI] of R≥ 0.85).ResultsNineteen phase 3 or 4 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified. All studies included adults with type 2 DM. None of the associations evaluated was strong enough to validate HbA1c as a surrogate endpoint for any clinical outcome: mortality (R 0.34, 95% CI: -0.14, 0.69); myocardial infarction (R 0.20, 95% CI: -0.30, 0.61); heart failure (R 0.08, 95% CI: -0.40, 0.53); kidney injury (R -0.04, 95% CI: -0.52, 0.47); and stroke (R 0.81, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.93).ConclusionsThe evidence from multiple placebo-controlled RCTs of antihyperglycemic drugs in patients with type 2 DM suggests that a reduction in levels of HbA1c does not meet the IQWiG criteria for a valid surrogate endpoint. Consequently, the risk-benefit ratio of antihyperglycemic drugs in terms of patient relevant clinical outcomes, regardless of their hypoglycemic effect, should be the focus of therapeutic, regulatory, and reimbursement decisions.

IntroductionDecision making in publicly funded healthcare systems must rely on patient-relevant outcomes that directly measure clinical benefit, such as overall survival and quality of life (QoL). However, studies that support market authorization of oncology drugs usually assess surrogate outcomes, without having previously demonstrated that these intermediate outcomes reliably predict clinical outcomes. As part of an HTA process, we evaluated the clinical benefit of osimertinib, compared with platinum-pemetrexed combination chemotherapy, in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed after first-line EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search of the PubMed database for randomized controlled trials (RCT) published from inception to January 2019. The clinical outcomes of interest were overall survival and QoL. Where trials reported surrogate outcomes, we conducted additional PubMed searches for evidence of validity for predicting clinical outcomes and used guidance on surrogate outcome validation in oncology from the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.ResultsEvidence on osimertinib, compared with chemotherapy, for patients with T790M-positive advanced NSCLC that has progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy was obtained from the AURA3 trial. In this study, overall survival data were immature and the results for QoL and symptom domains were not clinically meaningful. In addition, median progression-free survival (PFS) was six months longer for osimertinib than for chemotherapy. However, to date, no study has demonstrated that PFS reliably predicts longer survival or better QoL.ConclusionsOur HTA suggested that, unless proven, PFS should not be used as a valid surrogate outcome for decision making in public health. For example, the results of the AURA3 trial showed that osimertinib has an effect on the surrogate outcome of PFS in patients with EGFR T790M-positive advanced NSCLC that has progressed after first-line EGFR-TKI therapy, but not on the clinically relevant outcomes of overall survival and QoL. Furthermore, currently available evidence has failed to prove that PFS reliably predicts outcomes that are clinically relevant. Despite this, osimertinib has been given marketing authorization and is widely recommended in clinical guidelines.

IntroductionIn the absence of direct evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), real-world evidence (RWE) can play an important role in healthcare decision making. As part of a health technology assessment, we assessed the comparative risk of tuberculosis (TB) associated with using infliximab and etanercept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.MethodsWe performed a systematic literature search using the PubMed database to identify relevant meta-analyses.ResultsWe located two relevant meta-analyses: one based on RCTs and one based on observational studies. Evidence from seven RCTs on infliximab (2,686 patients; 12 TB events) and two RCTs on etanercept (663 patients; 2 TB events) suggested no significant differences in the risk of TB between the two treatments, compared with placebo. In contrast, evidence from ten observational studies that directly compared the two treatments (443,941 patients; 253 TB events) indicated a significantly higher risk of TB with infliximab than with etanercept.ConclusionsAlthough RWE is prone to confounding and bias, in this case it had the advantage of providing direct comparisons with larger sample sizes and longer follow up than evidence from RCTs. As a result, RWE was used to inform decision making on the risk of TB with infliximab and etanercept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.