ABSTRACT The effect of the variety, size of the females and sex ratio in the production of eggs of Chitralada (CH: Oreochromis niloticus) and Taiwanese red (TR: O. mossambicus x O. niloticus) in outdoor concrete tanks were evaluated in a fish production unit located in the Andean foothills of the state of Trujillo, Venezuela. A 2x2x3 factorial arrangement design was used: two varieties (CH and TR), two sizes (large and small) and three female male proportions (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1). CH females produced greater volume and mass of eggs, spawned 2.4-fold more and were more fertile than TR (p<0.01). Large tilapia had 1.6fold fewer spawning (p<0.05) and produced fewer eggs per 100 females than small ones (p<0.01). In general, the F:M ratio did not affect the reproductive variables. The small females of both varieties had a higher number of spawning than the large ones, and the large CH tilapia spawned 3.9 times more than the TR of the same size (p<0.01), while in the small ones this difference was only 1.7 times (p<0.05). The large CH tilapias were reproductively more efficient than the females of the same category of the TR variety. In conclusion, the CH tilapia and the smaller size and weight females were reproductively more efficient than those of the TR variety and the larger ones. Regardless of the variety, the reproductive activity was not affected by the proportions between females and males.

RESUMEN Se evaluó el efecto de la variedad, tamaño de las hembras y relación hembra macho en la producción de huevos de tilapias Chitralada (CH: Oreochromis niloticus)y Taiwanesa roja (TR: O. mossambicus x O. niloticus), en tanques de concreto al aire libre, en una unidad de producción piscícola localizada en el Piedemonte Andino del estado Trujillo, Venezuela. Se utilizó un diseño en arreglo factorial 2x2x3: dos variedades (CH y TR), dos tamaños (grades y pequeñas) y tres proporciones hembra macho (1:1, 2:1 y 3:1). Las hembras CH produjeron mayor volumen y masa de huevos, desovaron 2.4 veces más y fueron más fecundas que las TR (p<0.01). Las tilapias grandes tuvieron 1.6 veces menos desoves (p<0.05) y produjeron menos huevos por cada 100 hembras que las pequeñas (p<0.01). En general, la relación H:M no afectó las variables reproductivas. Las hembras pequeñas de ambas variedades tuvieron un mayor número de desoves que las grandes, y las tilapias CH grandes desovaron 3.9 veces más que las TR del mismo tamaño (p<0.01), mientras que en las pequeñas esta diferencia fue de tan solo 1.7 veces (p<0.05). Las tilapias CH grandes fueron reproductivamente más eficientes que las hembras de la misma categoría de la variedad TR. En conclusión, las tilapias CH y las hembras de menor talla y peso fueron reproductivamente más eficientes que las de la variedad TR y las de mayor tamaño. Independientemente de la variedad, la actividad reproductiva no se vio afectada por las proporciones entre hembras y machos.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the productive performance of growing quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) fed with a commercial balanced feed and supplemented with mulberry meal (Morus alba). The experiment was carried out in Trujillo, Venezuela, for six weeks. A completely randomized design was applied with three treatments (diets) and five repetitions per treatment (4 birds per repetition). The diets were: T0: 100% commercially balanced feed (AB); T1: 90%AB + 10% of mulberry meal (HM); T2: 80%AB + 20% HM. The final body weight (FW), daily weight gain (DWG), feed consumption (DI), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion (FC), carcass yield (CY), mortality and cost-benefit ratio were determined (CB). The data were processed by analysis of variance using the GLM procedure of the SAS program. The FW and the DWG were higher in T1 and T2 (PF: T0: 139.1 ± 1.9, T1: 147.2 ± 2.0, T2: 147.1 ± 1.9, (p<0.03) (DWG: T0: 3.1 ± 0.05, T1: 3.3 ± 0.05; T2: 3.3 ± 0.05 (p<0.03). The birds of T1 and T2 consumed more feed than those of T0 (p<0.01). The SGR was lower (p<0.05) in T0 (7.01%) than in T1 (7.13%) and T2 (7.14%). FC and CY did not vary between treatments. The CB ratio favored the birds of T1 and T2. It is concluded that the addition of HM in the ration improved FW, DWG and CB, constituting an alternative to reduce the feeding costs of the commercial farms without diminishing the productive indices of the birds.

El estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el comportamiento productivo de codornices de engorde (Coturnix coturnix japonica) alimentadas con alimento balanceado y suplementadas con harina de morera (Morus alba). El experimento se desarrolló en el Estado Trujillo, Venezuela, durante seis semanas. Se aplicó un diseño completamente aleatorizado con tres tratamientos (dietas) y cinco repeticiones por tratamiento (4 aves por repetición). Las dietas fueron: T0: 100% alimento balanceado (AB) comercial; T1: 90% AB + 10% de harina de morera (HM); T2: 80% AB + 20% HM. Se determinó el peso final (PF), ganancia diaria de peso (GDP), consumo de alimento, tasa de crecimiento específica (TCE), conversión alimenticia (CA), rendimiento en canal (RC), mortalidad y relación costo beneficio (CB). Los datos fueron procesados mediante el análisis de varianza usando el procedimiento GLM del programa SAS. El PF y la GDP fueron mayores en T1 y T2 (PF: T0: 139.1 ± 1.9; T1: 147.2 ± 2.0; T2: 147.1 ± 1.9 (p<0.03) (GDP: T0: 3.1 ± 0.05; T1: 3.3 ± 0.05; T2: 3.3 ± 0.05 (p<0.03). Las aves de T1 y T2 consumieron más alimento que las de T0 (p<0.01). La TCE fue menor (p<0.05) en T0 (7.01%) que en T1 (7.13%) y T2 (7.14%). La CA y el RC no variaron entre tratamientos. La relación CB favoreció a las aves de T1 y T2. Se concluye que la adición de HM en la ración mejoró el PF, la GDP y la relación CB, constituyendo una alternativa para reducir los costos de alimentación de los establecimientos comerciales, sin menoscabo de los índices productivos de las aves.

Background: There is a great degree of dissatisfaction with the Chilean health care system. Aim: To investigate which are the most relevant perceived factors when the health care system is evaluated. Material and Methods: Analysis of a survey about the Chilean health care system carried out during 2011, 2012 and 2013, involving 2,801 respondents. Results: The response capacity of emergency systems was the main factor considered for the evaluation of public and private health care systems. Respondents who were affiliated to private insurance systems also took into consideration the quality of medical infrastructure. Conclusions: There are different factors considered when public or private health care systems are evaluated.

Background: Problems associated with alcohol consumption are prevalent in Chile, but little is known about the situation in the elderly. Aim: To perform a screening to detect alcohol-related problems and risks in the Chilean older people who travel. Material and Methods: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire was answered by 1,076 travelers aged 60 to 93 years (66% females), who participated in trips organized by the Chilean National Tourism Service (SERNATUR). Results: Seventy six percent of respondents acknowledged to have ingested an alcoholic drink during the last month. The average AUDIT score was of 2.2 ± 2.6. Only 3.7% of the sample had a score equal or higher than eight, considered as risky use. Within this last group, 60% had symptoms of alcohol dependence. A higher alcohol consumption was associated with male gender (p < 0.01), being younger than 75 years of age (p < 0.01), having a medium-low economic income (p < 0.01) and having a higher education level (p = 0.03). There was no significant association with the respondents´ occupation. Conclusions: In this sample of Chilean traveling older people, there was a high prevalence of alcohol consumption, and nearly 4% of respondents had alcohol related problems.

Background: People over 60 years old are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency, which can affect functional performance, since this vitamin is involved in muscle function and protein synthesis. Aim: To measure 25OH vitamin D levels in healthy older people from Santiago de Chile, and evaluate their relationship with functional performance. Subjects and Methods: Healthy subjects aged 60 years or more and living in the community were invited to participate. People with chronic diseases, cognitive impairment, physical disability, smokers and those consuming more than three medications per day were excluded. Hand grip and gait speed were measured and a blood sample was obtained to measure 25OH vitamin D by radioimmunoanalysis. Results: One hundred and four participants aged 60 to 98 years (55% females) were studied. Mean vitamin D levels were 17.3 ± 6.1 ng/mL. Females had lower levels than males (15.6 ± 5.8 and 19.2 ± 6.0 ng/mL respectively p < 0.01). Eighty three percent of females and 55.3% of males had values below 20 ng/mL (the cutoff point for deficiency). Only 3.5% of females and 8.5% of males had values of 30 ng/ml or higher. There was a significant correlation between vitamin D levels, gait speed and grip strength (r = 0.32 and 0.34 respectively, p < 0.01), especially in women over 74 years. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is almost universal in healthy adults over 60 years living in Santiago de Chile, especially in women. This deficiency is associated with a deranged functional performance and is a potentially modifiable risk factor for disability.

Lexical availability (LA) is the area of linguistic research that aims at the collection and subsequent analysis of the available lexicon of a given speech community. In this study we present the results of a research project, which has among its general objectives to quantify and describe the lexicon in high school math students from the city of Concepción-Chile. To this end, the lexical availability model will be used, through a quantitative analysis, considering three indexes: response average (XR), total of different words (PD), and cohesion index (CI). The sample consists of 1,557 students in Concepción. The results show an increase of vocabulary available for the students as they increase their level of education. This was also observed in students of educational institutions of higher socioeconomic status.

La disponibilidad léxica (DL) es el área de investigación lingüística que tiene como objetivo la recogida y el posterior análisis del léxico disponible en una determinada comunidad de hablantes. En este estudio, se presenta los resultados de un proyecto de investigación, que tiene como objetivos cuantificar y describir el léxico disponible en matemáticas de los alumnos de enseñanza media de la ciudad de Concepción-Chile. Para este fin, se utiliza el modelo de disponibilidad léxica a través de un análisis cuantitativo, considerando tres índices: promedio de respuestas (XR), total de palabras diferentes (PD), y el índice de cohesión (IC). La muestra está constituida por 1557 alumnos de la ciudad de Concepción-Chile. Los resultados evidencian un crecimiento del léxico disponible por parte de los alumnos a medida que estos aumentan su nivel de escolaridad.

The analysis of public space has been one of the most controversial social and political research areas, primarily because of its ambiguity and polysemy. Oftentimes, the confusion of the notions of public space and public sphere has supposed the assimilation of both elements and the assumption of their existence in essentialist terms. This perspective does not consider the actual policy practices they produce. From the perspective of critical Political Geography of Law, the aim of this paper is to explore how institutional agency has been regulating and signifying public spaces in Madrid in the last two decades. The results show three central consequences of that institutionally produced geographical imagination: public space restricted to institutions, citizenship as giving structure to the urban, and the territorial fragmentation of multiple activities. These, in turn, invite a questioning and redefinition of Madrid's public spaces.

El análisis del espacio público ha sido uno de los elementos más controvertidos en la investigación social y política, fundamentalmente por su ambigüedad y polisemia. La confusión entre las nociones de espacio público y esfera pública ha supuesto muchas veces la asimilación de ambos elementos o la asunción de su existencia en términos esencialistas, sin considerar las prácticas políticas concretas que los producen. Desde una perspectiva de la Geografía política crítica del Derecho, el presente artículo muestra cómo ha ido reformulándose la noción y regulación del espacio público en Madrid desde la praxis institucional en las últimas dos décadas. Los resultados muestran tres consecuencias centrales de esa imaginación geográfica producida institucionalmente sobre el espacio urbano -un espacio público restringido a las instituciones, el civismo como estructurador de urbanidad, y la territorialización y fragmentación de múltiples actividades sociales- que, a su vez, invitan a cuestionar y redefinir los espacios públicos madrileños.

Background: Clinical reasoning is the most important competente in the training process of a physician. Aim: To develop a method for teaching clinical reasoning based on prototypes of clinical cases. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on sixty-four third year medical students. The study and control groups attended lectures and tutorial sessions with patients. The study group attended additionally discussion seminars of prototypical clinical cases. A clinical reasoning test was applied at the start and end of the learning period to both groups. At the end of the study, the opinions of students of the study group were collected in afocus group. Results: After the learning period, both groups significantly increased their clinical reasoning skills. However, the improvement in the study group was more than double than that ofthe control group. The absolute improvement in the study group was 30.9%. Students interviewed in the focus group were unanimous in expressing their satisfaction in each and every aspect discussed. Conclusions: The teaching of clinical reasoning to third year medical students by means of pattern recognition in seminars with clinical cases improved significantly their skills.

Introduction: The ideal characteristics of the Graduate Professor of Pediatrics at the Medical School of the Universidad de Chile are yet not defined. Objective: To determine these characteristics from members' perception. Methodology: Qualitative research. Focus groups for Professors, alumni and Pediatrics students and interviews to three authorities took place at the Campus Oriente. Once the profile was elaborated, Directors of Departments of Pediatrics of other Campuses were interviewed for validation. Results: A teaching profile was elaborated differentiating the role of the professional as a person (committed, responsible, honest, respectful, tolerant, friendly, empathetic, assertive, leader, role model and able to maintain good interpersonal relationships), as a teacher (trained in teaching, planner, evaluator, with protected time for teaching, with capacities for self-reflection and self-assessment, learning facilitator, motivator, facilitator of a climate that encourages learning, communicator, with vocation, challenging, accessible, knowledgeable and user of new technologies and with ability to review the teaching process) and as a clinician (expert in his discipline, updated, researcher, identified and committed to the institution, able to work in a team). Conclusions: An ideal profile of the Graduate Professor of Pediatrics was created.

Introducción: Las características ideales del docente de postgrado de pediatría de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Chile no están definidas. Objetivo: Determinar estas características a partir de las percepciones de sus integrantes. Metodología: Investigación cualitativa. En el Campus Oriente se realizó grupos focales de docentes, egresados y alumnos de Programa de Título de Especialista en Pediatría y entrevistas en profundidad a tres autoridades. Con este perfil elaborado se entrevistó a los directores de Departamento de Pediatría de los restantes Campus para su validación. Resultados: Se elaboró un perfil docente diferenciando su rol como persona (comprometido, responsable, honesto, respetuoso, tolerante, acogedor, empático, asertivo, líder, modelo a seguir y capaz de mantener buenas relaciones interpersonales), como profesor (formado en docencia, planificador, evaluador, con tiempo protegido para la docencia, con capacidades de autoevaluación y de autorreflexión, facilitador del aprendizaje, motivador, propiciador de un clima que facilite el aprendizaje, comunicador, con vocación, exigente, accesible, conocedor y utilizador de nuevas tecnologías y con capacidad de revisar el proceso docente) y como clínico (experto en su disciplina, actualizado, investigador, identificado y comprometido con la institución, capaz de trabajar en equipo). Conclusiones: Se construyó un perfil ideal del docente de postgrado de pediatría.

The conventional technology for in vitro plant conservation for cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) germplasm collections is laborious due to the need for several sub-culturing procedures per year. This practice implies high costs for medium preparation, tissue culture tubes, time-consuming labor, risks of contamination, mislabeling of accession, and the need for large growth chambers. We have developed a new procedure using in vitro cultivated nodal axillary buds treated with different abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations to reduce the time for recycling transplants cultivated in a SP basic nutritive medium. Nodal explants were stored for three months with ABA. Plants were obtained after nodal axillary buds were placed in SP medium without ABA. Results indicated that 20 and 30 mM ABA induced bud dormancy and delayed sprouting without affecting subsequent growth of plants after treatment.

La tecnología usual para conservación in vitro de colecciones de germoplasma de yuca (Manihotesculenta Crantz) es corrientemente laboriosa y emplea varias transferencias por año. Este procedimiento envuelve altos costos en preparación de medios, consumo de tiempo, riesgos de manipulación y necesidad de mucho espacio para la mantención de colecciones en cámaras de cultivos. Se desarrolló un nuevo procedimiento usando yemas axilares nodales cultivadas in vitro con diferentes concentraciones de ácido abscísico (ABA), con el objetivo de reducir los ciclos de transferencia de los cultivos mantenidos en un medio nutritivo básico tal como el SP. Los segmentos nodales fueron almacenados por tres meses en presencia de ABA. Las plantas fueron obtenidas después que los segmentos nodales fueron transferidos al medio SP sin ABA. Los resultados indican que 20 y 30 mM de ABA indujeron una completa dormancia de yemas, sin afectar el desarrollo posterior de las yemas nodales y su consecuente conversión en planta.

The speed of growth of the population of older adults has been much faster than expected in every country. In Chile today one out of ten persons is an older adult and in the next twenty years this proportion will duplicate. Population aging is a success of development but also presents a medical and social challenge. The health issues of the National Policy addressing the needs of the older population in Chile are severely delayed in their implementation due to the lack of human resources trained in medicine of older adults and geriatric services. The consensus evidence on how to develop appropriate geriatric health services for older adults should include services coordinated in a continuum, including health promotion and disease prevention targeting older people to achieve "healthy aging" in the majority of the older population; outpatient health care services; acute care in hospitals with physicians trained in geriatrics; special services for geriatric rehabilitation and restoration of function (short term care) and a variety of settings and services offering long term care ranging from home to institutions. To be able to implement this vision of appropriate, coordinated and integrated health and social services for older people, the country needs a minimum number of geriatricians (at least 260), health care teams trained in the basics of geriatrics and continuing development of human resources to meet the increasing demand on health services by the fast growing older population

Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia affects one every 400 individuals, is caused by mutations in the LDL receptor gene and is associated with premature coronary artery disease. Nowadays, LDL cholesterol can be efficiently reduced with the new therapies to reduce blood lipids. We report a female patient who consulted in 1975, when she was 46 years old, for severe hypercholesterolemia. In 2003, a sample of leukocyte DNA was obtained and the uncommon 1705 + 1G >A mutation of the LDL receptor gene was detected. No mutations in the apolipoprotein B gene were found. The patient was treated successfully with simvastatin 80 mg/day and ezetimibe 10 mg/day and LDL cholesterol levels were reduced below 200 mg/dl

The emergence of new virulent and drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has forced researchers to focus on the worldwide geographical distribution of the genetics variants of this pathogen. Mycobacterium bovis, a close related pathogen, contributes with human tuberculosis and therefore, it is particularly important in countries with significant bovine tuberculosis prevalence. Spoligotyping is currently one of the most widely used strategies for genotyping members of the M. tuberculosis complex. In this work, of a total of 41 isolates, 25 were from different patients from the Xth Region from Chile. These isolates formed 15 clusters of spoligotypes. Twenty four percent of the spoligotypes corresponded to the worldwide distributed spoligotype 53 (SpolDB4). A significant number of spoligotypes were identical to profiles found in Brazil followed by Argentina and Spain. Although the patients where from rural areas, no cases of zoonosis were observed. To establish the geographical distribution, persistence and routes of dissemination of the pathogen, a greater number of epidemiologicaly relevant isolates are being analyzed using the MIRUs-VNTRs

La aparición de nuevas cepas de Mycobacterium tuberculosis de mayor virulencia y que presentan resistencia a los fármacos antituberculosos ha orientado la investigación al registro de la distribución geográfica mundial de las distintas variantes genéticas del patógeno. Mycobacterium bovis, un patógeno estrechamente relacionado, contribuye con la tuberculosis en humanos y por tanto, es de importancia en países que presentan alta prevalencia de tuberculosis animal. El análisis de espoligotipos es actualmente la estrategia más utilizada para tipificar genéticamente los miembros del complejo M. tuberculosis. En este trabajo, 25 aislados de un total de 41, provenientes de distintos pacientes de la Xª Región de Chile, formaron 15 grupos de espoligotipos. Un 24% correspondió al espoligotipo 53, de amplia distribución mundial. Un número importante de perfiles fueron idénticos a los encontrados en Brasil, seguido de Argentina y España. Aunque los pacientes eran de zonas rurales, no se detectó casos de zoonosis. Para establecer en forma más precisa el número y tipo de variantes genéticas presentes en nuestro país, nuestro laboratorio ha iniciado el análisis de un mayor número de cepas caracterizadas epidemiológicamente con técnicas más sensibles como MIRUS-VNTR

Invasive aspergillosis is a severe disease, with an increased incidence in last decades. It occurs mainly in immunocompromised patients and rarely affects immunocompetent hosts. We describe a previously healthy 8 -year-old boy who acquired an invasive aspergillosis of abdominal origin associated with an opened laparotomy; within three weeks the patient progressed to a multiple organic failure syndrome and died despite amphotericin B deoxycolate plus voriconazole treatment and aggressive surgical debridement. Necropsy revealed multiple parenchyma involvement with characteristic findings of angioinvasive aspergillosis. Invasive aspergillosis must be considered an emergent infection in critical pediatric patients, including previously immunocompetent hosts; it is associated with high mortality despite adequate and opportune therapy

La aspergilosis invasora es una patología grave, con una incidencia en aumento, que generalmente afecta a pacientes con inmunosupresión, existiendo escasa información en pacientes pediátricos inmunocompetentes. Reportamos el caso de un escolar de 8 años, previamente sano, que cursó con una aspergilosis invasora multisistémica de origen abdominal, en relación a una laparotomía contenida, evolucionando hacia una falla orgánica múltiple, con un desenlace fatal, a pesar de recibir terapia con anfotericina B deoxicolato más voriconazol y drenaje quirúrgico amplio. El estudio anátomo-patológico reveló elementos de hifas características dentro de diversos parénquimas e invasión vascular. La aspergilosis invasora debe tenerse presente entre las causas de infecciones emergentes en pacientes críticos, incluso en inmunocompetentes; se asocia a una elevada mortalidad a pesar de un adecuado y oportuno tratamiento