Colombian Cities Research Articles

Determinación de los factores asociados con el reingreso temprano de pacientes con enfermedad mental en dos ciudades de Colombia durante 2018

IntroductionEarly rehospitalisation in mental health units (SMHUs) is when a patient needs to be readmitted in the first 30 days after receiving discharge, and is mainly due to recurrent decompensation of their mental illness. This phenomenon is related to a worse prognosis and has an impact on the family, social and work environment. Absenteeism from work and additional hospital time are expenses for the health and employment system which have made rehospitalisation a phenomenon of special interest. The present study was carried out with the objective of exploring the factors associated with the readmission of patients with psychiatric illnesses treated in two MHUs during 2018, as well as those modifiable factors that act as protection for this condition. MethodsObservational, descriptive study with analytical component of cases and controls in two MHUs in different cities of Colombia. Information was obtained by collecting data from the medical records of patients who were admitted between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2018. The data were collected between 20 February and 27 May 2019. The sample was composed of all the patients who met the criteria for early readmission in both institutions. The study group consisted of 113 patients: (28 cases and 85 controls), matched by by the variables: age, sex, place of hospitalisation and diagnosis ResultsIn the two hospital MHUs the diagnoses found were: depression (15.5%), bipolar affective disorder (33.1%) and schizophrenia (37.3%). In Bogotá, the most prevalent was depression (31.1%) and, in Tunja, it was schizophrenia (44.8%). For both institutions, the factor most associated with readmission was alcohol consumption, but other variables of treatment, family nucleus, and individual intervention were also associated with a greater probability of early readmission. ConclusionsIt was possible to demonstrate that the use of atypical and/or depot antipsychotics, hospitalisations longer than 15 days, and prescriptions of less than three drugs at discharge, reduce the number of early readmissions to MHUs.

Big Data Analytics and Intelligent Transportation Systems

As far as urban population continuously grows, the need of intelligent transport systems becomes more and more relevant to deal with transport needs for both people and cargo. Automated devices for data capture requires the implementation of analytics techniques in order to provide insights for actual decision-making and policy design. The objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, this paper reviews academic literature about big data analytics for intelligent transportation systems; and secondly builds upon previous works to propose a simple, yet complete, framework for the design of an architecture to deal with big data analytics in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). The outputs of this work will be implemented to analyze transport data for a big city in Colombia.

Seroprevalence of Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Antibodies in Colombia, 2020: A Population-Based Study

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to cause very high morbidity and mortality throughout Latin American countries. However, few population-based seroprevalence surveys have been conducted to quantify attack rates and characterize drivers of transmission.Methods: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study to assess the seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in ten cities in Colombia between September and December, 2020. The study involved multi-stage cluster sampling at each city. Participants provided a serum sample and answered a demographic and risk factor questionnaire. Prior infection by SARS-CoV-2 was ascertained using the "SARS-CoV-2 Total (COV2T) Advia Centaur - Siemens" chemiluminescence assay.Findings: A total of 17863 participants from 7075 households participated in the study. Seroprevalence varied substantially between cities, ranging from 21% (95%CI 16-25%) in Medellín to 78% (95%CI 65-91%) in Guapi. There were no differences in seroprevalence by sex, but seropositivity was lower in adults 60 years or older and higher in certain ethnic groups. There was substantial heterogeneity in seroprevalence within cities, driven to a large extent by a strong association between socio-economic stratum and seropositivity.Interpretation: Colombia has been one of the Latin American countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study documented very high attack rates in several Colombian cities by the end of 2020 and identified key drivers of heterogeneities including ethnicity and socio-economic stratum. Few studies of seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 have been conducted in Latin America, and therefore this study contributes to the fundamental understanding of the pandemic in the region.

HPB talks: innovative virtual academic experience during the covid-19 pandemic in Colombia

Presenter: Juan C Sabogal Olarte MD, MSc ;Hospital Universitario Mayor Mederi/Universidad del Rosario Background: The covid-19 pandemic brought a myriad of changes both to the way we live and also to the way we learn. It boosted a radical shift in the paradigm of education, opening a new way of learning medicine through on-line seminars with different academic groups adapting in several ways. This article shows the academic experience of an hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HPB) surgery group in Bogota, Colombia during the covid-19 pandemic. Methods: An evaluative qualitative study was made to evaluate the effects of the pandemic on the academic growth and adaptation of a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery group. A survey was conducted with the participants of the seminars and results are tabulated taking into account qualitative and ethical parameters. Results: 35 seminars regarding HPB surgery were presented during a 8 month period with the participation of medical students, surgery residents, specialists and subspecialists from different cities of Colombia. 55 people answered the survey. 40% were specialists, 23.6% were residents. 90% of the participants found the themes of the seminars were appropriate and they received excellent both academic and quality of speakers. 96% of the participants considered the seminars were of superior quality confirming that the impact of the talks in academic formation was positive and it shows the necessity of continuing this space even after the end of the pandemic. Conclusion: HPB TALKS is considered a novel, original, innovative and successful academic experience in the Colombia. They contributing to the growth in knowledge regarding HPB surgery in Colombia. The pandemic has accelerated the relationship between technology and education. They also has facilitated access to complex topics and clincial cases on HPB surgery for not only students, Residents and surgical fellows, but also, specialists from different disciplines facilitating the multidisciplinary educational process. This experience constitutes a potential replicable exercise that allows the use of technology and virtuality as a strong strategy for learning.

Patterns of anti-gout drug use in a Colombian population: 2016

ObjectiveTo identify the clinical characteristics of patients with gout, and the prescription patterns of anti-gout medications in Colombia. MethodsCross-sectional study, that analyzed the data from 310 medical records of patients treated in the last quarter of 2016, and who received an anti-gout medication. Sociodemographic, clinical, pharmacological, comorbidities, and paraclinical variables were identified. For each anti-gout drug used, it was determined whether the use was in accordance with Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved recommendations. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. ResultsPatients from 14 different cities in Colombia were evaluated, with a male predominance of 70.3% (n = 218) and a median age of 64 years (RIC: 26–94 years). The most frequently used anti-gout medication was allopurinol (n = 255; 82.3%), followed by colchicine (n = 54; 17.4%). The main diagnoses found as an indication were: hyperuricaemia (n = 181, 58.4%), gout (n = 34; 11.0%), and gouty arthritis (n = 28; 9.0%). Almost three-quarters (74.5%; n = 231) of the prescriptions had an approved use according to the FDA, especially allopurinol in the management of gout and hyperuricaemia, while colchicine was found to be used in unapproved indications (n = 44, 81.4%). The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (68.4%) and dyslipidaemia (55.8%). ConclusionsPatients with gout and on pharmacological treatment have a high frequency of cardiovascular comorbidities. They were being treated with allopurinol for long-term prevention, while a smaller proportion received colchicine, which is often used for indications not approved by regulatory agencies.

Análisis sobre la evolución del COVID-19 en Colombia: ¿se alcanzará el pico de contagio?

Se realiza un análisis de la evolución de los casos diarios de contagios y el número de muertes para Colombia y algunas ciudades con base en información oficial reportada por el Ministerio de Salud, con el fin de dar respuesta a la siguiente pregunta: ¿dada la trayectoria actual del nuevo coronavirus, es posible estimar el futuro pico de contagios? A partir de la construcción de una estructura de datos de panel, se estiman modelos con tendencia cuadrática temporal para el logaritmo del número de contagios y muertes por COVID-19. La estimación de la dinámica de los contagios y de las muertes de manera recursiva a partir del método de regresiones rolling window muestra un buen ajuste, permitiendo predecir cuándo se alcanzará el pico de la epidemia en función de los nuevos casos reportados oficialmente. Se estiman algunos factores asociados a la evolución de la pandemia, especialmente el efecto de la velocidad de contagio (tasa de reproducción efectiva, Ro) sobre la trayectoria futura de los contagios diarios. Además, se intenta estimar el impacto de las medidas de aislamiento preventivo adoptadas por las autoridades nacionales y regionales. Los resultados muestran que el pico de la pandemia en Colombia se alcanza aproximadamente a finales de agosto, período que coincide con estudios epidemiológicos más elaborados. El número promedio de nuevos casos diarios en el pico alcanzaría más de 10.000 contagios, mientras que el máximo número de fallecidos en el pico sería de 44.471. La estimación del impacto de las medidas de confinamiento muestra que se logra aplazar el pico y reducir el número de contagios y muertes.

Broken windows policing and crime: Evidence from 80 Colombian cities

We study the effects of broken windows policing on crime using geo-located crime and arrest reports for 80 Colombian cities. Broadly defined, broken windows policing consists of intensifying arrests—sometimes for minor offenses—to deter potential criminals. To estimate causal effects, we build grids of 200 × 200 meters over the urban perimeter of all cities and produce event studies to look at the effects of shocks in police activity in the periods to follow. We use spikes in the number of arrests with no warrant—which are more likely associated with unplanned police presence—as a proxy for shocks in broken windows policing. As expected, we observe an increase in crimes during the shock period, as each arrest implies at least one crime report. In the following periods, crimes decrease both in the place of the arrests and the surroundings. With many treated grids and many places exposed to spillovers, these effects add up. On aggregate, the crime reduction offsets the observed increase during the shock period. Direct effects are more immediate and precise at low crime grids, but beneficial spillovers seem more relevant at crime hot spots. The effects of broken windows policing circumscribe to cities with low or moderate organized crime, consistent with criminal organizations planning their activities more systematically than disorganized criminals.

Design of a Public Vehicle Tracking Service Using Long-Range (LoRa) and Intelligent Transportation System Architecture

Public transport vehicles are involved in a high percentage of traffic accidents in intermediate cities, mainly due to speeding and lack of control over their routing. In addition, many passengers of these vehicles report poor quality of service. To try to improve this, the authors propose a system to provide a public transport vehicle tracking service with high quality regarding accessibility, safety, and comfort. They developed an ITS architecture for this type of city following a methodology, they constructed a detailed service diagram using the ITS architecture and quality requirements, and finally, they selected the adequate wireless communication technology for the service. They determined that an IoT-based system, with LoRaWAN technology and considering the developed ITS architecture, provides the service with the required characteristics. They also analyzed the use of the proposed service design in the case of an intermediate Colombian city, determining the required components, network, and budget.

Multilocus genotyping of Giardia intestinalis in pet dogs of Medellín Colombia.

According to a few parasitological and epidemiological studies, Giardia is the most prevalent parasitic infection among pet dogs in the city of Medellín, the second-largest city in Colombia. This study determined the assemblages of Giardia in the fecal samples of dogs obtained from 18 veterinary centers of Medellín. One hundred fecal samples of dogs diagnosed with Giardia using microscopy were analyzed via nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using three genes (gdh, bg, and tpi). The PCR products were purified and sequenced, and phylogenetic analyses were conducted using the maximum likelihood algorithm of the three loci. From the 100 samples analyzed, 47 were Giardia-positive via PCR. Genotypes C and D were detected in six samples, neither of which were associated with human infection. However, the zoonotic potential of Giardia cannot be ruled out because of the small number of samples that could be sequenced for assemblage assignation.

Adverse drug reactions associated with the use of biological agents.

Biological drugs open new possibilities to treat diseases for which drug therapy is limited, but they may be associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs). To identify the ADRs associated with the use of biological drugs in Colombia. This was a retrospective study of ADR reports from 2014 to 2019, contained in the database of Audifarma SA pharmacovigilance program. The ADRs, groups of associated drugs, and affected organs were classified. In total, 5,415 reports of ADRs associated with biological drugs were identified in 78 Colombian cities. A total of 76.1% of the cases corresponded to women. The majority were classified as type A (55.0%) and B (28.9%), and 16.7% were serious cases. The respiratory tract was the most affected organ system (16.8%), followed by the skin and appendages (15.6%). Antineoplastic and immunomodulatory drugs accounted for 70.6% of the reports, and the drugs related to the greatest number of ADRs were adalimumab (12.2%) and etanercept (11.6%). The reporting of ADRs has increased in recent years and these reactions are mostly classified as tyoe A or B, categorized as serious in almost one-fifth of the reported cases and associated mainly with immunomodulators and antineoplastic agents. This type of study can support decision makers in ways that benefit patient safety and interaction with health systems.

Short-term temperature variability in a tropical Andean city Manizales, Colombia

The climatic variability in the Tropical Andes area is high, both spatially and temporally, and its analysis must be carried out both in the short and long term depending on the available information. This type of spatial-temporal analysis provides tools for planning and environmental management in urban areas, given its high complexity. This investigation focuses on a diagnosis of the diurnal cycle and the analysis of the monthly temperature structure in 13 stations located in the city of Manizales, Caldas (Colombia). This applied research aims to understand the behavior of the temperature in a tropical Andes city in Colombia, where the spatial-temporal complexity of this variable improve the urban and hydrological planning strategies. Results correspond to what has been previously defined by other authors for the Andean zone: city temperature shows very stable patrons, yet important variations in temperature range across the city are appreciated during the day.

The impact of COVID-19 on Venezuelan migrants’ access to health: A qualitative study in Colombian and Peruvian cities

This research seeks to understand how COVID-19 has affected access to healthcare among migrants in Latin American cities. Using ethnographic research methods, we engaged with Venezuelans living in conditions of informality in four Colombian cities—Barranquilla, Cucuta, Riohacha, and Soacha—and three Peruvian cities—Lima, Trujillo, and Tumbes. We conducted 130 interviews of both Venezuelan migrants and state and non-governmental actors within the healthcare ecosystems of these cities. We found that forced migrants from Venezuela in both Colombia and Peru face common obstacles along their access trajectories to healthcare, which we summarize as legal, financial, and relating to discrimination and information asymmetry. By limiting effective access to care during the pandemic, these obstacles have also affected migrants’ ability to cover the costs of basic needs, particularly food and housing. Our study also found a prevalent reliance on alternative forms of care, such as telemedicine, easy-to-access pharmacies, and extralegal care networks. We conclude that COVID-19 has exacerbated preexisting conditions of informality and health inequities affecting Venezuelan migrants in Colombia and Peru.

Urban Residual Space in Latin America: Reframing the Role of Public Space in Colombia

The metropolises of the global south are often considered out of rules as a distinct urban “species” while cities of the global north are commonly recognized for their development, organization, and operation. The duality that arises in Latin American cities is between the advancement of its infrastructure and the provision of goods and services. This duality is physically manifested in urban space, as well as the increase of spatial segregation and social inequality. Fragments, patches, archipelagos, and countless denominations that narrow the “disorder” of these cities contrast with the good practices they develop to increase the quality of life of their inhabitants. Life in public space is one of the interrelationships that occur in cities, but in some spaces in Latin American cities are considered fragments and uncertain spaces of the city without defined uses due to the characteristics of some of these spaces. These spaces, specifically in Colombian cities, commonly divide the large areas of poverty with the few areas of wealth, providing greater inequality and socio-spatial segregation. Considering Latin America as the most violent and inequitable region in the world explains why the research of recent decades in these cities has focused on understanding the causes and finding answers to minimize poverty, and inequality. These phenomena will not find the full answers in architecture nor urbanism; however, actions from these two disciplines are required to materialize opportunities for all the cities. Thus, the purpose of the research, based on literature review, methodological terms, and collection of information is reframing the role of public space as a potential for articulation with the deficit of public space and as a tool of urban development.

Riesgo suicida y su relación con la inteligencia emocional y la autoestima en estudiantes universitarios

The objective was to establish of suicidal risk with emotional intelligence and self-esteem in a sample of 1414 university students of two Colombian cities from a quantitative study, with a non-experimental cross-sectional design. The Plutchik-RS Suicide Risk Scale, the adapted versions of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) and the Rosenberg-RAE Scale of Self-Esteem and an ad hoc Sociodemographic Record was used as instruments. The results show positive statistically significant correlations (p> 0.001) among suicidal risk, emotional attention and self-deprecation; and negative correlations (p> 0.001) among suicidal risk, emotional intelligence, emotional clarity, emotional regulation, self-esteem and self-confidence. We would like to highlight that emotional intelligence regarding clarity, regulation, self-esteem and self-confidence are protective factors of suicidal risk, and conversely, emotional attention and self-deprecation are risk factors for suicide.

Frequency and spectrum of mutations in the BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, P53, PTEN, CHEK2, CDH1 genes in women with breast cancer from three cities of Colombia

Frequency and spectrum of mutations in the BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, P53, PTEN, CHEK2, CDH1 genes in women with breast cancer from three cities of Colombia

Spatial distribution of pesticides, organochlorine compounds, PBDEs, and metals in surface marine sediments from Cartagena Bay, Colombia.

Cartagena Bay is an estuarine system located in the Caribbean Sea (Colombia, South America), that receives fresh water from Canal del Dique, which is connected to the Magdalena River, the most important river of Colombia, with some of the most prominent Colombian cities located in its watershed, which has a high sediment yield. An analysis of persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals was carried out on marine sediments from Cartagena Bay. Cartagena Bay sediments deployed the occurrence of total levels of pesticides (thiocarbamates, bromacil, triazines, organochlorines, and organophosphorus), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in sediments ranging from 0.83-33.67 ng/g dry-weight, 0.05-0.34 ng/g dry-weight, and 0.06-19.58 ng/g dry-weight, respectively. Their concentrations were lower than those reported in NOAA Screening Quick Reference Tables. DDTs and PCBs are banned organochlorine compounds, since, even at low levels, their presence in sediments represents a threat to aquatic organisms and, therefore, to human health through the trophic chain. Sediments showed high concentrations of strontium (50-959.6 mg/kg). All metals evaluated in the marine sediments were found in the S6 sampling point; this was near tannery and hydrocarbon industries (Pb 37.1 mg/kg, Cr 137.2 mg/kg, Cd 1.7 mg/kg, Cu 64.4 mg/kg, As 13.1 mg/kg, Sr 318.9 mg/kg); these results exceeded the accepted values of threshold effect levels (TEL) used as an indicator of their potential risk on marine life.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Seroprevalence Among Adults in a Tropical City of the Caribbean Area, Colombia: Are We Much Closer to Herd Immunity Than Developed Countries?

A serological survey was carried out in Monteria (500 000 population), a mid-size city in Colombia. An overall prevalence of 55.3% (95% confidence interval, 52.5%–57.8%) was found among a sample of 1.368 people randomly selected from the population. Test positivity was related to economic characteristics with the highest prevalence found in the most impoverished areas, representing 83.8% of the city’s population. We found a prevalence that might be associated with some important level of population immunity.

Sustainable transit vehicle tracking service, using intelligent transportation system services and emerging communication technologies: A review

Abstract The most salient problems of transit vehicle service in Latin American intermediate cities include: the high number of passengers involved in traffic accidents; traffic congestion caused by transit vehicles, and pollution generated by these vehicles, which increases in high congestion scenarios. To improve upon this situation, a research was conducted on the transit vehicle tracking service, which is a basic service for implementing mobility solutions for the aforementioned problems, the most relevant characteristics of this service for the context of Latin American intermediate cities were identified, and an implementation was proposed. This paper presents the four stages of the study: (a) a review of the state-of-the-art of services or systems related to vehicle tracking, including wireless communications technologies, implemented sustainability approaches, usage of special algorithms for efficiency improvement, and the intelligent transportation system (ITS) architecture used as a basis; (b) the process of identifying relevant characteristics of the service for a given context; (c) proposal of an ITS architecture for this service in an intermediate city, its requirements and the suggested technologies; and (d) development of experiments for validating usage of the key suggested technologies. The review allowed to identify the main service characteristics, with regard to vehicle positioning technologies, the recommended wireless communication technology (long range, LoRa), energy consumption considerations, and use of artificial intelligence (AI) to calculate waiting time of users at bus stops. Finally, an ITS architecture for the city of Popayan (Colombian city) considering the aforementioned characteristics is proposed, and the experiments related to the use of these technologies are described in detail.

Predicting Well-Being and Life Satisfaction in Colombian Adolescents: The Role of Emotion Regulation, Proactive Coping, and Prosocial Behavior

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between positive competences, such as emotion regulation, proactive coping and prosocial behavior, and Colombian adolescents' perception of their well-being and life satisfaction. Through a convenience sample, 930 7th and 9th grade adolescents attending 11 public and private schools in 2 main cities of Colombia answered to a set of scales that evaluate proactive coping, emotion regulation, prosocial behavior, perceived life satisfaction and well-being. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate models for adolescents' well-being and life satisfaction, with the positive competences taken as predictive variables. The model that showed the best fit and accounted for the greatest amount of variance in adolescents' well-being and life satisfaction included 2 dimensions of proactive coping (positive and social), emotion regulation and prosocial behavior. Recommendations for future research and the development of intervention programs to promote adolescents' well-being are presented.

Childhood Leukemia in Small Geographical Areas and Proximity to Industrial Sources of Air Pollutants in Three Colombian Cities.

Acute leukemia is the most common childhood cancer and has been associated with exposure to environmental carcinogens. This study aimed to identify clusters of acute childhood leukemia (ACL) cases and analyze their relationship with proximity to industrial sources of air pollution in three capital cities in Colombia during 2000–2015. Incident ACL cases were obtained from the population cancer registries for the cities of Bucaramanga, Cali, and Medellín. The inventory of industrial sources of emissions to the air was obtained from the regional environmental authorities and industrial conglomerates were identified. The Kulldorf’s circular scan test was used to detect city clusters and to identify clusters around industrial conglomerates. Multivariable spatial modeling assessed the effect of distance and direction from the industrial conglomerates controlling for socioeconomic status. We identified industrials sectors within a buffer of 1 km around industrial conglomerates related to the ACL clusters. Incidence rates showed geographical heterogeneity with low spatial autocorrelation within cities. The spatio-temporal tests identified one cluster in each city. The industries located within 1 km around the ACL clusters identified in the three cities represent different sectors. Exposure to air pollution from industrial sources might be contributing to the incidence of ACL cases in urban settings in Colombia.