Programs In Argentina Research Articles

Evaluation of an action-research project by university environmental volunteers

ABSTRACTThe university volunteer programs in Argentina encourage entrepreneurship culture through the development of innovative socio-environmental projects that promote a joint effort between the different administrations of the State, the universities and regional social organizations. One, called “environment and social inclusion” has been undertaken since 2011 in Stella Maris, a coastal suburb of the city of Comodoro Rivadavia – Chubut. The program includes a training phase for the university volunteers, an action plan addressed to the social agents and an evaluation of the results. This project has contributed to the reduction of vulnerabilities from the proposed action research planned by volunteer university students, teachers and social agents. Neighborhood institutional leaders who actively participated also contributed. Through a participatory diagnosis, the different actors in the community became aware of the environmental problems of their area and established strategic priorities for action in the short, medium and long term. The diagnosis itself was a learning process clarifying attitudes and environmental awareness that predisposed the participants to collective action. In our opinion, the next step would be to increase the social–political pressure on the local authorities to change the problem tackled into one of its priority actions.

Investigación socio-ecológica a largo plazo en la Patagonia Austral: Estrategias interdisciplinarias para lograr la conservación de los recursos naturales a través de un manejo sustentable bajo escenarios de cambio global

Martinez Pastur, G., Peri, P.L., Lecinas, M.V., Soler, R., Bahamonde, H.A., Valenzuela, A.E.J., Cabello, J.L., Anderson C.B. 2016. Long-term socio-ecological research in Southern Patagonia: Interdisciplinary strategies to achieve natural resource conservation by sustainable management under scenarios of global change. Ecosistemas 25(1): 49-57. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2016.25-1.06 The ecological, social, institutional and political dimensions of environmental problems encompass spatial and temporal scales that exceed the majority of scientific research projects. An alternative that has increased over time throughout the world is the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) or Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) approach, but this initiative has thematic and geographic gaps. One of these is Argentina, but there is a great quantity of experience that can be brought to bear on the integration of our country into this network. The objective of this work is to evaluate the general framework of long-term ecological research in Argentina, particularly southern Patagonia. We take two lines of investigation as case studies (i) the ecology and conservation of native forests via forestry management, and (ii) the ecology and management of biological invasions. A summary of research (past and present) is presented, the principal results obtained, strategies applied and lessons learned. This review allows us to make inferences regarding the feasibility of implementing this type of program in Argentina, which can be sustained over time and be integrated between disciplines and with decision-makers. We conclude that there are both great potential and opportunities to consolidate an LTER/LTSER-type network in Argentina.

Impact of Universal Health Coverage on Child Growth and Nutrition in Argentina.

To estimate trends of undernutrition (stunting and underweight) among children younger than 5 years covered by the universal health coverage programs Plan Nacer and Programa Sumar. From 2005 to 2013, Plan Nacer and Programa Sumar collected high-quality information on birth and visit dates, age (in days), gender, weight (in kg), and height (in cm) for 1.4 million children in 6386 health centers (13 million records) with broad coverage of vulnerable populations in Argentina. The prevalence of stunting and underweight decreased 45.0% (from 20.6% to 11.3%) and 38.0% (from 4.0% to 2.5%), respectively, with differences between rural versus urban areas, gender, regions, age, and seasons. Undernutrition prevalence substantially decreased in 2 programs in Argentina as a result of universal health coverage.

Diarios de lectura y modelos de enseñanza de la literatura en la formación docente en inglés

Reading logs are regularly used in foreign language education since they are not only critical in the development of reading comprehension but may also be instrumental in taking readers beyond the referential into the representational realms of language. In this paper we offer the results of a qualitative analysis of a series of reading logs written by advanced students for a literature course in an English language teacher education program in Argentina. The logs were coded according to the different literature teaching models followed in the program, which let us ponder on the applicability and usefulness of reading logs, and on the need to promote diversity in literature teaching in English language teacher education.

Characteristics of pediatric intensive care residency programs in Argentina: A national survey.

Pediatric intensive care residency programs have been in place in Argentina for just a few years. Knowing their status offers the possibility to establish strategies to help with professional development and training. 1) To describe the characteristics of pediatric intensive care residency programs across Argentina. 2) To assess whether certain characteristics are related to a higher vacancy filling rate. 3) To assess job placement in the hospital where residents are trained. Descriptive, observational study. National survey. Pediatric intensive care residency programs in place between April 1st, 2014 and May 31st, 2014. Thirty-one residency programs were analyzed. Only 11/31 had an annual hospitalization volume >400 patients. There were no guidelines and/or criteria for care in 9/31. The program suited the national reference framework in 17/31. There was no head of residents or resident trainer in 13/31. Only 5/31 had been certified by the Ministry of Health. There were 65 vacancies; this number increased in the past four years; vacancy filling rate decreased from 59% in 2009 to 30% in 2013. Sixty percent of residents got a job in the pediatric intensive care unit where they were trained. A multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the outcome measure annual hospitalization volume >400 patients as an independent predictor of vacancy filling rate >60%. 1) Vacancy filling is deficient. 2) The number of certified residency programs is scarce. 3) Pediatric intensive care units with a higher number of hospitalizations were associated with a higher vacancy filling rate. 4) More than half of residents got a job in the pediatric intensive care unit where they were trained.

Cost effectiveness evaluation of a rotavirus vaccination program in Argentina

BackgroundRotavirus diarrhea is one of the most important vaccine-preventable causes of severe diarrhea in children worldwide. There are two live-attenuated virus vaccines licensed, Rotarix® (RV1) a monovalent vaccine by GlaxoSmithKline and a pentavalent vaccine, RotaTeq® (RV5), by Merck & Co., with similar results. This study aim was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the utilization of RV1 compared with RV5 in Argentina. MethodsA deterministic Markov model based on the lifetime follow up of a static cohort was used. Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) as a measure of results, the perspective of the health care system and a 5% discount rate for health benefits and costs has been used. A review of the literature to obtain epidemiologic and resources utilization of rotavirus diarrhea was performed. The sources used to estimate epidemiologic parameters were the National Health Surveillance System, the national mortality statistics and national database of hospital discharges records. Costs were obtained from different health subsectors and are expressed in local currency. ResultsBoth vaccination alternatives were less costly and more effective than the strategy without vaccination (total costs $ 69,700,645 and 2575 total QALYs lost). When comparing RV1 vs. RV5, RV1 was less expensive ($ 60,174,508 vs. $ 67,545,991 total costs) and more effective (1105 vs. 1213 total QALYs lost) than RV5, RV1 being therefore a dominating strategy. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed results to be robust with a 100% probability of being cost-effective at a WTP threshold of 1 GDP per capita when comparing the RV1 vs. no vaccination. ConclusionBoth RV1 and RV5 schedules dominate the no vaccination strategy and RV5 was dominated by RV1. This information is a valuable input regarding the incorporation of this kind of vaccines into the national vaccination programs.

Biomarkers of oxidative damage and antioxidant defense capacity in Caiman latirostris blood

Several xenobiotics, and among them pesticides, can produce oxidative stress, providing a mechanistic basis for their observed toxicity. Chronic oxidative stress induces deleterious modifications to DNA, lipids and proteins that are used as effective biomarkers to study pollutant-mediated oxidative stress. No previous report existed on the application of oxidative damage and antioxidant defense biomarkers in Caiman latirostris blood, while few studies reported in other crocodilians were done in organs or muscles of dead animals. The aim of this study was to characterize a new set of oxidative stress biomarkers in C. latirostris blood, through the modification of conventional techniques: 1) damage to lipids by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), 2) damage to DNA by comet assay modified with the enzymes FPG and Endo III, and 3) antioxidant defenses: catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione; in order to apply them in future biomonitoring studies. We successfully adapted standard procedures for CAT, SOD, GSH and TBARS determination in C. latirostris blood. Calibration curves for FPG and Endo III showed that the three dilutions tested were appropriate to conduct the modified comet assay for the detection of oxidized bases in C. latirostris erythrocytes. One hour of incubation allowed a complete repair of the damage generated. The incorporation of these biomarkers in biomonitoring studies of caiman populations exposed to xenobiotics is highly important considering that this species has recovered from a serious endangered state through the implementation of sustainable use programs in Argentina, and represents nowadays a relevant economic resource for many human communities.

Out-of-Home Care Programs in Argentina: Contradictions Between Effective Protection and Long-Term Permanency

According to UNICEF, in 2011 nearly 14,700 children lacking parental care were attended by public protection measures, such as out-of-home care devices. The aim of this work is to account for the operating conditions of such interventions in Buenos Aires province. Our approach agrees with methodological perspectives guiding current interventions aimed at childhood, which consider children as subject-bearing rights and request all social institutions watch their well-being. The analysis exploits documentary and primary sources of information based on interviews with actors involved in public special protection devices. Our focus is directed towards the analysis of suggested and effective conditions of permanence in special protective measures and, therefore, in exiting from such devices. One of the main conclusions is that bureaucratic requirements aimed to establish an explicit time horizon for public cash transfers face conflicts with more general guidelines that should guide interventions with childhood.

Interpreting the circulation of educational discourse across space: searching for new vocabularies

This article argues that certain established vocabularies that are used to interpret the circulation of educational discourse and its transformation in different settings have significant limitations to capture the complexity inherent to new geographies of power/knowledge in education and that, consequently, we need to develop new concepts to analyse the movement of educational discourses across space. After a critique of concepts such as ‘transfer’ and ‘policy borrowing’, we offer an alternative kind of approach by using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to briefly analyse Conectar Igualdad, a program in Argentina that distributes one computer per student in secondary schools. It will be shown how the use ANT can make certain connections visible that would not be so noticeable using the established vocabularies discussed above.

The effect of mare's age on multiple ovulation rate, embryo recovery, post-transfer pregnancy rate, and interovulatory interval in a commercial embryo transfer program in Argentina

Advanced maternal age is an important predisposing factor on the reduction of reproductive efficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of donor's age on several reproductive parameters in a commercial equine embryo transfer program. Donors were classified into 3 age groups: Group 1=fillies (3 and 4 years old), Group 2=middle age mares (aged 5–10) and Group 3=old mares (aged 13–25). Embryo recovery, multiple ovulation and pregnancy rates and interovulatory intervals were compared amongst age groups. Group 1 (171/244, 70.1%) and Group 2 (774/1081, 71.6%) had a higher (P<0.005) embryo recovery rate than Group 3 (385/701, 54.9%). Groups 2 and 3 were 2.5 and 3.4 times more likely to have multiple ovulations than Group 1 (P<0.05), respectively. The effect of age group on pregnancy rate was not significant (P>0.05). The interovulatory intervals length was influenced by individual mare (P<0.001), age (P<0.04), Day of flushing (P=0.009) and by month (P<0.012). The overall mean interovulatory interval of Group 1 (16.4±0.17 days) and Group 2 (16.6±0.12 days) was not different (P>0.05), but was shorter than the one of Group 3 (17.4±0.15 days; P<0.04). The embryo recovery rate of flushings from Groups 1 and 2 was influenced by the length of the previous interovulatory interval (P=0.03).

The impact of a social program on labor informality: The case of AUH in Argentina

The recent Universal Child Allowance program in Argentina provides monthly cash transfers to unregistered workers with children. As the program is accessible only to those who are not in formal employment, it may discourage workers' transitions to the formal sector. In this paper we estimate this effect by comparing the transitions to registered jobs of eligible workers (with children) with a similar but not eligible group (without children) over time. The results suggest a statistically significant and economically large disincentive to the labor market formalization of the program beneficiaries. In contrast, there is no sufficient evidence for the existence of a significant incentive for registered workers to become informal.

Isolation and characterization of new microsatellite markers for application in population genetic studies of Caiman latirostris and related species

Wild populations ofCaiman latirostrisare subject to sustainable use programs in Argentina, becoming a species with important impact in the regional economy, based in their skin and meat. Genetic studies are fundamental to acquire information on important parameters for conservation and management, which may be obtained from analysis of molecular markers. Some microsatellites have been previously isolated in this species, but due to some difficulties in using them, we obtained new ones using Next Generation Sequencing approach. This study reports eight new microsatellites forC. latirostrisand tests their utility in a related species,Caiman yacare, with successful application in population genetics and mating systems studies. In addition, we shared data about a novel and fast bioinformatics tool to find microsatellites and to design their corresponding primers.

The effect of public employment on children’s work and school attendance: evidence from a social protection program in Argentina

I assess the short-term impact of a public employment program on child labor and school attendance in Argentina. Public employment increases opportunities for adults outside the household, and may correspondingly raise the returns to children’s productive activities at home. The effect of public employment on school attendance may thus be small. However, I find that the program substantially increased children’s school attendance in addition to reducing child labor. My empirical strategy exploits an arbitrary enrollment cutoff date to compare program beneficiaries with a propensity-matched group of applicants not receiving benefits.JEL classificationJ22; J13; J68; 015

Comprehensive Approach for Hypertension Control in Low-Income Populations: Rationale and Study Design for the Hypertension Control Program in Argentina

Although the efficacy and effectiveness of lifestyle modifications and antihypertensive pharmaceutical treatment for the prevention and control of hypertension and concomitant cardiovascular disease have been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials, this scientific knowledge has not been fully applied in the general population, especially in low-income communities. This article summarizes interventions to improve hypertension management and describes the rationale and study design for a cluster randomized trial testing whether a comprehensive intervention program within a national public primary care system will improve hypertension control among uninsured hypertensive men and women and their families. We will recruit 1,890 adults from 18 clinics within a public primary care network in Argentina. Clinic patients with uncontrolled hypertension, their spouses and hypertensive family members will be enrolled. The comprehensive intervention program targets the primary care system through health care provider education, a home-based intervention among patients and their families (home delivery of antihypertensive medication, self-monitoring of blood pressure [Bp], health education for medication adherence and lifestyle modification) conducted by community health workers and a mobile health intervention. The primary outcome is net change in systolic Bp from baseline to month 18 between intervention and control groups among hypertensive study participants. The secondary outcomes are net change in diastolic Bp, Bp control and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. This study will generate urgently needed data on effective, practical and sustainable intervention programs aimed at controlling hypertension and concomitant cardiovascular disease in underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Bionomics of Opius bellus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), an endoparasitoid of Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) in fruit-growing areas of Northwestern Argentina

Opius bellus is a neotropical larval-prepupal parasitoid known to attack the pestiferous fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus. Due to interest in the use of native parasitoids in forthcoming fruit fly biocontrol programmes in Argentina, O. bellus was colonised for the first time using laboratory-reared A. fraterculus larvae. A series of experiments were conducted to (1) best achieve an efficient parasitoid rearing by determining optimal larval host age, host:parasitoid ratio and host exposure time and (2) assess their potential as biological control agents by determining reproductive parameters. The most productive exposure regimen was: 7–9 d-old (early and middle third-instars) A. fraterculus larvae for 4 h at a 4:1 host:parasitoid ratio; this array of factors was sufficient to achieve the highest average adult emergence (48%) and an offspring sex ratio at equitable proportion. Increasing both host:parasitoid ratio further than 4:1 and the host exposure time beyond 4 h did not significantly enhance parasitoid female offspring yield. Females produced eggs for 29.5 ± 1.4 days. At 32 days of age, 50% of the females were still alive. The majority of the progeny were produced by females between 20 and 24 d-old. At 26°C, gross fecundity rate, net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase and mean generation time were 20.7 ± 4.2 offspring/female, 9.6 ± 2.5 females/newborn females, 0.06 ± 0.01 females/female/day and 8.4 ± 0.2 days, respectively. The long lifespan and reproductive parameters suggest that this parasitoid species has suitable attributes for mass-rearing.

Advancing Biomedical Research to Improve Health at Home and Abroad

Advancing Biomedical Research to Improve Health at Home and Abroad

PIH2 - Cost Effectiveness Evaluation of a Rotavirus Vaccination Program in Argentina

PIH2 - Cost Effectiveness Evaluation of a Rotavirus Vaccination Program in Argentina

Patient–provider perceptions on engagement in HIV care in Argentina

Approximately 30% of patients participating in the national antiretroviral therapy (ART) program in Argentina fail to achieve an undetectable viral load, and approximately 25% are not retained in care. This qualitative study was designed to explore and identify factors associated with engagement and retention in public and private health care in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Qualitative data from key informants (n = 12) and focus groups (n = 4 groups) of patients and providers from private and public HIV treatment facilities were recorded and transcribed. Predetermined and arising themes related to adherence, engagement, and retention in care were coded and analyzed using qualitative data analysis software. Reasons identified for patients' lack of adherence or engagement in care differed between patients and providers, and patients attributed limitations to low self-efficacy, fear and concerns about HIV, and lack of provider involvement in treatment. In contrast, providers viewed themselves as decision-makers in patient care and patients as responsible for their own nonadherence due to lack of commitment to their own health or due to medication side effects. Patients reported health care system limitations and HIV concerns contributed to a lack of engagement, and providers identified limited HIV literacy and stigma as additional problems. Both agreed that chronic illness and substance addiction impacted adherence and retention, and agreed on the importance of trust, honesty, and communication in the patient–provider relationship. Results support the incorporation of system-, provider-, and patient-focused components into interventions to facilitate patient engagement, adherence, and retention in public and private settings in Argentina.

Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505, an Immunobiotic Strain Used in Social Food Programs in Argentina

We report the draft genome sequence of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain CRL1505. This new probiotic strain has been included into official Nutritional Programs in Argentina. The draft genome sequence is composed of 3,417,633 bp with 3,327 coding sequences.