Predictors of Attitudes toward Cosmetic Surgery among U.S. and Colombian College Women: The Roles of Eating Behaviors and Demographic Variables

Cross-cultural studies on eating behaviors and related constructs can identify cultural and social factors that contribute to eating disorder symptomatology. Eating disorders (EDs) are a major cause for concern in the U.S., and recent studies in Colombia have shown growing rates among their female population. In addition, cosmetic surgery procedures have been increasing rapidly in both the U.S. and Colombia, and preliminary research suggests a positive relation between disordered eating and endorsement of plastic surgery. In samples of college women from Colombia and the U.S., we investigated patterns of association between disordered eating variables and cosmetic surgery acceptance. Our approach utilized separate analyses for various subcomponents of disordered eating (to determine their unique associations with cosmetic surgery acceptance) while adjusting for potentially relevant covariates and examining cross-cultural patterns. Participants were students at an urban, public college in the U.S. (n=163) and an urban, private college in Colombia (n=179). Overall, our findings suggested that participants from Colombia with greater disordered eating were more likely to endorse cosmetic surgery for social reasons, while those from the U.S. were more likely to consider undergoing cosmetic surgery for personal reasons. Differing findings between the two samples may be due to cultural and social factors, which we delineate. These findings also have potential implications for presurgical counseling of cosmetic surgery candidates.

Characterization of resistance in vitro to different antimicrobial in strains of Staphylococcus spp. in a hospital of the city of Valledupar between January and July 2009

The Staphylococcus spp. they can cause a wide range of infections systemic and located in community and hospital patients. Its high pathogenicity and growing resistance to multiple antimicrobials including methicillin, causes high morbiditymortality rates, causing a high epidemiological impact. Objective: to determine the phenotypic profile of resistance to different antimicrobials in strains of the genus Staphylococcus spp. Materials and methods: collected 75 strains and determined them susceptibility to different antibiotics by the Kirby-Bauer method. The production of betalactamasecheck using the nitrocefin test. (Resistance to Methicillin in S. aureus was conductedusing Mueller Hinton with 4% NaCl and oxacillin 6 μg/mL). Inducible clindamycin resistance tamizo by D-Test test. Results: they were isolated by 38% of staphylococcus coagulase negative (SNA) and 62% of S. aureus. 53% were penicillin resistant staphylococci: S. aureus with 58% and 42% SNA. 47% of the strains showed resistance to methicillin: S. aureus with 61% and SNA with 39%. A strain of S. aureus showed inducible resistance to clindamycin (1.33%). Coagulase negative staphylococci were isolated mostly from blood samples (31%), blood (29%), tip of catheter (5%) and came mostly from neonatal ICU (25%), medical (21%) and surgery (16%).Conclusions: S. aureus and SNA were isolated with greater frequency in blood and wounds from surgery and neonatal ICU. The predominant resistance phenotypes were penicillin and oxacillin.

El proceso de securitización del problema de las drogas por parte de Estados Unidos como dinamizador de las relaciones con Colombia

Este documento surge de la pregunta ¿por qué a pesar de los costos y los inconcluyentes resultados de la guerra contra las drogas, ésta se ha mantenido por más de 40 años? El texto analiza los factores que motivaron a Estados Unidos a iniciar un proceso de construcción discursiva para transformar el problema de las drogas en una amenaza a la seguridad nacional de ese país y del mundo, y cómo Colombia ha aprovechado esa situación para redefinir constantemente su identidad nacional e impulsar sus intereses. La aproximación al problema de las drogas se desarrolla desde la perspectiva del proceso de securitización y desde la óptica de la búsqueda de los intereses nacionales, soportada sobre la base teórica del constructivismo. Desde esa perspectiva, se evidencia cómo la construcción de la guerra contra las drogas ha dependido de la identidad (personalidad) de los Estados, de las políticas e intereses de sus gobernantes, pero también de elementos propios del contexto histórico que han potenciado su desarrollo. Finaliza con el planteamiento de un posible proceso de des-secutiritización del problema de las drogas.