Just give me the facts? literalism versus symbolism in B2B advertising

For decades the prevailing idea in B2B marketing has been that buyers are motivated by product/service specifications. Sellers are put on approved supplier lists, invited to respond to RFPs, and are selected on the basis of superior products, at the right price, delivered on time. The history of B2B advertising is filled with the advice “provide product specifications” and your advertising will be noticed, lead to sales inquiries, and eventually result in higher sales. Advertising filled with abstractions might work in the B2C market, but the B2B marketplace is about being literal. What we know about advertising — and particularly the message component of advertising — is based on a combination of experience, unproven ideas and a bit of social science. Over the years, advertising guidelines produced by the predecessors of BMA (National Industrial Advertising Association, Association of Industrial Advertising, and the Business/Professional Advertising Association) stressed emphasizing product features and tangible benefits. The major publishers of B2B magazines, e.g., McGraw-Hill, Penton Publishing, et al. had similar recommendations. Also, B2B marketing books recommend advertising that focuses on specific product features (Kotler and Pfoertsch, 2006; Lamons, 2005). In more recent times, abstraction in advertising messages has penetrated the B2B marketplace. Even though such advertising legends as David Ogilvy (1963, 1985) frequently recommended advertising based on hard-core information, we’ve seen the growing use of emotional appeals, including humor, fear, parental affection, etc. Beyond the use of emotion, marketers attempt to build a stronger connection between their brands and buyers through the use of abstraction and symbolism. Below are two examples of B2B advertisements — Figure 1A is high in literalism and Figure 1B is high in symbolism. Which approach — a “left-brain” (literal) or “right brain” (symbolic) is more effective in B2B advertising? Are the advertising message creation guidelines from the history of B2B advertising accurate? Are the foundations of B2B message creation (experience and unproven ideas) sound?

Can we teach advertising students to think? Strategies to engage student thinking

Understanding and effectively managing students’ engagement in education plays a significant role in enhancing learning processes and outcomes. Research has shown that students learn more when they are actively engaged in their learning. However, as many educators know, this is not as easy as one might expect. Using a range of teaching approaches, we attempt to impart knowledge and develop understanding and comprehension (Angelo 1993; Biggs and Telfer 1987; Patti 2003; Ranburuth and McCormick 2001). These vary from “information dump” or teacher-centric approaches, to those that stimulate more active involvement. From the literature, we know that experiential learning, such as those strategies that help students acquire practice skills, apply critical thought and active learning, are likely to have achieve higher levels of intellectual skill and ability (Benson and Blackman 2003; Hampton and Lawrence 1995; Hopkinson and Hogg 2004; Kolb 1984).

Strategic IMC : from abstract concept to marketing management tool

Although integrated marketing communication (IMC) has progressed towards midrange maturity level, its full-scale adoption has been impeded by a lack of consensus on its defining constructs. The purpose of this study is to move from abstraction to define the construct of strategic integration (SI) and develop this into a management tool, thus making an important contribution to both the theory and practice of IMC. Drawing from both IMC and strategic management literature, the construct of SI is operationalised into a number of key factors and a well-cited management model, Fuchs’ ‘integration valuator’ is explored as the starting point of a measurement tool for IMC. To do this, a Delphi study invites the scrutiny of an expert panel of world-leading IMC researchers and practitioners. The panel validated the model construction process,redefined overarching constructs and key factors with a high degree of consensus, supported a process measure, suggested a weighted evaluation measure and recognised the importance of developing such a measure. They delivered clear and consistent imperatives guiding model development. The result is a measure of SI that evaluates organisational proficiency and diagnoses the integration of IMC campaigns. It also advances theory by providing a better understanding of the construct of SI.

Merkel cell carcinoma : Epidemiological study with special reference to polyomavirus and vascular factors in pathogenesis

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare cutaneous malignancy that occurs predominantly on sun exposed skin areas. A new polyomavirus (MCPyV) was identified in MCC tumor tissues in 2008 suggesting that a viral infection might be an etiological factor. A typical MCC is a rapidly growing painless purple nodule. In its early stage it can be misjudged by its appearance as a cyst or abscess. Recurrences are common and approximately half of the patients will develop lymph node metastases and third of the patents will have distant metastases. It affects mostly elderly persons at an average age of 70 at the time of diagnosis. MCC was first described in 1972 and the first MCC patient in Finland was identified in 1983. MCC has been poorly recognized, but increased awareness and better diagnostic accuracy has increased the incidence since the early years. In this study, all cases with a notation of MCC during 1979 2008 were obtained from the Finnish Cancer Registry. Based on this data, the incidence is 0.11 for men and 0.12 for women. It is similar than that of other Nordic countries, but lower than in the USA. For clinical series, the files of patients diagnosed with MCC during 1983 2004 were reviewed, and the tissue samples were re-evaluated, if available (n=181). Third of the patients were men, and the most common site of the primary tumor was the head and neck (53%). The majority of the patients (86%) presented with a clinically node-negative (Stage I or II) disease, but the disease recurred in 38% of them. The treatment schemes were heterogeneous. No additional benefit from a wide margin (≥2 cm) was found compared to a margin of 0.1-1.9 cm, but intralesional excision was more often associated with local recurrence. None of the patients with Stage I-II disease who had received postoperative radiotherapy had local recurrence during the follow-up period. The 5-year relative survival ratio for Stage I disease was 68%, for Stage II 67%, for Stage III 16%, and for Stage IV 0%. The relative excess risk of death was significantly lower among women than among men. Some of these tissue samples were further analyzed for vascular invasion (n=126) by immunohistochemistry using vascular endothelial markers CD-31 and D2-40. Vascular invasion was seen in 93% of the samples and it was observed already in very small, <5mm tumors. The tissue samples were also analyzed for the presence of MCPyV by using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR. MCPyV DNA was present in 80% of 114 samples studied. The patients with virus-positive tumors had better overall survival than patients with virus-negative tumors. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed for the expression of VEGFR-2 (n=21) and endostatin (n=19), but they had no prognostic value. Our results support the concept of treating MCC with margin-negative excision and radiotherapy to the tumor bed to reduce local recurrence. The finding of a high frequency of lymphovascular invasion reduces its value as a prognostic factor, but emphasizes the role of sentinel node biopsy even in very small primary MCC.

Trawling Operations and South African (Cape) Fur Seals, Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus

South African (Cape) fur seals, Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, interact with the South African trawl fisheries-offshore demersal, inshore demersal, and midwater fisheries. These interactions take thef ollowing forms: Seals take or damage netted fish, on particular vessels they become caught in the propeller, seals drown in the nets, live seals come aboard and may be killed. Except in specific cases of seals damaging particular trawler propellers, interactions result in little cost to the offshore and midwater trawl fisheries. For the inshore fishery, seals damage fish in the net at an estimated cost in excess of R69, 728 (US$18,827) per year, but this is negligible (0.3%) in terms ofthe value of the fishery. Seal mortality is mainly caused by drowning in trawl nets and ranges from 2,524 to 3,636 seals of both sexes per year. Between 312 and 567 seals are deliberately killed annually, but this most likely takes place only when caught and they enter the area below deck, where they are difficult to remove, and pose a potential threat to crew safety. Overall, seal mortality during trawling operations is negligible (0.4-0.6%) in terms of the feeding population of seals in South Africa.

Ciência e política: a aproximação Brasil-Argentina e a cooperação nuclear no subcontinente (1964-1985)

O objetivo geral da pesquisa é compreender por qual motivo e de que forma Brasil e Argentina optaram pela cooperação na área nuclear ainda durante seus governos militares. Segundo a literatura tradicional da área de Relações Internacionais, os ganhos relativos deveriam estar em evidência e, por conseguinte, impediriam a coordenação de posições em uma área tão importante para as estratégias de desenvolvimento e de inserção internacional dos dois países o que não se verificou na prática. Minha dissertação tem como meta entender o porquê. Da finalidade principal, decorrem objetivos específicos. São eles: lançar uma nova percepção acerca das relações Brasil-Argentina, ainda hoje encaradas primordialmente de acordo com padrões de inimizade e de desconfiança; compreender até que ponto as motivações dos países para o domínio da tecnologia nuclear estão relacionados a questões de segurança ou de desenvolvimento nacional; compreender quais foram as bases materiais e ideacionais que permitiram aos dois países integrar-se e, portanto, compartilhar soberania em um tema de high politics; demonstrar que a cooperação não é exclusividade de regimes democráticos; analisar a influência de grupos não políticos na formulação de políticas e do processo decisório; comprovar que não houve corrida armamentista na região ou a intenção de utilizar o aparato nuclear contra o vizinho. O recorte temporal deste trabalho partirá do final dos anos 1964, quando houve coincidência de regimes militares nos dois países, até o ano de 1985, quando a democracia é restaurada no Brasil. O marco temporal não é hermético, já que há referências anteriores a 1964, mormente no tocante à cooperação científica, e após 1985, quando a coordenação nuclear brasileiro-argentina é elevada a um nível superior, com o estabelecimento da ABACC. Na tentativa de responder às perguntas propostas, minha dissertação se baseia na análise de dois atores primordiais: o Estado e as comunidades epistêmicas.

New Music by Young Composers, performed by Members of the Contemporary Group, May 31, 1978

Concert Program for New Music by Young composers, performed by Members of the Contemporary Group, May 31, 1978

Recueil de lettres et de pièces originales.

Contient : 1 Lettre, en italien, d'HERCULE II D'EST, « duca DI FERRARA,... alla... duchessa di Guisa,... Da Ferrara, 3 di febraro 1558 » ; 2 Lettre, en italien, d'« HIPPOLITO, cardinale di FERRARA,... all' illustrissima... duchessa di Guisa,... Di Ferrara, il primo di febraro 1558 » ; 3 Lettre de « JEHAN BATISTE GONDDY, M. FUMEE, S. FUMEE, GUEFFIER, CHAMBRUN,... à madame [Renée de France, duchesse de Ferrare]... De Paris, le XXVme jour de mars 1558 » ; 4 Lettre de « JACQUES DE SAVOYE [duc DE NEMOURS]... De Cormand, ce premier de juing 1558 » ; 5 Lettre de « NICOLAS DE LORRAINE,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Nomeny, ce XIIIIme juillet 1558 » ; 6 Lettre de « FRANCISCO DA ESTE,... à monsieur... le duc de Nemours,... De Montalcin, ce XVIIme jour de septembre 1558 » ; 7 Lettre d'« OTTAVIO FREGOSO,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... D'Amiens, ce XIIIe jour octobre 1558 » ; 8 Lettre de « CLAUDE DE LORRAINNE,... à monsieur... le duc de Nemours,... A Maulny, ce IIe jour de decembre 1558 » ; 9 Lettre de « BOCHET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemoux,... De Nanci, ce 18 de decembre 1558 » ; 10 Lettre, en italien, d'ALPHONSE II D'EST, « duca DI FERRARA », au « duca di Nemours,... Di Ferrara, alli XX di decembre del LIX » ; 11 Lettre, en italien, de « GIOVANNI GALEAZZO FREGOSO,... all' illustrissimo... monsor il ducca de Nemors,... Da Venetia, alli 5 marzo 1560 » ; 12 Lettre d'« E[MMANUEL] PHILIBERT [duc DE SAVOIE]... à... monseigneur de Nemours,... De Nice, ce XIme jour de mars 1560 » ; 13 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI DA ESTE,... à monsigneur... le duche de Namours,... Di Ferrara, alli XII di aprile del LX » ; 14 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI DA ESTE,... all' illustrissimo... duca di Anemors,... Di Ferrara, a IX di maggio del LX » ; 15 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI DA ESTE,... all' illustrissimo... duca d'Anemors,... Di Ferrara, il XV di giugno 1560 » ; 16 Lettre d'« E[MMANUEL] PHILIBERT,... [duc DE] SAVOYE,... à monsieur... le duc de Nemours,... De Nyce, le XVe jour de juillet 1560 » ; 17 Lettre d'« E[MMANUEL] PHILIBERT [duc DE SAVOIE]... à... monseigneur... de Nemours,... De Nice, ce XXVIIIme jour de juillet 1560 » ; 18 Lettre de « JEHANNE DE SAVOYE,... à monsieur... le duc de Nemoux,... De Bar, ce XXIXe septembre 1560 » ; 19 Lettre d'« E[MMANUEL] PHILIBERT [duc] DE SAVOYE,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... A Montcallier, le jour troysiesme de novembre 1560 » ; 20 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI DA ESTE,... all' illustrissimo... duca d'Anemors,... Di Ferrara, a X di decembre del LX » ; 21 Lettre, en italien, d'ALPHONSE II D'EST, « duca DI FERRARA », au duc de Nemours. « Di Ferrara, alli XVIII di decembre del LX » ; 22 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI DA ESTE,... all' illustrissimo... duca d'Anemors,... Di Ferrara, a XVIII di decembre del LX » ; 23 Lettres closes « de par le roy... CHARLES » IX pour le recouvrement des impôts. « Donné à Orleans, le XXIIIme jour de decembre, l'an mil cinq cens soixante » ; 24 Lettre, en italien, d'« OTTAVIO FREGOSO,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... Di Lione, alli 8 di aprile 1561 » ; 25 Lettre, en italien, d'ALPHONSE II D'EST, « duca DI FERRARA,... Di Ferrara, a XXIII d'aprile M.D.LXI » ; 26 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI, cardinale D'ESTE,... all' illustrissimo... monseigneur il duca di Nemors,... Di Ferrara, a V di maggio del LXI » ; 27 Lettre de « LOYS, cardinal DE GUYSE,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemoux,... De St Germain, ce XXVIme decembre 1556 » ; 28 Lettre de « BEAUMONT,... à madame... la duchesse de Ferrare,... D'Orleans, ce 27 de decembre 1561 » ; 29 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Chartres, ce XIIIIe jour de janvier 1562 » ; 30 Lettre de « ROBERTET [Sr] D'ALLUYE,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemoux,... De Bloys, ce IIIIme jour de feuvrier 1562 » ; 31 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Bloys, ce VIIIme jour de feuvrier 1562 » ; 32 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Bloys, ce XIIme jour de feuvrier 1562 » ; 33 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemoux,... Escript à Bloys, le XIXe jour de fevrier 1562 » ; 34 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Bloys, ce XXVme jour de fevrier 1562 » ; 35 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... D'Amboyse, ce XXIme jour de mars 1562 » ; 36 Lettre de « LABARGE,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Paris, le XIIe avril... 1562 » ; 37 Lettre, en italien, d'ALPHONSE II D'EST, « duca DI FERRARA,... allo illustrissimo... duca di Nemours,... Di Belriguardo, il XXIIII di maggio del LXII » ; 38 Lettre d'ANNE DE « MONTMORENCY,... à monsieur... de Nemours,... De Longemeau, le IIIe jour de jung 1562 » ; 39 Lettre d'ANNE DE « MONTMORENCY,... à madame... la duchesse de Guyse,... Au camp estant devant Rouen, le Xme jour d'octobre 1562 » ; 40 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... De Thurin, le XXVe jour d'octobre 1562 » ; 41 Avis sur des mouvements de troupes. « Orleans, le XXVIe novembre 1562 ». Copie ; 42 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Paris, ce XXIIe... 1562 » ; 43 Lettre de « SAINCT HEREM,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... D'Auzon, ce XIXe jour de janvier 1563 » ; 44 Lettre de « SUZE » et « MONTGIRON,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... A Vif, ce XXVIIe fevrier 1563 » ; 45 Lettre de « CATERINE [DE MEDICIS]... à... monseigneur le duc de Nemours,... De Villeneuve l'Archevesque, ce XVIIIme mars 1563 » ; 46 Lettre de « CATERINE [DE MEDICIS]... à... monseigneur le cardinal de Chastillon,... De Chenonceau, ce XVIIIe jour d'avril 1563 » ; 47 Lettre, en italien, d'« ALFONSO PATTI,... alla serenissima... madama Renea di Ferrara,... Di Cherre, il di XVIII aprile 1568 » ; 48 Quittance délivrée par « Alessandro Rangone » au secrétaire de Renée de France, duchesse de Ferrare. « XX3 aprile LXIIII » ; 49 Lettre d'ANNE DE « MONTMORENCY,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Paris, le XVe jour de may 1563 » ; 50 Lettre, en italien, de GUY UBALD II DE LA ROVERE, « duca D'URBINO,... alla illustrissima... duchessa di Ghisa,... Di Pesaro, a 13 de maggio 1563 » ; 51 Lettre, en italien, de GUY UBALD II DE LA ROVERE, « duca D'URBINO,... all' illustrissima... duchessa di Ghisa,... Di Pesaro, il di XIII di maggio del LXIII » ; 52 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI, cardinale D'ESTE,... all' illustrissimo... duca di Nemurs,... Di Susa, a XIIII di maggio del LXIII » ; 53 Lettre de « LEONOR D'ORLEANS,... [duc DE LONGUEVILLE]... à monsieur... le duc de Nemours,... De Sainct Germain en Laye, ce XVIe jour de may 1563 » ; 54 Lettre, en italien, de « JULIO ALVAROTTO » et d'« ALESSANDRO DE' FIASCHI,... alla serenissima... madamma Renea di Francia,... Di Parigi, alli XXX di maggio 1563 » ; 55 Lettre d'« HENRY DE LORRAINE [duc DE GUISE]... à monsieur... le duc de Nemours,... De Joinville, ce XXVIIe jour de juing 1563 » ; 56 Lettre de « CLAUDE DE LORRAINE [duc D'AUMALE]... à monsieur... le duc de Nemours,... A Joynville, le XXVIIe jour de jung 1563 » ; 57 Lettre, en italien, d'« OTTAVIO FARNESE [duc DE PARME]... all' illustrissimo... duca di Nemors,... Di Parma, alli 4 di luglio 1562 » ; 58 Lettre, en italien, de « LUIGI, cardinale D'ESTE,... all' illustrissimo... duca di Nemors,... Di Roma, a XXVIII di luglio del LXIII » ; 59 Lettre de « CATERINE [DE MEDICIS]... à madame... la duchesse douairiere de Ferrare,... A Estellan, le IIIme jour de aoust 1563 » ; 60 Lettre des « consuls de Vienne... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Vienne, ce 15 d'octobre 1563 » ; 61 Lettre de « MONTGIRON,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... Devant Grenoble, le IIIe mars 1563 » ; 62 Quittance délivrée par « Hercole Rangoni » à « Pietro Vergnanino », secrétaire de Renée de France, duchesse de Ferrare. « Di Modena, il di V de novembre M.D.LXIII » ; 63 Lettre d'« E[MMANUEL] PHILIBERT,... [duc] DE SAVOYE,... à monseigneur le duc de Nemours,... De Savone, le Xe de novembre 1563 » ; 64 Lettre de « C[HARLES], cardinal DE LORRAINE,... à madame... la duchesse de Guyse,... De Trente, ce XXIIe jour de novembre 1563 » ; 65 Lettre de « ROBERTET,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... Du Boys de Vincennes, ce XII de decembre 1563 » ; 66 Lettre de « CHARLOTTE DE LAVAL,... à madame [Renée de France]... duchesse de Ferrare,... De Chastillon, ce XXIIIIe de decembre 1563 » ; 67 Lettre de « SAULT,... à monseigneur... le duc de Nemours,... De Lyon, ce XXVe decembre 1563 »

Immediate and enduring effects of corticosterone administration during adolescence and adulthood on anxiety and depressive behavior in male rats

Previous research has shown that the stress hormone corticosterone can increase depressive and anxiety-like behavior in rats as well as dampen the HPA response to a novel stressor (Kalynchuk et aI., 2004; Johnson et aI., 2006). Several studies have also shown that adolescence is a period of increased sensitivity to the negative effects of stressors (reviewed in McCormick et aI., 2010), which are often the result of exposure to corticosterone, and yet there is no research to date examining the effects of corticosterone administration during adolescence. The purpose of these experiments is to determine both the immediate and enduring effects of prolonged exposure to corticosterone in adolescence and adulthood on anxiety-like behavior, depressive behavior, and the HPA response. In Experiment 1 adolescent and adult rats were administered an injection of 40 mg/kg of corticosterone or vehicle daily for 16 days. Ha l f of the rats were then tested on the elevated plus maze (EPM) one day after their last injection, and the following day were tested on the forced swim test (FST). After the FST, which is a stressor, blood samples were collected at three time points, and the plasma concentrations of corticosterone were determined using a radioimmunoassay. The remaining rats were left undisturbed for three weeks, and then underwent the same testing as the first group. Corticosterone treatment had little effect on anxiety-like and depressive behavior, but it did alter the HPA response to the FST. In those rats tested soon after the period of injections, corticosterone dampened the HPA response as compared to vehicle treated rats in both adolescent and adult treated rats. For the adolescent treated rats that were tested several weeks later, corticosterone treatment increased HPA response as compared to the vehicle treated rats, but the same was not true for the adult treated rats. I t was hypothesized that the lack of behavioral effects of the corticosterone treatment may be the result of the vehicle injections inducing a stress response and thereby both groups would have similarly altered behavior. In Experiment 2 rats were administered corticosterone dissolved in their drinking water with 2.5% ethanol, or jus t the 2.5% ethanol or plain water, to determine the effects of corticosterone treatment without a stressor present. The regular drinking water was replaced with treated water for 16 days either during adulthood or adolescence, and as before, rats were either tested in the FST one day after the water was removed or three weeks later. Again there was no effect of treatment on depressive behavior. Similar to what was observed in Experiment 1, corticosterone treatment dampened the HPA response to a stressor for the rats tested soon after the treatment period. However, in Experiment 2 there was no effect of treatment on HPA response in those rats tested several weeks after they were treated. These results indicate that corticosterone can have a lasting effect on the HPA when administered in adolescence by injections but not in drinking water, which is likely because of the different schedules of exposure and rates of absorption between the two administration methods.

La incidencia del rugby en la consolidación de la Sudáfrica Post-apartheid. Periodo 1992-1995

Incidencia del equipo de rugby en la consolidación de la Sudáfrica post-apartheid, es decir, su papel en la reconciliación del país. La hipótesis de este trabajo es que el rugby fue utilizado como estrategia política de cohesión al establecer un dispositivo ritual extendido que, partiendo de un hito simbólico hostil, con la ejecución del ritual conduce a la creación de otro hito simbólico. Este configura la idea en la cual la Sudáfrica blanca y negra podrían constituir una sola nación

Presión arterial en preescolares de la localidad de Usaquén en Bogotá

Introducción: La hipertensión arterial es un problema de salud pública tanto en países industrializados como en vía de desarrollo. Su prevalencia en la infancia viene en aumento por lo que es relevante determinarla en niños preescolares a nivel local. Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de hipertensión arterial en niños de tres a cinco años de una cohorte de 14 hogares infantiles del ICBF de la localidad de Usaquén en Bogotá. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de corte transversal analítico, utilizando la base de datos de un ensayo aleatorizado y controlado del año 200913, y se evaluaron las cifras de tensión arterial de acuerdo a sexo, edad, talla y su correlación con el IMC con un nivel de confianza del 95% y precisión del 1%. Se calcularon las medias, desviaciones estándar, percentiles y prevalencia. Resultados: Se obtuvo una muestra de 1035 casos, encontrándose una prevalencia de 4,5% de HTA sistólica, 10,4% de diastólica, ambas en estadio I; teniendo en cuenta tanto sistólica como diastólica, fue de 11,6% en estadio I. Se determinaron los valores de presión arterial sistólica y diastólica en cuartiles de acuerdo a edad, sexo y talla. El coeficiente de correlación entre el IMC y los niveles de presión arterial sistólica y diastólica fueron de 0.0992 y 0.0362 respectivamente. Conclusión: La prevalencia de HTA general fue de 11,6%, predominando la diastólica en estadio I en niños preescolares. No se encontró correlación entre el IMC y las cifras de tensión arterial sistólica y diastólica.

Análisis del gen adra2a receptor alfa 2a adrenergico en pacientes con trastorno de hiperactividad y déficit de atención

El trastorno de hiperactividad y déficit de atención (THDA), es definido clínicamente como una alteración en el comportamiento, caracterizada por inatención, hiperactividad e impulsividad. Estos aspectos son clasificados en tres subtipos, que son: Inatento, hiperactivo impulsivo y mixto. Clínicamente se describe un espectro amplio que incluye desordenes académicos, trastornos de aprendizaje, déficit cognitivo, trastornos de conducta, personalidad antisocial, pobres relaciones interpersonales y aumento de la ansiedad, que pueden continuar hasta la adultez. A nivel global se ha estimado una prevalencia entre el 1% y el 22%, con amplias variaciones, dadas por la edad, procedencia y características sociales. En Colombia, se han realizado estudios en Bogotá y Antioquia, que han permitido establecer una prevalencia del 5% y 15%, respectivamente. La causa específica no ha sido totalmente esclarecida, sin embargo se ha calculado una heredabilidad cercana al 80% en algunas poblaciones, demostrando el papel fundamental de la genética en la etiología de la enfermedad. Los factores genéticos involucrados se relacionan con cambios neuroquímicos de los sistemas dopaminérgicos, serotoninérgicos y noradrenérgicos, particularmente en los sistemas frontales subcorticales, corteza cerebral prefrontal, en las regiones ventral, medial, dorsolateral y la porción anterior del cíngulo. Basados en los datos de estudios previos que sugieren una herencia poligénica multifactorial, se han realizado esfuerzos continuos en la búsqueda de genes candidatos, a través de diferentes estrategias. Particularmente los receptores Alfa 2 adrenérgicos, se encuentran en la corteza cerebral, cumpliendo funciones de asociación, memoria y es el sitio de acción de fármacos utilizados comúnmente en el tratamiento de este trastorno, siendo esta la principal evidencia de la asociación de este receptor con el desarrollo del THDA. Hasta la fecha se han descrito más de 80 polimorfismos en el gen (ADRA2A), algunos de los cuales se han asociado con la entidad. Sin embargo, los resultados son controversiales y varían según la metodología diagnóstica empleada y la población estudiada, antecedentes y comorbilidades. Este trabajo pretende establecer si las variaciones en la secuencia codificante del gen ADRA2A, podrían relacionarse con el fenotipo del Trastorno de Hiperactividad y el Déficit de Atención.