| 231. |
- Rodriguez, Teresa, et al.
(författare)
-
Assessment of long-term and recent pesticide exposure among rural school children in Nicaragua
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : BMJ. - 1351-0711 .- 1470-7926. ; 69:2, s. 119-125
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective This study assessed pesticide exposure of children in rural Nicaragua in relation to parental pesticide use, from around conception to current school age, as part of an epidemiological evaluation of neurodevelopment effects. Methods We included 132 children whose parents were subsistence farmers or plantation workers, or had an agricultural history. As proxies for children's long-term exposures, we constructed cumulative parental pesticide-specific use indices for periods before and after the child's birth from data obtained using an icon-calendar-based questionnaire, of application hours (h) for plantation workers and subsistence farmers, and of kilograms of active ingredients (ai) only for subsistence farmers. Pesticide residues of TCPY, 3-PBA and 2,4-D were analysed in children's urine as indicators for current exposures. Results Life-time indices were highest for the organophosphates chlorpyrifos (median 114 h (min 2; max 1584), 19.2 kg ai (min 0.37; max 548)) and methamidophos (84 h (6; 1964), 12.2 kg ai (0.30; 780)). The P50 values of children's urinary residues were 3.7 mu g/g creatinine for TCPY, 2.8 for 3-PBA and 0.9 for 2,4-D; TCPY values are comparable with those in other countries, but 3-PBA and 2,4-D are considerably higher. The maximum levels for all three pesticides are the highest reported for children. Residues increased on days after application, but most high residue levels were unrelated to parental pesticide applications. Conclusion Urinary pesticide residues reveal high environmental exposure among children in rural Nicaragua. The quantitative parental pesticide use indices as proxies for children's exposures during different periods may be useful for the evaluation of developmental health effects.
|
|
| 232. |
- Gonda, Noemi
(författare)
-
Re-Negotiating Rural Masculinities as Vulnerability: Cattle Ranchers in Climate Change Affected Rural Nicaragua
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Men, Masculinities, and Earth. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 9783030544850 ; , s. 289-307
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patriarchy hurts the environment and men as well, and this is increasingly so under the effects of climate change in rural areas of the Global South. However, the climate justice debate is still not giving enough attention to the reasons why men keep performing masculinities that are harmful for the environment. The possibilities for ecological masculinities—i.e. masculinities that would go hand-in-hand with climate change adaptation—to emerge in such communities and subcultures during these times of climate change are underway. Based on ethnographic research in Nicaragua, one of the most climate change affected countries in the world, I discuss the making and performances of the hegemonic masculinities of cattle ranchers and how they are affected by climate change in general and deforestation in particular. I argue for a reconceptualisation of masculinities as vulnerability to open up the conceptual possibilities for ecological masculinities to emerge.
|
|
| 233. |
- Bucardo, Filemon, et al.
(författare)
-
Histo-blood group antigens and rotavirus vaccine shedding in Nicaraguan infants
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABO, Lewis and secretor histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) are susceptibility factors for rotavirus in a P-genotype dependent manner and can influence IgA seroconversion rates following rotavirus vaccination. To investigate the association between HBGA phenotypes and rotavirus vaccine shedding fecal samples (n = 304) from a total of 141 infants vaccinated with Rotarix (n = 71) and RotaTeq (n = 70) were prospectively sampled in three time frames (= 3, 4-7 and = 8 days) after first vaccination dose. Rotavirus was detected with qPCR and genotypes determined by G/P multiplex PCR and/or sequencing. HBGAs were determined by hemagglutination and saliva based ELISA. Low shedding rates were observed, with slightly more children vaccinated with RotaTeq (19%) than Rotarix (11%) shedding rotavirus at = 4 days post vaccination (DPV). At = 4 DPV no infant of Lewis A (n = 6) or nonsecretor (n = 9) phenotype in the Rotarix cohort shed rotavirus; the same observation was made for Lewis A infants (n = 7) in the RotaTeq cohort. Putative in-vivo gene reassortment among RotaTeq strains occurred, yielding mainly G1P[8] strains. The bovine derived P[5] genotype included in RotaTeq was able to replicate and be shed at long time frames (amp;gt;13 DPV). The results of this study are consistent with that HBGA phenotype influences vaccine strain shedding as similarly observed for natural infections. Due to the low overall shedding rates observed, additional studies are however warranted.
|
|
| 234. |
- Herrera Sirias, Isabel Cristina
(författare)
-
Root-knot nematodes and coffee in Nicaragua : management systems, species identification and genetic diversity
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The coffee production is affected by several limiting factors such as parasitic nematodes. Plant-parasitic nematodes have a substantial economic impact on coffee production in most countries and they are regarded as one of the major limiting factors in coffee production and worldwide coffee losses have been estimated to about 15%. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge of the plant-parasitic nematodes associated with coffee production in Nicaragua, by studying the effect of coffee management, identification of Meloidogyne species and determination of the level of genetic diversity in the root-knot nematodes and coffee. This thesis includes results of the effect of coffee management systems on the occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes, identification of root-knot nematodes using morphological characteristics, SCAR markers and DNA sequences; ISSR based genetic diversity of M. exigua and SSR based genetic diversity of Coffea arabica in Nicaragua. Both Meloidogyne and Pratylenchus species were found in both conventional and organic management systems. A higher population of Meloidogyne spp. occurred under conventional management with no shade and with shade from nitrogen fixer species while higher populations of Pratylenchus spp. occurred in both conventional and organic management, shaded with non-fixer nitrogen species. Analyses of root-knot nematode isolates from Nicaraguan coffee plantations based on perineal patterns, SCAR markers and DNA sequence revealed the presence of Meloidogyne exigua and M. incognita, of which the former has a wider distribution in the country. DNA sequences analysis revealed that this species has unique variable sites within the 18S and 28S rDNA region, which are not present in the rest of the Meloidogyne species including in those sharing similar reproductive mechanisms. These variable sites are useful for developing new species specific SCAR markers that can be used in the diagnosis of M. exigua. The assessment of the genetic diversity of M. exigua populations based on ISSR markers revealed a high genetic diversity in this species. Similarly, the genetic diversity analyses of C. arabica populations using SSR markers revealed a significant variation among different varieties and the highest diversity was obtained in variety Catimor,
|
|
| 235. |
- Gunnarsdotter, Yvonne
(författare)
-
Local community participation in ecotourism and conservation issues in two nature reserves in Nicaragua
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Journal of Sustainable Tourism. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0966-9582 .- 1747-7646. ; 20, s. 1025-1043
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the factors influencing community participation in ecotourism and how this affects conservation in the Nature Reserves of Mombacho Volcano and Datanlí-El Diablo in Nicaragua. Information was collected using individual structured and semi-structured interviews and focus groups, with local people, farmers and tour operators, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. The farmers in the two communities are engaged in the protection of the reserves because of environmental concern and also because their own welfare is at stake. In different ways, the farmers and communities benefit from ecotourism, but not enough. Either they are excluded from the management system, or they lack resources to promote the sites and improve infrastructure. Community participation is to a large extent dependent on the management system, but it is not the only aspect required to make ecotourism successful. A minimum of governmental support to infrastructure and local entrepreneurship is required. In the case presented, there are direct economic benefits from ecotourism, as the records of visitors illustrate. But there are many differences between the two reserves and their communities, illustrating that ecotourism development is complex and demanding, and demonstrating that ecotourism is not a "one size fits all" approach to sustainable development.
|
|
| 236. |
- Valaldares, Eliette, et al.
(författare)
-
Physical partner abuse during pregnancy: a risk factor for low birth weight in Nicaragua
- 2002
-
Ingår i: Obstetrics and Gynecology. - 0029-7844 .- 1873-233X. ; 100:4, s. 700-705
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To assess whether being physically abused during pregnancy increases the risk of a low birth weight (LBW) infant. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study in León, Nicaragua. Cases consisted of 101 newborns with a birth weight under 2500 g, and for each case two controls with a birth weight over 2500 g were selected randomly from infants born the same day. Anthropometry of newborns was done immediately after birth, and background information and data on experiences of violence and potential confounders were obtained through private interviews with mothers. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and population-attributable proportion were calculated for exposure to partner abuse in relation to LBW. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to control for potential confounding. RESULTS: Seventy-five percent of LBW newborns (cases) were small for gestational age and 40% were preterm. Twenty-two percent of the mothers of LBW infants had experienced physical abuse during pregnancy by their intimate partners compared with 5% of controls. Low birth weight was associated with physical partner abuse even after adjustment for age, parity, smoking, and socioeconomic status (OR 3.9; 95% confidence interval 1.7, 9.3). Given a causal interpretation of the association, about 16% of the LBW in the infant population could be attributed to physical abuse by a partner in pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Physical abuse by a partner during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for LBW.
|
|
| 237. |
- Pérez, Wilton, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
-
Trends and factors related to adolescent pregnancies : an incidence trend and conditional inference trees analysis of northern Nicaragua demographic surveillance data
- 2021
-
Ingår i: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2393 .- 1471-2393. ; 21:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify the 2001-2013 incidence trend, and characteristics associated with adolescent pregnancies reported by 20-24-year-old women.METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the Cuatro Santos Northern Nicaragua Health and Demographic Surveillance 2004-2014 data on women aged 15-19 and 20-24. To calculate adolescent birth and pregnancy rates, we used the first live birth at ages 10-14 and 15-19 years reported by women aged 15-19 and 20-24 years, respectively, along with estimates of annual incidence rates reported by women aged 20-24 years. We conducted conditional inference tree analyses using 52 variables to identify characteristics associated with adolescent pregnancies.RESULTS: The number of first live births reported by women aged 20-24 years was 361 during the study period. Adolescent pregnancies and live births decreased from 2004 to 2009 and thereafter increased up to 2014. The adolescent pregnancy incidence (persons-years) trend dropped from 2001 (75.1 per 1000) to 2007 (27.2 per 1000), followed by a steep upward trend from 2007 to 2008 (19.1 per 1000) that increased in 2013 (26.5 per 1000). Associated factors with adolescent pregnancy were living in low-education households, where most adults in the household were working, and high proportion of adolescent pregnancies in the local community. Wealth was not linked to teenage pregnancies.CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to prevent adolescent pregnancy are imperative and must bear into account the context that influences the culture of early motherhood and lead to socioeconomic and health gains in resource-poor settings.
|
|
| 238. |
- Tigabu, Mulualem, et al.
(författare)
-
Soil Seed Banks and Regeneration of Neotropical Dry Deciduous and Gallery Forests in Nicaragua
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Bois Et Forets Des Tropiques. - 0006-579X. ; 299, s. 49-62
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Today, the depletion of tropical dry forests and the need for their restoration are well recognized. In restoring degraded forests, the first step is to quantify the actual and potential levels of natural regeneration, examining the role of soil seed banks as propagule donors. In this study, we assessed the composition, density and spatial distribution of the soil seed bank and seedling populations in dry deciduous and gallery forests of the Chacocente Wildlife Refuge in Nicaragua. A total of 17 species were found in the soil seed bank of the deciduous forest, with a viable seed density of 466 seeds/m(2). In the gallery forest, a total of 24 species were found in the soil seed bank with a viable seed density of 1257 seeds/m(2). The spatial analysis of the soil seed bank revealed clumped and uniform distributions in both forests, depending on the species. The total seedling density in the deciduous and gallery forests was 62 50 and 6600 individuals/ha, respectively. The spatial distribution of seedling populations varied from clumped to uniform depending on the species. The similarity between the soil seed bank, seedling layer and above-ground vegetation was low in both forest sites. It may be concluded that the number of seed bank species and the quantity of soil-stored seeds are relatively low. Regeneration was abundant in some species, but poor in many others. The natural regeneration process should therefore be assisted through direct seeding, planting seedlings and manipulation of the site to improve environmental conditions for seedling establishment and growth.
|
|
| 239. |
- Källestål, Carina, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
-
Predicting poverty : data mining approaches to the health and demographic surveillance system in Cuatro Santos, Nicaragua
- 2019
-
Ingår i: International Journal for Equity in Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1475-9276. ; 18:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: In order to further identify the needed interventions for continued poverty reduction in our study area Cuatro Santos, northern Nicaragua, we aimed to elucidate what predicts poverty, measured by the Unsatisfied Basic Need index. This analysis was done by using decision tree methodology applied to the Cuatro Santos health and demographic surveillance databases.METHODS: Using variables derived from the health and demographic surveillance update 2014, transferring individual data to the household level we used the decision tree framework Conditional Inference trees to predict the outcome "poverty" defined as two to four unsatisfied basic needs using the Unsatisfied Basic Need Index. We further validated the trees by applying Conditional random forest analyses in order to assess and rank the importance of predictors about their ability to explain the variation of the outcome "poverty." The majority of the Cuatro Santos households provided information and the included variables measured housing conditions, assets, and demographic experiences since the last update (5 yrs), earlier participation in interventions and food security during the last 4 weeks.RESULTS: Poverty was rare in households that have some assets and someone in the household that has a higher education than primary school. For these households participating in the intervention that installed piped water with water meter was most important, but also when excluding this variable, the resulting tree showed the same results. When assets were not taken into consideration, the importance of education was pronounced as a predictor for welfare. The results were further strengthened by the validation using Conditional random forest modeling showing the same variables being important as predicting the outcome in the CI tree analysis. As assets can be a result, rather than a predictor of more affluence our results in summary point specifically to the importance of education and participation in the water installation intervention as predictors for more affluence.CONCLUSION: Predictors of poverty are useful for directing interventions and in the Cuatro Santos area education seems most important to prioritize. Hopefully, the lessons learned can continue to develop the Cuatro Santos communities as well as development in similar poor rural settings around the world.
|
|
| 240. |
|
|
