Search Results (1,356)

Introduction: Verbal fluency (VF) is a neuropsychological measure sensitive to lexical–semantic organization and prefrontal circuits. Its link with social cognition—specifically with the recognition of mental states from the eyes—remains scarcely explored in Latin American contexts. Objective: To examine the association between performance on the Verbal Fluency Test (phonological and semantic) and mental-state recognition, as measured by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) in Ecuadorian adults, controlling for sociodemographic variables. Method: A cross-sectional correlational study with 397 healthy adults (Mage = 36.8 years, SD = 11.5; range: 18–83; 219 women, 178 men) assessed in Quito, Ecuador, using the multidomain ECUACOG neuropsychological battery. Pearson’s correlations with 95% CIs, Spearman’s correlations, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, one-way ANOVA with η², Tukey’s HSD post hoc comparisons, and simple linear regressions were computed. Results: Total VF was significantly associated with RMET score (r = 0.227, 95% CI [0.131, 0.319], p < 0.001, N = 390). Semantic VF showed a higher correlation than phonological VF (r = 0.239, 95% CI [0.144, 0.331] vs. r = 0.163, 95% CI [0.065, 0.258]; Steiger’s Z = 1.86, p = 0.063, non-significant trend). Educational level was associated with both VF (semantic VF: η² = 0.093, p < 0.001) and RMET (η² = 0.045, p < 0.001) scores. The semantic VF–RMET association remained significant after statistically controlling for TMT-B and for educational level (partial r = 0.202, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Lexical–semantic richness is significantly associated with mental-state recognition in Ecuadorian adults. These findings contribute to the generation of neuropsychological normative data in Ecuador. Full article

The rise in political deepfakes threatens news credibility and media literacy in polarized higher education contexts; yet, Latin American students remain understudied. This study examined the digital media literacy of Peruvian university students (n = 5854) in assessing the credibility of political news and identifying AI-generated content. Using a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design, PROCESS Models 4 and 5 were applied to analyze the relationship between AI literacy and news credibility assessment ability. Awareness of political deepfakes and political news verification strategies were examined as parallel mediators, while the type of university was evaluated as a moderator. Previous exposure to AI, digital media consumption, and sociodemographic characteristics were included as control variables. AI literacy was positively associated with news credibility assessment ability, with awareness of political deepfakes and verification strategies contributing to this relationship. The analysis also examined institutional differences between public and private universities. These findings support the implementation of systematic AI literacy programs across disciplines and institutions to strengthen news credibility and democratic resilience in politically polarized contexts. Full article

The reunification of scientific, artistic, and philosophical knowledge empowers us to rethink our relationship with nature in light of a biocultural ethic grounded in co-inhabitation among humans and other-than-human beings in shared habitats. To this end, the biocultural ethic is built upon the 3H model, which values the vital links among co-inhabitants and their life habits in shared habitats. The model integrates the biophysical, cultural, and sociopolitical dimensions characteristic of environmental complexity. In this essay, the 3H model is applied to rivers, examined from biological, philosophical, poetic, and legal perspectives. The result is not only to highlight that rivers are more than merely exploitable resources, but also to show that their “voice” raises a normative (ethical and legal) appeal that, among other aspects, has inspired the new Latin American constitutionalism. This ontological, epistemological, and ethical turn seeks to foster a transition from destruction and homogenization toward a bioculture that values biological and cultural diversity through renewed forms of co-inhabitation with rivers and the biosphere. Full article

Colombia condenses a paradox common across Latin America’s extractive economies: one of the region’s cleanest electricity matrices—close to 60% of installed capacity is hydropower—coexists with large-scale coal and oil exports, while renewable potential concentrates in ethnic and peasant territories that remain energy-poor. Although the country has enacted an ambitious just-transition framework, conflicts persist. This study asks which epistemological and ontological factors constrain or enable that transition. Using an interpretive-critical qualitative design, it triangulates four evidentiary pillars: critical discourse analysis of policy instruments, a structured critical review of the academic and policy literature, six megaproject case studies, and ten participatory workshops with 259 territorial actors across nine departments. Six recurrent, cross-case findings emerge: epistemological asymmetry, ontological irreducibility of territory, participation reduced to procedure, fragmented governance, the Caribbean territorial paradox (La Guajira combines the country’s highest renewable potential with its lowest electricity coverage), and unresolved fiscal dependence on hydrocarbons. The study’s novelty is Territorial Energy Sustainability (SET), a six-condition framework that articulates sustainability-transitions theory with Latin American critical thought and operationalizes it into five levels of policy intervention, offering a transferable framework for energy-exporting countries of the Global South pursuing transitions that transform rather than reproduce inequality. Full article

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a mature B-cell disorder characterized by the excessive production of monoclonal immunoglobulins. It is the second most common hematological cancer and predominantly affects older adults. In 2022, there were approximately 188,000 MM new cases worldwide. The disease is associated with a relapsing–refractory course. First-line therapies are often insufficient, making additional treatment options necessary. For patients refractory to lenalidomide and proteasome inhibitors (bortezomib and/or carfilzomib), pomalidomide combined with dexamethasone and an additional active agent can be used as a therapeutic strategy. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the bioequivalence and tolerability of two pomalidomide hard capsule formulations to support regulatory approval of a branded generic product in Latin American countries. Methods: An open-label, randomized, single-dose, two-treatment, two-sequence, two-period crossover study was conducted in healthy male subjects. Participants received a single oral dose of the test product, Xetrane^® 4 mg hard capsule (Laboratório LKM S.A., Argentina), and the reference product, Imnovid^® 4 mg hard capsule (Celgene International Sàrl), with a 7-day washout period. Blood samples were collected over 48 hours post-dose. Plasma pomalidomide concentrations were determined using a validated LC-MS/MS method, and pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using non-compartmental analysis. Findings: Thirty-four subjects were enrolled, and 29 completed the study. Geometric mean ratios (90% confidence intervals) for Cmax and AUC_0–t were 106.24% (100.77–112.00) and 94.67% (91.61–97.82), respectively. Both formulations were well tolerated. Bioequivalence between Xetrane^® and Imnovid^® was demonstrated in accordance with regulatory criteria. NCT07694011. Full article

Growing evidence positions the built environment as an active component of the developmental experience of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this population, architectural elements such as lighting, acoustics, spatial configuration, and sensory stimuli are consistently associated with learning processes; however, empirical evidence quantifying these relationships through proxy informant instruments remains scarce, particularly in Latin American urban contexts with infrastructure gaps. This study addresses that gap by examining the association between neuroarchitecture, understood as evidence-based sensory design, and learning in children with ASD attending therapeutic centers in the district of Comas, Metropolitan Lima. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational design was adopted. The final sample comprised 98 proxy informants, family members with daily and sustained contact with children with ASD, recruited from four therapeutic centers in Comas (zones 3, 5, 6, and 8), following an instrument validation process that included a pilot test with 15 additional participants. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire of 24 Likert-scale items with five response options, organized around two variables and six dimensions. Content validity was established through expert judgment by five architecture specialists. Construct validity was assessed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (KMO = 0.744; Bartlett’s sphericity test: ${\chi }^2$ = 665.96, df = 276, p < 0.001). Instrument reliability was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ($\alpha$ = 0.844). Given the non-normal distribution of the data across all constructs (Shapiro–Wilk, p < 0.05), Spearman’s rho coefficient was used for inferential analysis. A positive and statistically significant association was identified between neuroarchitecture and learning ($\rho$ = 0.599, p < 0.001). Dimensional analysis revealed a hierarchical pattern: the strongest association corresponded to cognitive processing ($\rho$ = 0.492, p < 0.001), followed by social interaction and communication ($\rho$ = 0.460, p < 0.001) and sensory regulation and adaptive behavior ($\rho$ = 0.460, p < 0.001). A total of 99.0% of proxy informants perceived adequate neuroarchitectural conditions and associated adequate learning outcomes. The findings confirm that neuroarchitectural design is significantly associated with the learning of children with ASD, with cognitive processing emerging as the dimension most sensitive to spatial conditions. The evidence supports the formulation of preliminary design orientations that prioritize sensory stimuli management, spatial legibility, and programmatic differentiation of therapeutic environments, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 11. Full article

In-Mold Electronics (IMEs) present a highly promising monolithic integration strategy for manufacturing miniaturized 3D MEMS optical tweezers, offering exceptional environmental adaptability and structural compactness. However, the precision of such optical systems is heavily constrained by the injection molding process. During the molding phase, high-pressure melt scouring and severe thermo-mechanical coupling frequently induce geometric misalignment, manifesting as node displacement, localized warpage, and residual stress accumulation in the embedded circuits. This displacement critically alters the cross-sectional area of conductive traces, leading to resistance fluctuations that can destabilize the driving current. According to American Wire Gauge (AWG) standards, ensuring the geometric fidelity of this sensor-CPU interconnect pathway is fundamental to maintaining signal integrity. To address these manufacturing bottlenecks, this study systematically investigates the process stability of IME circuits Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC) is strategically selected as the substrate material over Polycarbonate (PC) and Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) due to its ultra-high light transmittance, extremely low water absorption, and superior thermomechanical stability. Based on finite element simulation, a data-driven intelligent optimization framework is developed. Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) is first utilized to efficiently sample the multi-dimensional process space, comprising melt temperature, packing pressure, and packing time. To handle the non-stationary nature of process feedback signals, wavelet analysis is introduced to decouple high-frequency noise, extracting Wavelet Energy Entropy (WEE) as a highly robust dynamic metric for process stability. Subsequently, a hybrid NSGA-II-MOPSO multi-objective algorithm is deployed to cooperatively optimize the injection parameters. The simulation-based optimization results demonstrate a substantial enhancement in manufacturing precision. Under the optimal parameter configuration, the average node displacement of the embedded circuits decreases significantly from 0.034 mm to 0.014 mm, achieving a 58.82% reduction. Simultaneously, volumetric shrinkage drops from 5.755% to 4.832% (a 16.04% reduction), while residual stress is maintained well within the structural safety threshold of optical-grade polymers. By clarifying the deformation control mechanism during the manufacturing phase, this study provides a highly reliable, data-driven methodological framework for the precision mass production of micro-nano optical systems. Full article

Place attachment contributes to urban resilience, identity, and well-being by fostering a sense of belonging and emotional connection to place. In contexts of urban transformation and socio-spatial inequality, understanding its determinants is essential for improving urban livability and inclusive urban environments. This study examines how women’s place attachment is influenced by individual, social, and built-environment factors in middle-income central and peri-central neighborhoods of Santiago, Chile. A key contribution is the inclusion of personal values in explaining place attachment, extending previous socio-spatial research. Data were collected through simple random sampling from 586 women residing in six middle-income neighborhoods of Santiago. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze relationships between individual characteristics, personal values, social cohesion, accessibility, and subjective and objective built-environment conditions. Results show that working outside the home, length of residence, personal values, social cohesion, accessibility, aesthetic quality, and perceived comfort and insecurity significantly influence women’s place attachment. Built-environment characteristics related to accessibility and comfort emerge as key mechanisms shaping emotional attachment to urban neighborhoods. Findings highlight the importance of improving accessibility while maintaining neighborhood residential structure in middle-income areas undergoing urban transformation. Overall, the study provides empirical evidence on socio-spatial processes shaping women’s place attachment and contributes to understanding spatial equity, urban well-being, and inclusive urban environments in a Latin American metropolis. Full article

Background: Food insecurity remains a major public health challenge in many low- and middle-income countries, where environmental and socioeconomic conditions influence household access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the associations between environmental and socioeconomic factors and household food security in Riobamba, Ecuador. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 382 households using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA), complemented by structured and Likert-scale questions addressing agricultural production practices, food handling, waste management, and food choice and dietary diversity. Household food security status was classified according to the standard ELCSA scoring procedure and subsequently grouped into categories representing adequate or inadequate household food access and consumption. Binary Logit and Probit models were estimated to identify factors associated with household food security. Results: The Probit model showed slightly better predictive performance (classification accuracy = 73.56%; Pseudo R² = 0.2729; LR χ² = 143.94; p < 0.01). Household income was the strongest predictor of food security status (Logit coefficient = 1.1977; p < 0.01). Among the environmental variables, agricultural production practices (β = 0.8649; p < 0.01), food handling practices (β = 0.3714; p < 0.05), and food choice and dietary diversity (β = 0.6479; p < 0.01) were positively associated with adequate household food access and consumption, whereas waste management practices were not significantly associated. Household size and gender were also significantly associated with food security outcomes. Conclusions: These findings indicate that household food security in urban Ecuadorian settings is associated with both environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Policies promoting sustainable agricultural practices, safe food handling, dietary diversity, and socioeconomic well-being may contribute to strengthening household food security and nutrition. Full article

Background: Plastic food-contact materials are increasingly recognised as a potential source of dietary exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, particularly through packaged, canned, and ultra-processed foods. However, culturally adapted tools for estimating long-term exposure-related dietary behaviours in Latin American populations remain limited. This study aimed to develop and provide a preliminary evaluation of the Dietary Plastic Exposure Score for Mexican Populations (DPES-MX), and to characterise exposure-related dietary patterns in Mexican university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 152 university students from Querétaro, Mexico. Anthropometric, lifestyle, and dietary information were collected using standardised questionnaires and a culturally adapted food frequency questionnaire. The DPES-MX incorporated dietary and food-handling practices linked to potential migration of plastic-related compounds from food-contact materials, including canned foods, packaged beverages, takeaway foods, microwave heating in plastic containers, and convenience-oriented eating behaviours. Principal component analysis (PCA) and adjusted linear regression models were applied to explore associations between dietary patterns and DPES-MX scores. Results: Men showed slightly higher DPES-MX scores than women, although differences were not statistically significant. Women were more frequently classified within the low DPES-MX score category, and female sex was independently associated with lower DPES-MX scores in adjusted models. PCA identified a dietary component characterised by alcoholic beverages, snacks, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and processed foods that was positively associated with higher DPES-MX scores (β = 0.81, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The DPES-MX could serve as a culturally adapted epidemiological tool for identifying dietary and behavioural practices linked to potential exposure to plastic-related food-contact materials in Mexican populations. Convenience-oriented dietary patterns appeared to be associated with higher DPES-MX scores. Full article

Background: Resource-constrained programs perform epilepsy surgery under limited access to advanced imaging and neuromodulation. We describe presurgical evaluation findings, early seizure outcomes, and safety from a mixed adult-pediatric cohort. Methods: Retrospective single-center series of 22 consecutive patients meeting surgical candidacy. We captured demographics, epilepsy classification/etiology, presurgical investigations (long-term Video-EEG, MRI, selective FDG-PET), procedure type, histopathology when available, and postoperative seizure outcome (ILAE). Complications were recorded using the ILAE adverse-event taxonomy. Results: Mean age at surgery was 21.2 ± 11.2 years; 15 (68%) were male. Epilepsy was focal in 15 (68%); structural etiologies predominated in 15 (68%). MRI was concordant with the presumed epileptogenic zone in 13 (59%). FDG-PET was obtained in 10 (45.5%) and was concordant in 7 (70%). Long-term Video-EEG (≥2 habitual seizures) was completed in 21. Mean delay to surgery was 10 years (IQR [8–15]); presurgical work-up averaged 10 months (IQR [6–15]). Procedures were resective 14 (64%), disconnective 6 (27%), and neuromodulatory 2 (9%). Histopathology was available in 16 cases, most commonly showing hippocampal sclerosis (n = 5) and focal cortical dysplasia (n = 5). At 14 months median follow-up (range 12–34), ILAE outcomes were: I 41% (9), II 14% (3), III 23% (5), IV 23% (5). Outcomes significantly differed by procedure: curative-intent (resection/disconnection) achieved ILAE I 60% (9) versus ILAE III/IV 7 after palliative-intent (corpus callosotomy/neuromodulation). No deaths or permanent deficits occurred; one corpus callosotomy case developed transient aseptic meningitis. Conclusions: In a resource-limited program, structured presurgical evaluation and careful selection yield resection/disconnection outcomes comparable to high-resource benchmarks, while corpus callosotomy/neuromodulation remain largely palliative. Practical, reproducible pathways may help shorten delays and improve access in similar settings. Full article

Predicted cardiovascular age (heart age) translates the risk-factor profile into an equivalent age, which may facilitate interpretation of estimated cardiovascular risk. Excess cardiovascular age describes, in years, the integrated burden of modifiable risk factors and its distribution in the population. This study aimed to quantify socioeconomic and geographic inequalities in predicted excess cardiovascular age among Peruvian adults using standardized inequality measures, and to describe its temporal variation from 2014 to 2024. We analyzed ENDES Peru 2014–2024 data for adults aged 30–74 years. Cardiovascular age was estimated using the body mass index (BMI)–based non-laboratory Framingham equation, and excess was defined as the difference between cardiovascular age and chronological age. Weighted means and 95% confidence intervals were estimated accounting for the complex survey design. Socioeconomic inequalities were assessed using absolute and relative gaps between extreme wealth quintiles (Q5–Q1), the Slope Index of Inequality (SII), the Relative Index of Inequality (RII), and the concentration index/curve. Among 163,889 participants, mean excess cardiovascular age was 9.64 years (95% CI: 9.48–9.80), with similar estimates in women (9.73; 95% CI: 9.52–9.94) and men (9.54; 95% CI: 9.33–9.75). Temporal variation was observed, peaking in 2021 (10.91; 95% CI: 10.57–11.25). Excess increased with wealth (Q1: 7.14 vs. Q5: 11.25 years), with an SII of 5.04 years (95% CI: 4.71–5.37) and a concentration index of 0.087. The gradient was steeper in men (SII 6.14) than in women (SII 3.90). Geographically, Metropolitan Lima had higher excess than the Highlands (11.17 vs. 7.45 years), and urban areas exceeded rural areas (10.28 vs. 7.25 years). In Peru, adults aged 30–74 years had a mean predicted excess cardiovascular age of about 10 years, with a consistent pro-rich and urban/coastal concentration pattern, more pronounced among men. Because this metric is derived from a risk prediction equation, these findings should be interpreted as surveillance-oriented evidence of inequalities in estimated risk-factor burden, not as evidence of observed cardiovascular disease, subclinical cardiovascular damage, causal mechanisms, or tested intervention effects. Full article

Online food delivery (OFD) platforms have become embedded in everyday consumption, yet the determinants of continued use in emerging Latin American markets remain underexplored. This study examines continuance intention toward OFD applications in Colombia using an extended UTAUT2 model (LAE-UTAUT2) that incorporates two domain-specific constructs, Delivery Trust and Food Quality Perception. Cross-sectional survey data from 2130 active users were analyzed through covariance-based structural equation modeling, with confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and validity assessment (CR, AVE, HTMT) and a multi-procedure common-method-bias check. The direct-effects model explained 56.0% of the variance in continuance intention. Performance Expectancy was the strongest predictor, followed by Hedonic Motivation, Food Quality Perception, Delivery Trust, Social Influence, and Effort Expectancy, whereas Facilitating Conditions were non-significant. Notably, the two domain-specific constructs outranked two established UTAUT2 predictors, and the pattern of effects remained stable across age, gender, and experience subgroups and among habitual users. Income, included as a control, showed no detectable independent effect under an unadjusted bracket measure. The findings position experiential quality and fulfillment trust as central correlates of OFD loyalty in emerging markets, though the cross-sectional, self-reported, and reduced-form design warrants cautious, non-causal interpretation. Full article

Although a myriad of cross-national studies featuring European countries, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, and many other nations around the world support the contention that religiosity is associated with life satisfaction (both positively and negatively), comparatively little is known about this association in Latin America, a continent known for its strong Catholic identification, an emerging evangelical influence, and a multitude of indigenous and non-Western religious traditions. Using unique data from 21 Latin American countries, we begin to fill this gap by addressing three previously unanswered questions. What is the association between religiosity and life satisfaction in Latin America? Which measure of religiosity is most frequently associated with life satisfaction in the region: social religiosity (e.g., frequency of service attendance) or individual religiosity (e.g., importance of religion and religious identification)? Do feelings of life satisfaction vary among religious groups in Latin America? First, our aggregate models suggest a positive association between religious importance and life satisfaction and between service attendance and life satisfaction, but the association between religious identity and life satisfaction is negative. Second, our more nuanced cross-country, comparative analysis reveals that the importance of religion to a respondent (individual religiosity) is more frequently (and positively) associated with life satisfaction across a broader array of Latin American countries than service attendance (social religiosity) and religious identity (individual religiosity), with the latter evincing a negative association with life satisfaction in select countries. Lastly, there is a hierarchy of life satisfaction among religious groups. Evangelicals register higher levels of life satisfaction than Catholics, who tend to have similar levels of life satisfaction to Protestants, mainline Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and members of the Jewish faith. However, Catholics enjoy higher levels of life satisfaction than atheists, agnostics, and adherents of indigenous and African religions (e.g., Candomblé, Umbanda, and Voodoo). We discuss the implications of our findings for future research. Full article

A decade ago, several publications summarized the state of knowledge on Colombia’s non-marine turtle species, and in 2015, the Colombian Red Book of Reptiles assessed their national conservation status, yielding information to guide research and conservation priorities in this biodiverse country. However, a recent initiative has produced or updated the global extinction risk assessments of Latin American non-marine turtle species. We summarize the current state of knowledge on Colombian populations of these species and propose new research and conservation priorities. The number of threatened turtle species in Colombia and the magnitude of the threats they face are greater than previously thought. Despite advances in research on the Colombian populations of these species, knowledge biases exist across species, with many important aspects of their life histories and population trends poorly understood. Given the speed of habitat loss and degradation, the current levels of exploitation, and the lack of enforcement of the legislation that protects them, we predict continued declines in population densities and distributions. We emphasize the need for more life-history studies and monitoring of population trends and threats to assign a more realistic category of national extinction risk and request the implementation of conservation legislation and the establishment of conservation programs. Full article