Objectives: Treatment failure in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is always a concern. The major aim of the present work was to examine the correlates associated with treatment failure in patients living in the Colombian Caribbean city of Barranquilla, an aspect that was poorly studied in this region. Methods: Treatment failure was evaluated in a cross-sectional study from virological, immunological and clinical standpoints. Results: It was established that 29.5% of patients under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) could be considered in treatment failure. Among those, virological failure was most frequent (20.9%), followed by immunological- (14.0%) and clinical failure (4.7%). In patients showing lack of adherence to the treatment, the likelihood of suffering from treatment- and virogical-failure were respectively increased by 6.67-fold and 12.19-fold, compared with patients showing good adherence. Although there was no statistically significant association, treatment failure tended to be more frequent in young adults and in patients with low income or low level of education. When antiretroviral therapies (ART) regimens were compared, there was no apparent difference in treatment failure between regimens based on non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and those based on protease inhibitors. This is very important in the context of recent ART strategies, such as early-initiated ART, aimed at achieving long-term infection control. Conclusions: The current study confirms the importance of treatment adherence to avoid treatment failure and further highlights the importance of educating HIV-infected patients in all parts of the world, especially those individuals with a lower socio-economic status.

Objective: The aim of this study is to check whether there are differences in the distribution of empathy levels in dental students from nine faculties of dentistry Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic. Methods: The levels of empathy and matrices of empathy construct matrices are estimated dental students by using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, the Spanish version for students (S version) culturally validated in Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic measured by arbitrator criteria. Cronbach α is estimated. Data of empathic orientation of the studied factors between faculties are analyzed and compared by ANOVA and Duncan

Introduction:The controversy over the presence of empathic decline within the course in students of medicine, dentistry and health sciences in general, has not fully been studied. This controversy could be partially solved if massive studies of empathy levels are made in similar cultural, social and economic contexts. Material and Methods:Empathy levels within the course were studied in eighteen dental schools from six countries in Latin America (2013). The mean of the empathy levels were used to study the behavior between first and fifth academic years. The values of empathy levels within the course were observed by applying the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, the Spanish version. All these studies were cross-sectional. The value of means observed, were subjected to regression studies and further adjustment curves were obtained and the coefficient of determination were calculated. Results: Six different models of behavior were observed, which found that five of them suffer empathic decline within the course, but with different final results: in some the decline persists until the fifth academic year and in others, this decline 'recovers' persistently until the fifth academic year. The sixth model is characterized by a constant and persistent increase of levels of empathy within the course until the last academic year. Discussion: There are six different models for the behavior of means of levels of empathy within the course evaluated by a common methodology in eighteen dental schools from six countries of Latin America. These findings support the existence of variability of empathic response and a comprehensive approach is needed to find the causes that give rise to this variability. Conclusion:In dental students of Latin America, there is variability in the behavior of the distribution in means between the academic years of the dentistry schools examined in this study.

<p class="p1"><strong>Antecedentes. </strong>La empatía es un importante atributo que los estudiantes de medicina deben tener y ha sido poco estudiado en América Latina. </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><strong>Objetivo.</strong> Determinar el nivel de orientación empática de los estudiantes de medicina de las universidades Libre, seccional Barranquilla, y San Martín, sede Puerto Colombia, Barranquilla.</p><p class="p1"><strong>Materiales y métodos.</strong> La orientación empática de los estudiantes se midió mediante la aplicación de la Escala de Empatía Médica de Jefferson en español, diseñada para estudiantes <span class="s1">—</span>versión S<span class="s1">—</span>, validada en otros países de Latinoamérica y adaptada culturalmente a Colombia. La comparación de los datos se realizó mediante análisis de varianza bifactorial <span class="s1">—</span>Modelo III<span class="s1">—</span>. </p><p class="p1"><strong>Resultados.</strong> El nivel de orientación empática de los estudiantes tiene valores bajos, ubicados por encima del valor central del rango de la escala, 20 a140. Las diferencias entre las puntuaciones, según cursos y género, no fueron estadísticamente significativas al comparar los promedios de las sumatorias del puntaje de los estudiantes; sin embargo, se observó, un comportamiento diferente según el género entre las universidades: el femenino tuvo valores de orientación empática mejores que el masculino en la Universidad San Martín, mientras que en la Universidad Libre sucedió, relativamente, lo contrario. La comparación de las respuestas permitió observar que existen diferencias entre ellas.  </p><p class="p1"><strong>Conclusiones.</strong> Los resultados de este estudio no explican la contradicción encontrada en relación a las diferencias de género y cursos entre universidades; sin embargo, estos resultados son consistentes con otros trabajos, especialmente realizados en Latinoamérica, que muestran variabilidad de la respuesta empática en estudiantes de medicina. Las diferencias entre las universidades no pueden atribuirse a causas psicológicas solamente, sino a la presencia de otros factores que también influyen en la respuesta empática.</p>

Type 2 diabetes is a global epidemic, and many people feel stigmatized for having this disease. The stigma is a relevant barrier to diabetes management. However, evidence in this regard is scarce in Latin America. This study aimed to analyze the level of stigma surrounding type 2 diabetes in the Colombian population and its relationships with sociodemographic, clinical, psychosocial variables and behaviors related to management of the disease (self-management behaviors). This cross-sectional study included 501 Colombian adults with type 2 diabetes. We estimated the relation between stigma and selected variables through linear regression models. Additionally, we analyzed the mediator role of psychosocial variables in the relationship between stigma and self-management behaviors through structural equation models. A total of 16.4% of patients showed concerning levels of stigma. The time elapsed since diagnosis (β = −0.23) and socioeconomic status (β = −0.13) were significant predictors of the level of stigma. Stigma was negatively correlated with self-efficacy (β = −0.36), self-esteem (β = −0.37), and relationship with health care provider (β = −0.46), and positively correlated with stress (β = 0.23). Self-efficacy, self-esteem, and the relationships with health care providers had a mediation role in the relationship between stigma and self-management behaviors. These variables would be part of the mechanisms through which the perception of stigma harms self-management behaviors. The stigma of type 2 diabetes is frequent in the Colombian population and negatively associated with important aspects of disease management.