Visibility and availability of single cigarettes around schools in four Latin American countries.

Introduction: Single cigarette sales at tobacco-selling points of sale (POS) may promote smoking. We explored visibility and availability of single cigarettes in POS around schools in Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, countries where their sale is banned.

Methods: Between April and July 2023, an observational study was conducted at POS around high schools in urban and rural areas in Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.

Comparative characterization of Viperidae snake venoms from Perú reveals two compositional patterns of phospholipase A expression.

Snake species within the complex () are of medical relevance in Latin America, but knowledge on their venom characteristics is limited, or even unavailable, for some taxa. Perú harbors 17 species of pit vipers, within the genera , , , , , and . This study compared the venoms of twelve species, through chromatographic and electrophoretic profiles, as well as proteolytic and phospholipase A (PLA) activities.

Three-finger toxins from the venom of Micrurus tschudii tschudii (desert coral snake): Isolation and characterization of tschuditoxin-I.

Venoms from Micrurus (New World coral snakes) display potent peripheral neurotoxicity which may cause death by respiratory paralysis, yet many are poorly or not characterized. The major venom components of coral snakes are three-finger toxins (3FTxs) and phospholipases A, whose proportions vary among species. As a trend, venoms of Micrurus from South America contain high proportions of 3FTxs, in contrast to most North and Central American species.

Venomic Analysis of the Poorly Studied Desert Coral Snake, Micrurus tschudii tschudii, Supports the 3FTx/PLA₂ Dichotomy across Micrurus Venoms.

The venom proteome of the poorly studied desert coral snake Micrurus tschudii tschudii was unveiled using a venomic approach, which identified ≥38 proteins belonging to only four snake venom protein families. The three-finger toxins (3FTxs) constitute, both in number of isoforms (~30) and total abundance (93.6% of the venom proteome), the major protein family of the desert coral snake venom.

Can coca leaves contribute to improving the nutritional status of the Andean population?

Background: Coca leaves (Erythroxylum coca) have been promoted as a food that could address the dietary deficiencies of the Andean population, but this is based on nutrient analyses of a small sample of leaves.

Objective: We assessed the nutritional potential of eight samples of coca leaves grown in different regions of Peru.

Methods: We used AOAC techniques to measure nutrients, nutrient inhibitors (phytate, polyphenols, oxalic acid, and fiber), and alkaloid concentrations, all expressed per 100 g dry weight (DW) of the ground leaves.

Prevalence of smoking and other smoking related behaviors reported by the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in four Peruvian cities.

Introduction: In 2004, Peru ratified the Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and in 2006 passed Law 28705 for tobacco consumption and exposure reduction. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) provides data on youth tobacco use for development of tobacco control programs. Findings from the GYTS conducted in four main cities in Peru in 2000 and 2003 are reported in this paper and can be used to monitor provisions of the WHO FCTC.

North and South American Loxosceles spiders: development of a polyvalent antivenom with recombinant sphingomyelinases D as antigens.

We report the cloning of sphingomyelinase D (SMD) cDNA from Loxosceles reclusa, Loxosceles boneti and Loxosceles laeta into bacterial expression systems, as well as optimization of expression conditions so as to obtain soluble and active recombinant enzymes. The recombinant mature SMDs, tagged with a histidine tail at the N- or C-termini, were compared in terms of toxicity and enzymatic activity, and were used as immunogens for the production of monovalent antisera in rabbits and F(ab')(2) preparations in animals used for commercial antivenom production (horses). We performed studies on in vitro inhibition of enzymatic activity of natural venom preparations by antibodies generated against the tagged proteins.

[Colon and rectum signet-ring cell carcinoma in the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases].

Objective: Primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the colon and rectum is a rare form of adenocarcinoma of the large intestine. The purpose of this study was define the incidence, natural history and relation with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC).

Methods: We reviewed the medical records and pathology of 28 patients with primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the colon and rectum seen at the Instituto de Enfermedades Neoplasicas (INEN), between 1991 and 2002.

Secondhand tobacco smoke in public places in Latin America, 2002-2003.

Context: The success of measures to restrict smoking in indoor environments and the intensity of enforcement vary among countries around the world. In 2001, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched the Smoke-Free Americas Initiative to build capacity to achieve smoke-free environments in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Objective: To assess secondhand smoke concentrations in public places in the capital cities of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay in conjunction with the Smoke-Free Americas Initiative.