Ethnic diversity in Chilean blood groups: A comprehensive analysis of genotypes, phenotypes, alleles and the immunogenic potential of antigens in northern, southern and central regions.

Background And Objectives: The available information on blood groups in the Chilean population is derived from studies on aboriginal cohorts and routine serological test results. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of genotypes, phenotypes and blood group alleles in donors from northern, central and southern Chile using molecular methods.

Materials And Methods: Overall, 850 samples from donors in northern, central and southern Chile were genotyped.

Medial placement of trapezoid tunnel leads to higher reduction loss in acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation treated with anatomic coracoclavicular fixation.

Aim: To analyze the association between clavicular tunnel positioning and postoperative reduction loss in patients with acute acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation treated with anatomic coracoclavicular (CC) fixation using double clavicular tunnels.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with AC joint dislocation, treated with anatomic CC fixation using double clavicular tunnels, was conducted. Patients with pre-operative, immediate post-operative, and final follow-up Zanca-view X-rays were included.

Humoral immune response in people living with HIV after administration of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine CoronaVac or BNT162b2 or CoronaVac/BNT162b2 booster sequence: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The evidence of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness in people living with HIV (PLWH) is limited. This study evaluated the humoral immune response to CoronaVac™ (virus inactivated) and BNT162b2 (mRNA- based) vaccines in PLWH and HIV-negative controls, with and without a booster sequence.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on PLWH and HIV-negative controls who received CoronaVac or BNT162b2, with a subgroup receiving a CoronaVac/BNT162b2 booster.

Exercise-based intervention as a nonsurgical treatment for patients with carpal instability: A case series.

Background: Although the important roles of proprioception and neuromuscular control in carpal instabilities under laboratory conditions have been recognized, only a few studies have translated this knowledge into a routine clinical practice.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the results of a personalized rehabilitation in patients with carpal instability on functionality and pain intensity.

Study Design: This was a case series study.

Hypervirulent Strains of Neisseria meningitidis and Clinical Manifestations in Children With Invasive Meningococcal Disease.

Background: Hypervirulent clonal complex (cc) have been associated with higher incidence and case fatality rate of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). The aim of this study was to describe the clinical manifestations of the hypervirulent cc of meningococcus in children.

Methods: Retrospective study in patients hospitalized by IMD microbiologically confirmed at three children's tertiary health care centers in Santiago, Chile, between 2010 and 2018.

Intrahospital supervised exercise training improves survival rate among hypertensive patients with COVID-19.

Among the people most affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are those suffering from hypertension (HTN). However, pharmacological therapies for HTN are ineffective against COVID-19 progression and severity. It has been proposed that exercise training (EX) could be used as post-COVID treatment, which does not rule out the possible effects during hospitalization for COVID-19.

How accurate are radiography and computed tomography in the diagnosis of COVID-19?-A Bayesian approach.

Background: The role of radiology in patients with clinical suspicion of COVID-19 is evolving with scientific evidence, but there are differences in opinion on when and how the technique should be used for clinical diagnosis.

Purpose: To estimate the pre-test and post-test probability that a patient has COVID-19 in the event of a positive and/or negative result from chest X-ray and chest computed tomography (CT) radiological studies, comparing with those of real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

Methods: The literature on the sensitivity and specificity of the chest X-ray, chest CT, and RT-PCR was reviewed.

[Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency on healthy infants receiving standard supplementation].

Unlabelled: Vitamin D (VD) is essential for calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Its deficiency can cause rickets. In Chile, newborns receive 400UI/day supplementation from the first day of age until the first year.

Physiological asymmetry in uterine artery blood flow during the first trimester of pregnancy: New insights from a quantitative assessment using Pulsed-wave color Doppler and M-mode color power angio imaging.

Introduction: This study aimed to quantify uterine artery (UtA) blood flow and its hemodynamic components throughout the first trimester of pregnancy using Doppler ultrasound.

Methods: Cross-sectional cohort study involving women undergoing a routine ultrasound scan between 5 and 13 weeks' gestation. UtA blood flow was measured using Pulsed-wave Color Doppler to assess blood flow velocity across the cardiac cycle and M-mode Color Power Angio imaging to assess UtA diameter.

[Redefining the gold standard for aortic valve replacement: Minimally invasive with accelerated recovery].

Background: Despite being introduced 20 years ago minimally invasive aortic valve replacement is only performed routinely in a minority of patients world-wide.

Aim: To report the operative outcome of minimally invasive aortic valve replacement done through a partial upper sternotomy.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective analysis of data recorded prospectively of 450 consecutive patients with a median age of 66 years (59% males) who had a minimally invasive aortic replacement.

First-trimester miscarriage rate decreases with hydralazine therapy in pregnancies with early uterine vascular insufficiency: a cohort study.

Background: Miscarriage is the most frequent cause of pregnancy loss, affecting 15-20% of clinically recognized pregnancies. Early uterine vascular insufficiency (EUVI), defined as abnormal uterine artery (UA) Doppler impedance indices in early pregnancy, is present in two-thirds of pregnancies ending in miscarriage after embryonic cardiac activity has been detected. There is currently no available therapy for reducing the risk of miscarriage in these cases.

Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I-Related Chain A (MICA) Allelic Variants Associate With Susceptibility and Prognosis of Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most prevalent type of cancer worldwide. Gastric tumor cells express MICA protein, a ligand to NKG2D receptor that triggers natural killer (NK) cells effector functions for early tumor elimination. gene is highly polymorphic, thus originating alleles that encode protein variants with a controversial role in cancer.

COVID-19 in Chile: The usefulness of simple epidemic models in practice.

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to describe and develop the predictive value of three models during the COVID-19 epidemic in Chile, providing knowledge for decision-making in health.

Methods: We developed three models during the epidemic: a discrete model to predict the maximum burden on the health system in a short time framea basic SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infected-removed) model with discrete equations; a stochastic SEIR model with the Monte Carlo method; and a Gompertz-type model for metropolitan city of Santiago.

Results: The maximum potential burden model has been useful throughout the monitoring of the epidemic, providing an upper bound for the number of cases, intensive care unit occupancy, and deaths.

Role and effects of zinc supplementation in HIV-infected patients with immunovirological discordance: A randomized, double blind, case control study.

Introduction: It has been estimated that between 15% and 18% of patients who start antiretroviral therapy (ART) do not achieve a successful immune recovery despite complete virological suppression. In the literature this phenomenom is known as poor immune recovery or immunovirological discordance (IVD). Zinc has an immunomodulatory role associated with T lymphocytes and its supplementation could enhance immune recovery.

Changes in Age and Geographic Distribution of the Risk of Chagas Disease in Chile from 1989 to 2017.

The interruption of vector-borne transmission of Chagas disease was certified in Chile in 1999. Our goal was to determine the effects of the interruption of vector transmission on the age and spatial distributions of the risk of Chagas disease. We analyzed cases of Chagas disease by age and sex between 1989 and 2017, from notified disease reports of the Ministry of Health.

Epidemic trends, public health response and health system capacity: the Chilean experience in four months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To report the surveillance of COVID-19 pandemic in Chile and analyse the response to public health interventions implemented from 3 March to 30 June 2020 and to assess the risks of collapse of the health care system.

Methods: We analysed the effective reproductive number, underreporting of cases, burden of critical beds, case fatality ratio and number of diagnostic RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2.

Results: After an accelerated onset, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to be relatively controlled in Chile (late April 2020), with reproductive numbers close to 1.

Is neck circumference an appropriate tool to predict cardiovascular risk in clinical practice? A cross-sectional study in Chilean population.

Objectives: Neck circumference has emerged as a predictor of obesity and metabolic syndrome, but its clinical usefulness for different groups of population is not clearly defined. The aim is to evaluate the predictive capacity of neck circumference in order to detect cardiovascular risks (CVRs) on the Chilean population and to compare it with waist circumference performance.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy reduces hospital stay in mild gallstone pancreatitis. A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Two strategies for same-admission cholecystectomy in mild gallstone pancreatitis (MGP) exist: early surgery (within 48-72 h from admission) and delayed surgery until resolution of symptoms and normalization of pancreatic tests.

Methods: This was a single-center, open-label RCT. Patients with MGP according to revised Atlanta classification-2012 and SIRS criteria were randomly assigned to early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (E-LC) within 72 h from admission or delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy (D-LC).

[Low dose rate brachytherapy in low and middle risk prostate cancer: Results and impact on quality of life with 5 year follow up.].

Low dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-Br) with radioactive isotopes is a curative treatment and has shown to be comparable for the management of localized prostate cancer (PCa) to more conventional treatments such as radical prostatectomy or external beam radiotherapy, but with fewer side effects. The aim of this study is to show the global, specific and biochemical recurrence-free survival in 193 patients undergoing low dose rate Brachytherapy with permanent implants with iodine 125 and analyze the quality of life impact. 193 patients with localized PCa were consecutively treated over a period of 10 years (2005-2015).

[What do the numbers tell us about the temporal evolution of Chagas' disease?].

Chagas disease remains highly prevalent in Chile, especially between the regions of Arica and Parinacota, and Coquimbo. Since 1999 it is considered that in Chile the vector transmission was interrupted. Under this premise, the epidemiological dynamics should be changing.

Modeling Chagas disease in Chile: From vector to congenital transmission.

Chagaś disease is a human health problem in Latin America. It is highly prevalent in northern Chile between the Arica-Parinacota and Coquimbo regions, with reported incidence of 3-11/100000 inhabitants and mortality of 0.3-0.

[Factors associated with success of a smoking cessation program].

Background: Smoking cessation therapies include counseling, psychological management and pharmacological therapy. Varenicline is the most effective and safe medication available.

Aim: To study risk factors for the failure of pharmacological smoking cessation therapy with varenicline.

[Usefulness of upper gastrointestinal series to detect leaks in the early postoperative period of bariatric surgery].

Background: Postoperative leaks are the most undesirable complication of bariatric surgery and upper gastrointestinal (GI) series are routinely ordered to rule them out. Despite the published literature recommending against its routine use, it is still being customarily used in Chile.

Aim: To examine the usefulness of routine upper GI series using water-soluble iodinated contrast media for the detection of early postoperative leaks in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

[Quality of life in patients with prostate cancer: validation of an instrument for clinical practice].

Objectives: Currently there are instruments to evaluate the different features of the impact on quality of life in those patients with prostate cancer undergoing any type of treatment, but most of them have 50 or more questions and they are difficult to apply in clinical practice. An English validation of a shortened version of the EPIC (Expanded Prostate Cancer Composite), the most used instrument to measure the quality of life in patients with prostate cancer, has been published recently. This version called EPIC-CP (Expanded Prostate Cancer Composite-Clinical Practice) consists of 16 questions arranged in a page, for easy and rapid clinical application.

[Laboratory surveillance of Streptococcus pneumoniae from invasive disease, Chile 2007-2012].

Background: 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV-10) was introduced in 2011 to the National Immunization Program in Chile. It was administered in 4 doses, but in 2012 it was modified to a 3 dose program. This article shows the results of the Laboratory Surveillance System for Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated of invasive disease from 2007 to 2012 and compares the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) by age groups in the prevaccinal (2007-2010) and postvaccinal period (2012).