Results and analysis of an intercomparisons study for individual monitoring services of Latin American and Caribbean regions.

The aim of this paper is to present the results obtained by the Latin-American and Caribbean personal dosimetry services that participated, with the support of IAEA, in the 2020-Eurados whole-body dosemeter intercomparison for photon radiation. All participant services in this study use thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) systems except one that uses optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosemeters. Data analysis shows that 93.

Neurocognitive subtypes of schizophrenia.

Objective: To empirically identify schizophrenia neurocognitive subtypes and establish their association with clinical characteristics.

Methods: Sustained attention, executive function, facial emotion recognition, verbal learning, and working memory tests were applied to 253 subjects with schizophrenia. We identified neurocognitive subtypes by a latent class analysis of the tests results.

Verbal working memory in individuals with schizophrenia and their first degree relatives: relationship with negative and disorganized symptoms.

Objective: To determine whether there are differences in verbal working memory amongst subjects with schizophrenia, their first degree relatives and controls, and to evaluate the influence of symptoms on these differences, as an initial step to assess whether this cognitive function is an endophenotype.

Methods: We examined 197 cases with schizophrenia, 197 first degree relatives and 200 controls through psychiatric interviews and the Letters and Numbers Sequencing test (LNS). Performance was compared among the three groups adjusting for age, sex and education level.

[Comparison of a PCR test based on the histone H2A/SIRE genes with classical serological tests for the diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease in Colombian patients].

Introduction: Diagnosis of Chagas disease in its latent and chronic phase is difficult because of the low parasitemia levels. Therefore, serological and molecular techniques are necessary to achieve an appropriate diagnosis.

Objective: The polymerase chain reaction based on the amplification of the SIRE element inserted into H2A encoding genes was compared with classical serological tests for the diagnosis of Chagas disease in Colombian patients.

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to identify infected patients in the emergency room.

Objective: Evaluation of the usefulness of criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) compared with the final diagnosis of infection in patients admitted to the emergency room of two university-based hospitals.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul and Hospital General de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia.