[The quality of outpatient services in health facilities in Hidalgo, Mexico, from the users' perspective].

Objective: To identify and assess factors associated with the quality of health care in hospital outpatient services within the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, based on a user survey.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional, comparative, analytical study of 15 public hospitals within the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. The sample, which was made up of 9 936 interviewees (power: 85%; significance level: 95%) was randomly selected among users of outpatient services between July 1999 and December 2000.

[Preeclampsia-eclampsia: a change in utero-placental microcirculation. Immunologic, histologic, and biochemical features].

Background: To know the alterations in the microcirculation of the placenta, umbilical cord, as well as the immune and hemorrheologic disorders in preeclampsia-eclampsia.

Material And Methods: Two groups were conformed, 30 patients each, all of them with pregnancy of more than 24-week gestation. Group A included patients with preeclampsia-eclampsia and group B (control group) included women with normal pregnancy.

[Iodine deficiency and other potential goitrogens in the persistence of endemic goiter in Mexico].

Objective: To measure the frequency of goiter and the presence of potential goitrogens in a sample of school-age children and pregnant women.

Methods: Cross-sectional study in a purposive sample in three regions, one with known high prevalence of goiter (Huejutla), one with unknown prevalence (Ixmiquilpan) and one with no expected deficiency (Pachuca). Children were sampled from schools and pregnant women from rural reference hospitals.