A multivariate spatio-temporal model for the incidence of imported COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 deaths in Cuba.

To monitor the COVID-19 epidemic in Cuba, data on several epidemiological indicators have been collected on a daily basis for each municipality. Studying the spatio-temporal dynamics in these indicators, and how they behave similarly, can help us better understand how COVID-19 spread across Cuba. Therefore, spatio-temporal models can be used to analyze these indicators.

Nimotuzumab Increases the Recovery Rate of Severe and Critical COVID-19 Patients: Evaluation in the Real-World Scenario.

EGFR signaling is an important regulator of SARS-CoV induced lung damage, inflammation and fibrosis. Nimotuzumab is a humanized anti-EGFR antibody registered for several cancer indications. An expanded access study was conducted to evaluate the safety and recovery rate of severe and critical patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, treated with nimotuzumab in combination with the standard of care in the real-world scenario.

Treatment of COVID-19 patients with the anti-CD6 antibody itolizumab.

Objectives: COVID-19 can lead to a hyperinflammatory state. CD6 is a glycoprotein expressed on mature T lymphocytes which is a crucial regulator of the T-cell activation. Itolizumab is a humanised antibody targeting CD6.

Identifying individual predictive factors for treatment efficacy.

Given the heterogeneous responses to therapy and the high cost of treatments, there is an increasing interest in identifying pretreatment predictors of therapeutic effect. Clearly, the success of such an endeavor will depend on the amount of information that the patient-specific variables convey about the individual causal treatment effect on the response of interest. In the present work, using causal inference and information theory, a strategy is proposed to evaluate individual predictive factors for cancer immunotherapy efficacy.

COVID-19 and Cancer in Cuba.

The COVID-19 pandemic has called attention to the contribution of comorbidities, including cancer and brought additional challenges to previously existing programs for cancer treatment and control. The COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba was addressed through an integrated all-society action plan that to date has been largely successful with a low incidence of COVID-19 and mortality rates several-fold lower than worldwide averages. Despite downsizing many other health components all oncology services were maintained.

Identifying predictive biomarkers of CIMAvaxEGF success in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Background: Immunosenescence biomarkers and peripheral blood parameters are evaluated separately as possible predictive markers of immunotherapy. Here, we illustrate the use of a causal inference model to identify predictive biomarkers of CIMAvaxEGF success in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Methods: Data from a controlled clinical trial evaluating the effect of CIMAvax-EGF were analyzed retrospectively, following a causal inference approach.

Differential effects of two therapeutic cancer vaccines on short- and long-term survival populations among patients with advanced lung cancer.

Background: Progress in immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment landscape for advanced lung cancer, with emerging evidence of patients experiencing long-term survivals. The goal of this study was to explore the existence of short- and long-term survival populations and to assess the effect of immunotherapy on them.

Methods: Data from two randomized, multicenter, controlled clinical trials was used to evaluate the effect of two therapeutic vaccines (anti-idiotypic vaccine VAXIRA and anti-EGF vaccine CIMAVAX) on survival curves in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Validation of Instruments for Assessing Drug Safety Management During the Conduction of Clinical Trials.

Background: The management of drug safety with the collection of reliable safety data during the conduction of clinical trials conduct is essential for the registry and marketing of products. The systematic evaluation of this process, based on objective measures, requires the application of quality instruments. This study was aimed to design and validate eight instruments through the components of quality (structure, process, and results), for characterizing and assessing the process of drug safety management, during the conduction of clinical trials.

Overall Survival of Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Nimotuzumab in the Real World.

Introduction: Despite improvements in surgical techniques and treatments introduced into clinical practice, the overall survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma remains low. Several epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors are being evaluated in the context of clinical trials, but there is little evidence of effectiveness in real-world conditions. This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of nimotuzumab combined with onco-specific treatment in Cuban real-life patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

[Translation into practice of empowerment strategies for dengue prevention: facilitators and barriers].

Objective To identify facilitators and barriers to the process of translating community empowerment strategies into the practice of the national Aedes aegypti control program in Cuba. Methods A case study of the process was conducted from 2005 to 2009 at national and provincial levels of the control program. Data from participant observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis were triangulated and analyzed inductively and deductively.

Is there a subgroup of long-term evolution among patients with advanced lung cancer?: hints from the analysis of survival curves from cancer registry data.

Background: Recently, with the access of low toxicity biological and targeted therapies, evidence of the existence of a long-term survival subpopulation of cancer patients is appearing. We have studied an unselected population with advanced lung cancer to look for evidence of multimodality in survival distribution, and estimate the proportion of long-term survivors.

Methods: We used survival data of 4944 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stages IIIb-IV at diagnostic, registered in the National Cancer Registry of Cuba (NCRC) between January 1998 and December 2006.

Prospective, comprehensive, and effective viral monitoring in Cuban children undergoing solid organ transplantation.

Purpose: In Cuba, viral monitoring in the post-transplant period was not routinely performed. The aim of this research is to identify the most frequent viruses that affect transplanted Cuban children, by implementing a viral follow-up during the post-transplant period.

Methods: The study population included all Cuban pediatric patients who underwent solid organ transplantation (SOT) between November 2009 and December 2012.

The relationship between economic status, knowledge on dengue, risk perceptions and practices.

The reemergence of dengue as an important public health problem reflects the difficulties in sustaining vertically organized, effective, control programs and the need for community-based strategies for Aedes aegypti control that result in behavioral change. We aimed to disentangle the relationships between underlying determinants of dengue related practices. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 780 households in La Lisa, Havana, Cuba.

[Low-affinity Fcγ receptor IIa gene polymorphism and dengue bleeding disorder].

Introduction: The pathophysiological changes that determine the severity of dengue are still not well known, therefore it is important to study the probable relationship with the host genetic.

Methods: We analyzed the possible association between the FcγRIIa polymorphism and clinical signs in individuals who suffered dengue infection in 2006, using contingency tables.

Results: We found that bleeding was significantly associated to FcγRIIa H/H131 genotype (80%).

A community empowerment strategy embedded in a routine dengue vector control programme: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

The non-sustainability of vertically organised dengue vector control programmes led to pleas for changing the emphasis towards community-based strategies. We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial with 16 intervention and 16 control clusters to test the effectiveness of a community empowerment strategy intertwined with the routine dengue vector control programme in La Lisa, Havana City, Cuba. The intervention included four components on top of routine control: organisation and management; entomological risk surveillance; capacity building; and community work for vector control.

Prevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in humans from a Cuban village.

Unlabelled: Lyme disease has not been officially reported in Cuba. However, clinical cases have been serologically reported. Seroprevalence survey of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto antibodies in humans in the country has not been conducted.

Testing the effectiveness of community-based dengue vector control interventions using semiparametric mixed models.

Objective: To evaluate the results obtained though intersectoral coordination and community empowerment in one study carried out during 6 years in Playa Municipality, Cuba.

Methods: A longitudinal assessment comparing one intervention and one control area was conducted. The intervention encompasses two main stages separated by two dengue outbreaks.

[New evidence in the susceptibility to dengue infection associated to HH polymorphism of FcgammaRIIa receptor].

Introduction: polymorphic variants of FcgammaRIIa receptor have been associated to susceptibility to develop several infectious diseases. The relationship between the polymorphism of this receptor and the susceptibility to dengue hemorrhagic fever was recently reported.

Objectives: to explore whether the association of the homocygotic variants of the receptor to susceptibility to or protection from a disease could be also related with the IgG antibody titters and the exposure to a number of infections.

Cuba's strategy for childhood tuberculosis control, 1995-2005.

Introduction: Following a tripling of tuberculosis incidence in Cuba between 1991 and 1994 (from 4.7 to 14.7 per 100,000), the National TB Control Program was revamped in 1995 and the National Reference Center for Childhood TB and Provincial Childhood TB Commissions were created as a strategy for addressing this emerging health problem.

Association of MICA and MICB alleles with symptomatic dengue infection.

Dengue viruses (DV) are one of the most important arthropod-borne viral diseases in the developing world. DV can cause syndromes that are either self-limiting or severe. Allelic variants of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes have been demonstrated to be associated with disease susceptibility.

Prevalence of febrile syndromes in dengue surveillance, havana city, 2007.

Objective: Determine point prevalence of febrile syndromes and compare with prevalence reported by habitual clinical and seroepidemiologic dengue surveillance system in Havana City.

Methods: In October 2007, a descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in a representative sample, calculating prevalences of febrile syndromes and undifferentiated febrile syndromes. Chi-square analysis was used for rate comparisons.

Antiretroviral therapy adherence in persons with HIV/AIDS in Cuba.

INTRODUCTION Cuba has an HIV prevalence of 0.1% in the population aged 15 to 49 years, very low despite increased incidence in recent years. In 2001, domestically-produced generic antiretroviral therapy was introduced and there has been complete coverage since 2003.

Virus role during intraepidemic increase in dengue disease severity.

Dengue epidemics in Cuba have repeatedly demonstrated a month-to-month increase in clinical severity during secondary infections. The dengue 2 outbreak that occurred in Santiago de Cuba in 1997 was accompanied by the most severe intraepidemic increase in disease severity reported to date. It was initially proposed that the appearance of neutralization escape mutants during the course of the epidemic might explain this phenomenon.

Process-oriented fidelity research assists in evaluation, adjustment and scaling-up of community-based interventions.

Fidelity research can help to answer essential questions about the diffusion process of innovative health interventions and provide insights for further scaling-up and institutionalization. This study assessed fidelity and reinvention in the implementation of a community-based control strategy for Aedes aegypti control. The intervention was implemented in 16 study areas in La Lisa, a municipality of Havana, Cuba.

Long-term persistence of clinical symptoms in dengue-infected persons and its association with immunological disorders.

Objectives: The acute manifestations of dengue are well known. The clinical symptoms that present during the convalescent phase of infection are less well characterized, but may be autoimmune-based. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of persistent clinical symptoms among individuals infected during the 2006 Cuban epidemic and to evaluate the immunological and genetic factors associated with their occurrence.